#all he’s trying to work towards is a nice little vineyard in the countryside with ilya ✨😖🖤 THATS ALL

[thedeadthree]

— LYSANDER SELENCAL the demon of sienan harbinger of nyx the condemned, a mage reborn (x)

“blasphemous! two-headed snake! murderer! heretic of the highest! demon of sienan!” were they right? the collar sister set on him prevented lysander from refuting so. loneliness and solitude followed him throughout his childhood and perhaps, he assumed, maybe he was meant to be alone all along. it’s what he’s always wanted, to be alone. he’s gotten his wish now but at a cost. such a quiet boy he once was, how could one harbor such darkness? how could he murder a saintess when he loved one himself?

@mage-parivir

[chaoticpuff17]

A Dangerous Game

epilogue

masterlist

Here it is my darlings! The epilogue! I fully expect you all to come for my head, but enjoy! It’s been a pleasure to write it!!-- chaotic puff

Y/N enjoyed the August sunshine as she wandered the market. Her life had been peaceful since coming to the Italian countryside taking on a new name, a new life. She had taken a job at a local restaurant and found them a small house bordering one of the olive orchards that littered the countryside where Mark was able to find a job. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was freedom, blessed freedom.

Italy had been good for her. There was no JB, no Namjoon, no mafia to worry about. No one knew her here. It was the fresh start she needed after her time in Korea. Here she was a Canadian woman from Quebec by the name of Alice Morin living with her husband of a year Matthew, also from Quebec. It was quiet. The only unexpected thing had been the baby.

The baby had been a rather rude surprise. She’d only just escaped Namjoon when she’d begun to show early signs. It had been a doctor in Prague, one that she was not entirely sure was practicing medicine legally, that had given them the news. She was several weeks along in a pregnancy that she had never wanted to begin with, but she was determined to make the best of it, even if the child was Namjoon’s. 

She could remember turning to Mark with panicked eyes once the doctor had given them the news. They were on the run. They were trying to start a new life. They were both still grieving the death of a dear friend, more than one on Mark’s part. But Mark had taken her hands in his and smiled at her and told her that it would all be alright, that they could do this. It would be her tiny miracle, not Namjoon’s. He would make sure of that.

Eventually they’d made their way to Italy, establishing themselves in the northern countryside. It was a good life, more peaceful than she had ever known. The village was out of the way, vineyards and olive trees and above all sunshine. She loved it there, and for the first time every she was able to enjoy a pregnancy. 

She’d been almost too scared to acknowledge the baby at first. Mark had been more invested than she had worrying over the constant movement and stress it would cause to her and the little buddy as Mark called him. They didn’t actually know the sex of the baby. Because of the restraints on both funds and access to proper medical care, Mark had chosen the remote Italian countryside, and had settled on using the local midwife to deliver the baby when the time came which left them with no clue of the baby’s gender. 

Little by little, she had been able to become more excited about the baby. The nonnas of the village were more than happy to help with the pregnancy teaching her how to knit and sow, helping her put together the nursery, teaching her how to make proper Italian food. She couldn’t say how many times, she’d heard her boss being scolded by the local nonnas about letting a pregnant woman work so much. Mark also got his fair share of scoldings from the nonnas. 

They’d melded into the village quite well after being there for so long now, they had their own routines and rituals, a peaceful life. Part of which included her weekly visit to the local church to light a candle for Jackson.

The church was one of her favorite parts of the village. It was small but beautiful, like so many other things in Italy. The local priest was always kind enough to say a few words to her before he left her in peace to grieve and contemplate in silence. She’d never been particularly religious before, but this brought her comfort. After her trip to the church, she’d go to the market before she walked home.

“Buongiorno, bella donna!” An old man she bought flowers from every week called out as she came into view of his stall.

“Buongiorno, signore!” Her smile was bright, happy as she walked over “Come stanno i fiori oggi?” She asked looking over the flowers he had laid out.

“Oggi abbiamo bellisime dalie. Il tuo italiano sta diventando motto buono.” He complimented with a wrinkled smile already preparing the dahlias he had just mentioned. It was their tradition. Every week she would ask about the flowers, and he would tell her what he thought was the most beautiful that week and prepare a bunch for her.

“Grazie.”

“Come sta il bambino?” He asked motioning to the rather large swell of her belly.

“Calcia come un giacatore di futbol.” She replied with a tired but happy smile looking down at her belly with playful exasperation. She swore that the little one was trying to kill her from the inside out sometimes or at least enjoyed using her organs as a punching bag. “Sono pronto per la sua nascita.”

“Quanto tempo fino alla nascita, Alicia?” He asked handing her the bunch of dahlias.

“Sei settimane.”

“Cosí presto!” He cheered as she paid for the flowers. “Non veds l’ora di incontrare il piccolo. Io e mia moglie ci piacerebbe averti a cena quando nasce il piccolo.”

“Grazie. Mi piacerebbe molto. Ciao, signore!”

“Ciao, bella donna!”

She continued through the market stopping at stalls and bopping into the bakery to pick up some fresh bread all the while oblivious to the dark gaze that followed her movements. He watched as she laughed with vendors and smiled at the Italian boys that paid her compliments. His blood boiling. That was his wife, and she was pregnant with his child, and yet she was here with Mark. He was getting to play the father to Namjoon’s child. 

He’d been searching for her for months. Her disappearance had wreaked havoc on the manor, had wreaked havoc on him, but here she was perfectly alive and well and happy, and with another man no less. The entire organization had gone through an in depth cleansing, and GOT7 had been dealt with for good, all in preparation to bring her home. There was only one more pest to take care of.

 Namjoon had never once doubted that he would find her. There was nowhere in the world she could hide from him, though he was impressed by how long she had managed to hide from him. It had been eight months since he had last seen her, eight torturous months, but that would all be over soon.

It took every ounce of his self-control not to take her right then and there, but there were too many people there now for her to take her now. She would be in his arms soon enough though, and then she would never leave him again. To say he was shocked when he’d received news of her with a picture of her swollen belly would have been an understatement. He hadn’t even known she was pregnant at the time of her escape, but both she and their child would be home soon. From the look of her, it wouldn’t be long until they welcomed their little one into the world. Namjoon had immediately started preparations for both her and the baby as soon as he’d found her. Everything would be perfect for her and their child. All that was left to do was to bring her home. Her pest was already on his way back to Korea to suffer a slow and torturous death by Namjoon’s own hand. 

Namjoon followed her home carefully following her in watching from the shadows as she clipped the stems of the flowers and arranged them in a vase in her kitchen humming softly as she did.

“Hey, Tono.” She cooed as a cat jumped up on the counter next to her. She smiled down at the creature gently rubbing it behind the ears. “How did you get in here? You don’t live here, silly kitty.” 

She didn’t seem bothered though by the cat’s presence even if it wasn’t hers. She continued about her business arranging the flowers in their vase occasionally cooing at the creature in a mixture of Italian and English. Eventually moving into singing silly Italian children’s songs to the cat as it basked in the sunshine on her kitchen counter. 

The cat knew something she didn’t though his hair standing on end and hissing before jumping out of the open kitchen window much to her confusion. 

“Tono?” She asked moving over to the window to see where the cat went. 

“Hello, jagi.” He cooed coming up behind her wrapping his arms around her waist so that his hands rested against her belly as he breathed her scent in. “Did you miss me?”

She gasped dropped the vase to the floor as she spun around to face the man who still haunted her nightmares. “Namjoon.” She whimpered backing up until she was pressed back against the counter. “Don’t come any closer!” She yelped grabbing a knife and brandishing it in his direction. “Where’s Mark?” 

“Put the knife down, jagi.” He sighed approaching her slowly. “You’re already in enough trouble don’t you think?”

“Get away from me.” She whimpered keeping the knife pointed in his direction her eyes flashing wildly as she looked for an escape. “What did you do to Mark?”

“It’s time to go home, jagi.” He cooed growing increasingly annoyed by her asking after the other man.

“I’m not going back there.” She hissed inching her way towards the door.

“You don’t have much choice, jagiya.” He chuckled darting forward and grabbing her wrist, He pulled her closing putting pressure on her wrist to an almost painful amount until she released the knife with a clatter. He wrapped her in his arms again pulling her into his chest tightly though keeping her belly in mind, not wanting to hurt her or the baby. 

“Stop fighting me.” He hissed holding her still even as she struggled against him. “It isn’t good for the baby.”

“You son of a bitch.” She hissed continuing her struggles.

“That’s no way to talk to your husband, jagi, especially not after the trouble you’ve caused.”  He growled tamping down his annoyance at her continued defiance. Didn’t she know that there was no escape for her now? “Think of the baby, jagi.”

It was those words that ceased her struggles as she hung in his arms. She couldn’t risk hurting the baby even if it meant she had to go with Namjoon.

“That’s my good girl.” He cooed moving his hands to rest against her belly again. “It wasn’t very nice of you to hide our baby from me, but it will all better once we’re home.” He assured her 

She shuddered but didn’t fight anymore as the baby stirred uncomfortably responding to her distress. “Wait!” She yelped pulling against his hold again as he began to drag her out of the house. “Please wait!”

His gaze was annoyed as he looked back at her. “I have waited. Seven months is a long time, jagi.” He spat tugging her forward again.

“Please, I just need to grab something. Please, it’s for the baby.” He quirked a brow at her curiously as she looked up at him with desperate, frightened eyes. “Please.” She begged again eyes watering as she pulled against his hold.

“If you’re lying to me, jagi…” He warned but released her wrist and following her closely as she moved through the little house to the bedroom where a crib was situated by the window. The village had made that for them when she’d first started to show. Placed carefully over the edge of the crib was a blanket hand knitted with love for the baby.

She picked up the blanket folding it against her chest tightly almost like a shield. “I made it for the baby.” She breathed out with a shuddering under his harsh gaze.

He nodded lips set in a grim line before placing a firm hand against her back and leading her out of the house, shuffling her into the car that was waiting outside her home. They drove through the village to what she assumed was an airport waiting to take her back to her gilded cage, back to their game, and it was time to decide what to do, now that the chips were down. 

to be continued...

Italian translation: May not be entirely accurate. My Spanish is much better than my French (which is dismal), and my Italian is practically non-existent much to the shame of my godfather. 

good morning, beautiful lady.

good morning sir. How are the flowers today?

we have beautiful dahlias today. Your Italian is becoming very good.

thank you. 

how is the baby?

he kicks like a futbol player. I’m ready for him to be born. 

how long till the birth?

six weeks

so soon! My wife and I would love to have you for dinner after the birth. I can’t wait to meet the little one.

thank you. I would love to. goodbye sir. 

goodbye, beautiful lady.

[tae-cup]

Through The Grapevine | KTH Oneshot

Summary: Kim’s Family Winery, a symbol of prestige and luxury, yet their finances are absolute shit. 

Warnings:  language

Genre: Fluff

Rating: SFW, PG-13 (for language)

Word Count: 8k Words 

A/N: I finished this at 1 am. Oh god I’ve been writing for five hours straight.

Thank you to @yoongi-sugaglider​ for the prompt I used for this idea!! I didn’t use it exactly but thank you!!! And I’m honestly so nervous because Jester and JJ are business people and I probably screwed all the business stuff up, but if you squint you can see a little bit of sense??

Prompt:  Taehyung the boy from money. His family owns a slew of Italian vineyards and he's expected to inherit the job. But he secretly wants to race yachts.

Other: Masterlist

          You were royally fucked. Running late to your first day on the job at Kim’s Family Winery was not the first impression you wanted to make. 

“Fuck fuck fuck.” You pulled your hair into a messy ponytail as you slammed the taxi door shut. “Kim’s Family Winery.” You barked, voice hoarse from having woken up an hour ago. 

       You tucked the loose strands of hair behind your ear and tried your best to smooth down any frizz. While your face and hair looked semi-presentable, the rest of your body told a different story. It told the story of waking up late, throwing on your clothes in the dark, forgetting to turn on the lights, tripping down the apartment steps, and falling into the street trying to wave down a taxi. Life was great. You had a sinking feeling in your stomach as you drove farther away from the city into the rolling vineyards of the countryside. It was an hour long drive to the winery and you had exactly 30 minutes to be there. 

        Time to start brainstorming excuses. You had an hour, whether you liked it or not. You sighed and pressed your forehead to the back of the seat in front of you. The leather smelled like cigarettes. Okay, well I could use the traffic excuse or maybe the ‘taxi driver was slow’ excuse. You sat up and glanced at the taxi driver’s face. He was an older gentleman with wrinkles and probably more knowledge in one hair than your entire body. No, not that one. A voice in your head chimed in to tell you to ‘just tell the truth’ and while that was enticing, you had never been great with the whole honesty thing. You groaned at your predicament. 

“You doing alright?” The old man looked at you through the rearview mirror. 

“Yes.” You answered automatically before quickly backtracking. “I mean, no.” You sighed and tilted your head back against the headrest. “I’m late for my first day at work.” 

“Ah, Kim’s Family Winery is a big deal I hear.” He smiled sympathetically at you, then turned his eyes back to the deserted road. 

“I know.” You grumbled. 

“But it’s not going to be too bad, okay? Just have faith in yourself.” 

“Thank you.” You turned to face the window. 

        The hills rolled far into the distance. Rows and rows of corn, grapes, and strawberries passed you by. The sun was casting a golden hue over the fields and you could see the farmers milling around, probably having been awake since dawn. You had always enjoyed the countryside, but you had never thought about working in it. You had always expected to work at some big business corporation, not manage the finances of a famous winery. 

“What time are you supposed to be there?” 

      You glanced at your phone. The time read 8:00 A.M. You needed to be there in 30 minutes. 

