#Hotel Sublime Porte

[aloalarmmis]

[glamrpevents]

Perched atop the Panier hill, in the oldest quarter of Marseille, the InterContinental Marseille – Hotel Dieu, is the most majestic of the luxury hotels in the city. Overlooking the Vieux Port, its massive staircases, vaulted passages and magnificent terraces all bear witness to the former status of the building: the Hôtel-Dieu, a superb 18th century edifice, inaugurated by Napoleon III, in person. This classified historical monument, with its unique setting, offers an inimitable view of the landmark Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde Basilica, while firmly seated in the present-day, modern and very contemporary Marseille. The MuCEM (museum for Europe and the Mediterranean) that opened its doors in 2013, is a short walk away, as are the old Joliette Docks with their animated business quarter, shopping outlets and ever-growing trade and commerce. The Hôtel-Dieu continues to stand tall above the city, as it has done for centuries: it is an ideal venue for anyone wishing to really get to know Marseille, both past and present.

Nestled within the historic setting of Marseille's iconic Hotel Dieu, the InterContinental Marseille boasts a blend of timeless elegance and modern luxury. With breathtaking views of the Vieux Port and the Mediterranean Sea, this five-star hotel offers impeccable service, exquisite dining options, and indulgent spa facilities. Each room and suite is meticulously designed to provide the utmost comfort and sophistication, ensuring a memorable stay for discerning travelers seeking an unforgettable experience in the heart of Provence.

Elevate your experience at the rooftop bar, where sophistication meets skyline panoramas. Offering a stylish ambiance and unparalleled views of Marseille's historic Vieux Port and the azure Mediterranean, this rooftop oasis invites guests to indulge in handcrafted cocktails, fine wines, and gourmet bites. Whether basking in the glow of a sunset or reveling in the city's nightlife against a backdrop of twinkling lights, the rooftop bar promises an unforgettable rendezvous high above the bustling streets of Provence's vibrant capital.

It’s no secret locally, that the Capian bar is one of the trendiest in Marseille, and a huge favourite among cocktail enthusiasts. The word ‘capian’ derives from the local word for the pointed prow of the emblematic, brightly-coloured fishing boats, with their generous curves, that ply their trade in the ports of the Mediterranean. This bar has it all! An elegant décor, a superb terrace, a view of the Vieux-Port, the protection of Notre-Dame de la Garde and to cap it all, a head bartender, Xavier Gilly, national and international award winner.. Together with his talented barmen, Xavier has created over 50 inimitable cocktails for a drinks menu with over 200 international alcohol brand references, including a magnificent collection of premium spirits.

LES FENÊTRES: In a brasserie that is at once modern and chic and extends unto a magnificent outdoor terrace in summer, our Chef’s cuisine draws its inspiration from all things Provencal, for contemporary, audacious dining.

THE TERRACE: Grandiose, sublime, glamorous, extraordinary: these are but a few of the adjectives to describe the 750 m2 that are your best introduction to the capital of Provence, the city of Marseille and its 300 days of annual sunshine. The terrace of the InterContinental Marseille – Hotel Dieu is set above and slightly back from the Vieux-Port, under the benign gaze of Notre-Dame de la Garde, emblem of the city.. All year round our staff is delighted to share this paradise with you. The life and times of the Provence is well represented here, as is the very soul of the wonderfully fashionable city of Marseille and the eternally-beautiful Provence Here you can contemplate the Lacydon cove (calanque) where the local art de vivre finds its origins: and the art de vivre in Marseille is well-known indeed!

ROOM SERVICE: Room service is gastronomy at your fingertips, when you wish. Dishes prepared by our Chefs are delivered to your room by staff there to ensure that you enjoy every moment of your stay. Whether you opt for a Continental breakfast, a healthy choice meal, à la carte, starters and salads, regional dishes, in season dishes of the da, pasta, pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, desserts, the wine menu and so much more… At Room Service there’s a lot to choose from.

The pool is perfectly secluded, protected from public view and from the sun’s rays, with water at 28°C, in an infinitely peaceful setting. The decor is reminiscent of the fountains and lavoirs (communal clothes-washing places) of traditional Provence. The decor draws its inspiration from the Palais Longchamp, built to celebrate the arrival of water in the city of Marseille in the 19th century. The pool is enclosed on one side by a stone wall down which water gently cascades into the pool, providing a charming, pleasant backdrop. The lighting, both subtle and discreet, with a mix of warm and cool tones, evokes the changing luminosity of the city and reinforces the sense of peace.

BEACHES NEARBY:

Plage des Catalans: Located just a short distance from the hotel, Plage des Catalans is a popular urban beach offering golden sand, clear waters, and stunning views of the Château d'If and the Frioul Islands.

Plage du Prophète: Situated to the south of Vieux Port, Plage du Prophète is another nearby option known for its relaxed atmosphere, calm waters, and picturesque setting against the backdrop of the Corniche Kennedy.

Plage de la Pointe Rouge: A bit further from the hotel but still easily accessible, Plage de la Pointe Rouge is one of Marseille's largest beaches, featuring fine sand, various water sports activities, and a vibrant beachfront promenade with restaurants and cafes.

Plage de la Vieille Chapelle: Tucked away in the charming Vallon des Auffes neighborhood, Plage de la Vieille Chapelle offers a more secluded and intimate beach experience, surrounded by rugged cliffs and traditional fishing boats.

In a decor inspired by the traditional Provencal fountains and lavoirs (communal clothes’ washing places) the Spa by Clarins offers time out: a moment of sheer revitalizing relaxation in an ambience redolent of the warmth and sensuality of the Mediterranean basin. There are 5 treatment booths including a double VIP booth, indoor swimming pool, indoor relaxation areas and a spacious fitness centre: the spa offers you a bubble of physical and spiritual relaxation, restful with Provencal tones. The Marseille Spa by Clarins is the first ever care and beauty treatment centre from this world-famous brand to open in the city of Marseille and indeed the first ever partnership between the brand and an InterContinental hotel in France.

Endowed on three sides with large French windows, the fitness center benefits from pervasive light and has an incomparable view of the Hôtel Dieu and the Vieux Port. It is fitted with the very latest, high quality Technogym equipment, WIFI connections and personalized, touch-sensitive screens:

Treadmill

Indoor cycles

Elliptical trainer

Rowing machine

Muscular strength exercise machine

Aqua jogging

Our personal trainer, several-times French champion in Taekwondo and Olympic coach in the 2012 games in London, is on hand should you request her services, to help you get back in shape, with the methods best adapted to you, personally.

Bedroom 1: 1 King

Bedroom 2: 2 Queen(s)

Sofa bed

Rollaway beds not permitted

Cribs permitted: 1

Common Area

Each room provided with a terrace

Ana De Armas, Hayley Williams & Jake Gyllenhaal

Anne Hathaway, Kendall Jenner & Andy Samberg

Joe Keery, Candice Swanepoel & Camila Morrone

Danielle Campbell, Louis Tomlinson & Harry Styles

Damiano David, Dove Cameron & Bella Hadid

Elsa Hosk, Charlie Hunnam & Madelyn Cline

Nicholas Galztine, Aaron Tveit & Taylor Zakhar Perez

Jenna Ortega, Jennifer Lawrence & Sophia Bush

Madison Bailey, Michael Clifford & Ashton Irwin

Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson & Ariana Grande

Joe Jonas, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce

Madison Beer, Zendaya Coleman & Mason Gooding

Andrew Hozier Byrne, Paul Wesley & Nina Dobrev

Ross Lynch, Jacob Elordi & Troye Sivan

Victoria De Angelis, Cari Fletcher & Renee Rapp

Romee Strijd, Austin Butler & Chris Evans

Zoey Deutch, Selena Gomez & Justin Bieber

Andrew Garfield, Callum Turner & Dua Lipa

Kaia Gerber, Nick Jonas & Justin Hartley

Barry Keoghan, Shawn Mendes & Sabrina Carpenter,

David Corenswet, Florence Pugh & Henry Cavill

Chase Stokes, Sydney Sweeney & Kelsea Ballerini

Chris Hemsworth, Emily Ratajkowski & Dacre Montgomery

Drew Starkey, Rudy Pankow & Grant Gustin

Glen Powell, Cindy Kimberly & Dylan O’Brien

Kylie Jenner & Liam Payne, Thomas Doherty

Mike Faist, Phoebe Tonkin & Steven R. McQueen

Olivia Rodrigo, Luke Hemmings & Calum Hood

Ryan Gosling & Gigi Hadid, Camila Mendes

Ryan Reynolds, Sophie Turner & Blake Lively

Hailee Steinfeld, Niall Horan & Barbara Palvin

Tom Holland, Joe Burrow & Hailey Baldwin

Perrie Edwards & Zayn Malik, Cody Christian

Billie Eilish, Jessica Alexander & Odessa A'Zion

Robert Pattinson, Chase Matthew & Suki Waterhouse

Maggie Lindemann, Kevin Jonas & Josephine Langford

Dianna Agron, Tom Hiddleston & Riley Keough

Margot Robbie, Melissa Barrera & Alycia Debnam-Carey

Ryan McCartan, Greta Onieogou & Lauren Jauregui

Anna Kendrick, Dakota Fanning & Avan Jogia

As per our usual routine, we'll be switching rooms mid-week.

