Zemii Tours is honored to present the first in many Stories Alive! Tours. The first tour is based off of the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. Published in 1897, this epistolary novel winds you through a tale utilizing diary entries, letters, and articles found in newspapers. There is no particular protagonist, which makes it more like observing as you would reading something in the news.
The Story
Solicitor Jonathan Harker takes a business trip to visit a nobleman, named Count Dracula, in the Transylvanian forest. Count Dracula lives in a castle, no less. Once Harker realizes that Dracula is actually a vampire, he attempts to escape the castle. Count Dracula then proceeds to go to England, wreaking havoc on the oceanside village of Whitby. A group, led by Abraham Van Helsing, begin a hunt of the count, eventually leading to his death.
Why a tour?
The story was written in the 1890’s. Much of Stoker’s notes for the novel were derived from the folklore and history of Transylvania. Others have suggested that the book was inspired by historical figures, such as Elizabeth Báthory or Vlad the Impaler, Prince of Wallachia. Although there is no concrete argument on the motivation behind his novel, the name of the vampire was chosen when Stoker took a holiday in Whitby, and upon visiting the library, he saw the word dracula and the meaning to him meant devil in Romanian. This is actually untrue, but many of the stories of the time were based on limited information. As is true for the histories of both Elizabeth Báthory or Vlad the Impaler. Modern tales of these historical figures often portray the unlikely truths and paint the characters as monsters, when in reality, it was likely the tales told by the power players who had intentions of stealing their victim’s lands. Praying on the vulnerability of a superstitious populous, they were able to martyr them and take what they wanted for themselves.
The Tour
The tour covers a lot of territory. We begin in Budapest, Hungary. Both Elizabeth and Vlad were known to have lived there and have a common history over the numerous wars proclaiming the land as territory of this ruler or that ruler. We will spend a week in Hungary visiting the history, museums, mineral spas, forests, castles, and tours that focus on wine, gastronomy, and the “dark” history of the region. After a few days in Budapest, you will take an excursion to Miskolc and Lillafüred, where you can explore caves, castles, mineral spas, forests, lakes, have a little tranquility.
After the week in Hungary, you will then fly to Bucharest, Romania. It is from Bucharest, that you will venture out into the Carpathian mountains to see Peleș Castle, the last castle built for the Romanian royal family during the time when Stoker wrote his book. You will see the notorious Bran Castle, that is rumored to be known as “Dracula’s Castle.” A little further into Romania, and you will also explore Castelul Corvinilor, where Vlad the Impaler was held captive. Throughout this journey, you will explore medieval towns, forest hotels, and eventually find your way back into Bucharest to explore the old town, enjoy Europe’s largest spa, and take a food and wine tour of the city.