“8:30.” You said, the defeat evident in your voice. 

“Missed your alarm?” The man furrowed his eyebrows in concern. 

“Yes.” You said quietly, sinking lower. “And I know this drive takes at least an hour.”

        There was a long silence. The pavement turned to dirt. The wheels crunched loudly against the loose ground. The driver picked up speed, his hands gripped the steering wheel. 

His eyes then looked up and met your gaze in the rearview mirror before looking back at the path. 

“I think I can make it in 45.” 

          45 minutes later, you stepped out onto the dirt paved road, your briefcase resting on your fingers behind your back. You had expected a lavish villa of some sort, but instead you’re greeted with a quaint, one story, building. It had vines tangling with a wooden arch that led to the entrance. You shuffled awkwardly, unsure of what to do. You didn’t want to stall any long, but your nerves were getting the best of you. You looked at the time. 8:45. You needed to get in there right away. The taxi pulled away and you bit your lip, now alone. 

          The first step was the hardest, the second a little less so. You continued until you were right at the door. It was a pane of glass with the words Kim’s Family Winery printed with gold lettering. The place gave a very home-y vibe despite the prestige. There was a little dirt path off to the side and your eyes traced its path all the way up the hillside. On the hill’s side sat a large villa, bright white and large glass windows reflecting the morning sun. You took a deep breath and tried to peer inside. It was dark, but that could just be the contrast to the outside. 

           You slowly opened the door, jumping as a bell rang out, alerting them of your entrance. You closed the door quietly behind you and made your way inside. The walls were made of wood and the floor was a soft carpet. Deeper inside, the lights were off. The only source of light was the sun streaming through the large windows. There were a few booths and a couple long tables to your left. To your right was a bar with a wall of fine wines resting behind it. You didn’t know if you should call out or just wait. So you instead decided to look for the light switch. It was nice, the natural light, but it was a little dark in some areas. 

         The place was quiet as you moved to the front to search for the light switches. 

“Just leave it be. The morning light is calming and opening isn’t until 9.” A deep voice rang out, making your skin break out into goosebumps. 

“I’m so sorry for being late.” You exclaimed, turning to face a man walking through the door. He had on blue jeans, a red plaid shirt, and working boots. He stamped his feet on the mat by the door and walked inside. He had a small smile on his face as he surveyed you. 

“Don’t worry, everyone is always a little late, but don’t tell Namjoonie I said that, okay?” The man said casually. He walked over to the bar and started searching through the wine bottles. He held one up, checked the label, and then pulled out a pen and checked off something on a list. 

“I’m Kim Taehyung.” He said, the pen cap in his mouth. “You are the new hire, I’m guessing?” 

            You were frozen, watching Taehyung move from one bottle to the next. The glasses clinked heavily back into place one after another. Your hands gripped your briefcase as you moved toward the odd man. He wasn’t odd looking whatsoever, in fact he looked as if he were sculpted by the gods, but his behavior was so...friendly. The name Kim Taehyung rung a bell. He must be one of the brothers. You hadn’t expected them to work with everyone else. You thought they would send orders down and then run off to catch a private jet to the Maldives or something. 

“Y-yeah, I’m,” You cleared your throat and he stopped, looking up at you with a raised eyebrow. “I’m Y/N.” You bowed your head slightly. 

           He let out a little laugh and dipped his head in recognition. Then he scribbled his signature onto the paper and dumped the clipboard into a drawer. He capped the pen and shoved it back into his pocket. 

“You’re here for the money thing yeah?” The man went around the bar and appraised you, eyes flicking over your body. You felt only a little self conscious against his intense gaze, hands moving to your front, briefcase with it. 

“Yes, sir.” You nodded. 

“Aish, just call me Taehyung” He scratched his head. “Sir sounds too formal.”

         You quirked an eyebrow. When Kim Seokjin had interviewed you, he had always spoken formally. You had expected that to be commonplace at Kim’s Family Winery. 

“O...okay?” You relaxed your grip on your briefcase as he flashed you a boxy smile. 

“Y/N.” He pulled out a bar chair and sat on it backwards. “I’m going to be honest with you,” His expression went dark, his gaze growing in intensity. “Kim’s Family Winery is going bankrupt.” 

“What do you mean by that?” Your voice came out harsher than you thought. 

“Well, we’re losing more money maintaining our little winery than we are gaining or whatever you call it.” He waved his hand nonchalantly. “We leave logistics to Joonie. That’s why we got you!” 

“I thought...I thought this was the most sought after wine!” You cried. Maybe coming here was a mistake. You could’ve gotten a better job at a place like BigHit or Bangtan Inc. Instead, you were lured in by the prestige of Kim’s Family Winery and accepted the job. 

“Yes, but with those fancy soda wine can things coming out, we’ve been losing more money.” He explained. 

“Right, right.” Okay, all they need is for you to save the ship and then you can leave. You thought to yourself, already feeling the headache. 

“Are you going to stick around?” Taehyung tilted his head, biting his lip. 

“Yes, of course. I’ll help you.” You said firmly, despite your apprehension. 

“Great! Because the last guy jumped ship when he saw our debt.” He jumped up from his seat and started walking towards a door. “This leads to the office. You’ll find the finances that Joonie filed and then you can come tell us the situation! Jinnie should be here in uhhh,” He glanced at his watch. It was a rolex. “About five minutes!” 

“Great thanks-” Before you could finish he was already gone, the door shutting behind him. 

           You sighed and got to work, turning on the lights in the office. You moved to the small window that was near the ceiling. It opened painfully slowly. You then went about taking out the various files that held their financial reports. You gathered the most relevant ones you could find and then dropped them on the small metal desk, coughing as dust flew into the air. The clock on the wall read 9:00 A.M. 

You flipped through some papers, noting the most noticeable changes in profit and expenses. 

“Who spends $1000 on cleaning fluid, and why?” You murmured to yourself as you noted it down in the I Need Answers column of your notes. 

        There was a light knock on the door. 

“Y/N? Are you ready?” Taehyung said softly through the door. 

        You hastily gathered your notes and stood up from your position hunched over the desk. 

“Yes, yes” You coughed loudly as the dust flew into your lungs. “Achem, Just a second.” 

          You felt like you were hacking up a lung. You swallowed to try and rid yourself of the dust coating your throat. It didn’t help much, but you got control of yourself. How do they spend so much on cleaning fluid and yet they can’t seem to clean their office? You threw open the door, looking forward to getting out of the closet known as the office. Sadly, there was a loud thump and Taehyung stepped into your view. 

“Ow.” He groaned, hand covering his nose as he stumbled backwards. 

“Oh my god, Taehyung, I’m so sorry!” You rushed towards the taller man, but he held his hand out to stop you. 

“No, no, Y/N it’s okay.” His eyes were scrunched up tight. He pulled his hand back to view the first drops of blood. 

“You’re bleeding.” The Earth really hated you today.

       You wanted to scream, but instead you quickly ducked into the bar area and searched around the cabinets. Luckily you came across a box of tissues and you aggressively pulled out a tissue. You ran back over to him, only to hear low voices. 

“It’s fine! It’s fine! It was a simple accident.” You heard Taehyung say, swatting at his brothers. 

        You stopped in your tracks, suddenly worried. Of course the brothers would arrive right when you had just clobbered Taehyung in the nose. 

“It doesn’t look good, Taehyungie.” one brother said. 

“It’s just a bloody nose, god you guys are real drama queens.” 

         You slipped into the room, trying not to draw attention to yourself, but instantly their gazes snapped to you. You could feel Namjoon’s withering stare and Jin’s confused expression. You tried to just focus on the task. You handed Taehyung the tissue and he thanked you awkwardly as he covered his nose. 

“So you’re Y/N?” Namjoon sighed. 

“Yes.” You squeaked, resisting the urge to run away. 

Surprisingly, he just chuckled a little and held out his hand. “Welcome to the family.” 

 “So let’s see here.” You pulled out your notes and flipped through the pages. “I can sum it up like this; you’re losing a lot of money for a lot of unnecessary things.” 

“Obviously, that’s why you’re here.” Taehyung rolled his eyes. You sighed and closed the notebook. 

“Then you have to trust me.” You said. “Looking through your expenses here, I can only do so much.” 

“Anything you need to know?” Namjoon steepled his fingers. 

“Yes.” You flipped to the last page where you had circled a big name with question marks. “Who is Rosa Chung?” 

“An old family friend. She has helped the winery out a lot!” Jin explained quickly. 

“She seems to be losing you a lot of money.” You muttered. “I see here that her and her party ordered a total of $20,000 worth of wine and yet, I see no payment back. You lost $20,000, why?” 

“It was her birthday!” Taehyung jumped in. You just raised your eyebrow in disbelief. 

“And why have you spent $1,000 in cleaning fluid? Because I honestly have no idea where it’s going if it’s not going to that dusty office you have back there.” 

         Despite having been flustered in your arrival, you were in your element now. Plus, the boxy smile of Taehyung did help loosen your nerves. The sitting room was arranged like so; You sat across the couch in a single leather chair, legs crossed, while they sat smooshed together on the couch looking like scolded children. 

“Rosa explained that we needed it. She never told us why, but she always tells us we need it.” Namjoon murmured, as if realizing the ridiculousness of the statement as he spoke. 

“I’d like to meet this Rosa lady.” You snorted. “How did she manage to talk you into giving her all this free stuff, huh?” Are these guys idiots or geniuses? 

“She’s an old family friend, we trust her.” Jin said, his head dipping low. 

“Ah, this is bullshit.” Taehyung sighed, draping his upper half over the side of the couch. 

“So what do we do? Confront her?” Namjoon shifted uncomfortably. 

“You are capable businessmen.” You snapped the notebook shut. “I’ll stop the orders of cleaning fluid and start brainstorming ways to make back your lost money.” You stood up, dusting yourself off. “With the Rosa situation...figure it out.” 

          You promptly left the room and went back to the office. First day on the job? Yes. But you were going to give it to them straight. You weren’t here to make them feel better or hide things, you were there to handle their finances. Taehyung knocked on your door a little while later. 

“Can I come in?” 

“Yeah, come in.” You responded, distracted as you tried to look up event costs. 

           The only way you could see them pulling through by the end of the month, was if they held a fundraiser and raised over $100,000. It was a stretch, but with their prestige, they could do it. How did they get that prestige with such lousy finances? Who knew. Well, the keyword was try, because your cell reception was almost none. You drummed your fingers impatiently on the desk as you waited for the page to finally load. Taehyung entered the room, the door softly clicking shut behind him. 

          It was a little cramped with two of you in the small office, but it would make do. The page loaded and you got preoccupied reading through the list of venues. If you calculated the expenses going into it and the expected profits, you could see the event helping quite a bit. 

“So anyway, that’s all I wanted to say.” Taehyung cleared his throat. Your eyes shot up, widening slightly. 

“I’m so sorry...I wasn’t listening to anything you just said.” You admitted sheepishly. 

         He didn’t seem bothered, but his eyes went a little dull. His smile didn’t loosen and he chuckled a little, but it seemed forced. 

“Yeah, I get that a lot.” He muttered. 

         Your gaze softened, taking in the man in front of you. He was tall and well built. His waist was slim and his face was a beautiful tan color with deep pools of brown for eyes. 

“Well,” You put down your phone with a smile. “You have my undivided attention.” You clasped your hands together on the desk. 

         He looked confused and suddenly he went very quiet. It was as if no one had told him that before, as if no one had ever taken the time to listen to him before this. You noted the way his fingers twitched and the muscle in his jaw ticked slightly as he seemed deep in thought. Taehyung breathed out slowly and his stance made it look like a heavy weight had just been lifted. His eyes watched you curiously. 

“I said, uh, that you probably think we’re...pretty stupid.” He said awkwardly. “But I assure you we’re not! Joonie is really smart, he’s like 200 IQ, or was it 148? And Jinnie, jinnie is smart, but maybe not as much, but still smart! We’re all smarter than average I swear-” 

         You burst out laughing at his ramblings, to which you quickly inhaled a load of dust and started coughing. 

“Y/N! Are you alright?” He rushed to your side, squeezing between the desk and the filing cabinets. He patted your back as you wheezed. 

“Maybe-maybe she was right about the need for cleaning supplies. It’s so dusty in here.” You croaked. You suddenly became aware of your proximity. His hand rested on your back and his face was right next to yours, as if he were whispering some divine secret. You tried your best to keep the heat off your face. 

“And don’t worry, Taehyung, I never thought you guys were stupid, I just thought you had lousy finances.” 

He seemed relieved by your statement and moved away all too quickly. 

“So how do you plan to fix those lousy finances?” He asked, hands drawn behind his back. 

“I think a fundraiser would be good.” You said, pushing the paper of notes you had written towards him. It held logistics, costs, and other expenses needed. Then it held what you believed would be the profit, the desired profit, and all the negatives that could happen. 

“Hm...It’s kind of risky, right?” He eyed the paper, barely glancing over your messy handwriting. You frowned and took the paper back, looking over it. 

“Actually, no. I think either way, we’ll get more than we put in and even if it’s a total flop and no one goes, then we lose a couple thousand dollars and get free wine. There’s still enough to go through the month.” You explained. “But, if you don’t want to do it, it’s okay.” 

“I want to.” He answered quickly, not even waiting for your sentence to be completed. “I mean, I’ll have to ask the others, but I think it’s a good idea.” 

“It’s my first day, Taehyung, you can tell me if you don’t like it.” You tilted your head and looked at him. His cheeks were slightly flushed and he avoided your gaze. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll talk it over with the other two.” He said, then he motioned with his hand towards the paper. “Can I have that to show them?” 

