Forbidden City

Having arrived at the entrance of the Forbidden City, I was awestruck by its size. This UNESCO-listed micro-city is a perfect rectangular shape measuring 3,153ft (961m) long by 2,470ft (753m) wide, surrounded by a 26ft (8m) high red wall and a 171ft (52m) wide moat. Some of the statistics for this palace are even more staggering, such as the complex's collection of 980 buildings and more than 9,000 bays of rooms, which has its own story that I'll regale you with shortly.

The Forbidden City was built by Zhu Di, Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty, between 1406 and 1420. It was the former imperial palace and winter residence for 24 successive emperors from 1420 to 1924. Once the imperial system was abolished after the Qing dynasty was dissolved, the last emperor was evicted in 1924, and the Forbidden City lost its status as an imperial residence.

In 1925, the Forbidden City was converted into a public museum called the Palace Museum, showcasing more than 1.8 million rare and precious items primarily from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Within the collection, the museum holds more than 340,000 ceramics and porcelains, covering more than 8,000 years of ceramic production, making it one of the largest collections in the world. Tens of thousands of pieces such as paintings, jade, bronzeware, timepieces and personal imperial artifacts line the museum's hallways. Some of these pieces date to dynasties before the common era making them more than 2000 years old, and a few pieces of jade date even further back to the Neolithic period (10,000-2,000 BC). The collection is incredible, and it's not even all of it. During the early 20th century, the threat of invasion and civil war forced the museum to evacuate its most important pieces. A quarter of the evacuated artifacts now form part of the main museum in Taipei, Taiwan. Another collection is in Nanjing, a city that served as the capital of China on many occasions.

Getting back to the Forbidden City, one of its most fascinating stories is the number of rooms. At first glance, 9,000+ bays of rooms seem outlandish, except for when one understands the definition relating to the Forbidden City. Here, a "bay of rooms" refers to the sub-division of larger buildings into smaller interconnected spaces, with each bay being a space defined by four structural pillars. This type of layout was necessary to accommodate the imperial palace's needs, such as ceremonial activities, residential quarters and administrative functions, while keeping cohesion within its architectural design. According to folk legend, there were 9999.5 rooms, although that has never been substantiated. However, in ancient times the emperors saw themselves as the Sons of Heaven, and the Heavenly Palace consisted of 10,000 rooms. Since the son's palace could not exceed Heaven's residence, the emperor cut down the room number by half as a deliberate approximation to the heavenly number, asserting the emperor's connection to celestial rule.

The easiest way to imagine this huge complex is by splitting it in half. The front half, entered via the Meridian Gate (main gate), was the outer court used for official and ceremonial functions, while the back half was the inner court, traditionally the residence of the emperor and his family.
The architectural style of the Forbidden City shows hierarchy, with each building's design following rules outlined in a 12th-century manual called "Yingzao Fashi" (State Building Standards). This manual gave specific design instructions for different-ranked buildings, highlighting how architecture conveyed status and authority within its society.

Another distinctive element of the complex's architecture is the use of two main colours: red and yellow. Red, seen on the walls, is an auspicious colour signifying good fortune and happiness. It is often used during festivities like Chinese New Year. Yellow, on the other hand, is the colour of the emperors. These colours have been used for centuries in Chinese art, architecture and decoration. Combining them in the Forbidden City connects it to a rich historical and cultural tradition while conveying prosperity, authority and the emperor's divine connection.

There is so much more to learn about the Forbidden City, but my journey has come to an end. Although this vast and impressive complex was inaccessible to most people during the imperial era, I am glad that it is no longer the case.

See you on the next adventure.



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Forbidden City - Temple of Heaven

As I forged through the city's commercial streets, I welcomed entering another landscaped park where an avenue led to the UNESCO-listed Temple of Heaven, known as "Tiantan" in Chinese. It is one of China's most iconic and well-preserved examples of imperial architecture and one of its most important religious sites. Construction began in 1406 during Zhu Di's reign, who was also responsible for building the Forbidden City and the first mausoleum at the Ming Tombs.

