It’s nearly Halloween again, when witches, vampires, ghosts and the undead walk the earth for their one night of the year. Let’s hope that one of the most famous characters, Dracula, is not out this weekend… But who was Dracula, and how did he get to be so famous? Well, Vlad Tepes, also known as Vlad the Impaler, is one of history’s most murderous...

If you drive just over 100 km north of Bucharest through the Prahova valley into the mountains, you will arrive in the Pearl of the Carpathanians, Sinaia. This journey used to be more of an adventure but with road improvements in recent years getting out of Bucharest is much easier and the Ploiesti bypass is a pleasure to drive (although lane discipline on the...