Gypsy Tribal Costume

Halloween in Transylvania - Tour for Singles

We led our largest group ever on a vampire vacation to a land that time forgot. Romania isn't a top tourist destination, but it was delightfully surprising to discover the unique culture and natural wonders in this undiscovered part of Europe.

We set out to follow the footsteps of Bram Stokers gothic novel "Dracula." Our itinerary was a mixture of educational history and spooky fun to celebrate a Halloween never to be forgotten.

It's ironic that Romanian's don't celebrate this holiday in a land so rich in folklore and legends. For us Americans, that was the draw as our group swelled to 67 singles with 140 suitcases in tow. We had two coaches and two excellent guides named Hunor and Radu who were with us 24/7 throughout.

On arrival into Bucharest, we went to the Count Dracula Club for a welcome dinner. It was a uniquely themed restaurant with medieval rooms and a visit by the Count himself.

Our menu presented a Van Helsing platter of assorted meats and cheeses along with "blood wine." The entrees were fried chicken breast shaped remarkably like a rat with anatomical designed eyes, ears and tail.

Day 1- We toured the capital city which had greatly changed from my last visit years ago as they now strive to blend the old with the new.

Under the yoke of communism for 46 years, it was a broken city but now restoring itself with new cafes, boutiques, hotels and casinos. Some refer to it as the "Little Paris of the Balkans."

After touring the outdoor Village Museum. We viewed the Parliament House which is the second largest building in the world and took 20,000 men to build it. It was erected by the paranoid and near mad dictator Nicolae Ceausescu from his megalomania ideals.

He bulldozed entire neighborhoods and historic districts to make room for this monstrosity that now sits empty. It is a thorn in the side for Bucharest's 3 million people.

Most meals were included on this trip. This evening we had a festive dinner at the lakeside Pescarus Restaurant. The typical menu included stuffed cabbage, polenta, meats and a desert to die for called pappanash 2 giant fresh baked donuts smothered in fresh sour cream and jam.

Our meal was served under the backdrop of a folk music band and costumed dancers. The entertainment was brilliant.

Day 2- We headed out through the Olt Valley to Transylvania. We toured Cozia Monastery with it's beautiful frescos and tomb of Vlad's grandfather.

The setting was postcard perfect in a land of lakes, plum orchards and lush forests that now draped the hills with an explosion of golden autumn colors. We journeyed on into the Carpathian Mountains where 6,000 brown bears reside.

We toured the charming town of Sibiu established in 1192 by German colonists. Inside the fortified walls were cobbled lanes and gabled houses that looked like old Nuremberg.

It was amazing how it all resisted the ravages of time. Walking the Old Square and Liars Bridge, we learned the history of the Saxon's and Hungarian influence here.

At night we visited the little shepherd village of Sibiel, toured the glass Icon Museum and took a graveyard walk under the stars.

There is a graveyard here where the carvers of tombstones were free to write whatever they chose without protest. For example some epitaphs read "This man was a beggar and thief" or "This man died from drinking too much."

Our special dinner was arranged at a farmer's house where the family cooked for two days in their tiny kitchen to receive us all. It was delicious traditional fare of homemade and organic pork, apples, eggplant, beans, sweet local wine and plenty of plum brandy.

Transylvania is Romania's heart between the mountains with a population of 5 million and boasts a rich heritage.

We learned about the gypsies who migrated here from northern India 1000 years ago. There's great mystique about these Bohemian nomads because they have no written historic documents.

They call themselves Romani meaning human beings and they avoid being legal citizens of any land. They have unique tribal customs. Most are craftsmen that use only primitive hand tools and are renowned to be great musicians though they don't read music.

We may know of their reputation for stealing, but to the gypsy they look at everything as community property. Whatever opinions are correct, all agree that they are masters of survival.

Along the way we also learned about Prince Vlad Tepes III, aka Dracula. Born in 1431, he later ruled the Valachia region here. He was strikingly handsome.

Due to the way he punished his enemies, he received nicknames like Dracul meaning devil and The Impaler. He had to protect the land from invading Turks and Tartans.

When the Turks refused to remove their turbans, he simply nailed it into their heads. Cruelty was common in the Middle Ages, but Vlad's ways were the ultimate. He would decapitate people and post heads along roads like sign posts and would boil people alive.

