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brokenpieces-72 · 16 days

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Paloma ‘Sunny’ Vascoe

TW: past trauma, hospitalized relative, gang mentions, let me know if any are missing

“You’re the reason we can’t have nice things!”

The words echoed in her mind as Paloma looked at her guardian on the hospital bed. Every echo seemed to make it feel more true. Paloma’s aunt had yelled that at her during a family gathering, when she had made a mess. This was certainly a mess, and one that couldn’t be cleaned by straightening some chairs, and ordering more food.

Paloma had been running with the Narcos for a while, and it was to keep her guardian safe. There was money involved as well, which she used to help her father, Marco Vasco pay the bills. Of course, to keep both sides a secret, she wore a mask, and hid it from everyone else in her adoptive family. None of the narcos knew of her father.

Over time she started getting in too deep, the money was getting bloodier and good people were dying, and a couple by her own hands. The risks were getting higher, with special forces having to step in over the cops.

In desperation, she resorted to selling information to the right people. The cops were practically useless and the Mexican military could rat her out easily. That left one other group. The Los Vaqueros. Her father’s old military squad.

Alejandro Vargas was a family friend of her father. If she gave him the information directly though, there was still a lot of risk. He might arrest her, tell her father, hell for all she knew he might shoot her on site. Coming face to face was too dangerous.

At the end of the day, the Narcos had to be stopped. If they were stopped and she was selling information, she might be spared from jail time. For a while it did work. She used burner phones to message Alejandro, offering information, for a reasonable price. Bills could still get paid and no one in the Narcos was the wiser. Or so she had thought.

A few hours ago she had come home, to find her father on the floor in their home, beaten within an inch of his life. He was gasping for air, there was blood everywhere, and white sheet with words she didn’t care about. In panic and desperation she called for help, and even called Alejandro to meet her at the hospital. Speaking to the police didn’t feel safe for her. Especially alone with her father in a comatose state. While she sat in the hospital, no cops had shown up.

“I’m really sorry…” she whispered to her father. “I just wanted to help.”

The only response she got from him was the steady beep of the heart monitor. Memories echoed in her mind along with the words of her aunt.

“You’re the reason we can’t have nice things.”

Time living on the streets, pickpocketing money for food, begging for help, running away from dogs and thugs, being offered food and fresh clothes by a man she barely knew, coming back to see him and thank him, sitting down with the man to talk and helping around his home, getting patched up after a nasty fight, being given a meal, a bed, a home, a family. Once again tears filled her eyes, and she took a sip of water, sniffling.

Then she heard a couple of voices talking outside the room. Her attention snapped to the open door, and her hand was on a pocket knife hooked to her belt. Another voice spoke and she recognized it.

Alejandro walked in to the room, eyeing his friend before the girl sitting off to the side. He walked further in, eyes never leaving the patient, muttering to himself. The girl continued to watch the colonel, ignored.

Wasn’t the first time either. The girl was rarely loud without her mask on. Alejandro had met her on a couple of occasions, but she was always intimidated by him.

After a few minutes of silence he finally acknowledged her.

“You talk to the police yet?” He asked her. She shook her head.

“Don’t trust cops. Never have.” She said, still hugging her knees on the small chair.

“Good. Tell me what happened.” He said. The girl looked up at him. What the hell could she tell him? That she was selling information from the Narcos to Alejandro himself? She had been working with the Narcos and her father had no idea? Selling the information might have gotten her father almost killed? She fidgeted in her chair, looking away from Alejandro’s eyes. Something about them seemed to pierce into her, like a letter opener, cutting into the envelope of her dark secrets. Paloma just shook her head.

“Mija. I need to know what happened.” He exclaimed. No, he didn’t, she thought, he didn’t need to know anything. Not about why it happened, how it happened or that it was her fault. Alejandro had been there when her aunt had said those words to her. She shook her head again. Alejandro sighed.

The kid was scared, had every reason to be. Shy, small thing, just trying to do her best. He’d seen what happened when her aunt lashed out at her, the look of pain and horror that had been on the girl’s face. Honestly, he was relieved she hadn’t been home to be caught by the Narcos. It gave him a witness, something that was hard to come by. He sent Rudolfo Parra to investigate the scene before it could be tampered with.

Alejandro needed her to talk though. The more he knew from her, the better. With her father in a coma, she would need a place to stay as well. Leaving her alone in the hospital didn’t sit right with him. There was a safe house he could take her to or even give her a bunk on base to help her feel safe. The only way he was leaving with her though is if she could talk to him first. Then he could get her witness protection with his own jurisdiction.

Alejandro softened a little, and pulled up a chair next to her. Marco had pulled through on more than one occasion for him. The least he could do in return was look after his adopted kid.

“Mija…” he said softly. She seemed to flinch at his words. “You don’t have to tell me everything but you need to tell me something.”

“…I can’t.” She said quietly. He could hear the sobs she was desperately holding back. He needed to do this quickly though. The cops could arrive at any point and there was no way he would let them take her. Alejandro needed to try a new tactic.

“Were you listening to music on your way home?” He asked. The girl was quiet, brows knitting in confusion.

“W…what?” She asked.

“Were you listening to music on your way home?” He asked, as if he were asking how her day at school had been while sitting in a living room.

“Y-yes.” She answered, a little unsure about the question.

“Did you spend time with friends before coming home?” He asked. She nodded. “What were you doing with them?”

“We were playing pool.” She answered still a little confused.

“What colour is your house key again?” He asked.

“Uh… it’s silver.” She said. What knowledge could he get from that?

“Your Papi was wearing his jersey tonight right? For the game?” He asked, with slight friendly smile, as he props his elbows on his knees.

“N-no. There’s no game tonight.” She said. “His shirt was blue when I left.”

That was enough information. She had an alibi, no reason to break and enter and had seen her father before he was attacked. It would be enough to go on for now. The rest could come later after Rudolfo got back to him with the information from the crime scene. For now, he was going to focus on getting her somewhere safer than the hospital. His expression turned more serious.

“Mija I need to get you somewhere safe.” He said. “Your father will be in good hands, I’ll get my men to watch him just in case. My second in command is checking the crime scene now, and will get you some extra clothes.”

She said nothing, and just stared at her father, still reliving the memories.

“I can’t take you with me unless you say yes to it.” Alejandro told her.

“…I can’t leave him.” She whispered.

“I know Mija… but your father would want you to be safe. I can’t do that unless you come with me.” He said. She sniffled, and looked at the colonel. It was a side to him she hadn’t seen before. One that was more worried about protecting rather than fighting. He put a hand on her shoulder.

“He’ll make it through this Mija. I know he will.” He assured her.

At this point she didn’t see any other option. Her father would be safe, and so would she. It seemed fruitless but if there was even a chance she could recover from this, she would take it. She nodded.

“You ready to go or do you need a minute?” Alejandro asked.

“A minute.” She replied. He nodded and got up from the chair, stepping out into the hallway. He glanced inside quickly to see her leaning in, and saying something. Alejandro withdrew to give her privacy. Then his phone rang. Rudolfo?

“Vargas.” He answered.

“Colonel, we have a problem.” Rudolfo explained. “We’ve searched the house, they broke in but they also left a message.”

“Same as the others?” The colonel asked.

“No. This one says… well not sure I want to repeat it all.” Rudolfo said.

“Give me the gist of it.” Alejandro said sighing.

“The kid might be involved with the Narcos.” He put plainly. Alejandro stopped his pacing. It wasn’t unheard of for kids to get involved but why hadn’t they gone for her? He looked back to the doorway. Shy little thing was still leaning close to her dad, talking to him.

“What makes you say that?” Alejandro asked.

“You said her name was Paloma. The cloths refer to a dove’s nest being destroyed, all because of a cuckoo who couldn’t keep its mouth shut.” Rudolfo exclaimed. Alejandro went very quiet. There was no way in hell this little kid was an informant, let alone caught up with Narcos.

“Get what you can and return to base, I’m taking the kid to a safe house. Right now if she knows something she won’t be able to talk.” Alejandro said.

“Yes sir.” Rudolfo said, and Alejandro hung up.

To be continued…

@yourlovely-moon @kaoyamamegami @H0n3y_L3m0n @sans-chara @1mommyrose4ever29 @smitten-haematite-quartz @talia-the-gemini @yuki2129 @whitetiger846 @graystorm444 @chibiduck @reaperxxxxzz @danielle143 @sobbingnshtting @cringeycookies

#cod oc #female cod character #cod oc stories #character backstory #origin story #alejandro vargas #rudolfo parra #los vaqueros #sergeant Rudolfo #colonel alejandro vargas #thank you for enjoying my stuff #call of duty modern warfare

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thefirstcourtesan · 5 years

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The Royal Recap: A Tale of Two Houses, Chapter 1

Hello all! It’s time for my thoughts and reactions to the first two chapters of The Royal Masquerade. Most weeks I will have this out earlier than Friday, but as many of you know, I was way from Friday to Wednesday and am playing catch up.

I loved The Crown and the Flame. Loved it so much. I do like the Royal Romance, but it was the TC&TF connection that has me so excited about this book, a return to teh world of teh Five Kingdoms and the first Choices characters I ever fell in love with. I play wth two devices so my recaps note that. I don’t search out other playthroughs though, this is just based on my own play and reaction. I will point out connections to other books and my random thoughts and so on. I also don’t necessarily go chronologically, if a point comes up twice, I will discuss it all at once.

So with that settled, let’s start!

The book tells us that our story is taking place in 1600 A.D in the Kingdom of Cordonia, so 400 years before modern events and a later comment about it being 300 years since humans had magic makes me think it is probably roughly 400 years since the events of TC&TF, putting us at the mid-point between the two lores. More on that later.

But first, we have to choose what we look like! 5 faces and 3 of them are from OH. Oh hello again, I think we are all sick of you. One is from ACOR and the 5th is new. I have to choose two, so I chose the ACOR face and the new one. We also have to choose a name and a house. Here are the choices for house:

I am a little salty that we couldn’t choose to be a Nevrakis 😂 as that was my number one hope for this book. Oh well. I guess I’ll choose from these three.

I chose House Rosario on one playthrough and House Everhart on the other. Meet my MCs, Lady Viola of House Rosario and Lady Livia of House Everhart:

Both names were chosen for a reason, one as a nod to one of my favorite Shakespeare plays (and a fitting one I think) and the other a reference to my own fanfic canon.

