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connoisseursdecomfort · 1 year

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I like how friendship is portrayed in sxf.

It’s always about finding common grounds with each other.

Twilight and Franky, Yor and the office trio, Anya and Becky and Ewan. They have different nationalities, family backgrounds, and interests.

Twilight just needs to lower his gun for a minute to listen what Franky has to say. Yor opens up a bit and the office trio lets her into their afterwork gathering. Anya doesn’t need to be a space expert to start talking to the huge space nerd Ewan.

I love the friendship between Anya and Becky. Anya still hasn’t found another Bondman fan at school, but she actively looks for the lovey-dovey stuffs in her favourite spy show to relate to Becky, and in turn interprets Becky’s very shoujo scenes in a very shonen way. At the end, Becky still can’t convince Anya to be a Berlint in Love fan, but she also doesn’t suddenly convert to being a Bondman fan.

You don’t need to agree with your friends all the time. You don’t need to be the exact same people to become friends. You don’t need to be soulmates.

You just need a tiny bit of common ground.

#spy x family #spyxfamily #sxf #anya forger #loid forger #yor forger #becky blackbell #ewan egeburg #franky franklin

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eternal-echoes · 4 months

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The cool thing about fandoms is that even though we all come from different ethnic backgrounds and have different political and religious beliefs, we can still be in awe of the same heart-tugging scenes from our favorite shows.

Sometimes I go thru people liking my Spy x Family analysis and just think, “I’m probably in your DNI list, but I’m glad you feel the same way enough to reblog my sxf posts lol!”

I’ve been unfollowed and blocked by quite a few people from the sxf fandom probably because of my religious beliefs so idk if any of them will see this but I kinda wish they would know that if at some point they enjoyed at least one of my sxf posts (tho not just sxf but also of other fandoms like Gilmore Girls, Rurouni Kenshin and currently My Happy Marriage), Catholicism shapes my worldview a lot (at least I strive to) so if they liked at least one of my posts, I wish they would be a little bit more open to Catholicism. Since how I view things is heavily influenced by the teachings of the Catholic Church. Consciously and subconsciously.

I understand that there is a lot of the reluctance to be open to the Catholic Church due to some of her controversial teachings, and I honestly can’t blame them because I didn’t always understand them myself, but I wish they would be more patient in getting the right answer that explains why the Catholic Church teach these things.

(Feel free to shoot me an ask if you’re a tiny bit interested in Catholicism)

#spy x family #i know not related but Im aware that Ive been labeled as problematic in the fandom #rurouni kenshin #gilmore girls #my happy marriage #p

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hanablooms · 1 year

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Twiyor being the usual Twiyor to a very big Twiyor Extent:

Love makes even the most genius people dumb normies feat. TWIYOR!

*Contains SPOILERS from SxF anime and manga, proceed at your own will!

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

As promised, starting off my bag of posts with some twiyor!! (I love tumblr helping me vent out my spy family brainrot out to the world lmao) Love makes even the genius or most composed people like our favorite silly ship duo twiyor now, doesn't it?? Even if you'd be as strong or instinctive or talented or good at sensing the room like our twiyor, you too WOULD BE ABLE to unleash your strength in all areas and show your abilities... Such as sensing the presence of tiny tiny bugs in a huge room Or if you are ever followed anywhere or sense bloodlust or any sort of negative emotions however small BUT

WOULD BE completely oblivious or in the state of not unleashing your abilities (or subconsciously not feeling the need to unleash/use them) when it comes to a certain... someone? Your ABILITIES kinda just poof out huh? Hmm?? Where does your sensing the bugs go? Your sense of people following/hearing/watching over you? But then again it's nothing... Just for cover haha

Love makes you sooo blind to reasoning and thinking too, did you know?

When you are the best spy in your organization, country even and can, at A GLANCE... See who could've been a soldier IN THE PAST but seeing who IS a killer RIGHT NOW, THE PRESENT, right in front of you? Not necessary now right? Or you can evaluate everything, every person and every piece of information needed, doubt/speculate given whenever, whatever, whoever! from however micro or macro the details BUT

when- /I repeat/- it comes to a certain... someone? Your LOGIC, your skill and your composure just kinda vanish into thin air huh? Where's your analytical thinking, your logic, your reasoning, your spy vision go now huhh??

But then again it's TWIYOR, it's FOR THEIR COVER, it's all FOR THE MISSION. We get it. We get you. We so do.

Anyway, as always! Stay connected!✍🏻 Peace!!✌🏻Uchuu~✨

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lavenderjewels · 4 months

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JJK season 2 ep 22 Thoughts!

+ manga spoilers❗️

Crunchyroll subtitles using they/them for Uraume is a relief after they used he/him for Tengen for no reason earlier in the season (also uzumaki is translated directly instead of maelstrom from movies translated! which is better for both the junji ito reference and consistency with the official manga)

Kenjaku, acting like they didn’t give birth to the child in front of them: sukunas vessel is tough! :o

Liked the episode! Naturally not as spectacular as some of the fight heavy episodes, but I actually love exposition/info heavy scenes, especially if there’s fun character interactions too. The power system is the most fun when it’s woven into the story like Kenjaku’s excuse for maximum uzumaki.

Mei Mei scene was just as bad as i thought it would be. Incredibly messed up that she’s where Nanami could only dream to go to, and taking advantage of her younger brother there,,, Too many anime/manga I’ve consumed (bsd, ouran, csm, sxf, etc.) have these exact trope(s) I hate at some point and the various reasoning behind it in each never really justifies the portrayal for me 😭 Unsure if it’s worse or better this is never brought up again in the manga.

