#southend interactive
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❤️ilomilo #14💙(End) - Zara The Silent Gamer
#ilomilo#southend interactive#video games#gaming#playthrough#silent gamer#zara the silent gamer#Youtube
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Steve Wright, who has died aged 69, helped to redefine the role of a disc jockey when he established his BBC Radio 1 afternoon show in the 1980s. To the usual formula of linking almost back-to-back music, he added gossip, trivia, guests from the world of entertainment such as Paul McCartney and Warren Beatty, and a general feeling of chaos that became known as the “zoo” format. It made him the most popular UK radio presenter of the era, with audiences of more than eight million.
“The show’s a little bit of everything you fancy,” he said. “I invented the format myself. It’s a tabloid newspaper of the airwaves – fast, fun and packed with info. Something for everyone.”
Some of the regular “guests” or “listeners” phoning in – including Mr Angry, Gervaise the hairdresser and Damian the social worker – were fictional spoof characters voiced by actors, while Phil Cornwell, whom Wright described as “a crazed, inspired genius”, provided impersonations of David Bowie, John Lennon, Robert De Niro, the Rolling Stones and others. Cornwell’s interactions with the DJ were improvised. A compulsive collector of information, Wright was particularly fond of the “factoids” and bizarre true stories he dug up to entertain his listeners.
Alongside the showbiz guests, Wright was also trusted by politicians, although things did not always go well. On one occasion he was waiting in the prime minister’s study at 10 Downing Street, preparing to conduct an interview with John Major, when he spotted two paracetamol tablets on a table. As he was suffering from a headache himself, he popped them into his mouth.
“When Mr Major walked in, I think he spotted the empty packets – because there was an immediate atmosphere,” recalled Wright. “He wouldn’t really loosen up. I asked him what clothes he liked to wear and he said, ‘Er, um, casual.’ I asked what sort of casual, but he wouldn’t be drawn.” However, Wright did elicit the revelation that the prime minister’s favourite record was the Marty Robbins western ballad El Paso. “A very strange song indeed,” observed the DJ.
Wright first took to the Radio 1 airwaves with a Saturday evening show in 1980 and, within weeks, was presenting Top of the Pops on BBC television. Then, he hosted the Saturday mid-morning show before switching to his long-running post-lunch weekday slot in a programme eventually titled Steve Wright in the Afternoon (1981-93).
At the beginning of 1994 he moved to the flagship Radio 1 breakfast show, titled Steve Wright in the Morning, in a bid by the BBC to halt declining ratings. He added 250,000 listeners within four months and kept a steady audience of seven million while audiences for other shows plummeted. Nevertheless, Wright walked out on his £165,0000-a-year job in 1995 – following differences with Matthew Bannister, the recently appointed controller of Radio 1 – and joined Talk Radio for an unhappy few months.
He was back at the BBC in 1996, switching to Radio 2 to present a Saturday show and launch Steve Wright’s Sunday Love Songs, a mix of classic songs, dedications and real-life romance stories, before returning to familiar territory in 1999 with Steve Wright in the Afternoon. When his departure from the afternoon slot was announced in 2022, he handed over typically graciously, saying “Now, I’ve been doing this programme for 24 years at Radio 2, and so how can I possibly complain? Really, I can’t hog the slot for ever, so let’s give somebody else a go.”
Wright was born in Greenwich, south-east London, and brought up in New Cross, the son of Richard Wright, who managed a Burton’s menswear store, and his wife, June (nee Saunders). Following the family’s move to Southend-on-Sea, Essex, Steve attended Eastwood high school, where he broadcast on school radio over a speaker system from the stock cupboard.
Leaving with three O-levels, he went through jobs as a shipping insurance company clerk, telephone engineer and backstage theatre worker, as well as running his own jingles business. He also had an unsuccessful stint singing on the club circuit, and worked in hospital radio in his spare time.
Joining the BBC in the early 70s, he spent three years working in its pop record library, digging out vinyl discs for DJs to play, followed by a period as a researcher in radio. He left in 1975 to host a show on Radio Atlantis in Belgium, then worked as a reporter and presenter on LBC in London.
In 1976, he moved to the newly launched commercial station Radio 210 in Reading, making promotional trailers and jingles before hosting his own show – he and a fellow 210 DJ, Mike Read, also contributed a pop column to the local newspaper, the Reading Chronicle. Wright switched to Radio Luxembourg three years later and returned to the BBC in 1980.
Radio fame brought Wright television appearances not just on Top of the Pops (1980-89), but also as a panellist on gameshows such as Blankety Blank (1987-89) and That’s Showbusiness (1990-93). He then became the presenter of Home Truths (1994), with celebrities answering general knowledge questions and revealing skeletons in their closet, and Steve Wright’s People Show (1994-95), featuring celebrity guests. From 1997 until 2009, he narrated the Top of the Pops archive footage programme TOTP2.
On radio, Wright’s other shows included Wright Around the World for the BBC World Service (1999-2003) and Radio 2’s Pick of the Pops (2022-24), and he continued to present Sunday Love Songs until his death.
He was appointed MBE in this year’s new year honours list.
In 1985, Wright married Cyndi Robinson; they divorced in 1999. He is survived by their children, Tom and Lucy, his father and his brother, Laurence.
🔔 Steve (Stephen Richard) Wright, radio and television presenter, born 26 August 1954; died 12 February 2024
Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?
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1,705.) ilomilo
Release: November 8th, 2010 | GGF: Puzzle, Collectathon | Developer(s): SouthEnd Interactive AB | Publisher(s): Microsoft Corporation | Platform(s): Windows Phone (2010), Xbox 360 (2011), Windows Apps (2012)
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How to Find and Hire a Reliable and Trustworthy Builder in Your Area: A Guide to Southend on Sea Builders
When it comes to construction or renovation projects in your home or business, finding a reliable and trustworthy builder is crucial. In Southend on Sea, homeowners and business owners have a plethora of options, but selecting the right one can be challenging. This article provides practical advice on how to find and hire the best Southend on Sea Builders for your specific needs.
1. Research and Recommendations
Begin by researching local builders. Look for Construction Services Southend on Sea with a strong presence in your area. Personal recommendations from friends, family, or neighbors who have recently undertaken construction projects can be invaluable. They can provide honest feedback on their experiences with specific builders.
2. Check Credentials and Experience
Once you have a list of potential builders, check their credentials. Ensure that the General Contractors in Southend on Sea are licensed, insured, and have the necessary qualifications to undertake your project. Experience in a similar type of construction work is also a key factor to consider.
3. Review Past Work and References
A reputable builder should be able to provide a portfolio of their past projects. Southend on Sea Building and Construction companies often showcase their work on their websites or social media platforms. Additionally, ask for references from previous clients to get an idea of their satisfaction with the builder's work.
4. Get Multiple Quotes
When it comes to construction, prices can vary significantly. Obtain detailed quotes from several Southend on Sea Builders. This will not only give you an idea of the going rate but also an insight into the transparency and professionalism of each builder. Remember, the cheapest option is not always the best.
5. Assess Communication and Professionalism
Effective communication is crucial in any construction project. Pay attention to how builders respond to your inquiries. Are they prompt, clear, and helpful? A builder who communicates well can be a key indicator of their professionalism and reliability.
6. Understand the Contract
Before making a final decision, ensure that you fully understand the terms of the contract. A trustworthy builder will provide a clear, detailed contract that outlines the scope of work, timelines, payment schedule, and any warranties or guarantees.
7. Trust Your Instincts
Finally, trust your instincts. Your interaction with potential builders can tell you a lot about what to expect. Choose a builder who you feel comfortable with and who understands your vision for the project.
Finding the right builder requires time and effort, but it’s worth it to ensure your construction project is in good hands. By researching, checking credentials, reviewing past work, comparing quotes, assessing communication, understanding contracts, and trusting your instincts, you can confidently hire a reliable and trustworthy builder from the pool of Southend on Sea Builders ensuring your project is a success.
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(Disclaimer: This post is not my own. This is a repost from the official ilomilo developers on blog.ilomilo.com (only accessible on the wayback machine)!)
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ilomilo in The Age
Friday, July 30th, 2010
Australian newspaper “The Age” wrote an article about the importance of distinctive visual design in modern games, and ilomilo was brought up as an example. The Age asked Simon for some comments on the subject.
[NOTE FROM TESS: I’ll paste the excerpt below for easy reading!]
“In contrast to the committee-driven look of most major releases, a game made by a small team can have its entire visual aesthetic driven by the vision of a single artist, which can lead to very strong and original designs. Sometimes the design can even be more important than the game itself.
“This is arguably true in the case of the upcoming Xbox Live puzzle platformer Ilomilo. Southend Interactive Art Director Simon Flesser revealed to Split Screen that Ilomilo’s adorable home-made plushie aesthetic was firmly in place before anything else. ‘It was a visual style that I had wanted to try out on a game for some time’ Flesser said. ‘Then this puzzle concept came along, so it seemed like a nice fit.’
“Flesser agreed that eye-catching design is vital for a small game trying to generate market interest. ‘I'm not a marketing guy,’ Flesser told me, ‘but I would say yes. A lot of our efforts to communicate with potential players have been through videos and pictures.’ The game’s cute protagonists, appropriately named Ilo and Milo, feature prominently on the game’s blog, and the blog FAQ indicates that many people are asking if they can buy real plush toys of the characters.
“This idea of form before function lies in sharp contrast to Jonathan Blow’s groundbreaking art game Braid. Blow reportedly made his prototype with placeholder graphics, honing the platforming gameplay to perfection and working out how to tell the game’s melancholy story. It was not until he had a near complete prototype that he hired an artist to create Braid’s beautiful oil painting style visuals.
“Blow clearly thought that getting the game right was the most important goal, and the art could come later. Flesser took a more balanced approach. ‘The most important thing is how all the components of the game, including visual style, resonates with each other to create a unique experience,’ he said.
‘In the end, of course you’ll need a solid game, but to even get people to look your way I think you’ve got to have something that visually differentiates your game from what people are used to seeing.’
“Ilomilo’s release date has not yet been announced, but the developers are hoping to have it out before the end of the year.”
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Minecraft Awarded GameCity Videogame Arts Prize
Minecraft awarded GameCity videogame art prize Leo Kelion Technology reporter
29 October 2011
Minecraft is the winner of a new awards ceremony for computer games that honors the arts.
The GameCity videogame culture festival came to an end in Nottingham and the winner was announced.
The title is the product of an independent Swedish company, Mojang. In an open environment, players must build objects using blocks.
The game was chosen over other games, including Southend Interactive's Ilomilo from Valve and Game Freak's Pokemon Noir from Game Freak.
"It's a great honour to be compared to these games," said Markus Persson Mojang's co-founder.
"Winning this award helps to make Minecraft the best game it can be."
Nearly four million users have purchased the game online, despite it being still in beta. The game is scheduled for a official release next month.
minecraft servers
"It just wasn't like any other... it felt like it had an evolving life of its own. It had an organic quality," one of the judges, Ed Hall, told the BBC.
"It's easy and addictive, and there's beauty in the work you do."
Culturally confident
GameCity's director, Iain Simons, said the company was "delighted" by the choice.
His festival is now in its sixth year. He says that he has seen a rise in the average age of gamers and more women being drawn to the festival over the years.
"There is a much broader population of gamers," he said.
"They have become more mainstream They have become more culturally confident and this prize, as well as the festival, is all about examining the confidence."
A large part of this phenomenon is linked to the rise of smartphones. Smartphones today have helped make popular the type of games that were previously only available on dedicated mobile machines, as well as larger home consoles.
Advances in computers and graphics chips certainly give designers a wider palette of options. Simon doesn't think these developments will make any difference in the quality of designers and artists.
"I believe technology is an untruth. What technology is bringing forward is the capability for games to look more real. He said that it was possible to appear like a triple-A blockbuster.
"I don’t believe that they aren't art in themselves. Otherwise we wouldn't cry at Bambi. It's not just about photorealism.
The judges of the contest seem to be in agreement and admit that they picked the most basic name.
The jury consisted of 13 individuals, including Frances Barber (Dr Who), Tom Watson (Labour MP) and Jude Kelly (artistic director of Southbank Centre in London). Southbank Centre).
Enhancing life
Not everyone was convinced of Minecraft's merits at first. Nitin Sawhney (composer) was also on the panel and was uninvolved in the music.
But in the end, neither the style of the game nor its music did anything to derail its chances.
"[We askedwhich one we felt was head and shoulder above the others? Was there merit in the game enhancing life and enjoyment beyond playing the game? Could it improve your outlook on the world? said Mr. Hall.
"Could a computer game be seen as something that won't be sneered at in the future?"
Minecraft includes a variety of traditional gaming elements, such as night-roaming monsters, or the chance to battle online multiplayer.
It was chosen due to its ability to inspire gamers and its general mood.
"It's the broadest definition of art you can get," said Mr Hall.
