All language subtitles for Amazing.Railway.Adventures.with.Nick.Knowles.S02E03.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX

Welcome to a brand new series
of Amazing Railway Adventures.

'I'm setting off across the world

'on a series
of stunning railway journeys...'

Looking over the driver's shoulder,
getting the best view.

I think this might be
my favourite railway station ever.

'..Travelling through
fantastic landscapes...'

The village looks like Toytown.
It's magnificent.

...via some frankly gobsmacking
feats of engineering.

I've never seen anything like this.
Have you?

I just moved an entire steam engine.
That was amazing.

'Tasting the ultimate in luxury...'

You know,
there are times doing this job

where I just want to pinch myself.

'..Meeting all kinds of people."

First time in my life that
I'm decorating a cake in a train.

That's just great.

Grazie Mille.
Prego.

'These are
my Amazing Railway Adventures.'

Let's go.

Oh, we're going backwards.

This is Romania,
situated on the crossroads

between Central, Eastern
and South Eastern Europe.

Within its borders lies

the once-independent state
of Transylvania,

home to one of the most notorious
characters in fiction,

Count Dracula.

LAUGHS EVILLY

Too much? Mm.

"Before I tackle the evil Count,
there are a few surprises in store.

"My first time ever
driving a train...'

Can I start it?
Of course.

ENGINE STARTS

Isn't that fantastic?

Right, then. Let's go.
Let's go.

'..And a visit to one
of the largest

'brown bear sanctuaries
in the world...'

Wow, look at this one.

He's very big, one of
the biggest bears that we have here.

His name is Bolik.
Wow.

He loves to go in the pool.

'..Before I head to Bran Castle,
the inspiration for Dracula's lair.'

The stocks over here.

There's a rack!
With a bed of nails, too.

How ugly is that?

This is Cluj-Napoca,

which is the historical capital
of Transylvania.

Transylvania!

I mean,
even the name has a romanticism.

And there's been a station
here at Cluj for almost 150 years.

It's the starting point
for my journey across this country,

which I'm going to call
the Transylvania Express.

I'm told the trains here don't have
any refreshments on board,

so it's always a good idea to grab
yourself a coffee before you get on.

Here's an interesting fact for you.

Francesco Illy,
born 1892 in Romania.

Heard of Illy coffee?
He was responsible for that,

but he was also responsible for

the first automated
steam espresso machine.

So, when you have your coffee
next time,

raise a cup to him.

'All aboard my first Romanian train,
and the adventure starts here."

WHISTLE BLOWS

So, this is a regional train
that they call a personal train,

which is nice, isn't it?

And it bimbles along around 40mph,
doesn't go very fast,

but that's actually perfect
to see the countryside.

'From Cluj,
I'm heading south to Copsa Mica.

'From there,
I hop on another train,

'heading for the ancient medieval
citadel of Sighisoara.

'Finally, I'I make my way southeast
to Brasov,

'high in the Transylvanian Alps."

Right, this is my stop.
Ploscos station.

It's not exactly St Pancras, is it?
HE LAUGHS

I'm going to a fairground ride,

but not like one you've ever seen
before, I guarantee.

So, this is Salina Turda, which is
an ancient historic salt mine

on a very grand scale.

'This is one of the oldest
salt mines in Europe,

'producing salt
since the Middle Ages.

'Over the centuries,

'it spread out
in a system of underground tunnels.

'Salt was mined here until 1932,
but then the place shut its doors.

'Sixty years later, the mine
reopened as a tourist attraction,

'and in 2012,
it received an investment

"of almost six million euros
from the EU.

'It now houses
a museum of contemporary art,

'an amphitheatre with 180 seats
and a mini-golf course.

'The Llift takes me
367 feet underground.'

This is like some natural cathedral.

I can't believe this is all carved
out of the salt rock.

I've never seen anything like this.

It's absolutely amazing.

This is like some underground city
of the troglodyte people.

Look at the size of it.

All carved out by hand.
Self-supporting.

There's even an indoor lake.

And look.
There's my fairground ride.

'I've arranged to meet
tour guide Anna Maria

'to find out more about
the history of the mine.'