Kenjaku turning Mahito into an orb was SO beautiful. The screams and distortion of Mahito’s body added a lot to it. Here’s to Kenjaku consuming 1/2 of their “friends” (Tengen look out)

Happy with Uzumaki! Well, much happier than the movie’s, since I didn’t like how difficult it was to see any of the curses at all. This was better, but the manga, with its Junji Ito seal of approval, depiction was still the most effective and disturbing. The build up to it was gorgeous. I’m still convinced Miwa is going to do something in the upcoming manga fight(s) 😤 Who needs a katana anyways.

Somehow realized this on rewatch, but I like how Kenjaku’s uzumaki was mostly for extracting Mahito’s technique across a vast distance and at specific people, rather than being a move just to take Miwa out. It clearly wasn’t a bother to them if they all survived (since they wanted messengers—and they’d probably end up in the culling games later anyway).

💕💞💓💗💖💝choso💕💞💓💗💖💘💝

I don’t have anything to say about him; he was very cute. I love how animated his expressions are in the anime and manga. Classic fun jjk humor with Kamo from Kyoto High getting scared when Choso screamed his name. I loved the music during his extended fight.

Kenjaku when Choso: This loser? Again?

A lot of characters I love all in one episode, so thrilled to see their interactions. I just like seeing the cast get together for fights and try to help.

Kenjaku flying around on the stingray was a cute addition and the extra bit of fighting was nice! Tiny preview of the fight to come whenever the end of season 3 is animated.

Kenjaku sounded more Evil™️ than I imagined during this scene (the dramatic music helped with that). I can’t wait until the anime finally shows how ridiculous and over-the-top they are, since that honestly makes them a much more entertaining and interesting villain imo. I don’t want to constantly compare to the manga because I adore the anime, but I thought Kenjaku was boring in the first season, until I started the manga. This season does much better (in terms of voice acting, animating expressions, etc) with making them unique and? villainous?? But it’s still leaning a bit more into generic mastermind villain. They can be imposing and a hammy villain parent. Did like their random “hehehe” during it

Uraume looked incredible. LOVE their ice powers and how they were animated. And their insulted and frustrated feelings shone through the voice acting. They do NOT like all those people around sukuna’s vessel and are annoyed to even be near Kenjaku in this whole mess of a situation.

🩷💖💘yuki tsukumo🩷💖💘😘

She is beautiful! And the constant avoidance from Geto and Kenjaku to answer her question about their types of women. With every passing moment, Todo telling only Megumi it’s fine if he likes guys is unbelievably hilarious, but also that’s why Todo is the best.

I’m hoping there’s naobito’s will and naoya included for the next episode. It would be a nice crumb of next season and confirmation of Naobito and maki’s statuses. Every one has covered around 3 chapters, so it’s not impossible. I could only see it not happening if they extend the Yuuta chapter because there’s pages of just text for the higher ups debating and for their decisions to kill yuuji and yaga.

This is how it feels knowing this episode might be the only time Yuuji and Kenjaku ever interact in canon, and Yuuji doesn’t even know about his parentage here:

Would I rather yuuji confront sukuna or kenjaku at the end of jjk? yes. is that going to happen? no.

#jujutsu kaisen season 2 #long post #jjk spoilers #kenjaku #choso

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louwhose · 6 months

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Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for the tag @cooking-with-hailstones!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

uh. 57. not at all prolific.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

234,707

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly for Breath of the Wild or Ocarina of Time in the Legend of Zelda, though I've done a couple for different games. Other than that Dwight in Shining Armor, that one random cosmere one, Spy X Family, and Miraculous.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Semblance of a Sentiment

Fall Under Your Spell

One Little Scare Ought To Do You Some Good

HERO x FAMILY

Link's Lawn Mowing Service

deliberately ignoring the sxf ones because I'm not that into the fandom anymore and it's so much more popular that I feel that skews things

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I used to. I should start again. I'm just... lazy.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Ooh. Oh. Oh, uh that's actually a tought one. Well, if I had to say angstiest it would have to be Even Though You're Not Here. Though there are definitely a couple other contenders.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Hard to say. I have plenty, but my favorite ones tend to be at least bittersweet, but let's go with... Reading Between the Lines (../.-../---/...-/./-.--/---/..-)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

The closest is once (for my tiny fandom actually) I got a comment that was like "I didn't like this." So I just deleted the comment.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I do not. The closest I come is putting characters in a different universe that I love.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I did one with @linktheacehero! And I like to rp, so I could theoretically have more in the future... if one ever gets finished, that is.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Zelink. Without a doubt. They just claimed the brainrot about a year and eight months ago and haven't relinquished it yet and I kinda doubt they're gonna.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

A botw au where it starts in a hyrule equivalent to the 1920s. The first chapter is one of the first things I wrote, but I am no longer satisfied with it but some simple edits aren't enough to fix my issues with it so I don't know what to do with it at the moment. I'd ideally love to fix it or restart it or something so that I can get to the parts I want to but I'm just not sure what is going to become of it.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Um... horrible at analyzing my own writing, but I really like the way I am able to do prose sometimes.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Complex stories? Maintaining momentum for a multichapter fic? The biggest thing I feel is doing any sort of action, because I like to spend too much time either in a character's head or in the dialogue.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Cool if you can do it. I can't.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Miraculous Ladybug. Sometimes I miss the fandom, but it's just not the same anymore.

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

It's gotta be When Things Cease to Flow. Probably weird for most people since it's second person POV but I love it because it just works so well for me. Probably the fic I've written I've reread the most.

No pressure but tagging (and sorry if you've already been tagged) @linktheacehero @angelicgarnet @whogirl2011 @deiliamedlini and um. er. whoever else wants to.

#tag game #lou writes

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rlbbackup · 8 months

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I was tagged!

By @nire-the-mithridatist, @puolain, @sister-cna-reader, and @tare-chan (I love you all XD) for first line/last line!

rules: go to your last 5 fics and share the first and last line with no context :)

5. Fading Ink - SxF Tiny ink scrawls with the name of your soulmate on the inner portion of your wrist, a tale as old as time. // "Hello, Yor..."

