Heroes and villains

I don't seem to be able to move the clock forward one hour. At least in my head. So I got to the train station juuuust too late for the train to Brasov. Which meant I had to wait until 12.30 to get on the next one. I realized it was a bit late, so I was contemplating how to get to Bran and back to catch the last train back to Bucharest. I spent the hour and a half walking around the area of the railway station.

My destination today was the castle of one of the most famous citizens of Romania. Vlad Tepes. Also known as count Dracula. I learned that Dracula wasn't just a made up name. It was a title his family got after they fought the Ottamans. Dracul or Dracula means something like "dragon". In Romania, he is a national hero. And a friend of mine reminded me of why. But on the train back, I started thinking about that. But more on that subject later.

Finally, it was time for the train to leave. I found my seat, and I had a ticket to ride.

The trip up to Brasov went smoothly. The train arrived on time. And I found I had splurged (not knowing what tickets I bought). This was luxury second class. With a table. And clean windows! The trip went through beautiful mountain landscape. Unfortunately, there was a lot of trees, so although the view was sometimes spectacular, taking photos to share with you, was impossible. The beatiful mountain views I could easily see through the forest, but they wheren't very photogenic for the same reason. As the saying goes: Couldn't see the mountain for all of the trees. Or something to that effect... So instead of the beautiful mountain views, here is a view of the onboard toilet.

Do I just top it up, or...

 

In Brasov I was contemplating my options. I looked at the timetables for the return train. 17.45 was the last one. I looked at my watch. 15.02. I had just under 3 hours to get to Brad castle, check it out and return. I had read up on transport, and bus was (of course) the cheapest option, but it also meant getting to the bus station, finding a bus, and driving there and back. And they only left once per hour. So I checked with a taxi. "I use meter" he said. Could he give me a price for the round trip? "Aaaa....ebut tree handred". 300 Lei for the trip. Not too expensive for a taxi. I went back and forth in my head. Then I accepted. I got in and we zoomed off. On the way, I started noticing that his meter was going higher and faster than he promised. So when we arrived in Brad, it was already at 225. Which would make it out to be 7 Lei per km, not the 3 advertised on the door. I don't mind paying the price, but I don't like being had. So I took out the 225, gave it to him and told him I wasn't going back with him. He looked puzzled. "You said 300, and it is already at 225!" I said and pointed at the meter. I left the car and walked up towards the castle. It was, as expected, a tourist trap. And you had to walk through "Souvenir valley" to get up to the castle itself. 

It was smaller than I had anticipated. And far more crowded. At least for a random Thursday. So I just walked around the castle and took some images. The crowd moved slowly. And I was already thinking of how to get back to Brasov for the train. Maybe there was something inside the castle that was worth the wait, but I opted for just leaving. I had seen what I came here for. I was thinking maybe I should get a fridge magnet from Dracula castle, but nah. Maybe get something in Bucharest. 

On close inspection, the "nipples" on the wall are probably toilets...

 

I started looking for a bus stop. I found one, as per Google Maps. But it was for buses going the other way. I asked a young couple, and they pointed me further up in the street. I walked there and tried finding the stop. But nothing. I walked maybe a km along the road and all around the small town, and didn't find a single bus stop sign. Save for the first one. At the end, I started asking several people. And after getting n-3 answer from n people*, I realized a few of them where the same. A fast food shop. A bit confusing, but I walked down to the fast feed shop. Lo and behold. A waiting room. No sign, but at least this was a proper bus stop. And the bus was arriving shortly! Perfect!

Clearly, there is a bus-stop on the right, right?