       You smiled a little and handed him the paper. He took it in his hands and held it lightly, like a baby bird. 

“Don’t lose it. I still need it for planning.” You called as he made his exit. 

“I won’t! You can count on me!” He shouted back over his shoulder. 

       You shook your head, but couldn’t hide the smile that grew on your face once he was gone. Taehyung intrigued you and you definitely felt...attracted to him, but it wasn’t either of you's place to act on those feelings. 

       Your eyes were hurting from staring at the screen for so long and your hand was numb from writing. You checked the time to see it was already 6:00 P.M. You grabbed your things, lingering a little longer. You could hear the shouts of customers and the laughter spewing from their drunken lips. The three boys had to stay late, but you were simply their financial advisor, you didn’t really need to stay past 6. You still lingered, taking your time grabbing your things and exiting. 

         In the dining area there were several parties of people, all seemingly having the time of their lives. Namjoon stood at once table, a small cart of wines next to him as he spoke to the group of people. They all listened intently as he poured their glasses. It seemed Namjoon had a way of making people listen to him. His words were commanding and it always felt like he knew more than he was letting on. 

         Jin was speaking to another group, but the table was having a much rowdier time. One woman stood and hooted with laughter at something he said. 

“Aish, it’s good that someone likes Jin’s jokes.” Taehyung said as you passed by the bar. You didn’t need to be anywhere and it would take a while for the taxi to arrive, so you sat yourself down at the bar. 

“Maybe he should marry her. There aren’t many people who can stand those jokes.” The man tsked and shook his head in shame as he poured a few patrons a glass. 

     You twisted in your seat to survey the crowd, your eyes landing on Jin’s table. 

“That woman is like, 60, Taehyung. Jin is, what, 10?” You rolled your eyes. 

“He’s 27, I’ll have you know.” He snorted. 

“Uh huh.” 

“It’s true!” 

“If he’s 27, then you must be at least 3.” You said playfully. 

“I’m a ripe 24.” He sniffed, screwing the cap back onto a bottle of wine. 

      You shifted in your seat, leaning to your left to look through the glass door. The yellow light of a taxi pulled up into the driveway. You hopped off the seat. 

“Alright then, I’m off.” You announced. 

“Right when I was beginning to enjoy your company.” His lips quirked into a smile. 

“What are you suggesting Mr. Kim?” You narrowed your eyes suspiciously. 

“Nothin’” He said innocently and quickly turned to wipe off some glasses. “Have a goodnight.” 

“You too!” You called back as you stepped through the door. 

         When the door closed, the night sky enveloped you in its cold grasp. The stars welcomed you home and the noise of the winery faded into nothingness. The quiet peace of the countryside held you close. You missed this. The taxi rolled down its window. 

“You coming, little miss?” The man’s gruff voice called. 

“Yup! One second!” You did a double check. 

     Keys, check, pen, check, notebook, check. You went down the list and made sure you hadn’t forgotten anything. Then you pulled open the door of the taxi and got in. 

“87 Solomon Lane.” You instructed, then you sagged in your seat, exhausted. 

         Rosa was a pretty woman. Light blonde hair and big blue eyes, a slim body, model ready. Picture Perfect. You just wished she wasn’t in every single one of your pictures. You had decided to save money and just take pictures for the website yourself. Since when did I become the media manager, the general manager, and the financial advisor? 

         It really wasn’t fair how attached you’d gotten to the winery. You had been alone for so long and the winery was beginning to feel like a second home, a family. Jin always started off the day with a bad pun, Namjoon would clumsily break something, and Taehyung would flash his boxy smile at you. Taehyung had been...odd. He was always around you, a hand reaching out to grasp your shoulder or brushing your hands when you handed him something. You chalked it up to him being a touchy person. 

        Then Rosa started to come by more frequently. Every time you tried to take a decent picture of the place, she would always pop into view with some excuse or another. With a sigh, the woman walked off for the fifth time and you officially gave up. You handed the camera over to Taehyung and left to seek shelter in the closet office. 

-

“We really need to have a talk with Rosa.” You said one day. You had been staying late and helping them clean, even though you had no idea which wine was which. 

“I don’t know, Y/N. She’s a close friend.” Namjoon scratched his neck. 

“A close friend who’s draining your money.” You fired back. Taehyung stopped what he was doing and went over to you, placing a hand on your shoulder. 

“You’re right, I think it’s time.” He sighed, his deep voice sending a shiver down your spine. Namjoon didn’t look as sure. Jin looked between you, Namjoon, and Taehyung. 

“You could say that Y/N is draining our money too.” Namjoon pointed out, a harsh gaze flickering over his face. While you felt hurt, you couldn’t show it. Before you could open your mouth, Taehyung gripped your shoulder tightly. 

“That’s enough, Namjoon. We all know Y/N is worth it.” He hissed. 

“I don’t know. Always telling us what to do. You don’t even know this business like we do.” Namjoon addressed you and your nostrils flared in anger. 

“Namjoon stop.” It was Jin who was speaking. Jin, who founded Kim’s Family Winery, Jin, who was going to see it to his end or its end. Jin, who was watching the winery fall apart. “We all know this place is dying and Y/N is here to help. She’s a part of the business now and I don’t recall ever agreeing to let Rosa have free reign over our money. Can’t you understand? The business is going under, Namjoon. It’s going under and unless we can pull off this damn fundraiser, Kim’s Family Winery is over.” 

        Namjoon softened, eyes gazing at the older male. Jin looked broken, his teeth gnawing at his lower lip. 

“I won’t let it be over.” You said, cutting through the silence like a knife. “I will help in any way I can.” You took a deep breath. “And if you can’t pay me now, pay me later. I really just want to help you.” 

         The leader looked even more ashamed, his face falling. He dipped his head and quickly excused himself, Jin following suit. Taehyung stayed and turned your body towards him. Your breath hitched at how close you were to the handsome man. He’s your coworker, stop. You placed your hands on his arms, ready to push him away, but you didn’t. 

“Did you mean it?” He gazed into your eyes. “Did you mean what you said?” 

       The corners of your lips twitched upwards. 

“Every single word.” 

         He leaned in and so did you. Your body wanted this, craved his lips against yours, but sadly, there was a loud achem. You tore yourself away so fast it felt like whiplash. He looked equally disconcerted and both your attentions snapped to the figure standing in the center of the room. Rosa. 

“Can I have a glass of wine? Taehyung, you know the one?” Rosa sat down nonchalantly. You quirked your head as Taehyung set to work without any questions. 

“What brings you around here, Rosa? You seem to be coming in a lot.” You said, striking up a conversation. The woman was certainly dressed to the nines, despite it being a family winery. Her neck held gems probably worth more than your life and her dress was definitely gucci. And yet she can’t seem to pay. 

“I’m just….dropping by.” her tone was low and sultry. “I just came back from flying all around Europe. Next I’m going to visit the Maldives.” She bragged. 

“That sounds lovely.” You commented, trying not to frown. Taehyung placed the glass down and she picked it up, downing it in one go to your surprise. The man beside you didn’t seem fazed. 

“You’re new around here, darling, and since you don’t have a uniform on I can only guess you’re doing a boring job. Maybe finance?” Rosa smirked at your expression. Right on target. 

“Yes, I am, actually. I’m Y/N, It’s a pleasure to meet the main reason this business is losing money.” You smiled sweetly. 

“The pleasure is all mine.” She chuckled darkly and shook your hand. Then she hopped off the stool. “I have a lot of places to be, so I must be going.” 

“Actually, you still need to pay.” You said firmly. Taehyung blanched, poking at your back to tell you to stop, but you kept pushing on. Rosa narrowed her eyes slightly, the smile never leaving her face. 

“I see...it does seem I’ve forgotten.” She slowly pulled out her wallet and took out the cash. She placed on the counter with a little more force than necessary and left quickly. 

      You and Taehyung stared at the wad of cash and then at each other. 

“I can’t believe you did that.” Taehyung gaped. 

“What? She’s all bark but no bite.” You shrugged and grabbed the money, counting it. Then you placed it in the register. “See, all you guys had to do was ask. What could possibly go wrong?” 

        Taehyung’s grim expression did not leave you with much confidence. 

     Apparently, a lot could go wrong. 

“What is this?” Namjoon slammed the newspaper onto the counter. Jin picked it up, reading it aloud. 

“Kim’s Family Winery finally going out of style?” He read out the headline. “The beloved Kim’s Family Winery has finally taken a turn for the worse with staff treating customers poorly and customers being overcharged for cheaply made wine.” 

“That’s outrageous!” Taehyung cried out. 

       The newspaper was thick. Rosa’s last name spelled across the top. You groaned and placed your head on the counter of the bar in defeat. No one told you she was the daughter of one of the biggest newspapers in Seoul. 

“What did you do?” Namjoon stared at you incredulously. 

“I...I just asked her to pay, is that so bad?” 

“I told you we’d deal with her! You didn’t need to do that!” He practically growled. 

“I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you.” You said quietly. 

“Just get out.” Namjoon hissed. Your eyes widened. You looked frantically to Jin, but he averted his eyes. Taehyung looked at you, a sad look in his eyes. 

“Come on, Namjoon. It was the right thing to do…” He started. 

“I’ll deal with you later.” The older male furrowed his eyebrows at his younger. 

       Taehyung shut his mouth and you picked up your bag, walking right back out the door you came in. It was shameful and you were trying your best not to break out into a sob right then and there. 

        The taxi arrived swiftly and you croaked out your address before sobbing into your hands. The taxi driver was a kind looking woman who was looking worriedly at you. 

“Rough day?” She asked gently. 

“I may have just been fired.” You sniffled. “I don’t think I even did anything wrong.”

“Yeah, I know that feeling. Sometimes the best thing you can do is try to pick up and move on.” The driver smiled. 

      Her words made you sob harder. 

“I heard through the grapevine that there’s a big fundraiser for Kim's Family Winery.” The woman continued. “Maybe you can go and get some good wine and drown your sorrows, yeah?” 

“The fundraiser?” You suddenly shot up, swiping at your nose and eyes with your sleeves. “I can still make the fundraiser!” 

       You immediately began typing away at your phone, the signal growing as you got closer to the bustling city of Seoul. 

        You rolled up your sleeves, prepared to take a deep dive into your work. You suddenly felt a buzz in your pocket and you pulled out your phone, a frown forming on your face as you read the caller ID. Taehyung. With a sigh, you picked up. 

“Hello?”

“Y/N!!!”

You pulled the phone away from your ear as his voice blasted through the speaker. 

“Taehyung, what do you want?” You mumbled. You were ready to immerse yourself in work, but after you saw how happy he was when you gave him your full attention, you had decided to give him your undivided attention every time you spoke. 

“I’m sure you’re tired and stuff, but I wanted to let you know you’re not fired. You’re really important and we wouldn’t be able to do anything without you-”

“Kim Taehyung, who are you talking to?!” An angry Namjoon shouted in the background. 

“-And please don’t go, please please please, we all like you. Well, at least I like you- A lot! And- JOONIE GIVE IT BACK!” 

“Y/N, have a goodnight.” Namjoon’s stern voice broke through, a loud crash sounding in the background before the call hung up. 

            These boys were going to be the death of you. You set to work writing down all the logistics and finalizing the arrangements. You worked deep into the night, the sun starting to lighten the sky as you put down your pencil. You glanced at the time. 6:00 A.M. You had no time to sleep. With a groan, you went to have a shower and then change into a clean set of clothes. 

             Taehyung’s hyper call was still playing on repeat. At least I like you-a lot. The words bounced around your skull. He didn’t seem the type to just settle down and open a family business. His personality was too childish, too adventurous. You looked at the date. You had exactly one week before the fundraiser. One week to get everything back in order and take a hold of your own goddamn life. 

            It was easier said than done. 

          When you arrived at work, after being shaken awake by the taxi driver, you were surprised to see the three Kim brothers standing outside waiting. You quickly patted down your hair, raking your fingers through the strands and then patting your face to make you feel more alive. Was this a dream? 

“Ah, Y/N! We didn’t think you’d come!” Taehyung made his way towards you and before you knew it, you were being hugged to death by him. His embrace was warm, comforting, and safe. It didn’t feel out of place. He had always been a somewhat touchy person. 

“Why not?” You had never thought about not coming in. You weren’t officially fired and you had an obligation to the winery. You had promised to fix their mess and you were going to follow through on it. 

“Well, after everything that happened….” Taehyung scratched his neck awkwardly before moving on. “At least you’re here now!” 

“That I am.” You smiled softly and greeted Jin with a nod, but Namjoon tugged on your elbow as the other two walked in. 

“Hey I just wanted to...apologize. You were just trying to help and I’m sorry, I have no excuse for lashing out.” He bowed low. You gazed at him for a moment, but an apology wasn’t what you wanted, you wanted action. 

“Namjoon, stand up for god’s sake.” You said teasingly. “I’ve got all this stuff worked out for the fundraiser so I’d like to go over it with you.” You handed him the hefty file with all your carefully handwritten notes. 

“Wow! This is a lot! Did you even sleep last night?” He marched on inside to help set up, file tucked under his arm. 

“Not a wink.” You answered after he was long gone. You slapped your cheeks, trying to muster up your last crumbs of energy. 

-

“I am so hungry.” Taehyung whined, his stomach grumbling. He took your hand without thinking. “Let’s get out of here and get some lunch, Y/N!” 

       If he noticed your flustered speech or your reddening cheeks, he didn’t mention it. Instead, he just dragged you along behind him as he went around the back. 