4. Glad You're Here - SxF Damian Desmond was not a crier. // Yor didn't restrain her smile after that.

3. The Soldier and His Sun - SxF ***Warning: Major Character Death*** Light and warmth still filled the air, though not nearly as warm, nearly as bright as it had been. // As everything faded to black, as the sun above them dimmed to nothing and the liar's blood soaked the ground, a new brightness formed...one that screamed the loss of his father.

2. Get My Heart Soft Into Sinking - SxF Her fingers gently twisted the stem of her glass, back and forth, swirling the red liquid within. // It was time to go home.

Doubt Creeps In - SxF Back when the earth was new... // As long as she had her own secrets, she shouldn't think too much about Loid's lies.

Uhhhhhhh. So many people have been tagged already that I know! ;_;

Anyone is welcome to do this <3

#Rache Writes things #Dash games!#Tag games!#Spy x family #I know all of them are sxf...#the brain rot is REAL guys

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collegiatitanica · 1 year

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I find it hard to take people voting for Yor in the sexywoman poll (or just posting about sxf in general) because every time I see it the tiny shinzo abe that lives in my head goes

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tinyshinysylveon · 2 years

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Honestly, i do think it's pretty unfair m/f ships get a bad rep for being m/f

But it is also really incredible how writers for shows step on shit when they write m/f couples. Like they create the most uninteresting and no chemestry characters having a romantic sub plot but give ALL the interesting dynamics to other characters. Like.

We are currently getting many amazing pairs and i hope it breaks the "m/f couples are trash" thing from being popularized or repeated so many times.

Hi! Well, I think it's because m/m ships are really popular nowadays and there are people out there who see m/f ships as something that could jeopardize or get in the way of their ship ;;

"Like they create the most uninteresting and no chemistry characters having a romantic sub plot but give ALL the interesting dynamics to other characters" - yess I agree with this, it's rare to see, from what I've seen so far, m/f couples have that dynamic or chemistry we want to see them having bc of bad writing _(:3」∠)_

SXF is one of the animes that I'm currently watching where you can tell the main characters relationship will have more room to grow as the series go on (aka Loid/Yor and Damian/Anya), then you'll start to notice tiny little details where they start to care for the other. It all just depends on how the author executes it.

#anon #ask #heck even bakudeku has a good ship dynamic #hori out there with the childhood friends turned bad to reconciliation to an apology from katsuki #one of my ships i wish that'll get together but prob not ;;#this is an interesting take tho anon thanks for the ask!

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tare-anime · 2 years

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SxF Chapter 55

(Beware spoilers)

Okay, first of all, so many things happening for sxf fandom! I feel so blessed to be part of this fandom 🥰

Spy x Family get an anime!! AAAAAHHH! I'm loving all the artworks, and the tiny bit of Loid's voice. Uuhh... I can't wait to hear Yor and Anya, and the background music, the OP the ED, and of course, to see my favorite panels in color and moving!

And earlier that day, we were granted with vol 8's official Yor art that is so awesomely drawn. She's so pretty 🥰🥰

And then, we have this closure chapter (before the family fluff I believe), that is so warm, almost like it tend to Yor's wound. I'm sobbing 😭😭

We are so blessed. Thank you so much, Endo!

Okay, now unto the chapter.

So, Loid showing off his analytical skills, which once again reminds us why he's considered one of the best.

His deducing skills here??? Top tier!! 😫👌👌

Unfortunately, he needed to experience the ugly side of bureaucracy (Ugh, I always hate when spelling this word. As I also hate the meaning of the word).

Saving face? Usual practice. Fortunately for the SSS, Twilight here was the worker type that had so many creativity to overcome the obstacles given to him.

He managed to save the ship, and all of its passengers. During his vacation nonetheles!

Btw, I love the parrallels here.

Heh.... Loid really learned a thing or two from his wife.

Plus, as @eldraftsman point it out, the arc opened with Yor yeeting something, and ended with Loid yeeting something.

Yep. So poetic 🤣

Another parrallels that I noticed:

> In this arc, Yor's "boss enemy" (a.k.a Sniff Jobs and Snoop) managed to get away from Yor, but getting blown away by Loid.

> In Inusan Crisis, Loid's "boss enemy" (a.k.a Keith) managed to get away from Loid, but getting kicked by Yor.

And in both arcs, Anya was the one pulling the string, manipulating people here and there, to keep her parents (and everyone else) save. Using any disguises and any reasons and any acts accordingly.

🤣🤣

I love this family so much. They really are meant for each other.

Love this Loid getting soft, and slowly but surely turn into real family man.

He's become a real dad.

Good for you, Loid 🥰

Now the thing that made me sobbing in this chapter, were these panels:

I love the metaphore in these panels.

How Yor viewed herself as "dirty". She never enjoyed to be in this job, but then she reminded herself that she is doing this just for a simple purpose: to prevent tragedy befalling one or two person near her.

And by Olka being "the person" to be at the recieving end, didn't hesitate in holding Yor's dirty hand, it's as if Yor's simple wish was approved. And she was rewarded with warmth. From both the mother and the innocent child.

A real warmth that perhaps Yor has forgotten.

These panels.

With her dirty hand, getting a hug from contended Gram. I'm..... I-....... *sobs* 🥲🥲😭😭😭😭

Yor finally get the overdue recognition for her hardwork.

Now please Endo, let Yor got the warmth from her family next, yeah? 🥲🥲

Bonus??

The soft McMahon.

As a family man himself, he of course understand a thing or two that made Yor showing that face.

Finally he let go of that strict mask of him, and gave Yor her rewards. The director relayed Loid's message to Yor. He even teased Yor not to use swimsuit 🤣

Ah, this side of him, made me wonder if @lacrow theory is right. That McMahon's family was long gone. 🥲

Anyway, this week has been super awesome for us.

