#Galleria Residences

[viettellhcm]

Gắn WiFi Viettel Chung cư The Galleria Residence - Ưu đãi LỚN

Khuyến mãi Gắn WiFi Viettel Chung cư The Galleria Residence, địa chỉ 20 Nguyễn Thiện Thành, Thành Phố Thủ Đức, Hồ Chí Minh, là giải pháp hoàn hảo cho những cư dân mong muốn một kết nối internet ổn định và mạnh mẽ. Với nhu cầu khách hàng Viettel ngày càng cao, Viettel mang đến các gói cước linh hoạt, phù hợp cho cả cá nhân và hộ gia đình. Viettel sử dụng công nghệ cáp quang GPON tiên tiến, kết hợp…

[kavyatraveler]

Galleria Residency

7003, Sector 30 M Wide Main Rd, Near, Supermart 2, Block C2, Dlf Garden Villas, Sector 43, Gurugram, Haryana 122009, Sector 30, Gurugram

[mysteryshoptls]

SR Azul Ashengrotto - Luxe Couture Vignette

"Please come this way"

[Fairest City – Crystal Galleria]

Azul: …Now, now, don't say that!

Azul: I would be honored if you would come by the Mostro Lounge to come see my photo with Eric-san.

Vil: I'm staggered. You would not only use my father, but also myself to increase your reputation?

Grim: Oh hey, if it ain't Vil and Azul. What're you guys talkin' about?

Azul: We just happened to come across each other over here, so we were merely chatting about plans once we return to campus. Have the two of you been shopping?

1. I bought some clothes for myself.

Azul: You bought clothing at the Crystal Galleria? You must be a better shopper than I thought.

2. I bought some gifts for everyone back home.

Azul: A wonderful sentiment. Keeping people in your debt is very valuable.

Azul: I myself just finished purchasing some cosmetics. After this, I plan on perusing some tableware.

Grim: Huh, tableware? Don't really matter what gets used, to me.

Grim: The food 'n drinks're waaay more important than the plates 'n cups.

Azul: I fully believed that would be your response, Grim-san.

Vil: I absolutely adore that sort of dedication. The more opulent the tableware, the more sophisticated the mealtime becomes.

Vil: Weren't the plates, cups, and cutlery at the restaurant we dined at yesterday utterly sublime?

Grim: I don't remember a thing about 'em.

Vil: ...Right, I was a fool for even asking that in the first place.

Azul: The golden rimmed white porcelain plates at that restaurant was indeed spectacular.

Azul: Decorated in both matte and glossy gold, these surely were high-quality wares. A rare sight, indeed.

Vil: Well, now. You're well informed, Azul.

Vil: It may be interesting to shop for tableware with someone who actually knows a thing or two. I'll join you.

Azul: Why, certainly. Would you like to join us, [Yuu]-san?

1. I'd like to. 2. I'm definitely interested.

Grim: 'Kay, then I'll tag along too, then. But anyway, do they even sell stuff like that here?

Vil: Of course. Fine ceramic wares are yet another major product of the Fairest City. There are also many antique shops.

Grim: Uh-huh. So it's not just make-up 'n clothes 'n food, huh.

Azul: It is said that there were 3 primary factors that led to the development of those fine ceramic wares in the Fairest City.

Azul: The first factor was due to the nearby mines.

Azul: The neighboring mountain range had an abundance of high-quality clay, for which artisans from all over began to come for.

Azul: The second factor is the development of pharmaceuticals thanks to knowledge passed down from the Fairest Queen.

Vil: That pharmaceutical science was then used to develop a diverse array of pigments, and that allowed for the field of colors to become what it is today.

Azul: Indeed. It's just as you say.

Azul: And the final factor is the sense of beauty that every Fairest Queen-loving inhabitant of the Fairest City carries.

Azul: Thus, the potters and sculptors who were raised with a heightened awareness of beauty themselves brought their ceramics to an entirely new level when it comes to works of art.

Vil: Only the residents of the Fairest City would find ways to elevate beauty in fields other than fashion and makeup.

Azul: We've arrived. I hear this shop carries a rather large collection of antique tableware for sale.

Vil: Have you already done prior research?

Azul: Yes, indeed. I must admit I have been looking forward to purchasing new tableware.

Grim: Woah! There's a ton of sparkly dishes and stuff!

Vil: What sort of tableware are you planning on purchasing, Azul?

Azul: I believe I'd like to find teacups, saucers, and a matching teapot.

1. What about this golden tea set?

Grim: Yeah! The shiny gold color is so cool! Azul: I see they allowed gold to oxidize and used that to create a pattern for the design. I must admit it is extravagant and definitely draws an eye. Vil: An opulent design. However, I feel it may not suit the Mostro Lounge.

2. Look at this pink tea set!

Azul: I see it is a set of teacups with a frill molding. The flower pattern along the rim is so wonderfully subtle. Vil: A rather cute design. However, I feel it may not suit the Mostro Lounge.

Azul: Fufu, I agree completely. Perhaps now we can look at the wares that had caught my eye?

[Fairest City – Crystal Galleria]

Azul: This is the one I am looking to purchase here.

Grim: This one, huh? It's just a borin' looking white cup with a tiny bit of blue stuff on it.

Azul: That dainty and subtle touch is intended to be its charm point… It seems you fail to comprehend that, Grim-san.

Azul: This bright white porcelain shows not a hint of translucency… Does it not seem to be the pinnacle of class?

Vil: It certainly does have a refined beauty about it.

Azul: The elegant design carved out of the rim of the teacup is called a "scalloped rim."

Azul: And consider this wave-like handle curled along the side… Even the minute details are so stunning.

Grim: A handle? What, you gonna steer somethin' with this cup, then?

Vil: Obviously the handle is where you hold the cup.

Vil: But, Azul. These cups and teapot are a vintage set.

Vil: Is there any need for you to use such an extravagant tea set in a café that caters to students?

Azul: Indeed. I consider this a necessary investment.

Azul: Just because my customers are students does not mean that I intend on compromising my standards.

[Fairest City – Queen's Palace]

[camera shutters clicking and screaming]

Fans: KYAAAAAAAAA! VIL-SAMAAAAA!!!

Reporter: If I can run an article on Vil Schoenheit, then there's no doubt that both magazine sales and website traffic are gonna go through the roof!

Reporter: Alright, now I just gotta hop this barrier so I can cover Vil Schoenheit up close…

[Grrk…]

Azul: Oh, my, it is dangerous to attempt to climb the barrier. Please take all photographs from the designated area.

Reporter: You little brat, don't get in my way! [Azul starts pushing] Urgh, what strength! He's pushing the whole barrier back towards me…!