 

I got on the bus and paid my 13 Lei. A bit less than the taxi... I checked the time. I would be arriving at the bus station 30 minutes before my train left. More than enough. So I just sat there enjoying the ride. But the closer we got to Brasov, the more crowded the road got. Something like a rush hour scene. And we almost ground to a halt. We arrived 20 minutes before my train would leave. I thought I might check to see if there were any buses for Bucharest at the station. Of course there wasn't. I checked the time. 18 minutes left. I found a taxi. The distance was short enough for me to walk. But not in that time. The taxi drove off. And got into traffic. Moving slooooooowly. We arrived at the train station at 17.39. And the taxi driver parked in like forever, plus something. I tried making him just stop and drop me off. I left him the money and ran off into the station. I checked my clock. 17.41. There was a long queue at one of the ticket booths. So I ran to another. For another company. They had no train until much later. So I ran back to the one with the queue. 17.42. The lady in front of me spent forever packing her things after purchasing a ticket. Finally! "Bucharest!" I said. She pointed down. "Yes!" I gave her the money, and she gave me the ticket and change. "Line 1!" she said as I ran up the stairs to track 1. A train was standing there and I jumped on. "Bucharest?" I asked the first guy I saw. He nodded. MADE IT!

I found a seat and dropped my bags on the rack overhead. Sat down and let my pulse sink. Then the train started moving. The first part was through the mountains. The train moved slowly down to the flatlands below. Then we sped up to max speed. And then I realized this train had some special extras. Built in massage. I think it must have been some resonance or something. Because the whole car rocket violently forward and backward. Everything loose in the car (which appeared to be most things) racketed and shook. It was a true "shake, rattle and roll" experience. But it only happened on the straights and at high speed. Below a certain speed, it was quiet. But as soon as the train hit a certain speed, the back and forth rocking started again. And this way I sat, rocking in my seat. Getting my moneys worth of back and butt massage. With a background of rattling metal everywhere. 

Video for your enjoyment (turn up the volume)

At half past eight, we arrived at Bucharest station. I got some snacks for the night and walked back to my hotel.

Some might ask, "why on earth do you spend so much time on a train for just a short visit to a castle in the mountains?". Well. Sometimes, the journey is part of the experience. Especially on a train. When I fly to a place, it is mostly just to get me from A to B. But on a train, I sit and watch the landscape passing. Small towns. People coming and going. It is as much part of the journey as the destination itself.

Soooo. Hero or villain? It feels weird to diss somebodys hero. But on the train back to Bucharest, despite the shake rattle and roll, I did some thinking about the hero role that Vlad the Impaler had in Romania.

There are those who are heroes in everybody's eyes. And there are those who are villains in everybody's eyes. And then there are people like Vlad. 

In Georgia, I went to the Stalin museum in Gori. My guide walked around with me and was going out of his way to tell me how wonderful Stalin was. How he killed all the "bad people", and created the great empire that was the Soviet Union. How wonderful he was in every way. In the end, almost like on a side note, he mentioned "the bad side". Where he admitted that he made "some mistakes, like all people". But he was the hero of Georgia, and the Soviet. (Read about it here) And when I went to Afghanistan, pictures of the mujahedeen leader Massood was everywhere. He was their hero. From what I read and heard, he was the most hated person in Kabul after the soviet army left in '89. He and his men killed thousands and completely destroyed Kabul. And the Taliban forces were looked upon as the liberators when they threw the mujahedeens out. A few years later, the mujas were the heroes. And the "Lion of Pansjir" has a large mausoleum in his honor in Pansjir valley. (Read about it here)

When I read about Vlad the Impaler (he got the name because he loved to impale people he hated), I'm not sure he's a hero. To the people he "saved" maybe. But he strikes me as an opportunist. Who struck deals with the Ottamans when he needed them for his power struggles, and fought them when it was conventient. So he started wars and defended against others. But he also impaled everyone who stood in his way. Like in Transilvania, where he impaled men, women and children because they stood against his invasion. There are many stories, some obviously or most likely made up. But also a lot of credible stories based on their accuracy, about his unhinged cruelty. Against anybody who stood in his way. So even for his time (which, granted, was a cruel time) he stood out to many in Europe as particularly cruel in his treatment of his enemies and opponents. And that led to many people and stories going over the top about how much he loved blood. Which again probably inspired the story of Dracula we know today. 

So hero? Mmmmmm. Not so much. Even if Europe benefitted from him turning on his former allies, the Ottomans.

Ragnar

Not Vlad-loving traveller

* A theory I developed while travelling and has stood the test of time : If you ask a number of people and some of them give the same answer, that answer is probably correct. Ex : If you ask three individuals (not standing together) for directions, if two of them give the same directions, they are telling the truth. This also applies in some form for other areas of truth-seeking btw.