Now, to the story, we start while dancing with a mysterious stranger. The game asks us if we are interested in men, women, or both. We will see later that this choice impacts the gender of the LIs, which is a neat way of blending the sexuality choice of TE with the LI gender choice of Perfect Match/High School Story: Class Act/Platinum.

I chose interested in men on one device (Livia) and both on the other (Viola). Interesting note, I got blonde male Hunter as my dance partner in both, though he is obviously not identified yet. There is some flirting and they lean in for a kiss and then... We are rudely interrupted.

Turns out it was just a dream and we are brought to the present and the library where the MC works under the stern Head Librarian Kana. We learn that we were raised in a respected family, but given to the library. Given the nasty atttude of our aunts when we meet them, I am going to guess that happened when our parents died. But for now, back to the drudgery of writing up manuscripts on soil samples.

We are interrupted again, but this time not by Master Kana, instead it is a pretty noblewoman, who we quickly learn is our big sister Annalise. She quickly tells us that she is here to whisk us away from the library and sneak us into the Royal masquerade ball! Alright, sis, I already love you. I love her even more when she firmly puts Kana in his place before whisking us away.

She takes us home to the family estate and we reveal we have been away from some time. As soon as we get inside, we are introduce to our aunts Zya and Elise. Zya is terrible and sour and hates us, she is the one who reveals that the MC is an “adopted stray” and I am sure she is the one who gave the MC to the library. Elise doesn’t seem as bad.

Annalisa has no patience for Zya’s nonsense and also reminds her that she is the head of the family and that she wants the MC by her side. You rock Annalisa and I love you already! Zya backs down and Annalisa whisks is away to get ready for the ball.

Upstairs we meet Vasco, an older gentleman who seems to work for the family and is the last member of the household (at least for now) and we are presented with a magic mirror. Side note, I love this, becuase I have always had strong Snow White vibes from TRR and my MC Eleanor and the magic mirror just ads to that and I love it.

We learn that there are a few magical objects left in the world and that only the noble families posses them and that Queen Kendra has gifted this mirror to our house! We also learn the names of the other royal houses: Vescovi, Fierro, Beaumont, and Nevrakis. At some point I am going to sit down and figure out how they match up to the family’s of the Five Kingdoms and modern day Cordonia. So far the only consistent between the three Books is our beloved Nevrakis family.

So this magic item makes clothes appear out of nowhere (for diamonds of course), I guess this is what you do when you don’t have boutiques in every noble residence 😂. We get our first diamond dress option and it is the same one we were wearing in the dream at the beginning. TRR did this too, let us wear a dress in teh flashforward at the beginning of the book and then make us pay for it later. At least this time it is a dream. If we don’t like that dress, we are given a free black dress provided by Vasco.

The free dress is actually very nice. The diamond dress is too, but it is so close to Aster colours and that is the house I didn’t choose so that annoys me a little. But I do love the jewelled belt and I have always adored that shade of blue (it was the color of my bridesmaid dresses). Interesting, the free dress is very similar to Vasco’s outfit and I don’t think that is a coincidence. I ended up choosing the diamond dress for Livia and the free one for Viola.

After we choose our outfit, we talk a little bit with Annalisa and Vasco. Annalisa promises to free the MC from the drudgery of the library and we learn that our house is about to be announced as the newest noble house. Apparently our parents made lots of money and Annalisa has charmed the queen and the result is that we are being granted official status and the power and influence that goes with it.

We travel to the ball and then we are introduced to Queen Kendra, though we don’t realize that is who it is at first. Kendra is very friendly to the MC and they have a brief chat about art and then we are whisked inside because there are other nobles waiting to greet Kendra.

The MC eagerly eats some bread (because they are starving her at the library) and Annalisa generteases her about it, before departing to find a bed mate for the night. Between Annalisa and Hunter (as we will soon see), we get the impression that Cordonian court is very sexually liberal, which is awesome. I am putting PB on notice that I expect my MC to be able to indulge as well, no waiting a whole book for a kiss.

The MC heads to the food table (good plan) but is distracted by a gorgeous person in a sun mask who is being fawned over by noblewomen. However, despite their admirers, we are the one who catches their eye and we get the chance to choose their appearance (and gender, if you picked you are interested in both). I picked Asian male for Viola and white male for Livia. (Note- From this point on, I will be referring to them as male because both mine are).

This mysterious noble in the sun mask is the same one from our dream (we’ll potentially 😂) and he flirts with us, ignoring his fawning audience in favour of us and he asks us to dance, telling us to meet him on the dance floor at the beginning of the next song. But before we can, it is time to meet our next LI.

We have attracted the attention of a mysterious person in a moon mask, who seems to realize that we don’t belong. We get the chance to customize their appareance and I chose the black male for Viola and I chose the Hispanic/Mediterranean (I don’t know what race they are supposed to be) male for Livia. (note- Like with Hunter, from this point forward I will be referring to them as male).

He asks us for our invitation, but we deflect him and there is a chance for some flirting before he asks us to dance. We now choose who to dance with. Livia chooses to dance with the man in moon mask and Viola with the man in the sun mask.

Both men take being rejected well and then we begin dancing with our chosen partner. The conversation is similar but not the same. The man in the sun mask is smoother, more flirtatious while the man in the moon mask is a little more reserved, as if he is unaccustomed to this kind of thing. The man in the sun mask lifts the MC, while the man in the moon mask dips her.

I really like this scene and how it differs between the two men to accommodate their personalities, because it lets you get a feel for them. Both want to know who the MC is, but they approach it differently, with the man in the sun mask desperately curious and the man in the moon mask more suspicious/intrigued and more direct.

The dance ends and the man in the moon mask comments he still knows little about the MC, while their is a crowd ready to pounce on the man in the sun mask who is unwilling to let hte MC go just yet. Both men suggest that the MC join them on the balcony to continue their dance and we have our first diamond scene!

Again, the diamond scene is similar, but not identical. Again, the man in the sun mask is very comfortable and very charming, while the man in the moon mask is more reserved but very observant. In both cases, you dance and then the masked man tries to guess your identity. The man in the sun man guesses foreign noble (though if you tell him the truth, he is not surprised) while the man in the moon mask accurately guesses who you are. Then it is your chance to guess who he is, if you choose “noble from important house”, the man in the sun mask agrees and the man in the moon mask demurs, but both refuse to name their house, saying it changes how people see them.

The two of you admire the view from the balcony, his hand covering yours, and then it is time for you to remove your masks. Both men seem to be quite impressed by the MC’s appearance and in both cases, they are about to kiss her when they are interrupted by Vasco (who I am so suspicious of, dude is up to something).

Apparently, Annalissa is about to give the Queen the wrong invitation. So we say goodbye to our mystery man, though we do get a name. You can choose their name, though the defaults are Hunter and Kayden. I kept Hunter (becuase I am sure it is a nod to Dominic Hunter) but changed Kayden to Dante on both devices and will be referring to him as such.

We hurry to the throne room, but find two dead guards and get there just as an assassin plunges a knife into Queen Kendra! The Queen advises for us to flee with her dying breath and the assassin threatens us. The assassin reminds me of the shadows from TC&TF and that makes me wonder who sent them, a foreign power or someone within Cordonia? Right now, we have bigger worries, because our sweet sister is lying unconscious on the floor!

And end chapter one.

I thought this was a great start, it introduced the world and set the tone of one of glitz and glamour but also secrets and a darker side. I feel like that may be what this book is about, about everything that lurks Heath the glittering surface of court and I am here for it.

Also, visually this is such a beautiful book. The background, the characters, the gowns, everything is so beautiful. I love period pieces and I am already drawn into the world that they have built and I am so excited to be exploring this portion of Corodnian history!

#the Royal recap #the royal masquerade #playchoices

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wild-untamed-heart · 4 years

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Space!au White Day 2k19 Drabble

Here is the white day drabble from Vasco! Thanks so very much for requesting for a drabble from Kajika’s side! I had a lot of fun with the drabbles this year! Hope you enjoy it! Do with this one as you please ^^

Vasco had been on the lookout for possible gifts to give to Kajika ever since she’d given him the gift a month (?) prior. At least, he was guessing it was a month ago. It was hard to tell time when you were on the move. He really appreciated the gift that she gave him and he was looking for something that would be useful to her to have.

That’s when he came across something grand. On one of the planets they visited, their technological advancements were high. Their gadgets were all very fascinating and sophisticated, even by Vasco’s standard.

One item caught his eye and he inquired in the shop about a possibility of any additions that could be added. The fact that there could made him all the more excited about gifting Kajika the item he picked out for her.

Surely this would prove useful to her to use during their travels! It was going to take some time for the additional function to be added. In the meanwhile, he would continue to travel around, taking in the sights, and jotting information down in his notes.

His notes could be useful for the next time they visit (if that time ever comes), or it could be used to help a future adventurer of they ever get their hands on his notes. He used the notes of past adventurers to flesh out their route, so it was only right for him to do the same to help someone else in the future.

That’s how you pave the way for safer travels for others.

He had so much respect for the navigators of the past who lived through many perilous space paths and jot their findings for others to use for their own needs. They could have kept their knowledge to themselves, but they chose to share them. How respectable it was for people to spread knowledge selflessly in order to provide others a safer travel across space.

That is the very essence of adventuring, wanting to explore the world. Withholding knowledge went against the spirit of advent. That’s how he felt, anyways.

As he checked out all the local sites, jotting down anything worth noting, he kept himself mindful of the time. He didn’t want to miss his appointment to pick up the item, after all.

Once the appointed time arrived, Vasco picked it up before White day came around. He simply had to hide it away and wait until the day arrived.

On the day, he stopped by Kajika’s room with a bag in hand. It was a purple colored bag, nothing too fancy, but he thought it would suffice for its intended purpose. “This is my return gift for Valentine’s day. I hope you enjoy it.” He handed her he purple bag.

Inside of it was what looked to be a black pouch that you could attach to a belt. The pouch was small but sturdy. If you looked closely, you could see faint lines of light running across the pouch. In the center of the pouch was a circle with a faded blue color.

“That’s an interdimensional space pouch. You can store non-living things inside of it, like your tools. The space it holds is the same as the cargo hold of this ship, so there’s a lot you could store away. You could store your own personal belongings if you wanted.”

It made packing a lot simpler if you could throw everything into the interdimensional space pouch. “It’s small so you could carry it around on your belt for ease of access.” Vasco continued to explain.

For people who were on the move quite often, something like an interdimensional space pouch was an important tool.

“That circle in the middle, if you tap on it, it will activate the additional function I asked for. It will transport whatever you put into it to its sister portal.” The circle was smaller than the size of a fist, so bigger items wouldn’t fit through it.