Hello. Hello.
Anna Maria? Nick.

I never ever thought that I would be
on a fairground ride inside a mine.

Well, I can't decide whether it's
like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory

or a James Bond villain set,
but it's somewhere...

Or a Batman movie, right?

Or a Batman movie, absolutely.
The cave.

Just amazing. Why is the salt here?

How did the salt get here
in the first place?

Thirty million years ago,
here, it was a sea.

It was water,
so all of this salt is from a sea.

It's such a surprise
when you get in the Lift,

and suddenly you come down.

It's like you're in some kind
of underground city. City, yes.

Has it been used for other reasons?

Yes. A lot of tourists come here
just to breathe the salty air.

Because the salty air
is very good for the lungs. Is it?

Yes, allergies, yes.

And we have tourists sitting here
just to breathe the salty air,

which is very healthy.

I just think it's
an extraordinary space,

something that people
should come and see.

I love it.
Thank you very much, Anna Maria.

Really amazing.
Thank you. Here we go. We're off.

I've got to tell you,

this is one of the weirdest
experiences I've ever had.

"What shall we do
with this empty salt mine?

"I know!
Let's put a fairground in it."

But the sheer human endeavour
in digging this out by hand?

That's the breath-taking thing
for me.

'Later on my Transylvanian
adventure...

'| explore issues facing
the Roma community...

So, this is one of the ghettos.

It's called Cantonului.

People live, actually,
on the garbage dump over there.

That's extraordinary.

'..And it's every kid's dream.

'| get to be a train driver
for the very first time.'

Where's the brake?

No brake. No brake.
That's a bit of a worry, isn't it?

'I'm in Romania,

'travelling on one of
the largest rail networks in Europe,

'exploring a country
steeped in medieval history.

'The story of the Romanian railway
began nearly 200 years ago.'

The first railway in what's
now Romania was built in 1854.

Of course, then, at that stage,
it's all privately owned.

But in 1880, parliament decided
that they wanted control.

They were gonna take it back.

It was one of
the first state-owned railways

anywhere in the world.

'Soon after World War II,
Romania became communist,

'and the network was
rapidly expanded and modernised.

'Around 40 years later,

'the Romanian Revolution
ousted communism,

'and everything changed again.'

The country was left
with one of the largest,

most dense railway networks
in Europe,

but a lot of it was
old rolling stock

and all a bit rundown.

'Economic decline led to shrinkage
of the railway system

'and many tracks being abandoned.

'Seventy-five miles down the line,

'I'm arriving at
my next destination, Copsa Mica.

'Around 600 miles of railway
in this region alone

'are no longer in use.

'But campaign groups are working

'to get the old tracks back up
and running, like this one.'

As you can see, it's narrow gauge.

It's part of
the Mocanita steam railway

that's being renovated in the heart
of the Romanian countryside,

and this is the next train
I'm catching.

'The railway restoration project
is headed up

'by a volunteer
turned full-time worker.'

Morning.
Morning. Hello.

Nick.
Nice to meet you. Mihai.

Mihai, nice to meet you.

Shall we get going?

Sure, why not? Can I start it?
Of course.

Isn't that fantastic?

Right, then. Let's go.
Let's go.

HORN SOUNDS

Oh, we're going backwards.

You know, just the standard morning.

Driving a locomotive
through the Romanian countryside.

TRAIN WHISTLE

'The 45-mile narrow gauge railway
was built in 1910

'and ran for almost a century,
until it finally closed in 2001.

'Now Mihai and a team of volunteers

'are taking on the monumental task
of restoring the line,

'breathing new life
into the old railway.'

There's a level crossing here.
Oh, is there?

Where's the brake?

No brake.
No brake?

That's a bit of a worry, isn't it?
HE LAUGHS

"No foot brake, anyway.

'Just 400m down the track,

'and we've already come
to the end of the line.'

That's it.

OK, behind you is the handbrake.
Here we go.

All done.

'After perhaps the shortest
commute of my Life,

'it's time to get to work,
and it turns out we're not alone.