The temple was visited annually by emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties to pray for good harvests and divine blessings. These rituals were very important because emperors were seen as the intermediary between heaven and earth. The emperor and his entourage would camp within the complex twice a year, wearing ceremonial attire and refraining from meat consumption. The procession from the Forbidden City to the temple complex, along with the subsequent ceremony, was not open to the general public, and the execution of the rituals had to be precise and perfect. It was believed that even the smallest errors would bring misfortune to the country in the coming year.

Within the complex are a number of buildings, each with its own symbolic significance. The most notable is The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a triple-gabled circular building atop a triple-level marble stone base with intricate wooden carvings and a distinctive blue-tiled roof. Just like the Long Gallery at the Summer Palace, the hall's interior is highly ornate, with every inch of its roofline painted in exquisite detail and the red support columns covered in gold leaf.

South of The Hall of Prayer is a smaller building resembling it, called the Imperial Vault of Heaven. It is a single-level, single-gabled circular building surrounded by the Echo Wall that transmits sounds a long way.

Not far from the Imperial Vault is the Circular Mound Altar, a large, circular marble platform with three tiers of balustrades decorated with carved dragons. An interesting aspect of the Altar's design is the incorporation of fences and steps in multiples of nine. In ancient China, odd numbers were considered positive, with nine being the most positive value and symbolising imperial authority. Each level contains nine concentric circles of fan-shaped stones. These circles progressively expand outward, each with nine more stones than the previous one. At the centre of the Altar is a round slate called the Heart of Heaven. If you stand on it and shout, the sound waves will clearly echo. This is where the emperor would pray for fair weather, hoping the sound of his prayer would reach up to the heavens.

The colour scheme of the whole complex is also symbolic, with the main colour being blue, which is meant to represent the heavens. One fine example is the Hall of Prayer, where specific dark blue roof tiles symbolise the connection between the emperor and the divine.

The complex is nestled within a park consisting of more than 60,000 trees, including one known as the grandfather tree, a 500-year-old Nine-Dragon Cypress with branches resembling dragons intertwining with one another.
 

Taking my time to explore this serene temple complex, my next and final destination is the legendary Forbidden City.



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Forbidden City - Confucius Temple

After the Summer Palace, I wound my way through another expansive area, Yuanmingyuan Park, also known as the Winter Palace. It was a complex of palaces and gardens built between the 18th and 19th centuries as the imperial residence for the Qianlong Emperor and his successors. The palace was completely sacked and razed to the ground during the Anglo-Sino War and the Boxer Rebellion. Attempts to restore the palace were eventually abandoned due to lack of funds, and today, it remains in ruins.

Heading east, I strolled through the enormous Olympic Forest Park. Located north of the Olympic Stadium, this man-made nature park is an absolute haven for locals and tourists alike. It features walking and cycling paths, forests, flora, wetlands, lakes, the man-made Yanshan Mountain with viewing platforms and the Yangshan River coursing through the entire park.

As I passed the Olympic Stadium, I marvelled at the magnificent interwoven steel framework. The stadium's architectural concept was inspired by Chinese ceramics, giving rise to a "nest scheme" design of a red concrete seating bowl surrounded by an outer steel frame resembling a bird's nest.

As I continued south, I arrived at the Temple of Confucius. Dedicated to the memory of renowned philosopher and teacher Confucius (551-479 BCE), the temple was built in 1302 and expanded over the centuries. The current layout dates back to the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Confucius is an important sage in Chinese culture because his teachings established a philosophy emphasising morals, family values, and social harmony. These teachings became intertwined with Chinese identity, and his principles impacted art, literature and rituals while offering continuity through dynastic changes.

The temple features several grand halls, courtyards and landscaped gardens. Each building plays a role in honouring Confucius and his teachings. For instance, the Xianshi Gate, the entrance to the complex, symbolises the threshold between the outside world and the sacred space dedicated to Confucianism. Dacheng Hall, where ceremonies honouring Confucius are conducted, makes it one of the most important buildings in the complex. Chongshengci Hall is where scholars, officials, and students gathered to perform rituals emphasising the importance of Confucian values. The last one is the Kuixing Pavilion, dedicated to the deity Kuixing, often depicted holding a brush and book, who is considered the protector of scholars and writers.