He revealed what looked like a wrist watch on his forearm with a similar circle. He tapped on it, activating it. The circle glowed a vibrant neon-blue color, showing that it was ready to be used. He fished a rolled up letter from his pocket and held it over the circle. When he dropped it, they could both see how the circle ‘ate up’ the letter and the circle on the pouch blinked, to show that she’d received something.

“If you tap on the circle on your pouch, it will spit out whatever I’ve transferred over to you. The letter he wrote was rolled up and kept in that shape by wrapping it with a ribbon. Once she unrolled the letter, she’d see the words:

“Happy White Day, Kajika. May this prove to be a useful companion for you during our journeys. Stay safe and never forget a thing during your travels.”

With this, she’d be able to carry around an entire cargo-full worth of items with her for whenever she’d need them. She wouldn’t need to carry heavy tools around with her everywhere, neither would she forget to bring something with her so as long as she kept all her tools in the pouch.

The additional feature worked like an instant messaging system. “If you need to tell me anything urgently, or if you just want to engage in idle chatter, you can send me messages through the secondary feature. I’ll receive your message, and I can send one back to you.”

Isn’t that nice? You could carry everything around with you, and you had a way of reaching out to him whenever you needed it. It made splitting up to find their captain much easier, because they could send messages to each other to give the other live updates.

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Kajika flopped down onto her bed with a sigh of exhaustion, marveling how tired she was and barely half over. She placed the blame entirely on one particular crew member whose identity was for the time being unknown. It had all started when the ship started unexpectedly lurching accompanied by the engine making rather peculiar sounds. A hurried investigation had resulted in the discovery of a pair of darts which had somehow travelled through the vents and ended up where they had no business being.

How they got there, she wasn’t sure she even wanted to know but she certainly would love to give the culprit a piece of her mind. She had spent just about the entire morning trying to remove the darts from the system and then a additional couple of hours fixing the damage they had caused. Hence the exhaustion.

Kajika was wondering whether she’d be able to get away with a nap when a sudden knock on her door prompted her rise and see who was calling on her. If it was another engine problem she might be inclined to slam the door in their face however…

Upon opening the door, she immediately felt some of her fatigue and exasperation melt away as she was met by the familiar sight of her friend. Friends really were amazing beings. It took her a moment to realise that Vasco wasn’t empty handed but was bearing a purple bag which instantly roused her curiosity. She was touched to learn that it was a return gift for Valentine’s and recalling his earlier words felt her curiosity multiple tenfold.

It went without saying that she wasted no time in opening the bag to reveal the contents, her silver eyes widening and sparkling with delight the instant they identified the contents.

He didn’t…

It was beautiful, and practical and she absolutely loved it. Kajika had heard of these interdimensional space pouches but had never gotten around to buying one herself since most of her savings somehow always ended up going towards mechanical gear or interesting tools. Not to mention he had even had an additional functional feature which would certainly come in handy.

With a happy laugh, she practically launched herself at him and hugged him exuberantly.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!!”

Vasco obviously had no need to worry about the bar ‘being set high’ as he had put it. His gift was perfect beyond all measure and she would definitely be making good use of it.

#heromanvasco #white day 2019 #space au #submission #((and another one bites the dust))

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oosteven-universe · 4 years

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Dejah Thoris #02

Dejah Thoris #02 Dynamite Entertainment 2019 Written by Dan Abnett Illustrated by Vasco Georgiev Coloured by Dearbhla Kelly Lettered by Simon Bowland The once-powerful Dejah Thoris is an outcast, her dynasty has been practically wiped out. Yet her family survives and are determined to uncover the mysterious reasons for Barsoom’s worldwide dangers. But the powerful Jeddak would rather Dejah’s entire family be…removed… I have to say that I am really loving this, not that there was any doubt. This is one of those examples of Dan being one of the most versatile of writers showcasing that there isn't a character or genre that he cannot write, and write well. One of the benefits can be that if you follow a writer like Dan then you are going to find yourself reading books that you might not have otherwise. The reverse is true as well, you love the character and find a new writer to follow. John Carter is long since out of the picture but with Dejah their children and grandchildren taking centre focus as we see their lineage hasn't produced a boy is an interesting take. Also the fact that someone was able to successfully stage a coup and take power fascinates me. So there are actually quite a few moving parts here and they have the same ending point, where they are supposed to meet. Now the real question becomes will these moving parts survive long enough to get to each other or will not only Dejah and her lineage fall but Barsoom along with it? The way that the story & plot development is being done as see through the sequence of events unfolding and how the reader learns information is extremely well done. We saw last issue that Kurz Kurtos had thought of a more devious way of dealing with the exiled dynasty and this issue we see that someone didn't waste any time in getting that underway. There are few beings more terrifying than a white ape and so let the games and mystery begin! The character development that we see here is phenomenal and I love that each of these women has such a different personality and they all share the same blood. The pacing is great and as it takes us through the pages and we see the twists and turns emerge it helps to create a really strong ebb & flow to the book. I am really rather enjoying the interiors here. That first splash page we come across really sets the tone for what we're going to be seeing this issue and it's rather striking. I think the linework we see is laid down nicely and how the varying techniques and varying weights that are utilised to show the attention to detail is well rendered. Now this is a gorgeous futuristic city on another planet so I would really think this would be a great opportunity to stretch oneself with how backgrounds are utilised. Or in this case not very much at all. I don't understand why backgrounds aren't considered important when they bring depth perception, scale and a sense of size and scope to the book. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows a good eye for storytelling. The colouring here is marvellous to see. I like how the various hues and tones within the colours are utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work that we see. Honestly they make the interiors look better than I believe they are, and the work on that last page, holy mackerel! One of the things that I really am enjoying is that Kurz isn't resting on his laurels. While those who are exiled sit around and act like it's business as usual, because who would dare be foolish enough to go against lifetimes of the way things are done? I cannot wait to see what Dan and co. have in store for us next or how Dejah is once again going to have rise up and remind the people of Barsoom of the power that she wields!

#comic books #comics reviews #dynamite entertainment #Dan Abnett #vasco georgiev #dearbhla kelly #simon bowland

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runningwhump · 5 years

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Things get worse

Vasco is in for a bad time... (disclaimer, I know nothing about programming)

They were late with the food today. Or maybe they had just been fucking with the fake window? Vasco didn't know. He was too hungry and pissed off to really care what they were doing, all he knew was that he was going to get out and tear this bloody gang to the ground asap.

By his count (which was only based on the screen that acted as a window, so who knows if it's even correct. Not him, that's who.) He had been in this cell, alone, in silence, with one meal and one cup of water a day, for two weeks.

'A few days' his ass. He knew he had designated the guy in charge an asshole to begin with, but this just proved it. Two weeks was way longer than a few days. One business trip? (That was what they guy had said, right?) Surely it couldn't have taken two weeks. Asshole.

Vasco knew that he was repeating himself somewhere in the back of his mind, but he was too hungry and cold and so damn tired and hungry to care. He couldn't remember if they had brought him food at all yesterday. If a day had even passed? Who knew. The Boss, probably.

The door began to screech open. He hadn't heard the footsteps outside that announced the food guys presence, so maybe it was a permanent guard? He had guessed there were two if he remembered correctly. Big 'if', that. Had he just been zoned out? He honestly didn't know anymore. He hadn't slept in... A while. No point in assigning days or times if his only time measure was almost surely being fucked with.

The cracked door was more open now, and a bright silver of white light speared through, blinding Vasco. His only light source for however long was just the yellow-green florescent, and the occasional 'sun'. It made his dehydration driven headache 10x worse.

The man opening the door, Vasco noticed as his eyes adjusted, was not the one who had dragged him in here to begin with. This man was smaller (just about) and had blond hair instead of brown. Vasco couldn't make out much more, but he was definitely struggling with the door more than guard 1.

Speak of the devil, Vasco thought darkly as the man himself pushed past blondie and strode over to the cot where Vasco was sat.

He grabbed the Vasco's arms roughly, pulling them forward and clamping handcuffs around his thin wrists and dragging him to his feet. Guard one (he really needed a better name) kept a hold of Vasco's arm as he marched out of the cell and down the barren and excruciatingly well lit hallway. No words were exchanged - the guards didn't seem the conversational type to Vasco, and he was afraid that his own voice would be croaky and rough from lack of water and disuse.

They brought him up two flights of stairs this time, and while his head still throbbed at every rough yank of guard 1 at least they lights were better. They seemed softer up here, the harsh bulbs contained in diffusing lampshades rather than clear plastic. They made less noise, too.

He was shoved into another room, and suddenly realised that he had forgotten to keep track of where he had been taken. He needed to remember that for the way back - if he was ever going to escape then it was ridiculously important to know the layout of the building.

The room he was in was certainly nicer than his cell, but not nearly as clean looking as The Boss' office. The floors were still concrete, for one. The walls were painted white, but were not plastered so he could still see the pattern of the breeze blocks making up the wall. But that was where the similarities with his cells stopped. This room was bigger, with no metal furniture in sight. There was a desk made of a pale wood in the middle of the room with a black plastic office chair sat in front. A large window hung on the far wall, but Vasco was 90% sure it was fake like the one in his cell. There were even a few plants on the window sill, short stems with dense red flowers and dark leaves. They were clearly fake, even from where Vasco was stood in the doorway, but they were a nice touch. There was another on the desk, a fern this time, next to a large computer monitor and smooth looking keyboard. The other half of the desk was empty besides the fake plant and a pad of paper.

The Boss was stood once again with his back to Vasco in front of the window. The door slammed behind him, and when he sharply turned around he saw that while it appeared wooden from the outside, it was the same type of door into his cell, minus the food flap.

The Boss turned around at the noise, and the guard let go of Vasco's arm. He stalked over to the opposite side of the desk, and leaned his hands on the side without the monitor. The Boss smiled at him without changing his eyes. His voice was bright and upbeat, as if Vasco wasn't stood shackled and starving.

"ready to get to work?" He asked. It wasn't a question.

