Wall Street Journal features Romania’s Transylvania beyond Dracula’s myth

The Wall Street Journal ran a feature in its October 12 online edition on the region of Transylvania, called A Trip to Transylvania, Without the Bite. The feature acknowledged that Dracula’s Castle, or the Bran Castle, is the biggest tourist attraction in the area but set about to uncover some of its “peaceable charms”, such as the stylish guest houses and picturesque villages. The authors of the article explored the city of Brasov, close to Bran, in central Romania, and traced the diverse cultural background of Transylvania in the “striking houses” with “pastel-washed facades”, contrasting with the “more practically built” Romanian houses. They also took a trip to Harman, a locality ten kilometers away from Brasov. Besides the experience of a slowly cooked meal, they also visited the area and the Harman fortified church, which with its “iron-toothed gate […] could dispel any fire-breathing dragon that might find its way there.” The trip throughout the surroundings of Brasov took place with a locally-made Dacia. The travelers also got to experience the challenges of local drivers when, on a dirt road in the area, the car “nearly disappeared into a pothole the size of a goat.” The full article is available here. Lonely Planet includes Romanian village on list of colourful destinations in Europe editor@romania-insider.com