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boymeetsweevil · 3 years

Text

Call me maybe

Grouping: Reader x Namjoon

Word Count: ~6.59k

Warnings/Themes: Club meet-cute AU, 1% angst +99% suggestive fluff, (legal!) alcohol consumption, language, flirting anxiety(?)

Summary: It all started with a stupid drinking game...

A/N: this is the One Direction wattpad-style fanfic that's been haunting me for so long. beware of that and the fact that this is unedited hahaha...

“You know the rules, girls. Whoever wins this round of rock-paper-scissors is It.”

You and your three friends, warm and bubbly from 2 rounds of shots at this point in the evening, assume your battle stances and stick your hands into the center of your table. Four hands make a square over the scattered layer of empty decorative shot glasses from the bar in the club.

There’s an air of electric excitement that comes with this game, lovingly nicknamed Hunter-Gathering. Whoever is It gets a target and has to pursue that target in hopes of bringing ‘home’ free drinks for everyone the rest of the night. But no matter how attractive the target is, you can't ever bring them home.

“Wait, wait!” Lia chimes in. “I can’t be It this time. I did it twice already and my ass still hurts from the last time.”

Dani nods seriously. “Fair enough. That means the odds are upped for the rest of you.”

“So, we’re just gonna ignore that ass thing,” another friend, Alexa, looks around the table with confused eyes.

“Do you actually want me to give you the details?” Lia smiles slowly at her from across the table.

Alexa’s face brightens with her own smile, worry evaporated. “You know what? I don’t! Never mind.”

The game begins and somehow you find yourself the lone rock amongst two pairs of scissors. Alexa and Dani laugh with relief because they don’t have to put in any work tonight. You roll your eyes to the heavens and silently question your karma.

“Are you ready to pick your target?”

“I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

“Nope!” Dani grins.

She steps forward and grabs a clean face mask out of her clutch bag and wraps it around your eyes, careful not to muss your makeup or hair. Three pairs of hands rest on your shoulders and you let them spin you lightly around a few times. Not enough to get you dizzy but just enough to make sure you don’t know what direction you’re facing anymore.

“Alright,” Dani’s voice sounds out over the music of the club. “Take your pick!”

You stick your hand out blindly and someone unties the makeshift blindfold. Everyone follows the line your hand makes all the way to a tall figure standing by the side of the bar.

He’s probably the most handsome man any of you have seen in a while. There's an intimidating aura emanating from him. You figure it's the understated all-black outfit complete with the heinously expensive watch he's wearing and the sheer height of him as he towers over people near him at the bar.

“Oh my god,” Dani whispers as you all take in the stranger’s face.

“We can finally get top shelf vodka,” Alexa pretends to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye.

“Not bad,” Lia hums in appreciation.

“Okay, why is everyone acting like I bagged him already?” Your voice grows high with nerves. “I'm pretty sure I have, like, a 2% chance of interesting him."

“What are you so worried about?” Dani crosses her arms at you. “Just do whatever you did to get those history nerds to help you out that one time."

"This is not the same thing. Those guys parted their hair 90/10 unironically and thought Diva Cups are for when you don't want to hold your pee when you stand in line for roller coasters."

"You're kidding," Lia gasps. You wish you were.

"Well, just pretend he's one of them anyway." Dani suggests, "Every guy is the same."

You can't argue with that logic.

“I mean, I can try flirting with him, but he’s probably so used to people throwing themselves at him. I don’t think anything I do would, like, make a dent, you know?”

“Babe, no. No—listen to me, okay?” Alexa takes you by the shoulders and forces you around so you can see how serious she is.

“Tonight is the last free night of vacation. After tonight, we have less than a day to get over our hangovers, pack up the Airbnb, and then catch our 6am flight back home to start the spring term. Our last night of freedom lies in your hands.”

“But, what if—”

“No ‘but’s. Do you see yourself? Do you see your skin in this fresh white two piece? Have you seen how your tits look in this off the shoulder top? That poor man doesn’t stand a chance!”

Lia murmurs her agreement in the background and Dani mentions something about fearing for the guy's soul. You think about the freakishly good pictures you all took in the stylish club bathroom when you first arrived.

“I see your point.”

You turn back toward the bar to review your target. He sips from a dark green bottle as he looks around at the people on the dance floor between your table and the bar. As he continues to scan the room, he locks eyes with you. You hold his gaze even though your instincts are screaming at you to duck for cover. Surprisingly, he gives a small smile and raises his bottle in salute.

"See, you got the hardest part down already. Just fake the rest until you make it."

You chance a look back in his direction only to catch him staring in the direction of the table. When he catches your gaze again, he whips his head away, cheeks tinging pink under the soft yellow lighting at the bar.

Alexa cackles and starts detailing all the drinks she wants made with the top shelf vodka. Lia and Dani discuss leaving early to go back and clean up the apartment so it’s clean in case you break the rules and bring this guy back for the night.

“Uh, aren’t you guys moving a little fast?”

“Aren’t you moving a little slow,” Alexa counters.

“Hold on, Lex.” Dani turns to you. “You know you don’t actually have to do this if you don’t want to, right? Hunter-Gathering is just a game, there's no pressure.”

For all their poking and teasing, you're reminded right then and there that your friends would never put you in a situation where they thought you were actually at any risk. The weight you felt on your shoulders lightens somewhat.

“No, no, I definitely still want to play, I just don’t want you guys to get your hopes up.”

“I believe in you.”

Lia bumps shoulders with you quietly. She’s not the most affectionate, so you know she really means it.

“I’ll do my best.”

You let them tweak you a little bit, fixing stray hairs and wiping away smeared lip gloss and hiking up your skirt, giving you their drink orders, before you grab your purse and phone and push in your stool.

When you finally make it to the bar, he’s in the same spot as you first found him in. He spots you once you get close enough and naturally makes room for you. You set your bag on the bar countertop before hopping up on the empty stool immediately in front of him. The movement causes your skirt to ride up even more and you’re glad you only let Lia hike it up one inch instead of three.

Dani's advice about treating this guy like any other scrub from school reverbs in the back of your head right as the nerves start to set in. With the guys in your art history class, your grade was on the line. There was no room for hesitation when you could barely draw a stick figure, much less write an essay analyzing what an old painting style could tell you about the dairy economy in a certain town like some of your classmates were doing. It was because you were desperate that you were suddenly able to transform into a femme fatale. It also helped that these guys quivered at any interaction with an adult woman.

Tonight's drinks are on the line, you tell yourself. As best you can, you try to trick yourself into entering the same mindset you were in when you would lay on the charm extra thick for the art history guys.

You let the corner of your mouth lift up in a coy smile while you survey the bar. The bartender is moving back and forth quickly to handle the high demand. A second later the girl next to you leaves her spot with a tray of 8 bright pink drinks, practically glowing in the dark. You wonder briefly if you should try to get a round of those for the table.

“—one of those before?”

His voice is deep and pleasant. When you give him a look over your shoulder, you have to suppress a gasp. Up close he's even more handsome. You really have your work cut out for you.

“What?"

"That neon pink drink," he nods back in the direction of the girl who'd taken the cotton candy pink drinks with her. "I was wondering if you'd tried them before."

“No, I haven’t,” you smile, letting your lips part slowly. His eyes dart from your painted eyes to the colored stretch of your mouth and then quickly back up. “Have you?”

“No. But I like to try new things.”

You purse your lips as if in thought, something you've seen other girls do while flirting with guys at school. “You must be pretty unpredictable, then.”

“Huh? Well, I wouldn’t say that.” He stammers a bit and nearly drops his beer bottle trying and failing to put it down. All the intimidation you felt coming from him earlier seems to have disappeared.

“I was just kidding.”

Like it has a mind of its own, your hand reaches out to rest on his arm reassuringly while you continue to laugh at him. His features clear up then and a relieved smile blooms on his face, bringing out an adorable dimple with it.

“You’re teasing me,” he realizes with a good natured huff and steps into your touch.

“You seem kinda fun to tease.” You let your hand linger a little longer before finally pulling it back.

“It’s kinda fun. You're pretty good at it.”

Oddly enough, this isn't as difficult for you as you thought it was going to be. In fact, you find yourself naturally tilting your head and fixing him with an intrigued look from under your lashes. He takes the opportunity to look you over as well, a small smile on his lips.

The personal attention does make you a little nervous despite the fact that it’s positive. So you dig in your purse to avoid looking directly at him for too long and to give your hands something to do. You brush up against a tube of lip gloss, pull it out, and reapply some to your lips.

You look back at him when you realize he’s grown quiet, only to find him following the movements of the gloss brush tracing the curve of your lips, cheeks dusted pink and eyes half-closed like he's in some sort of trance.

Experimentally you press your lips together and then purse them to make sure the gloss is distributed evenly. The man doesn't blink once. Suddenly, all his expensive apparel and large stature aren’t so intimidating.

"Is there something on my face," you smirk.

He slow blinks down at your mouth twice before realizing you're speaking again. His eyes grow wide and he raises a ringed hand to rub at the back of his neck. The movement rustles the hair covering his ears, revealing their pink tips. Cute.

"Just looking."

You laugh a little at him again. He marvels at the way the club lighting dances around in your glossy smile.

"So, how come I've never seen you here before?"

"Well...it's the first time me and my friends have come here."

"I see." He pivots to face you and leans his closest elbow on the counter of the bar. "Are you guys new to the area?"

"You could say that, yeah."

He raises an eyebrow when you don’t elaborate. Without looking away, he raises his hand to signal to the bartender that he wants another drink. When the bartender runs right over, you realize this guy actually might be a big deal. Silently you pull your card out of your wallet as the bartender makes their way over. You figure you’ll have to spend some money before you can really ask someone like him to buy drinks for your table.

"What'll it be,” the bartender asks.

"Two of those pink drinks please," he says and before you can place any order the bartender zooms away.

While the bartender starts preparing the drinks, you turn toward him.

"Who said I wanted the pink drink?"

He grins down at you, a dimple now popping up in each cheek. "Who said it's for you?"

"I'm pretty sure it's for me."

"And what makes you so sure?" He takes a step closer to you.

"Just a hunch," you hum before crossing your legs.

The white fabric of your skirt hikes up your thighs again with the movement. You smooth your palms over the soft material.

"Nice skirt."

"Yeah? You like it?"

"I like it," he admits quietly.

"And the top?" You gesture toward the pair of straps on the matching tube top, manicured nails gliding over your décolletage. He wets his lips.

"The top too."

He reaches out one large hand to one of the straps that have fallen over your shoulder. The drag of his fingers against your bare arm as he fixes it makes you shiver. You lament the loss of contact when pulls his hand back.

The bartender arrives with your drinks then, startling the both of you out of the little staring competition that had spontaneously started. The pink drink seems to glow from within, topped with whipped cream and full of little round ice cubes made from some sort of darker rose syrup floating in the liquid like lava in a lava lamp. The color barely prepares you for the thick sweetness that floods your mouth on the first sip.

"Oh, that's kinda..."

He huffs a laugh around his own first swallow and nods in agreement.

"Not what you wanted?"

"It's just really sweet. You like it?”

He shrugs. “It’s alright. But—"

The way he cuts himself off has you confused for a moment before he's reaching towards you cautiously. You're not too sure what's going on until you feel the pad of his thumb swipe over the corner of your lips carrying away some of the whipped topping from the drink. Your eyes widen when instead of wiping the cream on one of the cocktail napkins available on the counter he brings his thumb to his own lips. In a fraction of a second the cream is gone, but you're left feeling a rush of fluttering warmth on the side of your mouth and in the center of your chest.

"You think your friends would like these?” He slides his drink to the side so he can lean on his elbow and turn to you again. Now's your chance.

“Um, I don’t think this is really their style.”

“What is their style?”

You rattle off their drinks of choice, making sure to mention their favorite brands with a sigh. Of course, whenever you play this game, the brands can change depending on the budget of whoever’s buying. This time, you make sure to name drop as much as possible, per Alexa's request.

“Sounds like your friends really know what they like.”

“Yeah, they have really…unique tastes.” You falter a little under his amused stare. “But we don’t always drink that way. I mean, not every bar even carries all those to begin with.”

“That’s true.” He nods. “This bar has every single of them, though. Pretty lucky, huh?”

“Yep,” you chirp. You’re not sure if you’re in trouble or not because he’s still smiling. He seems to be onto the game, but doesn’t seem bothered by it.

“Well, it would be a shame not to welcome you all to the city. Get whatever you want. My treat.”

“Are you sure?”

You place your hand on his arm again and squeeze for good measure. You don’t miss the way his large bicep flexes under your touch. After a beat, he brings his hand up to grasp yours and holds it while signaling to the bartender again. You give him a blindingly bright smile and he strokes his thumb over your knuckles.

He asks the bartender to ‘take care’ of your table tonight on him, and you realize then that you’ve won the game. The victory isn't nearly as sweet as the pink drinks from earlier. The rules prohibit you from bringing him home or going over to his place. And even if it wasn't prohibited, your vacation is basically over.

“Where are you and your friends from?

You take his hand between yours and play with some of the rings on his fingers. They’re beautiful together in an eclectic way and you wonder if someone chose them for him.

“It’s a kind of small city, not like this one. It’s really just our university and then a few surrounding towns.”

“What made you guys move here then?"

"Oh, Right." You feel guilty. "Me and my friends are just here for vacation."

He blinks at you but takes the news in stride. "Well, if you want—I know the city pretty well since I have a place here—maybe I can give you a tour of the town later this week."

"I'd love that, I really would. But we're actually leaving tomorrow."

"For real?” His eyes grow wide and he looks down at your linked hands before looking over your face. You're shocked to see his features fall.

"Yeah, it sucks."

“Damn,” he smiles bittersweet at the floor. “I wish we’d bumped into each other sooner.”

“I absolutely agree," the sound of Alexa's voice rings loud in your ear.

“Uh, hello. Did you need me for something?" Your voice is high and tight as you fix her with an accusatory stare. You're not 100% positive, but it seemed like you and he were having a moment.

"No, babe, I just wanted to come over and show you my beautiful drink. I wanted to come show my gratitude to you both for making sure we have a good last night. The girls will appreciate that. Thank you, kind sir."

“Name’s Namjoon. And no need to thank me,” he smiles at the exchange between you two and sticks out his hand. Alexa daintily lays her hand in his and he lets out an incredulous laugh before playing along and raising it to his lips.

"What a gentleman," she coos before pinching lightly at the skin of your exposed back. It's a clear message just for you, telling you that there's about to be a change in plans. "What were you guys discussing?"

"I was actually about to offer up our booth. There's more than enough room for your table if you wanted to move. Me and my team—friends definitely wouldn't mind the company."

“You don’t have to do that!” You pipe up, suddenly shy. But it's quickly dashed away as Alexa pulls out her phone and opens up the groupchat.

"Let me just ask our friends if they’d like that."

You already know the answer, so you sigh quietly and gather up your card, phone, and purse. You can’t say you won’t miss the privacy from when it was just you and Namjoon, but you’re glad to be with your friends again as well.

The move from your little table to the VIP booth is lightning fast. By the time you get your own drink, Lia and Dani are already clutching their things and vibrating with excitement near the ropes leading to the VIP booth. A few of Namjoon’s friends are chatting with them from the other side of the ropes.

Once your group trickles in, you don't miss how they all arrange themselves in the booth so you're forced to sit on the end next to Namjoon with barely any space. The only options are to let one of your legs hang off the edge of the booth the whole time or sit practically half in his lap. Alexa winks at you over the first sip of her next very expensive drink.

Namjoon's friends are occupied by your friends re-telling some of the more exciting parts of the beginning of your vacation. Some story about how 'someone' lost their top while trying to jet ski. You send a weak glare to Lia as she tries to get them to guess just whose top it was. That's what you get for experimenting with spaghetti strings, you suppose.

"Do you guys like to dance," one of his friends says after a while of vibing to the music once the chatter cools down. Hoseok, you think his name was.

"Yes, definitely." Dani remarks while re-applying lip gloss. "You know who's a great dancer?"

"Who?" Hoseok looks around excitedly.

"She's gonna say me," you groan. "Which is not even true but let’s just all move down there already, no more 20 questions."

"Just one more," she pouts. "Namjoon, do you like to dance?"

He looks down at you once he's also out the booth, that little amused smile back on his lips.

"Well, it's not really part of my day job, but I don't mind it too much."

"What's your day job," you blurt out.

"I'm a...musician."

"A musician!" Alexa rushes over to you to link arms. "Did you hear that? Namjoon’s a musician."

"I don't recognize you," Lia says and Hoseok and another one of his friends burst into quiet laughter behind her.

"You definitely won't find Joon’s pics anywhere, that's for sure," one of his friends says. The rest of them dissolve into another fit of giggles.

The club lights hide the muted pink tinge his cheeks take on, and Namjoon leads the way to the dance-floor with a chagrined roll of his eyes.

