For my third novel, an apocalyptic world filled with
zombies and vampires titled “Bloodborne: The
Forsaken,” I decided to set the story in Europe. My
main characters would be tourists stuck inside a
castle while trying to keep out hordes of the undead.
Unknown to the survivors, a vampire is both
protecting and feeding from them.
The look of the castle was most important so I didn’t
limit my search to any particular geographic location.
Little did I know the vast number of European castles
and the variety of designs. They were big, small, built
atop mountains or in the middle of large cities and
even nestled in deep forests. Some seemed to
belong in Cinderella-like fairy tales with tall towers
and mystic backdrops for landscapes. Then my
search took me to Bled castle in Slovenia. The name
alone spoke volumes for a story dealing with
vampires. The castle sat high above an idyllic lake with a tiny island church below and the glorious Alps
rising high to the north. I had never seen this castle before but it became my first choice.
I decided to keep looking because I wanted a place with easy
access to food and water and Bled seemed too high above
the lake for my characters to survive against zombies. And
then I came across a picture of Predjama. How many castles
are built into the side of a rock face and have easy access to a
natural cave system and secret passages, along with a steady
supply of fresh water? At that moment I realized this was
the place for my book.
I discovered that both Bled and Predjama castles were
located in the country of Slovenia. To my chagrin I realized I
knew nothing about this place and where it was located in Europe. I wanted to change this educational
failing and looked up tourism websites to read as much as I could about Slovenia. I even went on
Amazon and bought a Fodor’s guide. The more I read the more intrigued I became. This country has a
rich history and is known for its friendly people, its excellent food, and beautiful landscapes that are an
eco-tourists dream. Within a few weeks of research I felt an overwhelming compulsion to see the
country for myself.
In 2010 my daughter was close to finishing high school. I wanted to take her someplace special as a
graduation gift and told her about my book. She agreed to go to Slovenia if we could go to Paris as well.
I spent the next year planning the trip. We would go to France for five days and then travel by train to
Slovenia. Paris was more fun than I imagined, but Slovenia was the true gem of the journey. We stayed
at the Best Western in Ljubljana, the castle of the same name as the city prominent atop the hill above
us. I came prepared with two digital cameras and a goal to beat my record of 1,800 pictures on a single
trip. I easily beat this with more than 2,200 pictures.
We spent our first day walking around and getting familiar with the area. After reading up on “The City
of Bridges” and studying Google maps, I felt I could find my way around without getting lost.
Most of the people we met spoke conversational English and appreciated my efforts to learn their
language. Spending six months listening to “Teach Yourself Slovene” did help and I made sure I could
say phrases such as: “I like meat, I don’t like vegetables. What would you recommend?” As well as
“Good day,” “thank you,” and “you’re welcome.”
I had read about the food here and love traveling to different countries and tasting the local cuisine.
One thing I read about, but did not expect, was to be overwhelmed with dessert. There’s what
Americans know as “ice cream” and then there’s sladoled. However they make the myriad flavors of
ice-creamy deliciousness is beyond me. In most cases I’m happy with anything chocolate, but I would
spend good money to be able to taste sladoled again. Downtown there seemed to be a vendor on each
corner and we went to each to try the different
flavors they offered. My daughter and I also ate
at the Abecedarium restaurant alongside the
canal near the market. The location itself was
nice as we ate outdoors overlooking the water
and watched students from the nearby
university, locals and tourists all intermixing
together. I used my smattering of Slovene to
order a simple meal of chicken breast with
noodles covered in alfredo sauce. I have never
eaten chicken that tasted as delicious. We were
hooked. Every time I asked my daughter where
she wanted to eat it was at this restaurant, and
I didn’t disagree, although on my next trip I will
be sure and try a wider variety of foods and gostilna’s (pubs).
I did not feel comfortable renting a car and driving the forty-miles to Postojna so I hired a local guide to
take us on a day trip. I felt some trepidation at putting my daughter’s safety into the hands of someone
I didn’t know, but my fears were unfounded. Our guide, Rok, met us at the hotel and helped make the
trip the most memorable I’ve ever taken. He let me decide where to go and offered suggestions on
what to do. I asked as many questions as I could and he confirmed some historical events I researched
online. During our picturesque drive along the A-1, Slovenia’s main roadway, he smiled when I asked
about the Counts of Celje. I assumed not many American tourists bother to research the country’s
distant past.
Over the last day I gained valuable information and taken hundreds of pictures in Ljubljana and now I
was close to the culmination of my research. Our first stop was the Postojna caves, an underground
labyrinth that had been used for many purposes over the years, one of which was a German
ammunition depot in World War II. The tunnel walls and ceiling still bore scorch marks from where
saboteurs blew the depot.
We took a small open-air train into the chilly
depths and stopped at a vast cavern already
filled with hundreds of people. Tour guides
assembled people by language and soon we
walked along with a large group who sounded
like many were from England.
I had never seen more beautiful caverns filled
with a huge variety of stalactites and
stalagmites. One even looked like a giant
scoop of vanilla ice cream… or maybe it was just me craving some
sladoled.
After leaving the Postojna caves we made our way to Predjama. I
could feel my excitement grow with each passing kilometer. For the
last year I felt drawn to the castle and couldn’t believe it was so close.
We passed a lush green landscape, and a crystal blue sky unmarred by
clouds. The road snaked its way north up and around hills and valleys.
With no warning we rounded a curve and came to a little village. I
caught a few glimpses of the castle as we pulled into the parking lot.
My heart raced in excitement and I felt like a kid going to Disney World for the first time. I am not
ashamed to say my eyes grew misty as I saw my first full view of Predjama (probably some dust caught
in my eye).
I had been snapping shots with both cameras since leaving Postojna, but this did not compare to the
number of pictures I now took. I couldn’t believe I was standing on the grounds of this beautiful castle,
the grayish white walls blending with the surrounding natural stone. Colorful banners flapped in the
wind along the path to the entrance. To the right, thick trees covered the steep slope upward while on
the left a well-worn path led down to the stream that exited the bottom of the hill and wove its way
around the corner. The only level patch of land on the castle grounds had been converted into a
jousting field.
Rok told us the history of the village as we stood there and even pointed out a Linden tree, where the
most notorious Baron to rule the castle is supposed to be buried. I had not heard this before and
incorporated part of the legend in my book. After taking many pictures of the castle grounds we made
our way to the entrance. Groups of people meandered around the area, but the place was not crowded.
The caves in the side of the hill had been used for centuries and the castle likely started as a hunting
lodge. As time passed the structure became larger and more elaborate. We marveled at how some
rooms blended with the natural stone. Cisterns located in various places collected run-off water from
the mountainside. We even went to the place where Baron Erazmus is said to have met his untimely
death at the hands of a traitor who placed a marker above the spot where the baron took his morning
constitutional. A well placed cannon volley from the soldiers besieging the castle ended his Robinhoodish reign.
We also made our way into the cave above the castle, remnants of peoples over the centuries who used
this as a shelter still visible. My two regrets on this part of trip were not being able to explore farther
into the caves and not going to the peak of the hill above the castle to look out over the landscape.
My time in Slovenia was far too short to say I have seen the country. The place has plenty of mountains
to hike, rivers to canoe, wine to sample, and places to
explore.
Bloodborne may be a book of fiction about zombies,
vampires and the end of civilization, but I like to have my
stories set in real places with as many facts as possible.
Predjama was a place I found by accident, but Slovenia is a
country I fell in love with and intend to go back to so I can
more fully sample everything it has to offer.
Dobrodošli
***