“There’s this great restaurant not too far from here that makes a killer burger!” He beeped his car open and you tried to ignore the fact that it was a bright red Mustang probably worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

       You stepped into the car, trying not to track in any mud, and shut the door. 

“Hey, Taehyung.” You halted him mid speech but he didn’t seem to mind. 

“Yeah?”

“How did you get all this fancy stuff if your business is struggling so much?” 

        He thought it over for a moment and you could see his brain turning. Despite his happy go lucky nature, you understood that he was a keen observer. He watched people, studied them. Hell, he even knew your habits. Taehyung definitely had a deeper mind than people gave him credit for, especially his brothers. 

 “I mean, we inherited a lot from our father when he passed away. He made the original Kim’s Family Winery.” He smiled at the memory. “And it was really successful, made him millions, you know? But then he passed away and people didn’t have nearly as much faith in my brother and, well, things went downhill. At least we own the cars and the house already, but everything else will be a stretch if the business goes under.” 

“Perhaps you need to live a more frugal life, Taehyung.” You teased. “Join the rest of us simple people barely scraping by for food and shelter.” You said dramatically, although it was only a half lie. 

       A lot of people lived on the streets or in crappy apartments. A lot of people went days without food simply because they couldn’t afford it, which was preposterous. 

“Maybe.” He said, his voice distant. He gripped the steering wheel and you took the time to admire his hands. 

        His fingers were long and slender, hands calloused and tough. He had strong arms, muscle appearing faintly underneath his suit. His hair was combed back and long, a deep shade of brown. His side profile was stunning. He looked otherworldly, his nose a prominent shape, his lips wide and plump. He didn’t seem to notice your staring, or at least he didn’t mention it, because he pulled off to the left and parked the car. 

“Here we are!” Taehyung smiled and stepped out, moving to the other side to help you out as well. He took your hand and you gratefully used it to help you stand. 

“Taehyung.” You glanced around. 

         You were at a lookout. Blankets of soft green grass covered the rest stop. You could see fields for miles and miles, a sprawling canvas of green, beige, and blue. It was picturesque, yet better than any picture. 

“Taehyung, this isn’t a restaurant.” You said carefully, not wanting to give away your excitement. 

“I know, but I noticed how much you enjoyed the countryside and I thought I should take you to see one of my favorite spots.” He explained. Then he went to the trunk and pulled out a blanket and a wicker basket. “And I brought lunch.” He held up the items. 

        You moved forward without thinking, taking the blanket from him so he would have less to carry. 

“Don’t you think this is kind of romantic?” You asked, trying your best not to give him any hint to the fluttering of your heart or the way your breath hitched when he came near.

          You laid out the picnic blanket and set stones over the corners to keep it from blowing away. Taehyung turned away from you as he began to pull out the various sandwiches and drinks. 

“Only if you want it to be.” He said without a hint of sarcasm in his voice. You felt your cheeks heat up and you looked away self consciously.

“Maybe I do.” You said quietly, wanting to shrink in on yourself. He turned around and met your gaze. He had this look in his eyes, something akin to passion. 

“Maybe I do too.” He left it at that and plopped next to you, handing you a sandwich. You took it, voicing a small thank you, and turning to stare out at the view. It was quiet, the wind being your only source of noise. It was a nice sort of silence. It was comforting. 

“Taehyung, what is this?” You asked, turning to face him. 

“A picnic.” he answered vaguely. Then he turned to face you as well. “It could be something else if you wanted it to be.”

         He scooted closer to you and you leaned in as well until your thighs were touching each other. You sharply inhaled, breathing in his cologne, as he leaned in closer. His lips were dangerously close and he subconsciously ran his tongue over them. It drove you wild. 

“Taehyung, what are we?”

“I’ll be whatever you want me to be, because the truth is...I’ve fallen for you, Y/N.” he breathed. “You make my stomach drop and my heart flutter. I can’t think when I’m around you.” 

“Tae...I….” 

“Say it, anything, I’ll make it happen.” He murmured, his breath fanning across your cheek. You felt the tips of your ears go red. 

“What if I just want you?” 

“But you already have me, darling.” Then he leaned in and captured you in a deep kiss. 

          His tongue swiped across your bottom lip and you gladly let him in. He explored your mouth while your hands explored his chest, running up and down the planes of his body, trying to draw him in impossibly closer. He broke away, leaving you gasping for air. He smelled like wine and wood. 

“Wow.” You said breathlessly. 

“You are truly amazing.” He smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. 

“You flirt.” You laughed, shoving his chest a little in response. He laughed as well, wrapping his arms around your waist and nestling his chin in the crook of your neck. 

“Can we stay up here all day?” 

“Sadly not, Tae. We both have a lot of work to do.” You frowned, thought you wanted to stay there longer as well. 

      You wanted to stay in this fantasy, the dream, and if you left, would it have happened? Was this real? Was he actually holding you right now? Kissing your neck, caressing your cheeks? You prayed it was reality. 

 “Shit shit shit.” You hissed. You had been running from one end of the winery to the other, making sure everything was absolutely perfect for the fundraiser. 

“What’s wrong, darling?” Taehyung leaned against the counter. “How can I help?”

“Stand there and look pretty.” You snapped, then you sighed and relented. “As always, of course.”

“Awww I knew you couldn’t resist my charms, Y/N.” He smirked. 

“We both already knew that.” You let out a dry laugh. “Listen, these kegs are filled with actual wine. Use this, not the bottle stuff because those cost more. Just remember to close them after you use them because otherwise they could be knocked over and it would be a huge mess, got it?” 

“Aye aye.” He saluted playfully. 

“I��m serious!” You whined, checking the list. Everything was going good, everything was going just right. You had even factored in all the accidents that could happen regarding Rosa and they didn’t seem that bad in the end. 

       Donors from all across the city, the rich, the elite, the noble, had RSVPed yes. If all went well with the raffles and prizes, then you could earn well over the target amount. 

“Namjoon! Jin! Tae!” You called to them as the first of the cars started arriving. The sunset was gleaming through the windows, casting a golden hue over the entire event. You stood outside, next to Taehyung. Namjoon was in the middle and Jin to his left. 

“Welcome Ms. Lee.” Namjoon bowed. “Thank you for coming.” 

       Rinse and repeat. 

      You began to zone out about halfway through and only tuned back in once you heard the dreaded, “Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Chung.” 

      You gritted your teeth into a makeshift smile as you watched Rosa’s family enter the building. 

“Fashionably late, as always.” Taehyung murmured in your ear, drawing a small laugh from your lips. 

       The party may have been cheap, but you made it look stunning. Gold glitter and black and gold balloons filled the place. Artfully placed roses adorned tables and the seats were covered with black and gold paint as well. The room lit up during sunset, making every gleam as if they were swimming in pure golden light. 

         The speakers sang classical music, but the second it became night, it would turn into some tunes that people could dance to. You made your way around the party, introducing everyone to Kim’s Family Winery and talking a bit about yourself and your work. Then you would try and get them to donate more money. Some people looked at you with disdain but...it worked. 

         When the music turned to more pop and ‘today’s hits’, more people began grooving on the dance floor. Taehyung found you in the crowd, his mop of hair unmistakable to you. 

“Shall I have this dance?” He wiggled his eyebrows as Apple Bottom Jeans started playing. 

“Hell yeah! Let’s drop it on the floor.” You laughed. 

        Okay, maybe you were a little tipsy. It was just enough for you to feel a buzzing sensation and your mind felt a little numb. 

“You’re insane, but at least you're my kind of insane.” Taehyung chided, dragging you onto the dance floor where you began unceremoniously dancing. 

        He joined you, of course, but his moves were so crisp and clean that you felt yourself getting into a heated dance off with him. 

“Kim Taehyung! How the hell are you so good at this?!” You shouted over the music, trying to keep up with him.

“I guess it’s in my blood.” He shouted back, dropping on the ground and doing the worm, to the amusement and disgust of the guests around him. 

“You say I’m insane, but look at you!” You tugged on his suit, making him stand up once more. 

        He stood and held your arms to steady himself. Then he leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on your lips before pulling away. 

“Nuh uh, don’t think you’re getting away that easy mister.” 

        You wrapped your hand around his tie and pulled him back towards you, smashing your lips against his. Your grip loosened, instead moving to run your hands through his hair. His hands held firmly onto your waist and the world seemed to fade away. 

“Rosa no!” Jin screeched as a keg fell over. 

         The girl had been dancing on top of one and you guessed she must’ve tipped one over. The problem? It was open. Just my luck. You thought, pulling away to see a swift river of wine roll down the floor. You placed your hands on your hips, untangling yourself from Taehyung. 

“We’ll continue this later, but right now,” You glanced at the mess, the screaming guests, and the pale face Namjoon, before bursting out laughing. “I guess she was right! You guys are going to need $1,000 worth of cleaning fluid.” 

Just some people I wanted to tag :D (castle bangtan UNITE!): @moccahobi​ @kittaebrat​ @merakiiverse​ @hobicomeholla29​ @youarejesting​ @jjbeansies​ @aroseforyoongi​ 

[monstersandmaw]

Modern orc boy x female reader (nsfw)

Edit which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

So this idea came up a few days ago, namely that a big boy in a grey suit was spotted, and it sparked the idea for an orc in a suit. I cannot resist an orc in a suit, and wrote this! He was given the name Dragh by the person who sent in the original ask, and I have their permission to post it and tag them now! So, @slashersheadcannoandimagines I hope you enjoy your idea in a story!

This one hasn’t been previewed on my Patreon, unlike literally all other big stories that get posted on here, because it’s for/inspired by someone on here. I realise it’s also been a while since I’ve posted anything. I’ve been in creative hibernation for a while, but I’m slowly emerging. Anyway, here’s 4.5k words of tattooed orc boy, running a sophisticated vineyard! Featuring satyr bestie, a half-orc half-sister, a blue-haired tiefling, a centaur, and a lilac-skinned goblin, all of whom I need to write stories of their own for one day!

___

“So… my friend runs this gorgeous vineyard out in the country, and they do wine tastings and stuff…”

“Yes,” you said slowly, drawing out the vowel and feeling the slow stretch of a smile creep across your lips and light up the corners of your eyes. Tam was always up for an evening of boozing, and honestly, you weren’t exactly one to say no to fun either.

The satyr grinned, knowing he’d got your attention already. “Well, this friend of mine just so happens to be a really big orc…”

You cocked an eyebrow sky wards and folded your arms. “Male orc, by any chance?”

“How did you guess?” Tam grinned cheekily, his curly, nut brown hair quivering as he laughed and shook his head. His thick, knobbly horns curled tightly around his elongated ears, chunky as ram’s horns, and his hooves danced in amusement. 

Currently he was wearing little more than a soft grey hoodie, his caprine lower half bare, the end of the hoodie just crinkling up over the white flash of his tail, and though you were a little more covered up, you were dressed in similarly casual clothes, lounging on your sofa with a glass of wine in your hand at the end of a working week.

“So, just why are you telling me about this massive male orc who runs a vineyard?” you asked, letting the pale liquid swirl around the glass in your hand.

Tam chuckled and spoke more normally again, leaning back against the sofa cushions and tucking his relatively big hooves up beside him. “Dragh had some kind of fancy hen party booked in for tomorrow, but they cancelled on him last minute. He’d got everything prepped and ready to go, but the wedding is called off, and they cancelled. They lost their deposit, and instead of just cutting his losses there, he’s invited a small group of us over to enjoy it all instead.”

“That’s very nice of him,” you said, frowning.

“Yeah, well, that’s Dragh,” Tam snorted. “He’s always been one to treat his friends…”

“How come you’ve never introduced me before?” you asked. “I mean, we’ve been best friends since Uni, and you’re only now thinking of taking me along - obviously with the intention of setting me up with this orc, I might add - after all this time?”

Tam’s pretty face split into a wicked grin. “You never asked if I knew any handsome orc boys!” he laughed. “Besides, I thought I was your one and only…”

“Tam,” you said seriously. “You are about as gay as I am straight.”

He took a sip of his wine and then mimed stabbing himself through the heart. “Alas, woe is me,” he mock-wailed. “I am consigned once again to the role of gay best friend…”

You simply raised your eyebrow at him again and took a deep draw of your wine.

“Honestly, it never really came up. Anyway, you were with Tomas for so long…” he said, his gaze flickering towards you at the mention of your ex. “I know him through a friend. You know, Seymour?”

“Tiefling, long blue hair, more graceful than God?”

“That’s the one and only,” he said, starting to speak even more quickly than usual as his excitement mounted. “I’ll tell him you said that. Anyway, yeah, I know Dragh through Seymour, who actually knows Dragh’s half-sister better than he knows Dragh himself, and now you’ll know him through me. You are coming with me tomorrow, right?”

“Am I invited?” you asked.

“I’m inviting you…”

“Does he know?”

“Sweetheart, if anyone deserves a day of boozing in a fancy vineyard, it’s you,” he said, tossing you a meaningful glance. Your last relationship had ended badly, well over three months ago, and you still found yourself lamenting the large, minotaur-sized gap in your life, but you’d moved on as best you could. It hadn’t been right, and both of you had seen it coming. Still, that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt to end things.

The next morning you picked Tam and Seymour up and drove them about an hour out into the countryside. Rolling, south-facing hills were sparsely dotted with farmhouses, and as the summer sun climbed, you began to relax a little, leaving the stress of the city behind.

