April 11, 2017
From the outside, it just looks like a beautiful villa… The word Wannsee refers to the big lake where the villa is located. Quite an idyllic place, wouldn’t you say? It is hard to imagine that one of the most decisive moments of World War II took place here. Ever heard of the Wannsee Conference? Wikipedia gives an elaborate definition:…
March 23, 2017
During our Summer trip of 2015, Lars and I spent one week in one of the biggest cities of Albania, Durrës. Most of the time we enjoyed a lazy life on the beach, but we did make time to visit one of the biggest attractions of the city: the Amphitheatre. Built in the 2nd century, it was one of the very…
September 13, 2016
The last place where we stayed in Romania last year before heading back to Belgium, was Sarmizegetusa (county of Hunedoara). Lars and I had chosen the place by accident, not knowing that it actually harbours Roman ruins. Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa was the capital of Roman Dacia in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, until Goths destroyed the city. According to Wikipedia,…
May 20, 2016
As promised, here is the video of some of the places linked to Vlad Tepes. Enjoy! Tomorrow promises to be a warm and sunny day, so Lars and I will go to the Garden Festival here in Brussels. And next Thursday, we will leave for Denmark!
May 18, 2016
We have come to the final stage of the life of Vlad Tepes. Little is known about his death though. Historians presume that he died in a battle against the Turks at the end of December 1476, somewhere between Bucharest and Giurgiu. But where is the man buried? For a long time, rumours had it that he was buried at…
May 6, 2016
First, let us do a bit of recapitulation. In our last post, we stated that John Hunyadi at one point in history captured Vlad Tepes. That is a proven fact. What is not a proven fact is that Vlad was a prisoner in Hunedoara Castle. But historians are convinced that he was locked up in Oratea Fortress, which is located…
May 3, 2016
Unfortunately, this is another post where it is difficult to distinguishing fact from fiction. But first a word about Hunedoara Castle, one of the biggest of its kind in Romania and in Europe. Prepare to be blown away by this Gothic-Renaissance castle; not only because of its size, but also because of its number of bastions and towers! When you enter…
April 15, 2016
This is without any doubt the most famous castle of Romania! Thanks to its location – on a high rock formation, overlooking valleys – and its interesting history, this is a fascinating venue indeed. Don’t like crowds? Then visit Bran castle on weekdays, before or after the touristic season. Nevertheless, everything in Bran focuses on its castle and Vlad, so it…