Our quest to Dracula’s castle started as an aloof ‘what if?’ on a rainy bus ride through the fields of the Czech Republic.

I studied in Prague during the fall of 2024, a wonderful experience that involved many, many long bus rides across the country. Under the environmental influence of coach bus proximity, we often spent most of these rides turned in our seats, talking across aisles and conspiring ways to fill our free weekends.

The idea started as a bucket-list breakdown and quickly snowballed into a seven-person group trip to the capital of Romania. From several hasty meetings in crowded coffee shops to excessive researching, cross-checking and group chat messaging, we carved out a plan. We vetoed driving cross-continent and instead booked a couple of fairly suspicious flights on a certain niche airline.

A few weeks and one cancelled, unrefunded and rescheduled return flight later, the group of us found ourselves settled in a very green, very spacious AirBnB in the heart of Bucharest. The apartment fit the lot of us perfectly—it was set up with enough beds, bathrooms and balconies to successfully host a two-night stay.

We arrived on Friday at 11:00 in the morning and, after settling in, decided to grab some cash and take on the city. The day was chilly and rainy. Each group member sported an umbrella and a scarf.

The city held a certain charm. It felt real, beautiful and full of history. Maybe it was the constant drizzle or the chilling temperatures parted by cups of warm drinks, but I wanted to roam the city for days with deep rumbling podcasts or a rolling, melancholy playlist in my ears.

I am a lover of rain and dark days. I love armoring myself against the weather, embracing the cozy days with coffees, teas, sweaters, books and umbrellas. For this reason, our day of walking through downtown, meeting stray cats, exploring churches and frolicking in the Christmas market was one of the best I had spent outside Prague.

The night wound down with a walk back through the beautiful city, tall grey buildings peering down at us like protective guards. We made dinner together and prepared for our long day ahead.

Saturday morning came early. We had a day-long bus tour that would take us into the mountains and to two iconic castles. Armed with an abundance of Corny bars and a budding Shadow Man fixation, I was prepared to take on the Romanian mountains.

The tour bus, filled with our group and four strangers, set off at 8:00 a.m. First stop: Pelaș Castle. As the bus trekked further north to Sinaia, the hills grew, the trees darkened and the weather turned colder. 

It was on this drive that I saw my first snow of the semester. I fought tears as I stared out the window at the stunning landscape of coniferous trees and rising mountains.

Pelaș Castle was nestled in the frosted pines of the Carpathian Mountains. A product of Neo-Renaissance architecture, the building was a relatively young addition to the country’s castle collection. Our tour guide led us through the gilded and glorious halls, enduring our excessive picture-taking and question-asking.  

After the first castle, we stopped briefly in the nearby town of Braşov for lunch before hitting the road again. Approaching the final castle, our group grew impatient. The persistent rain had soaked our clothes, leaving us slightly damp and shivering in the van.

Finally, we arrived in Bran, home of Bran Castle. Our tour group shook ourselves into action and readily followed our guide through the streets. Wrapped in scarves with gloves pulled into our sleeves, we trailed up the path that would lead us to our destination.

There, past the town, rose the white walls and red roofs of Bran Castle. While technically not the true inspiration of Dracula’s castle, the structure created an imposing and awe-inspiring image atop its crumbling cliff.

As our guide talked, snow began to fall. We gaped and shared wide-eyed glances, smiling hard. It hit us: our spontaneous bus collusion had really come to fruition. 

Under the shadow of Dracula’s castle, with falling snow, smiling friends and fantastical views, I realized the wonder of this experience. How lucky was I to find friends who would partake in a harebrained trip across countries to see just one castle? 

I had never thought I would see the infamous castle, but there we were, ready to close out our quest together.

Wollner can be reached at [email protected].