Another significant feature inside the temple is a series of 198 stone tablets recording the names of more than 50,000 advanced scholars from the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. To have one's name inscribed on the tablet, the scholar would have sat an imperial exam supervised by the emperor himself. Passing the exam would be the culmination of a scholar's dream to become the top talent in China. It's akin to obtaining a doctorate (Ph.D.) in today's terms. Those who succeeded would remain in the capital as officials.

While modern societies have changed and adapted to new challenges, Confucius' wisdom is still cherished and embraced around the world. Temples dedicated to him remain an important place where people can honour him and reflect on his teachings.



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Forbidden City - Summer Palace

Less than 10mi (16km) from Beijing's city centre is the Summer Palace, a vast imperial garden known as "Yiheyuan" in Chinese. A UNESCO-listed site, it is the most well-preserved imperial garden in the country.

The Summer Palace's origins trace back to the Jin Dynasty in 1153 when the emperor at the time relocated his capital to Beijing and built a palace in the Fragrant Hills, west of the Summer Palace. A century later, water was redirected from a spring to create a reservoir and ensure a consistent water supply to the palace. It would later become Kunming Lake, the central lake at the Summer Palace.

Fast-forward another two centuries to the Ming dynasty, when the Honghzhi Emperor built Yuanjin Temple in 1494 for his wet nurse in front of Jar Hill, later renamed Longevity Hill. The temple was eventually abandoned, and the surrounding hill grew lush with vegetation. Hongzhzi's successor cleared the hill, built himself a palace and established an imperial garden.

The Qing dynasty succeeded the Mings, and it was during this era that the Summer Palace really took shape. The Qianlong Emperor built many imperial gardens, and water consumption grew substantially. He decided to expand Kunming Lake and use the excavated soil to enlarge Longevity Hill, on which he built the Summer Palace (c. 1749) as a gift for his mother's 60th birthday.

The design of the Summer Palace was influenced by many architectural features from around the country and also by Chinese mythology, such as the three islands in Kunming Lake symbolising the legendary East Sea mountains and the Phoenix Pier representing Lake Tai, a large freshwater lake in the Yangtze Delta. However, as the Qing Empire declined, the palace was neglected and fell into disrepair. In 1860, at the end of the Anglo-Sino War, the palace was looted and subsequently burned down. It was reconstructed by Empress Dowager Cixi between 1884-95 as her retirement palace. Damaged again in 1900 and repaired, the Summer Palace opened to the public in 1914.

The expansive grounds are adorned with pavilions, halls and manicured gardens. The Seventeen-Arch Bridge is one of 30 bridges in the palace and, as the name suggests, features 17 arches. At 492ft (150m), it is the longest bridge on the grounds, connecting the eastern shore with one of the islands. Its beautiful upward-curved line gives it a sense of grandeur and aesthetic quality.
 

Another magnificent feature is the Long Gallery, a 2,300ft (728m) covered corridor running east to west, linking several attractions at the foot of Longevity Hill. It provided the Qing Dowagers a place to promenade regardless of weather conditions, with pleasant views of Kunming Lake and the gardens. Four octagonal pavilions with double eaves, representing the four seasons, mark the ends of the gallery (two on each side). The most remarkable elements of the corridor are the 14,000 paintings adorned on every beam, cross-member and ceiling, featuring flora, fauna, buildings, and landscapes, along with folk tales, Chinese literature and legendary figures.

There are so many beautiful features of the Summer Palace that it would take another letter to list them all. Instead, I will walk up to the Tower of Buddhist Incense to see the 16ft (5m) tall and 5-ton gilded statue of the 1000-handed Kwan-yin Buddha from the Ming era and take in the panoramic views of the lake and beyond.


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Forbidden City - Ming Dynasty Tombs

It's easy to become overwhelmed by the size of Beijing. First of all, it is a sprawling megacity with a population exceeding 20 million. Second, navigating it can be daunting for the uninitiated like me. But here I am, undeterred by the city's vastness and determined to discover its many wonders, none more stark than the juxtaposition of its modern skyscrapers towering over ancient sites.