And I can't wait to see the Forger family reunion 🥰 To be exact, I can't wait to see Loid's face when he saw Yor after 2 days separation.

Praying hard for TwiYor content here 🤞

#spy x family #loid forger #yor forger #anya forger #chp 55 #spoiler #spoilers #review

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forgers-therapist · 2 months

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tinyyyyy people (part 9)

The Forgers (before Bond “borf”)

#part 9 #icons #manga #sxf manga #sxf tiny people #twiyor #spy x family #sxf #loid forger #sxf twilight #sxf loid #yor forger #sxf yor #sxf thorn princess #anya forger #sxf anya

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3monthsineurope · 5 years

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September 16, 2019

We woke up at 5:45 in Copenhagen on Monday. Ugh so early! We changed and got our bags together as quietly as possible. We left the hostel just after 6. We walked back to the station we used the other day, then took the metro to the airport. Halfway through the ride, I realized I had only been given one ticket! Ugh! I was worried because there was a metro worker on our train, and what if he checked our ticket? But I had been charge for two tickets. Anyways, we got to the airport right at 6:40, two hours before our flight.

We were already checked in with EasyJet, so we just dropped our bag off. EasyJet is a super budget airline, so we were only allowed one bag to bring in the cabin with us, including a purse. We went through security and had issues with our liquids again. They really want them in one tiny zip lock bag! Thankfully, Ingvar doesn’t have much, so I got all my stuff through. We hadn’t eaten breakfast, so we decided to check out a lounge, with my credit card pass.

We wandered the airport and found the lounge, and thankfully got in. We both had breakfast and juice, all for free, which is always nice. I had some bread with jams and some meat and cheese. This lounge was pretty nice, it even had a Carlsberg beer tap you could pour yourself! Don’t worry, we weren’t drinking beer at 7 am haha. I put on a little make up, then we made the trek across our terminal to our gate. The flight looked packed! There were tons of students, that looked like they were in high school. Ingvar and I sat together, and I had the window this time, heehee. We both snoozed for a bit, maybe a half hour, then I wrote. The flight was under an hour, and then we were landing in Berlin!

Once we landed (I forgot to mention, they never checked our passports, since Denmark and Germany are in the Schengen Zone, which means free travel. Ingvar was shocked by this!), we grabbed our backpacks and got our roller bag from baggage claim. We were visiting Berlin to meet up with Ingvar’s best friend from college, Nico! He wasn’t at the airport yet, so I pulled out some money from the ATM. Ingvar and I were putting all our purchases on my card/using my cash, and just splitting the cost at the end, so it doesn’t get confusing. We hung around, while Nico came to us. He doesn’t live in Berlin, so his cousin accidentally sent him to the area of the airport, not the actual airport. We waited a while, about an hour, before Nico made the connection that he was at the wrong airport! When Ingvar had given him our flight details, he mentioned we were flying into SXF. Nico didn’t really realize this, because no one ever flies into this airport! So, he was at the Tegel airport instead! Ahhh, what a mess. Ingvar was a little disappointed, and I was a little frustrated, but Nico sent us a metro/train itinerary, so we left the airport.

We took two trains and got off at the stop Nico needed us, where his cousin lives in Berlin. We were dropping off our bags before heading out for the day. As we were coming up the escalator, Nico saw me first, and then Ingvar. This was my first time meeting him, since he hadn’t visited Ingvar since 2015. It was so good for Ingvar to see him! He apologized a lot for the misunderstanding, and then we walked about ten minutes to his cousin’s place. We dropped off our bags and Nico charged up his phone for a bit, then we hit the town!

I had signed up for a free walking tour, so we headed towards the meeting point for that, Brandonburg Gate. We were pretty hungry, so we got a famous Berlin food: currywurst. It’s a sausage with a ketchup/curry sauce with fries. Ingvar and I both got one, and Ingvar got a beer, too. Ingvar and Nico got to catch up for a bit, then it was time for our tour. I don’t know if you remember this, but I was in Berlin in 2014 and loved it! The walking tour was with an Englishman named Mark. It was an historical tour, around the center of Berlin. Nico and Ingvar kind of hung out in the back, and chatted, while I listened more to the tour. Mark gave a really good tour! He talked about WWI, WWII, the Holocaust, and the Cold War. We saw the Brandonburg Gate, of course, which used to decide East and West Berlin, and consequently East and West Germany. We saw the Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe, then part of the original Berlin Wall, the area where Hitler’s bunker was (it’s a parking lot now), and the only Nazi building left in the city. We stopped for a break and Ingvar bought me a tiny coffee, which was pretty hilarious.

After the break we saw where the book burning happened from 1933. The Nazi’s burned the books by Jewish authors, homosexuals, doctors, and other “undesirable” people. The tour was really good, I think that Mark did a good job talking about Germany’s ugly past, but also painted a picture of how Berlin and Germany are pretty progressive now. I wanted to see the Reichstag building, which is one of the parliament buildings. It had a really pretty dome, but unfortunately, it was closed that day. The building and grounds are really pretty! We were kind of hungry, so we took a metro to Alexanderplatz area, one of the main squares in the city. We saw the “ugliest building”, the TV tower, and went shopping for Ingvar to get a lederhosen for Oktoberfest! He had to try on a few, but he actually found one! I’m so happy, haha.

We ended up getting some doner for dinner. Doner is the Turkish meat on a stick that’s roasted, then thinly sliced, like for gyros in the states. Germany has a huge population of Turkish people, so doner places are everywhere. Ingvar and I shared one, then we went to the super market to grab some beer for the train ride. It sounds like we’re drinking a lot, but we really aren’t! The beer here is super light, and it’s fun to be able to carry your beer around in public. We took the metro back to Nico’s cousin’s place, then grabbed our bags and headed to the main station of Berlin, Berlin HBF. Nico had bought a three person, unlimited transit pass, so that was really nice! We paid him back of course. At the main station I bought a few souvenirs, which I had already done that day, but somehow lost them! Can you believe that? I must have left the little bag on the metro or something. It wasn’t a lot of money, but still, it sucked that I lost stuff.