His favorite punishment was impalement. Here he would insert a wooden stake into the rectum up to the shoulder blade painstakingly to avoid all major organs. Slowly these poor souls would writhe in pain until death some 48 hours later.

Hundreds were impaled at a time and posted looking like a forest of humans on a stick. It was physiological warfare at its best as it drove fear into the hearts of all his enemies.

In saving the land from invaders, he became a hero for the Romanians. Contrary to the novel, he was bloodthirsty, but not a vampire. Rumors spread that he drank blood and ate human organs.

This led to led to the fictional idea of vampirism. Vlad died at age 40. No one is sure how or where his headless body is buried. Perhaps he didn't die?

Day 4- Like on safari, we change hotels each night. The rooms are spartan but clean. It's a bit of a shock for my first timers abroad.

As we travel deep into the southern Carpathians, we pass the prison town of Gerla, the factories of Alba Lullia and salt mines of Turda which look Third World.

We stayed in Cluj Napoca and after a brief tour we explored the university town. It's not all that impressive but a good party town with many nightclubs to explore.

Day 5- We headed over the Borgo Pass to the border of Moldavia and finally to Bistrita, a market town located in the heart of Dracula-land. Witch trials were big here.

After a walking tour of the 13th century sites, we boarded our coaches to ascend up the mountains.

The villages here looked like they are in a time warp. This is seriously remote countryside where cars are replaced by horses and wooden carriages. In some parts the road turns into dirt.

The architecture is painted neon with fire orange matchbox houses, turquoise churches and hot pink barns. The sun shown down and lit up pumpkin patches and plum tree orchards. This is the lovely part of Eastern Europe tourists rarely get to see.

We climbed hair pin curves and arrived to Count Dracula Castle Hotel located on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere.

Perched at 1116 meters, there were awesome sweeping views of the countryside below. It has gothic towers, arched windows, an interior courtyard and no elevators.

It looks like something right out of the movies. Five petite young girls hauled our suitcases up countless stairs.

Our dinner prepared here was "hearty peasant cuisine" consisting of slabs of lard, pickles and mystery meats in gelatin. It was so comical; we photographed our platters that looked like "Fear Factor" food. Later we were led on a "hysterical tour" into the hidden cellar.

We descended a dark passageway and entered the crypt of Dracula. Here paintings depicted the life of the legendary dark one. A lone coffin was in the middle of the room. Suddenly it opened and the hand of Vlad reached out to grab us before bolting way.

Later Terry then joined others for a chilly moonlit walk and they were joined by a pack of 15 stray dogs all with wagging tails.

October 31 - Halloween! We drove through apple-land into the heart of gypsy country. Roadside stalls selling garlic and onions lined the road. Our drive times were double than anticipated on these rural one lane roads.

We finally arrived to Sighisoara, UNESCO cultural center with a haunting fort surrounding the town, the birth place of Dracula and the creepiest Clock Tower ever seen. We checked into our hotel and prepared for our costume party.

Tonight was our Halloween party which was 5 hours of howling fun. Three ancient cellar rooms were decorated and lit with candles. Slowly one by one, my group arrived fully costumed with creativity beyond imagination.

There were several vampires, Dracula's, gypsies, witches, wenches and a knight. But also such variety from Daniel as cross dresser and an unrecognizable Whitney as a bald monk.

My favorite was Elizabeth dressed as a lab rat, but our grand winner was Sandra as a vampire Bride of Frankenstein. She wore a full tea stained bridal dress, white contact lens and a wooden stake pierced her heart. It was a delight to watch the staff peering through the kitchen doors at us in wonderment.

After our appetizer, we were led outside for a mock witch trial. (700 witches were burned at the stake here.) In the end, we the jury decided to save her and she joined us for dinner. Even Vlad himself made an appearance. To our surprise, a team from Romanian National Television came to record us for the news.

This was certainly an entertaining human interest story for the locals. Some of us were interviewed with the main question of "Why Americans celebrate Halloween this way?" We really couldn't give a good explanation.

Romanians are superstitious. Beliefs still exist today that spirits return to torment people. Since the mid 1800's, vampire stories grew widespread.

The DJ was so good that we danced until midnight. Even our guides and bus drivers joined us on the dance floor with looks of feeling guilty for having so much fun. Our driver Johnny didn't have costume so he simply shed his shirt.

Day 7- In the morning we toured the disappointing arms and torture museum. The dungeon, however, was virtually authentic. On to Brasov where we toured the gothic Black Church built in 1383 and St. Nicolas Monastery from 1477.