"You think he's really a musician?” You whisper to Alexa and Lia. Dani is somewhere up ahead, already dancing.

"Maybe technically. Going off the way his friends keep laughing, he's probably, like, a failed SoundCloud rapper or something."

"No failed SoundCloud rapper wears Gucci like that," Lia motions with her chin to some piece of Namjoon’s outfit.

"That's true," you hum.

"Rich parents," Alexa says simply.

You and Lia consider it and then nod.

As you settle on the dance floor, you feel the rest of your nerves drift away. Lia comes over to take a selfie with you, and the two of you flirt with the camera until she's satisfied with the photos you've taken. She grabs your hand and makes a show of spinning you around and you figure that this is how the night will go before you stumble out around 2 or 3am and drunk pack for the flight home the next morning. You let her lead you back, further into the crowd before you bump into someone.

Namjoon's large hand comes to stabilize you at your waist and Lia acts like nothing happened before dancing away, phone light illuminating her sneaky smile.

"You good?" Namjoon's voice is soft in your ear.

"Y-yeah."

"You wanna dance, or should I let you go?"

Your friends shamelessly all look at the way he curves himself around you, all with their thumbs up in encouragement. You're reminded of the way you did the same a few nights prior when Dani was getting hit on by some cute guy at a different club.

At that time it felt fun hyping her up and watching her make a move, seeing how enamored this random guy was with your friend. Of course he is, you thought at the time, she's amazing. And you remember that this is probably what's driving them tonight as well with you and Namjoon.

You chance a look at him and realize that he's come to rest his cheek lightly near your temple, a soft look in his gaze as he awaits your answer.

"Sure, let's dance."

Namjoon was telling the truth when he said he wasn't all that into dancing. But he put in enough work to be able to follow you and meet you halfway while you were grinding on him to the music.

Even when you shyly stepped away after the first few dances to return to your squealing friends, you loosened up over time with more music and drinks and found yourself naturally ending up on him again. The first few songs turned into more and more and soon you were face-to-face, with his thigh wedged between yours and a heavy palm on your lower back guiding you to the beat.

You're not sure when you decided to abandon your friends and his, but at some point you did return to the booth under the guise of checking your phones. And you did check your phone first. But soon he was crowding you toward the wall by the booth and leaving you with no air of your own.

"You're really leaving tomorrow," he sighed into a bruise he was trying to leave near the hollow of your throat. "Or did you just say that because I was some creep at a bar."

"I never thought you were a creep."

He looks down at you with disbelief before getting distracted by your kiss-swollen lips.

"I mean it. I'm just a little shy sometimes."

"What do you have to be shy about when you look like this, huh?"

"Stop," you laugh lightly and look away from him.

He'd made a comment earlier about how much he liked the pristine white two piece you wore, but you'd been inching his hand up your skirt then. Now, one of his thumbs rubs an idle pattern just below the curve of your breast.

"No, but seriously. Are you actually leaving tomorrow?"

"Yeah. The new term starts for us all in a few days."

"So, leave in a few days," Namjoon whines.

"That's not enough time to get ready for the term."

"But I'll be so alone without you."

He gives you an exaggerated pout that splits into a real smile when you snort at his stupid expression. He pulls you to him just a smidgen tighter then.

"Does this usually work with other girls?"

"I don't know. Never tried it with other girls," he frowns a little at you.

"Sure."

"You know me and the team almost went to Club BigHit last Saturday?"

"Oh, really? That's kinda funny." You try to imagine what might have happened if he'd come to the same club you went to earlier.

"Yeah," Namjoon's voice grows quiet. "If I hadn't gotten sick then we would have met last week."

"Yeah, maybe."

"You sure you can't miss a few days of the term?"

"Yes, I'm sure." You let out an exasperated laugh. "You can't really be this upset that an actual stranger is just passing through your life."

"No, I know. I just—," he lets his head fall forward until he's touching his forehead to yours. "It was like something clicked when I saw you. I feel like I need more time with you."

"Oh," your voice comes out a little breathier than you expected.

The same look that had flashed across his face when you first came up to him finally gets to rest on his features. You want to let him down gently because you really can't play catch up during the first week of school.

"Tell you what. I can't miss the beginning of the term but if you make a song with my name in it and it gets...say, 50,000 listens, I'll buy a ticket that same day and come meet you. Wherever you are."

He pins you with a look then, inquisitive and dark. His eyes scan your open expression for something, before whatever he finds passes the test. He stands up tall.

"And it just needs to have 50,000 listens?"

In your mind you were thinking it would be too lofty for a failed SoundCloud rapper, but something in his tone sounds like he's rising to the challenge and it makes you nervous. You spent a lot on this vacation, you can't afford to actually fly out so soon if he somehow managed to get the listens and call your bluff. Besides, targets are off limits.

"Um, actually make that 150,000. And it has to have my area code in it too." You rattle off the three digits to him and he quickly types your conditions into the notes app on his phone.

"Is that it?"

"That's it, I guess."

"Deal."

Namjoon pockets his phone and leans back into your space. Any worries you had clawing to the forefront of your mind vanish when he presses soft lips to yours once more.

A month passes.

You don't end up having a one-night-stand with Namjoon because it wouldn't be fair to your friends when they'd clicked with a target but didn't take them home. That and because Dani got sick on the dance floor from mixing strawberry daiquiri with one too many pink drinks. But you do pass on your full number after he very nearly begs you to give it to him while packing into a cab.

And then he never used it.

It's not that you were expecting much, but when a month passes with not so much as word from him, you figure he forgot about you and your little bet.

Then 2 months pass.

Even though you know that you only spent a fraction of a day with him, you can't help thinking about Namjoon. Namjoon and his pretty eyes and pretty words that made you think there was some sort of connection there. You realize after the first two weeks back that you don't have his number but by the time 2 months pass, you realize that was definitely on purpose.

4 months pass.

You're over it, swamped with end of term work like finals and grading and putting in hours at work. But every time your friends suggest a little fun and hooking you up with someone, every time someone asked for your number at a coffee shop, you said no. Because you're over it and you're busy and not at all disappointed for how hard you fell for the lies some failed SoundCloud rapper fed you on a vacation one time.

19 weeks pass.

You're all in Lia's apartment, basking in the first few days of the end of classes even if it means finals are a few days later. Alexa is playing her favorite playlist on the speakers and you're taking a break to get some coffee going in the small kitchenette.

While the coffee machine starts up you wander back to the main room. Alexa is leaning over to turn the music up, one of her favorite songs just now coming up.

"Who's this again," Dani pipes up from her spot on the couch. "It's that one guy's collab with the Bulletproof Girlscouts, right?"

"Yep," Alexa checks the song title before sighing. "This song is so old now."

"True, but it's my favorite one on the whole album."

"I guess it really has been two years since his last album, huh." Dani muses and then goes back to her practice problem set.

You try not to laugh at how cute Alexa looks sulking because her favorite artist hasn't put out any music in so long.

"Why don't you just play his new stuff," Lia says.

"He's on indefinite hiatus. This is as new as it gets."

Lia picks up her own phone, showing it to the group.

"He released a new single this morning."

"What!"

Alexa scrambles from her seat to grab her headphones and jam them into her phone. You all know how she gets about her music and let her have a moment to soak up the new song while you get up to check on the coffee.

It takes a few minutes to get cups out and put everything together since everyone has different tastes, so you're in the middle of pouring creamer when you hear a chorus of screams.

"Why are we screaming?"

You rush into the main room again only to be bombarded with music from the speaker, this time turned up as high as it can go. What must be the new song comes through the speaker, the bass vibrating on the ground as the speaker pumps.

"Okay, yes, new song. It's good but I don't get—"

"Just listen to the fucking bridge," Dani's voice comes out incredibly shrill as she cuts you off.

The beat surges for the bridge and suddenly the lyrics turn into the artist growling about some girl he met at the club with the prettiest little white outfit he'd ever seen. Saying something that sounds oddly like your name, although you figure that can't be right. But then the next verse has your name in it too, and the next one, and the next one.

Your feet take you to where Alexa's phone is plugged in and you pick up the phone to look at the song. It's indeed a song by her favorite artist, a prolific and mysterious rapper who's never shown his face and who'd been on hiatus from making music. The song title is simple, a small string of numbers that look suspiciously like your area code.

When you let out a tiny gasp, your friends let out more excited shrieks. You ignore them in favor of thumbing through the music app to the artist's page where the new single lies at the top of his discography. To the right of all his songs are the stream counts. Most of his older songs have a few dozen million or so. This brand new one sits at a modest 4 million, but the numbers trickle up as the app updates them in real time.

"What the hell?"

"I know!" Alexa cries, tears shining in her eyes. "I can't believe we sat in a VIP booth with him and I didn't even recognize his stupid voice!"

"What are you gonna do," Dani smiles widely at your stunned face. "Are you gonna call him?"

"I don't have his number," you say simply. Your voice comes out monotone with shock.

"You didn't get his number?" Alexa starts crying for real.

"People are blowing my phone up about this," Lia says once the song ends and begins again on a loop. "You might want to turn off your phone. It's just a matter of time until people start snooping around."

"Right."

You grab your phone from your pocket. On instinct you scan through your socials one last time before turning it off. There's a startling number of texts, calls, emails, and notifications on your social media apps. Curiosity gets the best of you and you open up one of them only to find your name trending as the top hashtag. Clicking on it brings up a bunch of tweets both from fans raving about the new song and wondering who the muse is, to random accounts with identical names in the handle all claiming to be said muse.

"Oh my god, he tweeted!" Dani shoves her phone into your hands.

As of right now [2:38pm] we're at 5.76 million streams. That's more than 150,000...

"What does that mean," she asks you.

"It means...he wants me to fly out to see him. Today."

"Oh my god."

Alexa screams again and at this point you've lost count of how many that is. Lia gets out of her chair and tucks her chin over your shoulder to read the post herself.

"You need to go," Alexa shouts. "I'll help you pack, let's go."

"What about finals?"

"Are you—are you actually thinking of not going because of finals?"

"I mean—"

"If you want me die, just say that," she does something with her mouth that looks like a manic smile.

"What Lex means to say is that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm sure even the profs would understand."

You're not sure what to say. First of all, you still don't have his number. Second of all, you're not sure how to fight through all the other accounts claiming to be you to let him know you saw the song. Third, you don't even know where to fly to. Fourth—

A Twitter notification chimes from your phone and a deadly hush falls over everyone. You go to your DM inbox with shaking fingers only to find a message request from an unknown sender. When you open the request, it's from Namjoon's agency.

Good afternoon,

You are being contacted today because one of our artists wishes to meet you. If you consent to the meeting, please review the flight information and tentative itinerary below and respond with your address and contact information. Please also note that the travel plans are for today [MM/DD/YYYY], so your response at your earliest convenience would be much appreciated. If you would like to go but cannot make it today—

"Do you think they'll send a car or should I book her a ride to the airport now?" Dani turns to Alexa.

"They'll probably send one to make sure the schedule is followed."

"That's true but what about—"

Lia taps you on the shoulder, startling you out of your stupor.

"There's a convenience store two doors down. Whatever you buy we can put in one of my suitcases and you can just take that. There's probably not enough time to go all the way back to your place."

"I—yeah, okay."

7 hours later finds Alexa, Dani and Lia finished with studying for the night. The entertainment channel is playing on the TV and the three of them have their heads bent over their phones and laptops, refreshing all the major gossip sites for updates.

"Maybe she's not even there yet," Dani sighs when the page she just refreshed shows no new posts.

"Yeah, I mean we still don't even know where she is," Lia says while putting her laptop to sleep. "What if they made her sign an NDA?"

"Even if they did, she'd probably still tell us once she got there. She's probably just busy killing time on the plane."

"She's sleeping!" Alexa screams a second later.

"Huh? How do you know that?"

"Check his instagram," is all she says before frantically typing a message to you about souvenirs.

Lia looks over at Dani's phone as she pulls up Namjoon's page. The rest of the layout is bare given his up until recent hiatus and the fact that he never posted any type of selfie. The video uploaded a mere 20 seconds ago undoes all the previous minimalism of the entire account.

The post isn't even of Namjoon. It's a black and white 5 second video of the top half of your naked back and shoulders, the rest of your body covered by the sheets. One of your arms is raised to cover your head with a pillow. The only sign of Namjoon is the arm that reaches out from the bottom of the frame, making it clear that he took the video himself. His hand reaches out to trace a heart over the skin of your shoulder blade. The caption reads:

Thanks for keeping your promise

#networkbangtan #btscreatorscorner #hyunglinenetwork #bangtan scenarios #bangtan fluff #bangtan imagines #bangtan fanfic #bts fanfic #bts fluff #bts imagines #bts scenarios #namjoon scenarios #namjoon fanfic #namjoon imagine

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sashi-ya · 3 years

Text

{+18} – Cherry Blossom & Tangerines – Trafalgar Law x Y/n – Part 2

Modern AU. Living in Seoul, Sk. Trip to Jeju Do (Island). Everybody is alive. No spoilers. Female reader. No physical descriptions. Everybody is +18, canon ages. Chopper is human.

Tw: anxiety, fear of flying. No further tw warnings. Mostly SFW. Nami x Vivi & and some ZoSan.

A/N: The AU is inspired on Jeju Island, SK. I've made some research on cute places from there, such as touristic attractions and coffee shops. Even though, it may not be 100% accurate, so keep in mind is mostly inspired♥

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31059467

Word Count: 4K

» List of parts: {P1} {P2} {P3} {P4} {P5} {P6}«

Chapter 2. “Law?!...” I said surprised. “Y/n-ya?...” he asked, also surprised, but before I could say anything else, Luffy came running through the aisle and hugged Law, and I came to the conclusion that he was, indeed, Zoro and Luffy’s friend.

I moved my stuff out of the way, and after he got rid of Luffy, Law helped me to put my backpack on the overhead locker and then sat next to me.

I remained silent for a little bit, waiting perhaps for him to talk, but he didn’t. The flight attendant announced the takeoff was about to happen, so we fasten our seatbelts as the plane started moving. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, and I could see how he seemed a little bit nervous. I thought it was my imagination, but when the plane gathered a little more speed through the runway, he began to breathe faster.

I couldn’t keep my mouth shut and I had to ask, “Law, are you ok? Are you feeling bad?”. He directed his gaze at me with blushing cheeks, and after a few seconds, he said “Y-Yes. I just tend to get a little nervous during the take off, but I’m… ok”. Poor thing, he was trying to cover his heavy breathing… “Don’t worry, it's completely normal, would you like me to hold your hand? You can squeeze it as much as you can”, I said kindly, keeping my cool just for him to see how it wasn’t a big deal, and nothing to get embarrassed of. I placed my hand, palm up, over the armrest that separated our seats and waited for him to hold it. He doubted a little bit, but he finally did it, first softly, still ashamed, but then firmly. “Don’t worry, it’ll be over soon, try to focus on your breathing”, I guided him, with a calm speech, and looking directly into his deep grey eyes, smiling kindly. He slowly calmed his respiratory frequency, and a few minutes after the plane was already flying at cruise level, he sweetly let go of my hand. Our palms were a little sweaty, but I couldn’t care less.

“T-Th- Thanks…” He said, looking at the floor. “Don’t worry, you saved me three times the other day, now I owe you only two” I said, winking an eye at him. Law smiled a little, but kept looking at the floor. I was about to point out the fact that he was Zoro’s friend when Nami peaked through our seat backs saying “Oi Torao, you finally decided to come with us!! You normally don’t go anywhere, I’m glad you separated from your books for good!... Oh, and you two must know each other, right Y/n?” she said pointing at us, “Both of you study at the same U and are becoming doctors soon”. Vivi who was next to Nami began to giggle covering his mouth. Suddenly I realized that both of my friends already knew who Law was, and began to suspect that for some reason they wanted to perhaps pair us up.

“I know him from other circumstances”, I said smirking at them, but with an underhand expression of “I’m gonna kill both of you for not telling me”. Law smiled at them, but didn’t say much, and the girls returned to their seats.

“So, your surname must be Trafalgar, right? I thought you were a Donquixote…”, I asked him. “Yeah, is a long story…”, he said with no emotion at all, and I realized it wasn’t a good topic, so I changed the curse of the conversation. “Oh, you were the one who was complemented by Dr. Marco? You are amazing, doc!”.

“Uhum, but I’m not that good. Dr. Phoenix is just an amazing teacher”, he replied. “Indeed, he is”, I said. The small talk came to an end when the flight attendant offered us something to drink. I opted for a glass of plain water, and so did Law. He then grabbed a manga from his little bag, and began to read. “Maybe he doesn’t wanna talk to me…” I thought, put my air pods on and turned on the music. Some minutes after I regretted not having any sleep last night, as my eyes were trying to close...

