Castle Hunting

^^^current guard of the castle^^^

^^^torture device, and the only pic I'll post since the others are cray cray!^^^

^^^this looked like a party scene from "A Knight's Tale"^^^

Victor and I have both wanted to visit this castle for a long time. We finally got the chance, and it was worth it! This castle is totally medievally legit. It was the home to Matei Corvin, king of Hungary in the 1400s (and was born here in Cluj), and friend of Vlad the Impaler (aka the inspiration for Dracula). Well, kind of a friend--when Vlad came asking for money he decided to keep him as prisoner instead. Speaking of prisons: the torture chambers in this castle were intense. Like so intense that kids under 12 weren't allowed to go in since they had dummies demonstrating torture techniques. Medieval history is so gruesome. The Tower of London had nothing on these torture chambers

Anyway, it was a lovely afternoon spent stepping back in time. I love the rich history of Transylvania.