Computer games are certainly artistic. There are stories and images that keep you entertained, ideas that boggle your mind for hours, and a total package that keeps you coming back for days."
Microsoft announces record revenue
21 July 2011
Golden Joystick Awards unveiled
21 October 2011
Cataclysm hits Warcraft's world
7 December 2010
GameCity
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Strawberry fields
#STRAWBERRY FIELDS LICENSE#
#STRAWBERRY FIELDS DOWNLOAD#
#STRAWBERRY FIELDS FREE#
She had made my whole experience at strawberry fields north amazing and helped me pick out the product I wanted! I recommend coming to this dispensary, from what I just personally experienced this past weekend I definitely give them a 10/10 would recommend rating! Their prices are awesome too compared to the street prices where I live, I do hope strawberry fields can expand their business, amazing products and great customer service to New Mexico, I am now a loyal customer. She greeted me with a beautiful smile and her personality was absolutely amazing. The second interaction made my whole weekend though, thanks to a lovely bud tender by the name of Harmony! On Sunday when I went in, I felt relaxed, not awkward at all like I have felt at some other previous dispensaries (NueVue pharma north) and I didn’t feel rushed at all. Its the perfect location to stop by, on the doorstep of Geelong. Me and my fiancé were visiting from New Mexico this past weekend for the Rocky Mountain Nationals, and out of the 3 dispensaries we were able to visit, this location was by far the best hands down! We went in on two separate occasions, once on Fri 6/25 and again on Sun 6/27.The first interaction was good, unfortunately didn’t get our budtenders name, he was a nice young man and was very helpful in choosing some edibles and cartridges for me and my fiancé, his attitude was awesome and he was patient. Our strawberry farm is a labour of love, nestled on 90 acres backing onto Thompson Creek. Extremely pleased with the staff at strawberry fields! ESPECIALLY BILL, BETH, and NICOLE! Once downloaded and setup, a quick scan of the digital ID and I was good to go in! Once inside, Nicole helped me with my purchases as was extremely kind and helpful.
#STRAWBERRY FIELDS DOWNLOAD#
For anyone in the same situation, download the M圜olorado app and use the digital ID from the app after setup. He went and spoke with the manager Beth and they both returned and were extremely helpful in finding a solution. He reviewed all my documents and the email from the department of revenue saying that I wouldn’t be reviewing a temp ID. When I walked in I explained to Bill (the security officer on duty) my situation. I decided to drive down to strawberry fields and give it a try as I live in Colorado Springs. Despite the department of revenue not issuing a temporary ID and having my payment receipt for the renewal, they just turn me away. I had previously went to another dispensary where I was flat out told that they couldn’t let me in.
#STRAWBERRY FIELDS LICENSE#
Try Southend Sealife Adventure for interactive exhibits about the wildlife around us, go to Adventure Island for excellent indoor and outdoor rides or visit Cliffs Pavilion Theatre to catch the latest productions.Bill, Beth and Nicole were awesome! My license recently expired and when I renewed it online I was informed that I would not be receiving a temporary ID. There’s also plenty of other things to do if you have time before your flight. Of course, Southend-on-Sea is famous for being one of London’s best places for a break on the seaside, Southend Pier (the longest pleasure pier in the world, no less!) and Southend Beach are historic and we feel so privileged to share in that history. Our restaurant is only a short five-minute drive from Southend Airport and only a 15-minute drive from Southend seafront – we’re a great spot halfway between the two, so you can grab a delicious meal wherever you’re going. It’s only about an hour from Central London, with great facilities and still so close to Southend’s scenic coastline. Handling over two million passengers in 2019, Southend Airport is one of the fastest growing and most convenient airports in the UK. Why we love Southend Airport and Southend-on-Sea
#STRAWBERRY FIELDS FREE#
We offer up to three hours of free parking to people eating with us, perfect for a quick meal before a flight or filling up before heading to the beach. We have a big beer garden and a conservatory section, which you can book for special occasions. Our restaurant popped up in 1998 as a great halfway point between Southend Airport and Southend Beach. Our restaurant is named after the gorgeous strawberry fields that used to be around where we are now, and which some of us have fond memories picking when we were younger. During lockdown we supported local shelters to help the neediest in our community and we’re always on the lookout for volunteering opportunities. Our team are passionate about supporting the local community in Southend. We’re very lucky that so many of our team have been with us for over a decade now, they’re knowledgeable, friendly and great with kids. Our menus mix pub classics with mouth-watering special cut steaks, and we have a great selection of beers, fizzy drinks and everything in between to make your meal extra special. Whether you’re fuelling up for a long flight from Southend Airport, or you’re stopping over before a trip to Southend Beach, you’ve landed at the right spot with us at the Strawberry Field Beefeater.
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Still trying to find if these two still exist. I've found the Shop they were made in though? All I've found are some old Blogs, Simogo, a weird prototype and some crochet safkas.
#ilomilo#dolls#Decade old Photos#Ilomilo Plus#Safkas#Sweden#Simogo#Microsoft#History Hunt#Really Specific History#Christmas 2009#Southend Interactive#ilomilo game
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youtube
❤️ilomilo #7💙 - Zara The Silent Gamer
#ilomilo#southend interactive#video game#gaming#playthrough#silent gamer#zara the silent gamer#Youtube
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10 Oneshots For Times When You Need A Burst of Fluff
The heading is misleading… these won’t all be fluffy, but I digress. This time there are ten because they’re shorter in general. By one shot I mean like 2000-10000 words. I’ll prbly do a two shot rec (lmao, are they actually called that?) for works that are like 10,000 to like 20,000 words, cause like imma make a novel length one and novlet ones soooooo yeah. That was long, let’s just get into it.
Will You Be My Love Hobbit By Emsiecat
|| teen - 5k - completed ||
When a rather specific message appears in The Metro newspaper that Bilbo and Ori read every morning on the way to work, Bilbo does his best to deny the 'love note' is about him. However, that biker gang that hang around in the train station car park every morning are acting rather oddly...
"To the chain-smoking little stud who collects two Metros from Southend Central every morning. Will you be my 'Love Hobbit'? - Bearded Biker."
Notes: This fic is the one I’ve read most recently (in the past ten minutes) and I love it so much. Honestly, it’s amazing. Well written, not drawn out, playful, just *chef’s kiss* amazing. Thilbo.
Splitting Hairs by Greatwidesomewhere
|| general - 3.1k - completed ||
Bilbo misinterprets some court gossip.
He cuts his hair.
Chaos ensues.
Notes: We’ve all probably read a “Bilbo cuts his hair omg” fic before, and like, I love em I really do. But I don’t know what it is about this one that just stands out. It must just be awesome. Thilbo.
It’s Not a Crush If It’s Mostly Hero Worship by whithershins
|| teen - 6.8k - completed ||
King Thorin does not mope. Hobbits are both sneaky and friendly. These are the things a young dwarf learns when he finally joins his people in Erebor.
He also learns that he can only just manage to keep from pissing himself with excitement the first time he meets someone he's idolized for years, but that's neither here nor there.
Notes: Lmao, this fic gets me every time. It’s pretty much crack but not as in it’s got crazy stuff, it’s just pure humor and I adore it. I’m not usually huge on oc’s, but the mc one specifically got me. He is a representation of the whole fandom when faced with Bilbo and Thorin, let’s be real.
The Latest Dream I Ever Dreamed On the Cold Hill’s Side by acaramelmacchiato
|| teen - 2.9k - completed ||
I like the idea of Thranduil courting Bard, like a lot. But I imagine being old as dirt, the sass king's idea of flirting has been out of style for centuries.
Notes: This is (obvi) a barduil fic, and it’s one of the first I read so it’s got a place close to my heart. It’s short and sweet and lovely and doesn’t feel ooc at all. Just read it, you won’t regret it, I promise you.
A Few Choice Words by Ias
|| general - 2.8k - completed ||
While in the Woodland Realm on business, Bard meets a nameless elf and strikes up a conversation about King Thranduil that he will soon come to regret.
Notes: Read it. Just do it. It’s very much pre-slash so you can imagine it ending up however you want it to. But just the way the two characters are written and interact is phenomenal.
Politically Sensitive by determamfidd
|| general - 2k - completed ||
Gloin likes a good argument, Gimli likes dancing, and everybody likes feasts.
Correction: most people like feasts. Some people don't like anything.
Notes: This fic touches my heart. I’m soft for begrudgingly accepting Gloin. Not that he shouldn’t accept gigolas’s relationship, but the idea that he’s putting on a gruff front makes me smile.
A Hobbit and His Ink (But Not How You Think) by authoressjean
|| teen - 6.2k - completed ||
Bilbo has a tattoo.
Fili and Kili demand to know what it is and make his life a pain on the journey to Erebor when he refuses to tell them.
Thorin is also interested, but then again, he's found himself more interested in their burglar than he'd originally thought he would be. For reasons his nephews most certainly aren't.
Who can blame him? A hobbit with a mysterious tattoo is more than intriguing, it's downright attractive.
Notes: This fic is a classic I think. In world but very individual too. I’ve yet to see any other fics following this idea, let alone executing it as well. Wonderful read. Thilbo.
Alone Is A Word Not Meant For You by authoressjean
|| general - 5k - completed ||
The holidays are fast approaching, and Thorin's been dreading them, now that it's just him and his nephews. Harder still given that Fili still barely speaks and hasn't really since Dis died.
So when Kili drags them into the bookstore to look for children's literature author Mr. Baggins' new book, and they find the author himself reading his latest, Thorin isn't expecting anything beyond maybe making his nephews a little happier.
He certainly isn't expecting to find something for himself but he may have done just that.
Notes: This fic almost made me sob. Just bringing back memories and feels. Read it if you’re up for some stuff to hit you straight in the heart. Pre-slash btw. Thilbo.
The Naming of Hobbits by Margo_Kim
|| general - 9.7k - completed ||
There's a certain point where you can no longer ask someone what their name is. Thorin isn't sure exactly when that point is, but he knows that it's probably some time before the person in question saves your life. On the far side of the Misty Mountains, Thorin realizes that he never quite caught the first part of Mr. Baggins' name, and he finds that it's astonishingly harder to learn than he would have thought. Fili, Kili, and Dwalin are no help whatsoever.
Notes: Ahdkdkndfjk, I can’t with this fic. It’s hilarious and so well written. If you’ve been here for a while you’ve probably read it, but I had to rec it anyhow. Thilbo.
Para Bellum by RyuuzaKochou
|| general - 3.8k - completed ||
Hobbits always survive; even where trained and experienced soldiers don't.
Has no one ever wondered about this?
Thorin and the Company learn that it takes more than luck to be small in a big world.
OR - Bilbo has unexpected skills and Thorin finds he likes them.
Notes: This is a thilbo fic that is just a joy to read. Misunderstandings galore. Just read it! What else are you going to do? Homework? What are you? Responsible?
Damn, 10 fics feels like a significant amount more than five, so pardon if the notes are shorter than normal, I was running out of steam by the end. It’s also late and I wanted to get one out before I went to bed. Btw, how do you guys feel about daily rec lists? Is it nice? Too much? Should they be longer? Lmk!
~H
#thilbo#bagginshield#bagginshieldficrec#ficrec#lotrficrec#I don't have much energy for tags#lmao#queer#tolkien#lotr#the hobbit#Bilbo baggins#thorin oakenshield#I can spell#thranduil#legolas#gimli#bard the bowman#bard of laketown#gay#lgbtq#fics#fanfiction
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Fanfic Writer Appreciation Week Day Four - Holidays / AU
A Snowfall Kind of Love by Jelly (Rayla/Callum - The Dragon Prince)
“Rayla stops him there. She should agree with him. This is his fault, and it’s not her responsibility to help him fix it. He can come clean on his own and leave her well and truly out of it, thank you very much—but the image of him turning up at his ex’s engagement party by himself is—Well. Rayla’s not heartless. Callum’s her friend. Her best friend. She can’t do that to him. “No,” she says at last. “No. You’re not doing that.” “I’m not doing what?” “Going to Katolis on your own for Christmas and your dumb ex’s engagement party.” [a fake dating rayllum Christmas special].”
--
Online by hanadoesstuffwrong (Snow/Merlin - Red Shoes)
“Merlin is a twenty year old student at Southend University. To combat his detrimental narcissism, his counsellor suggests online gaming. Merlin tries to cheat by using an ancient game called Fairytale Island, which designs your avatar to match a photograph. This plan falls apart when his laptop explodes, turning his avatar tiny and green. He ploughs on regardless, sure that he will encounter nobody. Little does he know, that a newly moved student from the States is coming online the very same night. :)”
Here’s the link to the ‘Fanfic Writer Appreciation Week’ prompts! I’ll be sharing a fic from my bookmarks each day this week to show some love to insanely talented writers who deserve more love and interaction <3.
Reminder that comments, even short ones, mean so, so much to us writers!