#my stuff #vasco #captivity #restrained #hunger #i'll update this tomorrow (today) if i have time this is just the set up for the idea i have #but its currently 1:00 am and i need 3 sleep #also im balming that for thubgd that got past my proof read again ill check it over in the morning #*need 2 sleep lmao case in fuckin point #also blaming not balming #good night!!!!#idk what i meant to say buy tubgd so uh. nevermind

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southrift-galaxy-safaris-blog · 4 years

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Hidden Paradise of Malindi

Malindi is a town on Malindi Bay at the mouth of the Galana River, lying on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya. It is 120 kilometres northeast of Mombasa. Malindi is one of the beautiful coastal towns in Kenya, steeped in rich heritage with several cultural and historic places to discover or re-discover. The small town of Malindi is at the centre of a strip of idyllic tropical beaches offering the visitor a range of world class resorts and quiet relaxing hideaways. Walk through the Forest, explore the mangroves by boat, dive on the reef or try your hand at big game fishing. At the North coast you have all these choices and more, with the space and freedom to relax, unwind, and soak up the atmosphere. Malindi has a wide variety of exciting activities and sights due to its diverse landscapes and it is truly a paradise with serene beauty and unspoiled surrounds. Vasco da Gama Pillar. After being turned away from Mombasa, it was here where the explorer Vasco de Gama landed. The pillar stands at the point where he came ashore. The pillar is one of the oldest remaining monument in Africa. It was built in 1498 by Vasco da Gama as a symbol of appreciation for the welcome the Sultan of Malindi gave him. Malindi Museum Society Its structure is a symbol of Swahili architecture and contains displays of a stuffed coelacanth, archaeological findings dug up around the coast, and a collection of rare vigango (wooden burial tortems).The museum also doubles as an information centre where visitors are able to find more information on attractions and happenings in Malindi. Malindi Marine National Park From swimming with zebra fish to windsurfing, this beautiful slice of Kenya’s Indian Ocean coastline is provides the perfect getaway. The park is endowed with magnificent resources such as fringing reefs, coral gardens in the lagoons, sea grass beds, mangroves, mudflats, marine mammals, turtles and various species of shorebirds. Visitors can also enjoy glass bottom boat rides, snorkelling, camping and beach walks in this veritable paradise. Marafa Depression Also known as Hell’s Kitchen, is an odd sandstone canyon outside of Malindi, Kenya. Known locally as Nyari - “the place broken by itself” - it was once a great sandstone ridge worn by wind, rain, and floods into a series of jagged gorges. The layer-cake colors of the sandstone reveal whites, pinks, oranges, and deep crimsons, making the gorge particularly striking at sundown, when tones of the ribbed sandstone gullies are highlighted and mirrored by those of the setting sun. Gedi ruins. The forest holds another secret, the lost town of Gedi, a deserted trading Swahili town hidden deep in the forests, whose winding passages and crumbling walls tell of a long and mysterious past. Set in an idyllic location on the Indian Ocean, and buried deep in a lush forest, the town was thought to have been founded in the early 13th-century, although hard evidence eludes most scientists. But what has really baffled researchers is the well-established town’s mysterious abandonment and incredible development. Relaxation at world class spots On your visit to Malindi, stay at some of the most stunning and luxurious resorts and hotels in the town. The hotels and resorts feature relaxing spas for exciting therapy and all-out indulgence, chic bars and restaurant for fine dining, relaxing swimming pools and much more. Stunning beaches and scenery Many people visit Malindi because of its smooth sandy beaches and crystal clear water. Malindi beaches features a host of pristine coasts, beach resorts, beachside restaurants and sea activities. There is a beach for everyone in Malindi. The beaches are perfect for water activities such as deep sea fishing, surfing, diving, water-skiing, snorkelling, and many others. Nightlife in Malindi The Malindians love to party and the town is famed for its vibrant nightlife. Malindi holidays are the best time to relax and enjoy the company of your friends. The relaxed atmosphere of the town is so different from that of Nairobi and Mombasa, but it’s quite amazing. You can enjoy a lively nightlife at the town’s various clubs and bars. Fun for everyone Whether you are planning a family vacation, romantic weekend getaway, thrilling adventure, retreats and sightseeing tours, Malindi offers fun and excitement for all ages, preferences and budgets. Vacation in Malindi is fun and exciting and create lifetime memories. Malindi Holiday Offers https://silverbirdsafari-africa.com/malindi-holiday-offers.html Top Weekend Getaway Deals in Kenya If you think you have to travel far to enjoy a nice weekend, you may never get away. Besides, you can enjoy a beautiful weekend right here in Kenya. There are countless wallet-friendly Kenyan weekend getaways that won’t even break your budget. Don’t spend your weekend, doing absolutely nothing at home. Whether you are looking for romantic destinations, pristine beaches, and adventurous outdoor activities, there are plenty wallet-friendly getaways that will satisfy your weekend desires. Mombasa South Coast Self Drive Deals Lake Nakuru & Elementaita Self Drive Deals Lukenya & Machakos Self Drive Amboseli and Tsavo Holiday Self Drive Deals Mt. Kenya & Aberdare Self Drive Holiday Deals Mombasa North Coast Self Drive Deals Samburu Holiday Self Drive Deals Masai Mara Self Drive Holiday Packages Malindi & Watamu Self Drive Deals Nyahururu & Laikipia Holiday Self Drive Deals Top Madaraka Express SGR Holiday Deals 2 Nights Malindi & Watamu holiday with SGR 2 Nights Amboseli Holiday With SGR 2 Nights Tsavo Holiday With SGR Sa 2 Nights Voi Holiday With SGR 2 Nights Mombasa North Coast With SGR 2 Nights Mombasa South Coast With SGR Read the full article

#magicalKenya #makeitkenya #tembeakenya #whyIloveKenya #adventuretravel #africansafaris #besttravelagent #HolidayinMombasa #Kenyaholidays #Kenyavacation #Mombasabeachpackages #placestovisitinkenya #toptraveldestinations #travel

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jbinbcn · 5 years

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North Trip

06-09.12.2018

Pamplona - San Sebastian - Zumaya - Bilbao - Vitoria

Long weekend trip with ESN! I had never visited the North of Spain so when I saw the opportunity to go there with ESN, I bought the ticket :D And I needed to take a day off on Friday (6.12 is a holiday in Spain). SO GOOD SO GOOD!

4 days, 5 cities, more than 1300 km !

And I could see my lovely ocean after 2 years! <3 But for sure I’ll come back there! Still so many places to visit! Asturiuuunuuus are waiting XD So let’s start from the beginning.

06.12.2018 Valencia -> Pamplona

The meeting point was at 5 ! I slept 3h... and when I was walking to the bus I passed so many drunk people enjoying the night xD Why so early? Because it’s around 6h in the bus, we could leave Valencia even earlier to have more time for visiting. I slept like dead.. I got used to it, I just sit in the bus/train/car and I sleep. The bus stopped in the middle of nowhere for a break. There was a huge restaurant-shop to enjoy breakfast. I liked that place. Nice to have something like that, not only McDonalds and Orlen hot dogs.

At 8 I enjoyed from the bus the sunrise. It was really cool one, but yeah, photos through the window...

A few words about spanish landscapes. What I noticed, Spain is sooo empty. I mean, when you drive a car on the highway, there is nothing, no buildings, no forests, nothing. Just mountains in many parts, and windmills. I mean, for me is totally different from this what I see in Poland ;) Especially those mountains, but this in -> Chulilla.

We arrived around 12:00 to Pamplona. Our first city. ESN guys took us around the center doing their best city tour.

---In the brackets I’ll write the name in BASQUE language!--- Probably you know about Cataluña, independence and catalán language. Spain is even more crazy. In the North of Spain there is a Basque Country (es: Pais Vasco, Euskadi) - yes, we are still in Spain. It’s an Autonomous Community (one of 17). But they have own language, spanish and basque are co-official languages there. You think, yeah sure language, probably it’s just dialect, he he, no xD Euskara It’s one of the languages which the etymologists can not find origins. For sure none of the European and is a language isolate to any other know ones. It’s like magic. My personal feelings (don’t take it serious): for me it’s a language of wildness, of woodsmen, of Vikings! Like big bearded guys xD sorry 🙈

Still don’t believe me? So let’s have a look at the examples of the words, english - spanish - euskara

my favorite one: butterfly - mariposa - tximeleta others: hello - hola - aupa yes - si - bai no - no - ez kiss - beso - musua beach - playa - hondartza xDDD restaurant - restaurante - jatetxea father - padre - aita I love you - te quiero - maite zaitut ❤

Sooo? Do you agree with me that is like viking? XD BASQUE MAN TRUE MAN!

If you still think that I chose only really different words, go to wikipedia, find some article (like famous one) and change the language to Euskara and enjoy ;) BTW, The girl from Bilbao said that Eusakara is a difficult language to learn. There are 12 gramatical cases !!!! Ok hungarian still wins - 29... For spanish speakers:

youtube

For others, from 1:30:

youtube

----------

But let’s back to the trip.

Pamplona (Iruña) 06.12.2018 In polish - Irunia - is a cute version of a name Irena ;)

It’s a capital city of Comunidad Foral de Navarra (Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea). So it’s not a “basque” city - I mean, autonomous community, but it’s in Basque Country as a region (Euskal Herria).

It’s really easy to notice when you passed the border of Spain and Basque region. Unfortunately we didn't stop to take some breathtaking photos, and from the window.. you know..

Mountains appearing in the fog...

For me it was amazing! But not on the photos. Sorry not sorry.

Do you know what Pamplona is famous for? ---Running of the bulls (encierro)--- During 9-day festival of Sanfermines (6-7 of July) First run is on 7th, at 8 am. And then day by day till the end. It’s a good time to visit Pamplona second time ;) Then I can describe the whooooole tradition. Right now just some words. Origins: 14th century, men wanted to be faster and faster with transporting their bulls to the market square. They noticed that the best way is to make the bulls excited and frightened. After a while young boys and others started to making a competition between each other - who will be the fastest in the pens without being injured and overtaken. Because spanish people are crazy, the tradition expanded popularity and nowadays it’s preserved in many spanish cities. In Pamplona tradition is more touristic now, so maybe is better to go to another city to enjoy the old tradition. Enjoy - maybe it’s a wrong word, I don’t know if I would be strong enough to watch people running and getting injured and those poor bulls which will finish at the arena for a fight and dead at the end with a long way. In 1910 they began record-keeping and since then 15 people died. Last one in 2009. On wikipedia you can check exact data if you are interested. ----------

Step by step how we visited in few hours Pamplona (with many photos).

We started at the Plaza del Castillo, center of the city, social life, concerts, markets, events. The buildings around are really beautiful and reminded me Krakow ;)

The weather was like warm autumn.. ahh <3

El kiosko is a heart of the square.

Then we just followed ESN and enjoying the city. Of course we chose city tour in spanish, si si!