The voice of the captain announced over the speakers that we will be arriving on Jeju Island in a few minutes. I was being lazy to open my eyes, as I felt extremely comfy sleeping in that position… until I realized I had my head - and almost the right side of my body - over Law’s shoulder. “Oh my… I’m sorry!” I said gaining composure and sitting properly on my spot. Law gave me a smile with kind eyes, and said “Don’t worry, I was asleep too, I used your head as a pillow, I didn’t want to wake you up, though”. Behind us a few laughs from the girls were heard, and I asked, confused, “You… what?. But the landing was already happening and the cabin crew asked us to prepare, so I decided to shut my mouth. I gazed at Law to see if he needed any help with the landing, but he didn’t seem as scared as he was with the taking off.

We all descended the plane, waited for our luggage and headed to the car rental picking point. I’ve booked three cars, so we distributed perfectly on each one. Franky picked the blue Hyundai Venue. Usopp, Chopper and Brook went with him. Law chose a yellow Hyundai Sonata, of course he would, he looks so cool… Zoro, Sanji, and of course Luffy followed him. I chose the white Tucson, for me and the girls.

We left the airport and drove through the streets of Jeju, admiring the beauty of the cherry blossom trees and the yellow flowers on the side of the road. Law’s car was behind us, and sometimes I spied through the rear mirror, just to see his face fully concentrated on the road.

I asked Nami to put the GPS for me, because our Airbnb was a little bit remote from the center and I was afraid of getting lost. The girls and I sang the whole drive to the songs the radio was playing.

We finally reached the house. It was just as the photos, a white two-story house, big enough for all of us. The beach was next to our patio, the typical style of grey rocks of Jeju Do garnished the entrance and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore with a few seagulls squawking made the whole atmosphere unique.

I gave the entrance code to Robin and she opened the door. Luffy entered first running excited and went directly to the garden to see the beach. We followed him, pretty excited too. Inside, the house had a minimalistic style, everything was white and the floor and furniture was made of light wood.

There were four rooms, so the guys distributed in two of them, Robin and I went to another and we let Nami and Vivi have a room for them. We took turns to use the shower and got ready to explore the island right away.

Sanji suggested that we should go first to Dongmun traditional market to buy fresh ingredients for him to cook for us. He became a professional chef a few years ago and works with his father Zeff, on his well-known restaurant, “The Baratie”. His cooking skills are heavenly, and he loves to cook for us, so we agreed immediately.

We arrived after a 10 minute drive, the market was extremely busy, the food stalls offered a variety of typical korean dishes, kimbap, tteokbokki, tteokgalbi and fresh and canned ingredients, such as typical fishes from the island and the famous kimchi.

Luffy, as always, drove by the smell of the delicious food, ran desperately inside and tasted every single sample the sellers offered to him. Nami, Vivi and I, decided to try the famed tangerines of the island. Nami, who is an expert on tangerines, would give us the final verdict on if they are good as people say. The juicy mandarin slices we tried were exquisite, the sweetness mixed with a little bit of tartness made us want to buy bags of them.

I saw Law approaching us, he had separated from Zoro’s group who were trying the variety of Sojus. I called him with a big smile and some tangerine slices on my hands, “Law!! Come here, you should try this!”. He came closer also with a little grin. I stood on tiptoes and said, “Open your mouth!” and without any shame I offered him a big juicy slice of mandarin. He opened his mouth surprised, but accepted the fruit and while taking it, his lips softly touched the point of my fingers. It felt almost as if he was kissing them, or for a moment I wished it was the case… A little drop of juice ran from his mouth through the commissure of his lips, so I immediately rubbed my thumb over it to clean it. He fixed his eyes on mine, and for a few seconds it seemed as if the rest of the world stopped existing around us. He swallowed up the fruit and thanked me still without taking his gaze off me. The moment broke when the old lady at the tangerine selling stall asked us if we wanted a box or a bag for the fruits. I turned to her, and saw Nami and Vivi looking at the lady wanting her to shut her mouth. My cheeks thanked the interruption, though, because they couldn’t get any more flushed.

“A box would be great, thanks!” I told the seller. Law carried the box himself, and we reunited with the rest of the group.

Sanji had already gathered everything he needed, Zoro had bought his alcohol provision for the next few days, Luffy had his face completely stuffed with some meat, Franky had a cola on his hands, Brook a milkshake, Robin a bag of tangerine tea, Chopper of course some candy cotton on both of his hands and Usopp was eating some type of ramyon. We left the market and headed to our temporary house to leave the provisions and decide the plans for the afternoon and night.

“I want to go to Bomnal Cafe, I heard they serve delicious pastries! Can we go there?” suggested Chopper. “We can go there for the afternoon, and then have a picnic with a bonfire at the beach for the night. What do you think, guys?”, I proposed. “BONFIRE! BONFIRE! Sanji, you could also make some barbecue!!” screamed Luffy, excited, and everyone agreed that it would be a great idea.

Some of us headed to the coffee shop, while Sanji, Zoro, Law, Usopp and Franky stayed at home to prepare everything for the night.

The little coffee shop had a minimalistic, all white and grey, and maybe a little vintage atmosphere. We ordered a few pastries, puddings and lattes that tasted exquisite. We sat by a big window that let us admire the beauty of a little garden with cherry trees and a little pond with some fishies swimming peacefully. We were making stories for Instagram, taking photos, having fun. “Oi, Y/n, pose for me!” said Nami and took a photo of me with her iPhone. I didn’t have time to pose properly, so it was a pretty casual photo of me drinking a matcha latte. Brook insisted on me posting it, because he said it was cute. Chopper and the girls agreed with him, so I uploaded it to my Instagram.

Suddenly, a new notification popped up on my screen, “@DrHeartSteeler liked and commented on your photo”. “Hey guys, do you know who is @DrHeart…” I was asking them while opening the notification and realized it was no other than Law. “@DrHeartSteeler > Beautiful… place. Can you bring me one of those when you come back home?”. I hadn’t had the chance to say anything else when my friends began to make a fuss about the comment. “WHEN YOU COME BACK HOME?, Torao what the fuck?” said Nami laughing out loud. Chopper who was a little innocent, started asking why everyone was laughing, and it only fanned up the flames that were blushing my cheeks. “Yohoho… I guess you have to bring him “home” a matcha latte, Y/n, he probably misses you already…” mocked me Brook. Robin, who is the most mature of all of us, simply laughed and looked at me with kind eyes.

“Stop it guys, he is just asking for a latte…” I said, fanning my face with my hand. “Oh, yes, of course. He wasn’t even following your account. Before we left home, he asked Vivi for your user, right babe?…” said Nami and Vivi nodded with her mouth full of chocolate cake. I didn’t want to show the excitement I was feeling on my insides, so I simply replied that he probably wanted to follow me because he was already following everybody in the group. We decided to come back before the sun set, so we could see it on the beach and after buying Law his tea, and some pastries for the guys we left the pretty tea room and drove home.

“Guys, we are home! we brought you some pastries!!” I said, while carrying the papers bags, and Law’s latte on the other hand. Everyone came running to me and grabbed the bags, while Law, who was sitting on the couch reading, looked at me above his manga, as if he was waiting for me to say something. I tried to act cool, so I said “And oh, uhm, Law your matcha Latte. I hope it’s the right size for you”. He smiled at me, left the book on the armchair and stood up. He walked towards me slowly, I didn’t know if he was trying to be sexy or it was just how he was… Because he certainly was, only using black with yellow spots, swim shorts and a yellow open shirt, that let me admire his tattooed chest and abs.

“Thanks, Y/n-ya. When I saw your picture, I craved for…” he made a little pause, and continued while grabbing the plastic cup, “some matcha latte”. Well, now I crave... you… I thought. I gave him a look from head to toe, and said smirking “It’s nothing, now I only owe you only one favor, so, you tell me if you need something more”. “Mh... I’ll keep it in mind”, he said with his low sexy voice and a little side smirk. I smiled at him and went upstairs.

I threw myself on the bed and sighed loudly. My heart was racing, my lower parts were feeling funny and the sexual tension I’ve just experienced was too much to handle for me. “How hot he is, damn it”, I expressed out loud covering my eyes. “Who is hot, Y/n?” asked Zoro, who apparently was entering my bedroom to ask me something. I almost had a heart attack, but calmed myself down and asked him what he needed. He told me that we were getting ready to go to the beach to prepare the picnic and watch the sunset and if I could bring some blankets. I told him ok and he left my room laughing.

“I came here to rest, and I’m getting more stressed than during finals”, I thought, annoyed, while gathering for a few blankets and pillows to bring to the beach. I headed downstairs. Everybody has already left the house and I could see them walking towards the beach from our patio. I was about to leave and closed the door trying not to throw the blankets I had in my hand, when someone scared the hell out of me. “Oi, you almost let me locked in..., let me help you with that”, said Law who was still inside. “God… Law, you scared me… what are you doing? I thought I was alone…”. “Sanji forgot the salt shaker, I returned to bring it to him”, he calmly answered. “Oh, I see… Well let’s go” I said, still breathing fast from getting scared, and handed him a few blankets to help me carry them.

The chilly sea breeze kissed our cheeks, and the sound of the beach began to fill my ears. I was wearing a long silky dress that danced with the wind, as well as my hair. The sun was going down, everything was golden. Oranges, violets, reds, were the colours that tinted the clouds above the sea. Law was walking right by my side, and both were admiring the beauty of the evening lights that bathed the cliffs. I decided to stop, and take a picture with my analog camera, and as I did, Law kept walking a few steps more until he realized I had stopped. He turned around and looked at me, just when I pressed the shutter. “I’m sorry, I… didn’t know…” Law excused himself for appearing in the photo, but I wasn’t mad at all. I gave him a smile and told him, “It’s ok, you are part of the trip, I’ll give you a copy when I develop the film if you want”. “Thanks…”, he said, and we kept on walking admiring the beauty of the sun setting.

We finally arrived at where everybody else was. Law gave the salt to Sanji and helped him with the barbecue. I started to set up the blankets with the girls and told Brook to play some music with his guitar. The boys had already put up the bonfire and some torchlights that lit up our night.

The night was lovely, it was a little cold, but a few beers after I was dancing with the girls barefoot on the sand to “A lovely night” from the movie Lalaland. Suddenly, Robin said to me “Hey, Y/n… it seems that Torao-kun can’t take his eyes off from you tonight”. “Huh?” I told Robin, confused. She pointed to where the boys were cooking and I turned my face to them. Law was indeed looking at me, with a beer in his hand. I smiled gazing at him over my shoulder, and he did too. I turned back at the girls and kept on dancing covering my mouth, giggling a little. Vivi, Nami and Robin also giggled and gave me a complicit smile.

“Dinner is ready, everybody! “announced Sanji and we gathered all around the grill to receive the plates that surprisingly Zoro helped Sanji to serve. I guess alcohol and food made them somehow get along, at least for a few hours. I wonder when they are going to stop the fighting and begin the kissing… fufufu…

The brochettes were heavenly, we ate them sitting around the bonfire while singing “Binks no Sake”, one of Brooks classics. He is the musician of the group, and even started his professional career a few years ago as “Soul King”. He is such a talented guy.

As the night passed Law and I sometimes interlocked eyes, or exchanged little smiles. I took some more photos during the picnic and we kept on dancing until 3 am, when we decided to raise camps and head to our beds.

I was exhausted, yet, the idea of stalking Law on Instagram was on my head and didn’t let me sleep. I covered myself completely with the sheets and searched for his user on my phone. He has no more than 5 photos posted. One of them was with Luffy and Zoro, after training, another one of him and Rosinante -he called him “Cora-san” on the image caption, how cute - when he was a little boy. The rest of the photos were with some friends dressed up as pirates for Halloween and in the comment section they called themselves the “Heart pirates”, ha-ha funny.

I suspired whenever I zoomed the photos over his eyes. I was starting to like this man, way too much... I tossed and turned in bed trying to fall asleep, but I simply couldn’t, so I thought drinking some tea would help me. I went downstairs, trying not to wake anybody up and got to the kitchen. From the big glass door that looked at the beach I saw how the moonlight lit up the waves crashing on the cliffs and the whole kitchen. The scenery and the chamomile tea were slowly fading away the image of Law’s eyes, until I felt someone placing a hand over my shoulder. I slightly gazed at it, and it only took me a few seconds to know it was the tattooed hand of the guy who was keeping me awake. He was wearing black shorts, and a loose white shirt. His hair was more disheveled than ever. What is it with this guy that looks so good no matter what he looks?...

“I see I’m not the only one who can’t sleep”, Law whispered. “Yeah, I’m exhausted but somehow I can’t fall asleep… I guess it must be the bed, I don’t know. Do you want some tea?”, I offered him. “Yes, that would be great”, he accepted.

I was turning on the electric kettle when we heard some noises coming from the living room. I looked at Law and both of us peaked through the kitchen entrance to see what was going on…

“Shitty cook… we shouldn’t….”, “What? are you afraid, idiot Marimo?”. Sanji and Zoro seemed a little drunk and were somehow hugging and walking at the same time. At first I thought they were trying to help each other to go upstairs, so I started walking towards them to help. I couldn’t walk any further because immediately Law grabbed me by my waist, and pulled me back into the kitchen covering my mouth. “Shh… just wait”, he whispered into my ear and let go of me. What I saw next was something we’ve all been waiting for. Finally, Zoro and Sanji accepted how much they loved each other, and went upstairs kissing as two teenagers in love.

I opened my mouth and looked at Law with a surprised expression, that soon turned into a happy face. I started making little jumps in my place. “I knew it!!” I said and Law giggled almost without making any sound. With the excitement I didn’t notice how near we were from each other, until Law softly caressed my face with one of his soft hands. He, of course had the hands of a surgeon, long fingers, soft skin, perfectly cut nails. “Why don’t we do the same as them?” he asked me, and I gasped and stood still in front of him. He slowly approached his face to mine until the point of our noses were almost touching. I got lost into his grey eyes, my mouth was ready to receive his lips. The sweet torture of the moments before a first kiss, I wished I could make it last as much as I could, but at the same time, I wanted him to kiss me, passionately, now, right now.

My eyes probably showed how desperately I was for him to kiss me, that he smirked and finally planted his luscious lips against mine. He explored my mouth with his tongue, with no modesty at all, and as we were passionately kissing he lifted me up and sited me over the kitchen counter.

Without stopping the kissing, I open my legs to allow him to come further and as he did, he slid a hand to my sex…

Part 3

PT1

#trafalgar d law x reader #trafalgardwaterlaw #trafalgar law x reader #trafalgar law x y/n #trafalgar law #law x reader #one piece law #torao #one piece x reader #one piece x y/n #onepiece #one piece #monkey d. luffy #straw hat nami #one piece zosan #zosan #zoro x sanji

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hometoursandotherstuff · 4 years

Photo

This little flea market style artist’s apt. in the East Village of New York City is so full of charm. Look around at the wonderful he’s collected. Love the Peter Pan sign over the door.

The coffee table could either be a costly art piece, but I suspect it either may have painted by the artist, or it could also be a decoupaged poster.

Vintage outdoor chairs and a cool kitchen table made from either a rock slab or cement.

Isn’t this a fabulous find?

A used mantel attached to the wall.

The kitchen is tucked into a corner.

Lack of storage presents no problem when you’re creative and have walls to hang things on.

His bedroom has a little Tiki island vibe. So cute.

Small apt. full of interesting accents collected from flea markets, etc.

The door to the bath is in the kitchen and has a vintage ladies room sign found while traveling in London.

The small plain white bath remains clean and sparse accented with a mosaic look curtain. Isn’t this the cutest place?

https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-airbnb-rentals-2014-3?op=1#stay-close-to-all-of-the-east-village-hot-spots-2

#nyc apt.#artist's apt. nyc #thrifted apt.#flea market style decor

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bennyboyjones · 4 years

Text

The Getaway (Ben Hardy FanFic) Chapter 2

A/N: Hi! So, here is chapter two to my Ben Hardy AU Fanfic! There are currently several chapters written, which you can find on Wattpad, but I’ve decided to also upload it here as well. It might be a bit behind, but you’ll still get all the chaps eventually.

What it is: basically, a girl from a small town who is bored of her life decides to take a trip to Nice where she runs into ben, who is also running away from some shit and some romance ensues.

Word count: 4.7k

in this chapter: our main lady meets ben

WATTPAD LINK IF YOU WANT TO READ AHEAD

Spotify playlist

In case you missed it: MASTERLIST

here we go:

day one

My limbs felt heavier than the luggage I was pulling behind me as I trudged through the small airport, following the signs to the buses. I was a lot more relaxed now that I was here and knew what I needed to do and where to go.

When I stepped out of the airport and into the warm sun, I was greeted by the familiar sign: NICE, in huge red letters, stacked on top of one another a few feet away from where I was standing. I let out a sigh of relief and turned to my right, where there was a tiny ticket booth with a woman in a red cap behind the glass.

