by Nick Boulos

Three minutes to midnight， and the train finally slowed to a stop.

Darkness pressed at the window and a chill whipped through the carriage. I emerged onto the platform as the handful of other passengers hurried away， figures slipping into the shadows.

It seemed an appropriate way to arrive in 1）Transylvania： land of vampires， 2）spooky castles and tall tales in the northwest of Romania. Walking to my hotel in the 3）medieval town of Sighisoara， its fortified walls and 4）crooked streets illuminated by twinkly lanterns， it seemed I had stepped into the pages of Bram Stockers chilling classic， Dracula.

But， reader， I had nothing to fear. My guide Andrea， who met me the next morning for a tour of Sighisoaras 12th century 5）citadel， was 6）chirpy and not in the least bit vampish.

The town—located 300km north of the capital 7）Bucharest—has gone down in history as the birthplace of Dracula. Or rather the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler， on whom Bram Stokers 8）protagonist， a Count with“peculiarly sharp and protruding teeth” is based.

A bloodthirsty individual， Vlad earned his gruesome nickname from his 9）penchant for 10）gory capital punishment. Ill spare you the details.

Beside the tall clocktower， we lingered outside a house with a white 11）plaque on its mustard yellow facade. “This is where he was born，” said Andrea. Today， it is a soulless restaurant serving tourists a dedicated Dracula menu of tomato soup and pork 12）medallions with garlic sauce.

Despite having never visited himself， Bram Stokers tale of Dracula—celebrating its 115th anniversary last year—put Transylvania on the map.

But not everyone is happy about this. “Why are we famous for that when we have so much real history？” one disgruntled local woman told me. “Dracula is always the first thing people think of when they hear Im from Transylvania，” she continued. “I always say， ‘Yes， Im his wife！”

From Sighisoara， we ventured into rural Transylvania， where the flatlands are dotted with ancient oak forests， abandoned castles and quiet 13）Saxon villages untouched by the modern world. Driving on unpaved roads， we pass children being pushed along in a wheelbarrow and gossiping old ladies in headscarves and moth-eaten 14）cardigans.

The Saxons settled here in the 12th century， but their heritage was almost wiped out completely after the Second World War. Thousands of villages were destroyed and locals sent to the cities to work in factories.

Around 250 villages remain， many lovingly restored by the Mihai Eminescu Trust， a local charity dedicated to their conservation. The trust has earned support from Prince Charles， who visits regularly and even owns a house in nearby Viscri.

Sweeping through valleys that glowed with autumnal colours， we arrived at one of Transylvanias most 15）idyllic spots. Dissected by a shallow stream bordered with weeping willows， Malancrav is a sleepy village of manor houses and apple orchards， and home to families of farmers and weavers.

Its main road is lined with traditional houses； each long and colourfully painted with 16）terracottatiled 17）gabled roofs and arched wooden gates wide enough to accommodate horse drawn carts—the preferred mode of transport around here.

Having admired the 18）frescoes inside the 14th century fortified church， we emerged in the 19）throes of Malancravs rush hour. After a hard days grazing， dozens of cows strolled down the street heading instinctively towards their own barns.

Inside one， farmer Nelu was hard at work. Sat on a low stall， he milked Dragana， his prized water buffalo， who eyed us suspiciously. Offering me a cup of her freshly extracted and frothy milk， Nelu spoke of life in Malancrav. “Time flows differently here and we value different things. Nothing is more important than family and nature，” he said.

The next morning， I travelled further south towards the buzzy city of Brasov—complete with its own hillside version of the Hollywood sign. Undulating hills backed by the Carpathian Mountains—the peaks that encircle Transylvania， where wolves roam freely—accompanied our journey.

My thoughts turned to the angry howls so vividly described by Stoker.

With my guide Peter， I headed for iconic Bran Castle. Built in the 1300s， and rising 60m from a bed of lush trees， the fortress of white walls topped with old Romanian style 20）turrets， cylindrical towers and crumbling 21）battlements has been dubbed “Draculas Castle” for its passing resemblance to the Counts abode.

This clever piece of marketing has put Bran firmly on the tourist trail and the surrounding streets permanently celebrate Halloween. People stroll around in black capes and the Skeleton Tavern provides the refreshments.

The real story of the castle， however， is more interesting than any fiction.

Destroyed by the Mongols and rebuilt as a stronghold against the Ottomans， it was later transformed into a home fit for royalty in 1920， when Queen Marie moved in. Now， its open for business.

I roamed endless rooms， fitted with old furniture to give an impression of the castles days as a royal residence， climbed the creaking secret staircases and savoured the rooftop views of the Moeciu Valley and Bucegi Mountains.“Queen Marie fell in love with this place， the landscapes and the people，” said Peter. No wonder.