Then on to Bran Castle referred to as "Dracula's Castle" but he spent little time here. After shopping the gypsy market, we climbed the old rock steps to reach the famous castle perched on a cliff.

We all wondered, how could this have been constructed. Both exterior and interior were spectacularly preserved. Our last stop was the fairytale town of Sinaia before we headed back to Bucharest.

There I was informed by locals that our AFS party was on national news. Our driver Johnny had his moment of fame when he was seen dancing by his friends and is now nicknamed "shirtless Johnny."

We covered 800 miles and saw an eyeful of this land off the tourist trodden path. There were rugged landscapes with haunting natural beauty, more castles and fortresses than Scotland, churches painted from the inside out and there were rural villages with shepherds and weavers where century's old traditions are still alive.

I wonder how all this will be affected when Romania soon joins the European Union. I hope she can hold steadfast to her spiritual treasures and reputation for warm hospitality.

As Americans abroad here, we felt a welcoming spirit inviting us to return again.

About the Author

Former Miss Wisconsin Suzy Davis has traveled the world for nearly 30 years,
initially as a flight attendant and now with her company

http://www.AdventuresForSingles.com

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SLAVE LEIA!!!

Tribal bellydance costumes

Child Gypsy Costume - Gypsy Princess $16.99 The future looks bright for the little Gypsy Princess that wears this Child Gypsy Costume this Halloween. Whether you want to stand out by yourself or go with a group of friends this cute costume is a sure way to make this Halloween a night to remember. This two piece Child Gypsy Costume comes with an adorable blue and purple peasant dress with gold lace up sides with an attached aqua coin trimmed waist wrap, and to top off this already wonderful costume a matching purple head scarf is included.

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Womens Gypsy Costume - Mystic Gypsy $49.95 Look deep into our crystal ball because we're going to tell your fortune! Through the swirling cloud of smoke, a tempting Mystic Gypsy steps out with the power to mesmerize all the village men! That woman is you, if you're in the Womens Gypsy Costume! Our Womens Gypsy Costume comes with a hot mini-dress, with soft white undershirt, asymmetrical scarf skirt, and even gold coin accents and trim! This even has an attached brown corduroy corset with green ribbon lacing. This Mystic Gypsy costume also comes with a gypsy-inspired head tie, a black belt, and some Tarot cards to help you see into the future! But trust us, you won't need them! We can already see you're about to have an amazing night!

Gypsy Princess Costume - Womens $52.95 Ooh, it's a Gypsy walking swiftly by! Gypsy Princesses are breathtakingly beautiful and captivating. Simply by strutting through a crowd, they grab every onlooker's full attention. This Halloween, wear the Womens Gypsy Princess Costume, and be the girl that turns heads. This Womens Gypsy Princess Costume features a colorful Gypsy Princess off the shoulder halter dress with laced up sides and purple stylish headpiece. "Beautiful" will be an understatement when you awe the crowd, with your multicolored allure. Do a little dance in the streets, having all eyes set on you is an achievable feat!

Teen Girls Gypsy Costume $39.95 The Girl???s Gypsy Costume comes with a dress, vest, sash, belt, and head scarf. The costume also comes with the powers to curse anyone who wrongs you in ironic and diabolical ways (whether or not they work is a whole other issue). So if your voice is like a meadowlark, but your heart is like an ocean, mysterious and dark, then pick up the Teen Girl???s Gypsy Costume before you head down to the valley below.Dress up as one of the Romani people with the Teen Girl???s Gypsy Costume. Whether you???re travelling the land, cursing arrogant royalty, or just telling the future, this is the costume for you.

Teen Tribal Beauty Costume $25.96 Teen indian costume features dress and headband with feather There are many different styles of teen Native American costumes but few have the amazing attention to detail of this Teen Tribal Beauty Costume. The Teen Tribal Beauty Costume features

Gypsy Fortune Teller Costume $37.99 Need to take a look into our crystal ball this Halloween? Want to see what the future holds for you? Then this Gypsy Fortune Teller Costume is just what you're looking for!This enticing apparel features a purple and white, lace front dress with a black lace trim, attached yellow skirt with yellow star designs. It also includes coin trim, yellow headscarf, black trim, white ruffled sleeves, and a gold chain necklace with dangling coins to bring out the juicy gypsy in you this Halloween!With this Gypsy Fortune Teller Costume, we foresee ample amounts of kinky, clairvoyant fun for you this Halloween season!