“Bonjour! Can I have two tickets for bus number seven? To Nice. Please?” I held my phone screen up to the window, knowing that this worked better last time instead of stammering for five minutes, trying to tell her where exactly I was going. She nodded her head while telling me the total. I handed over €10 and took my tickets, shoving one into my wallet and the other into my pocket. “Merci.” Admittedly, I didn’t know much French—barely any at all—but I had tried my best to learn the absolute basics in the three weeks before coming here, something I wish I had done the first time around. I knew how to ask for a cappuccino, how much something was, where the bathroom was, how to ask for several pastries, and more polite phrases such as “how are you” and “have a nice day”.

I stretched my arms out and shook them, then tied my hair into a messy bun before grabbing the handles of my luggage and walking over to the waiting area for my bus. The only other people waiting for bus #7 was a couple, probably mid-fifties, who were acting like they were on their honeymoon. I stood a few feet away from them, sat on my bigger suitcase and pulled out my phone to send a quick text to my mom letting her know I was alive.

I kept the bus route pulled up on my phone, with all the stops that would come before mine, and gripped it tightly in my hands while my eyes scanned the time table for the buses behind me. It was 12:30 now and the next bus wouldn’t come for another thirty-minutes. No one from home was awake at this hour so I had no one to talk to but I hadn’t been on social media for a while and so I turned on my data, opened up Instagram and started scrolling.

I had several direct messages, all from Liam. I rolled my eyes and opened them; every message was full of drunk ramblings: him telling me he didn’t need me, wouldn’t miss me, I was the one losing something, not him, I was making a mistake, but he still loved me and would be willing to forgive me and it went on and on for another ten messages. On impulse, I clicked on his profile and blocked him completely. I planned on posting about my trip, about the fun I planned on having and I didn’t need him storming into my direct messages every time I did so, or texting me his opinions, or commenting on any of it. Whatever we had wasn’t worth the stress anymore.

After exactly thirty-six minutes of mindless scrolling, my bus pulled up and I was the first one on. I smiled at the driver as I handed over my ticket and took a seat in the front row, right next to the doors. Last time, I got on this exact bus and when my stop came I pressed the red button but the bus never stopped and I was stuck walking forty-five minutes back the way the bus had come. That was not happening again.

I sat at the edge of my seat, holding onto my stuff so it wouldn’t roll around the bus as the driver took fast and tight turns, my body rocking back and forth with every one. My phone was in my lap and my eyes darted from the small screen that showed the stops, to the window as I watched stop after stop whizz past me.

I wrapped my legs around one of my suitcases to hold it in place and lifted my hand, poising my thumb over the red button, getting ready to push it. The second Gare de Nice Ville was announced by the lady with the mechanical voice, I slammed my thumb down on the button—twice, but the driver didn’t slow down and I could see the stop coming up through the window. There was another ding as the couple also pushed the button, panic in their eyes. I couldn’t believe that this was about to happen again. I stood up and slammed the red button three more times, the panic rising in my throat. I could feel that I was going to cry, really cry, because I was tired, and anxious, and fucking frustrated that this was happening a second time and I couldn’t understand it.

“Excuse me?” I called as I took a few steps forward in the direction of the driver. The couple was still pressing the button as my stop whipped past the window. “Excusez-moi!” I raised my voice and the driver finally turned his head to look once we were at a stop light. I didn’t know how to say, “you made me miss my stop, dickhead” in French so I settled for looking angry, raising my eyebrows and pointing to my thumb on the red button, which had not stopped pushing on it since he passed the stop. The driver didn’t say anything; he simply nodded, turned back towards the road and started driving again. I refused to sit down and stared at the back of his bald head, taking slow deep breaths in and out, afraid of losing what little composure I had left on this fucking bus.

At the next stop, he let me off and I had no idea where I was. It looked like a pavilion with a fountain in the center of the patio, shops and cafes situated around it. People were outside sipping from coffee cups and laughing, families strolling in and out of the small shops and I stood there watching it all—the people, the water shooting up from the large fountain—and felt myself take a huge breath. As frustrated and tired as I was, I was happy because I was here again. I could feel the sun beating down on my forehead, the warmth causing goosebumps up my arms before a light breeze rolled through the loose strands of my hair, fluttering my blazer behind me.

I took that moment to remind myself that I was safe, that a short walk wouldn’t kill me and that I was in fucking France for God’s sake and I shouldn’t let a bus driver’s lack of brain cells drive me to hysterics. I was never good with dealing with stress that wasn’t of my own creation; as in, I worked really well under pressure and often procrastinated projects or school work in order to induce said pressure, but when my stress came at the hands of the universe or of other people, I always nearly combusted or cried.

After pulling up Google Maps (again) and mapping out my route (a whole twenty minute walk), I pulled off my blazer and shoved it into my duffel and started on my way.

When I finally found the AirBnb I was way past out of breath and sweaty, so, so sweaty and my arms felt like they were going to fall off. I looked around at the shops next to it, Hermes and small bakery and already knew I made the right choice. I punched in the code the host had emailed me the day before and walked in. The small lobby was all beautifully tiles in blue and cream. Thankfully, there was an elevator straight across from the entry way and I wouldn’t have to figure out how to get all my stuff up three flights of stairs. I stopped in front of the wall of mail boxes to the left of the elevator and searched for mailbox #2B. It was left slightly open, just as the host said, and I reached in and pulled out the small key. I hit the “up” button of the elevator and waited until the door unlocked before opening it and stepping inside the tiny elevator. It was a short trip up and once the door unlocked again, I stepped out into the narrow hall. The apartment was the first one on the right and when I opened the door, I was happy to see it looked just as it did online.

It was a studio, with clean white walls and minimal furniture, all natural wood. There were a few pendant lights hanging from the ceiling every few feet; the full size bed was directly to the left of the door, a door leading to the small balcony directly across from the front door, on the left wall there was a small clothing rack and a book case filled with what looked like super old novels. I pulled off my duffel bag and purse, let my luggage tip over onto the floor, kicked my sneakers off and walked towards the balcony doors. Next to the doors, in a little alcove, was a very small kitchen with just a countertop, a toaster, a small stovetop, and a relatively small fridge; right off the small kitchen was the bathroom with a standing shower, toilet and washing machine.

The first thing I did was shower; airplanes and airports have an uncanny ability to make a person feel dirty and in-between that and my stress sweating I knew I smelled.

Once I was clean, I helped myself to a coffee in the kitchen and stepped out onto the balcony. I shouldn’t have been out there in a towel; there were other people out on their balconies and I was only on the third floor, not very high up and it was midday. I was sure at least some people could see me, but I didn’t care as much as I should’ve. This particular moment fit right in with my romanticization of this trip and so I was going to see it through. I stood there for a long while, sipping the coffee (because it was black as there was no milk in the fridge), leaning against the cool metal railing whose light green paint was slowly chipping, my hair being lightly dried by the small breeze that passed every few moments.

Later on, after I unpacked my luggage and managed to locate an iron, I started getting ready to go out. I curled my hair into waves before slipping on a loose, long sleeved, low-cut, white linen top and a pair of light blue cigarette trousers. In the spirit of the French, I stuck with minimal makeup, just some mascara and a bright red lip. Once I was ready, I grabbed my phone off the charger, my purse, and one of the disposables and slipped on my tan leather mules.

I walked straight ahead to the Promenade de Anglais so I could walk up and down along the water. This was my favorite thing I did the last time I was here. My first night, I walked back and forth for three hours just enjoying the chill of the wind blowing off the sea, keeping my scarf wrapped tightly around my neck with my hands deep in my pockets (it was mid-January). This evening, the feeling was so different but still so familiar. I remembered walking this exact path, passing benches, kids on skateboards, people sitting on the ledge before the promenade dropped into the beach, couples walking along the beach, the restaurants nestled on rocks, the wind traveling through my hair, the salty smell—but I wouldn’t be able to get that first time back. The feeling I had was no longer accessible and active; instead, it lived in nostalgia and imagination.

I wrote about that first time a lot; my journal was filled with poem after poem about the water, the promenade, the sounds of the waves crashing and the voices of people mingling, how I felt like such an outsider but at the same time so welcomed—how I felt so much like myself in a way I had never experienced before. Ever since then, I’ve been chasing her, the girl I was when I was here. Back in New York, I wasn’t the same and I felt as if I was always itchy in my own skin; it didn’t always feel right—the way I acted, spoke, dressed, cared about both others and myself. I wanted to get her back and I was so convinced that coming here would help me find her.

After about an hour or aimless walking I decided to take a seat on one of the many benches on the promenade that faced the beach. It was getting cooler out now, the faint breeze picking up and passing by more frequently.

I watched as a young couple ran around the rocky beach, playfully chasing one another, their mouths opened in what I imagined was laughter, but their voices were drowned out by the sound of the light blue waves coming down on the rocks. There was a longing that formed in my chest; a feeling that I was growing more and more familiar with the past year. It bloomed often, when I saw two people who looked so in love, a girl my age experiencing success, my friends running off to internships and career opportunities, families that were whole.

I pulled out the disposable and snapped a picture of them; him behind her, arms wrapped around her waist, her feet of the floor, hair blowing around like a halo, her eyes shut tight and mouth open in glee, and his head buried in her hair.

I cleared my throat, forcing the longing back down and put the camera away, exchanging it for one of my favorite books, The Bell Jar. My copy was slightly tattered and every page was covered in notes. I really needed a new one, but there was comfort in reading this same copy over and over, rereading the thoughts of an old self.

I was softly reading my book aloud when my stomach growled so loud I checked around me to see if anyone else had heard it.

I hadn’t eaten since the plane, but I also hadn’t been hungry since then because the time difference was messing with my body’s time clock. My eating schedule and sleeping schedule were going to be a bit off for the next few days until I got better adjusted. I checked the time and saw I had around thirty minutes until most of the restaurants opened for dinner service and decided to roam into the winding roads in search of somewhere to eat.

As I walked away from the sea, I kept my eyes trained upwards, locked on the buildings I passed; taking notice of the pale pinks, yellows, and oranges they were painted, the iron window sills and balconies, the soft blues and greens of their window shutters. My eyes roamed over flower shops and bakeries getting ready to close, cafes still packed with people sipping from tiny cups, cigarette smoke floating between them. Every few feet I stopped to skim a menu plastered to the outside of a restaurant, making a mental note when I could read it and found several things I liked and taking a picture of the name with my phone when the whole menu was in French so I could go back to it later.

I stopped at a small stand to buy a post card to send to my mom and brothers; “Merci,” I said as I took my change, postcard and stamp from the large man’s hand. I turned around with my head down and my shoulder hit into something hard.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” I shook my head and repeated myself, “Je suis désolé.”

“Oh my god, hey!”

I squeezed my eyes shut before slowly raising my head, painting on a smile and looking at the man in front of me. I was sure the universe was out to get me; I knew Nice was small, but what were the odds of running into enthusiastic Eric—they had to be miniscule.

“Hi.”

“I can’t believe I’m running into you! This is crazy. It really is a small world, isn’t it?” He smiled and ran a hands through his thin hair.

“It must be,” I muttered.

“I know I gave you my number but are you busy right now? Are you hungry? Would you want to grab a bite?”

“Actually,” I hiked my bag further up onto my shoulder and pointed towards the entrance of a restaurant behind him, “I actually have dinner plans. I’m meeting a friend and she’s expecting me any minute.”

His smile faltered slightly, “Oh, well, enjoy!” I started to step around him before he said, “Don’t be afraid to give me a call!”

I threw a thumbs up in his direction and turned to see him still watching me. I had no other choice but to pull open the door and step into the small restaurant I had pointed out.

It was dark inside, the only light coming from the small candles sat atop every table, the overhead lights giving off only a hazy glow. I wasn’t sure if they were exactly open yet, since there was no one in sight, but door was open and the dining room looked set up for dinner.

I reached forward and rang the tiny bell that was on the host stand in front of me.

“Hello?” a man’s voice called out in a thick French accent.

“Hi!” I smiled when he came around from the corner where I assumed the bar was placed. “Are you open?”

“Yes, just still early,” he said while grabbing two menus.

“Oh, no, just one,” I held up a finger and sent him a sheepish smile. I followed him through a labyrinth of empty tables, finally stopping at one that was against the wall on the right side of the room. The man pulled my chair out for me, the dark wooden legs screeching against the deep wine tiled flooring. He placed the menu on the white tablecloth, careful to move the small candle away and collected the extra place setting. “Merci,” I said before he walked away.

I ordered a class of red wine and as I waited for my waiter to return, I heard another person enter the restaurant. Out of pure instinct, I turned my head to look but turned back quickly when I saw the man’s eyes flicker to mine. After a few short murmurs, I heard footsteps as the maître d’ led him to his table—right in front of mine. I kept my eyes trained on the menu trying so hard to keep my nosiness at bay.

“Thank you.” The accent was English, I noted.

Café Gustav turned out to be an Italian restaurant, which I didn’t mind since Italian food was my one of my favorites, but it partially felt wrong to be eating pasta my first night in France. There were so many things that looked so good and so many words I had to punch into Google Translate that, by time my waiter returned, I still wasn’t ready to order. Too embarrassed to ask for a few more minutes again, I scanned the menu quickly one more time and ordered the rigatoni truffes blanches et girolles because truffle was always a good idea.

As I gave the waiter my menu, I snuck a peek at the man in front of me and noticed his eyes glued to his menu, giving me the opportunity to take him in; he was blond, his hair long on top but short on the sides, and he was muscular, I could tell from the way his biceps were outlined through his thin white t-shirt and from the veins lacing the back of his hands. He had a nice jawline, square but slightly heart shaped, and his nose was masculine—not too big and not too small—his lips were small but pink, his cupids bow pronounced, I noticed, as his tongue slipped over them. Look up, look up, look up, I begged, wanting so badly to know what color his eyes were.

“Seems we’re a bit early aren’t we?” I jumped at the sound of his voice, my eyes snapping away from his lips to meet his—green.

My cheeks flushed and embarrassment crawled so far up my neck I felt the tops of my ears burn, “Seems so. I forgot how late people had dinner here.” I grabbed my glass and took a sip, attempting to cover my blush.

“You’ve been here before?”

“Well, not here,” I placed my hands on the table in front of me, “but here,” I started waving my hands around me, “as in Nice.”

He chuckled, “Yes, I assumed we were talking about the city.”

“Oh,” I took another quick sip of my wine and thankfully, my waiter arrived with my food and saved me from embarrassing myself further.

It smelled amazing and my mouth watered as the steam tickled my nose, but I could still feel his eyes on me and was so worried that I ate like an animal that I moved the contents of my dish around with my fork until I heard him place his order with the waiter, “I’ll have whatever she’s having.”

A few moments later, another glass was placed in front of me even though I hadn’t ordered one and wasn’t finished with my first. I gave the waiter a confused look and he pointed to the Brit across from me. When I turned my eyes to him, he held up his own glass and gave me a wink before bringing his drink to his lips. I smiled and raised mine back.

I ate slowly, making sure to savor every bite and not wanting to leave before he did. He was hot and so far extremely charming and British. I wanted this flirtation to go on for as long as possible. We both ate in silence and I periodically stopped to look at him every time his eyes went to his food.

It wasn’t until the waiter took his plate away that he spoke, “You have great taste; the food and the wine were great.”

I had finished a bit before, but had ordered a third glass of wine. The restaurant was about half filled by then, the low murmur of the people around us causing him to slightly raise his voice.

“I know,” I gave him a smile and played with the stem of my glass.

“I’m Ben.”

“Josie.”

“Care to have a drink, Josie?”

I tilted my head to the side, turning his offer over in my mind. “I don’t know…” I trailed off. I didn’t know him, as hot as he was. He was confident and charming and I couldn’t tell where the confidence was stemming from. Was he confident because he saw me as an easy mark? Did I look lonely? Did I look desperate?

“One drink.”

I held up my almost empty glass, “Three is my limit,” I downed the rest, “and this was my third.”

He laughed, letting his head fall back, “A coffee then!”

I hummed as though I was considering it. I watched his face, the hope in his eyes and knew I couldn’t say no. I told myself that I would be crazy to pass up a drink with a man who looked that good, with that accent, in a place like Nice. “I think I could do coffee.”

He broke out into a smile and waved me over. I paid for my meal and slipped into the seat opposite him. He reached out and shook my hand before calling the waiter over, “Deux noissettes, s'il vous plaît.”

“You speak French.” I observed, slightly impressed by the accuracy of his accent.

“Only the basics.” He corrected, “I know how to ask for certain things and make very simple conversation, but that’s about it. I used to go to Paris for work once or twice a year so I learned a little bit to get me through.”

“Oh, what do you do?”

