#Paris best wine cellar

[youroriginalsublimecupcakestuff]

It didn't surprise her when Dazai Osamu became an actress and debuted as an idol the taller girl have always been such a good liar, charming,conniving and charismatic, as long as she known her she have always been with someone but she only let a few peoples close amongst them her precious odasaku.

While after graduating university all that chuuya wanted was to get away as far as possible from her former rival,she even accepted her brother offer to live with him in Paris for that goal but she was like a pest who wouldn't leave her even in paris, she had to be subjected to dazai face.

She tried her best to avoid any mention of dazai but it was impossible sadly the mackerel tricked load of peoples not only in japan but in the whole world to think that she was someone worth admiring . When she logged in to her social network or watched TV, when she crossed the street and saw the billboard and even when she was with her friends or coworker, the stupid fish was everywhere, it was impossible to escape her not that she didn't try , it took her years but finally, she managed to do that and spent a blissful year without news of dazai.

But when she accepted kouyou ane-san plea to work for her in Yokohama, having dazai be her new roommate wasn't part of the deal, wasn't she an hotshot celebrity who was rich enough to have her own place ? So what the hell was she doing answering to her announce ???

Maybe her bad habit caught up to her how pitiful. Still it's fishy how everyone who were interested by her announce will suddendly all cancel their offer.

So she was forced to have dazai as an high maintenance and clingy roommate the woman even brought her lawyers for her contract which she suppose that it's reasonable to want to insure that she can't tell anyone that she live with her, the other's have always been paranoid after all.

Still buying the whole building to ensure that she won't kick her out was over the top and if she though of kicking the other girl out well she's well within her right damnit, the lazy fish don't even clean and when she does it's a disaster nor does she cook, she also like to make creepy prank giggling like a madwoman while she's doing it.

It's right that she will buy her clothes, expensive wine like petrus and all that she desire even going as far as to install a wine cellar in the appartment but she's neither moved nor feel indebted to her when she also have to suffer throught her putting vinegar in her wine or trying to destroy her hat collection.

The worse is that every time that she bring someone home boys or girls like the peoples that the flags set her up with , she'll ruin it even when she's careful to not bring anyone home when she's here.

It's not just their arrangement, dazai is notoriously picky with her work and it surprised everyone when they announced that she will be the face of ozaki with nakahara chuuya as the stylist and fashion designer in charge of her, she wanted to refuse but kyouka-chan was unfortunately fooled by the mackerel and is a fan of her nor her nor ane-san had the heart to refuse when kyouka was so happy to hear the news.

Her adoring fans will cry if they know that the intouchable cold beauty but charming and refreshing that she's known for is in fact clingy, annoying and as sly as a fox.

Still it's not bad caring for her pet fish surprisingly they're wasn't any murder but she find himself with a possessive, clingy mummy as a girlfriend.

[idabbleincrazy]

First Turn of the Spiral

Fandom: Angel (Buffyverse)

Rating: E

Pairing: Spangelus (William/Angelus)

Word Count: 2729

Warnings: smut, pwp (mostly), bottom!Angelus, bottoming from the top, first time bottoming, obsession, anal sex, control issues

Summary: Angelus plans to rid himself of his obsession with a certain part of William's anatomy once and for all.

A/N: this started as one fic, then turned into a completely different fic as I went along. Cuz I just can't keep feelings out of my Spangel even when they're soulless. Written mainly for @countblucas , my constant cheerleader for bottom!Angel in every form. Oh, and I left the ending open for a sequel 😈

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He didn't know what it was about the brash young fledge his insane Princess had brought home that made his cock perk to new, and frankly, dangerous and frightening, thoughts, and yet, he seemed unable to banish them. 

Oh, sure, he'd been no stranger to the pleasures to be found in that nature of rutting. He had Darla for a Sire, after all. He had felt the delight of a certain spot being pressed against when Darla had rode him with the double headed ivory dildo she'd commissioned during their stay in Paris. He had written off the force of his climax to the combination of virgin blood they'd supped on, the stream of filthy praise from the one who'd created him tinkling in his ear, and the taste of Drusilla's sweet drippings on his tongue as his face was pressed further into her slick cunt, and thought no further of it. 

But he could not deny that the soft, pretty faced lad intrigued him. That he often caught himself staring at that long, pale cock as it pushed into Drusilla's folds, shaking himself from thoughts of what pleasures that cool, curved shaft could bring. Blinking, he would come back to himself, and his thrusts into whichever hole he was currently filling would gain in speed and ferocity, his aching cock pistoning in and out of Darla's cunt, Drusilla's mouth, and on a few occasions, William's tight little pucker, until he roared out his release, coming hard, but slightly unsatisfactorily, before quickly pulling out and shutting himself up in whatever room presently acted as his study. 

He couldn't resist it any longer, though. The thoughts were becoming maddening, following him into slumber so that he awoke hard and leaking, his buttocks clenching around emptiness, aching from a phantom stretch. Much more of this, and he would soon become as crazed as his dark haired progeny. 

The girls were still across town, some minor dignitary within the demon world had thrown a feast, and would not return until dawn the next day. What better time to finally rid himself of this befuddling obsession without them meddling in?

After a quick hunt for their nightly meal, quicker than normal because if he had to watch William sink fangs and cock into one more half-naked harlot in the fetid London allies, he was going to tumble the unsuspecting lad to the ground then and there and have his way with him right in front of the squealing whores, Angelus dragged the tawny haired fledge back to the house they'd usurped. He pulled the complaining young vampire directly up to the master bedroom, his trousers tight as his cock throbbed against the stays. 

The room was comfortably warm, the fireplace still alight just as he'd ordered the minions before their departure. He had also had them bring up a decanter of the best wine the previous owners had in their cellar, but found himself in too much need to ply the young fledge with it now. Besides, the lad rarely gave much objection to their dalliances these days.

"Bloody hell, Angelus!" William looked up at him as he thrust the slighter vampire up against the wall, expression caught between anger and confusion. "Look, mate, I can smell that you're hard, but couldn't we have had a bit more fun with the humans, first? Barely had my fill of the last one before you dragged me off her. Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't just slake your lust in that red-haired strumpet that offered to take us both."

"Aye, but they weren't what I've had a taste for tonight, me boy. If you're still not sated by the time we're finished, we can always drain the stable boy." 

Angelus crowded William against the wall, breathing in the scent of his own substantial arousal and letting out a low growl of hunger.

"Darla would have a fit if she came back to find we have to hire a new hand again."

"Let me handle Darla, lad. Now, are you going to keep jabbering, or are you going to be a good pup, and strip?"

Not giving the fledgling a chance to retort beyond the start of an angry growl, Angelus gripped him by the chin and mashed his mouth to William's. The younger vampire responded without thought, his lips parting to welcome the forceful tongue pushing past his teeth. Angelus grinned into the kiss, loving how compliant the boy became under his ministrations. 

As the kiss deepened, he tugged William's shirt free of his trousers, fingers blindly working at the buttons until he felt flesh under his fingertips. Turning them away from the wall, he backed the young vampire across the room until they tumbled to the bed, Will's gasp swallowed as Angelus refused to break away from the blood-sweet mouth he was so intent on devouring. 

Angelus maneuvered them up the bed, still straddling the lithe body as it squirmed and grasped at his hair and shoulders. He barely registered his own shirt being ripped open, buttons clattering as they pinged off the wall and floor, William becoming more brazen as the kiss went on. Barely resisting the dulled instinct to pant, Angelus pulled away from William's mouth, smirking down at the pouting form as he wriggled free of his somehow undone trousers, his cock slapping against his stomach and dripping pre-cum. 

William started to turn over as Angelus finished disrobing, and Angelus let out a soft chuckle, stopping him mid-twist. Lust-darkened blue eyes met his in mild confusion, but William stilled nonetheless. 

"Dammit, Angelus, you know I don't like being taken like a woman, let me turn over, 's easier."

"We're trying something different tonight, boy. And if you don't stop your damnable complaining, it'll be the only time we do it this way."

Content with the fledge's temporary silence, Angelus eased William's shirt down his shoulders and slid his trousers down his legs to his thighs, leaving the slender limbs restricted in their range of motion. He may be giving in to the new desire to be filled, but he wasn't going to let the whelp think he was in any means submitting to him. Control had been key in keeping the sometimes-upstart in line since the day Drusilla had brought him home, and domination had been a major factor in maintaining that control. The boy could not be allowed to forget his place, regardless of who's cock went where. 

Keeping his features stern, Angelus straddled William again and reached over to grab the tin of salve he used if he was feeling more magnanimous when he was taking the slim vampire. Scooping out a generous dollop of the slick liniment, he let a smirk quirk his lips as he reached behind himself, William's eyes narrowing in further confusion as the expected fingers failed to penetrate him. They widened almost comically as realization sunk in.

"Sire?"

"No questions, lad." Angelus grunted quietly as he stretched himself, his cock twitching at the burn, the pain heightening his arousal as he scissored his fingers inside the tight passage. "This is still for my pleasure. Yours is inconsequential."

William gulped and his gaze drifted down to where Angelus' hand disappeared behind his back, his half-hard cock filling further, a low growl building in his throat at the knowledge of what the elder vampire was preparing to do. 

When he felt himself adequately opened, Angelus eased his fingers out and wrapped his hand around the dark blonde's length, stroking it to full hardness. Lifting up on his knees, he held the long shaft upright and shifted back until the slick tip was notched against his aching hole. Biting back a groan of pleasure, he bore down on William's cock, his own leaking a spurt of pre-cum as he felt himself being filled.

"Oh, God, Sire! So bloody tight!"

"Hmm." Angelus stilled as his ass nestled in the cradle of William's hips, relishing the feeling of the sizable cock stretching him better than any piece of ivory ever could. It was better than he had imagined all those times he'd watched the boy taking Dru or being ridden into the mattress by Darla, better than any of the dreams that had left him waking up sticky and unsated. He was surprised at William's exclamation as he sheathed the stiff length. "Have ye not taken any of the men you've killed yet, boy? I've seen you tease them with the hope of salvation if they pleasured you with their mouths, but have you never taken a man's arse?"

"N-no…never had a mind to. Would've done, if I'd known it would feel like this. Bloody hell, Angelus, is this what it feels like when you take me?" 

Angelus was strangely pleased that he had been yet another of the lad's firsts. The first to take both his ass and his mouth with his cock, and now this final scrap of virginity belonged to him, as well. William let out a low moan as Angelus shifted, his hands moving from his sides to slide up the brunette's thighs, inching up towards his waist.

"C'mon, pet, let me feel you move."

Angelus growled and grabbed William's wrists, pulling his arms away and over his head, the brusque movement drawing William's attention away from his attempt to gain control of their coupling as Angelus leaned over him, the clenching tightness sliding up his shaft. Not giving the fledge time to recover from the distraction, Angelus started a slow, rocking, pace. The cock stretching him open felt good. Too good. He could already tell that this wouldn't be the last time he'd be in this position. Hell, he could feel his climax creeping up on him already, and they'd barely begun. Much as he wanted to ride the slim body beneath him, rough and fast, until he found a roaring release, he would not let himself be so thoroughly undone by the younger vampire. William always spilled first, when he was allowed to at all, and that would not change.

"Sire, oh, Christ, Angelus!"

Angelus clenched his ass around the girth filling him as he shifted, slightly regretting his choice in position; the dual sensations of the long shaft stretching his slick passage and his own aching cock rubbing along the surprisingly muscular torso beneath him proving to be a harsh test of his restraint. In dire need of a change in the equation, he guided William's hands to the headboard, wrapping his fingers crushingly tight around one of the rails.

"Don't move, boy. So much as a twitch of those fingers before I say, an' you'll be wishing you'd only been buggered tonight."

"Yes, Sire." 