We took the train from Berlin to Wolfsburg, a city near the town Nico lives in. We all sat at a little table on the train, which was nice. There was WiFi, which was nice. Ingvar and Nico talked a lot about soccer, while I snoozed a little and wrote. We got to Wolfsburg around 11, the train was about three hours long. We walked a bit to Nico’s car, then he drove us to his home town, Weißes Moor. It was late and I was super tired, so I fell asleep in the car for sure. Nico gave Ingvar a little tour around the area. His town is super small! He doesn’t even had good internet yet. We arrived at his family’s home, which was so nice! Nico slept in his brother’s room, and gave his room to Ingvar and I. I just wanted to go to bed, but Nico’s mom had made us tortellini for dinner/late night. Nico woke his mom up and she came out to talk to us for about a half hour. She was so kind! She didn’t speak much English, so Nico translated for her. We brought her Mike&Ikes and Jif cookies and cream spread, so she was really happy! Nico was super happy about the powdered Gatorade, too! Around 1 am (remember we got up at 6!?), we all went to bed. Ingvar and I got ready for bed and passed out right away. I’m so happy Ingvar got to spend time with his longtime friend! :]

#copenhagen #kobenhavn #denmark #plane #easyjet #berlin #germany #deutschland #train #friends

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whereisyaya · 6 years

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Berlin

Berlin has now become my favorite city in Europe! The minute I got back to DC from Berlin, I was already searching for cheap tickets to go back. That should be an indication of how much I loved Berlin and why I think everyone should go visit! Germans are some of the friendliest people I have ever met and the city has a charm and an aesthetic which I was immediately drawn to. In 2017, I chose to travel to Berlin for the first time and I can confidently state that I will probably return for a second trip in 2018 as well!

Getting there Basics:

Airport:

Berlin has two major airports. Tegel (TXL) and Schonefield (SXF). SXF is pretty accessible through public transport U-Bahn and S-Bahn but with Tegel airport, your best bet is to take the bus.

After you have collected your luggage, head straight for the Info booth and the ticket counter at the exit of Terminal A/ B. I found the Berlin tourist info kiosk very helpful I was able to ask all the necessary questions at the info booth before I even lined up to buy my bus ticket. The woman at the desk told me exactly which bus I needed to take. My AirBNB host had also informed me that I should take the bus to the U-Bahn station Jakob-Kaiser Platz and then take train from there so the woman told me exactly which bus to take. Buses are easy to spot and they leave roughly every 10 minutes from the bus stop outside Terminal A/ B. Just make sure to validate your ticket at the little tiny yellow/ white machine right at the bus stop. I got the Berlin Welcome Card for 7 days which worked out perfectly for me. I ended up taking a lot of U-Bahns and S-Bahns during my stay so it was a good choice! Instead of getting a one-way ticket, I opted for the Welcome Card without the free museum admissions and it cost me about 30 euros. With a Welcome Card, you only have to validate it once, before you get on the bus or the metro. After that you are good for the next 7 days. There is a scam you need to watch out for where people will try to sell you a Welcome Card at the airport for a discount. Ignore them. It actually happened to me while I was waiting in line and I was surprised because I had read about it too. I will talk about it in detail later.

Public Transport (S-Bahn, U-Bahn):

As mentioned earlier, the Welcome Card, remained to be my favorite option. If you are staying in the center of Berlin, the Zone AB card is all you need because all the attractions etc fall within zones AB. Only if you are staying out/or planning on going to the suburbs should you get the Zone ABC card.

Once again, always remember to validate your card or ticket (if you don’t go with the card option) at the small box which is usually located next to the ticket machine. The boxes in underground station, buses and trams are yellow/ white. Ticket validators in S-Bahn and regional train stations are red. If you get a multiple day card, you only have to validate it the first time you hop on a bus or a metro. If you plan on purchasing a ticket for each day, you have to make sure to validate it before your first trip.

Although, the metros run on an honor code, don’t try to risk getting on trains without a validated ticket. Officers do conduct routine checks on trains and if you are found in violation, they will ask you to step outside and write out a fine for you. There is a scam you need to avoid here as well which I will detail at the end. It actually happened to my friend and I on our way to Burgermeister for a bite. Right before our stop, the officer came and asked everyone for their tickets. My friend pulled out the wrong ticket and we were immediately asked to step off the train at the next stop. I told my friend to ask him to write a fine and not pay anything to the officer in cash. You will realize why! However this was not a scammer but the actual cop. My friend swore he bought a ticket that day and at the platform, he was able to produce the right ticket and the officers understood and let us go. Fortunately, it was already the stop we were supposed to get off on. I told my friend to throw away all old tickets instead of carrying them in his pockets for future confusion and although he was shaken up a bit we laughed it off as a fun story!

Lodging:

I had booked my AirBNB in a pretty central location right by the YorkStrasse stations. I was able to arrive at the station and my neighborhood fairly easily but I realized that I did not have the complete address for my lodging. Sooooo…..a bit of a freak out moment, I am not going to lie but I am always up for an adventure! This is where the friendliness of the locals really helped a lot. I walked into an office and the woman allowed me to use her phone to call my host. When he did not answer, I decided to walk around and search for a SIM card or a cybercafé. Soon, I landed in front of a coffee shop which had Wi-Fi so I set up camp, ordered a coffee and tried to log into my Airbnb account to email my host. When it rains, it pours and not always in a good way because due to some server issues, the website just would not load. This was turning out to be quite an experience but I tried my best to remain calm. What other choice did I have?

When I asked the barista if I could make a call, they allowed me to do so and dialed my host’s number for me. Luckily this time he answered and gave me the correct directions and I headed immediately back.