'The train ride was a bonus.
This is what I'm here for -

'to lend a hand with
the next section of the line.'

This track bed hasn't been worked
for 25 years.

This was a forest a few months ago.

'In 2015, the team had repaired
and reopened five miles of track

'between the towns
of Hosman and Cornatel,

'where they're now operating
occasional train services.'

So, how many more kilometres
have you got here

that you could clear
and use again?

Forty.
Forty. You've done...

40km to do.

It's enough for a lifetime.

Wow.

This is pretty heavy work,

when you think they've got to do
this metre by metre by metre

to clear 40km.

It's not an easy job.
No, it's not, is it?

WWhoo!

'Among the volunteers
helping out today,

'| suddenly realised
I'm not the only Brit here.'

Hang on a second. That's not
a Romanian accent down there.

No, it's not.
Although I've been here 26 years.

Your name is?
Neil McGregor.

You're not the only Brit to come
here. There's quite a famous one?

Yes, that would be
His Majesty the King.

'King Charles has a holiday
home at nearby Viscri

'and is said to use Romania
as a retreat from his royal duties."

And this railway in particular
wouldn't have come as far as it has

without a letter of support
from him,

which I find very useful in talking

to the Romanian government
ministers, local authorities

and others who are perhaps
less familiar with this

as a civil society project.

That's amazing.

'Even with support
from King Charles,

'the team still has
a huge challenge ahead.'

You on your way to getting it done?
Not tomorrow, but it will get there.

'After some hours of digging,
we're ready to replace

'the decades-old
rotten railway sleeper.'

Here we go.

'And weighing in at around 200lbs,
it's a four-man job.'

OK, we can push it in now.

Yep, that's it.

That's a bit legit, that.

That's the old one out
and the new one in.

Exactly.

Well done. Thank you very much.
Thank you.

One down. Another, what?

Two million to go.
Two million to go.

You're nuts. Yeah, I'm gonna go
for a lie down now.

Thank you, gentlemen. Thank you
very much. Lovely to meet you.

WWhoo!

Extraordinary to think
they've got 40km left to do.

But imagine when it's done.

Train racing through
this beautiful countryside.

Mountains on the right over there.

Plumes of steam
rising up through the air.

It is gonna be beautiful.
Really beautiful.

'Back on the main-line train,

'we're speeding through
the fertile plains

'and medieval Saxon villages
of Transylvania.

'I'm leaving the train at Medias,'

'and a short hop away
on the outskirts of town

'is the village of Brateiu,

'where nearly half of the residents

'belong to
an orthodox Roma community.

"And I've actually got
a personal connection to the Roma.'

My great-grandmother was Romani,
So...

I'm interested to see
the culture here.

You might think that Roma
and Romania were the same thing,

but, actually,
Romania means people of Rome,

whereas the Roma people
migrated across from India

some 1,000 years ago
all across Europe.

And in this village,

I know that they sell bits that
they make by the side of the road,

so I'm gonna go and say hello
to the people.

MANELE PLAYS

'More than 8% of Romanians are Roma,

'making this one of the largest
Roma populations in Europe.

'The homes,
or so-called Roma palaces,

'built in villages like Brateiu

'are bold expressions of
their growing wealth and identity.

'Roma people have a long history
working as metalsmiths,

and here, the traditional craft
is alive and well.'

Er... I can buy something?
Yeah. Yeah?

'There's every kind of copper pot
and pan on sale here,

"but something else
has caught my eye.'

I might buy a jelly mould.

How much?

This is 2...

250 lei.

I don't have 250, I have...

maybe...

1007

150.

120.
OK.

OK.
SHE LAUGHS

So, 120 for this one, yes?
Yeah.

OK. So, who makes these?

My husband and my son.

What's your son's name?
Emil. Emil.

Hello, Emil, nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, Emil.
So you made these?

Er...
Yeah.

...actually, my father do these,
but I also work in copper.

I love your hat.
SHE LAUGHS

This is a traditional.
This is a traditional hat, yes?

Yes.
Traditional.

And the dress is beautiful.

So...
She has to wear it? Exactly.

Your mother has to wear it
because it's the tradition.