[sosuiteofficial]

Experience Montreal's Vibrant Culture and Comfort at Loft Hotel by sosuite

Nestled in the heart of Montreal's lively Quartier Latin and the trendy Plateau Mt-Royal, Loft Hotel by sosuite offers an exceptional stay experience that combines modern elegance with the comforts of home. With its prime location just steps away from the historic Old Port, the Quartier des Spectacles, and the bustling downtown business core, this beautiful hotel invites guests to immerse themselves in the city's vibrant culture while enjoying spacious and exquisitely designed loft-style accommodations.

Elegant and Spacious Loft Accommodations Loft Hotel boasts 30 elegant and modern loft-style rooms, ranging from 850 to 1250 square feet. These spacious accommodations are thoughtfully designed to provide guests with an unmatched sense of comfort and luxury. Whether you're seeking an open-concept layout or a more private closed-room arrangement, the hotel's uniquely designed suites cater to your preferences. High ceilings and large windows not only create a sense of grandeur but also offer panoramic views of Montreal that are truly sublime.

Each suite is tastefully furnished with a blend of warm and contemporary decor, creating an inviting ambiance that sets the tone for a relaxing stay. Plush high-end bed linen ensures a restful night's sleep, while the fully equipped kitchen featuring modern appliances empowers guests to prepare their favorite meals at their leisure. From solo travelers to families, every guest will find everything they need to make their stay hassle-free and enjoyable.

Unparalleled Location Situated in the Quartier Latin, which is also a part of the Quartier des Spectacles, Loft Hotel finds itself in the midst of Montreal's vibrant and culturally rich scene. This student-friendly neighborhood pulsates with lively nightlife, offering an array of entertainment options. The presence of the Université du Québec à Montréal and indie theaters lends an intellectual and artistic touch to the surroundings. Rue Saint-Denis, known for its lively atmosphere, is a hub of bars and eateries that promise delightful culinary experiences.

For those who revel in outdoor gatherings, the Place Émilie-Gamelin square becomes a popular hotspot during the summer months, hosting concerts, festivals, and captivating art installations. The hotel's location allows guests to effortlessly immerse themselves in Montreal's dynamic cultural events and attractions, creating lasting memories of their visit.

Modern Amenities and Convenient Access Loft Hotel understands the importance of staying connected, which is why free WiFi is available throughout the property. Moreover, the hotel offers private parking on-site, ensuring the convenience of guests who choose to explore the city by car. The units are thoughtfully equipped with a range of amenities, including a wardrobe, a flat-screen TV, and a private bathroom complete with fresh bed linen and towels. The suites are air-conditioned and soundproof, guaranteeing a serene and comfortable environment for every guest.

Within close proximity to the hotel, guests can access notable landmarks such as the University of Quebec in Montreal UQAM, Berri Uqam Metro Station, and the iconic Place des Arts. Travelers flying in will find convenience in the hotel's location, with the Montréal/Saint-Hubert Airport situated a mere 8.7 miles away.

Conclusion Loft Hotel by sosuite offers a harmonious blend of luxurious comfort and cultural immersion in the heart of Montreal. With its spacious and exquisitely designed loft accommodations, prime location, and modern amenities, the hotel invites guests to experience the city like never before. Whether you're here for business or leisure, the Loft Hotel promises a memorable and enriching stay that captures the essence of Montreal's vibrant culture.

[aneurinlarsen]

3 Reasons You Should Go To Cinque Terre a minimum of Once in Lifetime

Italy is among the most checked out countries in the world as well as no person can resist to its incredible beauty, the elegance of its greatest cities or its smallest towns.

It's not a coincidence people describe Italy as 'Il bel paese'.

It would be difficult to detail all the appeals Italy can supply you, but there is an unique location that is entitled to a see at least as soon as in your life We're talking about "Le Cinque Terre", also referred to as 5 Lands, an item of heaven which includes a stunning coast called Riviera Ligure di Levante (or Riviera Spezzina), and also the wonderful towns of Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and also Riomaggiore. If you don't recognize that area of Italy, below we will describe why you need to visit the Cinque Terre at least as soon as in a lifetime.

Why are they called Cinque Terre and also where are they situated?

Surely you've heard of the wonderful laguna veneziana, of the exceptional sea of Sicily, or the elegance of Florence, without pointing out Rome, caput mundi. Nevertheless, not every person finds out about the Cinque Terre.

As stated above, the Cinque Terre belongs to the Italian region of Liguria, in the north-west area, close to France.

This location is made up of five stunning villages (in the past known as Terre, Lands), which come from La Spezia, one of the most essential cruise port of the region.

Hotel la spezia

That's why the coast of the Riviera Ligure di Levante is called Cinque Terre (5 Lands).

The 3 main reasons for seeing the Cinque Terre at the very least as soon as in a life.

1) Nature

It could sound evident, however the natural beauty of the National Park of the Cinque Terre occupation the heart, the mind and the spirit.

Poets like the Nobel prize Eugenio Montale blogged about the heartbreaking charm and sublime asperity of this part of Italy.

Begin a travel between slim paths on high cliffs, amongst the indescribable colors of those spectacular views, it offers you a true feeling of satisfaction, leaving you a sense of deep and tranquility, speechless in front of those appeals that Nature has actually provided to this component of Italy. The Cinque Terre belong to the National forest of the Cinque Terre, perfect habitats for great deals of pets where they locate perfect conditions for living and duplicating.

2) The Sea

The harsh shoreline is a distinct line which leaves without breath those that wants to start a trip to the Cinque Terre.

Remaining in front of the Riomaggiore and also see the peaceful blue is actually astonishing!

Albergo economico la spezia

Delving into the crystal water from the middle rock in the marina of Manarola, because fantastic sea of an extreme eco-friendly, gives the visitor memorable memories.

You can not miss out on a browse through to Vernazza, a little village with a superb view: the items of the sea that this coastline can offer to site visitors are of an uncommon charm.

Obtain lost in the infinite blue of the water after having gotten to the marvelous Castello dei Doria is actually unique for its charm.

3) Shades

Yellow, red, blue, pink, white, environment-friendly, turquoise: the Borghi (tiny villages) of the Cinque Terre are like a party for the eyes, an excellent combination of amazing appeal.

Quit to admire the upright as well as narrow residences, hidden paths, high stairs, old wall surfaces ruined by the wind as well as the salty air.

Every corner of those ancient towns of fishermen has a distinct taste, tough to locate anywhere else in the world.

Corniglia, as an example, is the tiniest area of those 5 Borghi (villages) and it lies on top of a cliff surrounded by vineyards, which mix the eco-friendly of their leaves with heaven of the sea and the colorful houses.

They are only a few of the many reasons why to check out the Cinque Terre as well as now it depends on you to uncover the others: we are at your whole disposal to bring you via the appeals of this remarkable microcosm.

[nishaparmar]

Enjoy Your Honeymoon at Best Place in India

Andaman The travel industry

Loaded with turquoise blue water sea shores and a touch of history, Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a little cut of heaven concealed around 1,400 km from the east bank of central area India. Port Blair, the capital of this association domain, has a significant air terminal and seaport associated with the remainder of the nation and with different traveler islands by means of numerous day to day ships. Havelock and Neil Islands are famous among sightseers for their white sandy sea shores and brilliant plunging choices.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands includes 572 islands, just 37 of which are possessed, and a couple are available to sightseers. Havelock Island is one of the biggest and the most well known islands of all Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Explorers regularly enter from Port Blair by means of flight or transport and spend numerous evenings in Havelock and Neil Islands that offer a few extraordinary hotels.

Port Blair is by and large utilized as a base city to get ships to local islands. Be that as it may, travelers likewise go through a little while here to investigate the town and close by sea shores. Individuals additionally require roadtrips to Ross Island and North Sound Island or Baratang and Carefree Float island from Port Blair.

Andamans have the most colorful ocean side and some of them likewise offer the chance of evaluating various water sports, for example, Scuba Plunging, Swimming, Ocean Walk and so on. North Cove Island close to Port Blair, Elephant Ocean side in Havelock Island and Bharatpur Ocean side in Neil Island are three famous sea shores to give a shot watersports.

Manali The travel industry

With marvelous valleys, stunning perspectives, snowcapped mountains, and lavish woods of oak, deodar, and pine, Manali is a mysterious slope station at the northern finish of Kullu valley in Himachal Pradesh. Skilled to the world by the powerful Himalayas, being one of the most famous objections for Honeymooners is known. Manali offers sublime perspectives on the Pir Panjal and the Dhauladhar ranges, shrouded in a thick cover of snow for a large portion of the year.

Throughout recent years, Manali has developed into a spot cherished by youngsters searching for additional long visits. With surrounding bistros, great wifi accessibility, little restaurants, and advantageous shops, Old Manali is among the most loved neighborhood for such individuals. What's more, numerous homestays and lodgings offer residence beds for inexpensively longer terms.

Aside from excursions and workations, Manali is a must-visit for travelers, as it's a great base for investigating this side of the Himalayas. Waterway Beas gives extraordinary boating choices in the close by town of Kullu. Connecting the Parvati waterway lies the Parvati Valley, with Kasol, Manikaran, Tosh, and little towns drawing in explorers for long visits. Atal Passage permits explorers to arrive at Sissu inside a couple of hours, making Spiti more open.

Vacationers run to Rohtang Pass and Solang valley for different experience exercises, including skiing, paragliding, horse-riding and zorbing. It snows the most in January and February, trailed by December and Walk. Assuming you're lucky, you could discover some snow in April.