Decently satisfied that William would obey, Angelus sat back on his heels, his hands sliding down the blonde's arms to rest on his chest. He quickened his pace, his lust-blown gaze drifting over the slim yet sturdy body beneath him. William's tight grip on the headboard brought his muscles into stark relief in the flickering light of the fire, mesmerizing Angelus as his eyes traced along them. How had he always thought the lads' prettiness as soft? No, revealed like this, with his hands splayed across straining pectorals, he could see it was a masculine beauty. The odd realization made him husk out a deep groan of pleasure, his hips thrusting against the cock within him mindlessly. 

"Do you feel it yet, Sire?"

"Feel what, William? What nonsense are you about?"

"That spot, Angelus. The one you always find when you're shagging me, that makes me beg you for more. Christ, luv, 's bloody brilliant when you feel it," William moaned and wriggled under him, slightly changing the angle of his cock's journey. "Please, Sire, let me show you, want you to see how good it can feel."

Angelus slowed, his thoughts overrunning him. He'd seen the look of ecstasy that would cross the boy's face when he'd shift and suddenly feel his cock pressing against some nub of flesh inside him. The blonde would moan and plead so prettily then, pushing back against him to take him impossibly deeper, hand straying to his own heavy cock, desperate. He longed to feel like that, to feel that euphoria coursing through his body; but could he give up the control needed to find that mysterious bit of hidden flesh? Would it be worth the risk of allowing the fledge this concession of power?

And why not? Would this not bring him the very pleasure he sought in this act in the first place? As patriarch of this little family, did he not deserve to feel exactly as he so often made William feel? Was it not owed to him?

"Angelus?"

Having assured himself that this divergence of the status quo would not lead to lasting consequences, Angelus nodded at William, allowing him to release his grasp on the railing. 

"Tell me when I've found it, Sire, when the angle's right."

Angelus let his eyes fall closed as William's hands encircled his hips, guiding him up and down his stiff cock, shifting beneath him before each downstroke. He turned his thoughts from seeking his own release, letting the younger vampire seek it out for him. His cock throbbed, aching at having held out this long. 

"Jesus!"

Angelus' eyes shot open as his nerves sparked with nearly forgotten life, the bulbous cockhead buried deep inside him pressing insistently against some hitherto unknown bit of tissue. A lightning bolt of arousal flared through him, pushing his climax dangerously close to the point of no return.

"There, William. Oh, feckin' hell, there!" Angelus let out a drawn out groan, one hand moving away from William's torso to wrap around his leaking cock, stroking the thick shaft in time with the fledge's thrusts. "Shite, lad, why'd you not tell me of this sooner? Feels almost as good as fucking your tight arse, Will."

"Told you it was brilliant, Angelus. Christ, you feel so good, Sire, clenching so tight around me like that. Gonna make me cum, 'Gelus, 's too bloody good."

"Do it, me boy, cum for me. Just keep hitting that spot. Oh, fuck. C'mon, William, give me your pleasure."

"Oh, bloody fucking Christ!"

Angelus barely held in the shout of surprised pleasure when he felt a tepid warmth filling him as William gripped him tighter, the body under him going briefly rigid before thrusting faster as it worked itself through its release. He felt a hand join his around his cock, their fingers lacing together as he stroked himself harder. 

"Come on, Angelus, let it go now. Let me feel you cum, Sire, please."

The obeisance in the blonde's voice tipped him over the edge, his cock pulsing in their joined hands as he came, ropes of sticky spend shooting out to land across William's neck and chest and dripping over their fingers. Angelus rode out his orgasm, reluctant to release the softening length still thrusting inside him. 

Surprised to find himself panting needlessly, he released his grip on his spent cock and disentangled his hand from William's. He felt the cock within him twitch weakly as the boy brought his cum-covered hand to his mouth and licked away the viscous mess, his own cock giving a feeble attempt to stir itself at the debauched sight the blonde made. 

With a grunt, he lifted himself off William's cock and collapsed to the bed beside him. He had thought going through with this would clear his mind of the growing obsession he had over the fledgling and his cock; instead he found himself more obsessed than ever. Even now, the sticky, limp length lying along a strong, pale thigh, Angelus wanted nothing more than to suckle that soft flesh back to steely hardness and feel it thrusting back into him. The more the blonde's spend leaked out of his throbbing hole to soil the sheets, the emptier he felt, the fullness, that sense of completion, gone. He felt himself spiraling deeper even than when he had stalked his Princess those long months. More obsessed than he had ever been with his own Sire. This result was wholly unexpected, but he was reluctant to even consider the consequences of his surrender as he reached over and pulled William to him, wrapping his hand around his flaccid cock.

"What have you done to me, boy?"

******

All Things Spike: @leatafandom

[lord-valery-mimes]

The Phantom of Manhattan - A Painful Recap

When I read a brief bulleted list showcasing all the craziest things in this book, I knew I had to read it. I was 42% of the way through it at the time I wrote this paragraph, and good grief, it's all more ridiculous and terrible than I could have ever imagined. So of course I decided that I should write a full recap of the whole horrible  thing. Strap yourselves in tight folks. This is a bumpy one.

The book opens with Madame Giry narrating the story, even though she's supposedly drugged up and in horrible pain on her deathbed. Those French women are made of strong stuff. She confesses to rescuing Erik from the freak show where he was imprisoned (so that's where the 2004 Phantom film got that idea). She then brings him back to her flat that she shares with a seven year old Meg, and proceeds to nurse him back to health. Because yes, any working single mom with a young daughter at home would of course be totally down with bringing a strange, disfigured, mentally unstable teenage boy into their home. She proceeds to talk about how she eventually smuggled Erik into the opera, and how he was able to build himself a home and life in the cellars there. Because that makes sense. “Just stick him down there. It’ll be fine!”

His crimes at the opera are glossed over entirely. Joseph Buquet wasn't murdered, he committed suicide, don’tcha know? And Piangi? Oh that was just an unfortunate accident (simply an accident!), Erik only wanted to keep him quiet! His only crime was FALLING IN LOVE. Jesus Fucking Christ. Madame Giry dies, but not before paying someone to go to NY, find Erik, and give him a letter.

Chapter two and suddenly it's Erik himself who is telling his story. About how Madame Giry stuck him on a boat after the events of the musical, and how he spent four weeks crossing the Atlantic. Also how he managed to jump overboard in the middle of winter, and swim FOR AN HOUR without getting hypothermia and dying, just so he could bypass immigration. He finally drags himself ashore on Coney Island, where, conveniently enough, there is an entire gang of disfigured, down-on-their-luck types sitting around a fire, and they don't give a rat’s ass that some bedraggled guy with a messed up face just came out of the ocean like the most disappointing mermaid.

This group makes a living cleaning fish, but Erik is SO smart, and SO clever, that he quickly finds a way to amass a small fortune and make his way up in the world. He even gets a sidekick, a random teenaged boy named Darius who we find out was a sex worker, which in this story makes him the literal embodiment of evil. With Darius as the face and Erik as the brain, they scheme and thieve their way to fortune. Yay, America!

I almost forgot the best part. Because their scheming and thieving requires Erik to sometimes be out and about in the daylight, he has someone make him a latex clown mask (something that Google informs me wouldn't be invented for another twenty-odd years), and he hits the town dressed up as a literal clown. Just… close your eyes and picture the Phantom, full clown face, complete with red nose and oversized shoes, casually strutting around Coney Island. This is no angel of music!

Before you know it, Erik is building the tallest skyscraper in all of New York and designing himself a cushy penthouse suite at the top so he can take off his clown mask and relax in peace away from prying eyes. If he's this clever and good at making money, why didn't he do the same in Paris and live somewhere other than in the dank and dark basement of the Opera Populaire? I’m just sayin’…

Chapter three and we’re shifted to yet ANOTHER character. The poor bastard who’s been tasked with Madame Giry’s dying wish: to deliver her letter to Erik. This man is SO angry, and SO French, and SO unhappy to be in NY where there is no good food or wine, and I honestly wish the whole story had been about him instead. He can't find this Erik Mulheim, even though he was assured that it would be so EASY, given the weird name, and the fact that he was told to look for a guy with a messed up face. Frenchy is about ready to give up and go back to France when…

Chapter four! Yet ANOTHER narrator, this time a reporter for a newspaper, who is just trying to enjoy a hot fudge sundae, when he happens upon our angry Frenchman. The reporter makes the mistake of wishing him a badly pronounced “Bon-jewer Mon-sewer”, and instead of recoiling with disgust at this butchering of his native tongue as any good Frenchman would, the man starts lamenting in French to the unsuspecting reporter, who instead of politely excusing himself so he can eat his sundae in peace, rushes to find someone who can translate for this clearly overwhelmed guy. Somehow the reporter manages to find someone who not only speaks French, but who also has a guess as-to who this mysterious Erik Mulheim might be. Could it be the mysterious man who just built that big-ass skyscraper? The guy who no one ever sees but is a multi-millionaire and an extraordinary entrepreneur?

Now the reporter and Frenchy are buds, and they head to the skyscraper together, because the reporter is hoping he could be the first person to unmask this mysterious character! What a scoop! Unfortunately Darius intercepts them both, and insists on taking the letter to its owner. Frenchy is just happy he can finally leave, and get back home where his wife's ample buttocks are waiting for him to snuggle into. Yes, he literally says that.

Then stuff starts to get REALLY weird. The narrator shifts to Darius, who is literally high as fuck and having a conversation with a god. I’m not joking. Darius is worried because Erik has suddenly gone opera crazy, paying millions of dollars to have an opera house built, and staying up all night writing music. WHAT COULD HE BE UP TO? Darius is worried that this might affect his chances of inheriting Erik’s wealth someday. The god tells him to chill out, but is also like, “But kill him if you think you gotta.” Alright then. Nothing at all ominous about that.

This gimmick of every chapter being told by a different narrator is jarring, but I’m willing to deal with it, if we get to hear more from Gaylord Spriggs, who writes an enthusiastic column about gossip around New York opera. You see, when the Met refused to give Erik a private box, he went, “Oh yeah? Well I’ll make a whole new Opera house then! So there!” And not only is he building his own opera, he's paying insane amounts of money for the two greatest sopranos alive to come and sing there. SUCK IT MET! And one of them is none other than Christine de Chagny. Where have I heard that name before?

Then things get really boring as an old Irish priest tells his entire life story to Pierre: Christine and Raoul's son. Do we really need to know all this? Apparently when a fellow cast member of the opera suddenly keeled over of a heart attack during a performance, the Irish priest was summoned to deliver his last rights, and Christine was all, “Hey, wanna tutor my son?” I mean, I guess I can think of weirder ways to get a job.

Another chapter, and another newspaper report, by yet another reporter, this one discussing Christine's arrival with much pomp and detail. Christine reveals that it was the sheer BEAUTY of the brand new opera by an “unknown American composer” that convinced her to come all the way to New York. She also reveals that the opera is set during the American Civil War, something that I’m sure Erik, a French guy with no formal education, knows loads about. I can't wait to hear more about this.

The reporter sees the need to mention that he sees a strange masked figure standing on top of a warehouse, something that I’m sure a reporter covering the arrival of an opera star would totally do. A big to-do is also made about the fact that there is a *gasp* puddle of slush stopping Christine from getting in her carriage, when suddenly a reporter swoops down with a cape that he flings over the puddle, and crisis averted! I always thought the “throwing a coat over a puddle” thing was so stupid since cloth absorbs water, and the second she steps on it, the puddle will just seep right through and get on her shoes anyway. But whatever, I’m not the one writing this stupid story.

We're back to our first reporter, the one who attempted to get in the penthouse to meet the elusive Phantom millionaire. It looks like we'll be hearing a lot from him, so his name is Charlie Bloom. Charlie describes Christine as “big bagels in the opera world”, and I need to find a way to work that into everyday conversation now. Unsurprisingly, he is the reporter who covers the puddle with the cloak that was given to him by a “mysterious person” in the crowd. My god, who could that mysterious person have been? Apparently his puddle act was so GALLANT that of course Christine invites him for an interview.