Beijing is a very old city, more than 3000 years old, and it is widely believed to be one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. The earliest record is from its pre-imperial era when the ancient states of Ji and Yan established the City of Ji as the region's capital during the Warring States period (475-221 BC). This marked the city's beginnings.

Throughout China's history, Beijing served as a capital during different periods. Kublai Khan's establishment of Dadu (one of its earlier names) as the capital during the Yuan dynasty (1270-1368) denoted the first time all of China was ruled from Beijing. Since 1279, except for two intervals, Beijing has continuously remained China's capital, with its longest uninterrupted period spanning from 1421 during the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1912.

Encompassing several centuries, Beijing has evolved into a cultural treasure trove featuring many museums, iconic landmarks, and traditional performing arts such as the Peking Opera and Chinese acrobatics. Of particular note is Beijing's distinction for being the first city in the world to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Beijing's cultural landscape is so incredibly rich and varied that it boasts seven World Heritage Sites, of which I plan to visit four: the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven and the Ming Tombs.

To begin my journey, I ventured beyond the city's centre to the foothills of Tianshou Mountain. Here, nestled in a carefully chosen landscape, lies the Ming Tombs, a complex of traditional buildings that serve as the final resting place for 13 of the 16 Ming Dynasty emperors. The remaining three found their resting place elsewhere; one vanished without a trace.

Among the tombs, the first to stand was Changling (“Forever Tomb”). It was constructed in 1409 by Zhu Di, Yongle Emperor, the third emperor of the Ming dynasty. As the oldest and largest in the complex, Changling set the tone for the others that followed, each varying in size. Dingling Tomb is the only one excavated with its burial chamber open to visitors.

Zhu Di's choice for this location was strategic. He wanted a place to construct a grand mausoleum befitting an emperor's palace in the afterlife. He adhered to Feng Shui principles, setting the complex in a serene valley surrounded by mountains near a flowing river. It also harmonised with Taoist ideals of unity between nature and humankind. Subsequently, it became the designated imperial mausoleum complex, witnessing the construction of tombs for the twelve succeeding Ming emperors over the next 230 years.

The entrance to the complex is via the imposing Great Red Gate. Painted red, the gate has three grand arches. During the Ming era, the gates were sealed, and guards posted, restricting access to the general public. Even emperors followed certain protocols when entering these sacred grounds.

Once inside the "Sacred Way", a path lined with statues of animals and officials leads to Changling Tomb and the grounds beyond. Taking my time to stroll through here, I enjoy the quietness and solitude and wonder how many Ming emperors were directly involved in constructing the famous Great Wall of China, just north of the Ming Tombs.


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South Downs Way - Eastbourne

I left Alfriston and started the final stage of my journey. I walked for about a mile (1.6km) beside Cuckmere River to the quiet village of Litlington. Pretty cottages and cottage gardens lined the narrow streets. A little out of town up on Hindover Hill was the Litlington White Horse, a chalk horse figure cut into the hillside in 1924. Cared for by the National Trust and regularly maintained with volunteers’ help, the horse measures 93ft (28m) long and 65ft (20m) high. An earlier cut from the 19th century existed on the same site, believed to have been done to commemorate Queen Victoria. The cut was fully covered by the early 1900s due to a lack of maintenance.

Southbound, I veered away from the river onto the clifftop to enjoy the lovely views of Cuckmere Haven. But as I inched towards the clifftop edge, I was met with the most beautiful sight - the chalky sea cliffs that this region is resoundingly known for. Referred to as the Seven Sisters, these series of cliffs on the English Channel coast are sea-eroded sections of the South Downs hills, and the dips in between are remnants of dry valleys. Each crest and dip has been individually named by locals. An eighth cliff is being created as a result of sea erosion.

The English Channel is the busiest shipping channel in the world, with shipwrecks across the centuries in the thousands. However, the most intriguing project I discovered was by the Maritime Archaeology Trust. Since 2019, the Trust has been researching and documenting the shipwrecks from World War I. They have mapped over 1,000 sunken ships off the English Channel coast. Many of them are fragile and extensively deteriorated. The Trust’s aim is to turn attention to these lesser-known wrecks and tell their story before they disappear.