Seymour was tall and almost silent, but he allowed Tam to natter away at him in the back seat while you wound the window down and inhaled great lungfuls of the fresh air. Yes, it was nice to be out of the city. Perhaps you did need a change of scene after all. Dammit, Tam was always right…

You’d picked your nicest summer dress, though you remained perhaps a little self conscious about the curve of your hips and the extra weight you’d put on around the middle in the last six months or so. Taking a deep breath, you decided that you weren’t going to let even that dampen your mood, and as you drew up at the main stone gates of the old vineyard, you caught sight of an engraved slate sign set into the warm, golden stone wall of the vineyard. Garlanded at the base with summer meadow flowers, it read: Three Oaks Vineyard, and through the wide mouth of the entrance gateposts, visible on the hill opposite at the end of the snaking, downward sloping drive, you could see the three ancient oaks that gave the land its name.

“It’s gorgeous here,” you murmured as you drew up five minutes later in the gravel courtyard behind the old farmhouse buildings and cut the engine.

“Yup,” Tam giggled, slithering out and shaking the stiffness out of his compact muscles after being crammed in the back of the car for over an hour. Seymour sighed and stretched, rolling his neck out, his long, cobalt blue hair falling down his back in a thick ponytail. They both had hoofed feet, which was less common for tieflings, though Seymour’s legs were more like those of a deer than Tam’s chunky goat legs, and Seymour’s long tail, leonine hung behind him in a graceful curve like a cat’s, as though balancing him perfectly.

You admired your two lovely friends for just a moment before the door to what was clearly the reception area opened and a half-orc stepped out of the former storage and cellars building, and beamed broadly at the three of you.

“Seymour!” she said, spreading her muscular arms wide. She wore a form-fitting, but not obscenely tight, pencil skirt and a pale, loose-fitting, sleeveless blouse that showed off her gorgeous, strong figure just perfectly. Her skin was a pale, almost apple green, and you saw as she approached that she had a smattering of darker green freckles across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. Her plum coloured lipstick set her other minimal makeup off perfectly, and she threw her arms around the elegant tiefling and drew him into a warm, familiar embrace. “So good to see you. I’m so glad you came.”

He turned and waved a hand to introduce you first, and then he turned back to face her and added, “Shell, I believe you already know Tam.”

“Yeah, we’ve met once or twice,” she said. “How are you?”

“Oh, I’m good,” Tam said. “Listen, thanks for letting us take over this failed hen-do or whatever…”

She laughed. “Dragh’s been wanting to do something with just a few friends for a while - this turned out to be the perfect opportunity.”

“So who else is coming?” Tam asked as you all followed her towards the main building, an old French style farmhouse in crumbling sandstone, with sage green shutters flung wide to let in the summer light.

“Maya said she would come,” she said, holding the modern glass door open for you all to file inside. “And Fern too.”

“Perfect,” Tam said, though you knew neither of the names. Seeing this, Tam added with a glance back over his shoulder to you, “Maya is Shell’s girlfriend,” he explained. “A big-ass beautiful centaur, and Fern is a friend of hers, I think?”

The half-orc nodded, but if she said anything after that, you lost it in the white noise that filled your brain at the sight of the orc that was standing  in the reception room beyond.

He wore a pale, silver-grey suit, and a white shirt beneath, unbuttoned just enough to be casual without being obscene, and the tattooed black feathers which you could just glimpse beneath his collar made you want to see the full extent of the artwork immediately. His black hair, perhaps unusually for an orc, was buzzed close above his thick, tapering ears, and cut relatively short over the top, though with enough length to create a soft wave that was just begging to have fingers run through it. There was an attractive flash of white that ran from the middle of his widow’s peak and was swept back over his head as well. He was certainly unusual looking in all the best ways.

He smiled as you entered, and approached you with his enormous hand extended. “Welcome,” he smiled. “I’m so glad you all came.”

You shook his hand - though it might have been more accurate to have said that his hand engulfed yours and you watched it disappear while trying not to let yourself groan aloud. His skin was a deeper olive green than his half-sister’s, but there was a similarity to them about the eyes, namely the warm brown colour and the little crinkle at the corner that hinted at mischief and a cracking-good sense of humour. You introduced yourself and said you hoped he didn’t mind you tagging along.

“Mind?” he chuckled, “Quite the contrary, I assure you,” he said. He had a rich, deep, warm bass voice, and a slight, lyrical accent you couldn’t quite place. “Come through, all of you. I’ve got some welcome drinks and nibbles prepared for you already.”

“A man after my own heart,” Tam grinned, elbowing you in the ribs.

The back of the farmhouse had been converted into a beautiful, glass and steel space. The small, intimate restaurant area had perhaps only four or five tables, and a wall of glass overlooked the sloping lawns of the garden and the vineyard beyond. Your feet faltered as you saw the gorgeous scenery beyond, stuffed full of verdant plants, and while the others headed over to the bar, which was made of a huge, vintage wine barrel and a stunning slab of polished heartwood, you stepped over to the window and gazed out, entranced.

A quiet footstep beside you preceded the appearance of the hulking form of Dragh in the periphery of your vision, and you jumped softly and laughed.

“Sorry,” he chuckled. “Didn’t mean to startle you. Here,” and he held out a glass of sparkling wine in an elegant flute, explaining a little about what it was. He gently chinked his glass against yours, and said quietly, “I’m glad you came along.”

“It’s so beautiful here,” you murmured, and he nodded. “How long have you had the place?”

He took a deep breath and smiled, his conker-brown eyes drifting off towards the sunny horizon. “A long time now,” he said. “I inherited it from parents when I was just eighteen. You can imagine how well a big city orc doing a business degree at university took that…”

You cocked an eyebrow, not wanting to make assumptions.

“Yeah, not well,” he chuckled. “Luckily Shell is older and wiser than me, and I gave her half of the shares of the place, and she took care of it for me til I finished studying. I’ve been working here with her ever since.”

“You’ve clearly put a lot of heart into the place,” you said. Your eyes snagged on a few buildings at the edge of the vineyard, and you nodded at them. “What’s down there?”

He smiled. “Shell’s idea - we needed to diversify a little, so we’ve got guest accommodation too. We do bed and breakfast from Fridays to Mondays.”

“Wow, what a place to stay,” you smiled.

“I’ll show you the cottages on the tour of the grounds in a minute. Come,” he said, stepping back and placing his hand lightly on your back, his huge palm resting politely between your shoulder blades and making you shiver at the warmth of it.

You headed over to the beautiful array of canapes and chatted with the others for a while, but honestly, it was Dragh who held your attention most. You found, interestingly, that his eyes often found their way to your face, and when they did, you found your cheeks heating, but all he would do would be to offer you a gorgeous smile, and continue his conversation politely. Damn though, his shoulders looked incredible in that silvery grey suit, and you could tell his biceps beneath were as solid as stone.

It was only when you realised he was looking at you again, and that everyone else has gone quiet, that you knew you’d zoned out and missed something. “I’m sorry,” you blushed, “I was miles away. What’d I miss?”

Dragh chuckled kindly, eyes twinkling. “I suggested a tour; you ready?”

You nodded, humiliated at your absentminded behaviour, and followed everyone else out into the dry heat of the summer day. Dragh walked beside you as he took you to the various parts of the vineyard, showing you the vines growing, the grapes almost ready for harvesting, and telling you stories of protecting them from late frosts with the help of a local witch in the middle of the night.

You never tired of his beautiful voice and his gentle gestures, and while Seymour and Tam wandered off with Shell to greet the others, you stayed with Dragh in the lower vineyards.

“Let me show you the cottages,” he said. “We redid them not long ago, and I’m really proud of them.”

“Sure, lead the way,” you smiled.

They were indeed gorgeous, with modern, cosy furnishings and white-washed yet warm interiors. Compact log burners promised heat in winter, and the thick stone walls provided welcome shelter from the strong summer sun outside. “I can see why you love them,” you said.

“If you want to stay after today,” he said, “You’re more than welcome. I know said he Seymour was going to drive you back, but if you like, you could stay here and I could drive you tomorrow…”

“Really? But… I… I couldn’t afford to -”

“No,” he laughed, “I wouldn’t ask you to pay for it!” he snorted. “No, I’m offering it to you. My gift.”

“Why?” you blurted, which only made him rumble that deep-chested laugh again.

“Can’t you tell?”

You flushed and he offered you a quiet smile.

“But if it’s too much, I’ll back off. I can be a bit much, I know, but… I like you, and if you go back tonight, I might not get another chance…”

“Chance to what?”

“Flirt with you,” he grinned, his tusks flashing.

“Oh,” and then you began to giggle. “I’m sorry,” you said when he started to look first confused, and then a little hurt. “No, I’m sorry, I’m just… out of practice, clearly. I broke up with my boyfriend about three months ago, and we were together for four years, so… I’m rusty. I’m sorry. I’d like that.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” he said, still smiling. “C’mon. You came here to taste wine, not listen to me bumble my way through flirting with you.”

He steered you back up to the main house, where you all spent the remainder of the afternoon lounging around, laughing, chatting, tasting small glasses of incredible wines, and nibbling local cheeses and handmade snacks. Maya joined you with Shell mid-way through the afternoon, her large, fetlocked hooves clopping on the patio as she moved about. Fern turned out to be a waif of a goblin, with thin limbs, pale lilac skin, and enormous ears and eyes. He grinned cheekily at you though and you liked him instantly.

But it was Dragh who held your attention the most. As the sun began to set, Shell started up a barbecue, and you ate and talked until you felt your eyelids beginning to get heavy. Seymour and Tam said they were going to head back, and asked if you were ready to go, but you blushed and said that Dragh had offered you a bed for the night in one of the cottages.

“Oh did he now?” Tam chuckled quietly as you stood at the edge of the ring of firelight on the patio, the central fire pit casting flickering shadows around the gathered group of mellow friends, new and old. “Good.” The short satyr gave you a hug and tugged Seymour away once they’d said their goodnights.

Maya and Shell slipped away not long after, with Fern practically vanishing into the dusk at their heels, leaving just you and Dragh alone.

“Did you have a good time?” he asked as he checked that the barbecue coals were cool enough to leave.

“I did, thank you.”

“Not too much to drink?” he asked, casting you a sideways glance.

You shook your head. “You paced it perfectly,” you smiled. “And that elderflower cordial that Maya brought was beautiful.”

“She brought it for Seymour because he doesn’t drink, and she didn’t want him to feel left out.”

“I was surprised that he came along when I found out he’s t-total…”

Dragh shrugged and then laughed, “There is more to this place than the wine, you know…?”

You tilted your head up, exposing your neck as you gazed at the summer stars above you, and hummed softly. “Mmm, so I see,” you said.

When you looked back at him, he was staring fixedly at your throat. “Gods,” he murmured. “You’re so beautiful…”

Your lips hitched into a nervous smile, and he set down the wineglass he’d been holding in one hand, and rose gracefully to come and tower over you. He leaned in close, giving you every opportunity to back away or ask him to stop, but when you did nothing but gaze up into his endlessly warm eyes, he closed the distance between you and pressed a kiss to your lips.

He tasted of wine, but then again so did you, and he slid his fingers around to the back of your neck and cupped your head as he kissed you, his eyelids fluttering shut. His lips were firm and confident, but the kiss ended all too soon as he pulled himself upright. He held out his hand to you, and you slid eagerly enough off the wall where you’d been perched, letting him pull you to your feet.

He walked you back down the slope towards the cottage, and at the door he hesitated. He was still wearing that beautiful suit, and you licked your lips as you stepped over the threshold and turned back to face him. “You coming in?” you asked, and he waited just long enough for you to smile again before following you inside.

Dragh nudged you gently against the wall as he kissed you again, his hands roving over your body, savouring the softness of you and moaning beneath the kisses. He shifted his attention and began to kiss down your neck, his tusks digging in almost painfully as he mouthed gently at you.

His hips rocked against yours and you felt how hard he was getting the longer he lavished attention on you. His breath left his lungs in uneven rasps, and he set his hands on your hips and drew back a little to look at you. His pupils were blown wide and he stared at you with glassy eyes. “Tell me you want this,” he growled. “If you don’t want it, I’ll stop, but if I keep going much longer, I might not be able to…” His ears shifted slightly, not being as expressive as a goblin or elf’s, but still showing a little of his uncertainty.

You reached your hand for his rough, if shaven, jawline and caressed his cheek with your thumb. He purred another growl into the quiet space between you, his eyes rolling closed with a groan.

“I want this,” you whispered.

He lost no time in herding you into the bedroom and pressing you down into the bed. He sloughed off his jacket and tossed it over a chair, and you felt the breath leave your chest at the sight of his taut body beneath. Muscles strained attractively against the fabric of his shirt, and as he smiled almost shyly at you, he began to unbutton the shirt. Frustrated, he pulled it over his head, and you gasped audibly when you saw the tattoos beneath.

A massive gryphon stretched from his left pec, over his shoulder, and its inky wings came to rest halfway down his forearms.

“Wow,” you murmured, and he smiled.

“You like it?”

“Yeah. It must have hurt like a bitch though,” you said, glimpsing the ink on his waist too where the gryphon’s taloned hind feet finished. “Turn around?” you asked, and he did, looking back at you over his colossal shoulder, watching you admiring him.

“That’s a sight I could get used to,” he rumbled softly.

“What?” you asked, shuffling up the bed as he turned back around and came to lie down beside you, trailing his fingertips up your leg and making you shiver with a touch light as a spider’s shadow.

Dragh smiled, a slow, lazy, adoring smile, and you bit your lip. “I could get used to you looking at me like that,” he clarified.

“I don’t think I would ever get used to the sight of you though,” you rasped. “You’re gorgeous.”