#fanfic writer appreciation week#rayllum#tdp#the dragon prince#red shoes and the seven dwarfs#Red Shoes and the 7 Dwarfs#merlin#snowlin
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My Amateur European Travel Guide
Hi to anyone who’s reading!
I spent just over a month in Europe over the summer and have far too many good food pics that deserve more than sitting in my camera roll untouched and thus I thought I’d do my very shitty, amateurish version of a travel guide, basically a run down of my favourite things that we did in each city. From touristy shit like the Colosseum and the Roman Forum to some equally beautiful but lesser known places, getting an inter-rail pass gives you the time to see everything whilst not spending an absolute fortune.
I went with a friend and we did the basic, first-time traveller route: Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Ljubljana, Venice, Rome and Milan. The pass, which allowed us to use domestic and international trains on 10 separate days within a month, for students only cost £230. We did then have to pay extra for the Eurostar from St.Pancras to Paris, and additional “reservation” fees to get seats on the trains in Italy and between France and The Netherlands, but all in all this didn’t cost us anymore than about £50. The flight back from Milan to Southend Airport cost £30, though be warned that it’s actually pretty hard to get from Southend to central London; if we hadn’t been able to get a lift, we probably would’ve spent an extra £30 getting home from there.
We were away for 3 weeks and 4 days in total, and on top of the approx. £700/£800 we spent on hostels and air b&bs, I spent about £1500 whilst I was away. You could probably get away with taking about £1000 with you if you’re willing to cook while you’re away. We did a couple of nights whilst we were in air b&bs, but on the whole, we usually ate out. The hostel kitchens were a bit of a nightmare, though I’m not going to pretend it was anything other than a combination of laziness and gluttony that stopped me from cooking, lol. HOW CAN YOU GO TO ITALY AND NOT GO OUT FOR PASTA EVERY NIGHT?! It can’t be done. With my non-existent self-control anyway.
Once I got back from inter-railing, I also then spent a week with my family staying in the cutest seaside town about half an hour outside of Barcelona, Sitges, which we’ve visited a few times before. For that reason, I thought I’d write about some of my favourite things to do in and around Barcelona, not just from this trip but from all the times we’ve visited over the last few years.
I’ll start, though, with the first place we visited on our inter-railing trip: Paris.
Paris, France
It might be because it was the first place we went and the place where I had the most energy and drive to explore, lol, but Paris was my absolute favourite of the cities we visited. I know a lot of people seem to be disappointed with it but there’s just so much to do and so much culture; gorgeous architecture, art, fashion, food, I feel that it lives up to its reputation in every way if you really utilise your time there properly. The public transport is easy to understand and use and my only gripe with the hostel is that it was a little far out. This didn’t really limit us in any way though, so it didn’t bother me.
The Hostel
Our first hostel, Jo&Joe’s in Gentilly, was a really cool place. I believe it was around £30 a night (one of the more expensive hostels we stayed in) to stay in a room like the one I've included a photo of. The beds were comfy and you had a decent amount of space, and the wi-fi was good. My only issue is that there wasn’t much privacy in terms of the bathroom; there was one toilet room and one shower room in the actual bedroom to be shared between the 6 of us. There didn’t really seem to be much about in Gentilly but to be honest, we didn’t venture very far and there’s more than enough to do in central Paris.
Paris Top Things to do:
1. Palais de Tokyo
Probably my favourite art museum we visited our entire trip, Palais de Tokyo was...an experience.
Costing £8 for a student ticket, almost every piece of artwork in there was strange as hell. That being said, it was all very immersive and interactive and like nothing I’d seen before which is why I liked it so much.
Well, apart from the dirty sock. Literally. There was a dirty sock on display. Art, right?
2. Musee D’Orsay
I’d say if you only had time to do one of the “big” art museums in Paris, do Musee D’Orsay, not the Louvre.
It’s a lot more compact and has a wider range of styles, plus a lot more modern art, including some Van Gogh and several Degas. I had so many favourite pieces from Louise Abbema’s Allegories of Spring and Winter, to Thomas Couture’s Romans in their Decadence:
Plus I’d take Amaury Duval’s portrait of Marie-Anne Detourbay over the Mona Lisa any day. The staring into your soul game she’s got going on is unparalleled.
3. Eiffel Tower
I think the level of dumbassery involved in my decision to wear heeled boots to make the 500 or so step journey up the Eiffel Tower cancels out any smarts that went into us saving €3 by booking in advance and walking instead of getting the lift, but it’s all about the experience, lol, and I would do it again for the view. It only cost €5 in total and by booking online about a month before, we didn’t have to wait in what is usually about a 3 hour queue if you turn up on the day.
4. Yves Saint Laurent Museum
It only took us about an hour to do the Yves Saint Laurent museum but it was definitely worth the £10 for entry if you are interested in fashion. It was pretty quiet when we went which I liked as it made for a much more peaceful experience than say, the Louvre, and the museum is very well laid out. There’s a load of original pieces in there and I feel like I learned a lot about Saint Laurent himself too. I also learned that I am very unsophisticated (I really didn’t feel posh enough to be walking into the building, lol) but we been knew.
5. Sacre Couer
Warning: The Sacre Couer is a very steep walk from the nearest tube station. I internally died. Several times. But it’s very beautiful once you get up there.
6. Monmarte
I wish we’d had more time to explore Monmarte as it was one of the prettiest places I saw on our trip, with so many cute restaurants and cafes. Top things to see in the area are the Wall of Love and though we didn’t actually go there, Montmarte Cemetery too. I found out when we got back that the latter is supposedly inhabited by a load of stray cats and now I am severely disappointed that we didn’t have a look. I guess I’ll just have to go back! You know, just to check if it’s true about the cats. And also eat some more of the food, ofc.
7. Vintage Shopping
We had a quick look in two of the vintage shops whilst we were in Paris, Kilo Shop and Tilt Vintage, and I saw a lot of really cool things. Unfortunately, because I couldn’t really fit anything else in my backpack and was being pretty tight with money at that point in the trip (an attitude my bank balance probably wishes had been sustained throughout, lol), I didn’t get anything. Still, I’d definitely recommend checking the shops I mentioned and the other vintage shops in that area out if you are interested in buying some clothes whilst you’re away. The only thing I’d say is to avoid them if you have trouble with crowds and/or small spaces as there were a shit tonne of people in pretty much all the ones we went in and because of the layout, not much room to move. And protip: if you like breathing non-body odour tinted oxygen, don’t venture in any of them in the middle of heatwave. Not fun.
8. Champs Elysees
I think it’s kind of a given that you see the Champs Elysees whilst you’re in Paris, but last time I was there, I only really saw it from an open top bus and was quiet underwhelmed. On this trip, we walked from the Louvre through the Tuileries and then slowly made our way down towards the Arc de Triomphe, having a look down the streets that run perpendicular to the Champs Elysees on our way, which were all very typically Parisienne. At the bottom, you have Aventue Montaigne which has all the fancy, designer flagship stores, and then down Avenue FDR (where we went for lunch) there are plenty of places to stop and have a bite to eat. I thought I’d been all French getting a baguette from down here before realising it was from a glorified Paul which we have all over London, BUT, if you’re into açai bowls, my friend had a really good one at a place called Cojean.
9. Versailles
Before we went to Versailles, a lot of people told me that it was really crowded and not worth going to but I couldn’t disagree more. It was so beautiful both on the inside and out and there’s so much to learn! I’ve always been fascinated by Marie Antoinette so I might be slightly biased but I was totally in my ex-historical nerd element. I would definitely recommend arriving as early as possible if you’re not paying for skip the line tickets, since we got there for around 10 and had to stand in a very long queue to get in. It did move quickly but looked very daunting at first and I imagine it only gets worse as the day goes on.
10. Disneyland Paris
I mean, we didn’t got there this time and technically, it’s not Paris. But come on, it’s Disney. I couldn’t leave it off the list.
Future Paris Bucket List:
Moulin Rouge
Musee d’Orangerie
Jardin du Luxembourg
Louvre Highlights Tour
Louis Vuitton Foundation
Paris Museum of Modern Art
Get dinner in Trocadero
Centre Pompidou
Paris Catacombs
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Amsterdam is one of my favourite places ever. It’s picturesque, easy to find your way around, and full of amazing food. It was my second time here and my friend’s third so we had a pretty chilled out time but still did a lot. I definitely wouldn’t say no to going back again.
The Hostel
The hostel we stayed in in Amsterdam was called ClinkNoord and was a short (and free!) boat ride away from the city centre. Also at around £30 a night, the rooms were basic yet comfortable and the place as a whole had a modern, utilitarian vibe to it which I really liked. The bathrooms were a short walk down the hall, a more private alternative to the bathrooms in our Paris hostel, and were pretty much always free. As for the showers, they were a wet room kinda situation and a little bit grim at times but as long as you bring flip flops (I didn’t, another example of dumbassery, lol) you’ll be fine. Maybe this is the 10 year old in me leaping out but I really loved the bar area at this hostel too: drinks were cheap, but more importantly, it had table football, pool, AND a ping-pong room. WITH A BLACK LIGHT MIGHT I ADD!
Amsterdam Top Things to do:
1. Electric Ladyland
The edibles had already began to kick in a little bit by the time we got to Electric Ladyland so this might be a bit of an overstatement but this place was, in a good way of course, very trippy. It’s basically a mini fluorescent art museum and exhibition in this guy’s basement (not as weird as it sounds, lol), and for £5 you can go in and see it and then, if you hang around, watch him give a demonstration on how it all works and where he sourced his paint from. It says on the website that it’s by appointment only but we just turned up on the day just as a slot was about to start and were allowed in. In terms of taking an edible before you go in, maybe don’t, lol. It was a bit of a surreal experience; in a very dark room, listening to an old American hippy talk about how he explored caves in Utah to find mineral rocks, the weed-induced paranoia low-key kicked in. I did, at points, momentarily forget that there was a room around the point I was immediately focussed on and started panicking that we were just drifting through space. And then there was the occasional fear that I was trapped in some kind of eternal time loop where the man would just keep on talking in circles and I would be stuck down there forever, not wanting to be rude and leave whilst he was mid-sentence, as part of the universe’s karmic punishment for my impractical level of politeness and need to people-please. Climbing the ladder up out of the basement was...a little tricky, to say the least.
2. Pancake House
You have to have pancakes in Amsterdam and my friend recommended this place as the original one. I had a pancake with ice cream, caramel sauce and chocolate sauce and whilst a little sickly, it was tasty af. If I went again, I think I’d just stick to one sauce; it was so sweet that I had to admit defeat about halfway, something I do not look back on with pride. Next time, I will be victorious over one of these beasts of a pancake. Speaking it into existence.
3. Hire a bike and visit Vondelpark
There are plenty of ways to get about in Amsterdam and the trams are super easy to use but hiring a bike for the time you’re there is probably the cheapest and most Amsterdammy (I know, not really a word) way to get around. We hired our bikes from Starbikes by the central station and it was a very simple and affordable process which I would definitely recommend; their shop has some of the best reviews on Trip Advisor for bike hire. Riding along the canals is quite chilled but if you’re not super confident, the best place to go is probably Vondelpark, as it has wider lanes with the added bonus of not living in semi-permanent fear of being yeeted off your bike into the canal by a car coming up behind you. It also has friendly ducks! How can you say no to that? I mean, ignoring the fact that male ducks have like, 9 inch corkscrew penises which apparently spin when they mate. Thank Reddit for that life-altering and mildly disturbing piece of information.
4. Mannekin chips
The BEST Belgian fries which I spent the entirety of the rest of our trip craving. Best sauce combination is ketchup and samurai sauce, and I recommend going for a regular portion. The large is insane and I am very much in awe of anybody who can finish it.
5. Van Gogh Museum
We didn’t actually visit the Van Gogh museum on this trip but I went on my first visit to Amsterdam and you really can’t miss it. Not only does it have a lot of Van Gogh’s most famous works, including sunflowers, it has a lot of the work of the artists who inspired him as well as pieces from some of his contemporaries.
7. Stedelijk
Really cool modern art museum with an interactive room where you can take part in activities relating to the current exhibition too. Though I guess it really depends on your art preferences, if you do only have time to do either this or The Rijksmuseum, I would definitely say Stedelijk.
8. The Rookies Coffeeshop
So I can’t say I’ve tried a lot of the coffee shops in Amsterdam as on our first visit we only really went to this one and The Bulldog chain, and this time we didn’t go as much, but they do the best space cakes. They’re genuinely really tasty but they can be quite intense if you haven’t smoked in a while or don’t do so regularly so make sure you’re in somewhere you feel safe and have other people with you.
9. Amsterdam Dungeons
Though the Amsterdam Dungeons were more similar to the London Dungeons than I thought they would be, with less of a focus on the dark history of the area and more on general dark European history such as the Spanish Inquisition and witch trials which also came up a lot in the London run through, I would still thoroughly recommend them. The Dungeons are definitely a tourist trap but they’re also just hilarious and you genuinely do learn a little, so I think worth the money!