Azul: If those instructions cannot be followed properly, I may have to take appropriate countermeasures…

Azul: For example, I may be inclined to ring up your place of employment and file a complaint at the highest levels.

Reporter: Okay, fine, just get out of my way, then! I can't even take a picture with you like this!

Azul: How wonderful that we've reached an understanding. Vil-san, please come this way.

Vil: Thank you… You were awfully efficient in handling that.

Azul: When you've made as many deals as I have, it's not uncommon to encounter troubled clients in need of extra firm handling.

Azul: I'm just glad I was able to put the mediation skills I've accumulated to good use.

Vil: Not only are you handling the press well… But you are doing a fantastic job as my escort.

Azul: Well, it also is not uncommon for me to host prospective business contacts personally, either.

Azul: Ah, we are almost at the staircase.

Azul: Right this way. If you wish, my hand is yours to take.

Vil: Well, then. I shall accept it.

―A few days later

[Mostro Lounge]

Octavinelle Student: Welcome!

Azul: Oh my… If it isn't Vil-san! You've come, as promised! I'm so elated.

Vil: Excuse you. I don't recall ever promising you anything. However…

Vil: I was merely thinking back to how you handled yourself previously. I do expect exceptional service today as well.

Vil: Business seems to be going well… Are you using that tea set you purchased back then?

Azul: I am. Right now… The guests at that table are enjoying the tea served in it.

Deuce/Epel: AHAHAHA!

Vil: …There is no way those two even remotely understand the worth of those cups.

Vil: Neither would the rest of these customers. Do you still think that it was worth selecting that specific set?

Azul: Absolutely. I vow to serve drinks and meals on quality dishes that I have personally selected.

Azul: That is something that I will never compromise as the proprietor of the Mostro Lounge.

Azul: You yourself would never touch clothes or cosmetics that don't suit your design or aesthetic taste, yes?

Vil: So, just as I carefully concoct my personal brand by being particular on how I fashion myself…

Vil: You look to enhance the Mostro Lounge by careful consideration of the tableware and table linen.

Vil: I think that fastidious approach of yours is just as spectacular. Perhaps I have judged you a tad harshly.

Azul: Why, thank you. I fully believed that you of all people would understand, Vil-san.

Azul: However… I cannot deny that at times I would like to share that appreciation of the tableware's elegance with someone who actually understands their worth.

Azul: That being said, Vil-san, allow me to prepare your order on my absolute finest plates.

Requested by Anonymous.

[blueiscoool]

Rome's Vestal Virgins: Protectors of The City's Sacred Flame

Chosen as young girls, the priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth, swore a 30-year vow of chastity and in turn were granted rights, privileges, and power unavailable to other women in Rome.

Marcus Licinius Crassus was one of the richest and most powerful Roman citizens in the first century B.C. Yet he nearly lost it all, his life included, when he was accused of being too intimate with Licinia, a Vestal Virgin. He was brought to trial, where his true motives emerged. As the first-century historian Plutarch recounts, Licinia was the owner of “a pleasant villa in the suburbs which Crassus wished to get at a low price, and it was for this reason that he was forever hovering about the woman and paying his court to her.” When it became clear that Crassus’ wooing was motivated by avarice rather than lust, he was acquitted, saving both his and Licinia’s lives.

One of the most remarkable elements of this story is the fact that Licinia owned a villa in the first place. Unlike other women, Licinia could own property precisely because she was a Vestal Virgin. The story of her trial also reveals how that privilege came with a price: A Vestal Virgin had to abstain from sex, a sacred obligation to one of Rome’s most ancient customs that would continue until Christianity ended the cult in A.D. 394.

FIRE GODDESS: The remains of the Temple of Vesta stand in the Roman Forum. Unlike most temples, it did not contain a central image of the goddess. It was the site of the holy fire and a repository of various sacred artifacts.

Vestal Veneration

According to Roman authors, the cult was founded by Numa Pompilius, a semi-mythical Roman king who ruled around 715 to 673 B.C. Unlike most Roman religious cults, worship of Vesta was run by women. The hearth was sacred to this goddess, one of Rome’s three major virgin goddesses (the other two being Minerva and Diana). The rites surrounding the Vestals remained relatively fixed from the time of the Roman Republic through the fourth century A.D.

Six virgin priestesses were dedicated to Vesta as full-time officiates who lived in their own residence, the Atrium Vestae in the Roman Forum. The Vestals’ long tradition gave Romans a reassuring thread of continuity and may explain the Temple of Vesta’s traditional circular form, a style associated with rustic huts in the city’s deep past.

KEEP THE FIRE The Vestal Virgins tend the sacred fire of Vesta, on whose protection Rome depends. 17th-century oil painting by Ciro Ferri, Galleria Spada, Rome

This place of worship, which lay alongside the Atrium, was where the priestesses tended the goddess’s sacred fire. Once a year, in March, they relit the fire and then ensured it remained burning for the next year. Their task was serious as the fire was tied to the fortunes of their city, and neglect would bring disaster to Rome.

To become a Vestal was the luck of the draw. Captio, the process whereby the girls were selected to leave their families and become priestesses, is also the Latin word for “capture”—a telling turn of phrase that evokes the kidnapping of women for brides that took place in archaic Rome. Records from 65 B.C. show that a list of potential Vestals was drawn up by the Pontifex Maximus, Rome’s supreme religious authority. Candidates had to be girls between the ages of six and 10, born to patrician parents, and free from mental and physical defects. Final candidates were then publicly selected by lot. Once initiated, they were sworn to Vesta’s service for 30 years.

On being selected, their life was spent at the Atrium Vestae in a surrogate family, presided over by older Vestals. In addition to room and board, they were entitled to their own bodyguard of lictors. For the first 10 years they were initiates, taught by the older priestesses. Then they became priestesses for a decade before taking on the mentoring duties of the initiates for the last 10 years of their service.

Training the Novices

"The School of the Vestal Virgins" 19th-century colorized engraving by L. Hector Leroux.

After lots were drawn from the list of young girls who could serve Vesta, initiates were brought to the Atrium Vestae, where their training would begin. The training was overseen by the chief priestess, the Vestalis Maxima, who came under the authority of the Pontifex Maximus. The first 10 years were spent training for their duties. They would spend the second decade actively administering rites, and the final 10 were spent training novices. The chastity of the priestesses was a reflection of the health of Rome itself. Although spilling a virgin’s blood to kill her was a sin, this did not preclude the infliction of harsh corporal punishment. First-century historian Plutarch writes: “If these Vestals commit any minor fault, they are punishable by the high-priest only, who scourges the offender.”

Public monies and donations to the order funded the cult and the priestesses. In Rome religion and government were tightly intertwined. The organization of the state closely mirrored that of the basic Roman institution: the family. The center of life of the Roman home, or domus, was the hearth, tended by the matriarch for the good of her family and husband. In the same way, the Vestals tended Vesta’s flame for the good of the state.