Around the cathedral there was a nice terrace to have a view of Pamplona from one side.

ESN guide tour we finished at Ayuntamiento. Baroque style, lions bearing coats of arms and a trumpet-blowing angel.

FREEEE TIME, means exactly food time.

---And now food story--- Vasco Pais is known as a land of pintxos. What’s that? Do you know tapas? Yes, the same “style”, just smaller. Pintxos - small “finger” foods. Like small sandwiches (takie kanapeczki koreczki). Slice of bread with a toothpick in the middle holding the rest together. They can be warm or cold. You enter the bar and in front of you there are all available pintxos, sometimes in the menu you can find more, which have to served warm. How to order? Depends, there are 2 ways. If the plate is on the counter and pintxos are easy to take, take the plate and put there whatever you want. If there are no plates or pintxos are behind the glass, just walk around, choose what you like and then ask a waiter to serve you them. In some bars they are all in the same price so you pay for how many toothpicks you have on the plate after all, or just you pay at the beginning when they are served. Funny fact: you enter the bar and you see it a little bit (or veeeery) dirty, like the floor is full of napkins. It means that the bar is good one, visited by many locals. Wtf?! It’s more hygienic to throw it than to keep it next to your food. In pintxos bars there are not places to sit. Pintxos are for standing socializing. You have a pintxo, you talk, you enjoy, you drink txacoli (sparkling, very dry white wine). You change the bar. It’s like pintxos crawling. Of course there are competitions which bars serve the best ones. ----------

So we knew what we want to eat - pintxos - claro que si. And the best for that is street called: Estafeta (on this street bulls run during the festival). But we found “the best ones” which won some prizes last year: Restaurante Baserriberri.

When we saw the prices there… 3e for a small pintxo xDDD

But then we saw that the waiters are serving something really interesting. In the menu we checked that this pintxo - bOOmveja - won last year some prize. Look:

The form is not eatable. It’s printed in 3d printer. Inside I tasted some parkerhouse rolls (???? butter bread?) with (as we said) sheep cheese. It was amazing, so delicious, mmmm <3

What I found about the ingredients? Read that xDDD But I can recommend. 3,5e, smaller than appetizer but was good XD

Then we went to the plaza de castillo to eat what we still had in our backpacks :D

Uncle Google recommended us to visit Ciudadela - 16-century fortress which from the top looks like an extraterrestrial star. In 18th century it was a prison, now it’s a park to chill. We took some stupid photos and it was time to come back to the bus.

On our way we passed Baluarte Palacio de Congresos y Auditorio de Navarra - cultural center, modern art, art art art. And we stopped on Plaza de Toros next to Bullfighting Monument to take such an awesome video (I’m wondering how many people had the same idea).

So there was nobody! Finally some old people appeared so I asked them (I knew that it’s stupid idea) if some of them can take a short video of us (because I wanted to be in the video as well…). I prepared my phone, the old man, how to stand, what to click, we did our performance.

I checked what he had recorder... eh yes.. one more time please, again, preparing everything I even clicked the start… but he clicked the stop to early xD

Well… at least he helped!

So bus time again. Pamplona - thank you and maybe see you in July. All day should be enough if you (like me) don’t visit all museums from inside. Next city!

San Sebastian (Donostia)

My favorite city in the northern Spain !! I’d live there just because of the view and location. The other aspects I don’t know ;)

We arrived to the “hostel”. Exactly we arrived to some place in the middle of something. And behind the hill we found our hostel. If you have a car or money for the taxi - is ok, they are able to reach the place. If not, like we, only big bus, we had to climb and then go down to find the hostel. It was already dark so even we didn’t know what we are doing, darkness. Of course, mess at the beginning who is with who in the room (sorryyyy Carlyne!). But finally we managed it to be together (5!) and 6th one scotch-italiano new friend ;)

Some free time and then all the group took a public bus to go to the center for a dinner, before party, party and after party depends on your strength.

So it was night sightseeing in San Sebastian.

Of course we went to eat pintxos. So much tourists. We entered to Senra Zaharrean.

Pintxos calientes ;)

It was a little bit crowded, but we waited like 5min to get a table. In this restaurant you take a plate, put what you want, pay. If you wanna beer, the waiter will bring you. Or if you’re going to the table you can pay later.

Next step we decided to buy some % and enjoy on the beach side. Of course hiding, drinking from the plastic bag.. 🙈

And then ESN and others came and we went to do BOTELLON ---------- I think I’ve never explained what is botellon. So it’s before party. Like we meet somewhere outside with a lot of alco etc, we enjoy, drink, have some social life before going to the clubs. Clubs in Spain are open mostly after midnight, people appear there more around 1-2 because during that time you don’t pay for the entrance, or you pay less. ----------

So our botellon was on the beach, under promenade. Good place, I recommend you to visit it during your stay in San Sebastian xD

And because I love the ocean so much I was in heaven. I haven’t seen it for 2,5 years! Ocean is the power, strength. It keeps me calm but gives me the energy at the same time. I’m in trance like I wrote once on fb ;)

I spend I think 1h looking at waves, were good/big enough. Satisfying ;) But because in Dec I didn’t have any winter clothes with me and north is quite cold during “winter” I started freezing so I came back to the Botellon. It was first and last time when I could see the ocean during the night. Hope to come back soon :D

To be honest I was so tired after this first day and night in the bus. Or I’m getting old too fast. :( But when ESN said that we have a free beer in the bar Bataplan, I went there to enjoy it xD #cebula

But it was one of the worst beers ever. Ble.. Carlyne took wine and it was even worse xD So it wasn’t worth but at least was warm. Erasmus had a karaoke party there and later they were supposed to go to the club to dance but no idea.

We decided to come back to the hostel. But because it was sooo f. away we had 2 options. Walk 3,5km oooor take a taxi. The problem was that we were 5 and nobody wanted to take us, and 2 taxis - too expensive come on xD So we walked xD 40min, up and down. I felt like in Porto od Gdynia, we go up, we go down, do it again again again, do it again again again. But it was ok, I did my steps.

The hostel was ok, just the shower “perfect size”, like you enter and don’t move. And localization - terrible. For sure not for me, but for the big group works well.

Morning we started with of course breakfast but then city tour in San Sebastian. We had to move out, take our things to the bus, leave them there and enjoy San Sebastian during the day - the weather was perfect <3

So now it’s time for photos ;)

At the beginning we had a city tour with ESN. We started next to the beach to go up for the view.

Parte Vieja - old town, just walking and enjoying.

Rumbo! XD Better version of it. (Rumbo is a club in Valencia which I don’t like and I don’t recommend). Una mierda.

Can you see a heart?

I read on the internet about this basque dessert so we tried. Like sweet rice pudding - good one!

Ayuntamiento - It’s kind of masterpiece, no? Before it was casino, you know, politicians, businessmen, etc.

And around:

Urgull Mendia is a hill by the ocean. It’s a perfect chilling spot for enoying the view. AMAZING!

The flag of Basque Country.

Mamma mia !

ahhh my stupid pink-eye-make-up... Sad story behind :(

Heheszki

Yes, I’m happy :))

Museo de San Telmo - the oldest and the biggest in Basque Country. From prehistory to modernity. The original part of the museum it was a Dominican convent (XVI) so it’s like mix of the styles. Yes, I haven’t visited it inside.

Unfortunately we didn’t have time for many things!!! But I’m pretty sure they are worth a visit. :(

Monte Igueldo - The view has to be amazing. You can reach it by the antique funicular railway. On the top there is amusement park and tower - El Torreón.

La Catedral del Buen Pastor - 10 000 whistles in the organ - one of the biggest in Europe.

Isla de Santa Clara - to be honest - I’ve NOT seen it !!! Writing this I’m reading some stuffs and then I see on the photos the island, I’m like wtf, there was not any island! I checked my photos, yes, on mines the island “doesn’t exist”, because I was on the other side and for me it was just one land, one coast. Eh :( Another reason to come back!

There is a small cafe and a lighthouse. But you can access it only between 1th June and 30th September via ferry.

Paseo Nuevo - fuck my life. Another thing which I haven’t seen! It’s a new promenade around the Urgull hill, starts in Kursaal, and finishes in the port. It’s famous for the photos with huge waves. Come on, it’s my element (no byłabym w swoim żywiole!). Who wants to join me?

Peine del Viento - one of the best-known works by sculptor Eduardo Chillida. If you wanna a postcard from Donostia, probably it will be with those sculptures. We were supposed to go there, it’s on the opposite side of the beach (Playa de Ondarreta) but we didn’t have enough time so we came back to the old town. AND if we had gone there, we would have seen also the island… so bad so bad JB. Those sculptures are so heavy and there is story behind them, but I’m not gonna write about it, not yet! I’ll go, I’ll explore, I’ll learn, I’ll take pictures, then I can tell you more - my version :D

So when we noticed that there is no time for the sculptures, we went to eat pintxos, how it could be different. And to be honest we found finally cheap <more or less> and good ones! Oh yeah! So I recommend this place in San Sebastian - Bar Gorriti.

On the floor there were a lot of napkins so it had to be good! In this one you say what you want and the waiter will put it on the plate, what has to be served warm, he will give you in 2-3min. Here I tried txicoli, yeah, sparkling and sour. But the way how they serve it, look!

I took some bowl, it was warm pintxo and really good one! It was my favorite one I think. Inside there was kind of mixed meat, maybe some smashed potatoes and it was fried - recommend!

Next step was - to chill xD I could see so many things but what I did? I went to sleep on the beach xD It was really good siesta, I just lied down on the wall and I was enjoying my dreams. And from there we had a view on the surfers - this is surfing, not like in Valencia, minimal waves, no adrenaline, etc (but they do it in Valencia! lol).

When I wake up (15-20min, true afternoon siesta), I went to say goodbye to the ocean. Calm me baby.

Then the bus and let’s go to another city!

Zumaya

We went there only for like 45min. Why? There is an amazing view spot. Some scenes of Game of Thrones were recorded there (I don’t know which ones, I don’t watch it, sorry not sorry). But maybe you can guess from photos:

But it was the only place where was raining and was soooo f*ck… windy! Omg xD

But it was worth it. You know, act like nothing is happening, just for photos, and then run away before you fall off. But amazing, amazing! Basque landscapes - wow!

zmokła kura.

Next city!

Bilbao 07.12.2018

We arrived when was dark already, so like always, just run away from the bus (because it stopped where it shouldn’t), take the luggage and enter the hostel. This time the hostel was more or less in the center so walking time (probably we would have walked even if it had been located somewhere outside xD). We had some time to prepare, do shopping, before leaving for botellon.