One such story is of the wrecks HMS Nubian and HMS Zulu. Nubian was struck by a torpedo, blowing off its front section, but the rear remained afloat. On the other hand, Zulu had its rear blown off by a mine. Both were towed to the Chatham dockyard, where the two ships were joined together to make an entirely new one. With the names also joined, the new ship was launched as HMS Zubian.

Following the coastline, I climbed to Beachy Head, where the lonely red and white striped lighthouse stood in the shallow water below. The builders and construction materials had to be lowered from the clifftop by cableway to build the lighthouse. Erected in 1902, today, it is a popular visitor location and a terrific subject for keen photographers.

Arriving in Eastbourne, the east end of the South Downs Way, I was pleased to complete my walk in this seaside resort town. The shoreline was a beautiful mix of Victorian hotels, townhouses, and military fort. A 19th century pier was lined with entertainment venues and tea rooms. The pristine beach was a little chilly but a wonderful place to conclude my trip.

Cheerio.



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South Downs Way - Alfriston

Having left Pyecombe, I turned right at the golf club and a short way down, facing north, I could make out one of the Clayton Windmills. Both from the 19th century, they are affectionately known as Jack and Jill. Relocated from Brighton, Jill is a working mill with a double-storey roundhouse, whereas Jack is a five-storey tower mill that was converted into a private residence.

I crossed into East Sussex county a mile (1.6km) before Ditchling Beacon. The Beacon is the highest point on the Way in Sussex and is owned by the National Trust. As is the Blackcap Nature Preserve, where I took a sharp right turn and walked through fields and woods to the A27 highway.

Crossing the highway on an overhead bridge, I soon passed beneath a railway via an arched tunnel that opened to a wide grassy valley. Before my 80th mile (129km), I happened upon a wooden fingerpost marking the Meridian Line, demarcating the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Not far from here is the village of Rodmell, where Monk’s House, a 16th century weatherboard cottage, is known to have been the home of renowned author Virginia Woolf.

Swinging right, I walked through Southease and over River Ouse, one of five rivers in the UK with the same name. The name Ouse is derived from the Celtic word for water, making the literal translation as River Water. The Ouse in Sussex, with all its tributaries, runs over 140mi (225km) long and flows into the English Channel.

The trail traversed Ouse Valley, dotted with farms, woodland, and colourful wildflowers spread across the landscape. North of Firle Beacon is Charleston House, where Vanessa Bell, Virginia Woolf’s sister, resided and worked as a painter. It was here, along with Monk’s House, that the Bloomsbury Group - made up of artists, writers, and intellectuals - gathered to share their progressive thoughts and ideas.

Heading southeast, I arrived in Alfriston village. Its main street had a delightful collection of buildings, with the three local pubs as the most interesting. The oldest building, circa 1358, used to be a butcher’s shop in the 19th century and was owned by Stanton Collins, a legit butcher by day and smuggler by night. His shop was a convoluted maze of 21 rooms, 48 doors, and six staircases to hide the contraband. Smuggling was rife during Stanton’s times, and it was in the shop he and his gang planned a daring raid of a Dutch ship stranded in Cuckmere Bay. Sometime in 1831, Stanton was caught for stealing and promptly shipped off as a convict to Australia. According to records, he served his sentence and returned to England. Eventually, he migrated to New York, USA, where he lived out his remaining days.

Another significant building is the Star Inn. It was built in the 14th century as a religious hostel to accommodate monks and pilgrims on their way to Chichester Cathedral. Two centuries later, it was converted into an inn. Leaning against a wall outside is a red lion figurehead thought to have washed ashore from a wrecked ship and brought to Alfriston by smugglers, which could have been Stanton’s gang.

The third pub, the George Inn, was first licensed in 1397. Its half-timbered façade dates back even further to the mid-1200s. The Inn is known for the network of smugglers’ tunnels leading from the cellars.

Alfriston may be small, but its long history calls for a little more exploration before I move on.