10. The Blonds Cafe
I wasn’t crazy about the menu here as I’m a ridiculously fussy eater but I think most people will easily find something they like, and the actual cafe and presentation is really cute. The grilled cheese sandwich I ended up having was really good and even if you end up just having a cake, I’d recommend it. They had lemon AND mint infused water dispensers, which, now I’m writing down doesn’t seem very exciting at all, but I got hyped up, okay? And worst case scenario, it’s not for you, there are loads of other cool and very hipster-y looking (lol) independent cafes in the area.
11. Anne Frank House
Again, this was something I did on my first trip to Amsterdam, but you can’t miss it. From a history standpoint and as someone who read Anne Frank’s diary several times when I was younger, I found it very surreal to actually visit the house I’d heard so much about. You definitely get a sense of just how stifling and claustrophobic living in that annex was and even if you’re not into your history, I do think a lot of insight can be gained from taking a trip here!
12. Go to one of the Pastry Shops
If you go to Amsterdam, you’ll see them everywhere, the little slightly shabby-looking cafes with all the amazing waffles and donuts and crepes and cupcakes in the window. Go to one! I had a waffle covered in white chocolate and Oreos and it was 1000% as good as it looked.
13. Moco Museum
The last thing on my Amsterdam list and another thing we did on my first trip, the Moco Museum is one of my favourites I’ve ever been to. It’s pretty small and doesn’t take you that long to look around but it’s full of contemporary, provocative art based around the theme of political and social commentary. Given that description, it’s probably no surprise that it houses a lot of Banksy, but there’s also a fair bit of pop art too, and a very cool gift shop. Because I can never resist a good gift shop.
Future Amsterdam Bucket List:
A day trip to the tulip fields
De Poezenboot
Eye Film Museum
Swing at A’dam lookout
Canal Cruise
Berlin, Germany
Berlin definitely wasn’t what I was expecting it to be. As a capital city, I expected it to be this very built up, bustling, commercial place, but it was actually pretty quiet and very spread out. In a way, it almost seemed a bit left behind and completely deserted in parts. That being said, from a historical point of view, it was probably the most interesting place that we went. It’s easy to forget that just a few decades ago the city was completely divided and you can definitely sense that it’s still rebuilding itself.
The Hostel
We stayed in a hostel that was tucked away in the basement of the Aletto hotel, just a minute’s walk away from the Zoologischer Garden station. I believe it was around £20 a night for an 8 person mixed dorm. The beds weren’t the comfiest and the room itself was a bit dark and dank, given that it was below street level, but all in all, the hostel was decent as a stop-off point. I liked that there was a kind of a small communal area in the kitchen and the bathrooms were spacious and clean, and fortunately, it was pretty quiet when we were there so we usually had them to ourselves.
Berlin Top Things to do:
1. Never Ending Love Story
A really lovely little cafe in a pretty, quiet area, the service here was exceptionally good! I’m not one to complain when workers don’t seem overly enthusiastic, I work in retail so I get that you sometimes can’t be arsed with all the over-the-top politeness, but I do appreciate friendliness and the waitress here was so sweet. I had delicious scrambled eggs on sourdough toast and my friend had pancakes and we both really enjoyed our food.
2. East Side Gallery
I wish I had more to say about the East Side Gallery, but to be honest I was pretty drunk and had half an edible-I thought we were going out out after, don’t judge me-so I can’t remember much. Judging from my very shitty and my friend’s very good (this is one of hers, lol) photos though, it was really interesting. Good street art is up there with the best of them imo and given the context of the gallery, it’s no surprise that a lot of the art is politically charged, which just adds an extra layer of appeal to it. There’s also a lot of good photo ops, or so drunk me clearly thought.
3. Topography of Terror
Built on top of the former SS Reich Main Security Office, the Topography of Terror is a museum I’d say you need to set aside at least 2 and a half/3 hours for to properly do. There’s so much information to get through and I’d say I ended up skimming half of it towards the end because we were short on time; I later found out that there’s even more to see outside which we didn’t even touch.
4. Jewish Museum
Unfortunately, a lot of the Jewish Museum was closed when we went but it’s still a very physically impressive building with exhibitions that are equal parts daunting and thought-provoking, relating to both the Jewish experience during the Second World War and Jewish culture in general.
5. Museum Island
We didn’t actually go in any of the museums on Museum Island but we walked around and sat at a nice little green spot nearby; t’s very pretty to explore, especially as the sun is going down. There were plenty of bars around and people drinking, sunbathing and listening to music by the river. Generally a really relaxed vibe.
6. Fritzies
I know dirty fries aren’t the classiest thing ever but the ones from this place tasted really fucking good. How can you go wrong with a fast food restaurant dedicated to chips?
7. The History: Brandenberg Gate, Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie, Hitler’s Bunker, Jewish Memorial
Most of these places are within walking distance of each other and we did them all within a couple of hours. Like I said, the best thing about Berlin is the history so I think making an effort to see all these things is really important. On our last night we managed to find out, via a nearby poster, about a free show on the river (with English subtitles obviously; as the basic monolingual bitch I am, anything other than dankeschön and hallo went right over my head) which covered major points in the history of the Reichstag over the last century; it was the perfect way to round off our trip.
8. KW Institute for Contemporary Art
This museum was half the overly pretentious contemporary art that makes classicists roll their eyes:
-though I do actually like it, sue me-
And half the simple, but millennially-inspired kinda stuff that I love. Like, that top collection got me feeling like the new Van Gogh every time I accidentally screenshot my home screen.
So obviously, I rated it. And side-note, the building in general, which had an old, unused warehouse kinda thing going on, along with a shady little courtyard outside, was very cool.
9. Pizza Nostra
Look at this photo. Do I need to say any more?
Future Berlin Bucket List:
Historical River Cruise
Return to the Jewish Museum
The Story of Berlin Museum
Berghain (even just to see it from the outside)
About Blank, Suicide Circus, i.e one of the tamer, more mainstream clubs
Anne Frank Zentrum
Hackescher Hof
Oranienburger Strasse and Kunsthaus Tacheles
Prague, Czech Republic
I absolutely adored Prague. From the second I stepped out of the metro station into Old Town Square on our first evening, I felt like I was walking into a fairytale. All the buildings were so ornate and beautiful, everywhere you look is like a postcard. There’s so much history there which we only really had time to scrape the surface of and I can’t wait to go back.
The Hostel
We stayed at Hostel Dakura which was only around £15 a night and a few metro stops from the city centre. As you can see, it’s a little outdated but all in all, still clean and comfortable. The dorm and bathrooms were very spacious and there was an outdoor seating area with benches and ping-pong too. I’d definitely say it was good value for money.
Prague Top Things to do:
1. Explore Old Town
The Old Town part of Prague is definitely the main attraction, from the cute and very typically European seating areas outside the restaurants, to the Trdelnik shops, to the gothic statues, and the colourful buildings that surround them; you'll feel like you’re walking through a mix between a shopping mall and a medieval time capsule. There’s not really all that much point me putting Old Town on the must-do list as it’s pretty much unavoidable but I liked it so much I just couldn’t leave it out. I really haven’t been anywhere like it before. It’s part Westeros, part Fantasyland at Disney (with some stag dos thrown in), and that’s saying something; Disney World comparisons do not come easy from me.
2. Letna Hill
A bit of a steep walk uphill but totally worth it for the view of the city. Lots of cool bars and places to get cheap beer and cider too, if that’s your kinda thing. Spirits, to my dismay, are pretty much the same price as they are back home. Not that it was on Letna Hill but I paid €20 for 2 doubles one night. €20. PRAGUE IS CHEAP FOR ALCOHOL, THEY SAID. YOU CAN GET PISSED FOR A TENNER, THEY SAID. IT’LL BE FUN, THEY SAID. Sigh.
PROTIP: Make sure you have cash on you, especially if you’re heading up Letna Hill, as they don’t take card at any of the bars and there aren’t any cash machines. There also aren’t any water fountains and the tap water isn’t drinkable, apparently. You know what there are, though? Rats.
I’m going to stop before I put anyone off. Our experience wasn’t the best but done right, I think you could have a really chilled evening here. Go to Letna Hill. It’s lovely.
3. Prague Castle
Also a bit of an uphill walk, Prague Castle is a gothic dream with live music, tantalising food stalls (hehe, tantalising, somebody hire me to write their cookbook ASAP) and insane views. Half the time I felt like I was in King’s Landing and the other half Hogwarts, and that is the kind of 50/50 split I live for.
4. Walk across Charles Bridge and walk alongside the Vltava River
I thought our day peaked when I came to the realisation, whilst crossing the Charles Bridge, that we were in fact surrounded by vaguely religious and mildly creepy Jesus-looking statues but then we reached the other side and soon after, became one with nature. We saw ducks! Otters. Swans. Inject that wholesome shit into my veins.
Also, a pigeon landed on me! That’s right, if you stand there with your arm out for long enough whilst walking alongside the Vltava River, you too can experience the fleeting terror that comes with the possibility of being pooed on but then the earth-shattering realisation that comes after: that pigeons, maybe, aren’t so bad after all. That they’re actually kinda cute in their own weird, scavenging way! That maybe the pigeon lady in Mary Poppins made some points! I mean, can’t we all relate to wanting to steal other people’s food? I definitely can. Consider me a changed woman.
5. GOAP Museum
Though I’m not much of a Salvador Dali fan and I have a sneaking suspicion that some of the “artwork” in this museum was actually just prints from google blown up on A2 photo paper, I thoroughly enjoyed the Alphonse Mucha and Andy Warhol sections of the GOAP.
-Untitled Salvador Dali-
The former is one of my absolute favourite artists so I definitely had to take a moment when I walked in and saw that not only did they have several of his original lithographs, but also a whole wall dedicated to him. I wish I had good photos but the lighting was a bit too artificial to really do it justice. The lithographs came out pretty well though:
Obviously Andy Warhol is an icon too; his exhibition in particular was hugely informative and well laid out, definitely a people pleaser. I couldn’t find all too much online but it seems like the exhibitions mentioned are permanent, so definitely go and check them out.
I also feel the need to mention that it was here I ascended to an elite level of art hoe by buying a Mucha lighter. Jokes on me because it doesn’t work very well, like...at all in anything windier than a very, very mild breeze, BUT it looks pretty, so points for that.
6. Cafe Chloe
Seeing the size of the queue outside Elan Cafe in London, it kinda blew my mind that considering its flower wall, you could just walk into Cafe Chloe and get a table straight away. Obviously the flower wall is a draw for Instagram purposes (yes, I’m a shallow human being, *insert Ariana Grande “and what about it?” gif here*) but the food was really good too. The perfect place to stop off for brunch.
7. Pedalos
Again, the pedalos under Charles Bridge are kind of a tourist trap but it was only around €12 between us to rent one for the hour; most of them appeared to be 4 seaters so you could get 2 more people in there and split the price again, making it even cheaper. Plus, it was really fun and we got to go right up to the ducks!
8. Karlovy Lazne
I’m not gonna lie, tackiness aside, I love a club with multiple rooms and this one had FIVE. There were a lot of English people in there and it did cost about 12 euros in cash to get in (take the cash out in advance as the machine outside charged quite a steep fee), but they played ABBA on more than one occasion so I have zero regrets. I mean, apart from drinking maybe a bit too much once again, but that’s kind of a given at this point. I can only apologise to my liver and what’s left of my dignity.
9. Joy Burger
NGL, the service here wasn’t the best and I kind of felt like I was annoying some of the staff literally just by trying to order my food BUT to be fair, I’d probably be annoyed by me too considering my upholding of the British tradition of asking everywhere if they speak English and hoping for the best rather than actually learning the native language. Anyway, back to the point: look at this burger. Fit. 10/10 would demolish again.
Future Prague Bucket List:
Museum Kampa
Petrin Hill
One of the free city walking tours
Pub crawl
Vienna, Austria
Honestly, of all the places we went to, Vienna was the one I was most pleasantly surprised by. Before going, I’d heard that there wasn’t much to do there and I thought that 24 hours would be more than enough to see the main attractions, but aside from Paris, it’s probably the city I want to revisit most. On every other block there seemed to be some kind of beautiful flower garden or sprawling palace or stately home or elegant cafe, but at the same time, it still had a very modern feel to it. A lot like Paris but more compact, and with a slightly Germanic twist. Plus, I had one of the best Maccies of my life here, so I really can’t complain.
The Hostel
For around £18 for the night we stayed in a 6 person dorm at the Wombats Hostel by Naschmarkt. Because we weren’t there too long, I didn’t get all that much of a feel for it but the communal areas and bar seemed very cool and the central part of the city was in walking distance. The dorms were a little small and outdated and we did get woken up by a fire alarm in the middle of the night but it gave me a kind of primary school trip type nostalgia so I didn’t mind too much. I’d probably look for another hostel if I went back to Vienna just because I think if you were staying for a while, you'd start to feel a bit cooped up in the room. For the one night, however, it was ideal.