“Thanks,” he smiled, laughing a deep and genuine laugh. “I work hard…” he went on, kissing your shoulder almost affectionately. “Most folks think orcs are just born looking like this, and yeah,” he added, causally sliding his huge hand beneath the fabric of your dress and enveloping your entire thigh in his grasp, “We have it easier than most do, but…” he parted your legs with a gentle gesture, and you just lay back and let him, finding it hard to concentrate on what he was saying now. “But I do take care of myself.” He lowered his lips to your inner thigh and kissed you. “Let me take care of you now…?” he asked.

You gasped as his tusks dug into your thick thighs, and your head lolled backwards as pleasure swept over your whole body, sliding beneath your skin and setting every inch of you tingling. “Yes!” you whispered, breathing hard.

He had you naked in a matter of seconds, laying you back down tenderly and gazing at you until you nearly barked at him to stop staring. He leaned forwards and cupped your breast in his hand and kneaded it gently, moving his mouth to your nipple and kissing, sucking, and tugging on it until you were almost in tears from how good it felt.

Dragh ran both his hands down your body, leaving your nipples cold and overly sensitive in the cool air of the bedroom, and he sank his flat, orcish nose to your sex and nudged against your throbbing clit before lapping over you with his thick tongue. The sound that escaped him as he tasted you was like no sound you’d ever heard before, and as he returned his attentions to your wet folds, he made it again and again. He circled you and laved his tongue up and down over you until you were giddy and breathless, begging for more.

“Please,” you gasped.

“You want me inside you?” he asked, and you risked a glance down to see just how big he was as he sat up a moment. When you nodded, he grinned. “Gimme a second then.” You turned your head to watch as he drew out a condom and ripped into it. He rolled it slowly down his weeping, thick length, and you groaned as you watched him handling himself. He was huge, as most orcs apparently were, with a thick vein running along the length, and as he turned back to face you, he grinned. “Ready?”

An inarticulate grunt and a nod were all you could manage, but he smiled and lined himself up, rocking his hips teasingly back and forth to stretch you, rubbing the tip of his cock against your clit until you thought you might just come from that alone. Almost, but not quite.

“Please,” you hissed, and he smiled.

“You tell me to stop if I’m too much, ok?” he crooned, bracing one hand beside your head and sliding himself into you. He stretched you gloriously wide, but he didn’t know you’d been in a relationship with a minotaur before this, and were more than used to taking a big cock. Even so, the feel of him left you gasping. “Oh gods, you’re perfect,” he crooned suddenly as he sank all the way in, hilt deep. The girth of his cock stretched you until you thought you might break, but when you bucked upwards into him, he took it as a sign that you were ready, and he began to move his hips again.

He picked up a steady rhythm, growling and grunting with pleasure as his cock filled you and you clenched tightly around him. He shifted his thumb to your clit and stroked you in time with his thrusts, feeling you tightening around him with each pounding heartbeat, until you grabbed his muscular neck and came hard, waves of sparking pleasure sweeping through you.

You came so hard you drew his own orgasm from him, and he emptied into you a moment later with a bellow and a roar that left your ears ringing. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, his consonants slurring, his eyelids heavy with pleasure as he tried to look at you through the daze of his orgasm. “Is this real?” he added a moment later.

You laughed, and he withdrew, rolling onto his back and sorting himself out while you lay there and let your eyes drift closed for a moment. Deep contentment washed through you, and you took a steadying breath. You felt him leave to slip into the bathroom, but were barely aware of him returning. The mattress dipped as he sat on the edge and laid his hand on your thigh. He murmured your name, and you opened your eyes groggily to see him sitting there, now wearing his tight, black boxer briefs again.

“You want me to go?” he asked in a whisper.

You shook your head, and he smiled, climbing into bed beside you and pulling the sheets over both of you.

You drifted off to sleep not long after that, with his body pressed tightly around yours.

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Where They Live in Their Countries

*each of the characters more than likely have multiple homes through their countries, and even the world, but what I will be focusing on is where they most likely stay given the season/time of year.

The America’s

America: When it’s time for a new Congress to be sworn in or a new president has been elected Alfred will stay in DC from anywhere to a few weeks to the whole first year of a new presidents term depending on how he’s feeling about the way things are going. His house there is always clean and ready for him to move back in, so it has most of his stuff, because politics are crazy, and you never know when you’ll be needed. He has an apartment in New York and in Seattle which is where he spends the majority of the colder months because he knows that while it’ll be cold as hell he will at least have something to go out and do where if he spent his time in Texas he might be bored. He does, however, go to Texas and LA during the warmer months to spend some time on his ranch, part cows part dog rescue/sanctuary, and to party a bit on the West Coast and grab the latest tech and everything. Canada: Technically he has three homes throughout his country, but he spends the majority of his time between the one Ottawa and the one in Calgary when dealing with politics and social movements and everything. But he does have this cabin way up by the Northwestern Passages that he sometimes escapes to when everything with either his country or his brother or just the world, in general, becomes too much. This little cabin has the bare essentials, one bed, a small kitchen with a food fireplace, and a toilet with shower in the corner. No walls, one door, a few windows. When he goes here the boy is alone and he likes it, often he brings a few books and maybe even a caring kit or something else to do though he mostly sleeps when he’s up here and Kuma loves it he can go out a wander around without worrying about scaring humans and he’s never gotten hurt or lost. Mexico: She technically has a home just outside of San Luis Potosí near the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve but more often than not she’s traveling around her country spending time with her people, getting involved in a social movement, the culture, and trying to influence change and have a good time. She likes to keep busy but stay out of mainstream politics, she’ll go to protest and rallies but avoid political speeches and stuff because it just gives her a headache. She loves her people, not the government/politics which irritates her boss at times but she’ll just kinda disappear whenever they try to get her to stay and participate in a speech or something and she willn’t show back up for a while. She has never missed a world meeting though, she feels like her voice is more likely to be heard there versus trying to talk to her boss. Cuba: Kinda like Mexico, he technically has a home in Havana, but he very much likes to travel around his country and just hang with the people and help them out if he can. When the embargo was lifted he stayed in Havana for a while to make sure everything went smoothly and no one was getting hurt. He even did a few guided tours and all for people, but he mostly just moved about like a local and tried to be friendly and greet everyone. He’ll often stay at places that are close to the beach and have an open design because he really loves being out and about and heard prefer to fall asleep to the sound of the ocean over the roar of A/C. 

Europe

Britain: Technically he still has a number of homes scattered across his former colonies, except for America, but many of them he hasn’t visited in decades – either out of worry or shame. His main house is located a short ways away from the train, which is only about a half an hour ride into London. He didn’t want to live in the heart of London because he still wanted some peace and quiet, but he wanted to be close enough that if the Queen or Parliament needed him he could be there in under an hour. He also shares a cabin with his brothers out near Inverness, Scotland – Angus actually lives there full time but once a year or so all the brother meet up and spend a week there because despite all their bickering and fighting they are family. France: He spends most of his time in his apartment in Paris, mainly because he loves waking up in the morning and going to his balcony and being able to smell the roses on the streets and the fresh baked goods and yeah. He loves the feeling of life that is there. But if it is the holiday season or he just wants to get away and have some alone time he goes out to this little Victorian-esk cottage he has out in Cluny where he can still enjoy wine and good company but with fresh air and open fields. Russia: He still lives in that same house he has lived in for centuries, it’s not run down and if it were anywhere else in Europe where there was a noticeable change in the seasons his house would look a lot less scary than it does on the outside. The inside, however, has changed many times over the years but in general, it is open and kinda fancy but like once you get used to how old the place is it’s really nice. He likes to keep the windows uncovered and there’s a fireplace in nearly every room so a lot of light. He shares this place with sisters most of the year except when tensions get high with the government and he’ll have them go back to their countries because while he knows they can’t die and so does everyone else that knows about them he, like China, has been “killed’ a few times and so he just wants to make sure they’re safe. Germany: He does have a small apartment in Berlin for business and everything but hates being there just cause of the past, he loves how it’s progressed and all but with Prussia exploring being near the place where they were once viciously separated doesn’t do him any good. His main home is in Frankfurt and he has a nice yard where all the dogs can run around and play and sometimes he’ll sit out there and work. He also has a greenhouse from Japan and Italy where he grows some cornflowers and his own potatoes, mostly he puts the snow shovels and stuff in there. He doesn’t have a basement! He has 5 rooms total in his place; his room, an office (with some of Prussia’s journals), Prussia’s room, and two spare guest rooms. It’s two stories with an attic where he keeps some of the “out of sight out of mind” kinda things from the past. He has some workout equipment in the living room but there’s a big closet downstairs that he hides it in when people come over. Italy: He has a place in Venice that he likes to go to when he just wants to drop the facade and be him, not who people think he is. But he loves his apartment in Rome, so he only goes to the home in Venice if his brothers are going there or he needs to escape. He also visits Germany a lot but has tried his best to plan those visits out and not just show up startling Germany in the middle of a fútbol match or as he’s coming home from work. Southern Italy: He tries to stay as far away from Rome as possible unless his brother drags him there or there’s an important event – there’s a little bit resentment there because of his Grandpa but also he hates how loud it gets there. He likes dividing his time between Naples and Lecce, he likes the vineyards and just chilling by the beach. He enjoys sculpture more so than his brother and so goes to a lot of those types of museums. He does share a little place in Venice with his brothers that they celebrate holidays at or escape to where the Vatican is bothering them again. Spain: He balances his time between his place and Romanos. He lives out in the countryside and really doesn’t travel into the city all that much, unless France and Prussia visit, because he likes keeping busy with gardening and music over boring meetings and paperwork. His house is also decorated with some of his artifacts from his life as a country, and he has a lot of books. He loves learning, old habits, and if the weathers bad or he’s just not feeling well he’ll sit down and read, and he gets so lost sometimes that hours will pass and suddenly Romano is there wondering why he didn’t answer his message. He also has an open plan house, but one story, where the living room and dining are pretty much the same and the kitchen is just separated by a counter/island space. His office has his guitar in it along with some recording equipment. Scotland: As mentioned he spends a good bit of the year at the brother's cabin near Inverness, he likes the quiet and the history that is around there. But he also stays in an apartment above a pub in Glasgow that he works at during the busier, tourist months of the year. He likes having something to do but he also enjoys the solitude which what Arthur uses as his excuse as to why he doesn’t let him go to any of the world meetings, saying he’ll try and start a fight. Poland: Like Germany, he chose to live away from the bigger cities of his country due to the history but also the noise. While he’s very much a people person he likes how chill Wroclaw is, plus he can have more land for horses. The outside of his place isn’t too extravagant, but the inside is completely renovated and modern. He had two, TWO, closets that separate his everyday clothes from his special event party clothes. He likes going into the city to have fun, which he often does towards to end of a work week he’s having to spend in the city. Lithuanian: He does not like the city and tries to not have to stay the night there just cause he has the weight in the air of how busy it is and everything. His house surrounded by woods and there’s a really nice river that runs near it. He often sits outside and reads and eats meals out there when it's nice. He has a two-room place, one being his bedroom and the other being his office. Poland, however, loves to drag him off to his country and spend time with him. He sometimes stays at his house and he’ll wander around the town with him loving to go to the markets and get fabric that isn’t in regular shops and such. Latvia: See Estonia. He goes back to his country when he needs to, but he hates being alone and Estonia is an internet rat so he likes to think them living together is good for both of them because he gets Estonia to eat and go outside and Estonia helps him not feel lonely. He loves his country though, he’s just still a bit unsure of what to do really. Estonia: See Latvia. He appreciates the company in his apartment. His city isn’t really loud ever, and so Latvia is calm there and he also helps him to remember that there’s more to life than working a playing online. He has helped Latvia go back and forth between their countries and he really enjoys the culture there, but Latvia is welcome to stay as long as he wants. They’re brothers and they’re still learning how to be countries and it's nice to learn together. Austria: He and Hungary share a home in Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart, and he doesn’t have a place anywhere else. His bosses have no problem coming to him if they need him or just calling if he has to travel it usually isn’t for more than a few hours and if he needs to he gets a hotel room. He enjoys being by the river and surrounded by mountains, plus he just loves the old vibe the place has – there’s less noise pollution from people and more natural sounds. He has his piano is a room, that’s part library, that has windows looking out to the river and mountains with a set of huge doors that he likes to open up during the warmer months. Switzerland: He lives on a gated property because he’s super protective and maybe a bit paranoid about his safety and the safety of his sister but it’s a super nice house. It two stories with a big open floor plan for the kitchen, dining, and living room. Upstairs there is his room, his sisters, a guest room (that’s rarely used), and a nice open office area where he likes to work on his computer while his sister paints, crochets, reads, or whatever she wants to do. The dining room opens out into the backyard where there is also a nice garden that he can see from the office space. There’s also a large shed to the right side of the house where he keeps all his guns, and everything locked up but often at night, he’s in there cleaning them and such. Netherlands: So, he technically lives by himself a nice little house off a country road with a nice garden full of tulips and such, but Belgium and Luxemburg are always there, and they even have rooms at his place. He lives maybe 20 minutes or so from Amsterdam, but it looks like you’re in the middle of nowhere because there's huge fields and old houses. He likes to short drive into the city if he has a meeting and he likes being able to go back to his home that is very much his safe space and when he’s not working he likes to tend to his tulips and loves going to market to sell them but also buy a bunch of other stuff, mostly for his bunnies. Yes, he has bunnies. Belgium: See Netherlands. While she has her own room at Netherlands house and is there a good bit of the time she has an apartment in Brussels that she really likes and its super convenient for her when she has meetings, but she also loves the festivals and concerts and just being super immersed into the life of the country and the people apart of it. Luxemburg actually really likes staying with her and she even let him add his own corner to her office when he can paint and sew and stuff. Belarus: See Russia. She enjoys spending her time reading in their library, or the large living room, but also enjoys going out with her sister shopping. Her home in her country is very modest being nearly identical to the others on the street. Most of her things are at her brother's house, she loves her family and likes to stay close. Ukraine: Similar to Belarus, she mostly lives with her brother but her home in her country is much more personalized and she often returns to randomly outside of when Russia sends her away. Being older she likes her privacy and enjoys being at her brother’s house cooking and being around family, but she also enjoys curling up on her sofa at home crocheting and what not.