We’re quickly introduced to Meg Giry who is now lame in one knee and weirdly also Christine’s maid. This is basically all we see or hear from her in this story. At least it's better treatment than she gets in Love Never Dies.

A bellboy comes up at the same time as Charlie with a gift for Pierre, Christine’s son, and it’s our old friend the barrel organ monkey music box. Pierre just starts tearing the thing open with his clever little hands, clearly to hammer home how STRANGE and DIFFERENT he is. When he turns the musical disk inside the monkey over, it starts playing Masquerade and Christine loses it. She demands to be taken to the store that made the music box. Because that… makes sense?

Back to Erik who’s heart is simply aflame after seeing Christine, even from far away. He drops this gem of a description on us, “the face and smile to break a block of granite clean in two.” Sir, what does that even mean? You are describing a sledgehammer. He reiterates that he gave the reporter his old opera cloak to cover the slush puddle, you know, just in case we weren’t able to connect the dots on our own. Clearly the author thinks that anybody who would bother to read this book must be a moron. Sadly, I think he was correct, because reading it is certainly one of my biggest life regrets now.

Erik tells us of the letter he received from Madame Giry, wherein she retells the story of how she apparently met Raoul as a young man, and saw him get his dick or balls (Madame Giry is a LADY so she doesn’t go into detail) shot off after saving a girl from a ruffian with a gun. Madame Giry lets the Phantom know this, because apparently since Raoul has zero dick or balls, that must mean that Christine’s child is the Phantom’s? So like… they had sex and he just never mentioned this in all his narration? Did they go in a hot tub together and an errant sperm just… Swam its way in? Like… what happened here? Erik never explicitly states that they did the nasty together, so we’re left kind of guessing. Is Pierre an immaculate conception?? You know that if they’d done the deed together, Erik would NOT have shut up about it, and would probably have written a full aria just about Christine’s vagina. I refuse to believe that they just had normal sex and then went their separate ways because it makes no sense. But then NOTHING has made sense in this book so far.

Meg’s turn to narrate now. Please Meg, help me make some sense of this madness. She retells the whole story of the music box monkey. WE JUST READ THIS TWO CHAPTERS AGO! Meg just repeats verbatim the end of the musical, how the Phantom abducts Christine and there is an implication that he either raped her, or she “couldn’t resist” him. Ewww. That’s all I will say about that. That, and men need to stop writing stories with gross consent issues.

Yet another narrator, someone named Taffy Jones. I DON’T CARE ABOUT THESE PEOPLE. He is the Official Funmaster of Steeplechase Park on Coney Island. Ok, maybe I care about him a little. He’s been instructed to open the park for Christine to let her see the toy shop and the Hall of Mirrors. Gee, I wonder what could be waiting for her in there? Of course it’s Erik who begs Christine to stay with him, but she refuses. She loves Raoul! Erik demands she give him his son right there and then. She’s all, “Gimme five years,” meanwhile Erik’s creepy sidekick is eavesdropping. Christine leaves and Erik is all, “Five years? Pfft. He’s mine and I will TAKE him.” No bueno, Erik.

It’s the Irish priest’s turn to narrate now, and he’s talking to god. Literally. Like we read what God responds to him as a dialogue. Who wrote this garbage? Oh right, Frederick Forsyth, esteemed British novelist. The priest confesses to lusting after Christine and God is all, “Of course, she is beautiful.” Ew! WTF, God? Apparently he was lusting after her while he was listening to her confession, so this is all kinds of fucked up. Then he tells God her confession and God just casually drops that there are lots of gods. Man, this book is wild and misogynistic.

This next chapter is by everyone’s fave, Gaylord Spriggs. He reviews the Phantom's new opera that he wrote for Christine, which is basically a cross between Gone With the Wind and… Well… The Phantom of the Opera. The lead tenor mysteriously starts croaking during intermission, and an “unknown” understudy takes his place for the second half of the opera. I suppose at least the poor croaking tenor was spared being strangled. RIP Piangi.

Another newspaper column, this time by Amy Fontaine. I really am so weary of this multi-narrator format. If this Frederick Forsyth guy hadn't already been a celebrated author, and the Phantom musical hadn't been such a big hit, this overblown fanfic would never have made it past any publisher with more than one brain cell.

Anyway, Amy Fontaine is reviewing the post-opera party for a social column, and the funniest bit is that Christine meets not just one, but TWO United States presidents as Teddy Roosevelt himself shows up along with his niece and future president FDR. Irving Berlin also shows up and it's like the author was trying to cram in as many historical time period big names as he could as Easter eggs, but instead of being subtle and clever like an Easter egg should be, these are neon signs that Frederick Forsyth is shoving in your face while he screams at you.

Chapter sixteen is a literal lecture. It's like the author just keeps making this book as torturous for the reader as he can. And it takes place in the future too, around the end of WWII. You know I started writing this review because I thought it might be funny, but now I am full of regrets and pain. But onward I soldier. If it stops anyone else from having to read this brain enema of a book, it will be worth it.

Anyhow, this lecture is being given by none other than Charlie Bloom, who after years of being a reporter, seeing wars and the Holocaust, has apparently seen NOTHING so tragic as the shit that's about to go down between Christine and Erik. He recaps almost the whole book again, including the part we just heard about in the last chapter where he tosses in yet another celebrity just for good measure, since two US presidents apparently weren't enough. He mentions that Buffalo Bill was there, and just for my own entertainment I’m going to imagine it was Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs. I’ll bet Christine could sing a killer version of Goodbye Horses.

Anyhow, Charlie stole a note that Erik slipped to Christine at the party. In the note Erik begs her to let him say goodbye to his son one last time, and to meet him at Battery Park. With this inside info, Charlie’s able to warn Raoul and the priest nanny guy when Christine and Pierre suddenly are missing. Charlie also apparently wrote something on his cuff in Latin that he didn't understand back when he heard Darius shout something on Coney Island. Charlie is wearing that EXACT cuff again, and of course the priest knows Latin, and it apparently says something like “the son must die!” It's a convoluted mess of Deus ex machina that any third grader could have improved upon.

Charlie, Raoul, and the priest all rush to the park and Charlie is literally like, “I’ve gotta explain this all to you in SLOW MOTION”. They get there just in time to see Pierre run to his mother's arms just as Darius fires a pistol at him. Surprise, surprise, he winds up shooting Christine instead. Gee, I didn't see that coming.

Somehow Erik has managed to add crack-shot to all the life skills he’s acquired since his opera days, as he pulls out his own pistol, takes one shot and hits Darius square in the center of his forehead.

Christine is literally dying in her son's arms and she's all, “That's not really your dad, see that freak in the mask? THAT'S your dad. Sorry ‘bout it!” Then she croaks. Not even exaggerating. The next line is literally, “Then she died.” Way to give your kid more PTSD, Christine.

Piling on the PTSD, Raoul decides to tell Pierre “Yep, I’m not your real dad, I’m gonna take your dead mom back to Paris. You are now a man, so come with me to bury your dead mom, or stay with your freaky-masked real dad.”

Charlie’s narration takes a weird detour mid-scene where he suddenly talks about going to interview the priest. Apparently the priest decided to move to the slums of the lower-east side after all of this nonsense happens? I mean it's not the weirdest thing that's happened so far in this book, so I’m not sure why this detail irritates me so much, but it does. But apparently he told Charlie that when all this shit was going down, as he prayed while Christine was dying, he heard the Phantom's soul screaming like an albatross. I take back all my negativity, I love this book now.

Pierre goes to Erik and removes his REAL father’s hat and mask. Charlie says that he's seen drowned corpses and bodies in every manner and state of decomposition, but never has he seen a face like THIS. Despite the face though, of COURSE Pierre decides to completely forget about the guy who's raised him as his son his entire life, and go live with this stranger with the fucked-up face,  in a country thousands of miles away from the one home he’s ever known. Because what thirteen year old wouldn't do that?

Erik never wore his mask again. The end.

I thought nothing could top Love Never Dies for sheer inanity, but this certainly takes the cake and drops a whole chandelier on it. RIP Christine, and my entire brain.

[wetasteparis]

Explore the best culinary delights of Paris on our luxury food and wine tours

A luxury food and wine tour in Paris can be an incredible experience for foodies and wine connoisseurs. Paris is home to some of the best gourmet food and wine in the world, and there are many ways to explore and indulge in these offerings. Paris is home to many wine shops and cellars that offer a wide selection of wines.

You can choose to book a private wine-tasting experience with We Taste Paris: wetasteparis.com who will guide you through the different regions and varieties of French wines. Going for cheese and wine tasting in Paris is a great way to explore the city’s culinary culture and experience two of France’s most famous and delicious exports.

We have access to some of the best cheeses and wines in Paris, including rare and hard-to-find varieties that you may not be able to find on your own. We Taste Paris can provide you with an enjoyable and informative cheese and wine-tasting tour experience in Paris.

Here are some reasons why you should go for cheese and wine tasting in Paris:

France is famous for its cheese and wine, and there are many varieties to try. Going for cheese and wine tasting in Paris will allow you to try new and unique flavors that you may not have experienced before.

Learn About Pairings:

Cheese and wine are natural pairings, and there are many different combinations to try. Going for cheese and wine tasting in Paris will allow you to learn about which wines pair best with which cheeses and why.

Explore French Culture with local food & wine experts, us!

Cheese and wine are an important part of French culture and tradition. Going for cheese and wine tasting in Paris will allow you to explore this aspect of French culture and learn more about the history and production of cheese and wine in France. Local living, the French diet, etc

Experience Parisian Hospitality: we will host you & show you Parisian hospitality as its best or something on those lines!

Parisians take their food and wine seriously and going for cheese and wine tasting in Paris will allow you to experience their hospitality and passion for gastronomy.

Enjoy a Memorable Unique Experience crafted by locals passionate about food, wine and Paris:

Going for cheese and wine tasting in Paris is a fun and memorable experience that you can enjoy with friends or family. It’s a great way to relax, unwind, and indulge in some of the best food and wine that Paris has to offer.

We’re passionate about sharing the best cheeses and wines of France with you!

We are passionate cheese geeks, cork dorks, ex-chefs, and expert tour guides in Paris & Champagne sharing a unique perspective and insider knowledge about French food & wine culture while keeping it fun, relax yet informative. You will leave with good knowledge about our food & wine scene, top-notch restaurants recommendations and new Parisian foodie friends.

We’ve led hundreds of bespoke, fun, relaxed, “under the skin of the city” culinary tours and have a combined 22 years of working in French cuisine, including stints for Michelin-starred restaurants and iconic chef Alain Ducasse — so you’re in good hands with either one of us!

Aurélien hails from a family of Breton fishermen and Béarnais foie gras producers, and has lived in France, Singapore and Canada. He specialises in traditional French cheeses and obtained the French Wine Scholar diploma with highest honors.

You can book a private wine and cheese pairing experience, where we will guide you through the different wine and cheese combinations and explain the history and production of each. Overall, a luxury food and wine tour in Paris or Champagne can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that allows you to indulge in some of the best gourmet food and wine in the world. If you are a foodie or a wine lover, going for a wine and cheese tasting in Paris could be a great way to explore the local culinary culture and experience some of the best food and wine in the world.

For more details, please visit our website: wetasteparis.com Email or call us: wetasteparis@gmail.com / +33142785261

[voyage-rever]

Discover France: A Dream Destination

Introduction

France, often nicknamed “l'Hexagone”, is a must-see destination for travelers from all over the world. With its rich culture, renowned gastronomy and diverse landscapes, France has something for everyone. In this article, we explore the aspects that make this country so attractive to visitors.