Alleppey The travel industry

Authoritatively called Alappuzha, Alleppey is the truly amazing spot known for its lovely backwaters and the houseboats offering short term visits. The shore of Alleppey offers probably the best sea shores in Kerala with water sports during the dry season.

Alleppey is found near Kochi in the South Indian territory of Kerala. Its palm-bordered between interface organization of waterway backwaters draws in a ton of vacationers from everywhere the world. Combined with other lovely spots in Kerala like Munnar and Thekkady, Alleppey is frequently considered for a special first night or for an extraordinary family get-away.

There are a lot of houseboats, homestays, and reviving Ayurvedic resorts that make remaining in Alleppey splendid. The houseboats go through the quiet backwaters, where you can get looks at green paddy fields, ensemble making exercises, and witness the existence of local people in Kerala.

Make certain to get a customary snake boat race in the long stretches of August and September and evaluate some drink (palm wine) at a nearby drink search for adding a bit of validness to your movement experience in Allepey.

For more information please visit - Honeymoon Packages in India

[gingerhotelsindia]

Budget-friendly hotel near Sahara Hospital| Ginger Lucknow

Ginger Lucknow is the solution to all of your housing needs, so stop worrying. A three-star hotel in Lucknow that provides the usual amenities, including free internet, a modern fitness centre, in-room dining, an air conditioner, a tea or coffee maker, a mini-refrigerator, and an LCD or LED TV for entertainment, as well as meeting spaces, shuttle services, laundry facilities, and other amenities. Additionally, Ginger provides lodging with a flat-screen TV and air conditioning. The resort provides nutritious dining options for those who are minding their diets. Ginger is one of the top hotels in Gomti Nagar Lucknow  Other hotels that are as reasonably priced as Ginger Hotel are hard to locate when you're looking for great services and leisure time. Ginger hotel is near Sahara Hospital Lucknow and is conveniently located just 3.9 km away, saving you money on transportation costs as well. The bus station and the airport are at a short distance from Ginger Lucknow and offer additional transportation options.

Ginger Lucknow provides twin and queen-sized room options. For those with particular needs to have a hassle-free, comfortable stay, the hotel also features rooms that are specially created for them. Ginger is one of the greatest inexpensive hotels in Gomti Nagar Lucknow, which guarantees a memorable stay. Things to do while you stay in hotels in Lucknow near Sahara Hospital Lucknow , there are remarkable monuments that blend colonial, oriental and antique architectural styles. The Mughal doorway Rumi Darwaza is situated near the centre of it. There is a sizable arched hall at the neighbouring Bara Imambara shrine. Located upstairs, Bhool Bhulaiya is a maze of crowded passages with balconies that look out over the city.

The Bara Imambara, also known as the Asfi Imambara, is one of Lucknow's most well-known landmarks. It is a major place of prayer for the Muslims who come here yearly to mark the Islamic festival of Muharram. One of Imambara's most well-known features is the spectacular maze, sometimes referred to as Bhul Bhulaiya locally and located on the upper floor of the monument.

Hazratganj is the downtown of Lucknow, a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. In addition to bazaars, it also contains shopping complexes, restaurants, hotels, theatres and cafes.  

Those who are familiar with history would know that the Nawabs of Awadh was known for adorning exquisite jewellery and clothes. In addition to their epicurean excellence (biryanis, kebabs, and whatnot), they always took pride in their textiles and handicrafts. And when you are in the City of Nawabs, Lucknow, you can’t miss the authentic and traditional local markets.

The Chhota Imambara, also known as the Imambara of Hussainabad, is one of the most stunning and alluring structures in Lucknow's old city. The monument, which is a true sight to behold, is located to the west of Bara Imambara. The Rumi Darwaza is a 60-foot-high entranceway that was constructed in 1784–1786 and has no apparent supporting fixtures. It is a must-see location on your itinerary and is also referred to as the Turkish Gate. It has an Awadhi architectural style.

Nawab Asaf-Ud-Daula erected the impressive Rumi Darwaza in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India in 1784. It is an illustration of the Awadhi style. The Sublime Porte in Istanbul served as inspiration for the sixty-foot-tall Rumi Darwaza.

Many excellent hotels exist that can meet your needs, but none compare to Ginger's low-cost accommodations in Lucknow. At Ginger Hotel establishments, every single traveller's request is fulfilled with meticulous attention and thoroughness. To improve visitors' overall experience while staying at the Ginger Lucknow Hotel, the hotel provides modern amenities and high-quality services.

[maryeve-the-bitch]

Un jour de février

Fruk week 2021

Day 4: winter / spring

Words: 2,565

Summary: Domestic fruk. Old married couple vibe. The couple is visiting Matthew in Quebec city during the cold month of february.

Warning: French, so much french (Translations are at the end), and mention of sex. Not really explicit though. 

Francis couldn’t wait to visit his son in february. However, he was dreading the cold and the weather he would face when they’d arrive in the city. He wasn’t used to that kind of cold anymore ergo he knew how much he would suffer through it. At least, he would be in good company and his boyfriend Arthur was coming as well.

As soon as Francis and Arthur landed in Quebec city, they traveled straight to their hotel since Mathieu would only be coming the next day and his meeting in the capital got delayed. Hopefully, Francis would enjoy a nice evening with his dear Arthur. The hotel room they picked had a cozy fireplace with a plaid fluffy blanket laid on the king bed. The decor of the room reminded Francis of a lumberjack’s cabin with deer antlers hanging down from the wall and the wood-like walls. While it wasn’t the usual style Francis would like, he did appreciate the coziness of it. He reminded himself not to let Arthur choose a hotel for them by himself again. At least, the bathroom was huge compared to what he is used to and in the middle of it, there was a bath that could easily fit 3 people in it. At the sight of the bath, Francis gave Arthur a teasing smirk as he tucked a lock of his blond hair behind his hair. Arthur rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Sure, love. Later.” Arthur agreed to his boyfriend’s silent plea.

Francis wrapped his arms around Arthur’s from behind.

“Je te promets qu’on passera un bon moment.¹” Francis whispered to his ear as he delicately bit it.

“I promise I’ll kick you in the arse if you don’t stop teasing.” Arthur said with his jaw clenched and a blush on his cheeks.

The comment made Francis chuckle and hugged his boyfriend closer.

“C’est trop facile de te taquiner."² Francis kissed Arthur’s cheek and let go of him.

Since they were both exhausted from the flight and the jetlag, they decided to go to bed early after they took a shower.

In the morning, they decided to wait for Mathieu to tell them when and where they would meet in their room after they got back from eating breakfast on the first floor. Francis looked outside the windows, contemplating the landscape from the city under the snow, as Arthur finished getting dressed and buttoned his shirt up.

“On n’a plus d’hiver comme ça par chez nous, hein?”³ Francis sighed.

“You never had winters like this before. Unless you count the ice age.” Arthur commented.

“Ouais. Du coup, c’est ben mieux que ta pluie 10 mois par année.”⁴ Francis retorted, looking back at his boyfriend.

Arthur glanced at Francis before taking his jacket from the bed and put it on.

“Tu sais que la reine vient pas aujourd’hui, hein?”⁵

“Shut your bloody mouth and get dressed, Francis.” Arthur sighed.

Francis let out a dramatic sigh as he let himself fall on the bed face first and grumbled Arthur’s name on the pillow. Arthur just rolled his eyes, ignoring his melodramatic scene as he was well too familiar with it. Francis turned around and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Peux-tu m’aider, mon amour?”⁶

“What? Help you get dressed? You’re not a child anymore.” As Arthur spoke, he received a notification from his phone that was placed on the desk and charging. He picked it up to see what it was.

“It’s Matthew. He wants to meet at the castle at noon.” Arthur paused to look at the time. “You’ve got one hour to get ready.”

“Quoi? Une heure?” Francis whined. "Ça nous donne même pas le temps de faire l'amour."⁷

"We would if you hurry the fuck up and stop whining."

Francis finally got up from the bed, not without whining even more. At the end, he did get ready in under an hour. When Francis got out of the bathroom, he paraded in front of Arthur who was sitting on the chair in front of the desk. Francis wore an open blue see-through shirt with some kind of green flower pattern on it. As for the bottom part, he wrote black trousers with the same flowery pattern.

"We're not going to a gay pub or a fashion show."

"Ah mais il faut que je sois à la hauteur de moi-même quand je sors. Je ne peux pas sortir comme si je serais un pauvre paysan. Pour qui tu me prends, putain?"⁸

"What the hell does that mean?" Arthur sighed. "You're going to wear a warm coat at least?"

Francis walked over to his suitcase and pulled out a navy blue double button wool coat and put it on.

"C'est sublime, non?”⁹ Francis turned around to show all angles of his outfit, feeling proud of it.

“Yes. You’re looking very handsome. You’re going to be cold though. Have you not brought something warmer?” Arthur put his hands on his waist.

“J’ai une écharpe qui ira bien avec. De toute façon, on restera pas trop longtemps dehors. Qui serait assez fou pour aller dehors en un temps pareil?”¹⁰ Francis replied.

“Right. Don’t say I haven’t warned you, frog face.”

Francis would probably die of humiliation if he had to wear something ugly so he’d rather die of hypothermia and being pretty than be seen wearing something hideous. The couple left their hotel room and took a cab to get to their destination. They were still a few minutes late, but nothing Arthur would mind and Mathieu was already waiting for them in front of the castle as agreed.