Once I was checked in, I was finally relaxed and happy and ready to sight-see! I also loved my room which was very spacious. First things first, I called my friend JC who was also visiting at the same time and set up arrangements to try and meet up. That is when I realized that my MAC decided to conk out on me. What is HAPPENING!!!!

Pretty much, I spent my first evening in Berlin, running around the city starting from a crowded Apple store which could not help to another tech place which finally solved my issue! By 6pm, I was quite proud of the fact that even with all these issues on my first day, I had tackled and solved all of them. I still had time to meet up with JC at the art gallery to catch a Vermeer – as we had originally planned - but then I decided to just go home and rest and just meet up with him later at his hotel. This is where a smart phone with data would be so helpful and necessary but unfortunately getting a local SIM etc in Berlin is not as easy as other places I have visited so that was bit of wrench. I realized I definitely needed a smartphone with data on this trip! But let’s talk about our options for phone communications next!

Phone Communication:

Getting a SIM card in Berlin turned out to be trickier than I thought. And boy did I need a smart phone! I managed to get by without it but it would have been nice and it would have made life a LOT easier. Apparently in order to get a SIM card you need to have an address which could still work if I used my AirBNB address but it was getting all too confusing and too much work for such a short trip. I looked into some stores that had pre-paid SIM cards but the people at the stores were as helpful a customer service rep without their morning coffee. It also required opening an account on the internet and then activating the card. The instructions were all in German too. After the first day I figured I should just make do without it!

I did use my phone on airplane mode and availed features such as whatsapp calling to get in touch with my friend JC and family back home. However, that was limited only to areas where I had wifi which doesn’t really work well for instances where you may need google maps. If you are coming from the States, I do recommend asking your provider to give you an optional plan for when you are traveling. That is what my friend did and he seemed to be ok. I would definitely look into that myself next time I travel to Europe.

Brandenburg Gate:

On Friday morning, I had three landmarks to hit which included Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Memorial and Reichstag. They are all very close to each other so it’s a good idea to maybe knock off all three things in one day.

I grabbed a cup of coffee from a local convenient store outside my AirBNB for a euro (ps: Berlin is very reasonable) and headed for the U-Bahn to meet my friend at the Brandenburg Gate. It was a dreary and rainy day so that was a bit of a bummer but luckily the rain didn’t last beyond Friday even though the weather forecast had predicted rain all weekend. I could live with that!

I walked through the middle of the gate because apparently the King would always walked through the middle and Pariser Platz Square is a fun place to take touristy pictures of yourself. I actually took a YaYa picture there during the day and then again on my way home at night. It is beautiful at both times and has its own charm when the gate is lit up.

Across the street is Hotel Adlon where many famous people have stayed. Apparently it is also the hotel from where Michael Jackson dangled his baby for the press. JC and I walked in and around the hotel and deliberated grabbing a cup of tea but we had so much to see before our appointment to go to the dome at Reichstag, we decided to skip tea and just head over to the Holocaust Memorial in the rain.

Samantha Angell’s blog and the Kitatasumi blog have an excellent piece about the history of Brandenburg Gate which I highly recommend.

http://www.samanthaangell.com/2015/01/BrandenburgGate.html

https://kitatatsumi.com/tag/brandenburg-gate/

Some helpful details:

Admission: Free

Address: Pariser Platz, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Hours: 24 Hours

Metro: Brandenburger Tor stop on S-bahn-S25 OR U-bahn-U55 .

Tips:

- Hotel Adlon is across the street. The infamous hotel where Michael Jackson dangled the baby.

- Best to do on the same day as Reichstag and the Holocaust Memorial because they are all very close to each other.

Holocaust Memorial:

The Holocaust Memorial is just a few blocks away from Brandenburg Gate so we headed there next. The concrete gray slabs lined around the area are not just breathtaking but they also force you think about the lives that were lost. As you walk through the narrow alleys between the slabs, you truly realize how fragile freedom really is.

I must say, there were children running around, playing hide and seek and being obnoxious who were a little annoying because I wish their guardians had taken the moment to explain the significance of this installation to them and how important it is to show respect.

Walking around the installation, I felt myself get lost in the maze with just my thoughts and on a rainy, dreary day the light kept dimming the further I got.

The museum which is underground was a must-see as well. People line up because the door-person allows a certain number of people to enter once other people leave in order to avoid over-crowding. Don’t let the lines deter you from waiting even on a rainy day because you make it in quickly.

There is a quote by the Italian Writer, Primo Levi at the entrance which states “It happened, and therefore it could happen again; this is the core of what we have to say.” That quote and it’s significance at this exact moment really sends shivers down your spine. The way the world is headed, we need this reminder every day.

Across from the memorial, there is a park with another small memorial is dedicated to the homosexuals that suffered during the holocaust. It was also a very interesting video installation and worth checking out.

Eva Spriova’s blog “Berlin: A Divided City” has an excellent piece about the Holocaust Memorial which gives you a wonderful background on the architecture. In addition, Natalie Holmes has included a great description of the memorial in her article “Holocaust Memorials in Berlin, Budapest and Amsterdam.” Last but not least, Dalene and Pete Heck wrote another wonderful piece called “In a Field of Concrete” on their travel blog called Hecktic Travels. Links to all the blogs and articles can be found below.

https://berlindividedcity.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/the-holocaust-memorial/

http://blog.contexttravel.com/holocaust-memorials-around-the-world/

Some helpful details:

Admission: Free

Address: Cora-Berliner-Straße 1

Hours: 10am to 7pm (Maybe closed on Mondays) – Last entry is one hour before the closing.

Metro: Brandenburger Tor stop on S-bahn-S25 OR U-bahn-U55 .

Tips:

- Across from the memorial is a memorial to the homosexuals that suffered during the holocaust. Must check that out if you have time.

- The Museum underneath is worth going to as well.

Reichstag:

After the Holocaust Memorial, we made our way to Reichstag for our appointed time after a quick stop for some supper!