The Jewels of French Culture

UNESCO heritage

France boasts over 40 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Wonders such as Mont-Saint-Michel and the Palace of Versailles attract millions of visitors every year, offering a fascinating insight into French history and architecture

Renowned museums

The Louvre, famous for its iconic works such as the Mona Lisa, is a must-see. Other museums, such as the Musée d'Orsay and the Centre Pompidou, offer varied and enriching cultural experiences

French Gastronomy

Regional cuisine

Gastronomy is a fundamental aspect of French culture. Each region has its own specialties, such as bouillabaisse in Marseille and crêpes in Brittany. Encouraging visitors to explore these culinary delights can enrich their experience

Wine and cheese

France is renowned for its exquisite wines, especially those from Bordeaux and Burgundy. Offering cellar tours and wine tastings can appeal to wine lovers and foodies alike

Natural beauty

National parks

National parks, such as the Parc National des Écrins and the Parc National de la Vanoise, are treasures for nature lovers. Hikes offer breathtaking panoramas and the chance to discover local flora and fauna

Beaches and the Côte d'Azur

The Côte d'Azur, with its sunny beaches and charming coastal villages such as Nice and Saint-Tropez, is a popular destination for those looking to relax by the sea

History and Architecture

Magnificent castles

The chateaux of the Loire Valley, such as Château de Chambord and Château de Chenonceau, are emblematic examples of French architecture and royal history. These visits are often unforgettable for tourists

Historic monuments

Iconic monuments such as the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris are symbols of French culture, attracting millions of visitors every year

Events and festivals

Fête de la Musique

Celebrated every year on June 21, the Fête de la Musique is a unique opportunity to discover musical performances in the streets of Paris and other cities, making culture accessible to all

For film lovers, the Cannes Film Festival is a prestigious event that celebrates the best of world cinema. It's an opportunity for visitors to discover the latest film trends and productions

Conclusion

All in all, France is a destination rich in culture, gastronomy and natural beauty, attracting millions of visitors every year. Whether exploring historic sites, savoring delicious cuisine or enjoying breathtaking scenery, France offers an unforgettable experience for all types of travelers.

Click on the link to take advantage of promotions for your plane tickets: https://trip.tp.st/cwFi84Zl

[winelimos]

Using Wine Tours to Experience Napa Valley Exploration

Napa Valley, located in Northern California, is one of the world's best wine regions. The breathtaking vineyards, hilly landscape, and rich history of winemaking in Napa Valley have made it a destination that casual tourists and experts of wine must see. Beyond only offering excellent wine tastings, Napa wine tours enable guests to immerse themselves in the region's rich history, dynamic culture, and beautiful natural setting. This post will take you through the fundamentals of wine tours in the region and provide advice on making the most of your trip and insights into what makes Napa Valley so special.

A Review of Napa Valley Wine Cultural Property

In recognition of the region's excellent soil and temperate temperature, European immigrants began cultivating grapes in the 19th century, which is when Napa Valley's winemaking history began. The first commercial winery was established in the 1960s, and the industry quickly grew from there. But there were also challenges around the turn of the century, like the terrible effects of the laws of prohibition, which practically destroyed the country's wine industry.

Around the turn of the century, when quality overtook quantity as the top priority for forward-thinking winemakers, Napa Valley's reputation began to soar once more. The famous Paris test the same year, in which Napa grapes defeated French wines in a blind tasting, cemented the region's reputation across the globe. Today, Napa Valley is home to over four hundred wineries that attract wine lovers from all over the world with their diverse range of wines.

How to Plan a Wine Tour

An ideal Napa Valley wine tour should consider your interests, budget, and time limits. With so many vineyards to choose from, it can be challenging to know where to start. You may plan the perfect wine trip with the assistance of the following advice:

Doing Research and Scheduling Meetings: Start by visiting the vineyards that most appeal to you. Napa Valley is known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, but it also makes excellent Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and other wines. If you want to visit wineries, make plans well in advance, especially during the busiest seasons of the year. Since many vineyards require appointments, booking early ensuring you won't miss out on your preferred choices.

Think About Taking a Personalized Tour: Should you be a first-time visitor to Napa or simply want to unwind and observe everything, you could want to consider booking a guided wine tour. Many firms provide transport-inclusive tours, allowing you to unwind and enjoy the wine and scenery without worrying about driving. Guided tours occasionally provide access to unique tastes and behind-the-scenes encounters that you might not otherwise be able to enjoy.

Approach With Care: It's best to avoid visiting too many vineyards in one day because wine tasting is a very sensitive experience. To ensure you have enough time to savor each sample and take in the surroundings, it's best to limit your visits to no more than three or four wineries. Remember to drink plenty of water in between samples to keep your palate clean.

Explore Outside the Wine Areas: Don't miss the other sights in the valley, even if wine tastings are the main attraction of any Napa visit. By participating in one of the various cellar and vineyard tours that wineries provide, you can learn more about the winemaking process. You can also go wine picking in the autumn, attend educational seminars and enjoy delicious food pairings.

Best Wineries to visit and Activities

In Napa Valley, there are many varieties of vineyards, and each one has something unique to offer. Here are a few highly rated vineyards and tours:

The Mondavi’s Winery: One of the most well-known wineries in Napa Valley, Robert Mondavi, offers a range of tours and tastings. The vineyard's architecture is stunning, and it offers instructional tours that illuminate the art and background of winemaking.

The Amorosa Palace: This beautiful winery with a historical vibe not only makes some of the best wines in the region, but it's also rather beautiful. The tour takes you through the armory, the wine cellars, and the dungeons of the castle.

Vineyards Carneros:Winery Carneros is the place to come if you like sparkling wines. The castle of the winery, typical of the French countryside, overlooks the valley and provides a stunning backdrop for the sparkling wine tastings.

The leap Stag's Mines for Wine: Renowned for its Cabernet Sauvignon wines, Stag's Leap made history that same year when it took home the Paris Tasting trophy. The winery offers small-batch tastings and tours of the vineyards which produce these highly regarded wines.

The Experience of Wine Service: Consider the Napa Valley Wine Train for a unique perspective on the wine country. On this vintage clothing adventure in the valley, savour delectable dinners and wine samples. It's a leisurely approach to discover the region and taste some of its finest wines.

Making the Most of Your Travels

There are many sites and things to do in Napa Valley besides wineries. It's worth visiting the charming communities of Calistoga, St. Helena, and Yountville; each has a unique vibe and excellent places to dine, shop, and have fun. After a day of gathering, unwind in the amenities of the valley or go on an early hot air balloon ride to get a close-up look at the vineyards. Regardless of your interest or level of wine knowledge, a Napa Valley wine tour is sure to be unforgettable. From the world-class wines to the magnificent environment and rich history, Napa Valley reflects the essence of California's wine country. Raise a glass to the amazing landscapes, diverse range of cultures, and excellent wines that make Napa Valley a singular tourist destination.

[napacitywinetours]

Exploring the Vineyards A Wine Tour Through Napa Valley

Napa Valley, located in California, is synonymous with world-class wine, scenic landscapes, and luxurious experiences. Renowned as one of the premier wine regions globally, Napa Valley boasts over 400 wineries, each offering a unique taste of their finest selections. A wine tour through Napa Valley is not just about tasting exceptional wines; it's an immersive journey into the art of winemaking, the history of the region, and the breathtaking beauty of its vineyards.

The Essence of Napa Valley Wine Tours

A wine tours napa valley is an opportunity to explore a variety of wineries, ranging from boutique, family-owned establishments to large, renowned estates. These tours typically include guided tastings, where knowledgeable sommeliers and winemakers share insights about the winemaking process, the characteristics of different grape varieties, and the unique terroir of Napa Valley that contributes to the distinctive flavors of the wines.

Must-Visit Wineries

Robert Mondavi Winery: As one of the most iconic wineries in Napa Valley, Robert Mondavi offers a blend of rich history and excellent wine. Their tours often include a walk through the vineyards, a visit to the production facilities, and a guided tasting of their award-winning wines.

Castello di Amorosa: This 13th-century-inspired Tuscan castle winery offers a unique experience. Visitors can explore the castle, complete with dungeons and great halls, before indulging in tastings of their Italian-style wines.

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars: Known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Stag’s Leap played a pivotal role in putting Napa Valley on the global wine map during the 1976 Judgment of Paris. Their tours provide an in-depth look at their historic vineyards and cellars.

Domaine Carneros: Specializing in sparkling wines and Pinot Noir, Domaine Carneros is set in a grand château-inspired building. The terrace offers stunning views of the valley, making it a perfect spot for a leisurely tasting.

The Wine Tasting Experience

Wine tasting in Napa Valley is more than just sipping wine; it’s about engaging all your senses. Tasting rooms are designed to enhance the experience, often featuring art installations, stunning architecture, and panoramic views of the vineyards. Tastings are typically accompanied by detailed descriptions of the wines, including their aroma, flavor profile, and the best food pairings.

Beyond the Wine: Culinary Delights

Napa Valley is also a culinary haven. Many wineries offer food pairings with their tastings, ranging from artisanal cheeses and charcuterie to full gourmet meals. Some wineries have on-site restaurants where visitors can enjoy farm-to-table cuisine crafted by top chefs. For a comprehensive experience, consider booking a wine and food pairing tour, which combines the best of Napa Valley’s culinary and viticultural offerings.

Planning Your Tour

When planning a wine tour in Napa Valley, it's essential to make reservations in advance, especially during peak seasons. Many wineries offer private or semi-private tours, which can be tailored to your interests. For those looking for a more in-depth experience, consider booking a winemaker's tour, where you can learn about the intricacies of winemaking directly from the experts.

 

A wine tour through Napa Valley is a celebration of fine wine, exquisite food, and stunning landscapes. Whether you're a seasoned wine connoisseur or a curious beginner, Napa Valley offers an unforgettable experience that tantalizes your taste buds and soothes your soul. As you explore the rolling vineyards and sip on world-class wines, you'll understand why Napa Valley is a must-visit destination for wine lovers worldwide.

For more info:-

napa valley tours and transportation

[tourist-destinations]

Unique Ice Bars and Lounges around the World

Want to have the coolest holiday? For off-beat wanderers who love the winters, visiting an ice bar and lounges with the most extraordinary ambiance is a must. In the literal sense, these unique lounges are the chilliest spots in the world with unique themes. Check out this selection of the best ice bars and lounges around the world. 

Minus5º, Las Vegas, USA

The first on the list is Minus5º - the coolest hangout spot in the hot and happening Las Vegas. Located in the vibrant city of Las Vegas, it promises to add a refreshing spin to your trip. Found in prominent locations such as Mandalay Bay, Venetian, and The LINQ Promenade, Minus5º invites you to enjoy your favourite drink amidst its unique icy ambience. Everything within this lounge, from the walls to the chairs, is sheathed in ice, creating an extraordinary experience where the scorching 105 degrees Fahrenheit of the Mojave desert swiftly transforms into a chilly 23 degrees Fahrenheit. Minus5º offers a multifaceted experience, where the chill in the air is complemented by the warmth of entertainment, making it a must-visit destination for those seeking a truly unique and vibrant ice lounge experience in Las Vegas.

Ice Village, Tomamu, Japan

At Ice Village in Tomamu, Japan, it's not just about a small ice bar – it's a whole village transformed into an Arctic wonderland! This exceptional winter town comes to life as a seasonal attraction, boasting a delightful array of cafes, bars, and attractions waiting to be explored. If you are on the hunt for a chill spot, there is an Ice bar carved entirely from ice, complete with a cellar offering a variety of around 50 chilled drinks. For the ultimate experience, consider staying in this charming village to enjoy its unique winter wonderland charm. 

Chillout, Dubai, UAE

Enjoy a frosty climate at Chillout Dubai! There are plenty of places for the perfect dinner in Dubai. Chillout Ice Lounge Dubai is a must-try if you seek an extraordinary experience to unwind and chill with friends. Set within Times Square Center - Sheikh Zayed Road, this unique ice bar is the first-of-its-kind in the UAE that offers a glacial ambiance amid the scorching desert city. The menu here is also surprisingly unique as it provides hot soups, hot chocolates, coffee, desserts, mocktails, paninis, cakes, and popcorn! This makes it an ideal spot to hang out with friends and have fun with family and kids! So, if you are in the mood for a one-of-a-kind escape from the ordinary Dubai nightlife, Chillout Ice Lounge Dubai promises an experience beyond the traditional dining scene.