So we did. A good shopping. Just look xD We wanted to be prepared, not like in San Sebastian, just one beer. HE HE XDD

That night ESN prepared for us a dinner, like tortillas de patatas, chips chips chips, chorizos, jamones, etc.

After that we had some drinking games and then let’s go! Botellon spot was next to Guggenheim Museum - artistic botellon! And here will be the story of Bilbao xD

I left my phone in the hostel, because I’m with big group, we have a lot of vodka, just to be sure that I won’t lose it. The hostel had 3 doors to pass, entrance - code, room area - code, room - code. Better because we were 12 (!!!) in the room so impossible to share one key (like in San Sebastian). I hadn’t known that, and when receptionist saw me fighting with the “room area” door, he gave me a card with all codes and with the address of the hostel. I put it to the pocket with thinking - it will be useful. We (5 of us) started drinking during the way to botellon (you know, like there is no time). And yes, for 2 of us it was a little bit bad idea XD And when ESN said that we have to go to the club to enter before 2 (because for free), I decided to take a friend home, another 2 stayed, one left with ESN. So it was like 15min walking, more or less 2 big streets. To remind - I didn’t have my phone with me, and the other person phone didn’t work - wtf! Like just stopped, all apps from Google just stopped. We were left without a map… I just knew one street at the beginning and that’s all. So ok, we will ask on the streets. I even didn’t remember the hostel name xDDD Buuut yes, a had an address!!! <3 First person to ask - young dustman. When he showed me the map, I was like, fuck, we are lost already, after 10min we were somewhere else than we were supposed to be. Ok, he said, go straight and at the end ask someone else. But I really needed to use the toilet, like really. And then I saw some cafe in the middle of some park, it looked like private party, but the door was a little bit open, I entered like without touching, like I’m matching perfect to this open door hole. I said - HOLA, my instinct just knew were to go to find a bathroom, I used, I came back to that door, I said - ADIOS. Easy xD We asked again some people in this park about the way. Then we again asked some young guys, they look at the map and like - oooookeeeey, maybe we will take you there. They knew about crazy Erasmus life. They understood those feelings. We were walking walking walking, then they said that it’s at the end of the street. You even can’t imagine how happy we were. But then we were lost again xD My friend because of hiccup was hiding behind - glass lift xD when I was asking some group of old people (+60) about the hostel. They were like, it’s here… And then I look around, I noticed Carrefour (where we did our lovely shopping). I can not explain those positive emotions which I had that time… That happiness! When I entered the room, the rest of the group was sleeping already.. how?!?! We were walking for 1,5h hour… Love you Bilbao ;*

In the morning, breakfast, shower (we had 1 shower for 12 people, good luck), and let’s explore what we explored during the night. No idea how was our path. I tried my best, but yeah.. We went first to Guggenheim Museum. Ok, I was fascinated (I think first time) because I read a book of Dan Brown - Origin (Początek) last Christmas and there were some of the actions.

Solomon Guggenheim was crazy about abstract art, his flat started being to small for all his collection, so he set a foundation up and established museum - Museum of Non-Objective Painting. But the place was also too small. Frank Lloyd Wright designed a new building. When you think about museum, probably you think about old building, you know artistic, wow, photogenic, wow, art, wow, majestic! This one was different, was destroying all the well-known rules. The collection was growing and growing and in 80s the contemporary director Thomas Krens decided to set branches up. That time Bilbao was a dying city. There was an economic crisis, the big industrial companies crashed. The Basque government asked Krens to build of the branch in Bilbao, he asked Frank Gehr to construct it. It cost a lot of money, but was built on time and budget. Has it helped Bilbao? A lot! Maybe that’s why you know that city. ~9000 workplaces, during first 2 years more than 2 600 000 people visited the museum!

The building is made of titanium and glass. You can see there fish, flower or a sailing boat, depends from which side you are looking at (or how “creative” you are ;) ). Around the museum you can find:

Puppy - West Highland terrier, 13m, 16 tonnes, tens thousands of flowers.

Maman - “mummy”, spider, almost 10m, includes a sac with 32 eggs, meaning: mother’s protection - soft for children, dangerous for others - many interpretations.

Fire fountain - from time to time 5 fountains blast flames into the sky - I haven’t seen :/

Tulips - bunch of 7 large tulips (5m) like a baloons.

Tall Tree & The Eye - 73 reflective spheres, too deep to write.

Fog - it appears from time to time.

The entrance: 16e, 9e (students <26). Better to check the hours and if that day is open.

We had a headphones with the guide (in english). You clicked the interesting number and you could hear the story. Take the map with you.

It’s really big but accidentally I went first to the room with sculpture of THE MATTER OF TIME. For me it’s sooooo fascinating! It was in the book of Dan Brown and it’s not art which you should go deep in, like think why it looks like that, what the author thought, no! Richard Serra is known as an artist whose sculptures you can’t feel, you can’t get them with your eyes only, you can’t look at them and understand them. It’s all about physical feeling. When he started, people didn’t like his art, it was ugly for them. It’s impossible to show his sculptures on the photos, because they mean nothing then. You have to walk through them, they will work for you physically (no w sensie, że nie fizycznie odczujesz co ziomek chciał przedstawiać, zacznie Ci się kręcić, w głowie, albo jakieś inne takie efekty specjalne). Maybe you know those blocks in front of the Museum of Holocaust in Berlin? He designed them. On the photos - hmm you don’t know wtf, but when you walk through you should start feeling lonely, uneasy, lost. This art I appreciate :D So what about The matter of time? 8 sculptures, the lightest piece weights 44 tons and the heaviest 276 tons - wow - together - 1034 tons - wow! In the room next to it you can find everything explained and small version of it to have a better look at the construction.

After the previous night I was a little bit dizzy, but when I passed all those sculptures I wanted to die. It seriously works! It makes you dizzy, you feel like it’s closing you inside, you lose the orientation, you are lost in time. Maybe it’s better to visit this room at the end, to feel better during walking on the 2nd and 3rd floor.

One more room was quite interesting on the 1st floor. In the middle there were kind of bowels (flaki, wnętrzności, takie jelitka czy ciul wie co). In one corner just phone recording you and showing it on a big screen - lol. Kind of strange tent - no idea. Some flying big balloons, salt xD

And 3 figures of dogs. Here I listened to the record carefully but when the guide said that it’s Maria and Jesus.. well.. I changed the channel.

Next floors (2nd & 3rd) - omg so boring (sorry art lovers). Paintings, paintings… no sense, no feelings, no. Aaaaa and it was forbidden to take photos :/ I noticed it too late xD

But this painting... wtf ! Or there was one, totally black, with one white corner. No.

And then we went to eat! Pintxos, claro que si! We just were walking with ESN, but because the group was too big, we entered to the next bar. Also recommended! I liked it.

Plaza Albia

I saw that they also have those balls so I took one. Hmm it was different, not that delicious buuuuuut

The sauce was so so so f. spicy! But good at the same time, like you keep eating mmm it’s perfect, but when you stop... better to not stop XD

mniam mniam mniam!

Napkins on the floor!

Then we walked a little bit and decided to come back to the museum (there was our meeting point) and chill there.

Bilbao’s architecture:

Then we had a city tour with guys from ESN Bilbao so we learnt more about the city from true basque people :)

Beautiful sunset!

We decided to eat for a dinner CAROLINA! It’s like another basque dessert. But on our way we found bubble wafer which I always wanted to try in Krakow so... (szału nie ma dupy nie urywa).

And we found carolinas! In Poland we have something similar for winters and we call it - warm ice creams - ciepłe lody. Mniam :D

On our way to the hostel... we passed the street to the right and we noticed 10min later when we were on the top of the hill... Bilbao <3

So this night was our! Like finally we wanted to end up in the basque club! Por favor xD But this time we needed to take metro and walk a little bit (~40min in total) and we had botellon just in front of the club. But what it was a club! xDDD When we were walking from the metro we were like in the worst part of the city, between some industrial buildings, garages etc. Like wtf. And then we stopped on the parking, and we were playing games and drinking (more careful than the day before). When I asked ESN where is the club they showed closed door to one of the garages XD And yes, it was this, around midnight the door opened and you could see that this can be a club. How it was? Typical spanish club, maybe not enough of reggaeton and music to dance, like to many songs of electro something, but at all - not bad. I was thinking to walk to the hostel but when I saw the area and everything, nope, metro. Even taxi doesn’t go there xD And when we were waiting for the club, spanish people started arriving and it was like “village need for speed shows” XDD You know chicos in the cars showing their best screech of tyres (no powiedziałabym sądeckie dresy popisujące się paleniem opon, no poczułam się jak w Nowym Sączu przez chwilę).

So party in the North - checked. At least once xD

In the morning, zombie packing and let’s go to the next city!

Vitoria (Gasteiz) 09.12.2018

It’s a capital city of Basque Country (nope, not Bilbao). It’s not big one but it’s cute. We started next to the new cathedral, again we had a city tour with a girl from ESN Vitoria. It was a good tour!

This place is like social life center. During the summer old people (like +60) meet here to dance. It has to be so cute :D When I pass my 60 I’ll go to Vitoria to dance the whole night :D

This is the new cathedral. Why? Where is the old one? The old one was damaging and the city needed a cathedral so they build new one. But as I heard they are not proud of it - it’s ugly.

We started a sightseeing from a new part. Look at the architecture.

Iglesia de San Miguel

Plaza Nueva It’s like Sunday spot for locals. In the past it was a market place and bull arena. Now it’s a place to meet, grab a drink, etc. Every Sunday children come here to exchange with some posters, stamps, coins etc (pamiętacie wymianę karteczkami? XD).

Plaza de los fueros Before it was Plaza de Abastos - for selling fresh products. New one exist for >30 years. Fuero - forum, open spacec used as market.

In basque cities they have a cool way to put the names of the streets. I like it.

In the wall on the right (second photo on the left) there is a girl. She was walled up and people say that you can hear her sometimes, well.

El Portalon c. XV, traditional basque food, not cheap one.

In Vitoria you can find some nice graffiti.

We finished out tour. Free time for food and it’s time to go back to Valencia. This time I’ll surprise you, for the lunch we ate - kebab! XDDD Because it’s big enough for 6h in the bus and it costs like 2 pintxos so.. xD

Then we walked throught the city, enjoying it last time.

Locals call it - pussy.