And the headscarf, too?

For women to wear the headscarf?
Yeah.

All important.
It's traditional.

Well, it's very beautiful.
Thank you.

OK, listen, thank you very much.

This is important to me
cos my great-grandmother was Roma,

so it's nice for me to take
something back that is made by Roma.

So thank you very much,
very nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.
Very, very lovely to meet you.

Thank you very much.
You're welcome.

'The way of life in this
Orthodox community represents

'only a small proportion of Roma
in this country.

'They choose to live together,

'adhering closely
to old Roma customs.

'Both here and abroad,

'Roma people have endured
centuries of prejudice

'and have been pushed
to the margins of society -

'many still living
in extreme poverty.

'Back on the train,
I'm meeting someone who can tell me

'about a very different community
of Roma

'and the struggles
that they're facing.'

Now, on the train somewhere here
is Alex

He's a journalist and an activist
for the Roma people.

Down here, I think.

Hey.
Hey. Nice to meet you.

Alex, how are you?
Fine, thank you so much.

So, are the Roma community
mixed in generally and integrated,

or do they live separately?

No, unfortunately,
they live separately.

In Romania, the majority
are not willing to accept us.

Many municipalities
and local authorities

from the country
pushed the Roma families

to the outskirts of the society,
like the garbage dumps and so on.

I can show you some pictures.

So, this is one of the ghettos.

It's called Cantonului.

People live actually
on the garbage dump over there.

'I'm shocked to see evidence
of a community

'living on a landfill site."'

How are you going to get integrated?

Because obviously,

we want that Roma tradition,
the culture to survive.

That's a big question.
Actually, we cannot do it by our self

because we don't have
the financial power,

and also the political power
to change the laws.

'With limited support
from within his own country,

'Alex has ventured overseas
for help.'

We get funding from the Norwegians
to build or buy apartments

for Roma people
that live in the garbage dump.

That's extraordinary.

The only way is this -

to collaborate with them
so we can fix it together.

'| really admire Alex's
positive approach,

'but from what he tells me,

'integration is still
a long way off.'

I know a little about
the Roma community,

and it can be very old-fashioned
in its views sometimes.

You're actually quite progressive,
aren't you? Yes.

I'm a feminist, and I, er...

I'm for the empowerment
of the womans.

In some traditional groups,
they don't consider the woman equal,

so it's impossible with them
to work or collaborate.

But you want to modernise a bit,
keep the traditions,

but be more integrated.

More keep the culture,
but don't keep the traditions

that are oppressing
the woman and the children.

You have a big fight on your hands.

The biggest fight,
I think, is in my own community

because we cannot find unity, so...

Yeah.
..that's a huge challenge.

Well, good luck with everything
you're doing. Thank you so much.

'Now, my next train
has no dining car,

'but I've made plans
for a portable picnic on board.'

I think this might be
my favourite cake I've ever tasted.

You like it? I'm so glad.
My grandmother will be so happy.

'And I'm visiting the real
Count Vlad Dracul's birth place

'to hear the truth behind the myth.

This yellow house on the right.

The house where Vlad the Impaler,
the son of Vlad Dracul, was born.

'I'm on an epic railway adventure

'across the incredible landscape
of Romania.

'I'm travelling
on the regional line,

'heading towards Sighisoara.

'From there,
I'll go south-east towards Augustin,

'and finally to Brasov,
where Dracula's Castle awaits.

'The train may be old,

'but this section of track
is brand-new.'

Oh, there go the brakes.
This is an old rolling stone.

It's all right
when you travel along,

but it gets very noisy
when they put the brakes on.

We're travelling
on Romania's newest section of line.

First to be built

since they won their freedom
30-something years ago,

built with EU money.

And it's part of
a pan-European network

linking up various
mid-European countries into Turkey.

In order to build it,

they had to create
two great long tunnels and a bridge.

So quite a feat of engineering.

'This multi-million pound project
marks the beginning

'of a new era of investment
into the Romanian railways."

According to my map, we should be
entering the Danes Tunnel...

HE LAUGHS
..just about now.