A silver denarius, also from the second century B.C., bears a representation of the circular Temple of Vesta.

Unlike other Roman women, Vestals enjoyed certain privileges: In addition to being able to own property and enjoying certain tax exemptions, Vestals were emancipated from their family’s patria potestas, patriarchal power. They could make their own wills and give evidence in a court of law without being obliged to swear an oath.

Thirty Years of Chastity

These rights came at a high price: 30 years of enforced chastity. Many historians believe that the health of the state was tied to the virtue of its women; because the Vestals’ purity was both highly visible and holy, penalties for a Vestal breaking her vow of chastity were draconian. As it was forbidden to shed a Vestal Virgin’s blood, the method of execution was immuration: being bricked up in a chamber and left to starve to death. Punishment for her sexual partner was just as brutal: death by whipping. Throughout Roman history, instances are cited of these grim sentences being passed.

Jealousy or malice made the women vulnerable to false accusations. One story, celebrated by several Roman writers, concerns the miracle of the Vestal Virgin Tuccia, who was falsely accused of being unchaste. According to tradition, Tuccia beseeched Vesta for help and miraculously proved her innocence by carrying a sieve full of water from the Tiber.

Allegations of crimes against the Vestals’ chastity sometimes went to the top of the social order. The flamboyantly eccentric, third-century emperor Elagabalus actually married a serving Vestal Virgin. It is a sign of the enduring symbolic importance of the cult that this heresy was one major factor that led to his deposal and murder.

The Vestal Tuccia, falsey accused of breaking her chastity vow, is saved by the intervention of Vesta, who enables her to carry water in a sieve from the Tiber back to the temple. 17th-century painting by Giovanni Battista Beinaschi.

Vestal Vestments

The ceremonial dress of Vestals highlights their dual, and somewhat contradictory, embodiment of both the maternal and the chaste. Physical appearance was an integral part of their role, making them stand out as different from other women, but also echoing physical traits of conventional women.

Dressed in white, the color of purity, the Vestal Virgins wore stola, long gowns worn by Roman matrons. Hair and headdresses played an important symbolic function. The Vestal hairstyle is described in Roman sources using an ancient Latin phrase, the seni crines. Historians cautiously agree it means “sixbraids,” and is mentioned as the coiffure of both Vestal Virgins and brides. A Vestal wore the suffibulum, a short, white cloth similar to a bride’s veil, kept in place with a brooch, the fibula. Around their heads they wore a headband, the infula, which was associated with Roman matrons.

Daily rites for Vestals were often centered around the temple. Most important was maintaining the holy fire. If the fire went out, the attending Vestals would be suspected not only of neglect but also of licentiousness, since it was believed impurity in a Vestal’s relations would cause a fire to go out. Other typical duties included the purification of the temple with water, which had to be drawn from a running stream. In readiness for the numerous festivals that required their attendance, the priestesses were required to bake salsa mola, a cake of meal and salt that was sprinkled on the horns of sacrificed animals. Important religious festivals included the Vestalia, dedicated to their goddess, Vesta, and the Lupercalia, which highlights the contradictory role of the Vestal Virgins, as it was closely associated with fertility.

A representation of a Vestal Virgin.

A Roman Tradition

A bust of Numa Pompilius from the Villa Albani Museum in Rome, believed to have been sculpted in the Roman Imperial Period.

Romans believed the cult of the Vestal Virgins was instituted under the eighth-century B.C. king Numa Pompilius, the successor of Rome’s founder, Romulus. First-century A.D. historian Plutarch wrote that Numa may have “considered the nature of fire to be pure and uncorrupted and so entrusted it to uncontaminated and undefiled bodies.“ Numa is credited by Livy, in his History of Rome, with formalizing other key Roman cults, including those of Jupiter and Mars. Many historians believe Numa was legendary, and that the worship of Vesta and other cults developed slowly out of pre-Roman customs, perhaps dating back to the older Etruscan culture that dominated Italy before the rise of Rome.

In the innermost part of their temple, the priestesses looked after their secret talismans. Among these objects was the sacred phallus, the fascinus, the representation of a minor god of the same name. The fascinus (the root of the word “fascinate”) is closely bound with magic and fertility. It was also in this part of the temple that they probably kept the palladium, the statue of Pallas Athena that the legendary founder of Rome, Aeneas, brought to Italy after the destruction of Troy, his home city—another aspect of the Vestal cult that tied Rome’s origins into an ennobling and ancient tradition.

Romans regarded these priestesses with a sense of awe. Plutarch points out “they were also keepers of other divine secrets, concealed from all but themselves.” It was believed they possessed magical powers: If anybody condemned to death saw a Vestal on his way to being executed, he was to be freed, so long as it could be proven the meeting was not by design. Vestals, it was said, could stop a runaway slave in his tracks.

The privileged position of the Vestal Virgins in Roman society survived for more than a thousand years, passing through Rome’s changing systems of monarchy, republic, and empire. The cult would not, however, survive Christianity. In A.D. 394 Theodosius closed the House of the Vestals forever, freeing the virgins from their obligations, but also removing their privileges.

VIEW OF THE VESTAThe ruins of the Atrium Vestae stand in the Roman Forum. The rectangular pools formed a part of the complex’s long, central patio. To the right of the Atrium are the remains of the Temple of Vesta, and behind the wall are the three remaining columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollux.

Even as their flame was extinguished, aspects of the cult may have passed into the new faith as it swept through the Mediterranean. Just as the position of the Pontifex Maximus lived on in the papal title “pontiff,” young women in the early years of Roman Christianity embraced virginity and celibacy in their desire to be “eunuchs for the love of heaven.” Scholars believe the role of the Christian nun was inspired, in part, by the chaste figures who dutifully tended the holy flame of Vesta.

By Elda Biggi.

[fridaynightmuses]

BASIC INFORMATION ⸻

full name : Emir Ibrahim Yilmaz

age : thirty two

gender, pronouns : cis man, he/his/him

orientation : heterosexual

birthday : november 8,

faceclaim : Can Yaman

time in town : his whole life

current residence : mansion in oak gardens

connections || pinterest

BACKSTORY ⸻

The Yilmaz have been in Blue Harbor for three generations, and own a good amount of property within the town as well as in the surrounding cities. The family's fortune only increases as the time passes. They have a diversified portfolio contributing to their wealth under Yilmaz Holding.

Emir is the third child out of four that his parents had. All the siblings were incredibly close for most of their lives, but things took a bit of a turn when he was 11 years old and his second oldest brother unalived himself.

The death impacted him so much so that as he got older he took to distracting himself with anything he could find. Recreational drugs, alcohol, and as many parties as a teenager could get into. He gained the label of black sheep of his family.

