Romania is a small and beautiful country placed in eastern Europe, by the Black Sea. There are mountains, plains and hills with lots of forests and lots of rivers and creeks. As you already know I was born in this lovely country in a small town called Sebes in Alba County. Alba is placed in the middle of the country in the south of Transylvania region. When I was 14 my family moved to Alba Iulia, a city full of history. In 1601 it was the capital of the united Romania. Mihai the Brave united the three coutries, Transylvania, Moldavia and Wallachia to keep them together for 5 years. For much of the outside world, the name Transylvania (Latin for "across the forest") conjures up images of vampires, remote Gothic castles, and things that generally go bump in the night. Whether you're in the mood to explore the quiet peaks of the Carpathian Mountains or spend an evening winding your way through one of the region's medieval Saxon castles, the myth-enshrouded hills of Transylvania are certainly among Romania's finest haunts. If you're coming from Bucharest or from the south of Romania, you may be surprised to find that most of Transylvania remains undeveloped and unpopulated. For once, bleak industrial complexes are the exception rather than the norm, and except for a few notorious examples of Ceausescu-era depravity (most notably the city of Copsa Mica, one of the most polluted places in the world), much of Transylvania has thankfully been spared the nightmare of industrialization. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Transylvania was known throughout Europe as the "Switzerland of the East," a magnet for dissidents and religious refugees. In the second half of the 16th century, it became the first European land to guarantee by law the freedom of religion, and soon its borders were flooded by waves of immigrants escaping religious persecution at home. Over the centuries, however, ethnic Romanians have come to resent the presence of these "foreigners" in Transylvania. Even as a traveler, you'll definitely notice the tensions between the region's Romanians and its Hungarian, German, and Romani minorities. Many international rail lines pass through Transylvania on their way to and from Bucharest, making the larger urban centers quite accessible. The Hungarian stronghold of Cluj affords a glimpse of Magyar culture Transylvania-style, and the old fortified Saxon settlements at Sibiu, Brasov, and Sighisoara are an impressive legacy of the considerable economic power once wielded by German settlers in these parts. Brasov also has the three best ski resorts in the country, as well as ominous Bran castle. And still standing in Sighisoara is the purported birthplace of Vlad the Impaler--the historic Wallachian prince on whom Bram Stoker modeled his Dracula. There are many stories and movies about Dracula.