“Right now, nothing,” he let out a sigh and brushed a fallen blond lock out of his eyes, “I was in advertising, but it’s not really for me. I mean, I was good at it but I don’t know…” he trailed off and narrowed his eyes at me, “Sorry, you don’t want to hear this.”

“No, I do.” I assured him, “If I didn’t I wouldn’t have agreed to have coffee.”

“What do you do?” he asked once our coffees were placed in front of us.

“Nothing.” I laughed and shook my head when I saw the look on his face, “I swear I’m not making fun of you. I literally do nothing. I’m still in college so I’m a student which means I don’t really do anything.”

“Well, what do you want to do?”

“Write—and maybe edit, maybe be a professor? I don’t know it’s all kind of up in the air right now.”

“Hm, the bookish type.” He took a drink from his small cup and watched me roll my eyes in his direction.

“I wouldn’t say bookish. I read, but I’m not a nerd or anything.” I thought for a moment, “At least, I don’t think I am.”

He chuckled before asking me questions about what I liked to read, why I wanted to write. I kept trying to bring him back to his “nothing,” curious as to what it was he left advertising for but he always deflected and so I dropped it; I didn’t know him well enough to push and I didn’t want to completely obliterate my chances of seeing him again—because I would like to see him again, I found myself thinking. He was sweet and he smelled good, he looked great in his t-shirt and his hair looked soft and his lips looked warm and his eyes were bright and I wanted to see him again.

I found myself disappointed when our cups were empty and the check was on the table, neither of us really able to find an excuse to stay. I could see his eyes searching for something, looking for a reason to stay and I really hoped he would find one because I couldn’t. We needed a reason because we were strangers—we weren’t friends or lovers or business partners, we were two loners who just so happened to end up across from one another. We couldn’t stay simply because we wanted to, it couldn’t be that easy.

“I guess that’s it then,” Ben said before pulling his black leather wallet out of his pocket, dropping money onto the mini tray where the check is.

“I guess it is.” I sighed as I grabbed my bag from off the back of my chair and brushed my hair out of my face.

“It was really nice meeting you,” he said as he scribbled what I assumed was his signature on the receipt.

“You too,” I smiled at him but didn’t walk away.

He slid a piece of paper over to me, his phone number slightly illegible. “We’ll both be here for a while, it would be a shame if you didn’t give me a call.”

I picked it up, “It really would be, wouldn’t it?” I folded the piece of paper neatly, careful not to rip it or smear the ink and placed it in between the pages of my book before tucking it into my bag.

He walked to stand beside me, placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed, “Goodnight, Josie.”

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withabackpackandcamera · 5 years

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November 26th, 2019

Day 5: The Big Day on the Trotternish Peninsula

When our alarms rang this morning, it was pitch black outside. It was probably around 5:30AM or 6:00AM that we got up to get ready for the planned sunrise hike at the Old Man of Storr, a big hill that is part of the Trotternish Ridge with a rock pinnacle called the “Old Man” on it and a location with a beautiful, scenic hike located just a 20 minute drive from our AirBnB. We quickly ate some breakfast in the room and then made our way out onto the dark road. By the time we reached the parking lot for the hike, we were the third car there, with one car having just parked right before us. Bundled up and relatively cozy, we started the dark ascent up the very large hill on our way to the Old Man of Storr.

The beginning of the ascent was rather steep, a little more so than I thought but nothing too crazy. After walking up the clear-cut dirt-gravel path for a bit and making our way past a couple of gates, we arrived at the tricky part of the hike, where the path became more ambiguous, rocky, and muddy as well. In the slowly lifting darkness, we navigated our way up the rocky, muddy hillside, trying to figure out which path would lead us to the best viewpoint of the area. Eventually, after meandering through the landscape one foot at a time, following close behind a couple who had overtaken us on the hike up, we finally made it to a high-up, open area near the Old Man of Storr pinnacle. And as we arrived to this open area, the heavy fog rolled in.

Cynthia was not excited by my idea of continuing the hike up to give time for the fog to clear out and to give us some time to find a nice vantage point for some views and photos. But after a little bit of pushing, I finally got her to continue the hike up. And hike up we did. We ended up making our way up to a nice little ridge with great views of the Old Man of Storr and the surrounding area. At this point, the fog was still heavy but slowly lifting and moving away with the wind blowing hard and the sun starting to peek out over the horizon.

I stood around with my camera and tripod and took some shots from several vantage points, trying my best to get the shot I wanted without wasting too much time. Finally, I set up my shot for the big moment. There was a reason why we ended up doing a sunrise hike here at the Old Man of Storr. There was a reason why I kept pushing Cynthia to keep going up the mountain: to get to the best possible views of the area. And the reason: a long-awaited proposal, one that I had spent time planning out and hoping the weather would cooperate with for a couple of months.

As I set the tripod to capture the views of the beautiful landscape slowly revealing itself from behind the lifting fog, I called Cynthia over for some impromptu timed photos of us and we proceeded to take some photos on an automatic interval timer. After a couple of shots, it happened! After a subpar (in my mind) impromptu speech, with me fumbling my words all over the place, the ring was revealed and she said yes! :DDD We’re engaged! And all the while, the landscape behind us lit up with the sun peeking from behind the fog and clouds, painting a beautifully vibrant and dynamic scene, fit for the beautiful occasion.

With the epicness of the actual proposal finally over, I breathed out a sigh of relief as we took time to just enjoy the moment, the landscape, and each other (all the while with my camera set to take some photos and timelapses for me). After spending some extra time for photos and chatting, Cynthia finally got unbearably cold, so we slowly made our descent down to the parking lot, stopping every now and then for some camera shots and for some random scrambles up hillsides for more photos of the beautiful area.

The descent down the mountain was quick and relatively painless and before long, we were down by our car once again with skies clearing and the sun climbing high. The plan for the rest of the day was to do a relatively quick drive through the Trotternish Peninsula with whatever daylight was left to begin our engagementmoon. The next stop before actually exploring the peninsula was grabbing some food and fuel for the car. I dropped Cynthia off in downtown Portree to grab some food as I drove off to refuel the car. Once I was back and we talked things over, we ended up grabbing a flatbread, a chicken pesto panini, and a cup of hot chocolate from MacKenzie’s Bakery and The Granary. And with our car refueled and our bellies in the process, we drove off once more, this time for a quick, clockwise tour of the peninsula (a tip given to me by the clerk at the gas station, saying that the clockwise drive of Trotternish is much better than the counterclockwise drive).

Our first stop on the drive was the little town of Uig. Rather, it was the point in the drive where we had to take a turn off the main road to visit the Fairy Glen, a strange scenic area of many random conical mounds with a landscape that looked like it could house little fairies. There, we got out of the car to take a little hike through the glen and checked out some of the views of the area from the mounds. It was just a quick stop before we moved on to our next stop: The Quiraing, the beautifully surreal area that provided some of the most spectacular landscapes in Scotland.

To get to the Quiraing, we had to drive across the middle of the peninsula (since we skipped driving out to the very edge of the Trotternish) on a one-lane road. Meaning that with traffic going both ways, you’d have to use the Passing Places, areas of the road that were wider than the normal road where you could turn off to allow other cars to drive by in the opposite direction or to allow cars behind you to pass. All in all, the drive was simple enough and we eventually made it through to the Quiraing.

And the landscape was… wow. What a crazy scene! I parked the car and Cynthia and I made our way over to the viewpoint right on the edge of a cliff that looked out into the valley and winding road below. It was a view I hadn’t ever experienced before and it was worth the drive for sure! With the crazy landscape came the crazily fierce winds that were blowing in the area and the wind tunnels that resulted in some spots. Unfortunately, because of how windy it was and because of our time constraints, we didn’t stay at the Quiraing for very long before driving off to see our last destination prior to leaving the peninsula. So sad Cynthia and I didn’t have enough time to hike through The Quiraing! I’m sure it would’ve been a spectacular hike!

The last stop on the Trotternish was Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls Viewpoint. It was a short drive away from the Quiraing. We dropped by briefly to enjoy the views of the sea, the rock formation called Kilt Rock, and the waterfall emptying into the sea before hitting the road back to Portree once more. Of course, on the drive back, we could appreciate the views of Old Man of Storr from the road, which was neat to see given that it was where we had hiked just this morning! You could appreciate just how crazy the area was and how crazy the hike was from the drive by.

Once we were back in Portree, we quickly drove through town for a quick glimpse of Portree and off we went. At this point, night was falling and we needed to drive about 3.5 hours to our accommodations for the night at the Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa, and Island, the first main part of our engagementmoon. So we skipped whatever other things I had planned for the Isle of Skye and booked it toward our hotel. And it was really far, especially given how tired we were from the day’s explorations and the early morning. On the drive, we were lucky to somewhat appreciate Sligachan Old Bridge and Eilean Donan Castle as we drove by them. But before we knew it, it was once again dark and the drive was full of dark, pitch black views with the occasional headlights shining in the distance.

We ended up getting to the Isle of Eriska Hotel in a reasonable amount of time, shaving off about 15 to 20 minutes of the drive with careful, slightly higher-than-speed-limit driving. Once we were out of the car, we checked in to our beautiful castle-like hotel and super spacious, cozy suite that was big enough to fit a couple of families! The castle was beautiful. The interiors were so elegant yet so warm and cozy that it was the perfect place to end our proposal day.

Because I had made reservations for dinner at the hotel restaurant, we quickly moved to get cleaned up and get dressed for our fancy evening dinner. And we made it down to the dining room just in time (after moving dinner back half an hour or so). And it was a beautiful place to have dinner. Other than the two other couples present there, the dining room was relatively empty, which was quite nice, since we felt like we had almost the entire place to ourselves.

For dinner, we had a three-course meal from a set menu with some options, plus pre-meal canapes and a glass of white wine for each of us. The amuse bouche (aka appetizer) we chose were the Roasted Isle of Mull Scallop (with Parsley Speit Grain and Cured Pork Fat) and Loch Fyne Crab and Brown Shrimps (with Kipper Jelly, Preserved Lemon and Sea Herbs). OH SO DELICIOUS! But that was just the first part. The main dishes were Rump Cap of Black Angus Beef and Veal Sweetbread (with Broccoli, Black Garlic and Bone Marrow) and Poached Monkfish Tail (with Seaweed Potatoes, Leeks and Loch Creran Oyster Sauce). Again, SO DELICIOUS! YUM! And for dessert, we got the Blackcurrant and Creme Fraiche Mousse (with Meringue and Tarragon Ice Cream) and Salted Caramel Delice (with William Pears and Hazelnut Ice Cream). WOW! What an amazing, amazing meal! Definitely the fanciest meal I’ve ever eaten but also totally worth it on this occasion! By the time all was said and done, we were exhausted and so full. We finished everything off with some pieces of sweets/chocolates that they gave us as we were leaving. What a fantastic meal to end the special evening.

After that amazing two to three hour dinner adventure, we were dead and ready for bed. What an absolutely jam-packed, amazing day. Filled with love, adventure, great views, good food, and now a really, really comfy bed in a large, cozy room. Couldn’t have planned it out any better. Goodnight from the happy, newly engaged couple: Huy and Cynthia :)

5 Things I Learned Today:

1. Passing Places are areas of the one-laned roads that are made a bit wider to allow cars on one side to move over and allow other cars to pass in one direction or the other. There are signs that say “Passing Place” on the roads. Whenever you or someone has passed, it’s usually proper etiquette to wave a thank you gesture to the people that helped you or that you helped. Sometimes, instead of a hand gesture, you can flash your headlights in the dark or turn on your emergency lights after you’ve passed them to indicate thanks.

2. The Quiraing’s landscape is reminiscent of the central Icelandic highlands that I’ve never had a chance to actually visit but that I’ve only seen in photos. Crazy highlands with greenery and cliffs in a jagged landscape.

3. The northern area of the Isle of Skye, specifically in the Staffin area, is a place with a Jurassic history. In the past, dinosaur fossils have been discovered in the coastal rocks of this area. Also, this region was formed from volcanic activity dating back 61 to 55 million years ago, eventually resulting in the landscapes seen in northern Skye today.

4. 1 pound sterling is equal to 100 pence. I never knew what British money units (besides the pound) actually were until today, hahaha.

5. Castle-like resorts that you pay a lot for are really, really nice. I could get used to this.

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hookedleviathan · 6 years

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I had a dream that Jonny Hawkins, the singer of Nothing More, just casually came over to my AirBnB my brother and I were sharing.

But let's back track.

My brother, Nate, graduated his medical program this past December. He has a job lined up. But, with all these licenses he needs to obtain, the hospital says he can probably start working... Mmmm... In May.

And he's going a bit stir crazy (my words, not his) He's delivering for Amazon so he has a part time job, at least

In my dream, Nate goes on a Craigslist like app to donate blood or something else medical related for $ BUT he gets kidnapped and they steal my car to kidnap him. So moral dilemma: am I more pissed that they stole my brother, or stole my car?

A week goes by in the dream, so like five minutes later, he's back and my car is returned with a new license plate, and no one in my family reported any of this to the police?

Along with returning my car and my brother, the kidnapper is this woman Magdalene, and it later becomes clear that she herself is a pawn much as my brother was a pawn. And she's waiting outside with my brother & parents sitting in the street curb.

I go teacher-mode and lecture her for stealing my car & kidnapping my brother. But why is she still her...? Because she & my brother, and now my parents & I, are helping with the job that is the reason for his kidnapping:

It's like we're physically separating red blood cells from white blood cells, but these are like Life Saver sized and stick together very easily. So we're separating bloodwork sans gloves on a street curb. People drive up & unload more blood to separate. Finally, we help her enough that she leaves & takes her resources with her.

Teleport to Nate & his girlfriend & myself driving to this AirBnB *somewhere* and my brother is suddenly without a shirt for plot purposes, and I'm very distraught because he has these insane bruises and massive knife scars across his stomach. He and his girlfriend are very chill about this, like "Man, it was part of the job" and I pull him aside to talk one-on-one & cry about how this job of donating & separating blood is killing people. They keep doing it. They keep kidnapping younger people & sometimes they're never found.

So moral dilemma: Nate, are you gonna get a new job, or is this a creative unforseen way to use your medical degree for a crime ring?

We make it to our AirBnB and his girlfriend gets ready at a separate local for a group date. Nate does something on his computer while I clean up painting supplies that have followed me from my art classroom.

And suddenly Jonny shows up to watch me reorganize acrylic paint?

And he's sharing how he's hipe about a new album coming out and he can't *exactly* say that the band is covering / working with Thirty Seconds to Mars, buuuttt...

And it feels like we're just bros, so I casually ask about his ex wife & his new girlfriend & what inspires his music while I wash out paint cups and play ambient rock.

And it's chill.

El fin

#sertraline dream #sertraline #seratonin #depression #ssri dream #ssri #antidepressant dreams #antidepressants #dream diary #weird dream

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aureliasaid · 3 years

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Four Dalmations

Croatia June 14-22, 2019

Quick summary - 7 days in the Dalmatian Coast - 2 nights in Spilt, 2 nights in Hvar, 3 nights in Dubrovnik. Weather was incredible with blue skies every day, highs in the 80s and lows in the 70s. Much warmer than I expected as winds were nil. See final thoughts after.

Saturday, 6/14

Landed Dubrovnik after a new direct flight from Philly (which apparently is a big deal as all the Croatians knew about and asked us about it. Maybe the only direct flight from the US.) We were driven to Spilt to start our journey. About a 4 hour drive (and through the odd little stretch of Bosnia, which is a pain for passport checks,) it is very picturesque along the coastline seeing the water the entire time, the oyster “fields,” the agricultural valley, and vineyards all along the way. Also lots of open mouth naps en route.

We arrived to a very crowded Split...can’t imagine July and August. We were staying at the Hotel Vestibul, which is a unique and modern very small hotel carved out of the vestibul of the Diocletian Palace, a huge walled former palace of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, built around 230 AD and now Spilt’s Old Town. In the Dark Ages, it became a village within the walls and remains the old town today full of narrow passageways and charming nooks and piazzas. You can dodge the crowds once on the interior away from the Dalmatian singers, cruise ship crowds, weekenders, and waterfront. Once inside, you will find a sophisticated and hip world full of restaurants and shops and millions of sobe (rooms.) The Croats are not dumb with every enterprising option possible for travel to the islands, activities, açaí bowls, etc.

Tip - I’m not an AirBnB person, but Europe apparently is a great place to do it as they are all supposed to be quite nice.

A mix of all its past history, Croatian food illustrates this as evidenced on the menu. Lunch was the highlight after long travels and the hotel suggested Uje Oil, clearly a modern enterprising owner (tapas like olive oil bar) where we landed at an outside table for a perfect meal of trying the Croatian favs including Italian-like arugula pesto pasta, sausages showing the Hungarian influence, and pasticada, the traditional stew over gnocchi for a mix of the two. Known for its wines, fun fact is that Croatia has been traced as the origin of the Zinfandel grape. We dove in with a light white from Istria, the Malvasia grape. Perf. nap. Eat again at Brokeria, a very hip, casual buzzy spot inside the palace walls. A sparkling rose from Istria from the Tehran grape, octopus on the grill, pasta with truffles (in season and not crazy expensive like in Italy,) smoked seafood risotto and sea bass over a cauliflower mash. Nice. (Others to consider are Zoi and Paradox.)

