Today brought one of the highlights of our trip: the legendary Transfăgărășan Highway – and it absolutely delivered! We arrived fairly early, greeted by great weather and stunning views. Endless curves, switchbacks, and elevation – a dream ride for motorcyclists.
Our final destination: Poenari Fortress, the actual stronghold of Vlad the Impaler, also known as Vlad Drăculea – the historical figure behind the Dracula myth. Unlike the famous Bran Castle, Poenari was a real base of power for Vlad.
His nickname “the Impaler” came from his gruesome execution method: he’d have people impaled on stakes, inserted in a way that avoided vital organs – prolonging the suffering. Victims could survive for up to three days. He showed no mercy, not even to women or children. It’s estimated that 80,000 people were killed under his rule.
To reach the fortress, you climb 1,480 steep steps – and then descend them again. We didn’t linger too long; we prefer not to leave our bikes unattended for long stretches. Still, the site was haunting and powerful.
Along the way, we spotted five individual bears by the roadside – clearly used to human presence and begging for food. As many signs warn, we didn’t feed them and moved on slowly – though they did look oddly cute.
Today’s roads included some unpaved stretches again, but nothing too tricky. By evening, we arrived at Hotel Casa Cristina in Pietroasa – a good place to rest up.
Tomorrow we’re heading to Bran Castle – the famous Dracula filming location. Historically, Vlad never lived there, but we’re curious to see how touristy it really is.
We drove the following route today:
Total time: 08:31:25