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South Downs Way - Amberley

After the beautiful Queen Elizabeth Country Park, I was delighted to walk through more woodland. This time I wandered through Coulters Dean Nature Reserve, where pretty wood anemones, violets, and primrose line the trail’s edges in spring. Half a mile further and I entered the county of West Sussex. As the trail continued, narrowing once again, in the distance up on Tower Hill was the ruined folly of Uppark House. The house is more than 300 years old and has been remodelled many times over successive generations. As part of its fine interiors and collectible items, the most significant is a large 18th century doll’s house, one of few surviving from that era. Three storeys high, the interiors are intricate, containing silk-covered mahogany chairs, Flemish-style oil paintings, porcelains, and a fully decked-out kitchen. The dolls illustrating the upper class are dressed in fashionable clothes and made of wax, whereas the servants are made of wood and wear simple clothing. The house is in excellent condition, leading curators to believe it was bought as a curiosity and display item instead of for play. The National Trust’s Harting Down, a large area of ancient chalk downland, was south of the village. A little further was Beacon Hill, developed as an Iron Age fort around 500 BC. It was a fairly steep climb to the top, but the effort was worthwhile for the stunning 360 degree views. Two miles (3.2km) later, the trail skirted around a series of large Bronze Age burial mounds collectively called the Devil’s Jumps. Thought to be nearly 4,000 years old, they are very well preserved, measuring between 85-112ft (26-34m) in diameter and up to 16ft (4.5m) high. The name, though, is part of folklore. Apparently, the god Thor used to sit on a hill. One day the Devil, seeing the mounds, decided to jump from one to the next to alleviate his boredom. Thor wasn’t happy about it and threw a stone at the Devil, who subsequently fled. Tucked away in a corner amongst the trees was a small, well-tended memorial for a 25-year-old German pilot called Hauptmann Joseph Oestermann. He was shot down by a British pilot at the start of WWII while two airmen parachuted to safety. Ironically, the British pilot was shot down later in the day over the English Channel. He survived but sustained injuries to his legs. The walk over Bignor Hill follows an old Roman road. In the village of Bignor, north of the Way, is a prominent 3rd century Roman Villa full of exceptionally well-preserved and highly detailed mosaics. I passed through the northern end of the Slindon Estate, a National Trust property focused on conserving the 1,400 hectares in its care. One of its major restoration projects was reconnecting the disjointed woodland called Northwood. Much of the ancient timber was cut down and used during WWI, and the land was converted to farmland. Over the last decade, the Trust planted more than 13,000 trees to fill the gaps and help restore the wildlife corridors. It’s regarded as the biggest man-made forest to date. The trail led me down into the picturesque Arun Valley, where cowslips bloom in spring, carpeting the valley in a sea of yellow. Crossing the Arun River, I arrived in the small village of Amberley, where a 900-year-old castle was converted into a luxurious hotel - a splendid place to finish my day.

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Transylvania - Poienari Citadel

“The view was magnificent, and from where I stood there was every opportunity of seeing it. The castle is on the very edge of a terrific precipice. A stone falling from the window would fall a thousand feet without touching anything! As far as the eye can reach is a sea of green treetops, with occasionally a deep rift where there is a chasm. Here and there are silver threads where the rivers wind in deep gorges through the forests.” – Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Such an apt description of Poienari Citadel located high atop a mountain west of Transfăgăraşan. It’s as if Bram Stoker had seen it when he described Count Dracula’s lair in his famous 1897 book. But Bram has never been to Transylvania. He has however, spent considerable time writing his book near Slains Castle in Scotland and the description of the octagonal room in the book seems remarkably similar to the floorplan of Slains Castle’s octagonal interior hall.

Construction of the citadel began in the 1300s, possibly by the first rulers of Wallachia and it is thought that only the main tower was built. Abandoned after a few decades and left to decay, it was Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad III and Vlad the Impaler, who saw it as a strategic spot for a stronghold. As such he set about restoring the fortress and expanding on the tower with walls and bastions. He used the fortress as a second residence with his primary home located in Târgoviște, the capital of Wallachia at the time.

Vlad Dracula was the son of Vlad II the Dragon (Vlad II Dracul) who was a member of the Order of the Dragon, a chivalric order established by the then King of Hungary. The word dragon in archaic Romanian is dracul and Dracula is a Slavonic form meaning ‘son of Dracul’, hence Vlad Dracula.

