For two years, Andy Trincia will be writing about his days as a Peace Corps Volunteer for Peace Corps Writers. |
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Andy Trincia Read other short pieces about PCV experiences
Andy's previous articles: Teaching high schoolers free-market economics Looking for Ben Franklin in Timisoara Partying with Peasants and A Letter to America Some of Andy's photos are at Yahoo |
Romania Themepark Mania Pennsylvania has Hersheypark in the namesake chocolate city. Southern California has Knotts Berry Farm where fruit was harvested before freeways existed. Houston, home of the space program, boasts famous roller coasters at AstroWorld. And Disney, after years of success in California and Florida, built theme parks in France and Japan. |
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A beautiful Sighisoara corner |
Tepes was born in 1431 in Sighisoara, a jewel of town that is now a tourist draw for the Transylvania region of Romania. Sighisoara, settled by Saxons in the 12th century, is one of only a handful of United Nations-designated World Heritage Sites in Romania. It is a gorgeous example of medieval architecture, has a preserved old town, and is surrounded by the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. I had the pleasure of visiting it last fall, as well as Bran Castle a couple hours to the east popularly known as the Dracula Castle, though it really has nothing to do with Dracula or even Vlad Tepes. The castle was built to protect the area from invading Turks and legend has it that Vlad Tepes may have spent a couple nights there. |
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Velcome!! |
Sighisoara, though its cobblestone core is relatively unspoiled, already is seeing early stages of touristy kitsch, including a Dracula restaurant in the house were Tepes was born (a Bela Lugosi-looking cut-out greets you outside), a similarly themed bar nearby and stores selling bottles of blood-red Vampire wine, which is available throughout the country. Until earlier this year, land just outside Sighisoara was the proposed site of Dracula Park, an ambitious dream pursued by Romanias Tourism department and its gung-ho chief, who seems to be in the news all the time, from peddling Dracula to importing expensive palm trees on the Black Sea beaches in time for the summer rush. I say Sighisoara was destined for Dracula Park because after a swirling storm of criticism, including protests from international environmentalists, historians and preservationists, including Britains Prince Charles, who visited the area and denounced the project, the plan was scrapped and moved 175 miles away to Snagov, a small town near the capital, Bucharest, and its international airport. Snagov is a country-lake-and-picnic place, a weekend retreat for Bucharest residents, and its supposedly where Vlad Tepes is buried, underneath a church. |
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