Something Emir had going for him, though, was his ability to press on through school effortlessly. He was incredibly smart, so despite all the trouble he found himself in, his grades at school were always up to par.

Over the years, Emir has gathered himself enough to pass for a functioning adult. He purchased the restaurant La Galleria while simultaneously working for his grandparents' company. But for the most part, he still enjoys a good amount of reckless fun, and partying.

HEADCANON

has a an eleven year old daughter named Emira. He currently has primary custody.

loves cooking and everything that has to do with the kitchen. he is very big on farm to table and having the best products.

his family owns land in Turkey and across Europe so he spend summers and holidays overseas a lot.

very active when it comes to community involvement.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

childhood friends

best friends

younger sister

older brother

extended family members

exes/flings/hookups

"the one that got away"

baby mama

...(will add more)

[the-gone-ton]

"No one is folding George Zamias. I am building that mall."

- George D. Zamias, mall developer, speaking about his York Galleria project in 1987.

The Galleria malls, namely the York Galleria and Johnstown Galleria, were the latest and greatest developments planned by George Zamias. Some residents protested Zamias due to fears of traffic, crime, and that York was "over-malled". Zamias fired back at critics, citing his own market research that showed that $46.5 million in sales were being made by York residents out of town. He argued that his "21st century mall" could capture those sales and keep those dollars in York. But the truth is that York was over-malled. The town with a declining population of just over 42,000 residents welcomed the York Galleria as its fifth enclosed shopping mall in 1989 with Boscov's, Sears, JCPenney, and The Bon-Ton; the latter two of these stores were poached from the 20 year-old York Mall next door. Gradually all of the other malls in York closed. But today, Zamias' York Galleria is hurting too - in part because the ruthless Walmart moved into two of the former malls that had been put out of business by the Galleria itself.

Part of my series on the downfall of developers and the now-dead malls they built. Click on the tag "dead mall devs" below to see more.

[kolajmag]

THIS WEEK AT KOLAJ MAGAZINE

Collective Unconscious, Migrating Forces, & Fragmented Bodies

FROM THE ARTIST DIRECTORY Bubbling from the Collective Unconscious Sylvia Marina Martinez | Monterey Park, California, USA

COLLAGE ON VIEW A Geometry of Hours Jacqueline Dee Parker at Isabella Valise/Devin Borden in Houston, Texas, USA

COLLAGE ON VIEW Fragmented Bodies at Galleria Lorcan O'Neill in Rome, Italy

COLLAGE ON VIEW CoLABELage at Collage-O-Rama at Slip Gallery in Seattle, Washington, USA

FROM THE PRINT ISSUE Alexandra Ackerman's Artist Portfolio in Kolaj #39

FROM THE PRINT ISSUE Migrating Forces in Kolaj #39

INSTITUTE NEWS Street Art Residency Artists Announcement

Read the full update

*****************************

Kolaj Magazine, a full color, print magazine, exists to show how the world of collage is rich, layered, and thick with complexity. By remixing history and culture, collage artists forge new thinking. To understand collage is to reshape one's thinking of art history and redefine the canon of visual culture that informs the present.

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[stephensmithuk]

The Man with the Twisted Lip

There were probably a couple of opium dens in London, but they were far common in France or the western United States.

London Bridge was the easternmost fixed crossing a vehicle could use in 1889. Tower Bridge was under construction and the Thames Tunnel was used by trains by this point. The latter still is, part of the London Overground. So, it was ferries east of that.

The wharves and docks stretched (mostly) on the north of the river east of London Bridge to Beckton. There were some smaller older quays to the west, like the now Hays Galleria shopping area. The docks at Tilbury also existed and they would take over as ships got bigger, leading to the gradual closure of the old docks, deprivation and then gentrification.

London's Chinatown consisted of less than a thousand residents and was in Limehouse. It is now in Soho, an area that was historically a red-light district but is mostly gentrified now, with a somewhat larger population due to immigration from Hong Kong.

The East End had a reputation as "a wretched hive of scum and villainy" fuelled by stories like this (also the Ripper murders of 1888), but was mainly just very poor. Slum clearance efforts were beginning, but not in any coordinated or effective manner at this point.

Threadneedle Street, in the City of London, is best known as the location of the Bank of England.

Lee was a middle-class suburb that sat on the edge of London in 1889; it had just been taken from Kent and incorporated into the new County of London. But suburban residents in London will still frequently identify with traditional counties.

However, the massive expansion of the city in the first half of the 20th century put Lee in inner London and it today sits in Zone 3 for public transport fares. Indeed, the opening of the railway station in 1866 is what made Lee a desirable area and it still is.

Bow Street police station was a famous police station in London, sharing the building with an equally famous magistrate's court - the building was pretty new, finished in 1881, but the Bow Street Runners before that (set up in 1749 by judge and author of Tom Jones Henry Fielding) were the first effective law enforcement force in London. The former closed in 1992, the latter in 2006 and there is now a museum on site.

"Hugh Boone" would have been charged and fined for breaking the Vagrancy Act of 1824, a piece of Georgian-era legislation enacted because the British government decided that the best way to deal with a surge in poverty and homelessness after the Napoleonic Wars, along with a massive internal influx of economic migrants, was to make rough sleeping and begging illegal, with a maximum sentence of a month's hard labour. This act also covered prostitution, but was in practice mostly used against gay men.

The act remains on the statute books, albeit heavily amended - and somtimes used against homeless people; with 114 people charged in Greater London in 2019-2020. The currently Tory government has pledged to repeal the act and passed legislation in 2022 that will allow for that once a replacement act is enacted to cover some of the other offences in the still-extant text, like hiring children as beggars.

[astarab1aze]

List of Currently Active Belegerande's Staff

Alchemy: Mordred Clarke; House La Fey; A dreadful romantic who has a preference for ornamental flora and Ms. Boone; 46 years old

Defense: Jaime Doola; House Laveau; Secretly a gifted multishifter, but his registered shape is the Gray Fox; Always seems to know more than he's letting on, but is seen as trustworthy by students; 52 years old

Offense: Antebella Boone; House Bell; Heavy-handed but precise in her teaching, also a gifted summoner; 41 years old

Elemental: Titania Greenwood; House La Fey; comes from a long line of Fey-blooded folk and is thusly blessed with immortal life and youth; Cannot lie; Age unknown

Flight & P.E.: Leeper Sinclair; House La Fey; Was once, actually, a former member of the professional broom racing team, Deadbolts, who won the official Broom Racing National Championship in 2014; 37 years old

Divination: Theresa Davenport; House Scrivener; Youngest of Belegerande's faculty but most talented diviner, hoping to be a permanent addition; 30 years old