Vlad Dracula was ruler of Wallachia, reigning over three different occasions. Wallachia was a small country squeezed between two powerhouses, the Kingdom of Hungary to the north and the Ottoman Empire to the south. During his reign, Vlad would regularly switch allegiances for personal gain; fight ferociously; and posthumously acquire the moniker Vlad the Impaler. One story tells of a banquet held by Vlad with hundreds of Wallachian boyars (nobility) who were constantly feuding with one another. When the boyars began challenging his authority, he called on his army to impale them with wooden stakes. A very bloody example that brought stability to Wallachia through fear.

Another story tells of the Ottoman sultan demanding suzerainty which Vlad refused. Vlad retaliated by impaling more than 20,000 Turks. The number seems incredibly high, and it is possible that the story is part true, and part embellished but what does remain a fact is that his reputation grew exponentially, and he continues to be an infamous historical character.

It is assumed that Bram Stoker’s aristocratic, well-dressed, cape-wearing, blood-drinking vampire Dracula was based on the fierce warlord Vlad Dracula. It’d be easy to see why. Both are named Dracula; both were warriors in Transylvania; and both fought the Turks. However, Bram’s notes show copied sections from another book about Wallachia and Moldavia that references several rulers named Dracula who fought the Turks but no mention whatsoever about the name Vlad or The Impaler. He further noted that Dracula means the Devil. What can be surmised from this is that Bram liked the idea of Dracula and its evil and cruel association as a character whilst having no clue about its historical background nor the real people who owned the name. Only a tiny bit of doubt remains based on Van Helsing’s description of Dracula in the book: “He must, indeed, have been that Voivode Dracula who won his name against the Turk, over the great river on the very frontier of Turkey-land."

This connection or lack thereof between the real and fictional Draculas was complex. I am unsure if it was unravelled satisfactorily but I sure was left somewhat hungry. Sitting on a bench at the top of the citadel, I extracted a small lunchbox with a serving of salată de beuf. Translated as beef salad, this is a very popular Romanian dish, often made for easter or other main events. Time consuming to make it is a mix of finely chopped root vegetables, boiled meat, pickled gherkins, peas, and potato folded with homemade egg and mustard-based mayonnaise and accompanied with fresh bread. It was a very hearty dish that powered me up on the next leg of my journey.

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Transylvania - Făgăraş

Făgăraş is a small city located in the foothills of the Făgăraş Mountains. Less than a mile southeast of the city centre lies the geographical centre of Romania. North of the city flowing west is the Olt River, the longest river running exclusively through Romania.
 

In the city centre, surrounded by a moat is the 14th century Făgăraş Citadel. Built on an earlier fortification made of wood and earth ramparts that was most likely destroyed during the Mongol invasion of 1241, the new citadel was reinforced by doubling the thickness of its walls. A worthy effort since subsequent sieges failed and the citadel was never captured again.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the citadel served as a princely residence, mainly for the wives of the Transylvanian princes until it was repurposed to serve as a garrison. One such princess was Kata Bethlen who was one of the earliest Hungarians to write memoirs. Married and widowed twice, Kata had a difficult relationship with her in-laws and children and poured her thoughts and emotions into her writing, producing a number of works. As the carer of her late husband’s estate, she was also very involved in the community, encouraging her tenants to develop better farming practices, established nurseries on her lands for improved stock propagation, and employed artisans to work in her papermill and glassworks factory. She taught herself medicine and pharmacology so she could help her community and set up scholarships and schools with particular interest in educating girls.

At the end of WW2, the citadel was once again repurposed as a prison for dissidents of the newly formed communist regime. Restored in the 1970s, it now serves as a museum displaying historical artefacts and travelling exhibitions.

Feeling like a taste of Hungarian cooking, I’m in search of a restaurant that may serve goulash, or gulyás, a soup-stew that dates back to the 9th century when it was eaten by the Hungarian shepherds. Traditionally the stew was slow cooked in a cauldron over an open fire by first browning beef and onion in lard, then adding vegetables and a good dose of potatoes. It was then topped with water and flavoured with sweet or hot paprika and a pinch of caraway. Since paprika was only introduced into Europe around the 16th century, flavouring was completed with plenty of pepper. Fresh baked bread helped to soak up the juices. Now where to find such a place?