If you are planning to visit Reichstag and score a trip up to the dome, the good news is that it is free but the MORE IMPORTANT news is that you may be SOL if you have not booked your tickets in advance. And I mean WELL in advance.

I have heard from many travel bloggers that if you plan ahead, it is best to book your ticket for around dusk so you can watch the sun setting from the dome as it is supposed to be breath-taking. I wanted to do the same so I immediately googled sunset times in Berlin for the dates I would be there and then marked on my calendar the earliest I could book for that weekend. When that day arrived, I booked two tickets – one for me and one for my friend – for that day at sunset! So before anything else, go register for you tickets on the link below:

https://www.bundestag.de/en/visittheBundestag/dome/registration/245686

Unfortunately, the day of our visit was a rainy and cloudy day so I did not get to enjoy the sunset views as much as I would have on a clear day. Still it was a wonderful experience.

Don’t forget to bring your entry tickets and your passports (as a form of ID) to be able to get in. They are very strict so you don’t want to miss out! Also, we chose to do it on our first day which was great because the free audio tour from the dome gives you a very good sense of the city and its attractions so you can mentally make a note of things and places to add to your agenda!

Sarah at The Wander Blogger has an excellent blog post about Reichstag as well as Kate Ericson from Kate the Globetrotter. I highly recommend both of these blogs. Links below.

http://www.thewanderblogger.com/reichstag-dome-berlin/

http://www.katetheglobetrotter.com/blog/2016/04/06/reichstag-dome/

Some helpful details:

Admission: Free

Address: Platz der Republik 1, 11011 Berlin

Hours: 8-Midnight

Metro: Brandenburger Tor stop on S-bahn-S25 OR U-bahn-U55 OR the Bundestag on U55

Tips:

- Close to Brandenburg and the Holocaust Memorial, so probably best to do the same day.

- Although the visit is free, make sure to sign up well in advance

- Brings tickets and passport on the day.

- Fun to see the sunset from the dome and at night if it is nor a cloudy and rainy day.

- We already have tickets for Friday

Checkpoint Charlie

The next day which was a Saturday, my friend and I decided to start our day’s sightseeing activities by meeting up at Checkpoint Charlie. It was an easy spot to meet up without having to search for each other everywhere.

Checkpoint Charlie used to be a famous border crossing between East and West Berlin during the Cold War era. It is quite touristy and many people just stand around and take selfies, but definitely a quick must-see because of its historical significance. You can get your passport stamped for a fee and also get a photograph with the guards for 3 euros, however we decided to skip it and make our way to the Berlin Wall next.

There is a Checkpoint Charlie Museum nearby which is believed to be really good however, because it was a nicer day than Friday and we wanted to see the Berlin Wall and the East Side Gallery before dark, we skipped the museum too.

The following two articles; Top Checkpoint Charlie Facts by Megan Hills and the article on the Free Tours by Foot website by Courtney Shapiro are wonderful. I highly recommend reading both articles to make your visit more meaningful. Otherwise it will just seem like a big tourist trap.

http://blog.berlinpass.com/checkpoint-charlie-facts/

http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/checkpoint-charlie/

Some helpful details:

Admission: Free

Address: Friedrichstraße 43-45

Hours: 9am to 10pm

Metro: Kochstrabe stop on U6 OR Stadmitte station on u2

Tips:

- You can get your passport stamped for a fee.

- There is a checkpoint Charlie museum nearby which is supposed to be good.

- Possibly best done with berlin wall and east side gallery

Berlin Wall Memorial:

From Checkpoint Charlie, we walked over to the Berlin Wall where I was pleasantly surprised to find a Veggie Currywerst spot right by the entrance. The place was called Curry By the Wall and although I am sure a veggie currywerst is nothing like an actual currywerst, I was still excited to give it a try. And hey it was still delicious!

We walked around the Berlin Wall and then entered the museum inside. A lot of people only visit East Side Gallery but I highly recommend stopping by to see the wall by the Berlin Wall Museum as well. This wall does not have graffiti and mural art on it so a lot more somber which I think is an important context to have as well

Gemma’s blog, “Stay and Roam” has some great pictures and tips about the Berlin Wall. A lot of the pictures are from the Wall at the East Side Gallery which I will talk about next. A great blog nonetheless.

https://stayandroam.blog/visiting-the-berlin-wall/

Some helpful details:

Admission: Free

Address: Bernauer Strasse 111/119, 13355

Hours: 9:30am to 6pm (Closed on Mondays)

Metro: Bernauer Strasse stop on U8 OR Nordbahnhof on S1, S2.

Tips:

- Check this out in addition to East Side Gallery.

East Side Gallery:

After visiting the Berlin Wall and the Museum, we were ready for some street art and murals to uplift our spirits and provide some much needed optimism. We hopped on the U-Bahn and headed straight for the East Side Gallery.

I would venture to say that East Side Gallery was probably one of my favorite things in Berlin and as an avid fan of street art, I was going crazy taking pictures of every mural I came across. A wall of murals that seemed never-ending. Each mural more beautiful than the first.

One of the most famous murals is The Fraternal Kiss and if you happen to visit with a significant other, I highly recommend taking a picture kissing in front of that mural. There are a lot of tourists taking pictures around the wall so it gets harder to take a good shot without people in the background but if timed well, it could happen. It is much less crowded at night however pictures of these murals always turn out better in daylight.

Sarah at the Wanderblogger, Sara at Simplesara and Richard White at everydaytourist have some great picture blogs of the East Side Gallery.

http://www.thewanderblogger.com/berlin-wall-east-side-gallery/

http://www.simplysaratravel.com/home/walking-along-berlins-east-side-gallery

http://everydaytourist.ca/2017/2017/7/18/berlin-wall-good-bad-ugly

Some helpful details:

Admission: Free

Address: Mühlenstraße, 10243 Berlin, Germany

Hours: 24 hours

Metro: Warschauer stop on U1, s5, s7, s75 OR Ostbahnhof on s5, s7, s75

Tips:

- Kiss someone in front of the famous “Fraternal Kiss”.