Nordics

Iceland: No one really knows honestly, like he could be a longtime resident in a hostel/hotel, or he could have an actual house but what is known is that he lives on the northwestern portion of the land away from all the volcanos. He does have an apartment in Reykjavík for business necessities but outside of that none of the Nordics know where he actually lives, just that its obviously a place with wifi. Norway: Kinda like Canada he has one main home and it’s in Oslo where he can ride the train anywhere else he wants/needs to go and he chose to live there for the convenience of the airport and the shopping centers and everything but he also has a place in Trondheim where he goes when he doesn’t need to worry about politics or anything and a cabin up in Alta that he and the other Nordics travel to for a little escape and to spend time together. He also sometimes travels down to Denmark’s place in Skagen to visit but that’s a secret, shhh! Finland: So, he had Sweden live together, with Sealand obviously, and they don’t live in Sweden. They live in a little town called Kemi that’s right by the Swedish border in case Sweden does have to go back over. They compromised on living there because it’s a small town perfect for Sealand but again it’s close to the border. He does rent an apartment in Helsinki when he has to go do business and more often than not Sweden in back in Stockholm so Sealand is with him. Their house in Kemi is adorable a rather spacious because that’s where the Nordics celebrate their holidays together. Denmark: He lives in Copenhagen, which seems stereotypical, but he lives there to get as close to Sweden as he can get without crosses borders just to annoy the shit out of him when they’re both there for business. He also has a place in Skagen because it has a gorgeous beach but also because that’s the closest he can get to Norway without crossing borders. He likes to travel to the cabin and spend time with Norway there. And it has an awesome port and he loves fishing on a boat in his free time, sometimes he also works at the cafes/restaurants in the town. Sweden: See Finland for where he mainly lives, but he has a place in Stockholm that he rents for when he needs to return home for business meetings and everything and he also stays with Sealand when there’s any kind of trouble with the Finnish government going but mostly he books an apartment in Stockholm for a few weeks and the returns to Kemi.

Asia

China: He lives just a little way outside of Beijing, away from the noise and a good bit of the air pollution but close enough that if he needs to he can travel to a meeting. Similar to Turkey he has relatively stayed in the same spot for close to a century but remodeled him home a number of times. Recently he has added more privacy to it with a large garden surrounding and blending into the area. He likes to sit just outside his living room with his tea and listen to the world. His house is orderly but not lacking in character. He has a number of artifacts from his long life scattered about, along with a number of books. He has a large and cozy dining area where he likes to invite over his family for the holidays. Japan: He only goes to Tokyo for conventions and works with the government/other countries. He likes his apartment there and has had to stay there for an extended period of time but whenever he can he likes to escape out to Kochi where he can enjoy the peace and quiet but also take part in the markets and festivals there. Depending on whether or not he’s spending the holidays with his family he goes back to Tokyo to join the crowd essentially, though he tries to not be alone on the holidays. South Korea: He has an apartment in Seoul and he absolutely loves it there. Fast internet, fashion, food, and lots of people. He also has immediate access to the train and the airport if he has to go anywhere. If he wants to stay somewhere else he’ll just rent the place for however long he’s gonna stay there, but he loves the noise and energy of the city while having easy access to anything and everything he could ever want or need. India: Similar to Scotland he has a small apartment above a shop he works at, selling ceramics and rugs. He loves the hustle and bustle of the market but towards the rainy seasons he goes out to the countryside and sometimes stays with the monks, meditating and helping out with the farmers. He really likes to keep busy and his boss doesn’t really bother him too often, only when he wants his to make an appearance somewhere with him as a “representative” or something, or just to remind him of when the world meetings are. When he’s in the countryside he also likes to visit the animals and make sure they’re doing alright – he hates poaching but understands the farmers need to keep their own animals safe so he does the best he can with installing fencing and such to keep the two separated.

Ottoman Family

Turkey: He lives on the same property that his house during his empire was on, just the house itself is much smaller and the yard has been turned into a garden. He hated the empty space in the huge home and so he one day demolished the whole and rebuild it – which was a shock to Hungary, Egypt, Greece, and the others who visited a few months later. But he’s happy and he likes sitting out on the back-porch area he made looking out into his garden. He likes growing his own spices for many of his dishes and there are a few fruit trees back there too. His dogs like to play in the small creek he re-directed to run through which he listens to fall asleep. He jokes that it was his mid-life crisis, but really he just wanted to change it from the empire to him now. He stays there a lot of the times, avoiding the politics of his country. Greece: I swear this man lives in the ruins of the temples of the old god’s, but he has to have an actual place because he’s always fresh and clean whenever another country shows up, but no one has an idea where he actually lives. He’s similar to Cuba, he bounces around his country enjoying to warm weather and cool breeze from the ocean, staying in hostels or sometimes with an ancient family. He lives to have sunbath i.e. nap, on the beach. Egypt: He likes to be by the Nile and lives in a very simple one-story home with a large back porch that leads to a walkway that takes him down to the waters. It helps clear his mind but also keep him connected to his past and his mothers past. He does like being close to the city so that he can enjoy the markets and go to museums and such, again keeping him rooted to his past but he likes to contemplate a lot and spends time reading and writing about his thoughts. His Pharaoh hound trails behind him and will often nudge him to remind him to eat or when it's getting late. Hungary: See Austria. While she enjoys spending time with him and their home is absolutely beautiful full of artifacts of their past but with every modern amenity, they could possibly need/want she enjoys going back to her home during the summer. Her apartment in Budapest is her little escape, her own little world, and more often than not she needs to be there during the summer anyway. She loves seeing her people and spending time with them at markets and festivals. Sometimes Austria has tagged along with her but when she really needs to be alone there he never questions her and gives her that time. She likes to bring him back a pressed flower, a trinket, or something that see-saw a few days prior that reminded her of the home she has with him.

Other

Prussia: Because of his situation (him not being a country) he tends to bounce all over the place. He’s actually gone to England and asked about his old places in his form colonies and stayed at a few of them. He likes to explore, it was one of his favorite things to do when he was an empire, and it keeps his mind busy. He also likes to add his new adventures to his journal collection. He goes to Germany’s for the holidays and stay’s there for the Spring and Summer festivals, also whenever Germany needs him to watch the dogs. But during the winter he’s gone, somewhere on the other side of the world being “The Awesome Prussia”. Australia: Again, do wild animals count? He is a most permanent resident at a animal sanctuary where he helps rehabilitate the wild animals of his home and those that can’t be released back into the wild he helps settle into residency at zoo’s or other long term care facilities where they’ll live like they were in the wild but where they’ll constantly be checked on. He rents a place when he needs to in Sydney but really if he can help it he’ll do a one-day trip there and back cause he prefers kangaroos to people. New Zealand: They’re kinda like Iceland except no one has any clue where they may even live. Some speculate they live in a hobbit hole others think they have a nice tiny apartment in the city. All that is really known is that when another country comes to visit they pop-up out of nowhere somehow always knowing exactly when and where that other country is, even if they don’t want to be noticed.

[tokyotwosome]

A French Excursion

Toulouse 

7/29/2018 - My first taste of Europe began in the south of France, in the city of Toulouse. My expectations of France stemmed from books and movies, which truly limits you to two senses; sight and sound.  Naturally I expected to see breathtaking architecture and streets filled with centuries of European history. What I hadn’t anticipated were the other senses we would experience; the smells, the flavors, and the feeling. As I write this segment of the blog, I’m sitting on the terrace of our hotel as the sun rises to awaken the city. You can hear the vrooms of mopeds weaving through the alleys. You can feel the fresh breeze of the crisp morning air with a hint of a summer scent drifting with it. It’s something capable of forcing a pessimist to smile. The temperature is a comfortable 69°F (about 20°C). I’m sipping my morning “café – coffee” as I wash down my “chocolatine - a chocolate croissant”, that we bought just last night while walking around the markets. While other visitors come out to their balcony, you greet them with “bonjour” as if you’ve been saying it for years. There isn’t a skyscraper in sight. Just brick buildings upon brick buildings that look like they all have a story to share. Rob has spent several days already completing an extended business trip at Airbus. While he’s at work today, I am off to spend my first day exploring the city, solo. 

As mentioned, Rob had been spending some time at Airbus, providing product support. Through work, he made a friend at Airbus (Julien), who invited us over for a late dinner at his place. Julien’s girlfriend and I spent the day sightseeing in Toulouse. At dinner, Julien, prepared us duck soaked in red wine, served with rice, French pâté, cheeses of all varieties, meats, and more. Then we washed it all down with some rum, where our new friend showed us how to prepare it properly. Julien told us about his home country; a tiny island nestled to the east of Madagascar. A fun and delightful way to spend our last night in Toulouse. 

[a free tour inside the Capitole de Toulouse Building, pictured above] 

To sum up a few interesting facts I learned in my first few days in France:

There’s a TV tax - used to fund local French TV networks. 

Business isn’t always open – With Paris being the exception, hours of operation tend to vary in France. Sometimes it’s too late in the day for a croissant at a café. Or sometimes it’s too early for dinner and all restaurants don’t open until 7:30 PM. A way to avoid this is by going to bakeries for baked goods and then going to a local park. It’s much more efficient if you’re on the go, downside being you miss the outdoor café on the street atmosphere. Apart from food, boutiques are typically not open until 10 AM  or so. Oh and Sundays? Forget about it. Many of the French truly live by exercising their day of rest. That goes for shops as well. Need not worry! There may be a local outdoor market open.

Bakeries are no joke – Bread is the staple of this country. It was a major player in the French Revolution. Seeing passersby with a baguette in their bag is in no way unusual. There’s a bakery around every corner, each item a soft, fluffy, piece of heaven. You can smell the bakeries in the street, making it impossible not to stop and snag a pastry. 

Cheese is also no joke - The French cheese puts our cheese to shame. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a nice Wisconsin sharp cheddar as much as the next guy...but French cheese is savory on a whole other level!

Bordeaux 

7/31/18 - Next stop, that’s right you guessed it; wine country. We decided to rent a car, a manual no less. A French car; a Peugeot. It was about a 2-hour drive north of Toulouse. Having experience driving a manual, I thought what a thrifty idea. Let’s not get into the narrow European one-way streets...eventually, we made it to Bordeaux. The city itself is just that, a city. Where were the acres of vineyards? We would soon travel 20 min east to Saint-Émilion to find out. But before we head out of the city, we stop by the Bordeaux Wine Museum. The Museum included a tasting and allowed you to explore the smells and sights of wine around the world. It was cool to see Yakima Valley (a Washington region) being recognized as a world-renowned wine within the museum. Wine is a big contributor to romance; the museum touched on that countless times. An interesting take on wine. After grabbing a French lunch buffet, we head out towards Saint-Émilion. The streets start to quiet and those vineyards finally make their grand appearance. 

Our Airbnb sat within vineyards and the city we’d just left behind was a world away. This is the kind of countryside life where you can really forget about your troubles. The next day we had an electric bike tour planned through the  Saint-Émilion chateaus and little did we know what an exceptional experience it would turn out to be. 

Our tour consisted of 8 riders and one guide. Our guide Julie was a local French gal, sharing her knowledge of the area’s history as we zigged and zagged through the back roads of vineyards. We learned about the importance of the soil; the area mostly comprised of limestone and clay - the perfect soil suitable for merlot and cab franc. The other 6 riders in our group were all Australian and what an entertaining lot they were! As we made our way through the hills, we eventually made our first stop at Château Panet. Here we walked through the Château where the wine was being made, learning about the process along the way. We ended the tour with an outdoor picnic of wine, cheeses, meats, and breads. We chatted with the rest of the group, learning that they all are from Melbourne. One of the riders complimented me on my accent, which was the first and likely the last time that will ever happen. Who ever thought an American accent could be “charming”? 

Our final stop on our tour was Château Saint-Georges, a true castle once owned by the king of France. We walked around the breathtaking grounds, stopping to try the smells and flavors in the garden. Each item in the garden was carefully chosen to help represent different notes within the wine. They also told us about how much the weather impacts the harvest, and why you often hear wine connoisseurs say things like, “2015 is an excellent vintage” or “that’s a good year”. We learned how you identify older wines vs younger by the color. We discovered so much about wine that we didn’t know, in such a short span of time.

Paris

8/3/18 - Paris, the world’s most visited city in the world, is its own breed. Comparing it to the rest of France isn’t a fair comparison really. We stayed at an Airbnb apartment within the heart of the city. Everything was within walking distance, with places like Notre Dame just a short walk away. Sure, in a city like Paris you’re going to come across a few homeless people digging through the trash and you have to be mindful of the possibility of pickpockets. If you’re able to avoid this and/or not allow it to spoil your visit, Paris can be very charming. Keeping a loose agenda and simply walking along the river, stumbling across places as you go, is the best way to do it. We stopped by a cafe, where a friend of a friend had just opened business (Jozi Cafe). He gave us some great advice on things to see and things to avoid. We joked with him about how he’d never been to the Louvre, much like we’ve never gone on Ride the Ducks in Seattle and how you’re often not the tourist in your own city. We visited Shakespeare and Co. bookstore to check out the 1920′s gathering spot for famous writers such as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. We even bought Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway, a nonfiction that he wrote describing his time in Paris. Don’t forget to have the store clerk stamp your book with a Shakespeare & Co. stamp before you go! 