Ice Kube Bar, Paris, France

While in Paris, if you are longing for a touch of winter magic beyond the Eiffel Tower and cosy French dinners, make a pit stop at Kube Hotel Paris, tucked away at 1 Passage Ruelle between Montmartre and Canal Saint-Martin. This boutique hotel is more than meets the eye. Behind its charming Parisian exterior lies an extraordinary ice bar where the temperature drops to a chilly -20°Celcius. Unlike other icy bars, this one doesn't feel eerie. Instead, it's alive with vibrant frozen flowers, neon-lit ice walls, and sculptures that scream Parisian chic. This spot offers only drinks and is perfect for a trendy night out with friends.

Xtracold, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Experience the chill factor at Xtracold in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Step into the frosty wonder of Xtracold Icebar, where a glacial, nautical theme sets the tone. This venue has two bars where you get tokens that can be exchanged for drinks. First, you will enter the ' heated bar' where you can enjoy an alcoholic beverage, a glass of wine, or a refreshing beer and get to know all about the Dutch seafarer and Arctic explorer Willem Barentz. Then, you proceed to the ice bar, where the entire place is kept at a brisk -10 degrees Celsius. Here, you can savour two more drinks served in glasses meticulously carved from solid ice!

Icebar by Icehotel, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden

If you are in Stockholm and want a unique hangout spot, then give Icebar by Ice Hotel a try. Set in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, this fascinating ice bar has the tagged as the first permanent ice bar in the world. The whole setting, tables, seating areas, sculptures, and even the drink glasses are entirely created by the snow and frozen water of Torne River. The place is close to the Arctic Circle and offers authentic icy vibes like nowhere else.

Conclusion

Take the term  'chilling out' to a new level when you visit these amazing ice lounges and bars to add a touch of uniqueness to otherwise contemporary bar scenes in bustling cities. Don't worry about your attire; all ice bars offer a set of coats and gloves to ensure you do not have to think about wearing your own winter wear to enjoy at these bars. So, pre-book your visit and chill in the icy vibes where you can have your drinks on the rocks literally! Try it out next time you are in these cities!

[travelluxegroup]

Champagne Dreams - Capturing the Luxurious Charm of the French Countryside

Sipping Champagne in the French Countryside When one thinks of Champagne, the iconic image of a popping cork and frothy bubbles comes to mind. But Champagne is also a place, a region located in the northeast of France. And what could be better than sipping Champagne in the very region where it’s produced – the French countryside. Known for its rolling hills, picturesque vineyards, and quaint villages, the Champagne region is a must-visit destination for wine enthusiasts. Exploring the Vineyards One of the best ways to experience Champagne is to take a tour of the vineyards. Many of the houses in the region offer guided tours that take visitors through the vineyards, showcasing the various stages of grape cultivation, harvesting, and wine production. You'll learn about the different types of grapes grown in the region, how the vines are tended, and even get a glimpse into the cellars where Champagne is aged. Tasting Rooms No visit to the Champagne region is complete without a stop at one or more of the many Champagne houses. There are hundreds of champagne houses scattered throughout the region, all offering tastings of their unique blends. Most of these estates are open to the public, and many have beautiful tasting rooms where you can enjoy a glass of bubbly while taking in the stunning countryside views. Local Cuisine When in Champagne, it's essential to sample the local cuisine. The region is renowned for its hearty dishes, including boeuf bourguignon (beef stewed in red wine), escargots de Bourgogne (Burgundy snails), and coq au vin (chicken cooked in red wine). And of course, you can't miss trying some of the delicious cheeses produced in the region. Pair your meal with a glass of Champagne for the ultimate culinary experience. Exploring the Vineyards of Champagne Champagne is synonymous with glitz, glamour and luxury. The prestigious wine has its origins in the French region of Champagne, northeast of Paris. The breathtaking countryside is dotted with lush-green vineyards and picturesque towns. A tour of the region is a must-do experience for any wine connoisseur or anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the culture of France. Here are some exciting things to do while exploring the vineyards of Champagne: Visit the Champagne Houses Champagne Houses, also known as producers, are where the magic happens. A visit to one of these houses provides an opportunity to walk through the vineyards, learn about the champagne-making process, and even sip on some bubbly. Some popular Champagne Houses include Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, and Pommery. Explore the Vines on Foot or by Bike Nothing beats taking a leisurely walk or bike ride through the lush-green vineyards while breathing in the fresh countryside air. Many tour companies offer guided hikes or bike tours, providing visitors with an excellent opportunity to get up close and personal with the vines. Indulge in the Gastronomy of Champagne Champagne is not just known for its bubbly, but also for its gastronomy. The region is famous for its rich cuisine, including rustic cassoulet, Coq au Vin, and creamy Brie de Meaux cheese. Visitors can indulge in the local gastronomy by visiting the many gourmet restaurants in the area. Take a Hot Air Balloon Ride For a truly unique experience, taking a hot air balloon ride over the vineyards of Champagne is a must-do. Visitors can get a bird's eye view of the breathtaking scenery as they drift over the lush-green vineyards, picturesque towns, and historic sites. Exploring the vineyards of Champagne is truly a magical experience. From the Champagne Houses to the lush-green vineyards, there is something for everyone in this beautiful French region. Uncovering the History of Champagne Champagne is a sparkling wine that has become an emblem of luxury and celebration worldwide. It originates from the Champagne region in northeastern France, where it has been produced for centuries. The history of Champagne is both intriguing and fascinating, with many legends and stories surrounding its origins. The Origins of Champagne Many historians agree that Champagne was first produced by accident. In the 17th century, the winegrowers of Champagne noticed that their still wines would bubble and ferment again in the spring after being stored in the cellars during the winter. They realized that the cold temperatures of the winter suppressed the fermentation process, but the spring warmth reactivated it. This accidental process led to the creation of the first sparkling wines, which were initially called "le vin du diable" (the devil's wine) due to the bottles often exploding from the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas. The Rise of Champagne Champagne became popular in the 18th century as the preferred drink of French royalty and the aristocracy. The sparkling wine became synonymous with luxury and celebration, with many famous figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Madame de Pompadour being fans of the drink. The Champagne Houses were established during this period, and their owners became wealthy and influential figures. Champagne also became a significant export, with the British market being particularly important. The Evolution of Champagne The production of Champagne has evolved significantly over the centuries. Initially, it was a sweet wine, but as tastes changed, it became drier. The "dosage" process was developed, which involves adding a small amount of sugar to adjust the sweetness of the wine. The "methode champenoise" was also developed, a labor-intensive process where the wine is fermented twice in the bottle. This method produces the characteristic bubbles of Champagne. The Modern Champagne Industry Today, the Champagne industry is a thriving and regulated business, with strict rules governing its production. Only grapes grown in the Champagne region can be used, and the production process is tightly controlled. The Champagne houses have become prestigious brands, and their wines are highly sought after. Champagne is still associated with luxury and celebration, making it one of the most iconic beverages in the world. Indulging in Luxury at a Champagne House When it comes to experiencing the luxury of the French countryside, nothing compares to a visit to a Champagne house. These historic establishments, many of which date back centuries, are at the heart of the Champagne region's famed sparkling wine production. From the opulent décor to the meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of their process, a visit to a Champagne house promises to be a truly indulgent experience. The Tasting Experience One of the highlights of any visit to a Champagne house is, of course, the chance to sample their exquisite wines. Most Champagne houses offer tastings that allow visitors to not only try a range of different Champagnes but also to learn about the nuances of each variety. Whether you prefer a dry, crisp Blanc de Blanc or a fuller-bodied Brut Rosé, the knowledgeable staff at Champagne houses can help guide you towards the perfect bottle. The Architecture and Decor From grand châteaus to modern, minimalist buildings, Champagne houses come in many different architectural styles. However, they all share an emphasis on refinement and elegance. Visitors will marvel at the intricate details of these historic buildings and the meticulous attention paid to even the smallest design elements. Inside, luxurious furnishings and décor create an environment that exudes sophistication and elegance. The History and Culture Champagne production is steeped in tradition, and a visit to a Champagne house offers a fascinating insight into the region's rich history and culture. Visitors can learn about the production process, from grape selection to bottling, and the many rigorous regulations that must be followed for a wine to bear the Champagne name. Many Champagne houses also offer tours that give an in-depth look into the history of the house as well as the region as a whole. The Culinary Delights Pairing Champagne with the right food can elevate both the wine and the cuisine to new heights of indulgence. Many Champagne houses offer dining experiences that showcase the region's exceptional culinary tradition. From Michelin-starred restaurants to cosy bistros, visitors can expect to enjoy exceptional meals that are perfectly paired with the finest Champagnes. The Shopping Opportunities No visit to a Champagne house would be complete without a trip to the gift shop. Here, visitors can pick up a bottle or two of their favourite Champagne, as well as a range of other products such as accessories, glassware, and gourmet food items. Many Champagne houses also produce limited-edition runs of their wines, which are highly sought after by collectors. A visit to a Champagne house is an unforgettable experience that captures the luxurious charm of the French countryside. The combination of opulent decor, exquisite wines, and exceptional dining makes it a must-visit destination for anyone seeking the ultimate indulgence. Plan your visit to a Champagne house today and be transported to a world of pure refinement and elegance. Discovering the Art of Sabrage The History of Sabrage Sabrage is the art of slicing off the neck of a Champagne bottle with a saber. This tradition can be traced back to Napoleon's time, when the French cavalry would celebrate their victories by opening bottles of Champagne with their swords. It was considered a symbol of wealth and power, and soon became a fashionable party trick among the elite. The Technique Sabrage may look daunting, but with practice and guidance, it can be mastered. The technique involves sliding the sharp edge of a saber along the seam of the Champagne bottle, hitting the lip of the bottle with a precise strike, and removing the top part of the glass. The pressure inside the bottle and the temperature of the Champagne allow the cork to safely fly off, leaving little or no glass shards. The Ceremony Sabrage can turn any Champagne gathering into a special occasion. The ceremony typically involves presenting the saber, inspecting the bottle, and slowly gliding the saber along the seam while reciting a phrase such as "Vive la Champagne!" or "Long live the Emperor!" Once the bottle is opened, it is poured immediately into glasses held at a slight angle to avoid a sudden rush of bubbles. The Risks While sabrage can be a thrilling experience, safety should come first. A dull or improperly cleaned saber, a bottle that is too warm or too cold, or a lack of precision can lead to dangerous accidents. It is important to wear protective gear, such as gloves and goggles, and to keep the saber away from guests. Sabrage should only be attempted by experienced professionals or under the supervision of someone who knows the technique well. Sabrage is a testament to the beauty and complexity of Champagne, and a celebration of the French art de vivre. Whether you choose to observe the tradition or to simply savor a glass of bubbly, let the sparkling charm of the French countryside transport you to a world of luxury and indulgence. Pairing Champagne with French Cuisine Sip and Savor When it comes to pairing champagne with French cuisine, it's all about finding the right balance. The lightness and effervescence of champagne make it a perfect match with rich, fatty foods. Oysters, caviar, and foie gras are classic pairings that bring out the best in a bottle of champagne. But champagne isn't just for fancy appetizers - it also works well with hearty meat dishes, like beef wellington or roasted chicken. The bubbles in champagne help cut through the richness of these dishes, making them feel lighter and more refreshing. Regional Delights Champagne and French cuisine both have deep roots in regional traditions. To truly capture the essence of the French countryside, consider pairing your champagne with local specialties. For example, a bottle of champagne from the Champagne region would pair perfectly with a plate of Coq au Vin or escargot. If you're enjoying the flavors of the Provence region, try pairing your champagne with a Nicoise salad or roasted vegetables with herbs de Provence. And of course, no trip to France would be complete without a taste of the famous cheese from the region, like brie or camembert. Get Creative Don't be afraid to experiment with unexpected pairings when it comes to champagne and French cuisine. For example, a crisp, dry champagne can balance out the sweetness of a fruit tart, while a sweeter champagne can complement the saltiness of a dish like ratatouille. You can also try pairing champagne with French street food, like crepes or croissants, for a fun and playful twist on traditional pairings. Expert Tips If you really want to impress your guests with your pairing skills, consider consulting with a sommelier. A good sommelier can help you choose the perfect champagne to complement your menu, taking into account factors like sweetness, acidity, and body. And don't forget the temperature - champagne is best served chilled, between 45 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit. With the right pairing and some expert guidance, you can capture the luxurious charm of the French countryside with every sip and bite. Taking Home a Piece of Champagne One of the best ways to savor the experience of Champagne is to bring home a piece of it. Whether you want to relive the memories of your trip or share the flavors with your loved ones, Champagne offers a range of options for taking home a piece of its luxury and charm. Champagne Bottles The most popular product to take home is a bottle of Champagne. Almost every Champagne house has a cozy gift shop or a boutique where you can buy a bottle or two. The shop personnel will also be happy to assist you in selecting the right bottle, from a non-vintage option to a high-end vintage selection. You can also get the bottles personalized with inscriptions or customized labels, which make for great souvenirs. Champagne Flutes With its signature tall, slim shape, the Champagne flute is an icon of the Champagne experience. You can find a variety of Champagne flutes, from simple and elegant to elaborately crafted and adorned. Many of the Champagne houses have their own unique collection of flutes, which make for a treasured keepsake to commemorate your trip. Champagne Accessories Champagne requires proper care and handling, and there are a variety of accessories available to help you do just that. From corkscrews to stoppers and pourers, Champagne houses offer a range of accessories that can add a touch of luxury and convenience to your Champagne experience. You can also find a selection of Champagne glasses, coasters, and other items to make your Champagne drinking experience even more enjoyable. Champagne Regional Products Champagne is not just about the drink - the area itself has a rich history and culture that is reflected in its regional products. From gourmet foods, such as foie gras, truffles, and chocolates to handmade crafts like pottery, crystal, and fabrics, there's a plethora of unique and elegant products to choose from. These items not only make for great souvenirs but also bring the culture and essence of Champagne into your home. In conclusion, taking home a piece of Champagne is a great way to make your trip unforgettable. A bottle of Champagne, a set of flutes, or a piece of regional produce can all be great reminders of the luxurious charm of the French countryside that you experienced during your stay. If you want to see some stunning fashion photography from the Greek Islands, check out Greek Islands Fashion - Dressing for a Photography Escape for inspiration. Read the full article

