Wrapping up: The dogs of Romania and other beasts

One of the big things I heard about Romania before I got here was that there has been a huge stray dog population – but I never really understood why the dogs were all loose and feral. Do you know why?

Ceausescu. Remember when I said he came to power and displaced 40,000 people to build that massive Parliament monument to himself?

Well all of those people were moved to tiny flats on the outskirts of the city and they were not allowed to bring their dogs. And so all of those dogs were just turned loose to roam and multiply. In 2001, there was a report that 300,000 dogs were running loose. By 2013, Bucharest had somewhere between 64,000 and 100,000 loose dogs.

And how is the situation now? Through extensive spay and neuter programs, fines for dumping off litters of puppies, and aggressive capture of strays, I find that there’s no real issue with strays. There was a report that – during a 15 month period in 2013 and 2014 – the Bucharest government captured 51,000 stray dogs, re-homed half, and had to euthanize half. There were definitely periods of outrage as dogs were euthanized – Brigette Bardot got herself involved at one point – but it was clearly a dire situation in need of a solution.

We finally made it to Bran Castle, above, 30 minutes outside of Brasov. (Pics not mine). It was built in 1377 and is known as Dracula’s Castle. It has no real connection with Dracula, though, but it’s still a fantastic building. It was used as a hospital during World War II and, having walked around, I feel certain that it caused as many tripping/falling injuries as war injuries it tried to treat.

Here’s the secret staircase that connects the 1st and 3rd floors. Not for the claustrophobic- it’s one of the scariest stairwells I’ve ever climbed.

Here’s just a sampling of the circular staircases. (Not my pics – too busy trying not to fall down the stairs to take any pictures. Notice there are no handrails:

We also stopped at Peles Castle, from about 1883:

It was an intimate tour – just us and about 5000 other tourists, including 82 disinterested pre-teens, who appreciated the castle/looked at TikToks on their phones right in front of us. The next picture is the entry foyer – look at that incredible woodworking and high, circular stairwell! The castle was built to be the summer home of King Carol I (a German – who ruled Romania from 1866 until his death in 1914) and Queen Elisabeth. It was the first house in all of Romania to have central heating, an elevator, and a central vacuum system.

And this was the final tour stop: Snagov Monastery, from 1461, where Vlad really did hide out from the Turks for awhile and then – later on – he was buried here…maybe.

There are some seriously gorgeous frescoes from 1563 inside:

Here’s his grave below…perhaps. There’s a lot of legend about Dracula and little fact. But we were told over and over that Vlad-the-man is a National hero – a patriot – despite the legions of people he impaled. And who am I to judge, I guess, with my limited grasp of history. There’s no understanding what kind of people might end up being worshipped during my lifetime;)

I’m typing this to you from a quick layover in London on my way home. I’m spending a week here in the fall and my little visit today has left me pretty excited! I walked 10 miles today and saw all sorts of historical sites:

• See above for a serious photo shoot of a fake Charles, Camilla, Prince William and Kate at the Royal Albert Hall, with numerous photographers involved. (I was proud of myself on two different levels at that moment. First, for recognizing the Royals and second, for realizing they were fake without asking anyone around me.
• See below for a bicycle parade of hundreds and hundreds of naked riders, winding their way through central London to a cacophony of honking and cheering.

A little research tells me that I stumbled across World Naked Bike Ride. Sometimes I have the best travel timing! It’s a protest against oil dependence, our car culture, biker vulnerability and strives to celebrate body freedom. The ride specifically seeks media coverage and still I hesitate to link the fabulous video I have on my phone. I’ll offer this middle ground instead…this picture, not mine, with strategic body part omissions:

There’s plenty of video of the event online, should you wish to see more.

I’ll leave it at that and be back with you in September when we head to France, the Baltics, and then London. Thanks to my travel buddy – it was a great homecoming adventure!