离午夜还差三分钟，火车终于减速缓缓驶入一个车站。

黑暗压迫着车窗，一丝寒意袭过车厢。我现身于站台上，像其他少数几个行色匆匆的乘客一样，身影悄悄融入暗影之中。

这样似乎才是进入特兰西瓦尼亚的恰当方式：这片土地充满了吸血鬼、阴森的城堡，以及罗马尼亚西北部的奇闻怪事。在中世纪小城锡吉索拉步行至酒店，闪烁的街灯照亮了坚实的城墙和蜿蜒的街巷，我似乎已步入了布莱姆·斯托克的经典恐怖小说《德库拉》的书页里。

但是，读者啊，我无所畏惧。第二天清早，我的向导安德里亚与我会面，带我游览锡吉索拉城建于12世纪的城堡。这个活泼的姑娘可是一点儿都不像吸血鬼。

这座小城——位于罗马尼亚首都布加勒斯特以北300公里处——作为德库拉的故乡，或者更确切地说，作为“穿刺公”弗拉德的故乡而被载入史籍。布莱姆·斯托克的主人公德库拉，一位“有着特别锋利且突出的牙齿”的伯爵，便是基于弗拉德为原型而创作的。

作为一个嗜血成性的人，弗拉德获得他那可怕的绰号全因其对血淋淋的死刑的酷爱。我就不谈细节了。

在高大的钟楼旁边，我们在一所外墙暗黄并且镶有白色纹章的房子外徘徊。“这里便是他出生的地方。”安德里亚说。如今，它不过是一间呆板乏味的餐馆，为游客们供应一份由番茄汤和蒜汁猪肉片组成的德库拉吸血鬼套餐。

尽管布莱姆·斯托克从未亲身来过这里，但他的德库拉传说——去年庆祝了其出版115年——却使得特兰西瓦尼亚声名远播。

然而并非每个人都为此而感到高兴。“我们有着那么丰富的真实历史，但为何偏偏因为那个传说而出名呢？”一名怏怏的当地女子对我说道。“当人们听说我来自于特兰西瓦尼亚时，第一个想到的永远都是德库拉，”她继续说道。“我总是说，‘是啊，我就是他老婆！”

我们从锡吉索拉进入特兰西瓦尼亚的郊区进行冒险之旅，那里的平原上遍布着古老的橡树林、废弃的城堡和未受现代世界沾染的宁静的撒克逊小村庄。行驶在没有铺柏油的路上，我们与坐在独轮车里被推着前行的孩童，戴着头巾、穿着有蛀洞的羊毛衫正在叽喳聊天的老妇们擦身而过。

撒克逊人于12世纪定居于此，但在二战后，他们的村落几乎被夷为平地。上万的村庄被摧毁，当地人则被送往城市的工厂做工。

大约有250个村庄得以保留，不少村庄是受益于米哈伊·艾米内斯库信托基金会才得以悉心修复。这个基金会是当地的一家慈善机构，致力于保存这些村庄。此机构还得到了查尔斯王子的资助，他会定期访问此地，甚至还在邻近的威斯克里拥有一处住宅。

我们疾驰过绽放着秋日缤纷色彩的山谷，来到了特兰西瓦尼亚最具田园风光的景点之一。一道浅浅的溪流穿过村庄，两旁垂柳依依，马兰克拉维是一个宁静的小村庄，里面有着庄园宅邸、苹果园，还有农民和织工的家庭住房。

主干道的两边排列着传统的房屋，长长的房子外墙刷着缤纷的色彩，人字形屋顶上铺着陶瓦，宽大的木质拱门则能容得下由马匹拖拉的马车通过——这是当地人最喜欢的运输方式。

在欣赏完那座建于14世纪的防御型教堂内的壁画后，我们遇上了马兰克拉维痛苦的高峰时段。在一天辛苦的放牧结束后，大批的牛群信步走过街道，本能地径直朝着各自的牛棚而去。

在一个牛棚里，农夫尼鲁正在辛勤劳作。他坐在低矮的畜栏里，为他视为珍宝的水牛德加娜挤奶，而水牛却满腹狐疑地打量着我们。尼鲁递给我一杯刚挤出的还泛着泡沫的牛奶，并说起了马兰克拉维的生活。“在这里，时间的流逝方式与众不同，而我们也珍视着不同的事物。没有什么比家庭和自然更加重要，”他说。

第二天一早，我一路向南往更远处走去，来到了喧闹的城市布拉索夫——这里的山边也有着如同好莱坞一样的巨大标志。连绵起伏的山丘背后便是喀尔巴阡山脉——山峰环绕着特兰西瓦尼亚，野狼在这里自由散步——伴随着我们的整个旅程。

我不由得想起了被斯托克描述得如此生动形象的狼群怒嚎。

我跟着向导彼得一起向着标志性的布兰城堡进发。建成于14世纪，耸立于茂密的丛林之中，这座高达60米的白墙城堡楼顶高耸着罗马尼亚旧式的炮塔、圆柱形的塔楼和渐已坍塌的城垛。因其曾经酷似小说中那位伯爵的住所，这个堡垒曾被称为“德库拉的城堡”。

这一聪明的营销手段使得布兰城堡成为了游客们的必经之地，而其周边的街道如同永不落幕的万圣节欢庆之地。人们身着黑色斗篷漫步于街头，而“骷髅酒馆”则提供饮品点心。

但是，这座城堡的真实故事远比任何杜撰的作品更为引人入胜。

它曾被蒙古人摧毁，其后又被重建为抵御土耳其人的要塞，之后在1920年当玛丽皇后迁居于此时，它又变成了一处皇室住所。如今，它成为景点对外开放。

我漫游在无穷无尽的房间里，里面摆满了老式的家具，以重现城堡作为皇室住所时的景象。我爬上嘎吱作响的秘密楼梯，在屋顶欣赏莫尔丘山谷和布切吉山脉的美景。“玛丽皇后爱上了这个地方、这片景色以及这里的人，”彼得说。这点毫无疑问。