tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post7630686436775399779..comments2023-12-24T17:41:42.989-08:00Comments on seraillon: A Visit to Denestornyaseraillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-9113677930140864072018-05-29T21:24:39.682-07:002018-05-29T21:24:39.682-07:00Yes, quite a difference from the impression in the...Yes, quite a difference from the impression in the novels. And I rather like that even Bànffy himself couldn't resist some fictionalizing of the place. Denestornya in the novels is located elsewhere and features a few surrounding geographical differences from the actual Bànffy castle. However, the descriptions of the buildings themselves are pretty spot on. seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-42767522670558610962018-05-29T20:00:57.866-07:002018-05-29T20:00:57.866-07:00Thanks for coming by, Simon. I cannot imagine what...Thanks for coming by, Simon. I cannot imagine what your trip to Romania must have been like in the 1970's! We stayed in a lovely apartment in Cluj, but one would not have expected it given the '70's communist-era apartment building exterior, the forbidding sight of which, on our arrival at 2 a.m., made my heart sink. But like you I found the country wonderful, surprises at every turn. I hope to return some late spring or early autumn to explore further and hike in the Carpathians - maybe especially the western Carpathians so evocatively described in the trilogy. seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-12395498446644301862018-05-29T10:39:20.265-07:002018-05-29T10:39:20.265-07:00Jacqui recommended this post, for which i thank yo...Jacqui recommended this post, for which i thank you both. Having recently finished the Transylvanian Trilogy, I found this a fascinating piece. I visited Romania (illegally, I suspect) in the early 70s; my girlfriend of the time had a Romanian penfriend who invited us to Cluj, where she was a student at the university, then on to her sister's apartment in Bucharest, an aunt's on the Black Sea coast at Constanta, and various other places with other relatives. It was a wonderful experience. Now to take a look at some of your other posts.Simonhttp://tredynasdays.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-84856453638922172882018-05-29T08:02:59.417-07:002018-05-29T08:02:59.417-07:00Oh, yes. You definitely conveyed a sense of green ...Oh, yes. You definitely conveyed a sense of green shoots and optimism towards the end. That's encouraging to hear. I suppose I was comparing those initial photographs with my impressions of the castle from the novels. Such a difference, which is hardly surprising after all these years...JacquiWinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16220597283351925721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-84742365779231362732018-05-28T16:42:36.566-07:002018-05-28T16:42:36.566-07:00It's really encouraging to see the amount of w...It's really encouraging to see the amount of work that's been done, and that the Trust is reaching out to the conservation community from around the world to transform the place back to a semblance of its former glory. I arrived feeling dismayed and left feeling hopeful. seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-25366686965867874682018-05-28T16:39:41.769-07:002018-05-28T16:39:41.769-07:00Thanks, Jacqui. I hope I conveyed that the intense...Thanks, Jacqui. I hope I conveyed that the intensely melancholic atmosphere was tempered in the end by the awareness that there's more going on at the castle than first met my eye. it is still, despite its ravages, an impressive place to visit, and nearby Cluj is a fantastically vibrant small city. The visit put some new clothes on my impressions from the novels, brought their exoticism down to earth a bit. I was fascinated to re-read the first volume during my visit and imagine its scenes unfolding here. seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-59318532486945427032018-05-28T15:45:58.269-07:002018-05-28T15:45:58.269-07:00What a great place to visit. It is too bad that th...What a great place to visit. It is too bad that the place has been so damaged and is so decayed. It is good that there is an NGO doing some real restoration. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-41406172018986318492018-05-28T08:47:27.841-07:002018-05-28T08:47:27.841-07:00A fascinating post, Scott. There is something terr...A fascinating post, Scott. There is something terribly melancholic and tragic about these pictures, the once glorious buildings now fractured and crumbling almost before our very eyes. As you say, one gets the sense that virtually every trace of that rarefied world has been swept away by intention and inattention. <br /><br />What a poignant visit this must have been for you. Thanks so much for posting about this. As you know, I adore the trilogy, such a marvellous achievement by Banffy. JacquiWinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16220597283351925721noreply@blogger.com