Planning for Dracula's castle

Sunday, July 24, 2011
Camberley, England, United Kingdom
What better way to spend a Sunday morning than trawling through guide books and surfing travel blogs in preparation for my next big trip.

I haven't had a 'proper' holiday since 2009 when I went to Nepal as sadly I didn't make it to Japan, as I had planned last year. 2011 has been taken up with the odd short trip here and there (check out my 2011 blog here for more) and I had originally anticipated booking this next big trip alone once again. However with the opportunity to see Dracula's castle my friend Cat was easily swayed into joining me :).

So, I've been checking out the guide books for Romania today mainly, but also planning ideas for what to do in Budapest and Istanbul as we will have 2/3 days there at the start and end of the trip. I think I am going to have to set aside a day for each country over the next month, to research properly and determine exactly what cannot be missed off the itinerary list...

The main part of the trip has been booked with Intrepid Travel and although a bit pricey it means there is no worries on our part about where we will end up each day as the accommodation and transportation is all organised. It's not ideally how I would like to travel, but with only 3 weeks off it would be difficult to squeeze everything in if I planned it myself. The highlight for me is the fact we get to stay with local families for 2 nights of the Romanian part of the trip, that way we can experience what it's really like there. And of course I want to see Dracula's castle too!

Bran Castle, most commonly known as Dracula's Castle was built by the Saxons in 1382 to defend the Bran pass against the invading Turks. 

When you imagine what it might be like, you think of a black menacing fortress with spindly towers - or at least I do... however the reality is far different with fairytale turrets and whitewashed walls, it is far from menacing. Hopefully the disappointment of it not being as spooky as I first imagined will be outweighed by the architecture and history of this famous landmark.

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