THE
WRITING OF
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF
DRACULA:
A PERSONAL JOURNEY AND TRAVEL GUIDE
By
Steven P. Unger
My obsession to
travel to every site related to either the fictional Count Dracula or his real
historical counterpart, Prince Vlad Dracula the Impaler, grew out of a visit to
Whitby , England
In my mind's eye, I could see
the un-dead Count Dracula rising at night from the flattened slab
of the suicide's gravestone to greedily drink the blood of the living.
The graveyard where
Count Dracula spent his days sleeping in the sepulcher of a suicide looks the
part that it plays, with its weathered limestone tombstones blackened by
centuries of the everpresent North Sea winds. That graveyard made the novel more visible,
more visceral, to me, and I wondered if the sites in Transylvania and in the remote
mountains of southern Romania
At that moment I decided to visit and
photograph every site in England and Romania that is closely related to either
Bram Stoker's fictional Count Dracula or his historical counterpart, Prince
Vlad Dracula the Impaler—to literally walk in their footsteps and to write a
book about my experiences.
Goth Girls Adorning Whitby
Eventually I traveled along the
Dracula Trail alone, using only public transportation, to some places that I'd
seen before and to others I had only dreamed of, trying my best to
systematically strip away the layers of myth about Count Dracula and Prince Vlad the Impaler to find
the reality within. I discovered in
broken stones and parchments signed in blood why Prince Vlad's monstrous deeds in life would
brand him forever with the name of Vlad Ţepeş (pronounced Tzeh·pish),
Romanian for Vlad the Impaler, soon after his death.
In my research and
travels I discovered two fascinating coincidences that link the historical and
the literary Draculas. First and
foremost is that Bram Stoker chose to name his villain "Dracula,"
based on the translation of the Romanian word "dracul" into
"devil," never knowing that the historical Voivode (Prince) Dracula he had read about was also Vlad Ţepeş,
with a horrific and compelling biography of his own.
Vlad
the Impaler Surrounded by his Victims
Bram Stoker's Transylvania was the pipe dream of an armchair
traveler with a genius for writing: real
enough for the 19th Century reader, but bearing little
resemblance to any Romania
Haystacks
along Transylvania 's
Borgo
Pass
The second
coincidence is the uncanny resemblance of the real Castle of Dracula—Vlad Ţepeş' fortress at Poenari, which
Stoker had no knowledge of—to Count Dracula's fictional castle in Transylvania. Perched on a remote peak near a glacial
moraine in the Făgarăş Mountains of southern Romania and mirroring Count Dracula's
fictional castle at the top of the Borgo Pass almost stone for stone, Poenari
remains pristine and almost inaccessible.
The
Fortress Ruins at Poenari
One of my favorite places
on the Dracula Trail is Sighişoara, in Transylvania , the birthplace of Vlad Ţepeş. I was enchanted the moment I entered
Sighişoara's Upper Town
All at once I was in
the middle of a perfect storybook medieval village enclosed by thick fortress
walls, with cobblestone streets and Easter-egg-colored houses leaning every
which way. Guarding the town square was
a spire-roofed and turreted 14th Century clock tower replete with
carved wooden figures that circle a track to mark the passage of time. In one window, a drummer plays to signal the
hours; below the drummer, the angel of the night replaces the angel of the day
at the final stroke of midnight . In
another window, gods and goddesses appear, changing for each day of the week.
Piaţa
Cetăţii—Sighişoara
But let's get back to
Poenari, the real Castle of Dracula forest of Poenari Albania Timna Valley Red Sea , where 120º in the shade is
considered picnic weather. But never
before or since have I felt the apprehension and isolation I did while climbing
to Vlad Ţepeş' mountaintop fortress at Poenari.
The forest was as quiet as a tomb; I can't recall hearing the song of
even a single bird.
The ascent was exhausting. At last I arrived at the lone approach to the fortress, a wooden
footbridge (see top left of photo). Of
all the places I explored that are associated with Vlad Ţepeş, only at Poenari
did I feel that he was somehow still keeping watch. Thousands of boyars and their families had
been force-marched there from Tărgovişte to die rebuilding the castle for
Prince Vlad; it was here that his treacherous brother Radu stormed the fortress
with cannons, reducing the once courtly residence into broken turrets and
formless rubble. And it was here that Prince
Dracula's wife cast herself from the highest window of the eastern tower,
choosing a swift death over the torture of the stake.