In the Florida parkea - the park - there was a kind of Bethlehem. We were looking or a Jesus like 15min xD asking locals if they know, they didn’t, but we found it, it was so hidden!

Nice pig XD

Like in Barcelona.

Sooo that’s all from basque cities. We took a bus to Valencia.

Super trip! I’ll come back, for sure to San Sebastian! Thank you guys! :D

And you did it, you survived till the end XD CONGRATULATIONS!

//whatHappenedInTheNorthStaysInTheNorth

#erasmus #trip #valencia #basque #pamplona #sansebastian #zumaya #bilbao #vitoria

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heromanvasco · 7 years

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"Woah! Puppies!"

@masterofathena gifted Vasco with A Valentine’s day gift! [X] My son is feeling so blessed right now-- //sobs

As per usual, he was going on a 10km jog like he did pretty much every day in order to keep his body fit and in tip top shape. All the better to make himself strong like a regular Hero.

While on his jog, he was listening to his music to occupy his mind with as he was jogging by his lonesome. Just between the pause between the previous song ending and the next song starting up, he could hear a dog barking.

He paid no mind to it at first as many dogs were out on their walks at this time of the day. After he finished his jog, he was going to go home and bring out Hanako for her walk as well.

It wasn't until he could have sworn that the barking was getting louder that curiosity finally got the better of him. What is going on with that dog?

Footsteps coming to a slow halt, he turned to see a familiar, fluffy, white dog. Koromaru, wasn't it? He made sure to check to see that at the other end of the leash would be Aigis's hand.

Check, there she was. Koromaru had not in fact run off from her again. Instead of hunting down the pet, he'd have to go on a hunt for the owner next? Let's not do that.

He approached the pet and owner pair, reaching down to pet Koromaru's head gently, appreciating the silky softness of his fur. He knew that in the back of his mind that Hanako was not going to appreciate the smell of another dog on his hands, but how could you look at a dog and NOT pet it? Look at how happy he looks!

That fluffy tail was really cute as it wagged. Hanako will forgive him eventually, but the guilt of not petting a dog is eternal.

Just as he was about to talk to Aigis, she held something out for him. She mentioned something about how she wanted to thank him for helping her find Koromaru a while back.

Curious, he accepted the gift. It was manners to check the gift that he received, so he looked at it to see-- chocolate cookies! THAT WERE PUPPY SHAPED!

OOOoooooooooOOOohhh!!!~

His mouth hung open wide in shock, not expecting to be gifted anything chocolate related today of all days. Most people avoided him like the plague after all.

Girls especially. Sob

"T-this is for me? Re-really?" A nervous stammer as he was both emotional and feeling awkwardly shy as he wasn't used to being treated nicely, especially not by females who often reacted by screaming as soon as they saw him.

Vasco absolutely adored dogs so being gifted cookies shaped like dogs really made him emotional. Dogs could easily bring forth any reaction out of him.

Red in the face and little ears at the corners of his eyes (so he's an emotional guy who cries easily, so sue him) he looked at Aigis with a sincere smile on his face.

"Thank you so much, Aigis! The thought means a lot to me, really it does." He carefully stowed the bag away in the large pocket of his track suit.

Seeing as Koromaru was looking around excitedly, probably wanting to continue on with his walk, "Are you still in the middle of taking him for a walk? Want to walk together for a while?"

Ah. That kinda just got blurted out. She wasn't going to feel put off or scared, was she? He just felt that jogging with a friend was always better than being alone.

#Masterofathena #Aigis Vday 2k17 #Vasco RP starter #((Muse; Aigis))

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juniorformulamotorsport · 6 years

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Sunday, 21st/Monday, 22nd October 2007 – Lisbon, Days 3 and 4

Sunday morning was just as sunny and we duly set off for the suburb of Santa Maria de Belém (known as Belém), to take a look at a variety of things. The day’s entertainment started quite early when about 300 people all tried to cram onto the number 15 tram. Now I don’t do well in crowds, and I’m not the only one, but as we managed to get seats by virtue of being faster and meaner than most tourists it wasn’t too bad. At least I was sitting next to a window so I could look out rather than at the crowds hemming us in on all sides. However, we got as far as the depot and the tram museum and then the driver got out and told us all to get off. He couldn’t explain why, so none of us knew what was going on. We would eventually find out, but not right now. That left a whole crowd of confused tourists wondering why we weren’t being taken to our desired destination. And most of them promptly decamped to the bus stop. As we didn’t have a bus map (the Tourist Office had run out), we decided to grab a cab (or two) and complete the journey to the fabulous Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. That plan didn’t quite work either as the cab driver suddenly found himself face to face with a police-induced jam in the Praça Afonso de Albuquerque in front of the Palacio de Belem, which these days is the Presidential Palace. This turned out to be the monthly ceremony of changing the guard (held on the third Sunday of every month apparently). There were men in uniform blowing trumpets, and others with dogs (one of which was taking serious exception to the music and barking wildly), and then a troupe of horsemen came down the steps at the side and paraded along the road. As Lynne said, it was very nice of them to welcome us, but they shouldn’t have bothered, really.

Anyway, that excitement over with, the five of us finally made it to the monastery, which is overwhelming in its decoration. I can’t now recall why Lynne and I coined the term “lunatic Gothic” to describe some of the more elaborate architecture of the period. I have to say this takes it to a whole other level, and can probably be best described as “certifiable Gothic”. The building – inside and out – resembles nothing so much as a massive white wedding cake, over-decorated to the point of meltdown by a confectioner who simply didn’t know when to stop. They say less is more. Not here it isn’t. Here, more is more. I can’t recall seeing anything like it anywhere, and I simply wandered about gob-smacked, not knowing which way to look first. It’s like walking into a forest of fantastical trees, and, as intended no doubt, the eye is drawn irresistibly upwards by the pillars in the nave. The first thing you come up against is the tomb of Vasco da Gama, and it gets better and better from there. It also helped that a choir was singing, the voices soaring into the glorious roof space. It was brilliant and I couldn’t help but take dozens of photos of the details. Mass was about to start so we had to shuffle back out, and thus wandered into the Museum of Archaeology next door, which is free on Sundays before 14.00. I particularly enjoyed the exhibition of the Treasures of Portuguese Archaeology, which had some fabulous gold jewellery, including a marvellous torc that I wanted to take away with me. I didn’t, but it was close! Once we’d explored the museum, we made our way to the monastery cloisters, which are lovely, in an overwrought sort of way. Some of the gargoyles are amazing, and I was taken with the one in the shape of a cricket.

By now in need of sustenance, we staggered the few yards to the rabbit warren of a building that houses the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém, where we skilfully found a table in nothing flat and proceeded to order and down ten (two each) of the delicious little pastéis de Belém (custard tarts) that they have been making there since 1837, a cup of strong coffee each and some water. Apparently on a daily basis they make around 10,000 tarts, and at weekends that doubles. So, 90,000 custard tarts a week. That’s a lot of custard. And very good they were too.

Suitably fortified, we headed off through the park, over the railway line and along the road to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, which was put up as a temporary monument over fifty years ago but is still there. The statues on the outside are of the various Portuguese navigators and others involved in the Age of Discoveries. They had seagulls on their heads, of course. They also look out along the River Tagus in an excited way, and are massive. There’s something very Soviet bloc about them, which is not that surprising given that they were built under the Salazar regime. The monument itself contains a couple of exhibition spaces, and has a lift to the gallery at the top, which affords some superb views both of the monastery and it’s surroundings, but also of the river and the statue of Christ on the other bank, making you think you might be in a scaled down version of Rio de Janeiro, which of course is not that far from the truth in some ways. Four of us went up to the top in the lift (Lynne refused, predictably enough), and then after “oohing” and “aahing” at the views, made ourselves dizzy by walking back down the stairs because we couldn’t be bothered to wait for the lift to empty. There we go with the up and down again.

From there we wandered finally to the Torre de Belém, which is as fanciful as the monastery, despite its utilitarian purpose. It was originally used for defence, being matched by a second tower on the other side of the Tagus. The idea was that anyone attacking by river would be caught in the crossfire between the two towers, which seems like a pretty effective idea to me. The tower itself is in pretty good condition now after a great deal of renovation, and is one the prettiest fortresses I’ve ever encountered. The steps leading to each floor are a bit of a bugger though, and I’m damn glad I’ve lost weight because if I hadn’t I’m not sure I’d have been able to get up there, and I certainly don’t think anyone would have been able to get past me going the other way. It wasn’t easy as it was. Finally, exhausted, we retreated to sit on a bench in the park and watched as a number of small boys were prevented from investigating too closely the lethal looking jellyfish that were floating in the shallow water like an ethereal flotilla. Very pretty – very dangerous.

Worn out now, we got the tram and metro back to the hotel, changed and got ready to head out to Estoril to have dinner with our friends Andreas and Esther (of Jenzer Motorsport) and Elaine, Bill and Lorna, all of them in town for the World Series by Renault race meeting at Estoril circuit. It proved to be rather more difficult than we expected, because the Metro was having some sort of technical breakdown and we were already running late for the train for Cais do Sodre to Estoril. We gave up and headed back to the hotel, where they managed to organise us a taxi to take us all the way there. As a result, instead of arriving late, we got there early. After a drink in the American Bar of the Estoril Casino, we had a splendid dinner in the Mandarim Chinese restaurant, with a fine selection of dishes, and plenty of wine. The evening wasn’t done with us either – as we were getting towards the coffee stage, the maitre d’ came over and told us that “The gentleman in the black shirt on the next table wants to pay for your drinks.” We said a very polite thank you, discovering that the “gentleman” was Jonathan Lewis, owner of the Comtec race team, and long-time friend of Bill and Elaine. Then Andreas picked up the after dinner drinks bill, so all in all it was quite a cheap night out! We then gave up on getting a single cab back to Lisbon and headed for the railway station, getting the last but one train back (the 01.04 I think it was), which cost us the princely sum of €1.60 each, and felt incredibly safe. A slight misunderstanding with the maniac cab driver at the other end nearly saw Lynne and I dropped off at the wrong hotel, with the driver blaming us for not speaking Portuguese, even though we’d shown him the print out with the hotel’s address on before we set off. Still, we got back, shared a bottle of Champagne and finally fell into bed at around 02.30. It had been a good – if tiring – day.

