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Continue reading →: Street Art and the Grand Cafe Van Gogh, Bucharest, RomaniaMorning in the city of Bucharest. A fresh, new day to hunt for vampires. But my quest was put on hold because, unlike the immortal creatures I sought, I needed breakfast. Luckily, I found a cafe dedicated to one of my favorite artists, Vincent van Gogh. The decor was otherworldly.…
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Continue reading →: Cărturești Carusel, Bucharest, RomaniaAs the sun set over the Dîmbovița River, I hit the streets of Old Town Bucharest, searching for the palace of Vlad III, also known as Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. But instead of vampires, blood, and fangs, I found the Carousel of Light. As often…
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Continue reading →: Romanian Athenaeum, Bucharest, RomaniaTo find the summer home of Vlad III, the son of Dracul, the guards at the Palace of Parlaiment told me to cross the Dîmbovița River and cut through the park. Easy enough, I thought. But, despite traversing the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania in search of vampires, crossing the Dîmbovița…
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Continue reading →: Palace of Parliament, Bucharest, RomaniaI left Targoviste, where Vlad Tepes, the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula, once held reign, and headed back to Bucharest. My search for vampires in Transylvania was coming to an end, and my heart was heavy. After following countless leads across the Carpathian Mountains, I had no concrete evidence that…
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Continue reading →: Târgoviște, RomaniaIt started out as a bit of fun, searching for vampires and life beyond. But, as the line from J.R.R. Tolkien says, perhaps I’d “delved too greedily and deep.” Troubled thoughts plagued me as I left the isolated grandeur of Peles Castle and headed southeast towards Targoviste. There, I would…
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Continue reading →: Peles Castle, Part Two, Sinaia, RomaniaI went to Peles Castle searching for vampires and the heart of Princess Marie, but I wound up wandering endless halls of blood-red carpet. Not the hexagon design from The Shining, or other spooky halls from haunted hotels and mansions, but that’s where my imagination went, wondering if the undead…
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Continue reading →: Peles Castle, Part One, Sinaia, RomaniaI followed Princess Marie’s heart to Sinaia, but I lost my heart to Peles Castle. Maybe it was the surprise of finding such a gorgeous palace in the middle of the Carpathian Mountains, surrounded by acres of towering trees, bird song, and whispers of a Renaissance Revival that fed my…
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Continue reading →: Queen Elizabeth, Carmen Sylva, and the Castle in Transylvania, Sinaia, RomaniaAs I headed away from Brasov, higher into the mountains, a strange sense of peace came over me. As if a vail had been lifted, animals started to appear. Here a deer, there a baby bear, nature guiding me to where I needed to be. Why animals would point me…
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Continue reading →: The Black Church, Rope Street, and Dracula, Brasov, RomaniaWhen I heard about a Black Church in Transylvania, I didn’t know what to expect. A church as black as night, I suppose, but that’s not what the online pictures showed. As one of the oldest Gothic churches in the area, I had to explore it. So, I continued my…
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Continue reading →: Bran Castle, Bran, RomaniaI heard that Bram Stoker’s description of Dracula’s castle was eerily similar to a Medieval castle nestled in the Carpathian Mountains. So, I went through the valleys of these snow-tipped mountains, headed to the small commune of Bran. Was this the castle that inspired the author? Evidence suggests that Stoker…
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I’m Dawn
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Dawn Berkoski 