Upon meeting, Francis hugged Mathieu tightly since he hadn't seen him for months. Arthur greeted him politely under his giant coat that he brought to make sure he didn’t freeze to death. He wore both a winter hat and the hood of his coat with a scarf and at least 2 pairs of gloves. Since Mathieu knew both Arthur and Francis, he didn’t make a comment on how they were dressed. In his opinion, one was overdoing it and the other thought fashion was more important than warmth.

Since Mathieu was getting hungry, they went and looked for a restaurant. While Francis wasn’t hungry, he was gladly welcoming the idea of getting inside. He’s only been 2 minutes out and thought his nipples were already frozen. On their way to the restaurant, Francis tried to warm himself with his hands in his coat pockets and holding his arms close to his body, without much success.

After going down some stairs, at Francis’ displeasure, they walked down a small street that led to the restaurant. Francis remembered that street, he visited it during summer a long time ago. It changed a bit but not enough to not recognise it. He would admire the scenery if he wasn’t so goddamn cold. He just couldn't wait to get to the restaurant at last. Mathieu was explaining to Arthur the historic facts of some buildings even though Arthur already knew those facts; he just forgot. Their chatter sounded mostly background noises to Francis as his focus was mostly on his movements.

Finally, they reached the restaurant. They got seated and offered the menu to order.

“You’re awfully quiet, frog.” Arthur commented as he opened the menu. “Not complaining. That’s just unusual for you.”

Francis glared at his boyfriend. They both knew why he was quiet.

“Can you two stay civil please?” Mathieu asked. He knew his dads and their tendency to fight or argue way too well.

“Of course, lad.” Arthur replied. “I’d offer you my coat for a while, at least until you warm up, but I know too well you won’t accept it.” He continued.

“J’ai pas besoin de ta pitié. Je vais juste commander un bon café chaud et ça ira.¹¹ Francis replied.

“If you say so, love. I hope they offer good tea here.” Arthur said, dismissing Francis’s passive aggressivity.

The waitress came soon after and they all ordered their food and drinks. She took back the menus and left for the kitchen.

“You two are so different. I sometimes wonder how you are still together.” Mathieu commented.

Both Francis and Arthur looked at each other, Francis smiling lovingly.

“Cause we have great sex. That’s why.” Arthur answered Mathieu’s wonderment. He soon received a kick under the table from his partner.

“C’est vrai.”¹² Francis added.

“Please stop. I don’t want to know.” Mathieu interrupted Francis before he would add anything too explicit for him. The Frenchman chuckled while Arthur smiled. Well, at least, Mathieu succeeded to ease the situation between the two.

While they waited for their order, Francis grabbed Arthur’s hand under the table.

“Fucking hell, Francis!” Arthur exclaimed when he felt his boyfriend’s cold hand on his.

“Ah. Je suis désolé, mon amour.”¹³ Francis apologised, looking dejected.

“It’s fine. You surprised me, that’s all.” Arthur said softly as he took Francis’s hand in his.

Thankful, Francis smiled and let Arthur warm his hand. Usually, Arthur hated public displays of affection even as small as hand holding, so it overjoyed him that he accepted to do so.

They talked about Alfred the rest of the time they waited for the order. The American was quite busy at the time so he couldn't make it, but Matthew was grateful he couldn’t because he could easily bring all the attention to him. He appreciated the rare times he got alone with either of his parents. Even when Alfred wasn’t here, he got all the attention, but that was fine with Mathieu. He’d prefer that over Alfred present and talking loudly and interrupting him.

After lunch, Francis felt warmer and happier from the cup of coffee he drank and the small affection he received. His joy wouldn’t last long when Mathieu offered to walk alongside the river and the old port since they were close by. Arthur agreed to it too quickly, Francis thought.

“Et si on allait faire du shopping? Ça serait pas mal, non? Tu m’avais pas parlé d’un centre commercial avec un mini parc d'attractions à l’intérieur?”¹⁴ Francis suggested.

“Well, Matthew and I never liked shopping much and I don’t especially like theme parks either.” Arthur protested as he put his coat back on.

“Besides, there are probably too many people there already.” Mathieu added.

Francis pouted and followed the other two outside. They walked a few minutes until they reached a pedestrian path near the river. Arthur narrated the scenery with tales of the past, including Mathieu in it. Francis would normally enjoy joining in and teasing his partner, but he had troubles following them up even though they walked at a relatively normal pace. The Frenchman wished he was anywhere else other than outside in the cold. He thought of leaving them, calling a taxi and going back to the hotel on his own, but his fingers were already frozen again and he would have to look for the taxi’s number. Arthur probably had the phone number since he called one earlier. However, Francis was too prideful to ask him the number.

They walked and walked until they reached a small park in front of the train station. By that time, Francis thought his fingers were so frozen that he might lose some of them. His feet weren’t any better. Arthur and Mathieu spotted a bench and sat on it to take a break while Francis stood in front of them. At this point, Francis had his hands inside his coat pockets and the bottom half of his head hiding behind the scarf. Some of his hair locks were frozen too for some unknown reason and his cheeks and ears were red, almost turning to purple. When Mathieu sat down, he noticed how cold Francis looked.

“Es-tu correct, papa?”¹⁵ Mathieu asked him with concern.

“Ouais”¹⁶ was all Francis could be able to say through his shivering.

“Would you like to go back to the hotel, Francis?” Arthur sighed.

Francis nodded.

“You could have said so before, you dumb bitch.” Arthur added as he took his phone out to call a taxi.

The Frenchman didn’t have the energy to insult him back. Mathieu stood up and removed his jacket and offered it to his papa. He wouldn’t have taken it if he wasn’t so desperately cold and if he didn’t appreciate and enjoy gifts he received from his kids. The inside of Mathieu’s jacket was really fluffy and warm, like wearing a cloud.

When Arthur was done telling the taxi operator their current location, he hung up the phone and noticed Mathieu gave his jacket to Francis and only wore a red t-shirt.

“Aren’t you cold, Matthew?” He asked his son.

“Nah. It’s only -10°c anyway.” Mathieu shrugged.

Arthur almost choked himself with his saliva at this comment.

“What do you mean, ONLY -10°c? That’s too bloody cold, lad.” Arthur replied, making the taller blond boy laugh. “Even I want to go back inside and get warm. Perhaps get a cup of tea or something.”

“We can wait for your taxi inside the train station if you want.” Mathieu suggested.

The other two didn’t even have to say anything; they both agreed and followed Mathieu inside the train station.

Back at the hotel room, after Arthur took out his own coat, gloves and hat, he helped Francis get undressed and wrapped him around in the fluffy tartan blanket from the bed.

“Sit down on the chair and I’ll light up the fireplace for you.” Arthur requested him.

Francis smiled softly as he sat down in one of the two sofa chairs in front of the fireplace. It didn’t take long for him to sit with his bare feet on the chair, holding his legs close to his body. Arthur took a match out of the matchbox sitting on the top of the fireplace and lit it up. He quickly threw the match inside the fireplace and closed the glass door.

“Right. I’ll get some water boiling for tea. Would you like a cup?” Arthur asked.

“Oui, s’il te plaît.” ¹⁷

Arthur kissed his boyfriend’s red cold cheek and left to the small kitchen to boil some water with the kettle. Francis laid on the side of his head on the chair and watched him, smiling. While Arthur rarely said he loved him or complimented him much, he did care a lot when it mattered. He was there for him if he needed him and of course, Francis would do exactly the same.

Arthur came back with two cups of boiling hot water and put it down on the side table between the two sofa chairs and sat down next to Francis. The Frenchman noticed his boyfriend brought his own tea bags and even thought of bringing Francis’ favourite kind of tea even though he preferred coffee over tea. He watched as Arthur soaked the tea into the cup.

“Are you feeling better, love?”

“Oui. Merci.”

“You’re welcome”

Francis got up from his chair and went to sit on Arthur’s lap.

“What do you think you are doing?”

Francis wrapped his arms around his partner’s neck and kissed him tenderly.

“I love you.” Francis whispered after he was done kissing. Arthur blushed and pulled Francis closer.

“Je t’aime aussi.”¹⁸ Arthur whispered back.

Translation:

¹ “I promise you a great time.”

² “It’s too easy to tease you”

³ “We don’t have winter like this back home, do we?”

⁴ “Yeah. At least, it’s better than your rain for 10 months a year.”

⁵ “You know the Queen isn’t coming today, right?”

⁶ “Can you help me, my love?”

⁷"What? One hour? We won't even have time to have sex."

⁸ "I must be at the top of myself. I can't go out like a poor peasant. Who do you think I am?"

⁹ “It’s gorgeous, right?”

¹⁰ “I have a scarf that would look good with it. Anyway, we won’t stay long outside. Who in their right mind would stay outside in that kind of weather?”

¹¹ “I don’t need your pity. I’ll order a nice hot coffee and I’ll be fine.”

¹² “It’s true

¹³ “Ah. I’m sorry, my love.”

¹⁴ “What about going shopping? Wouldn’t it be nice, would it? You told me about a shopping mall with a mini theme park inside, didn’t you?”

¹⁵ “Are you ok, dad?”

¹⁶“Yeah”

¹⁷ “Yes please.”

¹⁸ “I love you too.”

[travelguidesmagazine]

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Vizium Group  (Digital agency that provides business strategy, design and marketing)

[feelingfolegandros]

Day 1 - Tuesday, October 27 2020

Hello out there,

A friend I met here in Folegandros in September suggested I start a blog over the winter since I decided to stay. So here we are. Why not? Hi Paul! 