Vienna Top Things to do:
1. Museum Quartier
We really only walked through Museum Quartier but there seemed to be loads going on and definitely lots to look at. There’s also a giant astroturf covered waterbed which sounds kinda wack but was actually super fun when I wasn’t fearing my head was going to be squashed like a watermelon by the kids quite literally throwing themselves around on it. So yeah! Check it out!
2. The Traffic Lights
It sounds silly but the traffic lights in the central part of Vienna are super cute. Have a stroll around and see how many of them you can spot. Berlin’s Ampelmann wishes.
3. Belvedere Palace Grounds
Boujie.
4. Schonbrunn Palace Grounds
Even boujier.
5. Volksgarten
I really felt like I was walking through the Red Queen’s gardens. Minus the crochet and threat of decapitation of course.
6. Max and Benito
SO GOOD. And a really funky seating area outside too. Probably best for a quick lunch and I also imagine would make great drunk food if you need an excuse to day drink.
Future Vienna Bucket List:
Natural History Museum of Vienna
Wien Museum
Leopold Museum
Belvedere Museum of Contemporary Art
Cafe hopping
Further explore MuseumQuartier
Naschmarkt
Budapest, Hungary
It might be an unpopular opinion but I didn’t adore Budapest as a city. To be honest, my expectations were probably slightly too high as I’d heard so many people rave about it. I can see why people like it so much: there’s loads of great places to eat, drinks are cheap, and ruin bars are very cool. My issue was just that I thought there’d be more to do in terms of daytime activities. The one art museum we went to was completely deserted and there didn’t seem to be as many historical places to explore as in some of the other cities we visited. Of course it’s all a matter of personal preference and I might have just not done enough research/planned enough, plus that’s still not to say I didn’t have a good time. We had some lovely chilled out days and the city kind of comes alive in a different way in the evening; the boat party we went to was by far the best night out we had throughout our trip and I had some insanely delicious food. We also hired an Air B&B here for about half the price of some of the hostels we stayed in, and so got to actually settle down and spread our stuff out for a few days; something that was much needed after living out of lockers for 2 weeks.
Budapest Top Things to do:
1. Mr.Funk’s
Look at this bad boy and tell me you don’t want to go to Mr.Funk’s and try one of their freakshakes. Tell me that freakshakes being banned in the UK wasn’t a devastating miscarriage of justice and an attack on my human rights. Tell me that I’m not a failure for leaving a donut behind. Pls. Validate me.
2. Street Food Karavan
Street Food Karavan is such a cool little spot with so many delicious looking food stalls, I honestly could’ve eaten there for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Plus loads of vegan and veggie options too.
3. Boat Party
I believe we booked our night through budapestboatparty.com and honestly it was so fun and such good value for money. It may have partly been down to the alcohol and the edible I had before, lol, but everything felt so surreal; I spent 90% of the event just being amazed by how beautiful our surroundings were and the combination of the breeze and the scenery and the music made for the absolute best atmosphere. Everyone we spoke to was so friendly and if I went back I’d love to do it again, maybe slightly more sober (unlikely) so I can take even more of it in. That being said, bear in mind that these kind of things can probably be a bit hit or miss. The friend that recommended the boat party told me that she spent the first half of the event avoiding being hit on by men twice her age, so clearly it depends a lot on the company, lol!
4. Kiosk
We didn’t actually have proper meals at Kiosk but we did find some deck chairs to sit on whilst we ate ice cream from one of the stalls they were running outside. The restaurant itself was inside but the outdoor seating had a stunning view of the sunset and the river and the area in general was really buzzing.
5. Shoes on the Danube
It’s a simple monument but the story behind the Shoes on the Danube makes it one of the most important things to see in Budapest.
6. Szechenyi Baths
Before we actually went into the baths, I was a bit grossed out. Like, it sounded great in theory but then we got there and I realised we were about to step into what is essentially a steaming pit of bodily fluids. BUT, put that minute, mildly repugnant detail aside and you’ll have a brilliant time. Start with the whirlpool in the outdoor area and by the time you’ve done that, you’ll be feeling wild enough to bath and sauna hop to your heart’s desire. Unless you are a real, compulsive germaphobe, pissing yourself at the sight of little kids and adults alike getting uncontrollably whisked around like a bunch of sweaty egg yolks is enough to make you put any (don’t get me wrong, warranted) hygiene concerns to one side. You can shower when you’re dead. That’s what they say, right?
7. Margaret Island
I think we had one of our most relaxed afternoons at Magaret Island, lying out on the grass by the dancing fountains; it’s definitely a great place to sunbathe, read, or grab a cheap alcoholic drink. There’s options for if you’re feeling more adventurous too: on our second visit there, we paid €10 between us to hire a pedal car for the hour and decided to cycle round the island. It was by the grace of god (or for the most part my friend’s very necessary backseat driving) that there was only one casualty of my steering. Angry Hungarian man, if you’re out there, I’m very sorry our pedal car almost knocked you off your bike. My bad. But yeah, my catastrophic attempt at doing the bare minimum physical activity aside, go and chill on Margaret Island. It’s super pretty.
8. Buda Castle and Fisherman’s Bastion
Just a heads up that we paid around €4 or €5 each to go up to the top of Castle Hill with one of the companies giving out flyers at the bottom, so have a look and see if you can find a better deal before paying to ride the funicular. Once we did get up there we could hop on and off, and the ticket included a ride down as well. In terms of what to expect when you get up there, spectacular views. Though I found the castle itself a bit disappointing, Fisherman’s Bastion was really beautiful and had some great photo spots. If I went back to Budapest, I’d probably spend more time in the area as I think that’s where a lot of the history actually is.
9. Szimpla Kert
Probably the most famous ruin bar in Budapest, I really loved Szimpla Kert. It was a bit chaotic and very crowded but the eccentric interiors and open air courtyard gave it an almost magical feel that only a tiny number of bars I’ve been to have anything on. Vaulty Towers and Bar Elba in Waterloo I’m looking at you. Missing you and your overpriced drinks always xoxo
10. House of Terror
The House of Terror was my only real history fix whilst we were in Budapest and I found it really interesting. In particular, I liked how all the visitors took sheets of information in each room to read in our own time rather than us all trying to crowd round one sign. The basement part of the museum is presumably the main draw, and I understand why given how unnerving it is, but I enjoyed the whole museum. Obviously there are things you have to take with a pinch of salt and (our Air B&B host warned in our welcome package that it was slightly biased; I couldn’t find much about public opinion of the museum online so if by the slim chance somebody who knows more is reading this please let me know! Educate me!), but at the same time, if just for walking through the site of the past atrocities, there is definitely something to be gleaned by visiting.
11. Parliament Building
There was really no need for the Hungarian Parliamentary building to step on Westminter’s neck like that but...I guess she did what she had to do.
12. Ludwig Museum
Like I mentioned, this museum was pretty deserted but they did have some cool contemporary art and in particular an exhibition dedicated to the fashion designer Kiraly Tamas which I really enjoyed. His are the pieces in the photo above!
13. Donut Library
Oreo donuts. Need I say more?
14. La Fabbrica
A very boujie but surprisingly affordable Italian restaurant right opposite St.Stephen’s basilica (pictured), I had one of the many top tier spag bols on this trip here. The toilets are also stylish af and made me feel very much like a peasant so maybe wear something nice so you can get those good good HQ bathroom mirror pics. I was certainly not in any shape to do so. Those toilets were really wasted on my scruffy ass that day.
Future Budapest Bucket List:
The Hungarian National Gallery
Műcsarnok
Museum of Fine Arts
Budapest History Museum
Hungarian State Opera House
Flippermúzeum
Instant
Great Synagogue
Memento Park
Secret Walking Tour
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Though we mainly went to Ljubljana so that we could visit Lake Bled, it was still a very cute little area. Pretty small for a capital city but there were loads of day trips out from the centre and for the evenings, a whole range of lively bars and restaurants along the river.
The Hostel
We stayed at Hostel Kva right in the city centre and paid around €20 a night. The hostel itself was lovely and kind of felt like more of a young people’s B&B than hostel; the communal area in particular had a very cosy, personal feel to it and the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. That being said, the actual rooms were very small and I did feel pretty cramped whilst we were there, more so than in any of the other hostels we stayed at.
Ljubljana Top Things to do:
1. Meselkova Mesa
About a 15 minute walk from the city centre, Meselkova Mesa is a very interesting place. I'm not going to lie, I did feel a little on edge whilst we were there, lol; it was pretty deserted apart from a couple of men having a very loud argument. Nevertheless, there’s some very cool buildings and street art so if you’re in a group, check it out.
2. Lake Bled
Our day trip to Lake Bled, a half hour coach journey from Ljubljana Station for IIRC €8 return, was one of my favourite things we did whilst inter-railing. Not only is it absolutely magnificent to look at but there’s so much to do that I feel like you could have your whole holiday there if you wanted to. Assault courses, hikes, swimming, water sports, rowing, tobogganing, chilling on the (yes, artificial) sand, whether you want to relax or thrill-seek, you’re going to have plenty to do.
3. Puffy
These mini pancakes were so good that I didn’t even notice the chocolate sauce was Nutella and that’s saying something because WHY DO THEY PUT IT ON EVERYTHING IN MAINLAND EUROPE!? PEOPLE WHO DON’T LIKE NUTELLA HAVE RIGHTS TOO!
4. Pop’s Place
The best burger of the entire trip, hands down, and the whole menu looked delicious. Would I fly to Ljubljana just to have another one? Probs.
5. Tivoli Park
A great place to sit down and read a book or go on a bike ride, or alternatively, if you’re me, awkwardly hide from a bunch of people from your hostel you irrationally believed were judging you earlier that day in the bathrooms.
6. Castle Walk
The uphill walk did kill me a little but I am mildly asthmatic so let’s put it down to that. Nothing to do with the fact I haven’t been to the gym in a year. Nothing at all. Anyways, the view was very pretty and though we didn’t go inside the castle, there’s apparently an escape room in there as well as a museum, a restaurant and a jazz club so definitely worth the minor hike.
7. Flower Market
If you go to the square where the food market is, by Dragon Bridge, you’ll find endless stalls of some of the most beautifully arranged flowers I’ve ever seen. It might be a seasonal thing, I’m not sure, but if you’re there in the summer, I’d recommend seeking the market out. They’re a very reasonable price and yes, I did specifically buy a sunflower for a photo op for 50 cent, guilty as charged. When vanity is that cheap I really can’t resist, lol.
8. Illusions Museum
I would definitely recommend going with at least one other person to get the most out of the Illusions Museum and €10 is pretty pricey but if you want to get a cheesy oh-look-I’m-standing-on-the-ceiling photo, here is your best bet.
9. Grefino Frozen Yogurt
I’m not gonna lie, I don’t actually like frozen yogurt myself but I can appreciate good food when I see it and my friend’s portion looked FIT. Plus, I always get excited when anything’s make your own; there will always be a part of me that feels incomplete without regular trips to Pizza Hut to overdo it with the ice cream factory (which this is basically a frozen yogurt, grown up version of). Miss you always.
Future Ljubljana Bucket List:
Escape Castle
Ljubljana Castle guided tour
Tobogganing at Lake Bled
Row to the Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Maria at Lake Bled
Škocjan Caves
MSUM
Venice, Italy
Everywhere you look in Venice is picture perfect. It literally looked exactly how it did in all the photos I’d seen beforehand. There’s so much to do and so many amazing looking places to eat, I could easily spend a relaxed week here. Emphasis on the relaxed because getting around does involve a lot of walking and a surprising amount of stairs, and we had to pack as much as we could into the short amount of time that we had. By the end of our first day in Venice alone, the word exhausted had a whole new meaning. In terms of public transport, there’s only really the boat system, and that’s a steep €18 for a day ticket. Probably partly due to my moaning, we did end up getting one of these on our last day, but that meant that we also got to go to the islands of Murano and Burano which are included. I definitely wouldn’t say no to going back but it’s quite an overwhelming space: a bit disorientating, crowded, and very expensive! You’d have to give me a few years, lol!
The Hostel
Whilst in Venice we stayed at the Wombats Hostel in Mestre, for around £13 a night. We were lucky in that it had only opened the week before (they were actually celebrating its opening at the Wombats in Naschmarkt when we were there!), and so it was super cheap. I imagine by now the price would’ve increased as it was a lovely hostel. Being new there were obviously some teething problems: queues on the front desk were pretty long, the free drinks vouchers given out had mistakes in that you couldn’t redeem them for one of the drinks that was listed, the kitchens were apparently very overcrowded with 2 faulty hobs between about 50 people, and our room as well as the bathroom in the lobby frequently ran out of toilet paper. Other than that, the dorms were the most spacious, modern and breathable of all the hostels we stayed in and the bar and communal areas were great. The only thing to bear in mind is that you do have to get a train into the main island of Venice, but it’s only about €3 for a return and it’s a short journey.
