Just thought I would do a quick post before I leave for my latest experience – I’m celebrating Halloween in Transylvania! There could not be a better place in the world to go to experience scary stuff, of course and I have booked myself on a mysterious journey tour. Whilst researching my destination, I stumbled on some even better news: extreme sports in Transylvania are massive!
Secret Ceremony Mystery Tour
The actual complete mystery tour is a whole week holiday, but I am only interested in the Halloween part. I have been promised to be very spooked, and I intend to be. I love everything to do with the supernatural, and I really like secrecy as well, so this mystery tour in the birth village of Prince Vlad Dracul – Sighisoara – sounds right up my street. It is said that it is the most well preserved village from the 15th Century that is a walled town. On the 30th, during the ceremony, the location of which is secret, but it’s somewhere in the village, a young woman will be chosen to be Countess Dracula for the rest of the year. Maybe it will be me!
The next day, we will be travelling to this fantastic little village where the little farm houses are so far apart that each house has its own cemetery! How cool is that!!! The entire history of each farm house is on its own doorstep, basically. The village is called Bistrita (mentioned in Bram Stoker’s book) and it is the last stop before we actually reach the castle itself. In the castle, the group will be having a full overnight stay, which will earn us the right to get a stamp in our passports. It is said that no one leaves the castle untouched, and I don’t intend to do much sleeping, particularly since I have found some really cool ghost hunting equipment on Amazon, like:
I have been preparing myself by watching countless hours of Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International and Most Haunted, of course, so I do believe I am now proficient in the art of provoking ghosts. What always annoys me in these programs is when they ask the spirit to make one more noise and then they’ll leave – no way! Make one more noise and I’ll ask you to make another, one noise is not proof! And I much prefer the provoking technique to the being nice and respectful technique. After all, we are trying to find the spirit of Vlad the Impaler here, not that of the nice old man down the road. Plus, it’s Halloween, aren’t we supposed to embrace evil and witchcraft and stuff? My plan for next year is to go to Salem, I know the women there weren’t actually witches, but that has to be one heck of a place to celebrate Halloween!
I honestly can’t wait! But like I said, I was already looking forward to my trip (just a few more hours and I’m off), but when I discovered this morning that I will also be able to indulge in my other hobby – extreme sports – I had to share it before leaving! And if anyone knows of any other locations for Halloween where you can also take part in extreme sports, let me know!
Extreme Sports in Transylvania
The Romanians truly have it all: a deep rooted history, mystery and intrigue and now also extreme sports! I have found out that every year, a competition is held by the Transylvania Adventure Club for a week long 4×4 competition. It is said to be one of the most challenging off road driving courses and the whole track lasts a week. If you want to take part, you need to do so as a team, to help each other navigate, rest and endure.
This competition takes place in the middle of July each year, so I have missed that. But obviously, I didn’t have a team ready then either. But as I am in Transylvania anyway, I have decided to take a look.
So, after my overnight stay at the castle of Vlad – The Impaler – Dracul, I leave the guided tour again to go off roading. Technically, I’m doing something I’m not supposed to be doing, because during the competition, all the routes are set out and one of the challenges is for the co-pilot to navigate through the course. To me, this takes away a bit of the excitement, so I’ve been able to find myself a Romanian local who still has the map of this year’s competition, as well as his own off road buggy (he says it has a roll cage, evidently the extreme course is that hard), and he has been willing to take me on what would be day 2 of the actual driving tour; for a small sum of money, of course.
I’ve been off roading a couple of times, but have updated my equipment to include:
- A special helmet
- Protective eye wear
- Driving gloves (a girl has to have some style, right)
So I think I’m ready!
Apparently, the course really is very difficult, but my guide has told me that he also has the map for the moderate course, so if I struggle too much (to which I will never admit, of course), we can start following that trail. I’m really looking forward to it – as every obstacle is natural and nothing is manmade, it really says something about the overall landscape that I can expect. Camera at the ready in other words, this is going to be a trip to remember!
I feel like the luckiest person on earth, to be perfectly honest. I get to spend two whole days and nights getting spooked out by all that Halloween encompasses: ghosts, Dracula, getting scared, secret ceremonies and much, much more; before being able to take part in a real extreme sports off road driving course, right on the doorstep of Vlad Dracul’s doorstep.
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