A Hungarian Vampire's Home

Elizabeth's Bathory's home in Hungary
Photo by Charmaine Tanti

Close to the Hungarian-Romanian border, in the town of Nyírbátor, you can stop to pay a visit to the childhood home of Countess Erzsebet (Elizabeth) Bathory, aka the Bloody Countess, the female version of Dracula.

Any vampire aficionado will know that Elizabeth Bathory is famed as being a real life vampire who lived in 16th century Hungary, close to the border with the Romanian region of Transylvania.

Legend has it that Bathory used to bathe in the blood of virgins to keep her skin youthful. Most probably, these were just libellous stories made up by her enemies to steal her wealth.

Bathory was related both on her mother's and father's side to the Voivods (rulers) of Transylvania, and her uncle Stephen, King of Poland, was also Duke of Transylvania.

Despite its horror associations and the ominous-looking wooden palisade outside, the estate is actually very pretty. The house is not big, and on two levels you can see mannequins depicting the life and legend of Countess Bathory.

Elizabeth Bathory in her bloody bath. Reality or fiction?
Photo by Charmaine Tanti

At the very top of the house, there is also a very modern and well-equipped conference room. 

All in all, the house is definitely worth a stop if you're in the vicinity or if you're a vampire fan like me!

For more information on the legend and fictional existence of Countess Bathory, check out my vampire blog, Night's Creatures

If you're interested in the true story of the Countess, you can read Kimberly L. Craft's book

EU Directive prohibits Natural Remedies

In the summer of 2007, I went to Italy 3 times - and every time I got bitten by mosquitoes. Although a mosquito bite should be nothing worth writing about, in my case all three resulted in serious infections. Fortunately, while the pharmacists I went to could not administer antibiotics without a doctor's prescription, they all gave me creams and natural remedies to keep the infection from spreading at an alarming rate.

Now the European Union has issued a Directive that prohibits the use of herbs and natural remedies in favor of pharmaceutical drugs. I myself am not a huge fan of these drugs as more often than not, they make me feel worse not better and my immune system suffers so much that I end up getting sick because of them.

If you live in the European Union, please take time to see this video and sign the petition. No one should jeopardise our health and our freedom of choice to make money. 

Thank you for reading this.

http://www.savenaturalhealth.eu/sign.php

Popeye Village, Malta

Copyright Charmaine Tanti 2011

Popeye Village started off as the film set for "Popeye" starring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall in 1980. Built at Anchor Bay, not far from Ghadira Bay, the village was turned into a tourist attraction mainly aimed at children. Visits to the Village include a tour of the film set, boat rides, puppet show, mini golf and other activities aimed at children and adults alike. A Christmas Village is set up during the Holiday Season, and a cafe/restaurant near the entrance offers refreshments. For more information check out the website http://www.popeyemalta.com/

Robin Williams as Popeye &
Shelley Duvall as Olive