[thisdaywinehistory]

Napa Valley Wine Chronicles: A Captivating Saga of Winemaking Heritage

Northern California's Napa Valley is widely recognized as one of the world's best wine-producing areas, with a remarkable wine history stretching back more than 150 years. Napa Valley's beautiful vineyards and reputation for producing world-class wines have made it a popular tourist destination. Let's look into the fascinating tale of Napa Valley's rise to prominence as a winemaking mecca.

European immigrants, mainly those from Italy and Germany, began cultivating grapes in Napa wine history during the middle of the nineteenth century because of the region's ideal temperature and soil. It wasn't until the 1860s, however, that Napa Valley saw the opening of its first commercial wineries. German immigrant Charles Krug established the region's first commercial winery in 1861; he is widely recognized as the "Father of Napa Valley Wine." The quality of wines made in Napa Valley has greatly increased because of Krug's dedication to the craft and his implementation of modern processes like cool fermentation.

Many early pioneers, like Gustave Niebaum of Inglenook Winery and Jacob Beringer of Beringer Vineyards, helped build wineries in Napa Valley in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The various microclimates and volcanic soils of Napa Valley were immediately recognized as excellent for cultivating high-quality wine grapes by these pioneers. They helped put Napa Valley on the map by creating world-class wines and striving for excellence at all costs.

The development of Napa Valley's wine industry has, however, not been without obstacles. When Prohibition began in 1920, it inflicted a devastating blow to the wine business, prompting many Napa Valley vineyards to either shut down or shift their focus to making sacramental and medicinal wines. The wine industry in Napa Valley would not begin to recover until Prohibition was repealed in 1933, after a 13-year hiatus.

Napa Valley's wine business flourished again after Prohibition, this time with an emphasis on producing high-quality wines. Napa Valley's grasp of viticulture and winemaking has been bolstered by the development of the University of California, Davis as a prominent centre for wine research and instruction. Improvements in wine quality have resulted from winemakers' ongoing experimentation with new grape types, vineyard management, and winemaking methods.

An important turning point in Napa Valley's wine history occurred in the '60s and '70s, a time period known as the "Judgment of Paris." A blind tasting event comparing California wines against French wines took place in Paris in 1976, and it was organized by British wine trader Steven Spurrier. Chardonnay from Chateau Montelena and Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, both from Napa Valley, shocked the wine industry by besting illustrious French wines to earn top honours. The quality of Napa Valley wines was on display during this landmark event, solidifying the region's reputation as a top producer of vino.

The wine business in Napa Valley wine history has thrived ever since, drawing in resources and inspiring new ideas. There are currently several well-known wine estates, vineyards run by families, and boutique wineries in the area.

[skolarrssolutions]

10 Hidden Gems To Visit While Studying Abroad

Studying abroad is an incredible opportunity to explore the world, expand your horizons, and meet new people. While many students opt to visit famous landmarks and tourist hotspots, there are also many hidden gems that are worth exploring. These hidden gems offer a unique glimpse into local culture and history and can help you create unforgettable memories.

In this blog post, we’ll be sharing 10 hidden gems that you should visit while studying abroad. From secret gardens to underground tunnels, we've got you covered.

1. Grunewald Forest, Berlin – If you're studying in Berlin and need a break from city life, head to the Grunewald Forest. This beautiful forest covers an area of around 30 square kilometres and is home to a variety of wildlife, including deer, wild boar, and foxes. There are also plenty of walking and cycling trails, and a lake where you can swim or rent a boat.

2. Oia, Santorini – While Santorini is known for its stunning sunsets and white-washed buildings, the village of Oia is a hidden gem. With its narrow, winding streets, blue-domed churches, and traditional houses carved into the cliffside, Oia is a picture-perfect Greek village that should not be missed.

3. Park Güell, Barcelona – Designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudí, Park Güell is a whimsical public park that is sure to delight. The park is filled with colourful mosaics, sculptures, and other fantastical elements. There are also fabulous views of the city from the upper levels of the park.

4. Kalemegdan Fortress, Belgrade – This fortress dates back to the Roman era and is located on a hill overlooking the Danube and Sava rivers. In addition to its study abroad consultants coimbatore historical significance, the fortress is also home to a park and a zoo.

5. The Vasa Museum, Stockholm – This maritime museum is home to the Vasa, a 17th-century warship that sank on its maiden voyage. The ship was salvaged in the 1960s and has been painstakingly restored. Today, visitors can explore the ship and learn about its fascinating history.

6. The Catacombs, Paris – Beneath the streets of Paris lie a network of ancient tunnels known as the catacombs. These tunnels were used as burial sites in the late 18th century, and visitors can now explore a small section of the tunnels on guided tours.

7. The Blue Lagoon, Reykjavik – This geothermal spa is one of Iceland's most popular tourist attractions. The naturally heated water is rich in minerals and is said to have therapeutic properties. If you're visiting Reykjavik, a trip to the Blue Lagoon is a must.

8. The Secret Garden, Florence – Tucked away behind the Palazzo Pitti in Florence is the beautiful Boboli Gardens. The gardens are filled with ornate fountains, statues, and manicured lawns. Be sure to visit the Secret Garden, which is hidden behind a massive hedge and has beautiful views of the city.

9. Kruja, Albania – This historic town is located just a short drive from Tirana and is home to the Kruja Castle, which played a key role in Albania's resistance against the Ottoman Empire. The town also has a busy bazaar where you can shop for traditional handicrafts.

10. The Wine Cellars, Porto – If you're a wine lover, a trip to the wine cellars in Porto is a must. Porto is famous for its port wine, and many of the cellars offer tastings and tours. Some of the most famous cellars include Taylor's, Graham's, and Sandeman.

Must Read This: 10 Reasons Why Studying Abroad is the Best Decision You'll Ever Make

Conclusion:

Studying abroad is all about exploring new cultures, and these hidden gems will give you a sense of the local flavour of your study destination. From beautiful forests to mysterious catacombs, there is something for everyone on this list of hidden gems. So, get out there and start exploring!

[jasonstuart]

Sunday APRIL 9th #Benefits for Foster Kids! #comedyshow & DINNER Giving back has always been a big part of my life. Not everyone comes to the planet with the same love, attention and mentorship. It's an honor to be able to use my art to be of support of these kids right here in the Coachella Valley. I look forward to seeing you at the show!  It's a 3 course fancy dinner from Trilussa Resturant! Caprese Cheesecake! Cameron Cellar Wine! An auction for a lunch with me! and it's the best #lol #standupcomedy 68718 E Palm Canyon Dr #203, Cathedral City, CA 92234 I will headlining along with Laurie Kilmartin (Conan O'Brien Show) at the brand new The Roost Lounge Family & Friends for the Voices for Children. With special guests #lgbtqia #comedians Nicky Paris and Mina Hartong. https://ticketbud.com/events/a7feb4d2-b258-11ed-8158-42010a71701e

[stocklivemarket]

If you are thinking of traveling to Monaco, you are in the right place. Monaco City District of Monaco, the second-smallest independent state in the world, is a residential area of 2,000 people, including the Prince's Palace. Monaco is mostly known for its marinas and the fancy casinos in the Monte Carlo district. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-pXA6lkGy0[/embed] When To Go To Monaco City? Let us share with you some of the things you need to know when traveling to Monaco. Since it has a Mediterranean climate, it can be visited at any time of the year. However, the most enjoyable time is the period of April - August. Although temperatures are ideal in September and October, precipitation increases. Best Places To Visit In Monaco City Prince's Palace Oceanographic Museum Napoleon Museum Mummy Museum Of The Princes Of Monaco Monte Carlo Story Saint Martin Gardens Japanese Gardens Exotic Garden National Museum Of Dolls And Watches Museum Of Prehistoric Anthology Condamine Market Princess Grace Rose Garden Stamp And Money Museum Prince Rainier Classic Car Collection Maritime Museum Zoo And La Condamine Market City Of Monaco Food / Restaurant / What to Eat and Drink? Monaco cuisine includes the most outstanding examples from world cuisine. Service and quality are at the highest level in very luxurious restaurants. Monaco cuisine is almost the same as France. Main local delicacies include Barbagiuan (a kind of dough stuffed with rice and pumpkin), Fougasse (dough dish prepared with fragrant orange flower water and garnished with hazelnut, almond and anise), Socca (Chickpea flour pancake), Stocafi (Dried cod cooked in tomato sauce) countable. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push(); In Monaco, you can go to "Beefbar" in La Condamine region and try different kinds of meat. Baccarat, Cafe de Paris, Fuji, Louis 15 are among the restaurants you can choose. "Louis 15", a very expensive restaurant, is the restaurant with the largest cellar in the world. To go to the restaurant with 250,000 bottles of wine, you must dress stylishly and make a reservation. Shopping In Monaco City Perfume, chocolate, ceramics, clothing, textiles, shoes, books, jewelery and embroidery are the products you can find in Monaco and are of very high quality. Apart from this, there are shops where Monaco stamps are bought and sold by collectors for high prices. It is a center of interest for collectors from all over the world. You can visit Condamine Market, where Monaco's best shopping opportunities are located. Caves & Gourmandises, Boutique Formule 1, L@Boutique, Monaco Market, Isabelle Kristensen, Métropole Shopping Center are the centers that can offer you various shopping opportunities. City Of Monaco Nightlife / Bar / Entertainment Monaco, frequented by the World Jet Society, offers all kinds of entertainment to its guests. You can have fun in bars and discos, or you can try your luck in casinos. Champagne is like the official drink of Monaco. Among the places you can choose are Zelos, Bar at the Columbus Monaco and Jimmy'z. You can also attend these shows in the city, which hosts many opera, theater and world performances. When you travel to Monaco, do not leave without tasting the nightlife! Monaco City Festivals Monaco And Riviera Marathon In March, Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix In May, Monte Carlo Circus Festival (Performing Arts) In January, The Monte Carlo Rally Is held In January And The Monte Carlo Spring Arts Festival (Spring Arts And Performing Arts Festival) In March. Monaco City Public Holidays New Year (1 January) Easter Labor Day (May 1) End Of World War II (May 8) Ascension Whit Monday National Holiday (July 14) Assumption (August 15) Christian Festival (November 1) Memorial Day (11 November) Christmas (25 December) Monaco City Important Information Roman Emperor VI. Founded as a Genoese colony