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The Captain Eats Alone

17th June 2024

Hey McBeth,

In regards to a video you posted where you mentioned the tradition of a Captain not eating with their crew, I happen to have read about this in a book called “Bully for Brontosaurus” by Stephen Jay Gould. There was an essay about the famous voyage of Charles Darwin aboard the HMS Beagle.

It would happen that back in the day of sailing ships the Captain was considered to be of higher class than his men. Do remember that the Captain was likely the only person on ship who could read and write in Darwin’s time and so was the only person who could keep logs. He had to be educated and education took money back then. Thus, the Captain was wealthy or a nobleman.

The United States government did not make reading and writing a requirement of education until after the First World War. It was deemed necessary for soldiers to be able to read complicated instructions for the weapons they would use. I’m not sure if England followed suit, but it was likely that until the Second World War most crew members were unable to keep logs. This could be why there was a tradition of the “Captain’s Log” as opposed to the ship’s log which I believe is more universal.

The essay in “Bully for Brontosaurus” stated that Darwin was aboard the Beagle as companion to the Captain. Isolation from the crew often caused mental problems for the men who commanded ships. He was there to keep the Captain from committing suicide as was common at the time.

In the layout of a three mast ship, like Hook’s ship from Peter Pan, you can note the Captain’s cabin aft of the third mast. This room was the highest built on the ship and had large windows affording the Captain light to read and write as he needed this for log keeping. It also cemented his status of being above the crew.

It should also be noted that the Captain would have had better food than the crew, and eating it in front of them would have bothered them and been bad for morale. The Captain would have been more vulnerable when eating, and so eating alone would have made it harder for the crew to attack him or poison his meal.

In other words, it was a good idea to keep the Captain from his crew for security reasons, but it was a measure of status back in the day. It would be less practical for an army unit to do this on the march which could be why this is not tradition in the army.

However, I will note that in the film “Letters from Iwo Jima” there was a line stating that Japans regulations required that an officer be served three dishes at every meal. This would indicate that the practice of an officer not eating with his men was common in some militaries. Then again, that was just a movie.


Best,



Richard Leland Neal

My Dear Cousin - That Third Kid

1st May 2021

My Dear Cousin,

Well, in my first letter I told you about my parents and in my second I recapped the last time I saw you or what I remember of it. So, after that tangent it’s time to talk about that whole business of being born. I believe I have no cognitive memories before the age of three. I could be wrong on that, but I’m also told all that shuts down until you have a child of your own.

Now, my old man said it was then that the marriage fell apart. He said ‘when we had that third kid it all went south. It was fine when there was one kid for each of us, but three was just too much.’ Mom never talked about this, but then I have to conclude that my old man was something of an unreasonable person.

In any case, he got a vasectomy, and then they found the cancer that would eventually take my mother’s life. (Pickle) said they did a lot of fighting back then and my neighbors would tell me this was true some thirty years after the fact. I think this is why (Pickle) has mental problems. It can’t be good to have your parents fight all the time. Then again, we are all screwed up aren’t we?

I do believe that at the age of three I wanted to sleep in my parent’s bed. Why? (Pony Girl) honestly suggested it, and I was a dumb child. I’ve always been considered the dumb one, and I imagine you can ask (Pony Girl) about that. I wet the bed, it was a common problem for me, and the old man was furious. He refused to sleep in bed with my mother after that.

Mind you that mom thought she would have been dead by this time. The doctors had told her she had three years to live when they found the cancer, but she was recovering. To hear the old man tell it, mom wanted to get intimate one night and he couldn’t manage. The next day she called him at work, or so he says, and said “Don’t bother coming home.”

Twenty three years after this the old man was still complaining about how I wet the bed. I wasn’t even speaking to him at the time, but he would get into earshot and start flapping his gums over it. In modern speech he was what we would call a “man-child”. You kind of need to be immature to blame your marriage falling apart on a three year old.

Best,


Richard Leland Neal