🕰️ Early morning in Transylvania at Dracula's Castle.

We arrived early, frost still clinging to the grass. The soft morning light and the still-quiet courtyard made it feel like we were going to be first in line.

But instead of getting in smoothly, we were stuck in front of a silent, automated ticket machine, as if it were testing something.

The screen asked, "Would you like a regular ticket or an Extra ticket?"
We chose the Extra ticket — because we figured if there was a Dracula, it would be the Extra ticket.

The problem was that the system didn't accept cash, there was no attendant, and we had to use a card with a PIN, which no one in our group could remember.

So we stood there, confused, in front of the machine.
We watched the people behind us walk by, one by one, and then a couple at a time.

Then, our senior in our group helped us through with his card. It was like a legendary door opening after passing through the technology checkpoint.

Then, we started walking up a narrow ramp, lined with yellow-green leaves that, before they even changed color, were swaying against our cheeks in the morning breeze.

And as we reached the final turn, the image of Bran Castle appeared before us. It wasn't as grand as Versailles. It's not a Neuschwanstein fantasy, but it's "self-sustaining"—solid, silent, and solid.

We stare at the old wooden entrance, and a few steps ahead,
we'll discover... Is it a haunted house, or a living house?

📍 Bran Castle, Romania

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