Dogs n Dracula: A Road Trip Through Romania

Having been to Romania a couple of times myself, I was very curious to read Jackie Lambert’s Dogs n Dracula for two reasons: they drove where I travelled by train, and they took their dogs with them in a caravan. I am an unashamed dog lover and a wannabe camper, so I found the blurb of the book very appealing.

However, what I hadn’t expected was how funny and interesting it would be. Dogs n Dracula is a mix of personal travelogue, hair-raising adventures, and fascinating history. The scrapes they got into travelling through rural Romania with what I can only describe as their ‘rig’ had me on the edge of my seat. As for the dogs, well, that’s a story in itself – a charming, heart-warming one as well. The descriptions of their journey are lovely and of the towns the couple visited there were several I didn’t know and now want to visit. There are castles, monasteries, traditional villages and fortified churches, and after reading this book I want to see them all.

Added to that, Jackie Lambert is clearly interested in the background stories of everywhere she goes and her take on Romania’s past was both refreshingly honest and very informative. Romania is a country steeped in the history of invasions from the Romans on and she offers heaps of ‘did you know?’ type facts, which of course I didn’t and enjoyed reading about.

This is a very well-written and lovely book. I laughed, gasped, gazed and sighed with them throughout. It’s definitely made me want to go back to Romania, but I think I’ve learnt from this intrepid couple – a four-wheel drive camper sounds like the best bet, plus space for the few stray dogs I’d probably be unable to resist.

The link to the book is here

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