Venice Top Things to do:
1. Peggy Guggenheim
A really beautiful museum and garden right on the waterfront, there were all kinds of modern and contemporary art and even a piece (pictured above) by Jenny Holzer who is one of my favourite contemporary artists! I definitely fangirled a little! Some other standouts were by Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Max Ernst, Joan Mitchell and Willem de Kooning which I’m going to offload here to free up some space on my camera roll, lol:
Composition by Joan Mitchell (1962)
Silver Bedhead by Alexander Calder (1945-1946)
Untitled by Willem de Kooning (1958)
Circumcision by Max Ernst (1946)
2. Liberia Acqua Alta
An eclectic little bookshop tucked away down some Venetian side street with tower upon tower of some of the most random combinations of books I’ve ever seen, my favourite thing about Liberia Acqua Alta was the cat chilling behind the counter. It’s shameful the vigour with which the crazy cat lady in me jumped out but I actually did start tearing up at the sight of it. I hadn’t seen a cat in 3 WEEKS! I missed my babies okay:(
3. Takeaway Pizza
There’s loads of fresh takeaway pizza places around Venice but this particular slice was from a place called Farini. I think there might be more than one of them, and to be honest, when there’s pizza that delicious looking in the window, it would be a crime not to at least seek one out.
4. St.Mark’s Square and Basilica and Bridge of Sighs
It might be a huge tourist trap but you really can’t miss St.Mark’s Square. The Basilica is one of the most magnificent buildings I’ve ever seen and even as someone who is not at all religious, you can appreciate the thought and craftsmanship that went into it. The astrological clock right next to the basilica is also absolutely stunning, just as much so as the one in Prague, imo:
Getting dive-bombed by a flock of pigeons in the square was fun too. My life flashed before my eyes just for a moment. It was a humbling experience.
5. Leonardo Da Vinci Exhibit at Palazzo Zaguri
Basically, this exhibit was a collection of Da Vinci’s drawings of the anatomy of the human body side by side with the corresponding plasticised body parts. Really interesting and not at all as gory as it sounds, which was really the only disappointing part for me, lol.
6. Fondaco de Tedeschi
If you want a good view of the city without paying a fortune, Fondaco de Tedeschi is your place. It’s a fancy mall with a rooftop area that you can, by booking a time slot online, go up for free.
7. "Get Lost”
I’m not really someone that enjoys walking around aimlessly but if you’re gonna do that anywhere, Venice is your place. Every street and bridge and balcony is postcard worthy and there are pizza and ice cream and just generally good food places everywhere. You’re bound to stumble across at least one authentic, non wholesale mask shop whilst you’re wandering, and although there’s something vaguely creepy about a load of these blank faces staring out the shop windows at you, some of the displays are totally bewitching:
The middle display is from the shop window of the place that made the mask for Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut which I thought was very cool!
8. Get a boat pass and visit Murano and Burano
As I said, on our last day we bought a boat pass (€18) and visited the nearby islands of Murano and Burano, Murano being the island famed for its glass, and Burano for its rainbow houses. Burano was definitely my favourite of the two; it was a buzzing place full of charming little stalls and shops and boats, and of course, colour. Plus, we even got some close cat encounters in there! Murano was pretty but a lot quieter and seemingly more spread out. The glass shops get a bit old after a while as most of them all have the same things in and so I think finding out where you can see a glass blowing demonstration or visiting the glass museum is a good idea if you are thinking of visiting.
9. Osteria Trattoria Al Nono Risorto
This was a super affordable little restaurant with a really lovely outdoor seating area, recommended by my friend’s mum. The service wasn’t amazing (they forgot about my friend’s pizza, lol) but I had what was probably my number one spaghetti bolognese of the whole trip here, and the garden was very pretty. Finding spots to eat a proper meal in Venice that aren’t going to charge you, like, €12 for the privilege of sitting down in a nice place is hard so I would definitely recommend checking this one out.
Future Venice Bucket List:
La Biennale di Venezia
Lido di Venezia
St.Mark’s Campanile
Chiesa de San Giacomo
Gondola ride
Doge’s Palace
Punta della Dogana
Bugno Art Gallery
Palazzo Fortuny
Rome, Italy
Our final overnight destination, Rome was a lot more cosmopolitan than I expected it to be. I was so focussed on the historical side of things that I kinda forgot it’s a capital city and thus, is going to obviously be pretty commercial. Still, it’s strange to just be going down a very pedestrian street on a tram, turn to one side, and see the bloody Colosseum there. I’m not going to lie, by the time we got to Rome I wasn’t feeling my best and was physically pretty exhausted so I don’t feel like I got to appreciate it as much as I should have done; I ended up going back to our Air B&B a couple of the days, largely due to the heat. It was almost 40 fucking degrees! I was honest to god DRIPPING in sweat on the tram back at one point! But I definitely want to go back again, maybe some time when we aren’t feeling the effects of the planet withering and dying as much, and explore even more. Rome is undoubtedly a very cool place.
Rome Top Things to do:
1. Colosseum and Roman Forum
Before we went to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, I kind of expected it to be something you looked at, went “wow, that’s cool”, and then moved on, lol, and I was low-key a bit pissed off that we were paying €20 to do so. When we did arrive, though, I was blown away by the scale of both the landmarks and how much there was to see and do there. The Roman Forum in particular went on for ages and there were signs regularly dotted about to tell you what it was you were looking at, what it used to be, and who built it, amongst other things; though I’d love to go back with a tour guide, it’s really not necessary. I can’t tell you how starstruck I was to see the foundations of a temple that Julius Caesar ordered to be built; the Romans have always been fascinating to me and I genuinely feel like I learnt SO MUCH on our visit. We booked a last minute whistle stop tour that got us in and out of both venues with allotted time slots, meaning that we couldn’t stay too long in the Forum, so I’d say if you can afford it, just go full out and buy skip the line tickets in advance. You could definitely make a day of it.
2. Fattori Ice Cream
From a really cute little independent shop near the Air B&B we were staying in, this ice cream was SO GOOD that my fussy-ass-self didn’t even mind that I’d accidentally picked a flavour with lemon in. It’s a bit out of the way but I’d say worth the journey, and there’s supposed to be a lot of good street art nearby so there’s non-food related excuses to make the detour too.
3. Vatican Museums and Basilica
Honestly, the Vatican is worth going to for the ceilings alone. Raphael’s frescos are some of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen, and if anything was going to turn me (to Christianity I mean, lol), it’d be them. I love contemporary art and on the whole find classic art to be a bit repetitive and same-y in its themes but some of the work that can be found in the Vatican is just an example of the level of passion and dedication and patience that can be found in so many pieces of the period and is something that I think modern art can occasionally lack.
4. Aventine Hill
You’d think that a spot with such a good view of the city would be absolutely mobbed but Aventine Hill is just as serene as this photo makes it look. Do-ably uphill, amazing place to watch the sunset, and heads up: I can’t think of anywhere more romantic to propose.
5. MamaEats
One of many lively restaurants in the Travestere area, I had (surprise, surprise) another glorious spaghetti bolognese here. IIRC, they also specialise in gluten free food which is very forward-thinking!
6. Travestere and Riverbank
As I mentioned, Travestere is known for its host of buzzing bars and restaurants, but one thing we didn’t know about until we got to Rome was all the stalls and activities down on the riverbank. Though it didn’t seem to be a year-round thing, there was a whole strip of amazing food places and clothes and jewellery stalls and even some kind of VR experience down there which I would definitely recommend checking out if you are in Rome for the summer months.
8. St.Paul’s Outside the Wall
A really beautiful Church both inside and outside that's lacking absolutely nothing of St.Peter’s Basilica except the queues, my protip for visiting St.Paul’s Outside the Wall is to WEAR SOMETHING COVERING YOUR KNEES AND SHOULDERS. I mean, I’d say the same thing for all of the Italian Churches, but specifically this one because they WILL force these blue sheets of tarpaulin masquerading as “ponchos” upon you and you WILL feel like a complete and utter twat. You have been warned.
9. Street Art
We didn’t quite walk far enough to get to the cluster of street art by St.Paul’s Outside the Wall, but what we did see we found easily through the StreetArtRoma app, which marks out the various murals and professional graffiti points around the city. I think a really interesting day would be to hire a bike or a scooter and use the app to explore those various clusters that are dotted all around the city.
10. Largo di Torre Argentina
The site where Julius Caesar (yep, him again) was assassinated, but also the site which is now populated by a group of very cute, and also very friendly cats. We didn’t get to go in the daytime when the actual cat sanctuary was open but when I went down the steps to get a closer look at the site one of the evenings, several of them came to say hello! No offence to any Christians out there, but if there was one point on this trip when I felt I was truly in the presence of something greater, it was here. And they were furry and adorable. With whiskers:3
11. Parthenon, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona
Basically, you gotta do all the big tourist spots. Yes, the Trevi fountain felt a lot like an overcrowded kids’ swimming pool, and yes, I did fear I was about to get yeeted into the fountain like a coin at some points too, but it is undeniably a very captivating sight. Along with the Parthenon, it’s a prime example of Rome not really being what I expected, because there’s no big clearing for either of them; they’re literally just slap bang in the middle of the street like they’re NBD, which is kinda wild considering they're hugely important pieces of history and architecture. Piazza Navona is very pretty too and a great place to sit down and get something to eat, even if it was just boxed pasta from one of the supermarkets round the corner in our case.
Future Rome Bucket List:
Galleria Borghese
MAXXI Museum
MACRO Museum
Cinecitta Film Studios
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna
Capitoline Museum
Milan, Italy
We only visited Milan for the day as that was where we got out flights home from but I still really enjoyed it. I went once in 2018 and I think the appeal back then was lost at me, but this time I get it: shopping, lol. There’s also a lot of art and fashion museums which are a huge part of the draw, and of course, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle; I think if you’re a person with *ahem* a fucking shitload of money, that’ll be enough to occupy you for at least a day or two.
Milan Top Things to do:
1. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
The oldest shopping mall in Italy and undoubtedly the most beautiful, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele might be the boujiest place I’ve ever stepped foot in. Sure, the shops are too intimidatingly expensive to consider even attempting to enter but they’re fun to marvel at and the general area has every typical high street store you can think of. Even the Zara in Milan looks like a fashion Haus inside! The same shop that in my local town centre resembles a jumble sale a good 50% of the time! So yeah, despite not having any money to spend and the fact that I was *supposed* to be on a shopping ban until October, I still like wandering around the area.
2. Novecento Museum
With several floors of modern art, interactive exhibitions (which you had to sign a RELEASE FORM to participate in), and an amazing view of Il Duomo upstairs, I really enjoyed the Novecento Museum. I thought it was going to a be a disappointing alternative to the Armani Museum, which was closed at the time, but it ended up being one of my favourite museums we visited on our whole trip.
3. Sforza Castle
My friend that we met up with whilst in Milan (she has a flat in the city! I’m very impressed!) took us here and we sat down in the grounds for a bit, which was a nice way to chill out for an hour or so. There was a fountain out the front that people were paddling in to cool off too and there seemed to be several exhibits going on inside the castle as well if you did want to get a bit of background.
4. Starbucks Reserve Roastery on Via Cordusio
The fanciest Starbucks I’ve ever seen in my life. Again, intimidatingly so. But if you like your coffee you will probs be in heaven.
5. Gallerie d’Italia
So me and my sister went here the last time we came to Milan and IIRC, really liked it. The modern art section was a bit sparse but the rest of the museum continued into some kind of grand old building and the usual stately home staples that I love were of course there in abundance: intricate ceilings, palatial stairways, opulent chandeliers, beautiful flower gardens, the place is basically a labyrinth of decadence and we lapped it up, lol. People being rich enough to own buildings like this? No. Them being open to the general public so we can go wild in them? Yes.
Future Milan Bucket List:
Armani Museum
Navigli
Go in the Duomo
Barcelona, Catalonia
I’ve been to Barcelona about 4 or 5 times now and aside from Paris and London, there is no other European city that compares. It’s so huge, full of character and unique beauty, and endless things to do, that I could return probably about 10 times more and still leave with an incomplete bucket list. With stunning architecture, a laid-back coastline and bustling commercial areas, it’s a city with such a consistent vibe and sense of history. The only thing they could do to make it better? Take down the Christopher Columbus monument. Because having a giant statue of a man who facilitated the genocide of a whole country full of native people is a bit...yikes. Sorry, had to drop that in there. But on the whole I adore the place.
Barcelona Top Things to do:
1. CosmoCaixa
We didn’t actually go to CosmoCaixa on this trip to Barcelona, but we went a few years ago and it’s without a doubt, the coolest science museum I’ve ever been too. There’s information in Spanish, Catalan and English so most people can probably follow the exhibitions and even if not, there’s a whole interactive area with a load of contraptions that you don’t really need to understand to be entertained by. You could definitely make a whole day of it too; we went for about 3 hours and still only scratched the surface.
2. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC)
2 things!
Firstly, this is a portrait of Colette, the French novelist, which me and my sister got really excited about because we kinda stan after watching that Kiera Knightley film!
Secondly, and probs more importantly, the modern art section of Museum Nacional d’Art de Catalunya is one of the most ingeniously laid out I’ve even seen. With the sections separated into different eras of Catalonian art, it kinda reads like a whistle stop tour of the cultural history of Barcelona, and so not only did I see so many gorgeous paintings, I got educated af! Also, the building which the museum is housed in, the Palau Nacional, is stunning. Plus, there are escalators most of the way up. Iconic.
3. Portaventura
It was my sister and I’s fourth time visiting Portaventura this year and it was as amazing an experience as ever! The park is split into different themed areas, kinda like Disney, and has everything from thrill rides to Sesame Street Land (which is low-key super fun). It has what is probably one of my favourite rides ever, Shambhala, and also randomly the best theme park food I’ve ever tasted. One thing I would say is that the accompanying park, Ferrari Land, isn’t worth the extra money as the queues are super long, and there’s only really one ride worth going on, which is basically just a replica of Stealth at Thorpe Park. Same goes for the neighbouring water park; unless you’re going to pay for express passes there, give it a miss. The lockers are €10, the queues are ridiculous, the wave pool didn’t work (not that the staff bothered to tell everyone who was just stood there waiting for an hour) and the “lazy” river is pure anarchy. Literally, kids half-drowning themselves for the lols, popping up under your rubber ring when you least expect it, and then being screamed at by their parents. I live for a bit of chaotic energy but that lazy river...
4. Visit Sitges
A small city on the coast about half an hour from Barcelona, I really cannot recommend Sitges enough. There’s a ton of cute little art museums, delicious restaurants, heavenly beaches (the waves are INSANELY GOOD! You WILL get knocked under water half a dozen times but you also get to watch it repeatedly happen to other people too and it’s great), and a fucking ridiculously hard assault course out in the sea that me and my sister tanked at, hard. There’s incredible food places everywhere but favourites are Pom D’Amour and Dino for ice cream and sweet treats, and Beach House, Big Al’s American Kitchen, and Soca for mains . There’s also a really prominent LGBT community, plus lots of bars, pubs and clubs. Honestly, if you’re going to Barcelona, I really recommend staying around here as you get away from the the majority of the tourists but can still easily get in to the city by train.
5. Walking with Gaudi at the Gaudi Exhibition Centre
A very cool, very interactive exhibition that dives into the life of Gaudi, his creative process, his projects and his influences. My sister particularly liked the replica of El Drac. Like, she for whatever reason thought it was cute. Named it. Made us walk up to Parc Guell to try and see it. Wouldn’t leave the area til she got a keychain of it. Sigh.
6. Passeig de Gracia
Down Passeig de Gracia, you can both wistfully gaze through the windows of the designer shops you pass by, and actually spend your money (too much in my case) in the high street ones. Best of both worlds, bby.
7. Casa Battlo
So it’s on Passeig de Gracia, pretty much opposite the metro station, but I had to give it its own little bit because it’s my favourite Gaudi building. Kinda looks like something aliens would build, kinda looks like something that sprang out of the ground, but that’s pretty much what Gaudi did best.
8. Park Guell
Just a warning, Park Guell is VERY uphill, and we somehow ended up getting off at the metro station right at the bottom of that hill, only to find out once we got up there that you had to book a slot and that all the slots for the rest of that day were sold out. My sister didn’t get to see her dragon and I was pissed off that I’d just nearly busted a lung open and regretted throwing my inhaler away for 20 minutes straight whilst getting up there, but it was still a pretty good view and we did get to see a bit of the park. Moral of the story though is to obviously book Park Guell before you go.
9. Sagrada Familia
We’ve never actually been in to the Sagrada Familia, again, because we’ve never thought to book it (I want to absolve myself of responsibility here since every time I’ve gone to Barcelona before this trip, I’ve been a baby and let my parents organise everything), but it is an absolutely magnificent building even from the outside. I would one day love to go in and go up the spiral staircase though, because it looks fucking terrifying and I’m one of those strange people who likes being scared every once in a while.
10. Buenas Migas
I’m pretty sure it’s a chain thing but it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a focacceria, and maybe I’m just uncultured but...I got pretty excited. That being said, my sister and I both ended up getting pizza; it was as tasty as it looks.
13. Las Ramblas and Plaza Catalunya
The most typically mediterranean looking square you’ll ever see, Plaza Catalunya is the perfect place to stop off and get some tapas whilst you’re exploring Las Ramblas.
14. Mount Tibidabo
“I was backpacking across Western Europe, I was just outside of Barcelona, hiking in the foothills of Mount Tibidabo”...yes, I got excited to go here because of the Friends reference (I’m a basic bitch who likes friends AND has other personality traits, smd), but equally so by all the adorable old-timey fair ground rides once we did get up there. It was a few years ago now, so I’m not sure exactly how it worked but I do vaguely remember it being a bit of a rip off in that you had to pay to ride them all individually, so it’s good to know that the view from the Church and the Church itself is more than enough of a reason to go up. There’s also places to eat on the walk down and plenty of ice cream and food stalls up there.
Future Barcelona Bucket List:
Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA)
European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM)
El Jardin del Gats
Port Cable Car
Carrer de la Neu de Sant Cugat
So, that was my summer! 100% the most eventful one I’ve ever had! I’d love to go back to every one of these places, at least for a day, and am so grateful I got to have this experience. I definitely missed home a lot and maintaining your wellbeing whilst out of your comfort zone is hard, I’m not going to lie, but I hope that a year from now I’ll be feeling even more adventurous.
There are so many places in Europe I desperately want to go to, some even more so now that I’ve visited the country. Now that I’ve been to Germany, for example, I’d be really interested in seeing somewhere like Munich or Cologne, as they’re supposed to have a completely different vibe from Berlin. It also really inspired me to get back into Spanish and possibly even learn French.
I don’t know if anyone who is going inter-railing will read this but if they do, feel free to message me if you have any questions. My friend did pretty much all of the organising so I’m not the most knowledgeable person ever but I will do my very best to answer! Similarly, if anybody has any recommendations of other places to go whilst in any of these cities, food places and art museums especially (lol), let me know.
Thanks for reading!
Lauren x
#travelling#interrail#interrailing#paris#bucketlist#barcelona#budapest#prague#architecture#modernart#food#rome#venice#beautifulplaces#europe#adventure#lonelyplanet#gaudi#alphonsemucha#artnoveau
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hi hun, ive also had a bit of a shit time today as well, we can always get through it! :) if u wanted a fun story i met miles last year when my mum and i were down oxford street, it was so embarrassing because of her🤦🏻♀️BUT she did ask him 'we've come from southend today, have you ever heard of it?' and he was like 'no i havent' BUT then the first show of the crispy tour was in southend so in my mind i like to think he remembered 😂 so thats my weird connection to miles peace out ✌🏻✌🏻
Hi, gorgeous! I was actually in London with a friend celebrating my birthday early today which was lovely, just hot and bothered and moody now and had a tough few days. Sorry to hear your day has been a bit shitty! Hahah omg I love him. Can just picture him so easily in every interaction! But that’s a great story! Did you get a pic? One of my best friends lives in Southend, went to that show and has even played that venue with his own band! I’m sure if you’d have said Essex, he might’ve got it. Small world though! I love that so much, thank you for sharing 😘😘😘💞
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(Disclaimer: This post is not my own. This is a repost from the official ilomilo developers on blog.ilomilo.com (only accessible on the wayback machine)!)
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GalaxyNextDoor interview
Monday, July 12th, 2010
Our friends at the superb gamingblog GalaxyNextDoor asked me a few questions about ilomilo.
[NOTE FROM TESS: Since the GalaxyNextDoor site is also only accessible on the wayback machine, I’ll paste it below as well for easy reading!]
Swedish developer Southend Interactive may be most know for their remakes of Lode Runner and Tecmo Bowl, but the small studio is hard at work on an original IP for XBLA which looks to be the studios biggest game yet.
ilomilo is Southend’s newest title, exclusively for XBLA and one of the most creative looking puzzlers around. Featuring gorgeous graphics and a delightful soundtrack, ilomilo is one of those stand out artsy titles that Microsoft has been slowly bringing to XBLA.
ilomilo Level Designer, Martin Blomkvist was kind enough to give us some new info on the studios title as well as some of the benefits of going the digital delivery route for smaller studios.
GND: ilomilo looks incredibly cute. Where did you guys get the inspiration for the characters ilo and milo and the dreamlike world they inhabit?
Martin: The visual inspiration for ilomilo came from many everyday things but was mainly inspired by artists such as Hundertwasser and Klimt. We also took inspiration from russian animation such as Cheburashka, Hedgehog in the fog and the russian version of Winnie the pooh.
GND: ilomilo is a puzzle game, that’s obvious but what isn’t are the goals of the game. What’s ilo and milo’s goals for each level and do specific cubes have special properties?
Martin: The goal for each level is to bring ilo and Milo together. It doesn’t matter where on the level they meet up, but they need to be on the same side and on connecting cubes. In order to bring ilo and Milo together the player needs to make use of special cubes that can be picked up and placed down almost anywhere on the level. Some cubes have special abilities that activates when they are put down on the ground or placed in a hole. One cube for example stretches out so that it becomes three cubes lenght. Another cube has a hole in it that ilo or milo can fall through and end up on the opposing side.
GND: Featured in one of the trailers we saw for the game were what looked like some flying creatures, will we be able to ride them?
Martin: If you mean the flying grey cubes then yes, you will be able to ride them. They are a key part in many of the tricky puzzles.
GND: When we first got a look at ilomilo our first thought was, “OMG a co-op puzzle game, that’s brilliant!” Please tell us that ilomilo can be played with a friend.
Martin: Yes, you will be able to team up with your best friend (or your worst enemy for that matter) and solve puzzles together. The gameplay is essentially the same, but in two player mode you work as a tag team where one player controls ilo and the other controls Milo. Only one character can be active at a time, but the player who isn’t active controls a fly which can be used to mark out cubes to help out the active player. Also, if you don’t feel so helpful you can choose to annoy your fellow player instead by using the buttons on the controller to play instruments.
GND: In the past few years XBLA has matured quite a bit from the retro fueled games that it began with, to now fuller and more experimental experiences like Braid. With so many different genres like shooters and side scrollers making a comeback on XBLA, what inspired Southend to go with a puzzle game and what do you think differentiates ilomilo from anything else out there?
Martin: The visual style is probably what makes ilomilo stand out of the crowd the most, but the 3D-labyrinth gameplay isn’t exactly overly done either. The reason we choose the puzzle genre was simply because we like puzzlers and felt like doing a fully fledged puzzle game. Next time it could be a pirate-brawler, a fantasy space marine RTS or a dark epic dinosaur MMORPG. You never know! :)
GND: What are some of the benefits of going the downloadable digital route for a new IP like ilomilo versus the more traditional brick and mortar route?
Martin: Games distributed online are usually smaller and doesn’t have the budget of a retail title. Since online distribution isn’t as expensive it makes it possible for smaller companies like us to get our games on the market without taking too great risks. Without digital distribution smaller and more niched games such as ilomilo, Braid and tower of goo probably would not have been possible.
GND: Will Southend be supporting ilomilo with perhaps some DLC after release?
Martin:There is always a possibility.
GND: When can gamers expect to get their hands on ilomilo and do you guys have any idea on a price point?
Martin: ilomilo will be out this year at some point. The price has not been set yet.
A big thank you to the folks at Southend for letting us know more about ilomilo, we can’t wait to play it! You can keep up to date on the game at ilomilo’s official facebook page, and we’ll let you know when Southend announces a release date for ilomilo.
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REGNANT
you don’t know what privilege is
you can’t step back to see it
even when we are sat at the same table
sharing the same food
we seem to speak in different tongues
even when we share the same language
REGNANT is a new durational play, a dinner party with the guests diving into how we interact with each other within the context of migration and belonging. It is composed of live with you, our guests and patrons. As your hosts, we invite you to join us at the dinner table, get merry, make friends and explore structures of power within local communities and how they influence how we shape our collective future.
In REGNANT, Xavier expands the form started in his previous show, POST, to think more broadly about collectivity, community and privilege within the performance space and in the development of the narrative itself.
Each performance is contextualised to its setting and will include a variety of local guests and co-performers, to be announced soon.
Developed and performed by Xavier de Sousa with André Neely, Yas Clarke, Jade Monserrat, Saad Said, Deborah Pearson and Lewis Church.