On Monday, we got up late, packed and Lynne, Janice and I went out to buy some port. Well, it would have been churlish not to, when there’s so much of it about. A bottle of vintage port, a late bottle tawny and a bottle of white later, we needed a final coffee and a custard tart, so we retired to the café Martinho da Arcada, one of Lisbon’s oldest cafes. We also stopped and took photos of the Elevador de Santa Justa, and then we headed for the hotel, the airport and home.

So now all that remains to do is decide where we’re going next year.

Travel 2007 – Lisbon, Days 3 and 4 Sunday, 21st/Monday, 22nd October 2007 - Lisbon, Days 3 and 4 Sunday morning was just as sunny and we duly set off for the suburb of Santa Maria de Belém (known as Belém), to take a look at a variety of things.

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port-porto-zen-blog · 6 years

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Port, Porto and Zen in Portugal

Portugal to us meant blue ceramic, port wine, custard pies, sea food and the forgotten Europe on the Iberian peninsula. Most all of that is true and more...the quaint little towns, the winding streets with cobbled stones, port wine every where and the now ubiquitous pick-pockets. We visited many towns & cities and will go back again for a longer visit. Until then these pictures will remind us why Portugal is a lovely country.

Porto

In what is considered the north of the country, Porto sits on the estuary that connects the Douro river to the Atlantic. It is a delightful city that has learnt to combine the large city with the small town vibe. A city that is easily traversed by walking the narrow & steep cobbled streets and by plenty of easy public transportation like the trams.

Praça da Batalha

Porto like many European cities has an abundance of squares; large ones are called "Praca" and the smaller ones are called "Largo".

& Cafe's aplenty. Cafe Majestic apparently dates back to 1921 under the name of Elite

& is conveniently located on Catherine which is a pedestrian street.

The ceramics are plenty & everywhere, on the walls, on the tables, in the kitchen and they are so brightly set telling historic tales or reflecting contemporary symbols. They appear on church walls...

...cutting boards....

...they adorn their railway stations at São Bento

...to homes

The city is built on the Duoro river and so the river forms an important part of their lives.

...they live here..

...party here

& plenty of transportation..with libations

..& without

Given the history of Portugal, Porto certainly has its share of churches in town starting with the most famous Clérigos & its Tower.

...San Francisco

Carmelitas and Carmo

The city’s character outside of being the founding region of the delicious Port wine, is made of wide boulevards...

...steep and winding streets

...and old streets with cobble stones and fading facades.

Food in Porto was reasonable but little underwhelming for a Mediterranean country. The Francesinha thought a local Porto dish is interesting and quite tasty...essentially a cheese, meat and sausage sandwich doused in Port sauce.

In addition Portugal has many Michelin star restaurants with a couple in Porto. Our experience at the Yeatman was OK with some interesting dishes.

Guimarães

This is a sleepy little township an hour north east of Porto, easily accessed by train. Its claim to fame is its preservation as a bridge between medieval Europe and the modern. Some also consider it to be the birthplace of Portugal because Afonso Henriques, who went on to be the first king of Portugal, was born here

View from Nossa Senhora da Consolação e dos Santos Passos Church

The main attractions include the 10th century fortress which is typical of any 1000 yr structure that is reasonably preserved...not much to see!

Still some pretty views from the castle accentuated by the lovely fall colors.

the tourists!

...the Palace of the Dukes of Bragança

The old city is typical of most old fortified European towns.

The calmness of the town was one that we enjoyed very much and hope these pictures capture it.

Braga

About 30 minutes by bus from Guimaraes gets you to this quaint but energetic little gem you could easily miss. The whole reason we went was in search of this 14th century hill top sanctuary outside of town called Bom Jesus do Monte.

Its a little bit of a hike from where the local transport drops you off if you choose not to catch the funicular.

Along the hike there are chapels that have depictions of the Passion of Christ

The hike breaks up at a point where the approximately 600 sacred steps begin...

...until we reach the chapel on the top.

But really the views from the top are pretty cool.

Back in main town of Braga, life is full of energy in the town square

in case we forget where we were!

Douro Valley

enough said?

Well, the valley is formed by the third largest river, Duoro, in the Iberian Peninsula, which runs for eight hundred and ninety seven kilometers from the Spanish town of Duruelo de la Sierra to Porto. But more importantly for me this is the home of the first great wine regions of the world, that started growing grapes and making wine for the Romans back in the “BC’s”

The valley is home to many famous “Quinta’s” or estates that grow grapes and make Port. Port is nothing but wine mixed with Brandy at the right temperature...really the best of both worlds.

They are aged in big and small barrel’s, just like wines

& come in both red & white

& taste really really really good.

Coimbra

The university town that apparently inspired Harry Potter’s black gowns is actually fairly sober. This is our first view from across the water with main university tower at the top of the hill.

The main town square with the typical pedestrian street leading from it.

The most important church in town is Santa Cruz which also shares space with a café (a converted chapel).

Often local markets give us a good taste and view of how the locals shop.

The route up to the University is through a variety of easy to get lost winding & steep cobbled paths.

Including running in to these “Harry Potter’s” collecting money to fund their graduation party.

& churches

& interesting sculptures.

before we get to the university...that charges a fee to let tourists in....says something about the need for diverse funding sources.

A gander through the early 18th century Baroque library which was once considered the richest library. Today the rare editions are allowed access through librarians only and no pictures allowed in there.

The main building provides access to various facilities including

auditorium to defend doctoral thesis

arts....

and some fascinating views of the town

Expectations of cheap tasty eats in a University town were sort of met at Travessa Paço do Conde just around from Coimbra A station. A bottle of a really good house wine cost us ~$3 says something about good things in life are inexpensive.

We stayed at a Quinta in Coimbra to experience the plantation living and it was as expected.

A real nice view of the university from the Quinta from across the river

The Quinta holds the legend of Prince Pedro and his bride's lady-in-waiting Inês de Castro who had a forbidden royal love affair for many years, starting in 1340. On the Quinta grounds are a variety of fountains and such that represent the romance of the age.

"Fonte das Lágrimas"

The country is full of graffiti, much of it makes it look like it has been taken over by the vagrants, but this one at the station caught my attention.

Lisbon

The capital city is like most European capitals that blends cosy neighborhoods, wide boulevards, 18th & 19th century buildings and the ever so ubiquitous cafe’s that encourage us all to take a load off.

There are plenty of praca’s (large squares) ....

Rossio Square

...largo’s (small squares) peppered around the city.

However what was very disappointing but not surprising are the pick-pockets. There are signs of them everywhere...

...& we had our own experiences with this lot...twice. 1st time on this tourist trap of a local Tram 28 that while traverses an excellent route but is packed like a can of sardines that is petri dish for the bad guys.

They have gotten so brazen that they tried to unzip our backpack during the day in an open area setting...

after recovering from that shock I caught them on camera...they dress up like tourists and behave just as lost and duh as the rest.

Once you get past this distraction given that the country, people and the wine is so good, Lisbon has other attractions. One of them is the Jerónimos Monastery on the Tagus river in the parish of Belém (a gentrified neighboorhood).

In the cathedral...

... is buried the remains of Vasco da Gama the 16th century explorer who found his way to India vs. that other guy who lost his way to the new world...& still missed it :)

Right across from the monastery is the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (monument of discoveries) a monument that celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery with ships departing to explore and trade with India and Orient.

East of this monument is the Belem tower, built apparently to be the last thing Portuguese sailors saw as they sailed in to the horizon.

The food scene in Lisbon is a bit of a hit or miss. The custard pies at the Pasteis de Belém are considered the best & we thought that was true both by the taste and the long lines outside.

The more modern chef’s come together at this food court in the market with some really tasty creations.

One of the really interesting neighborhoods is Alfama

It is full of narrow, curvy, steep and cobbled streets

& famous for its Fado

We had the opportunity to listen to some live Fado at Tasca do Jaime d'Alfama which one of the locals said was the better one. What do you know papa sings and mama cooks...cant get any more real.

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São Jorge Castle sits at top the hill overlooking Lisbon and the Tagus river. While the castle has been reasonably preserved

...the sights overlooking the city are brilliant.

Praça da Liberdade from the castle and the Sanctuary of Christ the King in the distance

Rossio station

the classic red tiled roofs that caught our attention everywhere in Portugal

Wandering around by foot is the way to check out this town. And as you do that, it fast becomes apparent that its strangely different given its steep streets...

...decorated with graffiti that different folks will describe its relevance in different ways. Me personally feel its a bit of a blotch on the city that is otherwise beautiful.

Even Tram’s are not spared from the graffiti artists.

The tiled facades like in Porto are quite catchy though I don’t think 2 dimensional pictures do them justice

The night life apparently is all the bars in the Bairro Alto area but the town looks nice.

Rossio station

Sintra

About an our north west of Lisbon on the foothills of the Sintra mountain is this little fairytale induced resort town that is a tourist magnet...I am ashamed to have gotten caught in it, but then kinda glad I did as some of these pictures tell.

There are essentially 3 big things in town you are not supposed to leave without seeing, the fairytale based Pena Palace, the Moorish castle and the National Palace.

Most will catch a local bus to get up the hill to the Pena Palace...we chose to hike it up which was fun.

yeah that is where we are headed up above to the castle

Sintra as we get close to Pena Palace

The Pena Palace is a sight for sure that makes you wonder about the people involved in this “thing”.

The views across the palace would not be advised with anyone with vertigo

The garish colors I imagine was a way to repel enemies? I mean who would want this?

The palace has been reasonably well preserved given it was in use until the early 20th century when Portugal transitioned to a republic in 1910.

The weather turned on us as a thick fog comes in as a precursor to heavy showers...rains Portugal has been rather desperate for. This makes our short hike to the castle rather spooky.

The castle is an 8th century construction by the Moors ....but is now really a pile of rocks...fairly neatly arranged still.

Nothing much to see here folks...moving on to the National Palace which has its genesis to the middle ages of the 10th century. It has changed hands from the Moors to others that ruled Portugal.

It represents architectural styles of the Moors, Goths, Mudejar, Manueline and more.

royal kitchen with their two giant chimneys below

Évora

Another quaint town about 90 minutes east of Lisbon that is the capital of the Alentejo region that makes some pretty good wines. The walled city is really all there is to see with a couple of churches sprinkled in.

The quaintness and the curvy cobbled streets really continue to catch our fancy.

with cute outdoor foyers

The views of the township are nice from the top of the Evora Cathedral

But of most macabre interest is the chapel of bones or Capela dos Ossos. This chapel is actually constructed with human bones and skulls. The story behind this 16th century construction has to do with monks wanting to think about the after life and such other things. Well here now in the 21st century it is a good source of revenue!