in 1228 with Heinrich's permission, Monaco was captured by François Grimaldi and his soldiers in 1297. Since then the territory of Monaco has been ruled by the Grimaldi Family. Between 1793 and 1814, Monaco was under French rule. After 1861, Monaco became an independent principality. Until the new constitution adopted in 1911, the Prince of Monaco was the absolute ruler of Monaco. II. In World War II, the Nazi Wehrmacht armies occupied Monaco. Large numbers of Monaco Jews were sent to concentration camps. Prince of Monaco III after the war. Rainier ascended to the throne upon the death of his grandfather in 1949. Prince Rainier gave women the right to vote and abolished the death penalty. In 1993, Monaco became a member of the United Nations. On March 31, 2005, Prince Rainier fell ill and handed over the task to his son. When he died on April 6, 2005, his son II. Albert ascended the throne as Prince of Monaco. Monaco City Climate / Weather Mediterranean climate is dominant. Summers are hot, winters are mild and rainy. Average daytime temperatures are around 24-25 degrees in summer and around 10 degrees in winter. The months with the most precipitation are October and November. What To Do In Monaco City? You can visit the Prince's Palace in Monaco-Ville. You can visit the Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium built in the sea, the Napoleon Museum, which contains historical artifacts from the Napoleonic era and documents of the history of Monaco, the Mummy Museum of the Princes of Monaco, and the Monte Carlo Story, which features a multi-vision show about the history of Monaco. You can see the tranquil Gardens of Saint Martin overlooking the sea, the Japanese Gardens by the sea, the Exotic Garden overlooking the Monte Carlo harbor, the National Museum of Dolls and Clocks, the Museum of Prehistoric Anthology in Moneghetti and Monaco's most You can visit the Condamine Market where good shopping opportunities are located. Apart from these, you can see the Princess Grace Rose Garden with more than 180 types in Fontvieille, the Stamp and Money Museum with rare stamps revealing the postal history of the principality, and the Prince Rainier Classic Car Collection, which includes about 100 classic cars. With the Maritime Museum you can visit the Zoo of interest. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

[trustmeifyoudare]

The Wonder Twins (Chapter 1: Make a Wish)

Allegra and Felix had been best friends for as long as they could remember. It was just how things were. Their parents said that they were acting as all children do when they finally meet someone their age: form a friendship because there is nothing else better to do. That once they grew up and went to school they wouldn’t even remember each other. But the pair didn’t care what their parents thought. To them it was real.

Despite their parents’ best efforts to keep them apart so they could “grow out of childhood illusions”, they were put into the same class, year after year. It was almost like the universe had other plans for them. Everyday after school they would meet up to do their homework together. The would sneak into their parents’ wine cellars and steal bottles just to say that they could. They would stay up all night, watching the stars in Allegra’s backyard where there wasn’t that much light pollution. When they were together it was like they could forget the increasing pressure put on them from society and their parents and just be themselves.

One warm summer night, Allegra and Felix laid down on a hill, looking up into the stars They were quiet, something that did not happen often. Allegra looked over at Felix, who was ripping apart a blade of grass. There was obviously something wrong.

“How long is forever?” Felix asked, breaking the silence.

“Well, it’s forever. It never ends, I guess. It just keeps going on and on.”

“We- we are going to be best friends forever, right?”

Why did Felix feel like he had to ask that? “Of course we are, Fe. Nothing could ever separate us.” She smiled at him and he gave her a little one back.

Felix pointed up at the sky, where a shooting star was flying past. “Make a wish.”

Allegra wished for the normal things that a child wished for. An ice cream cone, a pony, that her parents would love her.

“What did you wish for?” Felix asked.

Allegra paused. Thought. “That everything could stay like this forever.”

Forever. 

They fell quiet again. It wasn’t until what felt like hours later that Felix said, “I’m moving.” It was so quiet that Allegra almost didn’t hear it. She froze. Looked over at Felix. Who was crying.

Some people think that the universe is kind and benevolent, giving us friends and family out of the goodness of its heart. But in that moment Allegra knew the truth. The universe is cruel. It gives so it can take away.

She shook her head. “No. You can’t be.”

“Mummy wants us to be closer to my uncle because of some business deal that they have, so we are moving to Paris.

No. This couldn’t be happening.

“We are still going to use the mansion, but it will just be a vacation home. It’s not like we will never see each other again.” He tried to give her a reassuring smile but it came out as more of a grimace.

The universe is greedy. It takes what it can: our memories, our lives, our happiness. It gives us a false sense of security and then crushes it before our eyes.

They stayed there until the sun was well over the horizon. A week later Felix was gone. He never came back. After his father died a few months later, his mother couldn’t stand the thought of going back to the empty house, so she sold it. Forgot about it. Like the family that lived there never existed.

Allegra and Felix moved on. Pretended to forget about each other. About the friendship they used to have.

Eventually you will forget the promises you make, whispered in the times you thought anything was possible. You won’t remember the birthdays and the times you snuck out of the house. The memories will fade until its like they never really happened.

It turns out that forever does have an end, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Saturday 26 May 1838

8

12 ¼

fine morning F61 ½° at 8 ½ am A- went to the cathedral about 8 or after to sketch the interior and returned at 9 35 – I sat writing till 10 – then breakfast – changed our room – from the small one to the next adjoining a large very good room and breakfasting and moving our things till 12 – our garçon Paul Voisin a nice civil good countenanced unmarried aetatis 31 man from Lyons – does not like here – would be glad to be in a private house again – would be glad to go with us – lived 15 years with la marquise de Montague – was then in the army – then not getting a good place at Lyons came to Paris and from there here – in bed at 12 or 2 and up at 4 – so hard a place, nobody could stay long – he makes 800fr. a year – but would rather have less in a different place – had 350 fr. a year with the marquise de M- and livery – she lived in the r. de la université, but is not now in Paris – lives in the country – A- and I out at 12 35 – took a commissionaire to shew us the way, and then sent him home – Mr. Mumm or somebody, a very civil young man, protestant it seemed, and speaking English very fairly – a German shewed us over the cellars, and afterwards shewed us into a large good salon, and gave us champagne and biscuits – the wine Mousseux and very fair but not so good as Moets’ of Epernay in 1833. should I have as good of Moet at 3/. a bottle? ordered a dozen of his 1ere qualité at 4/50 per bottle to be sent off on Monday and would be in Paris on Tuesday or Wednesday to my address rue St. Victor no. 27 à Paris – thought we might get this dozen over to England for Lady Stuart – en petite cadeau – about an hour at the cellars (at Mr. Mumms’) underground and above – 3 stories of cellars to the depth of 36 to 40 ft. ventilated by grates communicating from the bottom cellar to the top – each story divided into separate vaults perhaps the loftiest 7 or 8ft. high in the centre – perhaps 4 or 5 yards wide and 20+ long – in the lowest story 3 men corking – one filling up the bottles – another putting in the cork, and driving it down with a machine (has only had it about 15 months) on the principle of a corn or button-stamping machine, and the 3rd man tying down the corks, (the tightness gained by a small steel thing round which the string is turned and held fast while the other end is pulled tight) – It is not long since everybody left off gaudon (rosin) and covered the corks with lead-paper – a great improvement

Monday 28 May 1838. no good wine in champagne says our landlord of the Ecu at Epernay since the year 1834.

asked for champagne tranquille – cannot have it now – not till next year – not ripe enough now – that of 1834 will not be ripe till next year – taken with the double-incline clearing racks  the bottles ranged in an angle = about 25°? require turning twice a day for 2 or 3 weeks till all the sediment has sunk down to the cork – then the cork taken out (a difficult operation saw it done) and with the cork out gushes the sediment in the froth that escapes and the bottle being refilled is immediately re-corked – vintage in October – wine remains in cash till April May or June – about 6 months – Mr. Mumm has no vineyards of his own – buys the grapes – shewed us his great ton = 19,000 bottles = 70 such casks as we saw lying about – sends wine to America in boxes containing 12 bottles and 50 ditto has a house in London, Francfort and Cologne – Inquired respecting the ventilation of cellars – he said wine should have good pure air – Madeira should be kept warm and may do without air, but good air cannot do it any harm if the temperature be attended to – the breakage of champagne = 50p.c. the time of year now coming on – best to order champagne for a years’ consumption – should not be kept too long – he owned that the Bordeaux wines (Claret) for the English market were mixed with hermitage and brandy – on leaving Mr. Mumms’ at 1 55 sauntered in the little Jardin des Plantes – nothing particular in it – 2 or 3 little  serres, not much in them – then to the Cours the very nice shaded promenades – then Champs Elysées of Rheims – very pretty cool and pleasant (hot and very fine sun today) sat there writing in pencil in my rough note book all the above of today till now 2 ¾ - and then to the cemetery close by – i.e. close by the Porte de Mars leading to Flanders (the gate by which we entered yesterday) and the ‘Mission’ i.e. croix de la mission erected in 1825, and now turned to a monument to the memory of the brave who died fighting for the liberty of France (viz. the revolutions of the 3 days of July 1830) – sometime in the cemetery spite of boiling sun – among the tombeaux and epitaphs one of the latter by a father to the memory of his daughter, Marie Antoniette Sophie l’Inglois decêdée Thursday 5 December 1822 dans sa 21me année – after 10 foregoing lines ends thus

‘ô mon chere enfant, attends en paix

ce père malheureux ! attends-le sous cette terre

Qui d’après un homme religieux et sensible,

‘n’est que la cendre des morts pétrie avec les larmes

de vivans’ pretty idea  

not aware at this moment that the ancien porte de Mars (arc de triomphe of the Romans) was so near

from the cemetery thro’ the streets and marché to the palais archiépiscopale

the archbishop M. le cardinal de Couci set off to Paris a day or 2 before the outburst of the revolution of July 1830, and has never been here since – at Goritz with the ex-royal family – the bishop of Numidie does the duties of the archbishop – the archbishop much regretted – a very good man – did a great deal of good –the palais worth seeing the grande salle surrounded by the pictures of the king crowned here from Clavis downwards very handsome – pity that damp is spoiling some of the pictures e.g. Louis XVI. at the end of  the salle – Charles X. taken away – the picture still in the palais but his place in the salle vacant, and several fleurs de lis here and there defaced – (as also the fleurs de lis on the shield of Louis 15 in the Place royale – how puerile!) – the grande salle 130x36 pieds and height = about 36 pieds up to the square – ceiling domed – large poutres (beams) across the room partly gilt with 2 rings in each beam towards the side of the room for suspending 2 chandeliers – 4 windows on each side the great entrance door by flight of steps from without – 4 doors on the opposite side of the room – the great fire-place at the end of the room and over it St. Remy crowning Clovis – shewn into what Charles x intended turning into the chapel – the painted glass windows put in – but all stopt by the revolution – this place was the palais de justice after the revolution of 1789 and 3 stories of prisonniers were in this very spot – the duke of Orelans was lately at our hotel (the Lyon d’or) but did not see the Palace – no! said I, he is still a Bourbon, and the sight could not be agreeable – from here went home at 4 ½ for A- to have wine and biscuit and then out again at 4 52 and off to the church of St. Remy – a 20 minutes walk and there at 5 ¼ - under repair – expected to be done in 2 years from this time – very curious old church – the whole of the nave boarded off – had been new roofed and now full of workmen – 2 stories of double aisle round the apsis and choir and a narrow gallery above the upper story immediately under the painted windows – do not remember to have seen this sort of 2 storied double-aisle – went up to the upper story – same dimensions apparently even as high as the story below – the vitreaux – (painted glass) – very ancient – date not known – supposed to be as old as the church – evidently very ancient – all the ceilings of aisles and choir stone-work plastered and painted in imitation of brick-work – the new vaulting (new roof of the nave) done in wood – the old stone roof too heavy on the walls – the 2 stories of double aisle run all round the nave too – see as we return, that the new roof is not quite so steep as the old one – as seen from the old walls of the town the eves are all in one line but the ridge of the old roof of the choir is about 3ft. higher than the ridge of the new roof of the nave – just peeped into the nave after having seen the high altar and chasse containing the relies of St. Remy – the chasse of solid silver before the revolution of 1789 – now of cuivre argenté – the relies exposed to the faithful

