Visited Bran Castle, commonly known as 'Dracula's Castle', although there is no evidence to suggest that Vlad Tepes - the inspiration for the Dracula story - was ever here. It is probably the most atrocious tourist area I have ever seen, with stalls selling all sorts of vampire stuff, daggers, masks, capes, 'I am a vampire' t-shirts and loads of things which had no relation to the area or Romania whatsoever, for example, an inflatable mickey mouse with a heart and 'I love you' on it. Though I have to admit I did walk around the stalls more than once as they made me laugh so much !The castle is not actually as impressive as I had hoped, partly due to the surrounding trees blocking most of the views from around the sides, and that only from one side is there a cool looking appearance to the castle, but still worth seeing. Inside is a series of rooms with various, not too interesting furniture and exhibits. The most impressive part is the peaked tower, that certainly gives a medieval feel to the castle.
Left: View from inside Bran Castle.
Centre: Vie from pathway below.
Right: Awful tourist stalls, the worse I have ever seen !
On the way back I hopped off the bus at Risnov and made a lengthy climb up to the Risnov citadel, which offers fabulous views of the surrounding countryside including the Carpathian Mountains.
Left: Inside the Risnov citadel.
Right: Views from the top of the mountain inside the citadel.
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