We met John & Joann first wearing the traditional monster shirt garbs and Scott and Diane, who were looking for some food (didn't have enough blood last night). Our other traveling companions arrived and we were handed our plane tickets by Danny (our fearless tour guide host) along with complimentary monster cookies as a gift from Charles (Danny's partner) for the Journey. I keep thinking of Jonathan Harker taking a Boeing 747 instead of a ship and a coach.

We landed in Bucharest, and met our local tour guide, Ishmael and our bus driver Stephano. We took a luxury coach to Brasov and checked into our hotel. My legs had gone to sleep hours prior. By the time we arrived, we were all so tired and silly; we were even laughing at my lame jokes. It was then and there I decided we would be great friends with Diana and Kay.

We were taken to our rooms in the Aro Palace and were told to meet everyone for dinner. I had been in my clothes for what seemed like a century, now I really know how a vampire feels. I changed my clothes and had a nice dinner. A local Romanian band serenaded us for about an hour and then exhaustion set in We headed up to our room to rest up for our trip to Castle Bran the next day. Rumor has it that several of our groups went out to a disco (hey Richard!).

Back on the coach, our tour group took time out to stop at a wayside market, reminiscent of the Amish markets. Wagons filled the beautiful countryside as they bartered the price for pigs, horses, cows, etc. We were certainly the center of attention. Diane found a leather coat for less than $10.00. How about that!?

We stopped at a quaint restaurant for lunch, and then made our way to Sighisoara, the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, or Dracula. This is the best-preserved medieval town in Romania. Any of us who had any wind at all walked up the winding steps to the top of the tower for breathtaking pictures of the town below. In case you don't know it, Vlad the Impaler is a national hero, so his "head" or statue is in the town square. Vlad Dracula drove back the invading Turks in the fifteen century. But, it wasn't until we saw his birthplace that it really sunk in. The place Vlad was born is a plain building with a plaque marking this distinguished or extinguished citizen depending on how you look at it.

As the sun was going down, we ascend to a local cemetery. Once again, am I looking down upon Sighisoara, and I could imagine the city just as Vlad had seen it, minus a few cars, centuries ago. Driving out of Sighisoara a chill went through us all on the bus as we passed Timpa Hill. This is where thousands of victims were impaled courtesy of Vlad the Impaler. Ishmael went into a pretty disgusting verbal picture of impalement, what a guy! Gives new meaning to the word backyard party.

A few brave souls went out late in a local graveyard to raise the dead (or was it to "raise some hell?"). Fortunately I was still alive and did not hear a thing. What went on and for how long in a topic for discussion. Disco on Richard. By the way, the running joke of the tour was Transylvania Night Fever!

We, comrades, would be following the course set followed Jonathan Harker as per Bram Stoker. One quick stop for lunch at the Romanian Coroana De Aur. I wasn't sure whether the Inn was decorated for Dracula with red and black furnishings or for Norman Bates, since there were multiple dead animals stuffed and mounted, a la Psycho. Maybe a little of both. I wonder if Drac loved his mother? Anyway, we all ordered lunch. There was a cape in the lunch room and Tuica, a Romanian wine, in a Dracula glass flank. Everyone tried on the cape including Ishmael. Tuica by the way is Romanian for paint thinner. Just kidding. By the way, no one told us not to go up to Dracula's Inn. Every great Dracula movie has the same scene where everyone crosses themselves and tries to talk the poor shmuck out of going on to Borgo Pass.

I had given a lot of thought in the making of my costume. Really now, how many chances will you have to celebrate Halloween in Transylvania? I went all out and went as Elizabeth Bathory, the Blood Countess. My sister dressed as her husband, Franz Nadasdy. We went out into the courtyard and the castle for pictures before the party. It was the most fun I have ever had! Everyone was looking at us and we were playing it up, for all our worth. I even got my gold vampire tooth to stay in with good ole poligrip. We even got spied on by the Romanian Dracula Society and were recorded for Romanian television, since the society was celebrating in the castle as well.

By about 7pm everyone started to arrive for the big dinner in the dungeon, which was decorated with cobwebs at a great banqueting table. The group was diversely dressed. Count Dracula, Dr. Jekyll, a vampire- slaying nun, a martian, a wiccan, several various vampires, a spider lady, and somebody who came in curtains (no names please, well you get the idea). Everybody had a ball, so to speak. A several course dinner was set, with wine and a local Romanian band entertaining us. Our group danced. We did the Monster Mash & the Transylvania Twist. Everybody, that is, except Disco-dancin' Richard.

Then, we split into smaller groups to go down into the bowels of the castle to see Dracula's coffin. I guess poor Joe had been in that coffin for about an hour waiting for us for the big scare. It paid off - Joe won 1^st prize in the costume contest! This sub-basement area had scenes of Dracula painted on the walls and the local guide told us the story of the paintings.

We were returning to Brosov and the Aro Palace when the bus was stopped by construction work along the side of the road. The gentleman holding the 2"x2" octagon stop sign was kinda anal (how do you say "anal" in Romanian?). Anyway, Stephano stopped the bus and had to back up a few feet for this guy. When Stephano started up the bus again he drove toward the poor guy, literally scaring the living Piss out of him. His eyes rolled right back in his head. What a moment. I still laugh. That's why I loved Stephano so much. I could tell that deep down he was twisted like we were. He laughed too.

We headed to Snagov Monastery. Dracula had built this monastery and the story was that him body was buried in the floor of the monastery. Ishmael had arranged for us to have lunch on the bus so we would not have to stop, and we arrived and parked the bus by a church. We probably waited about a half an hour and then decided to walk up the road to the pier… ~ You see the monastery is on an island! One of the villagers offered to give us a ride in his wagon. My butt will never be the same (from the bumpy ride, that is). I rode down in the wagon or cart so I did not see how we came in or out. This will be important to the rest of my diary at the end of the day.

Children started to mingle at the pier, and we gave them candy. They wanted cigarettes of all things. Thank God I didn't smoke The rowers were taking us over about five or six at a time. It was a beautiful trip across the lake. I was told that the dictator of Romania had a summer home on the lake and that many famous Russian party members had stayed there and also, Michael Jackson, of all people.

A Christian Orthodox Priest met our boat and we went into the church. How small it was. There is just a small grave in the floor with a picture of Vlad sitting beside the grave. It was very quiet for a moment. Everyone kind of crowded around and stared at the site, breathlessly. Here was this great prince of Wallachia, Vlad the Impaler, a fierce warrior feared by his enemies and loved by his country as a hero. But if you are a student of history. you understand that in his time rulers were deposed regularly and swiftly often by members of hie own family or trusted friends. And we, in the dawn of our Twenty First century -- are we really any more civilized than Vlad the Impaler, with our mass murderers, serial killers and random acts of hatred and violence perpetrated everyday in any city in the United States? If Vlad opened our newspaper, I wonder would he feel right at home or would Vlad be horrified, I wonder?

I guess that's why his grave had such an impact and me. And when I looked around at our group, I saw a great bunch of people. You know, it reaffirmed that there are nice people in the world. It's crazy what goes through your mind.

We walked outside and drew water from Vlad's well. You could still see where his seal had been. The water is in my coke bottle in my refrigerator as a permanent souvenir. The water is still drinkable.