Sighişoara

Sighişoara may not ring a bell. A town in Transylvania, it retains a medieval feel to it, esp in the old town. The old town is known as the Citadel, mainly because it was a citadel in the days of old. So what is so special about Sighişoara? It was the birthplace of Dracula.

Well, technically, it's the birthplace of Vlad Ţepeș - whom which Bram Stoker's vampiric Dracula is loosely based. Vlad Ţepeș, also known as Vlad the Impaler, was a cruel prince of Wallachia. Not only were his practises cruel, his punishments were terrifying and brutal, one of which is how he got the name of Impaler... Today, the fact that this was his birthplace has generated many marketing gimmicks in the Citadel, it seems to me equally scary....
What is really special to me is that the old town contains a dreamy charm to it, so much so that I do feel brought back in time. The old cobbled streets, the street lamps, the peeling paint on old doorways, it was really enjoyable walking around the alleys. In fact, it gave me a feeling like what I had when I was walking in the old town of Lijiang in China! (The western medieval version!)



The highlight of the Citadel is the Clock Tower. Now housing a museum, it also provides a superb view of the new town below. The clockwork mechanism and the seven revolving figurines that represent the different days of the week is also very interestng, and well worth looking into. Guesthouses are aplenty here, so Sighişoara is certainly worth a stopover if you're going Romania!