Walk
along the top of the thick fortress walls of Poenari, look northward, and you
can see part of the Transfăgarăşan
Road Arges River
Footbridge
to Poenari Fortress
The
Transfăgarăşan
Road, as seen from Poenari
Parts of
this article have previously appeared in Romar
Traveler and other online publications.
In
the Footsteps of Dracula: A Personal
Journey and Travel Guide,
is published and distributed by World Audience Publishers (http://www.amazon.com/Footsteps-Dracula-Personal-Journey-Travel/dp/1935444530/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262485478&sr=1-1).
In
the Footsteps of Dracula
can be ordered from your local bookstore or online at www.amazon.com,. www.amazon.co.uk, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.de,
www.amazon.com/Kindle, and with free
delivery worldwide from www.bookdepository.co.uk.
*************************************************************************
A self help guide by Amy Mah (Vampire) for teenage vampire girls, the guide is fully illustrated by manga Artist Heby and is written in an easy to follow A - Z format explaining everything a teenage vampire girl would need to know about living life as a modern Vampire. What is fashionable to wear when eating out? Fang maintenance & how to keep your claws sharp. Should you let a boy bite you on the first date? Easy to understand clear advice is given to every day problems Example: When you get an urge to bite: We all get those normal urges to bite things, and I must point out it is very normal, Claws are all well and good in a fight but a bite gives the extra advantage of getting a refreshing drink at the same time. Lots of girls worry about showing their Fangs in public believing that to show your fangs is rude, but don't be shy they can be a girls greatest asset (ok second greatest asset) if a boy is being rude to you, don't just snarl at him, just bite him! You are a vampire why do you think you have sharp teeth if not for sinking them into a boy that is being rude to you.
Today's world is difficult for everyone, especially teenagers. They face the stresses of school, deciding whom to date, and the biggie of sex, just to name a few. Imagine all of those things ten times worse, and you might get an idea of what it's like being a living, breathing teenage vampire. At last, the world can read about the life of a girl with good teeth, her problems with strong sunlight that gave her spots, and the sunblock that made her hair go yucky and produced more spots. Yes, sunlight was dangerous, as she could be the first teenager in history to die from terminal acne! In her everyday life, older vampires expected her to walk about at night in the traditional female uniform, a see-through, 18th-century nightdress, without undies! Well, this female vampire knew why the cold winds blowing along the corridors were called, "male winds," so she wore her see-through nightdress over jeans and a very thick jumper. To be sure that people would still know she was a vampire, the jumper had a very large, pink bat on it. And as to guys, well, it was normal for a girl to dream about guys; she just wished the dreams could have involved chocolates and holding hands, not leaping out at someone, ripping off his shirt, and demanding to know what blood type he was (at least not on the first date).
Review of Vampire by Amy Mah
Since the author of this unusual and humorous book is herself unusual and a bit off the charts, I am doing something a little different with this review. Of course, I mean that in the most loving way. You don't doubt me, do you, Mistress Amelia? I think it is necessary to give a brief account of how our Amy sees herself and her writing. This is borrowed from Amy's blog with some minor editing on my part. Clears throat!
Below you will find the full color illustrated version of Vampire by Amy Mah. The edition that I read was the first printing and was not illustrated. Since I love the new version, I have decided to share that with you.
Vampire
Amy Mah
Reardon Publishing
ISBN 9781874192619
This is not your typical vampire story where vampires are jumping in bed with humans or are entangled with werewolves for one reason or another. This is the story of a teenage vampire who is just trying to survive in her day to day existence. It is humorous and will make you laugh out loud when Amy is just being her own unique self. She has a way with words that is like no other. This book gives us insight as to how how Amy meets her boyfriend Max and becomes best friends with his sister Ice, who were introduced in her first book. Amy is so outrageous that you can't help fall in love with her. I'm sure she would have something to say about that... No matter! The book is a delight and if you are into the strange and unusual, you must get your copy and see for yourself. You better get a copy unless you want to hear from the author. She has her own version of bending you to her will. In all seriousness, get your copy, it is a great book.
Disclosure: I received a copy from the publisher for reviewing purposes.
I give Vampire 5 out of 5 stars
Links:
www.fangsrule.com/buy.htm and can be found on the amazon US and UK sites.
Thanks Amy!
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