REGNANT is developed with METAL Culture (Peterborough, Southend, Liverpool), East Street Arts (Leeds), South House (Canterbury), Migration Matters Festival (Sheffield), Marlborough Theatre & The Spire (Brighton), Live Collision Festival, Abbey Theatre - National Theatre of Ireland & Project Arts Centre (IR), mala voadora.porto (Portugal). Additional funding by Arts Council England.
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Trust | Bang Chan
genre ⌁ haunting!au, horror, supernatural, angst, fluff, enemies-to-lovers-ish
summary ⌁ you are a regular ole’ demonologist, just living your best life attending the occasional possession or exorcism - until a novice exorcist with a giant ego accidently gets you into harm’s way.
word count ⌁ 2.8k
warning ⌁ kinda violent tbh, mentions of death n blood and religion
Check out my masterlist!
A/N - I hate this a lot I swear the other parts will be better :/
the case of the southend werewolf was one that would haunt you forever, for years to come until the day you passed
while the famous husband and wife duo, ed and lorraine warren, had solved the case many decades ago, one oddly similar instance popped up in news reports and videos over time
you’d been doing some personal research since the very first story came up on your recommended page, diligently applying your demonology knowledge to the strange case
yes - demonology
you weren’t exactly catholic, or... religious in general, for the most part; you liked to call yourself agnostic for lack of a better term
you didn’t quite believe in the idea of gods and all that jazz, but you did however delve deeper into the possible existence of demons or, rather, negative energy that fed off the masses
moving on
you decided that you really wanted to go to the area in England where the supposed possession was taking place, but on account of their authority figures (and the church) you required a professional to go with you
enter bang chan, novice exorcist in training
in the midst of your heavy digging for an exorcist to accompany you on the trip, you stumbled upon a verified site from the Vatican itself, which cited experienced or in training students all over the world
bang chan happened to be the first one who had a decent record, plus he was technically still training so if he came on the trip, his supervisor would have to go as well - meaning double the protection
after a week of arranging flights and meetings, you found yourself landing in an airport located in Essex, England
there you met up with chan and his supervisor, a decorated exorcist by the name of park jinyoung
together the three of you spoke about the case, from the ride to the hotel all the way into unpacking for the stay
while you and jinyoung had been in a heated discussion over the suspected possession, chan spent that time rolling his eyes whenever you presented your research or an opinion - he even had the audacity to glare at you as you asked questions about their church and services
“you shouldn’t even be here,” the Australian man finally spoke up, “you’re not a child of god, so why do you even care about our church or what we’ve devoted our lives to?”
jinyoung hisses and smacks the younger man on the back of his head, offering you a reprimanded look of apology
“chan, just because you’re technically a licensed student doesn't mean that you can ridicule others who have different beliefs than we do. our first lesson is to-”
“not judge others, for judgement is a sin.” the blonde finishes with a grunt, though he sends you another harsh glare at the same time
“my beliefs are my own, chan. while I don’t believe in your god, I do believe in the mere existence of negative entities in our world.” you reply shortly
he scoffs, abruptly standing from his chair at the dining table, “you’re completely unbelievable, woman. just - stay out of our way during our investigation.”
and with that, he left, storming off into his bedroom
jinyoung apologizes for his pupil’s behavior, though he doesn’t bring up the topic of your beliefs for the rest of the night
for the next three days, the three of you delve deeper into the possible possession of a man named mark tuan
he was a normal guy from la who moved to England a few years ago so he could be with his long-term girlfriend, and up until recent months he was just like any other man
but then he started to exhibit strange, inhuman habits; such as uprooting a fence post and crunching on the wire mesh, walking on all four limbs, and just the other day he reportedly sniffed out a deer carcass deep in the woods behind his home
after witnessing the man break out into a cold sweat and nearly attack a smaller dog much like a predatory wolf, father jinyoung decided they would perform an exorcism
the plan was to bring mark tuan back to their church in Australia, as the demon manifesting inside of him was something entirely inhuman and could potentially be a threat if it somehow wasn’t fully dismissed
however on the same evening you all were planning to fly to Australia, something triggered mark into a furious frenzy
foam started to dribble between his dry lips, his hair stood up all over his body, and the lanky man literally lunged at father jinyoung - effectively pinning him to the ground as he attempted to gauge out his throat
you leapt into action, throwing yourself onto the back of the man to try and pull his weight off of the priest
meanwhile chan was in a state of sheer panic, watching as his own mentor was being targeted by a very powerful demon before his very eyes
“c-chan,” jinyoung called out to the stunned man, letting out a painful scream as mark tears into his flesh with his teeth, “leave and lock all the door and windows - call father jaebum from the church in London-”
but chan doesn’t listen to him - he silently reassures himself that he can handle a real exorcism himself - it’s what he’s been training to do his entire life
so the blonde snatches a bible from the bookshelf behind him, flipping through it until he finds a set of pages, his gaze wavering in fear and panic as you whip your head around to gawk at him
you scream and shout at him, telling him to listen to the dying man’s words, all the while struggling to pull him towards the front door and away from the possessed man
still he goes on, reciting his teachings word by word until there’s a pregnant pause
mark’s body, still on top of father jinyoung’s, twitches after a certain phrase chan had stuttered out weakly
“y-you didn’t say it the right way-”
“how would you know!?”
“just because i’m not religious doesn’t mean I haven’t done my own damn research,” you hiss quietly, voice shaking as mark continues to twitch madly and turns his attention to the two of you, fresh blood and torn skin hanging from his stained lips, “c-chan, we need to go!”
“no - if we leave then there’s a chance the demon will use his body until it can find a new host and go on torturing innocent people just like mark!” he protests, glancing down at the bible as the brunette man takes a step forward
“chan-”
he doesn’t listen to a word you say, attempting the passage yet again, but more clearly this time
it’s too late, though
on his last word mark charges towards the man, his mouth wide open and prepared to take a chunk of flesh from his neck - but you’re somehow faster. you shove chan out of the way just as the deed is done, receiving a painful bite to your shoulder
in seconds mark’s body collapses onto the ground, a strange, cold presence emitting into the open air before all goes quiet
the series of events that followed that were a blur to you: from chan rushing to cover your wound to the two ambulances that arrive on the scene to take you and father jinyoung to the nearest hospital
before you know it, an entire month has flown by since the southend werewolf incident
you had to stay in the hospital for a majority of that time, since your demon-inflicted wound tended to get infected too easily
by the time you were given the okay to leave, you heard that father jinyoung was still being held there as a patient, his entire throat needing to be worked on for who knows how long
the one interesting outcome of the entire situation, though, was finding a defeated looking chan at your doorstep when you got home
“the church said that, due to my hasty actions and its consequences of you being injured by a demon I was instructed not to interact with, I am to be your caregiver until I am able to go back to learning.”
“... so you’re grounded, basically.”
“please, don’t say it like that.”
so that my friends is how bang chan the sort of exorcist was thrust into your life for good
“heyyy chan, can you please make me some chocolate-chip pancakes for breakfast?”
“your bite is healed, you can cook your own fucking food-”
“ah, but the church said that you have to do whatever I ask of you until you aren’t grounded anymore~”
“... I’ll make them super fluffy if you promise to stop saying it like that.”
so for the next two months, you were accommodating an amusing roommate of sorts
he slept on an air mattress you set up in the living room, so it wasn’t like the poor guy had to suffer with an aching back the entire duration of his ground- of his punishment
each morning he’d cook the both of you breakfast and begrudgingly watch exaggerated dramas with you until lunchtime rolled around
usually he’d take you out to eat and explore the city with you, something he refused to admit actually made him have some fun for once in his life
for dinner you’d both kind of give up on the idea of making real food and would instead order pizza or Chinese takeout, all the while hiding under a set of fluffy blankets next to you in favor of watching scary movies
you kind of hated to admit it, but chan had really grown on you - over time he seemed to accept his mistake back in the England exorcism, and one night he even took the time to apologize to you on his own terms
“chan, I still don’t understand why I have to wear a dress if- oh...”
there the man stood himself, clad in a black tux with a red bowtie next to the tiny dining table stuffed in the cramped kitchen. “I think it’s time that I owe you a real apology for what happened in England... and how I acted. I know that, to a degree, we have different beliefs - but you’re still an amazing, wonderful woman who I would like to call a friend.”
you totally didn’t almost ruin the moment by commenting on how his bowtie was crooked, shhhh
that night he treated you to homemade pasta and brownies for dessert, the first dinner either of you had actually made yourselves since he arrived at your home
ever since that night, the two of you would grow closer and closer - and then his punishment was over
the church had called him immediately, stating that he had to return quickly if he wanted to continue his training
neither of you admitted it aloud, but having to help him pack his things just so he could go back to Australia crushed your hearts
you’d grown so used to each other’s presence, forming a natural routine every single day that never became tiresome
after you bid farewell to the now silver-haired man at the airport, you found yourself feeling more lonely than ever before
sure you both exchanged contacts with one another and talked on the phone often, but it just... wasn't the same, honestly
then, out of the blue, just about two weeks after his departure, chan called you and told you about a haunted house he was being sent to investigate near your city
you weren’t required to go, but you found yourself offering to accompany him during his paranormal studies at the home
the moment you two met up at the house, you went straight into work mode, having no time to catch up since it seemed as if something was very wrong
cameras placed by the two husbands all over the two-story house showed signs of life, even when no one was awake
they reported that they’d seen furniture being tossed around their rooms and that their own daughter had started to experience hellish nightmares that ended with her being covered in scars the next morning
you and chan went to work, looking at every single audio or video file you could find in their tapes and cameras, even interviewing each member of the family alone to see if it was a hoax as the church suspected it to be
then one night, you felt an odd chill roll over your body in the middle of your slumber, though you at first thought nothing of it
but the next morning, there was a circle with a cross etched onto your wrist. chan immediately guessed that the demon had somehow managed to inch its way into your body - though that in itself was odd, especially since demons traditionally had to weaken their target host before fully possessing them
your condition continued to grow worse and worse as the days passed by, up until chan had finally decided that the best course of action was to take you to a church and see what more experienced priests could do
luggage in tow, chan lead you to the front door of the house, bidding a short farewell to the family and promising to send members of the church the same day - yet, you didn’t follow him
or rather, you couldn’t
something forcefully snapped you back into the house, causing you to stumble and crash into a shelving unit on the wall
“y-y/n?”
“mam, are you alright?”
you shake your head, slowly standing back up to walk back to the door where a worried chan was staring at you with furrowed brows
the second the tip of your shoes reach the doorway, another tug slams you onto the cold floor - quickly going to drag your limp body down the hallway into a bedroom before the door suddenly slams shut
you can feel the demon lurking in your body, hungrily feasting upon your state of utter terror - though you try your best to fight it off before it can fully possess you
seconds, minutes, hours - you're not quite sure how much time had passed since you’d been thrown into the secluded bedroom
all you knew was that you had grown so much weaker in that period of time, your eyes struggling to focus on anything in the room
you also knew that chan was banging on the door, trying his damned hardest to break it down
in a woozy state your head bobbles around until your blurry gaze lands on your now exposed shoulder, spotting the wound from the werewolf demon now irritated and red with pus seeping out of it
the demon had been able to subdue you so quickly because you’d technically already been afflicted before, and now it was a race against time before it was able to completely overpower you
with a snap the bedroom door flies open, a rugged looking chan standing with a bible and a slim jar of what you could only guess was holy water
“c-chan,” you echo his name just as the late father jinyoung had, feeling dread sweep over your entire being as another wave of pus pushes out of the inflicted wound on your bare shoulder, “leave, be-before you get hurt-”
“I won’t run away from you, y/n,” he whimpers softly, stepping closer to your now convulsing body as he flips to a page in his bible, “you’re not going to get hurt because of me... not again.”
you find that you’re too exhausted to argue, instead nodding your head silently
“I - I trust you, chan. you’re an exorcist, you can do this-” you stop in your tracks, heaving in pain as a spurt of red blood shoots out from between your cracked lips
with no hesitation at all, the silver-haired man clears his throat and continues to stare you down, occasionally glancing back down to his bible as he perfectly recites the words for the exorcism
he splashes a dosage of holy water onto your skin, wincing as you let out a screech of pain - but he knows it’s not you reacting that way, it’s the demon possessing you
in a matter of seconds he’s performed the passage perfectly, not once stuttering or saying a word incorrectly like he had in England
a wave of relief causes you to topple over when the evil presence vanishes completely from your body, but before you can hit the floor chan has wrapped his arms under yours to hold you up steadily
“I sent the family out to call an ambulance and other members of their church - you’re going to be okay, I promise.” he speaks to you softly, brushing your now frazzled hair out of your face
“I knew you could do it, you know.”
“but - but how, y/n?”
“because I trust you with my life, bang chan.”
#skzwriters#stray kids#stray kids scenario#stray kids imagine#stray kids drabble#stray kids au#bang chan#chan scenario#chan imagine#stray kids angst#stray kids fluff
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