Plus Size Gypsy Costume - Sexy Gypsy Princess $59.95 Ooh, it's a Sexy Gypsy Princess walking swiftly by! Gypsies are breathtakingly beautiful and captivating. Simply by strutting through a crowd, they grab every onlooker's full attention. This Halloween, wear the Plus Size Gypsy Costume, and be the girl that turns heads. This Plus Size Gypsy Costume features a colorful, Sexy Gypsy Princess off the shoulder halter dress with laced up sides and purple stylish headpiece. "Beautiful" will be an understatement when you awe the crowd, with your multicolored allure. Do a little dance in the streets, having all eyes set on you is an achievable feat!

Child Gypsy Girls Costume $29.96 Girls Egyptian/Arabian costume includes dress, vest, sash, belt and head scarf In real life, Gypsies start everything they do at a very young age. So if you foresee a life as a Gypsy fortune teller you will need a Girl's Gypsy Costume that fits just righ...

Gypsy Womens Costume $35.96 Features a dress, vest, sash, belt and head scarf. Your future is looking bright. We see it in the cards. The Gypsy told us that in order for your wishes to come true you must wear this costume for Halloween. The Women's Gypsy Costume features a one p...

Sexy Tribal Lady Costume $49.95 What do you want me to do? Paint a picture? Spell it out? The Sexy Tribal Lady Costume is a fantastic American Indian costume. Oh sure it's about as historically accurate as an Enigma song, but since when has Halloween been about replicating historical detail? It never has been. This holiday is about dressing up as something scary or something sexy. This costume is the latter. Boy howdy is it the latter.The Sexy Tribal Lady's Costume includes a faux suede and stretch microfiber dress with embroidered and jewel accented neckline appliqu??, adjustable drawstring hem line with multi-colored feathers, and a matching feather headpiece (no multi-colored eagles were hurt in the making of this Indian head band). Just be careful with this costume, if you start dancing, it might rain, so bring an umbrella. The Sexy Tribal Lady Costume is the hottest American Indian there is. If you want to dress as a native of America for this Halloween, then look no further than this attractive outfit.

Mens Tribal Chief Costume $42.95 American Indians are a pretty cool people and, come Halloween, they make a pretty solid costume. Meet the Men???s Tribal Chief Costume. What tribe he's the chief of is anyone???s guess, but Halloween isn't about the details, the small stuff, it's about having fun and grand gestures, like this costume. If you dressed up as a cowboy for Halloween, it's not like you need to worry about whether your chaps work or not, the same goes for the chief here. The Mens Tribal Chief Costume comes with a faux suede vest style shirt with embroidered neckline appliqu??, pants with fringe detail, and an elaborate multi-colored feather head dress. Tomahawk and teepee not included. The Mens Tribal Chief Costume is the ideal costume for any brave who wants to dress as an American Indian this Halloween.

Womens Sexy Gypsy Costume $59.95 Let???s bring it back to a simpler time, back when people could just travel the country playing tambourines and trading little trinkets for the freedom of the open road. That???s what the Womens Sexy Gypsy Costume represents. It???s got all of the charm of the Old World and none of the stranger, weirder hang ups that you usually get when you delve into the past. Plus, who wouldn???t look great in a number like this?With this Womens Sexy Gypsy Costume, they???ll probably hear you before they see you, but when they see you???oh boy. It???s hard to beat a costume like this. The scintillating Gypsy costume comes with an adjustable dress (just sinch that golden bow to adjust the dress however you need it), a waist sash, and a head sash. It???s got everything, colors, pageantry, exoticism, all of the stuff you want in a costume. If it was in a painting, it???d probably be in a museum. All you need is a tambourine, maybe a deck of Tarot cards and you???d be set for life. Of course, all that???s just gilding the rose.

Sexy Gypsy Adult Costume $34.96 Sexy egyptian/arabian costume includes top, skirt, sleeves and head scarf. We see the future and what we envision is you looking stunning in the Sexy Gypsy Adult Costume. Wear this costume to read the fortunes of everyone at your Halloween gathering. Tell them of the love an...