Illusions: Angela Houdini; House Scrivener; Strict old woman and often heavy-handed in her teaching methods, but loves to 'wow' the students with fanciful illusions; Her relation to The Houdini is coincidental; 81 years old

Summoning: Altair Valentinus; House Scrivener; Another dreadful romantic longing for the Old Days, when spells were uttered as poetry; Comes from a long, long line of powerful vampires once closely related to Pope Valentinus himself; Age unknown

Necromancy: Alexander Night; House Bell; Wealthy prick directly related to Enfurious, and surprisingly strict with his regard to necromancy and respectful practices, one might also call him a skeezy hardass; 43 years old

Blood Magic: Magnus Santafyatè; House Laveau; All around enigma of few words except when teaching, she is equally as strict but more flexible in teaching methods and isn't at all afraid to display the realities of blood magic 39 years old

Transformation & Multishifting: Talula Beauregard; House Scrivener; A Cherokee-French sorceress of notable power, fancying an 'eye' motif to symbolize her divination abilities and loyalty to her House; A vampire; 42 years old

Herbalism: Salem Merauda Anise Morteatum; House La Fey; The resident eccentric of the school's faculty, completely detached from human life including his own; 34 years old

Enchantments: Jewella Gilde; House Bell; She is beautiful and icy, but it is her jewelry that keeps her so; Gilde Family traditions dictate that deceased loved ones' ashes be compressed into diamonds and used in their craft, so much of her enchanted accessories are set with jewels made from her family members; 79 years old; the Gilde family runs Gildebanque's

Hexes & Curses: Vexine Whitlock; House Scrivener; Deceptively older woman, rumored to be over 100, and is famed for her book on The Prevention, Deflection, Mitigation, and Practice of Hexing & Cursing - and ability to back that knowledge up with force

Psychology: Aletta Grimm; House Scrivener; A vampire who looks like a warm hug, she is well versed in human and sorcerer psychology, and her divination abilities strengthen this knowledge and understanding; 167 years old

Arts Classes: Saphira Omay; House La Fey; A calm if mildly anxious were-cat with experience in theater, galleria, a series of fantasy-romance novels, and various dance awards; Rumored to have performed with the Mock-Frogs and songstress Fhara; 49 years old

Beast Taming: Obsidia Barnum; House Laveau; An energetic beast-tamer and shapeshifter whose registered form is the Husky; Her voice is a bit deeper than average and also a bit raspy; 36 years old; great grand-niece to Merauda Barnum

Groundskeeper: Damien Weatherwax; House Laveau; Vivienne's husband and resident quiet bookworm with a great love for sweet tea, tending to the western half of the Belegerande's campus; 55 years old

Groundskeeper: Vivienne Weatherwax; House Bell; Prefers to use a wand when casting and tends to the eastern half of the Belegerande's campus; 43 years old

Councilors: Dr. Vilencia Delirio; House Scrivener; Uses foresight to help figure out the best treatments, having fine-tuned her ability over many years of practice; Vampire; 285 years old

Nurse: Dr. Maryann Heartwell; House Bell; Perpetually exhausted school nurse, doctor, and surgeon who can't get enough coffee in her system; The youngest of all medical staff at Belegerande's; 40 years old

Nurse: Dr. Loomis Shadowmend; House La Fey; His familiar is the snake and he is a very strange, somewhat creepy man; Uses frankenleeches in his practice; Vampire; 89 years old

Dean/Headmaster: Spira Belegerande; House Scrivener; An altogether sinister figure who carefully governs the school; Morally gray and incredibly intimidating; Turned vampire at a young age; Direct descendent of Alistair Belegerande; Exact age unknown, thought to be in the mid 150s

[dutch-and-flemish-painters]

Attributed to Antoon van den Heuvel  -  The Resurrection of Lazarus - 

oil on canvas, 173 × 197 cm (68.1 × 77.5 in)

Sint-Baafskathedraal, Ghent, belgium

Antoon van den Heuvel, Antoine van den Heuvel or Anton van den Heuvel (nickname: 'don Antonio') (c. 1600 – 5 August 1677) was a Flemish history painter and draughtsman. After training and working in Antwerp and Rome, he returned to his native Ghent where he was one of the important creators of altarpieces for the churches in the region.

Antoon van den Heuvel painted mainly religious scenes and portraits. He is usually regarded as a representative of the international Caravaggesque movement. His Lamentation in the Church of Borsbeke relies upon a painting by the Dutch Carravagist Gerard van Honthorst of the same subject for its composition and a number of motifs.

His style is, however, not that easily reduced to the Caravaggesque movement. His early work showed a preference for contrasting colours and strong lighting, with little use of transitional tones. But compared to his contemporary Jan Janssens, one of the foremost representatives of the Ghent Caravaggisti, Antoon van den Heuvel rarely showed Caravaggesque elements. Only in one work, 'Mary with the Christ Child and the Rosary' of 1634 (Church of Nazareth, Belgium, he adopted one of the motifs of Caravaggio: 'The Madonna with the snake' (Rome, Galleria Borghese).

Van den Heuvel's style is in its linear compositions and bright lighting more Classicist in nature and closer to the work of Agostino Carracci, Annibale Carracci and Lodovico Carracci and their followers. He must have seen their work during his residence in Rome.

Van den Heuvel also borrowed motifs and compositions of contemporary Flemish painters such as Rubens and Caspar de Crayer.

His later work between 1640 and 1650 is less colourful and therefore appears less expressive.

Van den Heuvel also made designs for engravings. The paintings (some of them after designs by Rubens) that he (and other painters) made on the occasion of the Joyous Entry of Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria in Ghent in 1635 were engraved to be included in a publication authored by Willem van der Beke (Guilielmus Becanus). The publication entitled Serenissimi principis Ferdinandi Hispaniarum infantis S.R.E. cardinalis triumphalis introitus in Flandriae metropolim Gandavum was published by Johannes Meursius in Antwerp in 1636. Leading Antwerp engravers Jacob Neefs, Pieter de Jode II and Antony van der Does made the engravings for the publication.

A portrait painting made by van den Heuvel was used by the prominent engraver Paulus Pontius as the basis for his engraving of a portrait of the Flemish poet Jeremias Pierssene.Guillaume Duvivier, an engraver who was active in Ghent in the 17th century, made an engraving after a painting of Antoon van den Heuvel which shows two servant women in a kitchen. This genre subject is atypical for van den Heuvel who mainly painted religious scenes and portraits.

[rajbalapackersandmovers]

THE 10 BEST Places to Go Shopping in Gurgaon District 

Welcome to Gurgaon District, a vibrant hub of shopping experiences! Whether you're a local resident or a visitor exploring this dynamic area, Gurgaon offers a plethora of shopping destinations to suit every taste and budget. From upscale malls to bustling markets, there's something here for everyone. Let's dive into the top 10 places you should take advantage of when shopping in Gurgaon District.

