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Continue reading →: Casa Vlad Dracul, Sighisoara, RomaniaI raced down the winding staircase of the Clock Tower in Sighisoara, Romania. The sign had been clear as day. Casa Vlad Dracul. I had finally found the historic building where Vlad Tepes, the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula, was born. I couldn’t wait to explore it. Vlad’s parents had…
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Continue reading →: The Clock Tower, Sighisoara, RomaniaThe first thing I noticed about the 14th century clock tower in the historic center of Sighisoara, is that the clock is off center. I would soon find out why, but I had more pressing questions. I had come to this Transylvanian town for a reason, to find out if…
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Continue reading →: Cemetery on the Hill, Sighisoara, RomaniaThe sky darkened as I left the crypt in the Church on the Hill and headed towards the cemetery across the way. To the right of the entrance, the Ropemaker’s Tower stood like a sentry, its conical-shaped roof a splash of red against the graying clouds. One of the few…
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Continue reading →: The Church on the Hill, Sighisoara, RomaniaThe first place I searched for vampires in Sighisoara was the Church on the Hill. To reach the Biserica din Deal, which looms over the historic, UNESCO World Heritage Site in Transylvania, you have to enter a dark, wood-covered walkway built in the 1600’s. As I climbed the 176 wood…
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Continue reading →: Turda Salt Mines, Romania“Someplace deep and dark. That’s where you’ll find vampires.” The words of the mysterious fortune teller in Cluj-Napoca followed me as I drove. In Transylvania, one place fit that description perfectly: The Salt Mines of Turda. “So it begins,” I murmured, thinking of Tolkien and Lord of the Rings. As…
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Continue reading →: The City of Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaFollowing the advice of a man dressed in a cape, I headed further north into Transylvania. I was told that the city of Cluj-Napoca had amazing culture and history. I planned to explore it all, while hunting for vampires. Corvinus, a name associated with vampire lore, has roots in this…
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Continue reading →: Alba Iulia Citadel, RomaniaI left Castle Corvinesti with questions and strange dreams of ravens perched on windowsills. I thought of Edgar Allen Poe, and I wondered if my search for vampires in Transylvania would lead to better writing, madness, death, or some state in between. I was willing to take the chance. So…
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Continue reading →: Castelul Corvinilor (Corvin Castle) Hunedoara, RomaniaThe best place to search for vampires, I was told, was to head into the western part of Transylvania and follow the ravens. Mysterious words, a dangerous quest, but I was determined to find out if vampires did exist. So, I was off to the city of Hunedoara where a…
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Continue reading →: The Trinity and the Tower of Saint Mary, Sibiu, RomaniaLeaving the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Sibiu, I continued my search for vampires. Church bells rang in the distance, leading me back to the center of the city. A call to mass, so I followed the crowds to the Piata Mare that had existed since the 14th century. The…
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Continue reading →: Streets of Sibiu, RomaniaThis mystical, fortified city in Transylvania inspired part of my vampire series. It was here, in the Grand Square, Piata Mare, that traveling merchants spread rumors of an undead army wandering the Carpathian Mountains. Or so my story goes. But there was another reason to cross into Transylvania and visit…
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I’m Dawn
Writer, photographer, and traveler on this road called life. Welcome to my little corner of the internet. You can find me on most social media sites @dawnberkoski.
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Dawn Berkoski 