Tribal Princess Costume - Sexy Indian Costume $49.95 Many a warrior this Tribal Princess did delight in her teepee late at night. This Sexy Indian Costume features a stretch faux suede dress with feather and turquoise bead trim, with a lace-up neckline and fringe hem. This Tribal Princess Costume also comes with its own matching feather headdress, armband, and tomahawk. The sexiest girls in the tribes are the ones with free spirits to match. Add to this Tribal Princess Costume with your own personal, array of tribal energies, scattering throughout the teepee. Delight, but don't fright, become a Sexy Indian tonight!

Gypsy Plus Size Womens Costume $40.96 Womens Egyptian/Arabian costume features dress, vest, sash, belt and head scarf If your cards tell you that your should be a Gypsy for Halloween, it would be bad luck to ignore the signs. The Women's Gypsy Plus Size Costume is make for curvy women so it f...

Womens Gypsy Costume - Crystal Ball Gypsi $48.95 You don't have to be a fortuneteller to see that this Halloween is going to be a blast when you wear this sexy Womens Gypsy Costume. The Crystal Ball Gypsy is always a mysterious and mystical woman that knows what she wants but don't travel alone and gather a group of gypsies and go from party to party. The Sexy Womens Gypsy Costume is a 3PC set that includes a coin trimmed red, purple and white peasant dress with a short ruffled skirt. This costume also comes detailed with white puff sleeves and matching red headscarf.

Tribal Princess Costume For Adult $38.96 Sexy indians costume four piece set includes a faux suede dress with feather & turquoise bead trim lace-up neckline & fringe hem feather headdress armband and tomahawk. You'll be the most sought after girl in the village with our Tribal Princess Costume this Halloween! The other members of your tribe won't be able to...

Women's Gypsy Maiden Sexy Costume $40.96 Sexy egyptian/arabian costume includes halter top, skirt, sash, head scarf, and bracelets. The Sexy Women's Gypsy Maiden Costume has a sexy Renaissance style with the flashy details that Gypsies are famous for. The outfit features a top with an off-the-shoulder peasant blouse with an attach...

Gypsy Costume $54.99 Gypsy Plus Size Costume A traveling fortune teller! Costume includes: Dress, vest, sash, belt and head scarf. Available Sizes: 2X 3X Boots, tarot cards and jewelry not included.

Sexy Mystic Gypsy Adult Costume $36.96 Sexy egyptian/arabian costume includes dress with attached corset, head tie, belt and tarot cards. The Tarot cards never lie. Lay your cards on the table and see the future. We have read your cards and they say that you are to be a Sexy Mystic Gypsy this Halloween. The cards have revealed to us tha...

Deluxe Sexy Bridget by Roma Gypsy Women's Costume $95.96 Sexy Egyptian/Arabian costume includes head band, pleated ruffle top, ribbon waist cincher with boning detail, wrap, & skirt Deluxe Women's Sexy Bridget by Roma Gypsy Costume...

Deluxe Tarot Card Gypsy Womens Costume $239.95 Who knew that of all the talents that gypsies had???fortune telling, laying down curses, becoming werewolves, scamming Jason Statham???that looking hot was among them? Don???t they have enough cool things about them without adding the Deluxe Tarot Card Gypsy Women???s Costume to the mix? It hardly seems fair. How is everyone else supposed to compete with the Romani if these are the cards they???re playing?The Deluxe Tarot Card Gypsy Women???s Costume comes with a gold trimmed, satin corset top with a gauze bodice overlay and silhouette boning; bead trimmed, satin skirt with velvet and gauze layers; attached coin trimmed sash; lace trimmed sleeves; and matching head band. The coffin of Count Dracula and tarot cards are not included, but there???s a high chance you???ll develop a sense of wanderlust while wearing this outfit. The Deluxe Tarot Card Gypsy Women???s Costume is a great costume for anyone that love to travel, curse businessmen to waste away, turn into a werewolf, or predict the future. Romani are pretty cool.

Sexy Gypsy Women's Costume $53.96 Sexy Egyptian/Arabian costume includes headband with coin detail, off-the shoulder top, waist-cincher with lace-up detail, skirt, & gold coin belt There are many ways to tell fortunes. You can read palms, tea leaves, crystal balls, tarot cards and...

Gypsy Adult Costume $31.96 Includes dress with coin trim belt and headpiece. Ladies, pay attention if you want a tasteful yet gorgeous costume to wear to your next event, because you're going to love this! Get everyone at the party ready to cross your palm with silver when yo...