Lake Snagov, Snagov Monastery - Vlad's island burial? Complex Astoria

Lake Snagov, 

Snagov Monastery, 
Burial, Possible once,  Vlad III Tepes

Complex Astoria

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1.  Lake Snagov.  This is a traditional resort area now, and about 18 miles from Bucharest. It looked like a perfect first destination.  We avoid motorways, so arriving there took longer than usual.  If you are pressed for time, take the motorway. Arrival is worth it. Even if you get lost, you will be safe we found.
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Lake Snagov, Romania. Rowing to monastery from Complex Astoria



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2.  Complex Astoria.  We had trouble locating the guidebook's recommendation for overnight, the "Complex Astoria".  No wonder:  it had closed for the season (we were there in October). Still, we drove in and enough maintenance and other people were there -- got a room.  The alternative would have been to drive on to Brasov.  See FN 1
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3.  Roma.  On the way, the first glimpse of rural Romania was stark. We drove through small, dirt poor either peasant or Roma villages. We believe they were Rom, or Gypsy, because of their darker skin and such poverty.  Along the road: old women bent double under firewood, gaunt faces in doorways. We could not be sure at that early time in our visit.  Everyone was helpful, pointed the way.

• Roma constitute 10% of the Romanian population, see Central Europe Review at  http://www.ce-review.org/00/41/dragomir41.html.  In Romania, they were originally brought in as slaves in medieval times, and are now dismissed and discriminated against as disruptive, criminal, etc. Read the Central Europe Review site above,  CER.  See also Gypsies,  Roma, Romani.  The US and other western countries follow suit. See http://sciway3.net/clark/freemoors/roma.html. 
•  Is Presidential Candidate Romney the inheritor of a Roma surname from a century ago, before becoming Mormon?  Possibly. There were no Mormons before 1820 --Joseph Smith, see http://historyofmormonism.com/, so Romney had to be something else. Our names come from somewhere.  Even if he knows he comes from Roma roots, or has any interest even if he specifically doesn't, is he different in now ignoring them.  Do any of us take ethnicity so seriously that we promote the group's thriving when we rise above?  See speculations at http://joyofequivocating.blogspot.com/2011/10/deny-thy-father-romney-as-roma-other.html.  Go check.  Ancestry.com can help.

For any candidate in any country for any substantial elected office: what have you done to promote the well-being of the Roma population in your borders? Education? Structures? Jobs? Health?
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4.  Dinner when there is no dinner.  Magazin Mixt.
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That means convenience store. We had a fine meal from a general deli (dried sausage, rolls, cheese), a kind of bodega, at a village. People came around to stare, but we felt welcome.
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There were no other cars out there in the country where we were, dirt road, dirt houses, dirt everywhere, no amenities, even so close to Bucharest. There were deep ruts from the wagon wheels, and horses. Horse carts. That has probably changed by now, with the funding coming in from the EU membership. Has it?
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2.  Snagov Monastery:  The only way to get to the island monastery, and the alleged burial place of Vlad;s body (the claim) is by rowboat. Strong young men at Astoria will do the rowing. Leave plenty of time. Transport to the island is by rowboat. Go fast, before all this changes to motor launches and noise. See it at http://www.bootsnall.com/travelstories/europe/nov03vlad.
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The Monastery:
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Snagov Monastery, Lake Snagov, Romania. Interior. Alleged Vlad burial