For those who aren’t aware (I wasn’t until about 3 months ago), Folegandros is a small island in Greece, part of the Cyclades. I first visited in mid-August and fell in love with it. 

I was initially there for a couple of weeks, then went to meet my friend B.W. in Palermo to celebrate her birthday, then returned for a few weeks in mid-September to early October, went back to Berlin for 2.5 weeks where I’ve been living for the past 5 years to purge myself of the vast majority of my possessions, my apartment, etc and returned just yesterday, technically, although it was very late Monday night. 

Our ferry (I say our because B.W., not just a friend but my best friend, is joining me for the winter) was scheduled to arrive at 00h35 but arrived nearly an hour late. We had left Athens at 14h55. 

To get here, there are a few ferry options which become increasingly sporadic as tourist season dwindles. There are typically two main options that I refer to as the “fast” and “slow” ferries. I don’t feel like explaining them now.

But okay, I guess I will elaborate. The slow ferry is quite slow… It takes just under 10 hours to get to Folegandros from Athens, with four or five stops at other islands on the way. B.W. wasn’t thrilled with the idea but I have resolved to never ever take the fast ferry again because not only is it more expensive, it also tends to be a heck of a lot more nauseating. 

With the “fast” ferry, we’re talking a journey of approximately 4.5 hours on the open sea without being able to get any fresh air for the entire duration. If the wind and therefore the waves are wild, you might vomit. At one point, on a journey from Folegandros to Athens last month, I was sitting on the ground, hunched over my open suitcase, just trying to keep it together. I think this was after I darted to the tiny airplane bathroom-sized facilities where shortly after I started vomitting, a man (I think) in the stall next to me also started vomitting. A beautiful vomit symphony. 

Okay, enough with the ferries, although it is the only way to get to the island, unless you’ve got access to a private boat or helicopter. 

We arrived early Tuesday morning (Day 1) at something like 1:30am, when the boat was scheduled to arrive at 00h35. For the last part of the journey, I went outside to the front of the boat and revelled in each second it crawled along the long North side of the island, peering out at the lights and thinking about my favourite people and places that I would soon return to. Drinking the air and the salt and the darkness and the mystery of the almost-full moon.

My boyfriend Z.X. picked us up from the port in his car. We met at a wedding a few weeks before. More on that later... He drove us to our house, our beautiful rental abode for the winter just outside the island’s main town, Chora. B.W. and I settled into our respective rooms, with Z.X. naturally joining me for the evening in mine.

In the proper morning, after a bit of sleep, we made some breakfast, and later picked up some things we needed for the house. In the afternoon, Z.X. drove us to Agali beach. The taverna was still open, although everything else was closed. I said hello to the man who owns one of the cafés (who by the way, is an extremely talented DJ...therefore his café consistently has the best music on the island) as he diligently cleaned what looked like a drying rack for dishes. When I went for a swim in the sea, I noticed two men dismantling the sign for a hotel… a sign of the times.. The end of the season. Time for winter. 

Definitely cooler than it was in early October, B.W. and I were still thrilled to be able to embrace the sea. We both feel very connected to the beach in general, to nature, to stillness, to relative simplicity in life. We bonded over our love of Greece, among other things, although she has a longer-term relationship with the nation. In fact, B.W. 

spent some of last winter on Santorini, which is very close to Folegandros. She had been quietly manifesting an opportunity to spend four months of this winter in Greece, and here we are. We met online in March at the start of this whole Covid thing and became closer just this summer. We consider each other sisters, basically. Cosmically, karmically bonded whether we like it or not! (We like it!) 

After Agali, after taking our turns walking along the shoreline together, separately…. Dancing, scooping up the sand, lying on my big purple psychedelic beach blanket I bought while in Palermo, laughing, counting our blessings, we headed to Ano Meria to watch the sunset. Ano Meria is the other town on the island. Z.X. lives and works there, and I have a dear friend, a true Folegandriti born and raised on the island, who also lives there with her family. Z.X. took us to a spot, according to him a former lookout point for the Italian army. We went inside the tiny stone structure, now largely filled with hay, and I carefully climbed up a tiny ladder out the window onto a rock. It was sublime. Life here in general is sublime, in my humble opinion. 

We drove back to the house, with Z.X. stopping now and then to speak to locals he recognized. It’s interesting, he’s Greek but not from Folegandros, and only moved here in September. So we’re both new to the island, making our own friends, figuring out our lives here separately and sort of together. After showering we headed into Chora to get something to eat. By this point, I was already verging on hanger (hunger + anger). I opted to take a quick lap around the village to get a few moments of alone time. Z.X. and B.W. settled on Souvlaki Club, one of the few places still open on the island. B.W. has some dietary restrictions, so there were only a couple of things she could eat… And Z.X. somehow forgot them in the order. All was okay in the end, and by the time we had all eaten a bit, we were in better spirits, joking about our first dinner together as a family. At least B.W. and I thought it was funny. One thing I am still wrapping my head around is the fact that it’s completely scandalous for someone (me) to order patates (french fries) with ketchup and mayonnaise.... Z.X. explained that the combination, and the fact that it’s too different sauces makes it unhealthy and a bizarre preference. I still don’t get it, but it’s one charming example of the cultural differences between a Greek man and an Italian-Canadian woman that’s been living in Germany for half a decade. We’re learning to compromise. For example, I opted to only have ketchup with my patates to avoid any scandal that evening at Souvlaki Club. The next morning, Z.X. compromised (with my gentle, playful insistence) by cleaning a few dishes in the morning before he left, instead of just leaving them for me. 

Alright, that’s all for Day 1. Let’s see if I can keep the other days more concise….

P.S. I’m going to use initials for everyone I mention in my posts. They will not be anyone’s real initials to protect the privacy of my friends, loved ones, strangers, etc. 

[misslisterkeepsajournal]

1822 Thursday 18 July

6 1/2

12

At 8 1/4 my aunt and I set off (a cunning little girl our guide - picked her up in the village) to see the cataract Rhiader Mawr - the girl pronounced Rhiader as tho’ pronounced adder - going and returning took us 1 49/60 hour rained all the time more or less, but gentle and not so as to wet one much - my aunt thought the cataract not worth the trouble we had had -

Breakfasted - the milk in the house all sour - desired the waiter to get some elsewhere - no body kept any cows or even goats and no milk to be had - sent for the mistress (Mrs Lewis) she was very civil said it was a shame to live in the country and have no milk, and she sent somewhere, borrowed a pint, and I had at last caffée au lait as usual, and a good breakfast - In paying the bill they gave me in change 2 Irish tenpennys, but valued them at only 9d. - I gave the waiter 1 of these and 2d., and the chamber the other (i.e. 9d.) not giving her anything for my bed, because the sheets were certainly not clean of which I took care to tell both her and her mistress - As they told we could get nothing for the horses at the slate quarries, we took 2 feeds of corn (16d.) with us wrapt up in the plaid - the clouds looked very threatening -

Left Aber at 11 10/60, and in 1 1/2 hour at 12 40/60, on account of a heavy shower, stopt a neat looking small house by the wayside (Mr Jones’s the Tin y Mis Inn, as the chamber maid spelt it, 7 miles from Bangor and 8 from Capel Curig) - Detained here 1 1/2 hour it rained almost all the while, and, besides, Percy had his near hind shoe fastened on - the vale of Nant Frangon began about a mile from Tin y Mis Inn with the slate quarries - drove forwards about 3 1/2 miles to within 4 or 5 miles of Capel Curig, a good way beyond the end of Ogwen pool - the scenery, the tremendous mountains on each side all the way, particularly bordering the lake, sublime and savagely grand - It was aobut 3 hours from our leaving Tin y Mis to our going into the slate quarry which we entered at 4 1/4 and staid 1/2 hour - it rained very heavily all the while and afterwards till we got back to Llandegai (2 miles from here, Bangor) where we turned to our left this morning to Nant Frangon - we turned off to the slate quarries to the left as we returned from Ogwen pool at the last turnpike before Llandegai - owing to some men standing by we took a round in going and were 20 minutes from the high road to the quarries we returned a nearer way in 10 minutes -

The quarries very well worth seeing - shewn us by an overlooker John Hughes, a better sort of workman allowed allowed 14/. a week - 9 hundred and 2 or 3 men employed in all the quarries (belonging now to Mr Pennant who succeeded to the estates of the late Lord Penrhyn, and who, Evan JOnes the Snowdon guide told us had 28,000 a year clearing 18,000 by the quarries) - we saw the largest quarry 450 men employed in it - they were pulling down huge masses of slate with ropes - or rather the ropes were fastened to or about the rock for the men to climb up by, and split or rend off the masses with large iron wedges - others were blasting the rock with gunpowder - this so lacerates the rock, they only do it when other means fail - we went thro’ a longish tunnel from one quarrry to another 60 yards deep - slates different sizes - the largest £7 a thousand delivered at Port Penrhyn (close to Bangor) the smallest 4/6 a thousand - good workmen can earn about £2 a month - each one pays 4/. a month towards clearing away the waste made in getting and dressing the slates - and what more is required is paid by Mr Pennant - the refuse is carted out along the side of the hill, and has a striking effect (like so many pit-hills as we call them) at a distance # - 