'At over 3,000 feet long,

'the Danes Tunnel is the longest one
built in Romania for over 30 years.

'Completed in 2018,

'the newest trains on this section
of line can now travel

'at speeds of up to
100 miles an hour.'

Here we go, just coming back out
into the light.

And... yep...

...definitely 3,000 feet long.

'A little way down the track,

'and we're approaching
the Sighisoara Tunnel,

'which is over 1,000 feet long."

Here we go, here we go.
Second tunnel.

On these trains,
the lights don't come on.

You know, looks like this, look.

Kind of weird, isn't it?

This is quite a Transylvanian look,
isn't it?

CACKLES

IMITATES COUNT VON COUNT:
I can count.

One tunnel, two tunnels.

LAUGHS

That'll identify
a certain age of people.

The Count.

On The Muppet Show. No? All right...

'What comes next is truly inspiring.

'An arched double railway bridge
over the Tarnava Mare River.'

And here we go,
the brand-new bridge. 450 feet long.

Yeah, very lovely.

Actually, look at the river running
down here. See, that's pretty.

TRAIN HORN TOOTS

'After a 40-minute journey,

'we've arrived in the medieval town
of Sighisoara.'

Blimey, it's a struggle
getting off the trains,

and also, you gotta watch yourself
cos this one's on the way out.

'Everywhere I travel,
there are reminders

'of a country caught between
the ancient and modern worlds.'

We might be on the new line,
but not all of it is finished.

If you look here,
that's the old bit of line.

This is the new line here,

which is obviously
not yet in service.

This will be the new platform
when they've finished it.

Look over here,
I've not seen this before.

This is what a railway line looks
like before you put the line on it.

'A stone's throw from the station
is my hotel for the night.

'I've got a big day tomorrow,
so time to get some rest.

'Sighisoara.

'This 12th-century citadel
has been designated

'a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

'It was founded by German craftsmen
and merchants

'known as
the Saxons of Transylvania.

'And what better way to explore it
than by bike?

'I'm joined by local resident
and cycling enthusiast Paco Sergeey,

'who's going to give me
a whistle-stop tour.'

I can't believe this village,
it's extraordinary!

It's the pearl of Transylvania.

I can see that, yeah.

And what we have behind us
is the clock tower.

The symbol of the city,

it's the only tower
which actually wasn't built

with the money from a guild.

All the rest, blacksmith tower,
tinsmith tower, tailors' tower,

the guilds were paying
for these towers.

But this one, this one was built

with the money
from the whole community.

'Of the 14 towers
originally built by the guilds,

'only nine remain.

'They formed an integral part
of the defensive citadel,

'still standing today."

Why was the citadel built?

Why was it a walled city
on top of a hill?

They discovered that in order
to survive in this corner of Europe,

800 years ago,
they would need protection,

especially after
the Mongol invasion.

You have the wall
to protect the people,

and presumably gates
would have been in the arches

that we now walk through?

Yes, now the citadel is quite open.

Yeah, and a lot more friendly
in Romania. A lot more friendly.

NICK CHUCKLES

Our next stop is the tailors' tower,

built to guard the back entrance
to the citadel.

This was the secondary gate
of the city.

You have here the tower that was
built with the money from a guild.

The wealthier the guilds,
the bigger the tower.

Is that what it was? So you showed
off with the size of your tower?

Well... you didn't show off,

but if a guild had more money,

maybe they had more interest
to protect the city.

"Good point.

'Perhaps the town is best known
for being the birthplace

'of one of the cruellest and
most violent leaders in history.'

This yellow house on the right,
the house where Vlad the Impaler,

the son of Vlad Dracul, was born.

Vlad Dracul.

So this is the person that,
through history, we know as Dracula?

Vlad the Impaler,
it's known as being Dracula,

he inspired Bram Stoker
to write the novel.

And he's born here in a citadel,
which is a Saxon citadel.

A Saxon citadel and he was
a Wallachian, a Romanian speaker.

Yes, it's quite odd.

To be honest, it was an exception.

His father accepted to live
inside the walls by the Saxon city,

by the Saxon authorities
because he was, we will say today,

very well politically connected.