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There is a small church on the island, with a priest taking the entry tickets to the interior spot in front of the altar where Vlad is said to be buried. See http://www.draculas.info/gallery/picture_of_monastery_of_snagov_vlad_the_impaler_grave-12/  This looks like a Romanian offering an overview, to be preferred over the tourism sites, see http://dracula-transylvania.blogspot.com/2008/04/snagov-monastery.html
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Apparently he is not there any more.  The story tells that he was moved (his body - the head was decapitated during battle) to the outside, by the door, to protect it. Then, when places were dug up to find him, there was no sign -- only chicken or other animal bones.
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Still, there are records that he had once been buried in the church.
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The interior is lovely. One novel, "The Historian," by Elizabeth Kostova, see http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm?book_number=1589 focuses at one point on where the head might have gone, then the body, and by whom, and what happened to the parts next. Are all reunitings good things? See and speculate about the stories at http://www.castleofspirits.com/vlad. - Vlad tales.
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FN 1.  Complex Astoria
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Overnight.  This had been a communist resort, still is a resort, see http://mapcarta.com/28166480.  Use your translator at http://www.tourismguide.ro/tgr/complex_astoria_snagov_1778.php.  Beware that it is seasonal. This was October, and just past the tourist season. More at http://www.world66.com/europe/romania/snagovlake. It was already in process of closing until spring completely, and we were the only guests there.  Nervous?  Why.  It's too late to go elsewhere, we don't travel fancy, our backpacks are all we have, and without faith in human nature no travel is worth it anyway.  When the door would not lock, we stuck a chair under the knob as seen on TV.  Done.
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Be sure to have some cash -- either from the US or an airport exchange or bank ATM because not all places are equipped to do credit cards once the place is closing.
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There are many campsites and chalets at the resort. The main building is a large hotel with atrium, long halls with rooms. Just fine. Back to locks. Check that you know how to work the locks before accepting the room and unpacking. They are not the same as ours. May take several turns. As it turned out, ours would have locked if we just kept turning, and turning.
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5.  Timing an arrival somewhere:
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Our flight landed just before noon, so we did not have this choice: But do the Snagov trip early in the day. That gives time to go back to the motorway to the next big town (even Brasov), if the Complex Astoria is closed.
If you find yourself in a place without restaurants or hotels, as here (we finally found the Complex) just stop at the nearest Magazin Mixt - at the nearest crossroads - convenience store - and make a picnic. Sit outside and eat, and just be friendly. Lots of horsecarts, people, children.

Brasov: Bran Castle - Popular tradition for Vlad. Not really Vlad.

 Brasov, Bran Castle

This looks "Dracula" but was he ever here? Probably not.

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Bran Castle, Brasov, Romania

1.  Bran Castle, in Brasov, is about 70 miles north of Snagov Lake, where the island monastery claims to hold Vlad remains, or did. Bran is about 87 miles north of Bucharest.  Brasov gets tourists because Bran Castle looks good, is indeed a real and very historic castle, see http://www.draculas.info/travel_transylvania/bran_castle_history_i/, and is not far Bucharest's airport.  It is located in a confluence of trade and military routes, defending against the Ottomans, and became wealthy with customs and other fees and duties.
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2.  Vlad's armies also attacked Brasov, but that did not relate particularly to Bran Castle. See the Draculas Info site.  The Bran Fortress is pivotal to Romanian history in its own right:  the incursion of Vlad tourists thinking this is pivotal Vlad does the castle a disservice, diminishing interest in real history.

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Bran Castle, Brasov, Romania

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The guides at the castle will tell you that Vlad was only there as a guest once in a while, if even that, or was imprisoned there. It is lovely, well restored, but tenuous in any significant connection or any connection at all to the historic Vlad Tepes.
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Tours do hype the factoid that Vlad lived there. But it makes a buck - or lei, or the new leu.  For the claims, see, for example.

• Claim:  Bran castle was a residence of Vlad. See http://www.vsra.net/dractour/dractour
• Claim:  Vlad used this castle as home base for his incursions from Wallachia, the southern part of Romania where he ruled from time to time, into the northern section, Transylvania. See http://www.draculascastle.com/html/branint1.

A recent TV show (this is an update 2/2/07) showed Bran Castle and the town of Brasov, as one of the walled towns that Vlad used in anchoring his rule, especially against the Ottoman invasion. There was no hint of that when we were there, but we see now that he had other connections to Brasov.  He was arrested near Brasov by Matthias Corvinus; and he later, for other reasons, led an assault on the town and impaled many on a nearby hill.  It was a successful commercial town, with many influential Saxon merchants.  Vlad led an assault on Brasov (no mention of Bran) to break the hold of the Saxons.  Credibility of all the accounts historically is questionable, but they clinched his reputation. See overview account at http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~emiller/vlad.html.

3.  Vlad the Impaler and "Impalement"

Impalement:  this was also a means of "crucifixion", see Crucifixion, history, uses, variations for etymology and more information than you want to know.  The point is that the method was common. Did Vlad do more than most? Probably, or not? Takes more research than merely looking at woodcuts with agendas, making a point.
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4.  Return of property.
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I read that the government is giving the castle back to the heirs, so it may or may not remain open as a tourist destination. Vlad or not, it is lovely.
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5.  Comparing history with legend
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Some sites do a fine job of comparing the legends with the historical reality, as far as that is known or debated now. We took time to read the exhibits.