Berlin TV tower

Sunday was my last full day in Berlin and after having stayed up way past sunrise (11am to be exact) after partying at Berghain, I was glad that the only item on my agenda for the day was to check out the TV tower. The good thing was that it stays open till midnight so I could sleep in as long as I wanted and did not have to rush out of bed.

(Berghain at sunrsie)

The TV tower was pretty much what I expected but since I like to go to the top of every famous tower in every city, it was a must-do for my trip. I toyed with the idea of grabbing a meal or a drink at the rotating café but the waiting line was so long that I opted not to. Instead, I walked around. Soaked in the beautiful sights of Berlin in the evening and then headed home to pack and relax.

Do check out Andrea’s blog Destinationeu or rearviewmirror.

http://www.rearviewmirror.tv/berlins-iconic-tv-tower/

http://www.nuberlin.com/things-to-do-in-berlin/berlin-tv-tower/

Some helpful details:

Admission: 13 euros

Address: Panoramastraße 1A, 10178 Berlin, Germany

Hours: 10am to Midnight

Metro: Alexanderplatz station on U2, U5, U8 OR S5, S7, S75

Tips:

- Maybe grab a meal at the rotating restaurant

Food:

And now for the foodie in me….

Currywerst

So one of the most popular “delicacies” in Berlin are their famous currywersts. Each one looked delicious however, they are mostly pork so my options were limited. I was however lucky enough to find a veggie option right by the Berlin Wall at this cute little place called Curry at the Wall. I am sure it was nothing like the real thing but still quite scrumptious. If you do not have the dietary restrictions that I do, this makes for a great bite on the go!

Rittersport chocolate

These can now be found everywhere in the States as well, but I did eat a whole bunch of these chocolates during my stay and they also made for great souvenirs for coworkers.

Schinitzel

These were also mostly pork and I was not lucky enough to find a non-pork option but another “must-try” from what I have heard.

Burger Meister

A public toilet which is now turned into one of the best burger joints in Berlin. I had to! And boy was it delicious. Don’t expect a large sit-down place (remember it was a public toilet) but it is tented so it is warm and dry even on a rainy day but don’t expect chairs and tables. You scarf down the delicious burger while standing right there. And what a truly delicious burger, I savored every bite. The lines can sometimes get long since it is such a huge tourist attraction but it is also open till 3am so it can make a for a good late night grub spot if you happen to party in the area. The address is U1 Schlesisches Tor, Oberbaumstraße 8, and it is literally below the Schlieschess station on the U1 so hard to miss. Do check it out!

Donner Kebab

OMG! The Donner Kebabs I had in Berlin were absolutely amazing. A great meal to grab on the go from different stands while you are sightseeing. I pretty much had one every day!

Berliner jelly donut

Berlin is famous for its bakeries and thus you must try the jelly donuts. Best to try the jelly donuts from the Berliner (which is not too far from Burgermesiter and could make for a great dessert) however, I would just grab a jelly donut from the metro platforms as I sleepily made my way back to my AirBNB.

Clubmate Drink

Pronounced Mah-tay, this is an energy drink popular among hackers but it definitely became my drink of choice to drink before going out at night. Since I would be tired from sight-seeing, I would drink a bottle after a nap and while getting ready. Even on the metro on my way to meet my friend. It did the trick! Doesn’t really taste all that great but you get used to it!

Tips & Miscellaneous recommendations

Metro: Berlin Pass, Train Inspectors, Ticket Validation

One of the dilemmas I always face when I travel is which metro card to purchase. I had heard that when you are purchasing your Berlin Welcome Card, there will always be people who are trying to sell you a card. Sure enough, as soon as I landed and went to the info booth and the ticket counter at the exit of Terminal A/B, I was immediately approached – while in line – by a young lady who tried to sell me a welcome card for a discount because she claimed she no longer needed it as she had bought an extra one. I informed her that I was going to just buy one at the ticket counter and within minutes, she vanished.

The other important thing to note is about ticket validation. If you get a day pass you must validate it the first time you use it. If it is a weekly pass you must validate it once before the first time you use it as well. If you do not, you could be fined a hefty sym. When my friend and I were on our way to Burgermesiter, a cop came around and started asking to see everyone’s cards. Now, the best way to know if this is an actual cop – because they do perform these checks – or a scammer is that if you are asked to pay a fine (which you shouldn’t have to if you have a valid and validated ticket) is to ask for a citation/fine and that you will pay later. A completely acceptable response and actually encouraged since it limits fake metro police scammers as well. However if he is an actual cop, he will see that you have a valid ticket and not bother you. My friend accidentally showed him a ticket from a previous day so he was asked to step off the train. However after digging into his pockets some more, my friend was able to produce the correct ticket for the day and all was well. So to fellow tourists, I know that Berlin’s metro operates on an honor code but even in my long weekend trip we did have a cop ask us for our tickets so don’t risk it!

Petition Signers and gypsies

There are petition signers as well as people all around the city doing magic tricks. Most of the blogs I read, discouraged tourists from engaging in a conversation with any of them. While some blogs claimed that it can be a distraction while being pick-pocketed others only shared their annoyance at being coaxed to give donations. Either way, a polite smile and a nod before walking away is a good and healthy alternative.

Umbrella

Berlin can be quite rainy so not a bad idea to take an umbrella with you. When I was there, the forecast called for rain all weekend but I lucked out since it only rained on my first day there. Still, I went prepared!

#berlin #Brandenburg Gate #reichstag #checkpointcharlie #berlinwall #berghain #eastsidegallery #fraternalkiss #berlintvtower #currywurst #burgermeister #clubmatedrink

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