June 10, 2007 (NY Daily News / Clare Trapasso) -- Scour the Romanian countryside for vampires in time for the 110th anniversary of Bram Stoker's "Dracula." The summer version (July 10-17) of the popular Dracula Tour takes vampire hunters to several spooky Transylvania locales, including the Snagov Island grave of Vlad Tepes - aka Vlad the Impaler, the violent ruler said to have inspired the Dracula character.

Participants will retrace the footsteps of Jonathan Harker, a fictional character in Stoker's novel, and partake in a masquerade ball in the dungeon room of Dracula's Castle in the Romanian Alps. The fee is $2,199 a person, which includes breakfast, dinner and round-trip airfare from New York. For more information or to make reservations, call (203) 795-4737.

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Posted by Vladimir Fri, 06/15/2007 - 12:56

 

I Wonder

I wonder,
Where are you?
Does the cold get to the very center of you%85
Does the pain and misery threaten to break you in two
In the night, does the wind whisper my name
Can you feel my touch as I reach for you in my dreams
Does your heart break anew with each rise of the sun
Am I in your thoughts each night and day
Has your very existence been proven futile

I wonder,
What happened to us?
Where went the heartfelt, carefree days of youth
Where went the never-ending love

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Past and recent vampires as symbols of changing sexual mores

Over the centuries, the vampire has undergone radical changes. From the Count in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel to the alcoholic New Yorker Sam in the 1997 film Habit, the figure of the vampire has evolved with society.

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Feeding Habits of Vampires

There are many interpretations of the vampire myth both in folklore and legend. The nature of the vampire varies greatly from culture to culture and often from region to region with a general cultural area. In the pages of fiction, each author has his or her own unique interpretation of the vampire.

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The Siren's Curse

The siren sat upon the rocks,
Wind pulling at her hair.
She looked up at the screeching gulls,
That circled near her lair.

With wistful eyes she scanned the sea,
Its waves a frothing brew.
She saw a galleon coming in,
And sensed its frightened crew.

She glimpsed them on the heaving deck,
As they scurried to and fro.
She knew their souls would soon be hers,
Back home they would not go.

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The Historical Dracula, Vlad III Tepes, 1431-1476

Historical Background: Most are probably aware of the fact that when Bram Stoker penned his immortal classic, _Dracula_, he based his vampire villain on an actual historical figure. Stoker's model was Vlad III Dracula (call Tepes, pronounced tse-pesh); a fifteenth century voivode or prince of Wallachia of the princely House of Basarab.

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