Ambiance Mall:

As one of the largest shopping malls in Gurgaon, Ambience Mall boasts a diverse range of stores, restaurants, and entertainment options. From luxury brands to popular retail chains, Ambience Mall offers a premium shopping experience.

DLF CyberHub:

Known for its vibrant atmosphere and eclectic mix of restaurants and bars, DLF CyberHub also features a selection of boutique shops and specialty stores. It's the perfect destination for a day of shopping and dining.

MGF Metropolitan Mall:

Located in the heart of Gurgaon, MGF Metropolitan Mall is a favorite among locals for its extensive selection of fashion brands, electronics, and home goods. It's a one-stop destination for all your shopping needs.

Galleria Market:

Nestled in DLF Phase IV, Galleria Market exudes charm with its open-air layout and boutique shops. From designer clothing to unique handicrafts, Galleria Market offers a delightful shopping experience.

Sahara Mall:

Conveniently situated on Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Sahara Mall features a mix of retail outlets, entertainment venues, and food courts. It's a popular destination for both shopping and leisure activities.

Sadar Bazaar:

For those seeking a traditional shopping experience, Sadar Bazaar is the place to be. This bustling market is known for its affordable clothing, accessories, and household items. Bargaining is a must here!

Sector 14 Market:

With its shops and street vendors, Sector 14 Market is a local favorite for budget-friendly shopping. You'll find it all from trendy apparel to fresh produce in this bustling market.

The Gurgaon Central Mall:

Located in Sector 25, The Gurgaon Central Mall offers a curated selection of national and international brands. With its spacious layout and diverse offerings, it's a popular choice for shoppers of all ages. Due to such reasons, people choose to live in Gurugram. To know more, you can see what are the Best Places to Live in Gurugram.

Cross Point Mall:

Situated in DLF Phase IV, Cross Point Mall features a mix of retail stores, eateries, and entertainment options. Its convenient location and relaxed ambiance make it a go-to destination for shoppers.

Galaxy Mall:

Rounding out our list is Galaxy Mall, a vibrant shopping complex in Sector 15. From fashion boutiques to electronics stores, Galaxy Mall offers a diverse shopping experience in the heart of Gurgaon.

Ready to explore the best shopping destinations in Gurgaon District? Plan your shopping spree today and discover the hidden gems waiting to be explored! Don't forget to visit Rajbala, your one-stop shop for Packing and Moving services. Click here to learn more and start shopping with Rajbala today!

[silence-of-autumn42]

A Timeline of Duviri

While the Planes of Duviri don't function in a typical linearity, with its cyclical story spirals happening day after day, there is something of a timeline of events in the pocket universe, largely revolving around the lost islands of Duviri. This is an attempt at creating that timeline. This will contain spoilers for both the Duviri Paradox quest, as well as the Lost Islands of Duviri Fragments. Most of this is conjecture - the timeline of Duviri is pretty nebulous, and so I've had to guess based on context as to when events occurred.

The first event in the Duviri timeline is the establishment of the kingdom, during the Zariman 10-0 Incident. A young Drifter creates Duviri based on their storybook, Tales of Duviri, with the appearance of Dominus Thrax based on a doll the child owned.

The earliest event in Duviri history that we know of appears to be the arrival of The Scholar, an unnamed stranger who was granted the island of Scholar's Landing. Eventually, this island, and its inhabitant, would disappear.

Following this, I believe the first natural loss of an island occurred, which I'm guessing would be the Execution Cyst.

Then, the Bleeding Earth occurs, where a farmer named Hovrel discovers a spring of oily blood while digging on the island of Cornucopia. One person tasted it, and was immediately corrupted by the fluid. Thrax isolated and then severed the island of Cornucopia from the mainland.

Following this, an undercroft portal forms at the bottom of Lake Verula, resulting in the spread of Golden Maws across the Islands, and the draining and destruction of the lake.

Several more islands disappear over this time, including the Golden Hive and the Inversion Tree, while Thrax orders that the Shrines of the island of Lorn be disassembled and moved to the mainland.

Thrax eventually orders Manipura Island destroyed, along with its residents, the Calaventi sisters and their tennant farmers, after he is informed of their seditious comments by the family's staff.

Acritis witnesses an enormous finger emerge from the ground of the Galleria, and informs Thrax, who orders the island destroyed in fear.

Stitcher's Gulch and the Bountiful Swamp both vanish.

The Island of Lorn is severed from Duviri by disgruntled citizens, who break the bridges which connected it to the rest of Duviri, and dragged it away by tying Kaithes to the island with ropes.

The Rain of Chains occurs, where broken pieces of chain start falling from a red "veil" in the sky, injuring many citizens of Duviri, and killing Garmi, Mathila's husband, and destroying the Seriglass lighthouse atop Watcher's Island. Before his death, Garmi records an audio log detailing his vision of an enormous hand missing one of its fingers emerging from the Void. Three spirals later, the island itself vanishes.

Following the Rain of Chains, the Hollow Children begin appearing, until Thrax orders the island of Academe destroyed, only to find it has drifted away by itself. Around this time, I believe the Doll Mausoleum and Necropolis Island also vanish.

Teshin arrives on the island of Hermit's Landing, and is nursed back to health by Mathila. I presume he establishes his cave on this island, otherwise the island is lost. At some point, the Drifter meets Teshin, and names the Rablit who lives with the former Dax.

Finally, the Meteor of Natah's Hand falls on Duviri during the Drifter's execution, resulting in them escaping, and beginning the events of the Duviri Paradox.

While some of the characters in Duviri mention past events, like the crowning of Dominus Thrax, or the previous rulers of Duviri whom Lodun would have inherited the throne from, I believe these events did not occur within this version of Duviri, rather being holdovers from when Duviri was a storybook, where they were included as part of the setting description. Given this iteration of Duviri was created by the Drifter, I find it most likely that Thrax was on the throne from the start of its existence, as it was created with that in mind, as that is how the stories in Tales of Duviri seem to be written.

[senjuushi]

Event Translation — Brand New Journey ~Italy Expedition Volume~

Episode 8: Galleria Umberto I

—After their one full day of sightseeing was over, (Player Name) and the others returned to Naples.

A recently built arcade stands right in the middle of a street lined with shops both new and old. 

Marks: There are so many people out, even though it’s nighttime. 

Carcanore: Hey, look, it’s Galleria Umberto I. 

Marks: ...? What’s that?

Benetta: This shopping gallery. It was built in the 19th century, during the large-scale redevelopment of Naples that followed the cholera epidemic. 

