European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 16, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                On Dracula s Trail associated Pressw within the modern Borders of Romania exists the ancient province of Transylvania surrounded by High forested mountains that shelter dark medieval castles. One of the most respected and feared of transylvanian was Vlad Dracula revered in romanian folklore Lor saving the country from turkish invaders loathed As a Man who thought nothing of dining while a Man was impaled next to him from the tales of Vlad Dracula also known As Vlad types the impaler. Handed Down through the generations came the classic thriller Dracula by the Irish in Sci Bram Stoker. Travelling into the Borgo pass the location Stoker gave for count Dracula s Castle fog a shrouds the winding Mountain Road. Ii is dark and eerie. Then hallway into the pass a Castle like building appears on a Distant Peak. To accommodate the adventurers lost in their search Lor Dracula s Castle the romanians have built a hotel. A. But what a hotel. The vast inner courtyard of the hotel Tchula gives onto several possible entrances so finding the Iron desk is the first mystery. The next is to avoid gelling lost trying to find your room in the Maze of hallways. Surely you think this was where Erma Bombeck a photo the 15th Century woodcut above left shows Prince Dracula dining amid a gruesome scene of Slaughter. Above Are the remains Otto Earl Castle in Romania. Dracula had the Castle built As his Retreat Dracula s Castle stood. The innkeeper says a coffin was once kept in the basement Lor atmosphere. It was removed he goes on after too Many tourists fainted at the sight of a special effects hand creeping out the Side. The morning Sun Burns Oil the log and reveals vast. Green valleys and tiny villages. Peculiar to the villages Are family cemeteries located on each family s land tradition called for slaying close to loved ones even alter death going so Lar As the living visiting the Graves to Tell the dead about Village happenings. Leaving the Borgo pass the Trail to Dracula leads to Cluj. But a Detour South leads to sight Sara. A beautifully preserved 15lh Century town and the Birthplace of Vlad Dracula. The House where lie was born is 556 years old its incredibly thick Walls look As if they would last five More centuries. The House is now a restaurant its Entrance marked by the Emblem of the order of the dragon. This Emblem led to the Feudal Prince being dubbed Vlad Dracula the order of the dragon to which Dracula s father belonged was an Alliance of Eastern and Central european Kings and princes formed to oppose the rising ottoman Empire. Because romanian legend says the dragon is the embodiment of the Devil or Dracula. The people nicknamed their Prince Dracula. Stoker distorted the Folk stories which make no mention of vampires. The legend leads on to Brasov a German and romanian medieval settlement. Vlad Dracula. Trying to raise an army to Light the turks requested monies from the merchants who had enjoyed untaxed trading with the Southern province of Wallachia. The merchants chose to ignore Dracula. But not for Long. Making his Way past the bran Castle since adopted by tourists As count Dracula s own. The Prince captured 40 Brasov an merchants and impaled them on a Hill overlooking the town Stoker had Only to embellish the subsequent stories of the ruthless Bloodthirsty Vlad Dracula that wound their Way through Europe for his famous novel. Erma Bombick is on vacation. She left behind some of her favorite columns from the Pas j for weeks we looked at the vide Ocas Ette recorder in our living room without speaking mentally. I had begun to think of other uses Lor it. Maybe we could put legs on it and use it for an end table or release the ejection Slot and put a Plant in it. From time to time my husband would Leal through the manual  an intensity usually reserved Lor a nervous flier rending about the evacuation procedures on an aircraft ii ,n i uni  Friday night that to cleared his Throat Andrj Caid since  Are going out to ,  Don t  Lape Dalian so  can Balch it later i Pul ,1 hand  his i want of to   whatever hip m i think you re Tho Rcv. M rain i Page 16 the stars and stripes have Ever met " As we stood in Iron of the machine my husband observed this is ridiculous. We look like All we need Are padded coveralls and a bucket of water Good lord we Aren t dismantling a bomb. It s Only a harmless Var read i la punch  you want me to read to you the Page on How to use the manual skip that and get on with How to Sci in when we re not Here " you have to swing Down the cover of the programming Button compartment at the right of Tho clock and sol the Peck switch to Lisp or is p a lore of insert Tho c Irette the clock if wining then ,011 Creed up you have of go  i and to program 1h.it  motor  monday. November 16. 1987 How do i do that7 press Lite daily Hulton not the 2w. You Ninny or you re Back to Square one i think i be got a m he said. Well you v. Ant p m you should be Able to select one of the eight programs by pressing the Button with the number and the minutes and the hours do you see the Days of  Veo flashing9" everything is flashing Don t forget to press the record Slop time Are the letters cd hashing7 if so. You re ready Tor the Channel selector switch hey. I think you be done it i see j r and miss Elli j what you  said my husband is the actual program on the regular Channel we might just As a Ell sit  and watch it i Don t know the time but \e obviously missed  "