Sunday, June 16

Maja #1 (pronounced Maya - 30 letters in the Croatian alphabet with lots of consonants) met us at 10am for a historical tour of the Diocletian Palace and surrounding area which was quite interesting taking you from the evolvement of all of the Croatian history from the late Roman Empire, to the Dark Ages of the Barbarians to the Middle Ages of the Christians to the Renaissance of the Venetians Empire, through to a short stint of the Napoleonic French through the Austrian Hapsburgs. (Oh and home to some of the Game of Thrones filming.)

Afterwards, we went to the Kozjak Mountain slope around the Kastel township for a private lunch. Most interesting was listening to Maja talk about where she lived. Her family was originally from the area, but her parents had left and moved to Sarajevo for better work opps. Their summer home was still in the area. When the war broke out with Serbia in 1992 invading first on the Dalmation coast, they told family to move to Sarajevo. That was poor advice as then the Serbs invaded Bosnia and Sarajevo. Her family escaped Sarajevo back to the coast. In this area, you typically lived in good size homes, but of several apartments with other family members, with your own bit of olive trees, maybe fruit trees (cherries in season now,) small vineyard, etc. Enough to make your own of each (or have small producers make for you.) Lunch setting was in a peaceful (Biblical) park with a vineyard and church backdrop. The weather was gorgeous, but hot. The five course meal was remarkable with local pairings of wine. Most notable was the Zinfandel and various types of posip and plavac mali wines.

Back for down time, which Relia and I spent in Zara before we reworked our plans of going to Dvor restaurant on the coast and hiring a boat to take us to Trogir, Croatia’s Little Venice. An small island about 30-40 minutes by car and the same by 20’ center console boat, it is a large marina area, much like the old town of charming limestone mass of buildings and not quite as crowded. The recommended restaurant of TRS was booked, so we landed at Trogar, our chef of the day’s restaurant. It was marginal at best, surprising given the sophisticated and creative meal at lunch, but Robert made us welcome with his final offer of carob rakija liquor. (Other restaurant options suggested was Alka and Marijana.) Back to Split by Uber, plentiful and cheap and always an unusual sensation to me at home and really strange overseas. To bed.

Monday, June 17

Thomas, the Atlantic Marine outfitter skipper met us at the town port just in front of the main gate and Hotel Vestibul entrance in a 25’ motor boat. A two hour ride to the Pakleni Islands off Hvar Island for sun and fun. First swim spot was Stonica, (loved the circled up catamarans pumping pop music for a week of partying. On then to Palmizana Island that has 3 restaurants - we chose the Langanini Bar for lite bites, cabanas, bean bags, and tree cabanas. Most expensive meal yet! but a great change up of Asian food. We headed for Havr Grad (town) to check into the Adriana Spa Hotel, right on the main harbor riva (promenade.) Quite modern, perhaps OTT and thus lacking in some practicalities and maybe Fodor’s is right that it sometimes misses on the 5 star with just small hiccups.) BUT still very lux, sleek and incredible views. We didn’t spa, but it seemed top notch if you like that. Serious breakfast buffet included.

Met our guide at 5pm for an 11k walk to the abandoned village of Malo Grablje for a special dinner at the “home” of a former resident’s whose son opened a restaurant here 10 years ago. The hike was beautiful along the coastal path, but could be shortened by taking a car to the path rather than walking from the hotel. Also would be cooler at this hour since the road is exposed to the afternoon sun and rather toasty. Eat a snack before you go and it is rocky so sturdy shoes. The village was just left by all the inhabitants in the 1960s and now too many family members own the buildings, so they can’t agree on selling anything.

The meal was spectacular with the traditional one pot dish slow cooked in the coals of Peka made with veggies, meats (ours was lamb and veal) or seafood, house made wine and warm just-made sugar coated almonds with Proshec (carob liquor) to finish. Taxi home for sure.

Tuesday, June 18

We met Filip, +385 99 8097 097, our new skipper who was funny and confident with incredible English learned from gaming on War Craft. Off to the Blue Cave, which is a grotto from the volcanic island of Bisevo of incredible blues from the light seeping in under the rock formations. Beautiful and unique, but skippable. Its crowded, though they move the small touring boats along quickly.

We were ready to escape the crowds and swim, so we toured rugged and cave areas of Vis and then to Stinivia cove for a swim. Fairly crowded and the water some debris since its a cove, but still the Adriatic color and temp is totally refreshing. The bathing suit and nationality watching is unending entertainment.

Though there is a small cafe there, we bailed and headed to the port town of Vis Grad which Filip described as large, but was actually small and rather sleepy. He made quick reservation at Tavern (Konoba) Vatrica, which was perfect. Covered terrace on the waterfront, casual with ham and cheese, grilled prawns, salad with creamy feta, Vis rose...perfect. Back for a few more swims at yesterday’s caves by way of the WWI tunnels and lookout plus the WWII submarine tunnel hideout since it was an allied base. The Yugoslavs took it over as there military areas post war.

Cleaned up and a drink in the Hotel Top Bar for the views, a few hands of cards and then a walk to the sunset and apres beach scene at Hula Hula. Def. a scene with bride tribes and more. Canceled our dinner at Gariful - tired of sit down spots and headed to Filip recommended Lola, a small, back street, alley outdoor cafe of excellently prepared “street food”, action packed with the young and DJ thumping remix 90s tunes. Filip also recommended Passarola, a cool and hip looking restaurant off the town square alley with several terraced garden spaces. Would have been perf if we wanted a less casual spot. Back for a rooftop finale round of cards...can’t get enough of the view.

Wednesday, June 19

Yay! Back in the boat with Filip to head to Dubrovnik by way of Korcula, Orebic, and Ston. Korcula, home of Marco Polo and the Silk Road, is a charming town and would be a great place to stay a night or two. Then onto Orebic, on the Peljesac peninsula, considering the best wine growing region in Croatia. We had a stop for a wine tasting at Korta Katarina, a winery estate and lux hotel started by Americans. It was interesting, but unless you are really into wine, skippable. On to Ston, home of the best oysters in the world. A short boat ride to an oyster farmer’s private island to learn about how the oysters are grown, and then a delightful starter of oysters and huge pot of mussels alla buzzara (in white wine, olive oil, garlic and onions) under the shade by the water. Also homemade wine and myrtle berry infused grappa, a very typical aperitif throughout. D.I.V.I.N.E.

Back in the van for an hour trip along the coastline to Dubrovnik. If you thought Spilt was crowded, wow. Though a much smaller city than Spilt, it feels WAY more crowded and much more intense because of being located on the hillside as well as the old city attraction....not to mention the Game of Thrones/Kings Landing magnet.

A reservation mix up which had us for 3 nights at the Excelsior Hotel, switched us to their sister hotel Bellevue. Our Croatian travel agency Calvados Club upgraded our rooms significantly as a result and while it is a 20 minute walk to town vs. a 5 minute walk, it is a smaller hotel, larger rooms and totally renovated on a gorgeous cove that made it feel very private (despite the public beach - all Croatian beaches are public.) Lovely indoor pool, unreal views, very hip and cool. We may have turned out better in the long run.

Poor planning on our fault when we booked the Michelin starred restaurant in Dubrovnik - 360 - for dinner after the oyster and mussels fest. But we were ready and it was quite the gastronomic affair with delightful views and service.

Thursday, June 20

Maja #2, met us to take us to the 3 hr kayak tour from the old city by Fort Lovrijenac around the island of Lokrum and back. Very fun. A few dips and viewing of the nudie beach...a head shaker for me. We walked home so Will could grab a recommended xxxcici sammy while the rest of us ate at the Bellevue beachside cafe and lounged Adriatic style at the Bellevue carved out private beach with umbrellas and chaises, and beach boys while watching the cliff jumpers and reading on the rocky beach. The water temp is just perfect and the water is incredibly clear. I am a huge Adriatic fan.

Maja picked us up at 4 pm for a walking tour of the Old Town concluding with the one mile walk around the city walls for amazing views of the yachts, charming houses, islands and Adriatic. Ready for another break from traditional food and restaurants, we hit a bar on the water built into the walls before having “CroAsian” food at Azur in one of the back/side streets. It was casual and delicious. Highly recommend.

Friday, June 21

Off to the Konavle valley, also known for its wineries and vegetable fields, and fruit orchards to Grude for biking through the countryside and vineyards. Gorgeous backdrop of the stone mountains, cypress trees and once gain crystal blue skies. This area was so named for its system of canals used to irrigate the crops....Roman aqueducts brought water to the area. Very bucolic and well known for its wine and history. A two hour on and off road before meeting Maja to go to a local farm in Cilipi at the home of Marin Vukorep ([email protected]) for a delightful meal very similar to Malo Grablje, but maybe more fun with everything consumed from the farm (prosciutto, goat cheese, bread, olive olive, vegetable purée soup, peka, red and white wine and over 10 homemade rakija varieties with fig, walnut, apricot, etc. Lots of fun - gorgeous setting, relaxing, interesting and another gorgeous day. Debated going to the seaside town of Cavtat, but too full and sleepy!

Back for more Adriatic indulgence and a regroup on dinner (again) after such a large lunch. Bailed on Posat wanting a casual place and discussed Bar Bota for mussels, Kamenice, Tabasco pizzeria, Taj Mahal Bosnian food and Levanat in the Lapad area, but ended up at Mea Culpa pizzeria in the Old Town which was perfect. And that’s a wrap.

Saturday, June 22

Well, not quite as William and I were awaiting the Fort opening at 8am to check it out since we could still use our wall ticket. Check. So long for now.

Final thoughts - We loved everything we did, where we stayed, food and history. The two things we might have changed were the Blue Cave and wine tasting. Everything else was great with enough time to sightsee and yet enjoy the summer time water activities. We might change a few things, but it really depends on one’s MO. We might have stayed in Trogir or Hvar and done a day boat trip to Spilt and Trogir for at least 3 or even 4 nights in the islands perhaps with an overnight in Korcula and maybe just two nights in Dubrovnik. The history is incredible dating back to the Greeks and Romans and throughout right up to modern day with the too recent Yugoslav wars. Mid June is already packed and I would not even think about going in July or August unless you stay on a boat or in the islands. May would be too early for me to enjoy water fun, but Sept should still be very good. Plus July and August would be really hot. Climate is just like NC - hot and humid with lots of the same vegetation. The Croatians are very proud of their country and really do tourism well. It is not a sophisticated 3rd world country like Italy, though there probably is still lots of government corruption and low wages. It is a energized and modern that is savvy about its tourism.

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magdacontract · 2 years

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#residential painting services White Rock #Painting Services White Rock #Renovations White Rock #Airbnb cleaning White Rock

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europetraveltips · 3 years

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How to travel from Dubai to Iceland?

I as of late went to Iceland and had perhaps the best insight of my life. The climate was for the most part stormy and shady however it didn't ruin my photographic excursion to this magical spot. In the event that you haven't been to Iceland, I energetically suggest it.

I'll say this however, it will be a costly excursion. Be that as it may, I guarantee you won't think twice about it. As a photographic artist, I have never seen a particularly astonishing spot, the term supernatural rings a bell. It resembles strolling on another planet.

How about we run the means…

Stage 1 : Preparation

This will all rely upon what you need to do in Iceland; my fundamental object was Photography. In case you are venturing out 5 to 7 days in particular, I would recommend to google search " Iceland Golden Circle". In case you are sluggish to type, click here. In case you are going through over 10 days, I recommend doing a pursuit on "Iceland Ring Road" trip, this time you can google it yourself 🙂 Try to get the GPS facilitates on the spots you need to visit. Once more, Google is your companion.

Contingent upon the time or season you will visit Iceland, you may have to bring more winter garments. I visited around June, which is the finish of winter in Iceland, the temperature is between 5 – 8C, however the breeze is most likely - 10. From my experience, bring all wind confirmation outfits. Additionally great on the off chance that you can get winter or warm confined shoes – that would help a ton.

Stage 2 : Transportation and Accommodation

Public transportation in Iceland is just accessible in the city. Assuming you need to see the best places, you must choose the option to lease a vehicle or a camper van. I chose to lease a medium size 4×4 like a RAV4 to meander whole Iceland. Presently, not all 4×4 are permitted to go in the rock street (good countries), you need to check with the vehicle rental organization and attempt to get the protection. The best arrangement I could discover for leasing vehicles is Cars Iceland, the entirety of their vehicles have protection remembered for the cost, limitless mileage and GPS. I would exceptionally recommend getting a GPS and limitless mileage, particularly in case you are wanting to do a ton of photography. You can do your own examination as well. Yet, knowing what I know now, I would have decided on a little camper van so I can set aside some cash for the convenience; there's a great deal of camping areas around the ring street that you can stop and rest. At any rate, it's your decision.

For convenience, I decided on Airbnb. In case you are curious about Airbnb, simply visit their site. It's a wonderful method to travel, contrasted with remaining in an exhausting Hotel and it is extremely practical, as well. What I did was, I booked the close by house in places I need to photo. Note, that in case you are going to Iceland during winter, not all streets are open. Thus, do a fast beware of that. I went in June, so essentially all streets were clear, yet a few regions were impeded with thick ice in western Iceland.

Stage 3 : Getting the Schengen Visa

Iceland doesn't have any office in Dubai. I found this reality after a significant conversation with travel services and heaps of googling on the interwebs. The uplifting news is, the Denmark department deals with Iceland visa applications. Their area is along Sheik Zayed Road so it is entirely available. Be that as it may, beginning filling and planning is done on the web.

The online application is not difficult to follow and will likewise list every one of the necessary reports you may have to get the visa. You can visit their site here: http://fae.um.dk/

On the off chance that you have applied for a Schengen visa previously, you know the drill. For my situation, I was needed to present some identification measured photographs with white foundation, visa, emirates ID, No-complaint letter from your organization, 90 days bank articulations, affirmed E-ticket appointments for your flights and lodging or convenience appointments. The entire cycle required 5 days for me, it is referenced on their site that it will require as long as 14 days to measure.

Something else however… This is significant. This is relevant in case you are visiting different nations on the Schengen region. You need to apply to the country in which you are remaining for the longest, for instance: in the event that you go through 10 days in Paris and 7 days in Iceland, you need to apply your Schengen visa to the French office. Be that as it may, assuming you are remaining equivalent days, similar to 10 days for the two spots you should apply to the primary country you will land first. On the off chance that you are landing first in Iceland, you will apply in Iceland.

When you have your Schengen Visa, treat yourself with a major cut of pepperoni pizza (or steak, or any celebratory supper you want!) on the grounds that the fight is practically finished.

Stage 4 : Booking flights

There are no non-stop trips to Iceland from Dubai. I booked the departures from Qatar Airways and there is a short visit/move to Stockholm and from that point to Reykjavic Airport in Iceland. That is it! You are set to go to Iceland.

The Iceland Car rental organization is a 5 minutes stroll from the air terminal so I just got it and passed through my first objective.

In case you are as yet understanding this, thank you for investing energy and for that, I'll reward you for certain supportive things that can make your photograph shooting a bit simpler.

Photography tips:

Bring a trusty stand. The breezes and waves in Iceland are unforgiving.

Bring a plastic cover for your camera and some elastic groups to get it. The majority of the best objections in Iceland are cascades and they can douse cameras without any problem. A shower cap is likewise an incredible other option.

Related to #2, on the off chance that you can, bring weatherproof cog wheels. This applies to cameras, focal points and packs.

Bring heaps of little miniature fiber garments for cleaning your focal points, the splash from the cascades can be massive.

Try not to pack substantial, a portion of the areas require a bit of climbing.

Bring bunches of SD cards and batteries, you will require them!

Bring a rock solid downpour coat, it will be extremely helpful on getting those extraordinary points with the cascades. You will express gratitude toward me later.

After the entirety of your shooting, attempt to unwind and partake in the view. Likewise, remember to go to the Blue Lagoon for some pleasant warm geothermal shower. I truly partook in my time there.

Cog wheels that I utilized:

Fujifilm X-T1 (2 bodies)

Fujinon 10-24mm

Fujinon 55-200mm

Samyang 8mm Fisheye

GoPro saint 4 silver

Manfrotto MT055CXPRO4 Carbon fiber stand

#dubai to iceland #dubai #iceland

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theblovel · 7 years

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The Blovel #4

The brilliant, afternoon sun produces an invigorating beam upon her face. The warmth of the air caresses her skin. A cool breeze makes the humidity easier to tolerate. The sounds of birds unknown, and cheerful chatter and beautiful music pleases her. The possibilities of an unfamiliar land begs Charley to remember why it is good to treat herself at times. She works so hard to keep her florist a highly recommended business that she neglects the simple pleasures of a vacation far too often. As she inhales the air of the island paradise, she is at ease and completely soothed by the welcome of the D.R.

