After a long wait, even years, I found someone who came from Transylvania. She seemed normal, but I must admit I met her for only a few minutes.
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It all happened because my wife and I were sitting in a restaurant and I commented on the quality of the food.
All of a sudden the chef was at the table. I think he was the proprietor. During a conversation, he happened to mention that his wife came from Transylvania.
A few days later we were in the same restaurant and his wife served us. We noticed the accent. It had to be from Transylvania.
I had a toothache, but I thought I had better not mention teeth. I didn’t know her that well.
The Transylvania we’re talking about is in Romania. It gained a reputation because of Dracula.
It is a historical region located in what is today the central part of Romania. Bound on the east and south by its natural borders, the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended westward to the Apuseni Mountains. The term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical regions of Crișana, Maramureș, and the Romanian part of Banat.
In the English-speaking world, it has been commonly associated with vampires, mostly due to Bram Stoker’s famous novel Dracula.
The novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to move from Transylvania to England so he may find new blood and spread the curse.
Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by the Irish author, who I suppose could have set it in Dublin, but the impact would not have been the same as setting it in Transylvania.
Don’t get draconian confused with Dracula. The word draconian comes from Draco, an Athenian lawmaker from the 17th century whose aim was to reform the legal system. What he lacked in compassion, he made up in consistency. In other words, you still lost your head.
Transylvania is picturesque, despite its reputation.
The Munsters were also said to be from Transylvania, referring to it several times in the show both by name and as "The Old Country".
In the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tim Curry played a character from "Transexual Transylvania".
The Sony Pictures Animation's animated Hotel Transylvania series takes place largely in Transylvania and nearby places. It recasts Dracula in a comic scenario.
In some versions of the story, the Pied Piper of Hamelin leads the children of the village of Hamelin to Transylvania. The story may be an attempt to explain the migration of the Transylvanian Saxons from German lands.
lauriebarber.com; lbword@midcoast.com.au