OK, but the thing I...
One of the things I know about Vlad

is that he murdered
many, many, thousands of Saxons,

so what happened?

Not when he was a baby,
and he was born here!

But, yes, when he became
the ruler of Wallachia,

he had this agreement
with the Saxon traders.

"Look, you're allowed
to sell to my traders

"big amounts of stuff,
but don't do retail.”

The Saxon didn't listen.

'Vlad was enraged at
this flagrant breach of his rules."

He crossed the mountain
several times,

plundering the whole south part
of Transylvania,

killing everyone in the process.

It might be obvious, but why was
he called Vlad the Impaler?

Well, impaling was a method
of punishing people

that... those years,

but he used impaling
on a larger scale. Really?

The largest scale.

Not a good way to go.

You wouldn't be able
to hold your throne,

to hold your position as the leader
of a medieval country in the Balkans

close to the Ottoman Empire,
if you weren't cruel.

Yeah, I suppose...

Cruelty was on your job to-do list.

It's a fascinating place to come.

Vlad Dracul's birthplace, for me,
is amazing.

Thank you very much for the tour.

That's him, Vlad Dracul,
1431 to '76.

Met a sticky end. Beheaded.

Serves him right,
he was a nasty man.

There is another place
associated with the Dracula story,

and I'm headed in that direction.

But there's a couple of things
I want to do first,

and I have a train to catch.

'Back on the train,

'I'm heading to my next destination
in Transylvania.

'And with a two-hour journey
ahead of me,

'I'm going to need a bite to eat.

'I'm meeting someone who can help.

'She was in Romania's version
of Bake Off,

'so it should be a treat.

'Food blogger Mihaela Sava.'

SPEAKS ROMANIAN

'With almost 150,000 followers
on Instagram,

'it seems I've caught her
in the middle of a live broadcast.'

This looks like Mihaela.

Mihaela? Yes!
Hello!

Hi, hello.
How are you?

It's first time in my life that
I'm decorating a cake in a train.

Yeah, I'm not surprised.
Yeah, me too.

I heard you talking to someone.
Who are you talking to?

I'm talking to my audience.

Please... met them. They are there.

My Instagram team, hi!
Hello, everyone.

You should present yourself,
like, officially.

Hello, I'm Nick Knowles,

and I'm doing a travel program me
across Romania. Yeah!

I'll let you finish there.
I'll sit myself down over here.

Thank you. Whenever you're ready,
we can get started.

Lovely.

I need to find out,
you were just doing your blog,

so you were talking to people.
You have a nickname?

I have a nickname,
it's Prajiturela.

In Romania, it's like "cake lady".

I'm eyeing the cake,
it looks very beautiful.

Tell me about the cake.

It's a dessert,
but it has dill inside.

You know what's dill?
Dill?

What, like you put on salmon
and fish? Yes.

Wow, that's interesting.

So, my grandmother
used to make this cake,

it's a traditional Romanian recipe.

It's called alivanca.

Alivanca.
Yeah.

I'm so curious!

Oh, that's delicious!

Really fresh.
Lovely, moist cake, by the way,

you are obviously a very good baker.
It's really good.

You like it? I'm so glad.

My grandmother would be so happy.

I think this might be
my favourite cake I've ever tasted.

No... let me take my phone out,
please!

LAUGHTER

So this is the first time

I've ever tasted
a cake with dill in,

and I wasn't sure what to expect,
but I can honestly say...

How is it?

This is probably my favourite cake
I've ever tasted now.

Let me zoom on you!
LAUGHTER

I mean, that's delicious.

I feel really, really blessed to
have had the chance to eat something

really Romanian...
I'm so happy.

...on the train, as I travel
through the countryside.

That's really delicious, thank you
very much. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

"With my tastebuds tingling,

'I'm approaching
my last-but-one stop

'on this remarkable journey.

'Next, I visit one of the biggest
brown bear sanctuaries

'in the world.'

I'm not good with animals
being in cages,

but what's going on here
is something different.

This place is like
a five-stars hotel, all-inclusive!

