Travel with The daughter of Dracula

Last year I attended a wedding between two friends, the son of a wiking and the daughter of Dracula, as on speachholder put it. Now the bride Gloria Andersson, born and raised in Transylvania, living in Sweden, has just started a travel serves – Experience Transylvania. I am so happy to tell and promote it because I have so good memories from that wedding weekend near Cluj/Sibui. Sibui has beautiful square with many nice and affordable restaurants at night and good shopping by day. This was the European Unions cultural capital some years ago. We lived at the Hilton hotel outside the city center and close to the cultural parc.

The bride (and from this day CEO) had parallell to all the weeding planning taken the time to arrange good hotels and events for us farway guest. I had the best time! The wedding was beautiful, the reception was asume and the countryside, cities and golf resort we visited during this four day trip amazing.

I immediately felt I had to go back – soon. Gloria, who once used to work in the tourist industry as a travelguide in Romania and manager on a cruse ship in Austria, had choosen the perfect locations: a gun powder celler in the city wall for rehearsel dinner and cocktail hour after the wedding with historical karoliner-soldiers and canonball salute inside the Alba Julia citadel. Gloria said to me that she wanted to show the beauty of her country and she really did to all 50 guests who flew in for being part of this amazing couples wedding.

I also remember the fast stepping traditional dancers she hired along a rock band for the party and the generous food. If you take Gloria Andersson, the travel producer, by the hand I am sure you will have a safe and fun trip! There is a lot of other possibilities to visit the castels, vineyards, modern cities and rural traditional countryside towns but I think it is wise to use some kind of guide, Gloria Andersson or research historical tours and wine tours on the net, as this one to know what is nice and possible to see in a week.

/Miss T

PS: Next time I have to visit the wine castel Jidvei and go and see the unique hot lakes. Here you can read more about my trip to this wonderful country – and see Gloria´s and Peter´s wedding.

From Romania with Love…

In love and war. The wedding between the daughter of Dracula and the son of a wiking, Alba Iulia bastion.

…or should I say from Transylvania with blood?

It was (except the trip – see earlier post) an amazing new experience to visit the home of Dracula. It was a fab wedding between “the son of a wiking and the daughter of Dracula” to quote one of the more promonent guest – one of the best singers in Romania.

Transylvania itself offered so much. Beauty. Views. Warmth. Food. Afordable luxury in a jar. Hard to get there but not hard to get around. If I had had little more time I would have rated it, I suppose, on the top ten destinations. Maybe not everyone would do that but I like to explore and be mesmerized. Feels more genuin then going to a place everybody else has done.

I did some research of course, read some about the areas fascinating history. The romans and greeks were in Alba Iulia and the the Saxons. It has been part of the Habsburgs great estate. It has gathered the Transylvanian parlament during 1600 hundreds and met the first king Ferdinand 1 in the new Romania in the 1920`s. A lovely city for those who like some military history. The will fire the salut from the bastion – even without a bride and groom and an entourage of 200 guests.

The only thing I regret is not having time to visit Jidvei – the wine castle. I did taste it. It was as sweet as the bride toasting with me and the other guests. Choose white romanian wine, said my hairdresser, a former sails manager, it is the best,white and sweet. Here is what a local travel agency says:

“Jidvei is on the Tarnava river valley. The wines of the TÂRNAVE vineyard provide a perfect blend of acid, alcohol and flavour. They seem to have gathered together the strong fragrance of pine resin, the smell of lime blossom, and the transparency and sweetness of acacia honey. Jidvei vineyards produce white wine and special sparkling wine. The sparkling wine is the Romanian equivalent of champagne (do not mistake it with the frothy wine).” (from “Fortress of Wines” – read more about this trip in romanian wine valleys and historical places)

I recommend you to fly in to Sibiu in Transylvania. The city once European capital of culture (2007) has a city heart that i beautiful restored and a lot of nice pubs and restaurants among the piazza with italian feel. Proud light colored stone houses face the square. In walking distance is Hotel Continental Forum with grandious facade – and disco bowling. Nice and totally comfy. But if you want to splash some cash (no, not that much!) you take a cab and check in at Hilton in a more green area of the town.

Hilton was our choice of hotel. And what a choice. Love to go back. Inside a rather dull house hides a classic and comfortable gem. Nice and attentive staff. Good food (only did a simple dish late at night in the dinner room with eclectic paintings of the bell epoque and chansons filling the air) and great breakfest! A big and not crowded spa area with everything you want to have: infra red sauna, finish sauna, bubble bath, facial treatments, massage, pool room facing the park and hairdresser that cost almost nothing. You can have your hair and nails done for about 50 dollars!

To be honest: I could fly to Romania and check in to Hilton for almost the same price as three hair cut and color at home here in Stockholm. Then you get two days in a hotel, great breakfest that take you almost threw the day and two treatments at the spa, full access to the relax area, tennis court and pool – and a hair cut if you like. That is a luxury bargain.

Want to have a hotel party or cock tail hour with friends? If you keep it nice and easy I guess it is just up to you to check in to a 64 square feet suite and empty the mini bar. I assure you that here it will not cost you a fortune.

We settled for a more moderate 35 m2 hotel room with a lovely bathroom topped with (as they knew) favorite Crabtree and Evelyn-stuff! Poured up a drink and ate some chips and just relaxed in the big bear armchairs. Can life be better? 

/Miss T

PS: Don´t forget to visit the Castle of Dracula if you have time. It not as big and imposing as you might think but still who wouldn´t have liked to have been where the myth of Dracula was made a live for modern people. Still, Bram Stoker that wrote the much red book of Dracula wasn´t there in Bran in person. He just looked at a picture, it says, and got inspiration. If you have to choose between drinking wine or blood, choose the wine I would. But on the other hand a trip to Romania wouldn´t be complete if you don´t see the rural side of the country, where mobile founds exist side to side with hourse dragged waggons! That you can do on your way to this remote part of Transylvania. And please stop in Brasov and the medival fortress on your way.