Charley, Ava and Myra arrive at the AirBnb that Charley booked. They drove past the impoverished country side as well as many resorts that Ava and Myra marveled at they but kept driving. Seeing the difference in life after leaving the airport was a complete culture shock for all of them. Ava seemed a bit annoyed at the passing of so many beautiful, luxurious possible places to stay. They arrive at their destination to the chagrin of one vacationer.

Ava offers, “Well this definitely is not a resort.”

Charley follows immediately, “Well Ava, remember, I booked this trip. I made the arrangements and I made the calls. I was trying to do you a solid.”

Ava came back, “You don’t have to throw stuff in my face Charley. I was just saying.”

Charley responded, “Well I’m just saying that the entire time on the plane you looked as if sitting in economy class was below your standards and that you deserve better. I spent my money on what made more sense. This place is amazing! We are going to have a good time and not worry about the silly shit, OK? I love you. Remember that, but sometimes you got to be reminded of what it is. Let’s go in and see where the money went. I know this is about to be all the live!”

All of the pictures and reviews suggested that this private property was a spectacular deal and an even better experience; at first glance, it is definitely more than Charley bargained for. It is a four bedroom villa with all the amenities! A beautiful view from every bedroom, a fully stocked refrigerator with fresh vegetables and fruit, granite countertops, every type of rum you can imagine, recessed lighting, hardwood floors, fresh flowers in every room, a private pool, jacuzzi, beach access and it even came with a butler!

Myra yells, “Charley!!! Look at this view! This is amazing!”

Charley offers, “Girl I’m telling you! This is our villa for the next four days and we are about to live it up!”

Ava retorts, “I thought you were off dick right now? What are you planning to do if you run into Mr. Clean from the airport?”

Charley takes a moment, sits upon the cushioning of the dark brown wicker rocking chair at the back entrance of the private villa near the pool, takes a deep breath and says, “If we meet it was meant to be, if we don’t my life continues.”

Myra returns, “Bitch, did you see this pool and jacuzzi? We are gonna act up out here!”

Ava turns to Myra, “Look, we are not turning up with you out here. We came to have a good time and relax and just chill. Besides, my husband would not approve of such things from his wife.”

Myra speaks directly to Ava saying, “But your husband didn’t pay for this trip for you; Charley did. He hasn’t done much for you since you took him back after cheating on you. I don’t even know why you…”

Charley interrupts, “Hey! We are out here in paradise. Y’all can argue at home! Now fix this or be done with it because I don’t want to hear this no more while I’m on vacation for the first time in six years. Y’all have it out now or drop that shit.”

In the middle of their brief shouting match, a dark skinned, medium height gentleman dressed in a white, short-sleeved, long pants outfit emerged from an unknown area within the villa holding a sterling silver serving tray and three ice cold deep red beverages. His name tag said “Winston”. He began, “Que lo que ladies. My name is Winston and I will be your butler for the next four days while you stay here at this villa. I will do my best to remain discreet, but I will be here to make your stay as easy as possible. If you need anything, please ask. If you need me and I am not present, please pick up the phone and dial the number by the phone. I stay a few properties down so it will not take me long to respond. You have fresh towels in each of your rooms and I will do your dishes and towels daily. Please take a mamajuana and enjoy your stay ladies.” Winston offers a smile towards Charley. He is attracted to her but must remain loyal to his responsibilities. His glance is short lived as he remembers he is in a domestic capacity. Both Ava and Myra notice the brief interaction.

The ladies take their drinks from Winston and he retires to the lair from which he came. Myra begins, “Charley did you know we would have a butler and a fine ass, bald head, dark-skinned brother all in one? He gonna be here everyday girl?”

Charley responded, “I believe so but I’m gonna check with the owner just to see. I knew we would have a butler but the access he has makes me feel a bit weird. Let me see if that’s the case.”

As Charley leaves to confirm, Ava grabs Myra by the arm, “You are not about to fuck the butler. We did not come all the way here for you to have sex with the butler.”

Myra pulls away from Ava, “You better worry about you and yours. I’m good. If I want to fuck Winston, I will. You can’t tell me who and who not to fuck Ava. I’m not your baby sister any more. You don’t have to protect me.”

Ava relinquishes her grip, “Fine Myra. Do what you want to do. Just remember who told you not to when it becomes more than you bargained for.”

As Ava and Myra break apart and go to their respective rooms, Charley ensures of Winston’s whereabouts around the villa with the owner and takes a moment to admire the setting sun. Charley rarely observes the natural beauty of the world. The setting sun’s bright oranges and yellows and hot pinks in the clear blue sky reminds her of just how much of the worlds she is missing. Being so enamored with her business leaves Charley tired and worn down. Though she is committed to her business, she still longs to have more out of life.

As night begins to fall over the island, Charley offers to the ladies the planned itinerary for their stay in the D.R., “So tonight we’ll have dinner here. I planned to have a nice homemade dinner that I will make for us and then afterwards there is this club that is in a cave that I heard we have to experience. We can catch a taxi to the club and just have a fun night out.”

After the ladies enjoyed the meatless mofongo that Charley prepared and a few rum and pineapple juice beverages, they got ready for their night out. All of the ladies looked breathtaking! Charley wore a yellow, spaghetti strap dress that couldn’t help but to accentuate the curves that she can’t keep men from noticing. Ava wore a silver, sequin dress that hugged her shapely body with a neckline that dipped low on her cleavage. Myra wore a bright pink off the shoulder dress that fit but wasn’t nearly as flattering as Charley’s or Ava’s; Myra was a young girl and hadn’t learned what made her curves look just right the way Charley and Ava have. All the ladies wore heels and carried small clutch purses. Charley called for a cab and as it arrived the ladies all seemed to be in good spirits. They get into the cab and are excited about their first night out.

Charley started, “So we all know the rules right? No one leaves the group no matter what and no one brings anyone back home to the villa ok?”

Ava adds, “You got that Myra?”

Myra responds, “Stop coming for me Ava.”

Ava offers, “I’m just saying.”

Myra suggests, “You’re always just saying something.”

Charley quiets the ladies down and reminds them to leave the bickering at home and to enjoy this time in paradise. As the taxi pulls up to the club, the ladies exit and see an array of people standing outside of the club. Many men turn to notice them and begin to speak to them, but none of the ladies speak Spanish. As they walk towards the main entrance the aggression of the island men becomes more uneasy as they continue to advance towards the ladies. Charley is leading the ladies away from the herd of men trying to gain their advances. She bargains with the club security as the men outside of the club are still putting bids in for Ava and Myra. Miraculously Charley gets the favor of the security guard and gets them into the club without paying.

They walk down this corridor to the entrance of the club that proved to be pretty difficult for most of the women who had heels on to walk down, but these ladies were exquisite and handled it with grace. They then must walk up a small path to where the party was. The music was loud. The lights were flashing. People were dancing and some were making out on the dance floor. The ladies immediately hit the bar and each desire a drink. Charley reminded them of the dangers of consuming the water in the D.R. as foreigners and told them to get beverages without ice. Charley orders mamajuanas for all three and they begin to find their little nest in the cave.

The music takes control of everyone. People are in a trance as the base pumps through the speakers and shakes the walls. Many are intoxicated and have clothing loosely hanging on but they can’t stop dancing to the music. The ladies remain close together though many men have tried their hands at each of them trying to get them away from the group. Charley shakes her head saying no to a shorter man with bulky glasses and a half open shirt. He tries to pull her in against her wishes after her suggestion of no but somehow stops short. His eyes affix upon something beyond Charley. She can see how his aggression quickly changed to apprehension. Charley saw the bulky glasses guy put his hands up and retreat but he wasn’t looking at Charley. She wasn’t sure exactly what happened. She turned around to see what caused the smaller man to alter his advances and there he was; it was Buxton.

#TheBlovel #fiction #short story #short fiction #weekly series #blogged novel #JTeheren #the blovel

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sydneyadventures · 5 years

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Guide to Tulum, Mexico

Tulum is a beautiful place that is definitely worth a visit. There is so much natural beauty, great food and a relaxed atmosphere. It was the perfect 5-day getaway.

About Tulum

Tulum has an interesting setup that we didn't quite understand until we arrived. We knew that there was Tulum town, and Tulum beach, but we underestimated how segregated these two areas are. They are NOT close!

I'll start with Tulum beach: it's a beautiful beach - white sand, sunshine, and blue water. However, it’s a private beach, so you cannot access it unless you are staying at one of the expensive resorts along the strip, or are visiting a resort as a day guest. To do the latter, you need to spend a required minimum on food/drink, and this ranges from about USD $35-200 per day (and it’s pretty easy to achieve that minimum, because everything is very expensive).

On a map, the Tulum beach strip looks like a walkable area, but it really isn't. It's a tight dirt road surrounded by thick trees, and the road is VERY busy with cars. There's no sidewalk. All the hotels are all tucked deep into the wooded area, and there aren't any storefronts to explore.

We stayed at a resort on the edge of Tulum town called CoCo Hacienda (see Accommodations below), which has a sister resort called CoCo Tulum on Tulum beach. If you stay at the Hacienda, you can use the CoCo Tulum beach access if you spend a minimum of $35USD. We went there, parked in their designated lot, did a quick beach stroll and left, so we didn't end up paying… but I think if we had stayed any longer someone would have caught on. The only other time we spent in the Tulum beach area was when we went for one nice dinner at a place called The Kitchen Table (see below in the restaurant list).

Then there’s Tulum town: there is one main drag along a very busy 4-lane road. It's a much more walkable area, as the street is lined with many bars, restaurants and storefronts. It's touristy, but has character. The busy road does make it less intimate than I was expecting, but some of the smaller side streets are more quiet and quaint. Our whole time there, we were not able to find parking along the strip, so we always ended up parking at our hotel and just walking. The prices are about a third of what you'd pay for anything in the beach area, which is a big plus! We were happy with our decision to stay in town where we had better access to food, drink and shopping, but it did mean that we didn't have much beach time.

Overall, the beach area is the place to be if you want a resort-style vacation, where things are cozy, luxurious and relaxing. Tulum town is the place to be if you want to experience more culture and excitement. I wasn't disappointed that we didn't spend too much time at Tulum beach… I'm not much of a beach person anyway, as I prefer to explore.

Getting Around

We rented a car to get from Cancun airport to Tulum, and used it to get around while we were there. Having a car was super convenient for visiting cenotes, the ruins, and getting to/from our accommodations, but it wasn't very useful for visiting the town as parking is very limited.

We were told that renting a bike is a good way of getting around Tulum, but I would disagree with this. It s HOT outside, and nothing is very close by. For example, we were told you could bike from the town and the beach, but it was wayyy farther than I had expected. It would easily take more than an hour of biking along a busy dirt road, in 30-degree humidity, with no sightseeing along the way - just trees. I wouldn't recommend this. Biking around town is definitely doable but we found it was feasible just to walk everywhere and not have to worry about bike parking.

NOTE: Get Pesos!

The biggest mistake we made was not bringing pesos with us to Mexico! We were told that you can easily get by using American dollars and credit cards, but I think that is probably only true if you stay at the beach area. In town and at attractions (cenotes, ruins), pesos are needed. It was a struggle for us to find an ATM to take pesos out. You can pay USD in town, but the exchange rate they’ll offer you is totally off, and you’ll definitely end up loosing money.

Things to do

Cenotes

Many cenotes can be accessed in the areas surrounding Tulum. They are unique freshwater basins that often have caves associated with them.

We visited three cenotes:

Grand Cenote: my favourite! A stunning combination of open water and caves. The water is crystal blue, and there are lots of turtles. You can swim through a cave to get from one side to another, and there are lots of stalagmites and bats which was very neat. Busy with tourists, but not overwhelmingly so. (pictured in the photos above and below)

Carwash Cenote: a big, wide open cenote. Great for swimming, and has a little wooden platform you can jump off of. Good visibility for snorkelling, with some little fish and small turtles. Not the most unique, as it is more like an open pond than a cave. Cheap entry fee, not too many people. It’s called Carwash cenote because apparently the locals used to use it for washing cars, because it’s big and open.

Cenote Calavera: a small cenote that has a big rock opening, as well as two smaller rock-holes that you can jump through. Once inside, it is just one big round cave, and there were also bats here. I didn’t see any turtles in this one. The best part about this cenote is the jumping feature. Relatively busy, and since it is a small area, it seemed busy even with not that many people.

The best way to get to cenotes is just to drive to them, they all have available parking spots, but don’t leave any valuables in your car as apparently break-ins are quite common. At all the cenotes, we would rent a locker for our stuff for a few pesos so we could both go swimming together without worrying about our things.

Bring a snorkel from home if you have one! (you can also rent them at the cenotes, or buy a pair in town).

Tulum Ruins

Visiting the Tulum ruins is a great way to get a little bit of culture and history on your trip to Mexico. Getting there was a bit confusing, but if you follow the signs in town you’ll eventually get to the pay-parking area from the main road (the road from the beach area was closed when we were there). Before you get to the entrance to the ruins, you’ll walk for a bit through a touristy area with shops and restaurants, which we actually enjoyed. There are lots of traditional Mexican decorations and day-of-the-dead statues.

The Tulum ruins themselves are quite neat, and there are signs along the way explaining their cultural significance. We didn’t do a tour, but if you’re a history person, I’d recommend doing so, because I’m sure there is a lot to learn that we probably missed. There are a lot of iguanas in the ruins site which are fascinating to watch. The ruins also have a beach where you can go swimming, so bring a bathing suit! It was hot while we were walking around, so the swim was a nice relief.

Restaurants

Burrito Amor - a hip little burrito place with outdoor seating at the end of the town strip, close to CoCo Hacienda. We went once for dinner, and another time for breakfast burritos. The vegan burrito was unreal.

The Kitchen Table - a beautiful spot on the beach strip. It has a treehouse vibe, with wooden furniture, beautiful lush greenery, and candle-lit ambience. The food and cocktails were spectacular, and the desserts were even better. They were great about accommodating our allergies as well. Perfect for date night - quite pricey though! (photo below)

El Camello Jr. - amazing seafood! This place is a hole-in-the-wall/local favourite with so much character. When we first arrived I thought it looked a little sketchy, but it had 3,000+ reviews on google, so we figured it was worth trying - and I’m super glad we did, because we loved it! The coconut shrimp was amazing, the ceviche was some of the best I’ve ever had, and it all paired perfectly with their mango margaritas. And they give you a mountain of chips and salsa for free as a starter with any meal. We went back twice!

Pasito Tun Tun - we just went here for drinks, but we loved the vibe. It has a cool back patio area, and great margaritas.

Encanto Cantina - We stumbled into this place for lunch while walking by, and I’m super glad we went in. The back patio area is a dream - a beautiful garden with furniture made out of old recycled goods. The decor is so unique and beautiful. Incredible mezcal cocktails, and great tacos. I had the vegan oat tacos and loved them. (photo below)

Accommodations

We stayed at two beautiful places: CoCo Hacienda, and the Mot-Mot Jungle Birdwatching Villa.

CoCo Hacienda: CoCo Hacienda is a beautiful hotel in Tulum town.

Pros: It is on the edge of the strip, away from all the busy bars and restaurants, so it is quiet, relaxing and secluded. The restaurant has a reasonably-priced menu - we enjoyed two delicious breakfasts, and took advantage of their cheap beers in then evening. We also got massages, which were in an adorable open-air hut on the property. The grounds are absolutely stunning - lush greenery, two beautiful pool areas, hammocks everywhere, and a cute patio area near the restaurant. Everything is clean and comfortable, and the staff are absolutely lovely. It wasn’t very busy, so we felt like we were the only people there.

Cons: it’s a bit of a walk from the hotel into town, but only about 10 minutes. In my opinion, it’s worth it to be farther out to enjoy the beauty of this place, but if you really want to be close to the action, then this is not the hotel you’ll want to stay at.

https://cocohacienda.com

Mot-Mot Jungle Birdwatching Villa: An entire house that we rented on Airbnb (link below). This place was INCREDIBLE! It’s quite far out from Tulum town, so you definitely need a car to access it. Although it seems to be in the middle of nowhere, it’s actually a part of a gated community area that feels very safe and secure. The house itself is beautiful, but what really makes it special are the outdoor areas - a back patio with a cozy hammock, a front patio with two swings, a rooftop patio with a grass-hut breakfast bar, and lastly, a big lookout platform that brings you above the trees. The bedroom has massive windows, so it feels like you’re sleeping in an aquarium of trees. One morning we awoke to two beautiful yellow birds sitting right outside of our bedroom window!