Benetta: After that, problems such as deterioration did come up, but it’s still the foremost shopping gallery in Naples, and always bustling with people. 

Carcanore: The domed ceiling is fifty-eight meters tall, and isn’t the mosaic on the floor gorgeous? It depicts the twelve constellations. 

Carcanore: You can find everything from fast-food restaurants to menswear stores with a century of established history here. There are other such galleries and shopping districts around, but I think this one is the most “Naples-like” of them all. 

Benetta: Precisely. —ah, that reminds me. 

Benetta: I have some business at the shoe store. Did you receive the items you ordered? 

The boutique Benetta went to was one of an ultra-luxury brand. 

Cutlery: H-Hold on a second! Is this... Salvatore Gamoferra*!?

Carcanore: Yep, Benetta only wears Gamoferra shoes.

Cutlery: I thought you were wearing super well-tailored clothes...! How much do your wardrobes even cost...!

Benetta: Sorry to keep you waiting. 

Marks: Is this store really that impressive? 

Cutlery: It’s a first-rate brand! It’s beyond expensive. 

Benetta: We hold Bella Figure in high esteem, and that means maintaining a pristine appearance.  

Benetta: Wearing products made by a trusted brand that represents Italy is only natural. 

Benetta: All of your clothes are from this brand as well, aren’t they?

Cutlery: Eh! Seriously!? You gave clothes like that to tourists who were just passing by...

Benetta: I couldn’t bring shame to my guests, could I? Especially when they saved Bonito’s life. 

Carcanore: Anyway, wanna take a little break and hit up a bar? There are some places here that are famous for their cannoli. 

Benetta: Before that... Bonito. 

Bonito: Yeah? 

Benetta: Go put these shoes in the car, please. It’s not becoming to walk around with a large number of shopping bags. 

Bonito: ...a-ah! No problem at all. 

Carcanore: ......

The bar was crowded with a large number of people. Tourists and residents of Naples all mingle together. 

Master: 

Today’s been fun. 

We were able to enjoy Italy to the fullest thanks to you. 

Carcanore: We should be thanking you too! You gotta come again sometime. I can show you around way better next time. 

Cutlery: Yeah. ...I thought bars like this only served alcohol, but there’s all kinds of food here too, huh?

Carcanore: Yep, everyone here in Naples has their favorite bar. 

Marks: The pubs in England feel totally different. This place is lively, but still relaxed... 

Benetta: That’s also Bella Figura.

Marks: Really?

Benetta: Indeed. Well-becoming behavior is also essential. 

Benetta: That’s why, even when going to bars, it’s unheard of to dress poorly or disgrace yourself with intoxication. 

Benetta: My gun, as you can see, also honors beauty. 

Benetta placed his gun on the table. The upper third of the slide is missing, and the barrel is exposed. 

Marks: ...the barrel looks off. What does that mean for how it functions? 

Benetta: It means that it’s beautiful. 

Marks: ...beautiful... Master, do you understand? I don’t get it at all. 

Benetta: It’s fine if you don’t understand. ...is Bonito not back yet?

Carcanore: Should I pay now? Umm... I wonder if I have one for this place.

Carcarnore pulled a pouch out of his bag— stuffed full to bulging with its contents.

Cutlery: What’s that?

Carcanore: Hold on a sec... got it! 

The pouch had all kinds of discount coupons inside, and Carcarnore took one of them out. 

Carcanore: I got this coupon half a year ago! The expiration date is... wow, just in the nick of time! It’s today, how lucky~♪

Cutlery: ...is this Bella Figure too?

Benetta: No... 

Benetta: Carcanore is a fine person, and fundamentally Bello. However, I don’t think this frugal behavior is ideal... 

Carcanore: I can’t help it. Even I don’t know why I do it— it’s just my nature, at this point. Or maybe a habit? 

Carcanore: Also, can you cut it out with the “frugal behavior” jab? I just understand the value of money! Isn’t it smart to think like that?

Benetta: I’m not going to answer that. 

Bonito: Sorry for the wait! The shoes are in the car now. 

Bonito finally returns. Instead of sitting down, though, he took a step back. For an instant, (Player Name) feels a chill run down their spine. 

Marks: —nh! 

*gunshot*

Benetta shot Bonito. 

Cutlery: ...huh?

Notes:

*“Salvatore Gamoferra” is an altered version of “Salvatore Ferragamo”, a real (and also highly expensive) Italian brand.

[power-chords]

The Galleria Mall in White Plains is closing in March 2023. I'm not surprised, and yet I'm totally stunned. End of an era. CC: @ayellowbirds and my fellow Westchester residents and/or SUNY Purchase alums...

[satoshi-mochida]

Some games on the PSN Black Friday sale. Full list here, ends November 27th.

AI: The Somnium Files

Alternate Jake Hunter: Daedalus The Awakening of Golden Jazz

A Way Out

Azure Striker Gunvolt 3

Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack

Back 4 Blood

Batman: Arkham Knight

Batman: Return to Arkham

Blaster Master Zero

Blaster Master Zero 2

Blaster Master Zero 3

Blazblue Cross Tag Battle

Bloodborne

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Chaos Code

Crash Bandicoot 4

Crash + Spyro Triple Play Bundle

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reuinion

Cuphead

Danganronpa 1-2 Reload

Danganronpa V3

Dark Souls Remastered

Dark Souls 3

Devil May Cry HD Collection + 4 Special Edition Bundle

Disgaea 6 Complete

Disgaea 7

Dragon Ball FighterZ

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

Dragon Marked for Death

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

Earth Defense Force 4.1

Earth Defense Force 5

Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain

Earth Defense Force: World Brothers

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising

Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force

Fallout 4

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Fire Pro Wrestlng World

Forspoken

Ghostrunner

Ghostwire: Tokyo

Gleamlight

God of War(PS4)

God of War: Ragnarok

GrimGrimoire OnceMore

Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX

Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2

Hades

Horizon: Zero Dawn

Horizon Forbidden West

Immortals Fenyx Rising

Jak and Daxter Bundle

KATANA KAMI: A Way of the Samurai Story

Kowloon Highschool Chronicles

Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society

Lies of P

Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling into Darkness

Mafia: Definitive Edition

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

Marvel's Midnight Suns

Marvel's Spider-Man

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Megadimension Neptunia VII

Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection

Melty Blood: Type Lumina

Metal Slug 3

Metal Slug Anthology

Metal Slug XX

Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation Code Fairy Vol. 1

Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker

Nier Rplicant

Nier Autimata

Nitroplus Blasterz

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4

One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows

Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight

Persona 5 Strikers

Persona 5: Dancingin Starlight

Puyo Puyo Tetris

Rayman Legends

Resident Evil 4 remake

Resident Evil 7

Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles

River City Girls 2

River City Melee Mach

River City Saga: Three Kingdoms

RWBY: Arrowfell

Sifu

Sol Cresta

Sonic Origins

Spyro: Reignited Trilogy

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Steins; Gate Elite

STEINS;GATE: My Darling's Embrace

Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse

Super Bomberman 2

SUPERHOT

Super Neptunia RPG

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection

The Evil Within

The Evil Within 2

The Last Campfire

The Legend Nayuta: Boundless Trails

The Outer Worlds

The Quarry

The Wonderful 101: Remastered

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2

Valkyria Chronicles 4 Complete Edition

Voice of Cards 1-3

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun

Warm Snow

Wild Hearts

World End Syndrome

Yakuza: Kiwami

Yakuza: Kiwami 2

Zanki Zero

[ayliamc]

Italia

Day 8 - Art Fatigue

Steps walked: 22,802

Flights climbed: 44!