We particularly admired the small scattered town and very neat looking church of Llandegai, and should have liked to visit Penrhyn castle at a short distance from it on the right, going from Conwy to Bangor had we had time etc - The castle is approached from Llandegai by a fine gothic gateway under a handsome dog-toothed Saxon church like arch - this, however, struck me as rather inconsistent with a regular castle gate - not yet quite finished - Got out at the Castle Inn, Bangor (at the back of the cathedral) at 6 - Drove down to the bishop’s palace (I suppose it is) at first, and thence directed to the castle - It is the best Inn in the place, but bad enough and dirty enough - quite full - 2 very small hot uncomfortable looking rooms at the top of the house - and a sitting room on the left of the entrance on the ground floor next the street - and even about this we had some difficulty, finding other company when we returned from the Cathedral, and obliged to civilly turn them out, tho’ here before us - A reverend Mr and his daughter Miss Jones from Ruthin -

Walked out before dinner - a very poor little town, and very paltry Cathedral - A great long sword upon a flat table in a niche bespoke the tomb of Owen Glendwr - Suspecting that we ought to have gone to the Penrhyn arms at Port Penrhyn, close upon Bangor, perhaps 1/2 mile off, - I walked to see and be convinced - this is a dirty bustling coach-house - Perhaps Bangor ferry would have suited us much better; but Mr William Henry Rawson said “avoid Bangor ferry” - we shall see it tomorrow - I wish I had not minded this - however, we mean to be off at 7 in the morning and breakfast at the hotel at Caernarvon - we had mullet to dinner (sat down at 7 1/2) well dressed and good - a large too-short-a-time-kept leg of mutton, and a goodish currant tart (pie) - settled the accounts and wrote this journal of today after dinner - It seems to have been fair all the evening - Finished this at 10 1/2 and then went upstairs to bed -

# In returning just as we passed the bridge from the quarries and got back to the turnpike close to it, a flash of vivid lightening came across us immediately followed by a loud peal of thunder, and the rain which had begun just before we got to the quarries, continued till within a couple of miles of Bangor

Reference: SH:7/ML/E/6/0027 - SH:7/ML/E/6/0028

[lesombresnomades]

Les ombres à Terre-Neuve...

Après quelques jours en Nouvelle Écosse, nous atterrissons à Deer Lake à l'ouest de Terre Neuve. Il était important pour Nicolas de venir sur cette île lointaine car ses aïeuls étaient pêcheurs sur des terre-neuvas. Cette île est un ancien comptoir français : au sud on trouve encore des villes aux noms français comme Port aux basques.

Après avoir récupéré la plus petite voiture de l'agence de location, une Chevrolet Cruze, nous prenons la route vers notre logement, à Glennburnie sur la côte ouest dans le parc naturel du Gros Morne.

Jour 1 : Tablelands – Trout River

Tablelands.

Nous nous engageons sur une route rectiligne, très large avec sa bande jaune, coupant les montagnes. Celles-ci ne sont plus que minérales et de couleur ocre.

Nous parvenons au départ de la randonnée de Tablelands sans avoir rencontré d'autres véhicules.

C'est un chemin qui longe un ruisseau au milieu de montagnes devant lesquelles nous nous sentons tout petits. Nous progressons dans un véritable paysage lunaire. De nombreuses pierres et rochers de couleur brunâtre ou jaune jonchent le sol. Tout au long du chemin, nous observons diverses couleurs de roches dont une verte, couverte d'écailles : il s'agit de serpentine.

Ce qui rend ce lieu unique est l'affleurement de la croûte océanique mais aussi de pouvoir observer des roches qui se trouvent habituellement à des milliers de kilomètres sous terre. Nous marchons pendant 45 minutes en luttant contre le vent qui souffle particulièrement fort ici. L'extrémité du sentier est aménagée avec une plate forme en bois afin de ne pas détériorer l'environnement.

Face à nous se dresse un cirque entièrement minéral. Nous sommes empreints d'une certaine humilité face à cette grande nature.

C'est une randonnée accessible à tous et surtout incontournable !

Trout river.

Nous reprenons la voiture pour Trout River. La route s'arrête en impasse das ce village à l'extrême ouest de Terre Neuve, ce qui donne l'impression d'être au bout du monde. Là, seuls trois bateaux sont amarrés au port ; et quelques maisons constituent ce village. Les pistes servent de rues dans lesquelles quelques enfants jouent.

A partir de la plage, il est possible de suivre un sentier qui mène au dessus des falaises. Là, une prairie rase forme un paysage de type alpage. Les falaises sont abruptes et déchiquetées, nous continuons le sentier face au vent. Nous avons une vue sublime sur le village et la baie d'un côté et sur l'immensité de l'océan de l'autre.

Ce fut une journée pleine de contraste entre le côté désertique et minéral de Tablelands et la fraîcheur et le vent de l'océan.

Jour 2 : Green Gardens et Woody Point.

Nous partons pour une deuxième randonnée, Green Gardens, située entre Woody Point et Trout River. Le début de la randonnée se fait dans un paysage plutôt minéral et une végétation basse, ce qui rappelle la Crau (en Provence) à Nicolas.

Nous apercevons des lacs au loin, en contre-bas, et nous dirigeons vers des sommets vallonnés et arborés. Ici le balisage se fait par des rubans bleus cerclant des galets et non par un marquage sur des rochers.

Au bout de 2h30 de marche et quelques dénivelés, nous arrivons face à l'océan au dessus de falaises ! Sublime paysage qui valait ces efforts, de l'eau à perte de vue, une immensité bleue dans laquelle il est possible de se perdre par la pensée.

Nous nous rendons compte que nous sommes sur un camping « primitif » qui se caractérise par des carrés de planches de 4m² sur lesquelles il est possible de monter sa tente ainsi que des toilettes (cabane sans toit aux planches ajourées) ! Ici pas d'eau ni électricité... Le sentier longe les falaises et un escalier en bois permet de descendre sur une petite plage de galets en contre-bas.

Nous retournons à la voiture après quelques heures de marche. Ce fut une randonnée sublime mais éprouvante tant par les dénivelés que par la présence du vent.

Bon à savoir : le Gros Morne étant un parc national, il faut payer un droit d’entrée quotidien de 10$ par adulte (6,50€).

Woody Point.

Le soir, nous nous rendons à Woody point, petit village de 200 âmes dans lequel se tient un festival littéraire avec des concerts. Un mois auparavant, nous avions réservé des places pour le concert de Blackie & the Rodeo Kings ! Nous arrivons 30mn avant l'heure du concert et là, stupéfaction : des centaines de personnes sont présentes devant l'édifice du petit théâtre. Tous les villages alentours sont venus. Il règne une ambiance conviviale et familiale, tout le monde se connaît.

Blackie & the Rodeo Kings est un groupe de folk-rock composé de trois gars de 50-60 ans. Ils entament leur premier titre et se donnent à fond dès le début : nous sommes conquis. Après plus de 2 heures de concert, nous retournons à notre logement, des mélodies plein les oreilles....

Bon à savoir : le festival “Writers at Woody Point” a lieu chaque année au mois d’août, il accueille des écrivains mais aussi des artistes canadiens. Vous trouverez plus d’informations sur le site du festival : https://www.writersatwoodypoint.com/

L’offre d’hébergements dans la région étant assez limitée, pensez à réserver un logement plusieurs mois avant si comme nous vous êtes présents au moment du festival.

Jour 3 : Western Brook.

Nous avions réservé une excursion en bateau sur l'étang Western Brook au nord du parc naturel du Gros Morne. Il s'agit d'un fjord coupé de la mer avec de chaque côté de hautes montagnes verdoyantes. C'est un paysage unique sur l'île qui ne ressemble en rien à ce que nous avons déjà découvert ici.

Malheureusement, le temps pluvieux ne nous a pas permis d'effectuer cette excursion qui mériterait le détour...

C'est le cœur gros que nous reprenons l'avion le lendemain pour rentrer en France.

Bon à savoir : pour réaliser cette excursion, il est nécessaire de réserver au moins une semaine à l’avance sur le site  https://www.bontours.ca/fr ou bien à la billetterie de l’Ocean View Hotel à Rocky Harbour ou encore par téléphone au 709-458-2016 ou 1-888-458-2016

[regnbuereisen]

Day 12: Still San Antonio

Leaving one area of the city for another. It’s not far, but we’ve moved ourselves and our stuff to the Pearl area and booked a night at the fashionable Hotel Emma. It really is the fanciest place we’ve stayed so far, and our room is on the top floor with a balcony and everything.

After a mediocre breakfast at Hotel Gibbs, we packed our bags and walked the few blocks to the car park, braved the spaghetti highway, and made our way to the north end of downtown. It didn’t take many minutes to drive, and we were there before even most of the shops opened.

Even early in the morning it’s hot here, so we went to buy ice creams at Lick, but they don’t open until 11.30, so instead we found a café and ordered a second breakfast (not really, it was just coffee and hot chocolate), and people-watched for a while. I’ve never had a hot chocolate with foam art before, so I was impressed just from that. It tasted really good as well.

The area is expensive. That we knew beforehand, and it looks really nice here, but it feels kinda fake, if that makes sense. The area is well gentrified, and I imagine the rent is pretty high here.

Øyvind noticed a sweet book shop (Twig) right next to the café, so once we finished our drinks we crossed the square and went inside. Such a quaint shop. I really liked it! Filled with books, both old and new, gifts, souvenirs, other book-related stuff. I could probably have spent a couple of hours in there just looking. But I didn’t leave empty-handed. I found a notebook for myself (you can never have enough notebooks), and a gift, that I won’t talk about here, because, you know….