SH:7/ML/E/21/0110

for 9 days in October every year – the figures round the high altar not finished sculptured at the back because stood originally against a wall – done under the orders of a cardinal of Lorraine 300 or 400 years ago – interesting as representing in marble statues the 6 ecclesiastical and 6 lay paises de France and their officers who assisted at the sacres (coronations) of the kings of France – looking towards the altar

the left

‘Duke de Bourgogne’ holding the crown

D. de Normandie – a standard

D. de Aquitaine – a standard

Comte ‘de champagne’ – a standard

C. de Flandre – the sword

C. de Toulouse – the spurs

the right

archduke de Rheims holding sa croix

Ev. duke de Laon – a crosier et l’ampoule

Ev. d. de Langres – a crosier et containing the oil and sceptre

Ev. comte de Beauvais – a crosier

Ev. c. de Chalons – a crosier and the ring

Ev. c. de Noyon – a crosier et la selle the kings’s saddle

immediately at the back of the altar in the space between the last Evêque and last court is a St. Remy seated in his archiepiscopal robes and mitre teaching Clovis kneeling at his feel and a Diacre or assistant holding the cosier and an open book – Left the church (much interested) at 6 20 – sauntered back along the  boulevard very lately planted with young elms – cart road in the middle and 2 allées (promenades) (old rampart) the Vesle river running close along its foot on the other side the old wall – on our right towards the town, great deal of garden ground – pépinières and sale vegetable gardens – delighted with our walk back – nowhere such good views of the exterior of the cathedral – too short – too lumping as a whole – wants the lantern tower the lengthiness of York minster, and its freedom from flying buttresses at the east end which look like steps to graduate the high roof gently down to the ground – the effect of this is bad – as if the building could not support its height at that end – never travel without a view of York minster – take it all in all, has it an equal in the world? when very near our hotel at 7 the light so beautiful on the cathedral turned into a courtyard for a better view – the gentleman of the house civilly asked us in and the wife shewed us in the garden – she said the effect would be still better in about an hour – she regretted the great numeros of pigeons jackdaws, crows etc that inhabited the exterior of the building – to us these birds give life to the scene and improve the picturesque – she said the crows assembled on the wire all along the ridge of the roof so as sometimes to form an almost continuous line from end to end, and all regularly flew away to les champs at 9pm – as good as a clock for 9pm we inquired about Mr. Mumm as to the street in which he lived – she did not know the name – supposed we had seen the cellars of Mr. Muller or Mr. Roeder (a German we said he spoke English well and was a protestant) – asked who was really the most renommé négociant en vins in Reims – Madame Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin- I said the town was full of dyers – yes! but only 6 or 7 great dyers in the town – It turned out her husband was a dyer and also a wine merchant – she said we ought to see les filatures en laine (woollen spinning mills) – it seems they have power looms here – she says trade has been very bad, but is now reviving or revived and pretty goof again – Had ordered dinner at 7 – not in till 7 ½ - dinner immediately but the lateness an excuse for a bad dinner – no épinards – nothing left – I sent for one mutton cutlet for I had literally nothing but cold fish not eating the bit of beef or the little redone overdone poulet or asparagus – sat over dinner and dessert till 10 – then wrote till 11 – very fine day – F67° at 11 pm

[sciatu]

VIGNETI SULL' ETNA , LA PICCOLA BORGOGNA SICILIANA- foto delle Tenute Benanti e Terre Nere.

La Borgogna è una nobile regione della Francia dove a metà del 1400 venne definito un protocollo per la produzione del vino per garantirne la qualità. Il protocollo, unito ad uve meravigliose come il Pinot Nero o lo Chardonnay, un clima particolare e l’impegno di centinaia di piccoli produttori, è stato utile a creare quelli che ai giorni nostri sono vini eccezionali, quel tipo di vino che nei magazzini Lafayette di Parigi trovi in vendita a centinaia o migliaia di euro. Fino a qualche decennio fa, la situazione in Sicilia era molto diversa. I produttori di vino avevano grandi estensioni che guardavano più la quantità che la qualità, perché l’obiettivo commerciale era poterlo vendere come vino da taglio in Italia e Francia. Il prezzo basso era compensato dall’enorme quantità. Negli anni settanta, con il rifiuto dei produttori Francesi di far entrare nelle loro cantine i vini siciliani, si ebbe un profondo ripensamento. Alla Borgogna i vini rendono circa 650 milioni di euro l’anno, un valore che i produttori siciliani si sognavano ed anche solo una parte di questo valore poteva compensare la fatica che la vite richiede per produrre in qualità. Da quel momento si cercò di migliorare la situazione produttiva che negli anni ottanta era in una profonda crisi. Solo verso la fine degli anni ottanta, la nomina all’Istituto Regionale per la Vite ed il Vino di Diego Planeta incominciarono a crearsi quei cambiamenti strutturali che portarono a migliorare la qualità della produzione attraverso il recupero di antichi vitigni e nuovi modi produttivi. Incominciarono a nascere vini che anni dopo anni finirono per scalare con successo le classifiche dei migliori vini internazionali. Arrivarono gli enologhi e produttori friulani che incominciarono a stabilirsi in Sicilia a creare prodotti incredibili e marchi di eccellenza. Accanto a questo cambio di rotta cambiò anche la tipologia dei produttori. In Borgogna le aziende agricole sono formate da piccoli produttori sparsi sul territorio che hanno vigne poco estese ma molto curate ed i vini prodotti o provengono da singole vigne come riportato sulla loro etichetta o dall’unione di mosti diversi ognuno dei quali dà una sua particolarità al vino. In Sicilia i piccoli produttori erano scomparsi qualche secolo fa quando la peronospora distrusse i vigneti e solo i grandi produttori avevano i capitali necessari a rincominciare a ripiantare le viti. Il bisogno di qualità ha portato però a porre l’accento sui piccoli produttori siciliani e si tornò ad investire in piccoli vigneti, magari vecchi di un secolo, adottando tecniche moderne per la fermentazione affidandosi anche al web come marketing o a catene specializzate per la vendita di prodotti premium.

Il risultato ha portato ad utilizzare in modo nuovo le aree produttive come è successo su un lato dell’Etna verso Randazzo un luogo magico per la viticultura che è definito “La Borgogna Siciliana”. Il luogo è molto propizio per la vite. Il grande vulcano ferma le nubi e dona acqua, insieme ad una terra ricca naturalmente di elementi nutritivi. Le vigne si estendono fino a quasi 900 mt di altezza, così che a un sole caldissimo, seguono serate e notti in cui il freddo scende dalla cima del monte a raffreddare le viti. Questo particolare rende il microclima della zona simile a quello della Borgogna dove i vignaioli devono combattere con le gelate primaverili accendendo fuochi tra le vigne. Ma è proprio questa particolarità che rende i vini unici. La vite è una macchina chimica vivente che reagisce agli stimoli esterni; se la temperatura si abbassa la vita per resistere produce più zuccheri e arricchisce il mosto con sostanze uniche. Il luogo dove sorge la vite non però sufficiente a garantirne la qualità. Il come e quando l’uva viene raccolta, la spremitura, il vinificare in base alla vigna, la maturazione in botte o bottiglia, tutti questi ed altri fattori contribuiscono ad aggiungere altra qualità a quella che la vite dona naturalmente. Tutte queste attività sono legate dalla fatica del produrre che non è poca visto che le vigne si trovano su terrazzamenti scoscesi e impervi. Il risultato sono vini di eccellenza, grandi rossi, ottimi bianchi dove la salinità dell’Etna si stempera in sentori di fiori e di frutti ed il tannino del vino non è mai violentemente dominante ma seduce ed affascina. Vini che appartengono alla fascia alta del mercato, esportati in tutto il mondo a ridonare il sole ed i sapori delle alte terre in cui sono nati.

Burgundy is a noble region of France where in the mid-1400s a protocol was defined for the production of wine to guarantee its quality. The protocol, combined with wonderful grapes such as Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, a particular climate and the commitment of hundreds of small producers, has been useful to create what today are exceptional wines, the type of wine that in the Lafayette warehouses of Paris are on sale for hundreds or thousands of euros. Until a few decades ago, the situation in Sicily was very different. Wine producers had large extensions that looked more at quantity than quality, because the commercial goal was to be able to sell it as a blending wine in Italy and France. The low price was offset by the huge quantity. In the seventies, with the refusal of French producers to let Sicilian wines into their cellars, there was a profound rethinking. In Burgundy the wines make about 650 million euros a year, a value that Sicilian producers dreamed of and even just a part of this value could compensate for the effort that the vine requires to produce quality. From that moment on, efforts were made to improve the production situation which in the 1980s was in a profound crisis. Only towards the end of the eighties, the appointment of Diego Planeta to the Regional Institute for Vine and Wine began to create those structural changes that led to improving the quality of production through the recovery of ancient vines and new production methods. Wines began to be born that years after years ended up successfully climbing the rankings of the best international wines. Friulian winemakers and producers arrived and began to settle in Sicily to create incredible products and brands of excellence. Alongside this change of course, the typology of producers also changed. In Burgundy the farms are made up of small producers scattered throughout the territory who have small but well-kept vineyards and the wines produced or come from individual vineyards as reported on their label or from the union of different musts each of which gives its own particularity to the wine. In Sicily the small producers had disappeared when the downy mildew destroyed the vineyards and only the big producers had the necessary capital to start replanting the vines again. The need for quality, however, led to placing the emphasis on small Sicilian producers and we went back to investing in small vineyards, perhaps a century old, adopting modern techniques for fermentation, also relying on the web as marketing or specialized chains for the sale of premium products.

The result has led to a new use of the production areas as happened on one side of Etna towards Randazzo, a magical place for viticulture that is called "Sicilian Burgundy". The place is very favorable for the vine. The great volcano stops the clouds and gives water, together with a land naturally rich in nutrients. The vines extend up to almost 900 meters in height, so that a very hot sun is followed by evenings and nights in which the cold descends from the top of the mountain to cool the vines. This particular makes the microclimate of the area similar to that of Burgundy where the winemakers have to fight with the spring frosts by lighting fires in the vineyards. But it is precisely this particularity that makes the wines unique. The vine is a living chemical machine that reacts to external stimulation; if the temperature is lowered, to resist vine produces more sugars and enriches the must with unique substances. However, the place where the vine grows is not sufficient to guarantee its quality. The how and when the grapes are harvested, the pressing, the vinification based on the vineyard, the aging in cask or bottle, all these and other factors contribute to adding more quality to what the vine naturally gives. All these activities are linked by the effort of producing which is not small since the vineyards are located on steep and inaccessible terraces. The result is excellent wines, great reds, excellent whites where the salinity of Etna is dissolved in hints of flowers and fruits and the tannin of the wine is never violently dominant but seduces and fascinates. Wines that belong to the high end of the market, exported all over the world to give back the sun and the flavors of the high lands in which they were born.