September 10, 2011

great men

Mate had to be a voivode in Targoviste, for the city's festive days...and not any voivod...he was Vlad Tepes aka Vald the Impaler -  here's more about him:
Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia (1431–1476), also known by his patronymic name Dracula (son of the Dragon, and posthumously dubbed Vlad the Impaler was a three-time Voivode of Wallachia, ruling mainly from 1456 to 1462, the period of the incipient Ottoman conquest of the Balkans. His father was a member of the Order of the Dragon (Dracul) which was founded to protect Christianity in Europe. Dracula means son of the Dragon to indicate his father's title within the Order of the Dragon.
Vlad III is remembered for spending much of his rule campaigning efforts against the Ottoman Empire and its expansion and for the impaling of enemies. Already during his lifetime, his reputation of excessive cruelty spread abroad, to Germany and elsewhere in Europe. The total number of his victims is estimated in the tens of thousands. The name of the vampire Count Dracula in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula was inspired by Vlad's patronymic.
I was more than happy to do the photos throughout the entire process, from the moment they tried on their costumes and crowns, beards and mustaches, the city parade and till the moment of the final group picture in the fortress. It was a beautiful experience, filled with history. :)

September 4, 2011

back home... refreshments...

It's weird being back home...after the wonderful experience I had with Austria, Germany, Belgium, UK and, to top it off, Paris~France...it was absolutely amazing we've managed to do all this!  Just to extend the beautiful taste and smell of foreign countries, have in the shower, 3 UK 1 pound gels...that are inexpensive and quite amazing. The Lime one is my fave, beacuse of its smell, the mint one will wake you up even if you drank for a whole week non stop, and the pineapple one reminds me o fresh juices. The candle was a gift after we finished the first camp...that was sweet!
So, september...can't wait to see what autumn will bring...the weather is still wondeful, so...skirt on! :D
See ya soon!
Love, Gabriela~