Vehicles ridden: 0

Points of interest visited: 6

Leonardos spotted: where one used to be

A truly luxurious morning today. Not even hampered by the discovery of tickets booked for an earlier time than we expected. ‘Twas a sunny and cool morning, perfect for our plan to hike up for a view of the city. Also our first [and only] time exploring the south side of the Arno. We passed by Galileo’s house. No big deal right? It certainly seems not to be. It’s just a building, now three townhouses, with a little plaque and a little mural. Otherwise unmarked, no pomp, no circumstance. We might have missed it had it not been for Google maps.

I can be seen here pointing at both the plaque and a cat who was walking by. (Have I mentioned I miss the animals?)

A little further up the hill was one of many botanical gardens. We got admission and marveled at the fact that they advertised wifi and offered the password freely, and the password was rejected about seven times before randomly being accepted. No one could make sense of this. But we wandered around the poorly marked garden and enjoyed nice views of Firenze despite my indignation that the map and signage was so senseless.

A little further up the hill was the Piazzale Michelangelo where yet another replica of the David resides, this one in bronze. It also provided a great overlook of the city — evidenced in part by the large crowd we had joined all seeking the same view.

It really felt like we could be looking out onto a city in 1475, the same city Leonardo loved and lived in. The same city that has produced so many great minds. The art mouth, where creativity and genius stems from the wellspring of the Arno.

We made our way back to our room — without using gps! — and had some leftovers for lunch before heading back out into the city.

We had seen signs advertising an exhibit at the Palazzo Strozzi by one of my favorite modern artists, Anish Kapoor. I learned of him in 2009 when we saw one of his exhibits while living in London and was captivated by his work. So I couldn’t resist the opportunity to see another, and bonus: introduce his work to Dan. The exhibit happened to open today! Despite my earlier belief that it opened the tenth of July because of European dating. How lucky that we happened to be in Florence on the opening day of the exhibit! I wish it had been bigger. There weren’t many pieces installed but the ones we saw were incredible, featuring a wax installation I had seen in London and some mind bending mirror and black pieces that made you feel like you were at once falling forward and that the world was shifting around you.

From there we went back to Universo Vegano for a quick snack where I got drunker than I expected from the Aperol Spritz I got in lieu of the hot chocolate I wanted (they were out) but thoroughly enjoyed the hazelnut croissant (Dan got tiramisu),

then back to the Museo Opera dell’Duomo, the museum connected to the Duomo. The museum is housed within the same building in which Michelangelo carved the David, close to its original intended location (the Duomo) and close to its original actual location (outside the Palazzo Vecchio, former home of the Medici family) and a short walk from its current location (the Galleria dell’Academia). Much to my disappointment they did not have his old workshop preserved or on display even. The museum is instead filled with numerous sculptures, most of which were originally built to be featured inside the Duomo. At some point, the put the original pieces in the more protected museum and replaced them in the Duomo with copies. Items of note we saw included:

- the Gates of Paradise, made by a bunch of famous renaissance artists, none of whom are particularly interesting to me

- Michelangelo’s The Deposition, a statue he originally meant to adorn his tomb. But in typically Michelangelo form he got frustrated with imperfections in the marble and smashed it to pieces, leaving it unfinished before it was reassembled after his death

- An altar piece that had some work done by Verrocchio, Leonardo’s first teacher

Our tickets to the museum also came with admission to the crypt below the Duomo so we circled the massive cathedral looking for the entrance. By the time we found it, I was eager to sit down. We had already walked a LOT. At the museum, they’d made me check my backpack (my tiny little bag), and reinforced that the coat check was “only for the museum”. Well I got to experience some more of that “don’t expect things to make sense in Italy” vibe when they turned me away at the crypt for my backpack again, and offered me no solutions as to where I could check it. So Dan went in without me because I was too irritated to deal with it, and I gave my ticket to another woman who wanted to see the crypt but they were sold out. We never even entertained going into the refractory which we also had access to with our tickets. All we wanted to see was the museum anyway.

From there we went to the nearby Palazzo Vecchio. (No backpacks again! At least they had a locker room I could leave it in. Somehow today is the day we visited all the “no backpack” museums. Annoying.) It’s a very old building and as the Medici family lived there, it’s naturally filled with art. Say what you will about the Médicis, but they put a lot of money into the arts. The 1% don’t do that so much anymore. Thanks to the patronship of the Médicis we have works from the likes of people like Leonardo and Vasari and Botticelli.

Leonardo had been hired by the family to paint the Battle of Anghiari in their great hall, but he got bored and frustrated and moved away from Florence before it was ever finished. The incomplete fresco was then ruined when they expanded the room and it was subsequently painted over by a new fresco. There are theories that some of Leonardo’s work remains underneath, Dan-Brown-style conspiracies fueled by the “look and you shall find” message painted into the new fresco.

We saw about a million and a half paintings by Vasari, the frames all Botticelli, and by the end of the tour experienced what I can only explain as “art fatigue”. When we went to Ireland, every castle sighting illicited excitement. But after a week it was like “cool, ANOTHER castle what’s special about this one…” It’s taken three days in Firenze to have the same feeling about 500 year old paintings and reliefs by the great Italian masters of the renaissance. We were a little overloaded with it, and numbed to the magic. We did see Dante’s alleged death mask-but-probably-just-some-sculpture. And another incomplete Michelangelo. And Machiavelli’s old office when he was the Secretary of Firenze.

We had some time before dinner so we went back to the apartment where we both groaned, collapsed onto soft furniture, and sat in near silence for a half hour before we went back out to dinner.

We opted to return to Nirvana, where we had our first meal in Firenze. I got the ravioli again (no regrets) and Dan got a really tasty tagliatelle with truffle sauce.

We’ve certainly made the most of our time in Firenze. And the location of our apartment was beyond ideal, paid for with shitty wifi and a shower that offered me two whole minutes of hot water that night. I will miss this city.