As you can see, there is much more to Romania than just vampire lore. However, the count does maintain quite a presences in Transylvania.

Guide: It’s a part of Dracula Land, or people of Transylvania. And you find the grand castle, the Sighisoara Town, the Brussel Town, as well, you will find old fortress, fortified church, Brussel ruin. It’s a beautiful place to spend the holiday.

This small castle just outside Brockhoff is a Mecca for fans of the fictional character created by Bram Stoker. It is believed that Count Dracula was based on a real Romanian prince, Vlad the Impaler who is known for making particularly gruesome punishments for invading Turks and disloyal subjects.

We hate to disappoint you, but aside from the fact that Vlad’s father lived here in the late 1300’s, there’s little that ties this wonderful old castle to the Dracula tale.

The Romanians seemed to have given on trying to clarify historic fact and instead accepted that tourist have adapted this area as Dracula Land hoping that once they get their fill of vampire kits, they’ll move on down the road to experience the real Transylvania which is just around the corner.

We popped into this family’s yard just in time for the great crush.

Guide: They’re all family. The same family, they go back hundreds of year, 400 years, 500 years. As they can fill the big house, you will see like three or four generation in the same house. They try to think together and help themselves. Family is everything, it’s the base of society. One village is one family. Actually, a village of 2000 people that pretty much know each other. When a wedding is happening or a new kid is born, it’s time for a celebration of the whole village, not just a family, it’s the whole village.

The Village is probably is most close, it’s a nice way you can go and feel the warmth of a family, the heart. Inside the village, you’ll get all the beautiful feeling of hospitality, the warmth, caring, love of coming home.

The sanctity of marriage seems to be intact here in Romania. We found wedding parties swarming outside the city hall waiting for a turn to say their vows.

Female: The wedding, it’s a weekly celebration in Romania, many, many. The dance, you eat, drink, all. It’s fun.

Male: It’s a very good car. It has a motor inside. I don’t know if it works but it has a motor inside.

Female: It does have a motor.

Male: I know if it is new.

Female: It’s a Trabant. It comes from East Germany.

Male: Yes, from all kinds, it’s Germany. And it was the cheapest car. It’s a mixture of paper, you know, cardboard. It is about 253 kilos.

Female: You can pick it up.

Male: That’s for sure. You can start to move this car from this point to the other point easily.

Female: It’s very handy because if your car breaks down, you carry it to the gas station.

Male: No problem.

I fell in love with these silly little cars. Too bad it wouldn’t fit in my suitcase.

They picture the village as if Transylvania have not yet been overrun by tourism. In the countryside, visitors have ample opportunity with these outgoing generous people.

Drivers wait from their horse drawn carts and farmers stop their work to socialize. This guy even handed over the reigns.

Female: This is amazing. This guy is so nice, he saw, we wanted to know what he was doing, and the next thing we know, he gives us his cart and says, “Here, take it for a spin.”

Male: The horse and the cart, the whole nine yards.

Female: I have no idea how to drive the thing.

Transylvannia’s history illustrates how ancient ethic routes influence a modern society.

In the mid 1300’s, the Hungarian King invited German settlers to the region to defend Transylvania against invasions. The region was called Siebenburgen meaning seven villages. And today, these villages still feel as though you’re in medieval Germany.

These villages included fortified churches like this one in Biertan. The church walls provided a safe haven where villagers could take refuge during an attack.

These German settlers successfully defended the area until the 16th century when Hungary was conquered by the Turks and Transylvania became a vessel of the Ottoman Empire. After the defeat of the Turks in 1683, Transylvania was added to the Habsburg Empire. And for the next 100 years, Romanian peasants once again served Hungarian noblemen.

Transylvania flip flopped between Hungary and Romania for the next 200 years and was once and for all returned to Romania in 1945 after World War II.

Unfortunately, this did not bring better times for the Romanian people. The country spent the next five decades under the dark fog of communism, and from 65 to 85, was ravaged by the reign of Nicolae Ceausescu.

Male: Transylvania was always way beyond communist leaders in a way of understanding. Because the communist way wasn’t a way to be for Romanian, communist is alien, they just have to be thrown away. So those 50 years, they were just a bad dream and we just come out of it.

Religion has been important in Romania no matter who was in charge. Roman Catholics, Romanian Orthodox, Greco Catholics and Protestants are all represented today.

Just outside Sibiu is an interesting museum that displays religious icons painted on glass.

Male: This came from around 17th century. And from that time, people from this area are teaching their children. The children are watching the job that the parents are doing, the start to learn and get themselves those kinds of items.