SHE LAUGHS

"And explore the castle
that inspired the myth of Dracula.'

Can you just check, is there
any bite marks on either side,

anything at all?
It's not midnight yet.

As long as I get out of here
before it gets dark, I'm safe.

You remembered,
a visit before midnight!

'I'm on an amazing railway adventure
through Romania,

'trundling past fields
of vibrant oilseed rape.

'Next, my journey is taking me

'to a town right in the heart
of the Carpathian mountains.'

Way to jump off the train!

This is Augustin.

Something that might be
of interest to you,

Romania is home to 6,000 bears.

Now, mostly,
they are up in the mountains,

but I do know a place
where you can go and see 'em.

'Romania has the largest European
population of brown bears

'outside Russia.

'For centuries, these wild animals
were caught and caged

'for zoos and circuses,

'and dancing bears on street corners
were commonplace.

'But when Romania joined the EU,

'new laws meant
new standards of animal welfare,

'and many of these abused bears
were saved by this place,

'the Libearty Bear Sanctuary.

'That's Li-BEAR-ty.'

I'm not good with cages
and animals being in cages,

but what's going on here
is something different.

They rescue bears
from all over Romania

and across the borders
into other countries,

and they get to come here
and live out a much freer life.

They're beautiful animals.

'Founded in 2005

'and spanning 170 acres
of oak and hazel forest,

'this is one of the largest brown
bear sanctuaries in the world.

"And today, I'm meeting tour guide
and animal rights activist Paola,

'who's agreed to show me around.'

Hello, hello.

It's a pleasure to meet you.
Lovely to meet you.

I'm really excited to see it.
Oh, let's go to show you the bears.

Fantastic.

So how many bears
do you have here now?

Now we have 115.
Wow!

Here they have grass,
they have a forest, they have food,

they have medical treatment
if it's necessary.

It's a better life,
much better life that they live.

So tell me, these bears were where?
Circuses or zoos?

From everywhere -
circuses, zoos, restaurants -

because you know
Romania was a big problem with bears

that were kept near the restaurants
like touristic attraction...

from gas stations.
Is that legal?

Now it's not legal,
but when we started the project

was the time
when the law was changed.

Before that, it was legal, yes.

People could just buy a bear
from a zoo.

"Having spent years living
in appalling, cramped conditions,

'these bears now roam
in large enclosures

'designed to recreate
their natural habitat.'

Wow, look at this one!

He's very big,

one of the biggest bear
that we have here.

His name is Bolik,

he came here from Ukraine
after the war started.

He was in a cage,
in a very small place,

so it was a resort there,

with restaurants,
hotel and everything,

and a lot of people near him.

And after the war starting
and that area was bombed,

people from there ask us for help.

And he has 16 years now.
He's huge!

Yes, he's very huge.
I'm 118 kilos, he's... Almost 500.

Almost 500 kilos?

Yes.
Wow!

He loves to go in the pool.

He really loves to take a bath
in the morning.

SHE CHUCKLES

They look so beautiful and cuddly.
Yeah.

That's a very dangerous animal,
though, isn't it?

Yes, they are wild animals,
and they are very strong.

'It's not long before
I'm getting up close and personal

'with one of these
magnificent creatures.'

Hello!
Hello.

Hello.

Wow, do you know what?
When you get close,

you suddenly realise just how big
the animal is. Yes, yes.

And very fast.
Yeah.

They can run with 60kph.
Can they?

So you can't outrun a bear?
No.

Will you ever be able to release
these into the wild, or...?

No, unfortunately, these bears,
because they are from captivity,

they don't know
how to survive in the wild,

to fight for their territory
or to find their food.

They cannot be released
in the forest. Mmm.

But at least they will die
in a place

that it's almost like
in the wild, yeah.

This place is like
a five-stars hotel, all-inclusive!

They have everything here,

and they are very happy,
like you see.

They can stay together without
fighting and without problems.

Yeah, they look very happy.

They're beautiful, and I love seeing
them interact with each other.

It's fabulous.

Paola, thank you so much
for showing me around.

You are very welcome, and you can
come here any time you want.

I had no idea that a European bear
was that big.