We spent then next few hours just wandering the streets, keeping to the shadow, and watching the people and the architecture. As far as we can tell, the whole area (or at least a good part of it) used to be a brewery. Every building is connected, and there are remnants of the old everywhere. But now it’s filled with restaurants and high-end shops. It’s not as touristy as it is further downtown. We found a shop called Ten Thousand Villages, a non-profit, fair trade shop that sells handcrafted jewellery and other items made by women in other parts of the world. They had a lot of nice things, but unfortunately not my style.

We had lunch at Southerleigh today because it had some really good reviews.. The restaurant (and brewery) is located inside the old brewery building, and they had really good food. Øyvind had the special of the day, which was beef soup first, and then a shrimp po’boy. Man! Those shrimps were succulent and tasty! I had the house burger, which was good, but a little bit dry.

We had to try the macarons at Bakery Lorraine too, simply because, well… it’s macarons. And the bakery is famous for them. We even had bubbles to go with them. Pretend like we’re rich, right? I’ve never been served bubbles in a milk glass before :D Sublime macarons, by the way. I really didn’t want to share with Øyvind. XP

Not sure what we wanted to do when we had finished eating (we were starting to get tired and very, very hot and sweaty), we found a place called The Grotto on google. It said it was pretty and shaded, so we decided to give it a try. It was pretty, sure, but was it worth the walk? I don’t know.

After this, we decided to stop by the hotel to see if our room was ready (check-in was, as always at 3, but it’s worth a try). Unfortunately it wasn’t, so to console ourselves we dried our sweaty, sunburnt faces and sat down in one of the hotel’s bars for some cocktails.

The room is really luxurious and big. And as I said, we even have a balcony. It was too hot to sit out there, but it’s still nice to have the opportunity.

Had to take a small siesta today, too. We’re really not built for these temperatures. But we made sure to make a dinner reservation at Cured, so we wouldn’t have to walk around looking for a place to eat, because apparently it’s really busy in the evenings here.

Oh, I forgot: there’s a library in the hotel <3

Lucky we did, because when we finally emerged from the hotel, the area was teeming with people. There’s some event in the square with a DJ and street vendors. We watched for a few moments, but the music wasn’t for us.

Dinner, however, was absolutely delicious. We split a small plate of pig cheek poutine with cheese curds. Weird with meat and sauce on top of French fries (we’ve never had poutine before, can you tell?), but the meat just melted in our mouths. It was really good. For the main course I ordered lamb with bitter melon and pureed something (I don’t remember what it was). Øyvind had the grilled flat iron. It was SO good! (And SO expensive, but we’ll find cheaper places to eat for the rest of the trip). It was even more expensive than the trash can in our hotel restroom – and yes, we got a price list. If you’re curious, the trash can is $80. 😳 Every piece of furniture is possible to buy.

Unfortunately a couple doing yoga right outside the restaurant window put a damper on our meal. Not the yoga part so much, but the fact that the man didn’t wear a shirt. That s*** should be illegal. So we didn’t stay for dessert.

That we (well, I did… Øyvind won’t eat ice cream abroad) had at Lick – honest ice cream. Two scoops, one with salted caramel and one with blueberry. OMG! It was so delicious. It tasted fresh and natural, and they make the waffle cones in the shop daily.

I had to eat it fast, though, because it started melting the moment we stepped outside the shop again. So I practically inhaled the thing :D

Back at the hotel, we sat down on the balcony to watch the sunset and listen to the birds settling down for the night. Suddenly I noticed a woman in our room, and I yanked the door open. Turned out it was an employee who delivered complimentary macarons (from Bakery Lorraine) and made the bed ready for the night (she had knocked, but we didn’t hear her, since we had the balcony door closed). Being in an expensive hotel comes with weird stuff, let me tell you. But the macarons makes up for the scare.

It soon became too hot to sit outside anymore, even with the sun setting, so we moved inside again to lounge on the king size bed instead. Øyvind found a channel called Motor Trend, so that’s him settled for the evening. I’m going to write a review of the ranch we stayed on, because they deserve all the praise they can get.

And later we have to find out where we want to go tomorrow. We still haven’t decided yet, and we have to book a hotel room. Or maybe we’ll just stop at a motel. Who knows. All we know is that the coast beckons, and we’re either spending the night in Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, Rockport, or Galveston.

[juniorformulamotorsport]

Sunday, 14th July 2019 – The Yeatman, Vila Nova de Gaia

Sunday night was the blow out meal of the weekend, a 2 Michelin-starred tasting menu in what might be the best hotel in the area, the Yeatman. First, however, we stopped off for a drink in Porto before getting a taxi across to Vila Nova de Gaia. In our search for a good place to get a drink, we stumbled upon the Livraria da Baixa, another of the ex-bookshops that have become other things over the years. There seems to be quite a bit of that going on in Porto. We had yet another porto tonico, and this one was different again. The barman asked us which one we liked best, but they were all good in their own ways.

After we’d finished our drinks we headed to the Intercontinental and asked the concierge to find us a taxi to the Yeatman. It didn’t appear, after all, to be the sort of place we wanted to fetch up in looking all sweaty and dishevelled! Also, we wanted to get there a little early so we could have a second round of drinks in Dick’s Bar up there. We’d heard it had excellent views. The taxi pulled up and several uniformed doormen appeared to hold doors open and point the way for us.

It’s very nice! We were escorted in, shown to the restaurant, and asked if we could start the evening in the bar. We were soon installed in a table on the terrace overlooking the river and it is certainly reasonable to say they have a view. As well as the river, and Porto opposite, you get a view of the gardens and the swimming pool – the latter appeared to be full of seagulls using it as a giant birdbath. Perhaps they have a better class of seagull at the Yeatman. Who knows!

Armed with a port cocktail each we dragged our attention away from the seagulls, and towards the view. The weather was not as clear as we might have liked, but the vista is still pretty impressive, even without sunshine and blue skies. I rather imagine in fine weather it would be gorgeous.

The port cocktails were pretty good too!

We decided it was best not to have a second round, and instead moved across to the restaurant to start dinner. There is only the tasting menu (at €170 per person), but if, as we did, you reserve online, this is emailed to you along with your confirmation so you can let the restaurant know if there is anything you don’t eat. In our case it was the pork option, so we let them know and then relaxed into the evening, knowing we’d be well looked after. I should also say that the restaurant has great views, but we weren’t on a window table (I assume those probably go to people actually staying at the hotel), so I only got a photo at the end of the evening.

The first thing that happened, given the Yeatman is part of the Taylor’s port group, was that we were offered a glass of white port as an aperitif while we looked at the menu to make sure it was still to our liking, and we checked the wine list and decided on that or the matching wines chosen by the restaurant for an extra €75 for 6 different wines).  The wines in question can also all be bought through the Yeatman Wine Club so it was really easy to establish what we’d had for once. The aperitif was a glass of Churchill’s Dry White which is rather more sweet than the name implies, though it still has a good, dry finish and peppery notes that would probably mean it’s good with cheese too. It worked very well in the heat, well chilled as it was, even if taking a good sniff of it left condensation all over the glass!

Before the first course of the tasting menu arrived, our first glass of wine was delivered, a Filipa Pato 3b Rosé (https://www.theyeatmanwineclub.com/en/espumante-filipa-pato-rose-3b) or more precisely perhaps Filipa Pato & William Wouter 3B Metodo Traditional Rosé, Bairrada, Beiras, Portugal, fresh, elegant, sparkling and just the thing with the parade of amuse bouches that arrived next.

First up, however, was a pair of cool towels for us to freshen up with, which were much welcomed.

The first morsels of food started to appear! And they were good! The first items was described as a Cocktail of apple, spinach and kale (manzana, espinacas y col) and was served with a very fresh bowl of oyster, jalapeños and apples with was fresh from the apples, tasted of the sea and packed a lively punch from the jalapeños.

It was soon joined by a tiny selection of “fish and chips” with two tangles of thinly chipped potato, and a piece of batters fish each. It was both fun and fabulous, and it was quite clear that the kitchen and the chef know what they are doing and have a sense of humour.

The cocktail was delicious (and may be the only way to deal with kale in a way that makes it palatable rather than like trying to eat crispy cardboard)! It was also a slightly alarming shade of green, with sweetness from the apple overlaying a slight cabbage-y bitterness.

The next round was barbeque chicken, and again demonstrated both humour and skill with a chicken sandwich, a smoked chicken oyster in panko breadcrumbs, and a chicken liver mousse, and superb even to those of us who normally avoid chicken (mostly for fear of how it might have been raised, though I rather suspect that the Yeatman is as concerned about provenance as Lynne and I are).

The final round of amuse bouches was tuna-based with a bonito “nitrogeno��� that was tartare-style…

And a tuna “sandwich”, with fish roe and mayonnaise wrapped in a nori seaweed sheet. It was a fun thing, full of flavour and it came with its own little dramatic reveal from inside a scroll of paper that the waiter then opened at the table. I was liking this place, because although there is a formality to the Yeatman, there is also a great deal of playfulness, and the staff could not be friendlier.

The sommelier brought the next wine, an Ilha do Pico Arinto 2017, from the Azores and fermented in oak vats for 6 months. The result is incredibly drinkable, especially with seafood, which is where the menu started. It doesn’t look as if it often escapes from the Portuguese speaking world, which is a pity because I really enjoyed it and would like to drink more of it.