We did a little nature walk on the roads in and around the area, and although we saw signs for wildlife (pezotes, monkeys, and even jaguars - eep!) we didn’t see any big creatures. We saw and heard many beautiful birds, though! And despite being quite deep into a wooded area, there were miraculously very very few bugs - not even mosquitos! This place was a bit of a splurge, but definitely worth it.

https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/30587949?locale=en&_set_bev_on_new_domain=1573698796_wtTTKNxvDX%2BgzqH2&source_impression_id=p3_1576512902_JGU0YM%2BVb8k4H0EA

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thecoroutfitters · 7 years

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Written by Wild Bill on The Prepper Journal.

So, on a bright clear winter day a couple who considered themselves young and athletic, decided to go nordic (cross-country) skiing, just the two of them, a spur of the moment thing. After all, they were there on vacation to ski. They did take a trail map obtained from a local source and decided on a trail that was more advanced than intermediate. The trail was clearly marked with the “blue-square”, still not an expert trail. Their first mistake – ski trails (nordic) and ski runs (alpine) are rated in comparison to the other trails and runs within the specific ski area. There is no industry or national “standard” so if one has been venturing off the grid covered in white gold say in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, their trail ratings don’t equate equally to those of say, the Taos Ski Valley of Northern New Mexico, or Summit County, Colorado . They are a general guide, but not general enough to go out without understanding the local measuring stick.

Their second mistake – when they left at around lunch time they dressed fashionable for the 40 degree prevailing temperature, expecting to be back about 4 hours later.

Mistake number three: Since they had arrived at their western resort the night before, with clearing skies, they did not know that it had been snowing for two-days straight and there was now a fresh new 28″ layer of what we affectionately call “Sierra Cement” – the closer it is to the freezing point, the higher the moisture level in snow, the heavier the snow. (Dry powder needs temps below 20 degrees F.) Normally not a big deal for experienced skiers, in fact we pray for just such conditions, but, in an area where trail markers can be obscured by drifting, blowing snow, this is a concern. Generally, these markers are placed every quarter of a mile, generally. Factoring in mischief, failure due to prolonged exposure, and vague in brilliant sun-reflected light. Miss one and you better know what you are doing.

You can see where this is going…

Mistake number four: They told no one of their plans.

Mistake number 5: They took sunscreen and a bottle of water each and their cell phones with multiple GPS apps, which failed as soon as they lost their signal.

Lost, they did survive the night because they found a small warming hut that protected them from the winds, and, with their combined body heat, the 42 degree drop in temperature overnight. They were found by the Sheriff’s Mountain Rescue Team working with the National Forest service. A lot of people taken away from their normal duties.

So as Preppers who may get caught off the grid in the deep of winter what should we focus on? Well, the things we know that apply no matter the weather!

First: PLANS. If it isn’t a SHTF scenario let someone know. If they were in a hotel, the hotel front desk staff. Since they were in a condo, the agency they rented it through – have you ever talked to a real person at Airbnb, Flipkey, or Hometogo? So what is your fall back? Yep, local police, fire station or Park Service rangers. These last three will teach you a very valuable lesson in responsibility if you fail to notify them of your return.

Second: CLOTHING. As a life-long skier I love that when you ski the “locals” favorite resorts in the West such as Alta or Brighton in the Cottonwood Canyons of the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, or A-Basin or Mary Jane, in the Rocky’s west of Denver, you see so many people dressed more in “army surplus” than you do in $3,000 Bogner ski wear they bought at Neiman Marcus. They live there, they know how to dress (and save money). If you have to be trendy get a fancy backpack and bring your uglies that keep you alive if vanity is THAT important to you. AND stuff your survival kit in there to show you have a shred of common sense. Understand fabrics.

Understand cotton – light, comfortable, flammable, useless as insulation when wet, breaths well when dry, smolders when burned for a signal fire, loses any sprayed on “waterproofing” quickly, great for cleaning equipment.

Understand Wool – good insulation wet or dry, makes you crazy from the itching when in direct contact with your skin, shrinks, retains moisture so well that when it gets wet it gets heavy, dries out, durable.

Understand Silk – Insulates and breaths well, hollow fibers do not trap perspiration when directly on the skin, does not itch, GREAT for undergarments that wear well and insulate, expensive to buy, good layering qualities, expensive to dry clean.

Understand Polypropylene – synthetic, insulates wet or dry, breathes well, burns and melts onto you skin, dries quickly, retains body odors, durable.

Understand Gore-Tex – A branded synthetic, excellent protection from wind, takes forever to dry, very durable.

Understand Spandex – form fitting, excellent at pulling perspiration from your skin, zero protection from cold or heat, should be illegal for anyone over 35, no matter their body type.

Understand Nylon – excellent wind protection, excellent moisture protection, zero ability to breath, melts on your skin when burned.

Moving on, what should NEVER be left behind when out in the snow: Sunglasses, goggles, ear muffs, a bandanna, hat, and gaiters – nylon sleeves that snap over boots and the calf, YOUR survival kit which contains fire starter, a knife, a compass, a whistle, signaling mirror, a thermal/solar blanket, tarp, a few energy bars, flashlight, your cell phone for fun and on and on.

Extra socks are a must, a second pair of gloves – an item easily lost, a wool cap – ruins your “do” but saves your life.

What do you tell someone before you go? Who is going, when are you going, where you are going, when you plan to return. Use “Italian minutes” as opposed to “German minutes” to account for a slightly delayed start, some “stop and soak it in” time, a planned rest stop. Be realistic, not foolish.

What else do you take? A GPS transponder or Avalanche beacon – NEVER go out and play in the snow without one! One that you have tested, know how to use and that has fresh batteries (or charge) and replacement batteries. I have one on me when I am just skiing within a resorts boundaries as there are so many places where a missed turn can put you in an instant world of hurt.

A lot of articles on prepping cover the off grid but seem to focus on warm days, cool or cold nights, and endless viability. Nice but not always the reality in winter where it snows. Snow camping and survival are a whole different animal in and of themselves. The cold and the moisture CAN kill you, the zero viability can stop you dead in your tracks. Skiing once at Whistler (Blackcomb) in British Columbia I took the dip into Glacier Bowl and not 20 meters down the steep the whole world went opaque. I could see NOTHING. Blast of snow/ice from an unseen storm produced the white-out. I stopped. I had to as there are trees and great big unpleasant rocks and other skiers. It took more than 2 minutes to break, with me listening for that clown that just dropped in and now can’t see me, or anything else. Not to be confused with snow-blindness which is from the glare off snow and ice, this is a different animal.

The mountains, a tempting destination if the WAWKI goes away, but, like fabrics it brings pluses (game, forests, snow and snow melt (water)), and minuses (your A-game for conserving heat, finding shelter, difficulty in movement and concealment.) Stay frosty!

The post Yeah, But You May Have to Deal with the White Stuff! appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

from The Prepper Journal Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

#SHTF #TEOTWAWKI #MARTIALLAW #BUGOUT #PREPPERBAG #USAF #USSOCOM #ARMY #NAVY #SurvivalFirestarter #Sur

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arplis · 5 years

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Arplis - News: Affordable Schoolhouse Lighting and a DIY Project To Get The Look Of An Enamelware Industrial Sconce

Last week, I told you all about my plans to incorporate Modern Schoolhouse Style into the decor of our 1920s Bungalow. This week, I’m showing you how I made an easy upgrade to a cheap light fixture to make it look like an expensive vintage reproduction. Plus, I’m doing a round-up with 60 of my favorite budget schoolhouse lights for decorating your own home! *this post contains affiliate links* I get a commission when you buy through my links that goes towards the costs of hosting this free tutorial site. Site operating fees are expensive but my commission costs you nothing. thanks for your support! BUT FIRST, WHAT IS MODERN SCHOOLHOUSE? I get this question a lot on Instagram since I revealed that my design plan for our California Bungalow is to incorporate more Schoolhouse Design Style into the decor of this home. The term is used rather loosely across the Interior Design community, as it’s technically not a real home style. Rather, Schoolhouse Style actually comes from the use of Schoolhouse Style lighting: electrical light fixtures that were widely used throughout the United States in public school buildings between the 1920s and 1950s. As explained in this article from This Old House, Schoolhouse light fixtures are known for their milky glass bulb covers. Originally, electric fixtures donned a bare bulb that created a glare. This made for challenges in the classroom, as teachers and students were often blinded by the light. To remedy that problem, lighting designers developed an opaque glass cover that would allow light to penetrate but would soften the light and alleviate the glare issues. You’ll often see these fixtures in bright finishes or with striped patterns on the globes. This was a common way to add visual interest to the fixtures while maintaining the light defusing properties. The most common DIY associated with Schoolhouse lighting is adding a stripe to the milk glass globe, as seen in this tutorial from Jackie at School of Decorating. BEYOND THE MILK GLASS SHADE In its inception, schoolhouse style was mainly used to refer to light fixtures that featured the white glass globe over a light bulb. Over the years, the term Schoolhouse Lighting has evolved to incorporate other styles of light fixtures. In fact, now you’ll find that a quick Google search for Schoolhouse pendants and sconces will reveal a wealth of options that come in glass, metal, and enamelware finishes. These fixtures lean more industrial - and even a little farmhouse - than traditional schoolhouse but in the design world, they all fall under the same decor style. The color options have evolved as well. For most schoolhouse fixtures, you’ll find that raw metal, stainless steel, and iron (or black) is a base. However, now you can even find schoolhouse chandeliers that also incorporate other finishes you might use throughout your home, such as antique brass and polished nickel. HOW TO MIX SCHOOLHOUSE LIGHTING WITH MODERN DECOR Because these light fixtures often feature cute pops of color, they’re a common favorite among people who are decorating kid’s bedrooms and playrooms. For instance, this kid’s room by Erin Wheeler of Sunny Circle Studio rocks a charming traditional schoolhouse pendant alongside schoolhouse room decor. See the national parks advertising poster and buffalo plaid throw blanket? Punched with bold primary color accents and warm, worn wood, this space just screams Traditional Schoolhouse style. Meanwhile, designer Whitney McGregor’s kid’s room, featured in Southern Living, boasts cozy, traditional cottage decor. Even with a Queen Elizabeth-style bed, the schoolhouse factory pendant looks right at home! So it’s clear that schoolhouse lighting can work in harmony with traditional home decor, but what about a more modern home? How would you use schoolhouse style in a contemporary setting? Schoolhouse lighting is fairly neutral - it features clean lines, limited adornment, and an industrial vibe. Sp of course it looks great with modern decor as well! Just take a look at these Schoolhouse factory pendants in the Rockridge Casita, a modern Airbnb in Oakland, CA: The bottom line: Schoolhouse Light Fixtures are fun. They are nostalgic. They aren’t made for stuffy quarters but can serve a beautiful juxtaposition against a hyper-traditional home. Two remaining examples? Just look at this kitchen and child’s bedroom designed by Susana of Chango + Co. Both rooms feature schoolhouse industrial light fixtures yet neither room looks particularly schoolhouse in design. The decorating possibilities with this style of lighting are truly endless! AFFORDABLE SCHOOLHOUSE LIGHTING In a moment, I’m going to show you how I turned a standard $25 metal factory flush mount into an enamelware light on a budget. But if I’m being honest, the DIY upgrade wasn’t necessary. All of the light fixtures I’ve rounded up below look like more expensive fixtures than they are. Many of these pendants and chandeliers are on my list of items to buy when we’re ready to upgrade the remaining lights in our California Bungalow. You can see all the sources I’m planning to use for our remodel via my Pinterest Board: 1924 Source List. While you’re there, make sure to follow me so you can see new inspiration and products as I add them. SCHOOLHOUSE PENDANTS + FLUSHMOUNTS click images to shop directly through retailer - affiliate links included SCHOOLHOUSE PENDANTS + FLUSHMOUNTS click images to shop directly through retailer - affiliate links included As I’ve been slowly decorating our California Bungalow, I’ve made a few little upgrades that have all contributed to a more industrial cottage decorating plan. First, I built this Schoolhouse Style Wooden Broom. Then I upgraded the entryway storage in our home by creating a small mudroom in the corner of our dining room featuring this Schoolhouse Style Wall Hook Rack. But what I failed to show you on the blog is the biggest upgrade we’d made in this home. I replaced the dining room light within a few weeks after we closed on this house. Here’s what the space looked like before we moved in. If you look beyond the moving boxes, you can see that the original light fixture in this room was very small. It actually didn’t even illuminate the room. At night, I could barely see to wipe down the table. To refresh your memory, our dining room is actually the original designated Living Room, based on traditional bungalow floorpans. I explain why I chose to move it around in this post: Our 1924 California Bungalow: Full Home Tour So the very first design decision I made for this home was to purchase and install a new light. That new light has an industrial modern vibe which lends itself to 1920s period decor and schoolhouse style. That photo was taken as a sneak peek of our new home and sent only to my email newsletter subscribers to show off our new pendant light. Want on the list to see exclusive sneak peeks and get extra content every week? You can sign up here. This modern industrial cage light, in olive green, sets the tone for the remainder of our home’s style. Part cottage, part industrial, part modern. Those styles all gather together and morph into what designers now call “Schoolhouse Modern Style”. For this reason, when I decided to update the ceiling fixture in our small hallway (for the same reason - it barely shines any light), I knew I wanted a vintage schoolhouse look. Immediately, I fell in love with this original vintage factory pendant I found on 1stdibs. But the price tag was a steep $300. That’s more than I really wanted to spend on the lighting for that tiny space. Also, I’m planning to incorporate this Hygge & West wallpaper into the ceiling of the hallway, so I was worried the grey would just get lost against it. That’s when inspiration struck and the idea for my $30 Enamelware Factory Pendant DIY was born! DIY FACTORY LIGHT REPLICA tools: paint brush painter’s tape cardboard surface for painting materials: metal farmhouse style light fixture craft paint high gloss lacquer spray STEP ONE - remove the shade from the bulb housing. STEP TWO - tape just above lower rim of shade + around bulb socket to protect surface from paint. STEP THREE - paint rim of shade and bulb housing with craft paint. allow to dry. repeat with additional coats, if necessary. STEP FOUR - remove painter's tape and spray with clear lacquer. Once all the paint and lacquer was dry, I allowed it to sit for 24 hours in order to harden. Then I installed it in our bungalow’s hallway and I love it! Since we’re taking our time with this renovation, we haven’t even updated the paint in here yet. But already, the hallway feels fresh and modern! Here’s what the hallway looked like before - You can see how that teeny tiny light was doing absolutely nothing for us. But now, it’s bright! I still want to add wallpaper above the beadboard and update all the door hardware (in keeping with the home’s historic integrity, don’t worry). Oh! And I also need to decide what color I want to paint the trim and walls throughout the house. But all those decisions and tasks can be left for another day because right now, I’m basking in the glory of my beautiful, new industrial lighting, including these two fixtures I ordered and installed in our dining room! Since the dining room leads directly into our hallway - which is the central hub of the rest of the home - consistency in design choices is key to making this home feel collected and maintain flow. While the 3 light fixtures I’ve added so far aren’t identical, they are all tied together with common finishes and styles. If you’re planning to make your own Industrial Light Fixture, I’ve added an easy printable instruction sheet that you can keep with you as you work to the bottom of this page. SCHOOLHOUSE DECOR INSPIRATION Ready to add some industrial vintage vibes to your home? Check out these posts to get you started. SHOP MY SCHOOLHOUSE STYLE BUNGALOW love this style? I do too! here are the decor items I bought to achieve the look. WEEKLY POST REMINDER + EXCLUSIVE UPDATES! I’ll never share your email address with any other companies or people. You may unsubscribe at any time. Email Address Sign Up We respect your privacy. Thank you! DIY HOME PROJECTS THAT ARE TRENDING RIGHT NOW quick and affordable DIY projects you don’t want to miss YOUR HOME DECORATING DILEMMAS SOLVED Commenting on this post is disabled so I can focus on our upcoming projects + client designs but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to hear from you. Send me your questions and comments on Instagram by either commenting on my latest post or sending me a direct message. I really love to chat it out! DIY Factory Style Vintage Enamelware Light Fixture CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD + PRINT by Teri Moore | www.tmoorehome.com skill level: EASY MATERIALS: metal farmhouse style light fixture craft paint high gloss lacquer spray TOOLS: paint brush masking tape Instructions: step one: remove the shade from the bulb housing. step two: tape just above lower rim of shade + around bulb socket to protect surface from paint. step three: paint rim of shade and bulb housing with craft paint. step four remove painter's tape and spray with clear lacquer. #HomeDecor #DIYCraftTutorials #DIYRemodeling #MyFavoriteProducts

Arplis - News source http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Arplis-News/~3/EO87JTtIZcc/affordable-schoolhouse-lighting-and-a-diy-project-to-get-the-look-of-an-enamelware-industrial-sconce

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