I thought it was a sort of
smaller version of a brown bear,

but it's huge and magnificent.

To think they're just wandering
around in the mountains here

is amazing.

Sad that they've been treated
so badly by humans, but...

wonderful that they have
this open space now

to live out their days.

'I'm back on the train,
and after an hour's journey,

'I'm arriving at
my final destination

'on the Transylvania Express.'

So, this is Brasov.

It's from here that I go on
to fulfil a lifelong ambition...

...I'm going
to Count Dracula's Castle.

'Built in 1377,

'this medieval fortress played
a significant role

'in the history of Transylvania,

'defending against the Ottoman
Empire in the 15th century.

'But perhaps more famously,
it's said to have inspired

'Bram Stoker's
classic Gothic horror novel,

'as well as the many silver-screen
adaptations that followed."

SCREAMING

Dracula -

he's been a fascination for me
most of my life.

I've always wanted to come here,
and now I get to go inside.

HE CHUCKLES

It's a rabbit warren...

of staircases and corridors.

And there's a secret passage.

'Although there's no solid proof
that Count Vlad Dracul

'ever actually came here,

"Bran Castle is now Romania's
number-one tourist attraction,

'with over
a million visitors a year,

'all entranced by the Dracula myth.'

Well, no-one's going to turn
into a bat, but if they did,

this is where they'd hang out.
Spooky, isn't it?

I'm surprised to see a bed.

I was expecting a coffin.

'Ironically, writer Bram Stoker
never came here, either.

"Apparently,
his inspiration for Dracula's castle

'came from travel writings.

'To find out more about
the castle's connection to Dracula,

'I'm meeting manager Alex Priscu.'

I was a child in London
when I became aware of the story

and then a teenager
when I read the book.

You grew up in Transylvania.

When did you become aware
of the Dracula story?

I think I read it about
ten years ago, which was very late,

it was once I came here,
once I got this job.

So not everybody in Transylvania
knows the story of Vlad Dracul

and Count Dracula?
Not really.

You know, they have a different view
of this Vlad the Impaler.

They see it as a saint, somehow,

and they feel offended
because of the novel

and... specifically for people
of a certain age

who went to school
and who were formed

in a totally different system
than the one today. Wow!

So for some people, this monster,

who impaled loads and loads
of people,

was seen as a hero?
Yes. Yes.

Isn't that funny?

One man's terrorist
is another man's freedom fighter,

and I never realised that
about Vlad Dracul. Yes.

Can you just check? Is there
any bite marks on either side,

anything at all? It's not midnight.
It's not midnight yet.

As long as I get out of here
before it gets dark, I'm safe.

Visit before midnight!

'Right, I'd better move on.

'Published in 1897,

'Dracula was the first piece
of literature

'to popularise vampires,

'and more than a century later,
this mythical character

'continues to cast a spell
over our imaginations.'

These are torture marks. They've got
a torture room, look at all these.

I don't know what that implement
does, but...

I don't want to know
where they push it.

CHUCKLES

Look, stocks over here.

There's a rack...

with a bed of nails, too.

How ugly is that?

'So, that's my tour of Bran Castle,

'and I live to see another dawn.'

The fact that Count Dracula
is a fictional character

has taken nothing away from
my enjoyment in finally coming here

and fulfilling a lifelong ambition.

'And, yes,
the trains that brought me

'across Romania
are a little bit raggedy,

'but to be honest,
so is the country.'

I mean, it's been beaten up
by all the empires over the years -

the Romans, the Ottomans,
the Austro-Hungarians,

more recently
by the Communist Bloc -

but this is a whole country
with extraordinary things to see.

'It's like some natural cathedral.'

Look at the size of it!

'I've sampled traditional food
that set my tastebuds tingling.'

I think this might be
my favourite cake I've ever tasted.

You like it? I'm so glad.
My grandmother would be so happy.

'Helped breathe new life
into the old railway.'

One down, another, what?

Two million to go.
Two million to go? You're nuts.

'And explored
this extraordinary castle

'that inspired the Dracula myth.'

And the scenery,
like this castle...

...is magnificent.