It went brilliants with the Gamba Blanca (crayfish) with crab and clams. The crab and clams were in the form of a neat little beignet, and we were encouraged to use our hands to eat it rather than being wussy and using cutlery, neat though the cutlery was.

There was a sauce with it that needed to be scooped up and smeared on the beignet, and it was a positive pleasure to do just that. The dish was described as including chawanmushi, a traditional Japanese appetiser of steamed savoury egg custard and usually full of things like prawns, fish cake, mushrooms and so on so I assume that was what was holding the crab and clam mix together.

The crayfish came separately, carrying on the egg custard theme but being decorated with what the French would probably call mimosa style eggs, coriander and a traditional broth. It was a most excellent portion of shrimp, prawn, crayfish, whatever you want to call it.

We had moved, oenologically, onto a new white wine, this time a glass of Anselmo Mendes Parcela Unica 2016, made from Alvarinho grapes. We got the expected peach, citrus and minerality from it, which went well with the shrimp, and also with the cuttlefish that was brought out next. These were tiny cuttlefish served  two ways, with fried rice and with a gloriously unctuous spicy Hollandaise sauce. The first pieces were served an a plate possibly made from a dried cuttlefish, which just made me laugh…

It also tasted good, especially dredged through the spicy Hollandaise sauce.

The other pieces came on a plate decorated with octopus shapes. It seemed a lot of trouble to go to, but then it’s that sort of place.

We knew we’d moved on from fish when the waiters brought us some butter in a very stylish box…

There was also a dish of olive oil, the oil a lovely shade of golden yellow that instantly made me want to dunk some bread in it.

That was made possible when the loaf of sourdough was put in front of us.

We had reached what would usually be the suckling pig course, but the restaurant swapped things round and served us the national beef first. It was a small but perfectly cooked piece, the iron of the rare meet working brilliantly with the roasted spring onion, the Jerusalem artichoke puree, and the rich, deep civet sauce. The meat would probably have fallen apart with just the application of a spoon, but we used our knives, cutting small pieces to try and make it last as long as possible. With it was drank a mighty fine, deep Maria João Private Collection 2008 from the Dão, and made possibly from Alfrocheiro, Aragonez, Touriga Nacional, and Jaen grapes (at least the 2010 was), with notes of chocolate, toasted cocoa, spices and dried red fruits that I definitely picked up.

If the beef and wine combination was good, the replacement for the suckling pig, which came next was sublime. It was the same accompaniments or mango, coconut and chilli, but served with two perfectly cooked pigeon breasts, the skin beautifully seasoned and crsip. We drank a Boavista Reserva 2015. I’ve seen the wine described as “deep ruby colour. Complex, deep, intense and seductive hints of both red and black fruit, plus tobacco, spices and dark chocolate”. I see no reason to disagree with that assessment.

The last of the pigeon was gone, and it was on to the home straight for a dessert or two, starting with wild strawberries (in different textures), including a soup served in a wonderfully complicated drinking vessel. This definitely was essence of strawberries in all their wonderful forms, and it was a brilliant way to complete an excellent meal. Especially with a glass of Adega de Favaios Moscatel Colheita 1999, a sweet white moscatel instead of a port, but made with much the same levels of care, commitment and, dare I say it, obsession to create an ideal dessert wine. The Moscatel Galego grape produces a clear, bright, golden coloured wine, with citrus freshness and honeyed sweetness that matches fruit as well as chocolate. It’s a wonderful wine.

There was also São Tomé chocolate (with toasted corn, toffee, and whipped cream) which came along with the terrifyingly well-stocked petit fours trolley. We resisted the temptation of an offer to let us have a piece of everything on the trolley because I think we’d have needed to be put of trolleys to be taken out to the foyer if we’d done that.

I did weaken and have a tiny doughtnut, and a pastel de nata though, along with a cute little meringue.

We turned down the offer of infusions or coffee and were presented with a copy of the menu each in a lovely sealed envelope, along with a list of the wines we’d drunk. It was a lovely evening, and we were more than happy to get a taxi back to the Intercontinental instead of trying to walk to the metro (which would be doable, but who wantes to after a meal like that, right?)

Food 2019 – The Yeatman, Vila Nova de Gaia Sunday, 14th July 2019 - The Yeatman, Vila Nova de Gaia Sunday night was the blow out meal of the weekend, a 2 Michelin-starred tasting menu in what might be the best hotel in the area, …

[luxurytravelcurator]

Morning booking clients for a full week stay in #Comporta #Portugal, at the SUBLIME Comporta #Resort & #BeachClub, in one of their BIO Pool Suites. Part of a 10 days Destination Birthday Trip to include also #Lisbon and #Algarve. Nestled on a stunning 17-hectare estate, surrounded by undulating umbrella pines and cork trees, wild sand dunes, stunning rice fields and over 60km of pristine, white-sand beaches is Sublime Comporta - a magical, unspoiled place. Sublime Comporta's Bio-Pool Suites are nine cabanas built overlooking one of Europe's largest biological pools, inspired by the fishing port of Carrasqueira built by local fishermen. The Bio-Pool Suites include private terraces that allow guests a direct plunge into the freshwater. Booking directly with me, my clients will enjoy a suite of #VIP Amenities such as and not limited to: Room upgrades + Early Check IN & Late Check OUT + Complimentary Breakfast + Food & Beverage and/or Spa Credits + Free WIFI among many others. My mission is to transform Tourists into Travelers by experiencing unique travel experiences, moments and destinations worldwide. Luxury Travel Curator, Concierge, Blogger & Lifestyle Consultant. Over 28 years curating the world of Luxury Travel & Lifestyle, one destination at the time. Member of the exclusive @VirtuosoLTD Luxury Network, #AmericanExpress Membership Rewards, Fine Hotels & Resorts and Pay with Points Programs. Affiliated with @BrickellTravel Management and @EMBARKBeyond. Luxury #TravelAdvisor. #Jetsetter #Globetrotter #BonVivant. Founder of @LGTNetwork Luxury #GayTravel Curator, member of @IGLTA. #Travel #Hotel #Restaurant & #Airline reviews. Follow, read and share my travel experiences worldwide. #TravelAgent, #TravelBlogger, #WeddingPlanner #TravelBlog #LuxuryTravel #Luxury #Lifestyle #LuxuryTravelCurator #Concierge #Blogger #VirtuosoTravel #SUBLIMEComporta @sublimecomporta @queridoco @queridohotels Mobile & WhatsApp +1 (917) 754-5515 / Email info@carlosmelia.com / www.carlosmelia.com (at Comporta, Setubal, Portugal) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChHswSlgv2K/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[positanolimoservice]

Naples Shore Excursions: What To Do

What to do when you arrive in Naples" is typical inquiry cruisers pose when they book a Mediterranean journey to Italy, with shore trips from Naples port.

While Naples is perhaps the most well-known city in Italy, most cruisers head to its more renowned and marvelous neighbors like the fabulous old remains of Pompeii and the sublime Amalfi Coast.

We narrowed down the top 5 most famous spots to visit Naples shore excursions.

POSITANO

Laying on the slopes of cliffs that make up the exclusive bank of Amalfi, the seaside town of Positano is undoubtedly the gem of the Amalfi Coast. One of the most beautiful coastal hotel towns along the Amalfi Coast, Positano is a much sought-after destination for joyriders, cruisers, and explorers wishing to encounter this iconic town. Therefore, it is no big surprise that Amalfi Coast Shore Excursions from Naples are the most famous tours in the locale.

SORRENTO

Overlooking the Bay of Naples while on the Sorrentino Peninsula, Sorrento flaunts sweeping water views, a lively noteworthy focus with beautiful squares and local alleys fixed with unique structures. Meander through the city and peruse the unique marquetry shops, test the local limoncello, the popular Sorrentino lemon alcohol, and enjoy the local flavors at traditional cafés.

POMPEII

Explore the remains of the old clamoring city of Pompeii that was unfortunately obliterated by Mount Vesuvius' fierce emission in 79 AD. Walk around the celebrated roads, meander through very much safeguarded structures covered under Mount Vesuvius' volcanic debris for quite a long time, and respect old frescoes, mosaics, and engineering components of regular daily existence in this ancient city.

HERCULANEUM

Herculaneum is another more modest old Roman-period city that experienced a horrendous destiny like Pompeii. However, wealthy archaeological disclosures, unblemished structures, marble floors, mosaics, and sculptures make this UNESCO World Heritage site an excellent site to visit.

MOUNT VESUVIUS

Mount Vesuvius is one of the most well-known volcanoes on the planet and one of the two active volcanoes in Continental Europe. Mount Vesuvius National Park has wineries and firms; however, visiting the crater is what this mountain invigorates. Guests can look from the cavity's edge and have a phenomenal perspective on Naples, Pompeii, and the shimmery inlet not too far off.

How to enjoy such Naples shore excursions

The fantastic choice for most free-minded cruisers who favor private visits yet do not wish to overpay for cruise-supported options is reserving a dependable local tour organization with some expertise in shore outings in Italy.

Finding the best private tour operator from Naples port requires some examination. But, be that as it may, you will find peace of mind realizing you will be in capable hands by legitimate vehicle administration in Italy for most extreme happiness regarding your Italy shore outings.

Positano Limo Service is one organization you can depend on to have the best Naples shore excursions. They have their fleet of well-maintained cars and able guides to organize the best tours. Call them at (+39) 339 7087359 to know more about their tour options.