The Eiffel Tower - the symbol of romance in Paris. You can find an Eiffel Tower in the states on shirts, bags, or home decor. Seeing it in person really depicts its grandness. We needn’t bother go up the tower; we simply wanted to see it up close and in-person. Our 4th Wedding Anniversary we spent at a restaurant on the water, just beneath the tower. While enjoying our meal and our view, we did our favorite thing to do when we travel; people watch. We noticed our server speaking Spanish to the table to our right and French to the table on our left. He spoke English to us, so this was pretty impressive how he could just switch gears in a matter of moments. Tipping is not a custom in France, but you can certainly leave one if you feel the service was superb. While the boat tour on the river had been going on for hours, we opted to skip it during the day. The weather was hot, muggy, and uncomfortable. Instead, we did the tour during the sunset which proved to be both romantic and a much more comfortable and rewarding experience. 

We spent our last day at The Louvre. We managed to see all of our favorites within 3 hours. The renaissance paintings being our favorite. Liberty Leading the People left the biggest impression on me. It was a must see and I wouldn’t recommend skipping it if you’re in Paris. Overall, we loved France and have every intention of visiting again one day. Travelling really teaches you a lot of lessons and opens your eyes to the big beautiful world out there. You also learn a lot about your own country through the perspective of other countries. Our craving for travel continues so stay tuned! We aren’t certain where our next trip will be. Brazil, Hong Kong, Singapore, Iceland, and the UK are all on the horizon. Thanks for reading; until next time.

[dandelionwineshop]

THURSDAY NIGHT TASTING 6-8PM:

MEINKLANG!

We think it’s a very good idea to always have at least one sparking wine in your fridge at all times, and that’s never more true than in Early Spring. Tonight’s tasting presents a couple of new, very exciting and spring-appropriate sparklers that we’ve become very fond of lately. Our new friend Stéphanie Tonnoir from Zev Rovine Selections will be behind the Lions Club Bar to pour them for you, and she’ll also be showing off a fantastic and very affordable Loire red that you should not miss! Won’t you please join us for your weekly dose of…

WINE, BREAD, CHEESE, and VINYL!

Longhorn cattle on the Meinklang farm, a diverse cover crop sprouts up between the vines, loosening the soil and encouraging the vines to fight for their share of nutrients. The birds and the bees are encouraged to come help with the biodynamic process. Handmade concrete eggs help their production by providing a perfect amount of micro-oxidation, enhancing their wine’s aromas and flavor. Angela and Werner Michlits are at the center of this family-owned, biodynamic, organic winery.

Meinklang, Österreich Frizzante Rosé (NV)

At Meinklang, raising grapes and making wine are seen as one facet of the larger farm. And this farm is wide and varied, a certified biodynamic agricultural operation cultivating a number of different crops as well as raising 300 Angus cattle. The farm’s diversity is enriched by ancient grains such as spelt, farro and Einkorn wheat, as well as the fruit orchards and vegetable gardens, meadows of wild herbs and flowers and the elegant charm of the grapevines. The estate represents what used to be common practice everywhere in the countryside: a mixed farming operation, managed by extended family. The vineyards are well integrated into the farm, and the farm is set in the middle of a World Heritage Site on the Eastern side of the Neusiedlersee Lake, near the Hungarian border. Maybe you’d like to try their sparkling rosé? Pinot Noir ripens nicely in Austria these days and this cherry-mineral Burgenland beauty will stop you in your tracks. We love it with spicy shrimp tacos or scallion pancakes. Organic, Biodynamic, Natural, Unfiltered, Vegan. $19

Meinklang, Österreich Foam Red Natural 2017

Sparkling red worth drinking is hard to come by. But, oh look – here’s some! Have you ever had Gamaret before? Us neither. But it’s no surprise you’d need to look far afield to find the right grape for a wine like this. There’s also 20% Blaufrankish. The overall effect is surprisingly dry, wild, special and pure. Foam is an excellent word to describe the texture here, and the flavors tend toward the black end of the fruit spectrum. Kills against charcuterie or ALONE! Organic, Biodynamic, Natural, Unfiltered, Vegan.  $30

Domaine de la Chevalerie, Bourgueil Diptyque 2015

This little-known domaine makes some of the best Cabernet Franc wines in the world. – Rajat Parr & Jordan Mackay, The Sommelier's Atlas of Taste (2018)  Domaine de la Chevalerie is one of the oldest estates in Restigne, a small village near Bourgueil in the Loire. Pierre Caslot - who took over in the mid-70’s – is a 14th generation winemaker on the estate. He’s been working biodynamicaly for years and this lovely, playful Cab Franc is his gift to the world. Violet and lilac on the nose with some bing cherry, hibiscus and rose – river rocks in the background. Supple and lightly tart on the palate with a nice finish. Let's party! Organic and Biodynamic. $17

[gelato-of-the-day-blog]

February 3, 2017   

        Okay I already messed up this blog in so many ways. So here’s the deal. There’s no way for my followers (#famous) to get notifications when I post something new if you do not have a Tumblr account (because I know you all live and breathe to hear about my life). So if you want to know when I have a new post please contact me (if you are reading this and don’t have a way to do that kindly leave because I do not know you) and I will text/email/etc. you after I post. Second, there is no way for you to comment on my posts if you do not have a Tumblr account and I would like some feedback from time to time. If you want to help me with this, please contact me and let me know what you think. I know at this point you are probably thinking “Tumblr seems to suck, why are you using it?” and I asked myself the very same question. The answer is that I just spent the last hour trying to make a new blog on various different sites and it wasn’t working the way I wanted so I’m just sticking with this. Finally, third, I hate to admit that I did not have gelato today. Yes, I am feeling just fine but when you hear about my day you’ll see that it just did not fit in. I did however eat this very fine sandwich (”dope” as the young people would say), which I will also elaborate on later.

       So to start where I left off yesterday, we went to dinner at Zaza with Jackie, Olivia, and their 4 other roommates. It was honestly underwhelming. I got fettuccine Bolognese and it was basically pasta and meat. No sauce. It wasn’t bad but I like my Bolognese #saucin’. I also got my first bruschetta of the trip (PV friends you feel me). After dinner we once again raced home to get ready. Me, Sab, and Cart walked across the bridge to meet Courtney’s best friend Jordyn at her apartment. We got a little lost on the way but we figured it out (the numbering of the buildings makes zero sense. It’s not in any order). Jordyn is on a different program here and lives in an apartment of 10 people, all with very interesting personalities. Think my dorm room freshman year. Jordyn got in a fight with Shmarra (one of her roommates) about the noise level and it was very uncomfortable for everyone else there. But also very funny. Proud of Jard for holding her own! It was Ebony’s 21st birthday (another roommate) so we headed out to Yab to celebrate. That is in fact the name of a club. We left to go there at 12:30 and were still somehow like the first people there. The music seemed to be catering toward American college girls (Miley Cyrus, Drake, good throwbacks) so we liked it there right off the bat. We danced, had some fun, ran into a bunch of boys who go to Vanderbilt who are friends with Grant. I actually recognized a few because I had met them before. One asked me what my name was and then asked me where I was from. I said “New Jersey” and he said “No I mean where is your family from? Your last name sounds exotic.” I said “It’s not.” He asked me to spell it and when I did, he told me he thought it would’ve been like Gabeé. Maybe I’ll change it. Justin showed up again later and once again took me and Cart into the VIP section. So nice of him but I’m still waiting for the day I can get in on my own and be the one to say “They’re with me.” We left way too late and I was once again starving. When we got home I google “late night food in Florence” and found one place open til 4am. Going to have to try it sometime.

        Woke up and 8:30 for another orientation session. Just why? Got another chocolate nutella muffin on the way which was the highlight of the morning. We were freaking out about being 5 minutes late and then other people casually strolled in like 25 minutes late. Kk. They spent over an hour repeating everything they’ve been telling us for days while everyone around us was just talking to each other, not paying attention, and not even trying to whisper. The whole room was echoing and it was just so overwhelming. When Amy starting asking trivia questions again I was so done. When we were finally released we had to go to the post office to get a Permit of Stay. The post office was so beautiful and had a much more efficient system than post offices in the U.S. However, no one working there spoke English (except to tell me that my credit cards were freezing the computer) and they scheduled all of our follow up appointments (apparently you need to go to the police station to get finger-printed if you’re living in Italy) for May after we leave. So that’s good. Still need to figure out what to do about that. Then we were free for the afternoon! After some misguided directions we made it to Antico Vinaio, the famed sandwich shop. We got on line but it was like being at the Millburn Deli; they moved really fast and you had to know what you were doing. I, of course, did not. I was the person you hate at the deli asking a million questions, looking confused, and not being able to decide what to get. I held up the whole line asking what the different meats were (how was I supposed to know? I don’t eat many meats) and just chose ham to keep moving. I couldn’t stop again to ask what the cheeses were so I just told them to give me whatever went best with the ham. I got pecorino. Never would’ve chosen it but it was incredible. Best part of the sandwich. We then had the most ~abroad~ moment of the trip so far. We ate our sandwiches while walking by the side of the Arno river and then sat to finish them on a bench outside the Uffizi gallery. It was amazing. Everything was beautiful and the sandwiches were so good. It was the perfect Florence lunch. (Only downside: we struggled to escape the birds who were after our food and screamed in fear multiple times).

        Then it was time to run errands. We probably went to 12 different stores and got maybe half of the things we needed to get. Apparently hangers don’t exist here. All of our feet were in so much pain we had to go home. Then it was time to prepare for my interview. I sent the roomies off to dinner and waited for the call. I think it went well. It was really quick. I met the roommates at dinner right next to our apartment where I ordered bruschetta and fried potatoes. The 2 most important food groups. The fried potatoes were actually French fries so we all had some. The waiter told us that pretty girls in Florence get free drinks so we took the limoncello even though we didn’t really want it. Can’t say no to free things! We finished at 10:30 so a lot of places were closed. I’ll have to try to get some gelato tomorrow. We are now just chillin in the apartment, even bordering on straight clowning with Courtney and her toothpaste fascination, and back to our roots reading horoscopes. Happy to not be going out. Need a night off and gotta get up early for our trip to Chianti. I hope it’s actually fun (aka worth it). I have to look trendy right? Like for wine vineyard/castle pictures in the Tuscan countryside? But I might still end up in leggings. We’ll see. I’ll let you know tomorrow! Night peeps

[easytravelpw-blog]

Full text write on https://easy-travel.pw/the-10-best-day-trips-from-vienna-austria/europe/

The 10 Best Day Trips From Vienna, Austria

01 of 10

The Wachau Valley

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The Wachau Valley is a remarkable network of green forests, storybook castles, medieval abbeys, pristine riverbanks, idyllic vineyards, and cute little towns. The area is also a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most popular getaways from Vienna.  

Located about an hour from the city center by car or bus, the Valley offers plenty of things to see and do. It's coveted by history buffs, wine lovers, foodies, and anyone in search of a bucolic and quaint Austria. 

Spanning some 25 miles between the pretty towns of of Krems and Melk, the Wachau Valley (also referred to as the Danube Valley for the river that runs through it) is rich with both history and natural beauty. 

What to Do There: Make sure to visit the stunning Melk Abbey, situated at the top of a hill and offering gorgeous views over the river below and the entire Valley. The Benedictine Abbey, which dates to 1089, is perched on a site that has been used by various royal and religious figures for over 1,000 years. Its fine marble elements, arresting domed entrance, and picturesque gardens make it a real draw card in the Valley. There's also a museum dating to the Austrian Imperial period, offering visitors a good overview of the site and displaying numerous opulent artifacts. 

Wine tasting in the Wachau valley is also a great options, as is a long walk along the Danube between Melk and Krems, and exploring the area's many interesting historic sites. Take a look at this page on the UNESCO World Heritage Trail in the Valley. 

02 of 10

Bratislava, Slovakia

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Take the train for an hour due east, and you'll find yourself in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia and one of the prettiest and most well-preserved cities in Europe. 

Bratislava's cobbled pedestrian streets lined with cafes and restaurants, grand old national theatre, and whimsical statues make for an ideal day trip. Even many travelers on tight budgets will find the fare reasonable, and when it's nice out, walking around and visiting the city's main monuments is an inexpensive way to spend the day. 

What to Do There: With its distinctive, brightly colored facades and warm red rooftops, the city is cheerful and full of interesting sites, even on a foggy or rainy day. Make sure to visit the 16th-century Bratislava castle, a storybook-worthy monument that dominates a high hill overlooking the old city. 

If you have a bit more time and wouldn't mind spending a lot of time on the water, a day-long cruise by boat from Vienna to Bratislava is entirely possible, too. However, these cruises generally only operate between April to September. 

03 of 10

The Local Vineyards of Vienna

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One of the most idyllic and easy ways to get out of the city for a spell is to head for the local vineyards of Vienna. These winemaking areas are remarkably close to the urban hustle and bustle but make you feel like you've gotten far, far away from it all. 

Vienna counts an astounding 700 hectares of actively cultivated vines within its greater city limits, and 80% of these produce distinctive Austrian white wines, including the world-famous Gruner Vetliner and Wiener Gemischter Satz, a local speciality. 

In the spring and fall, locals flock to the vineyards to catch a bit of bucolic country charm, taste and judge the seasonal bounty, and nibble on typical Austrian specialties at local heurige (country wine estates where food is also generally served).

What to Do There: This is probably one of the most Austrian things you can do on a trip to Wien: spend a lazy afternoon at a heurige or two. Taste the latest whites and tuck into a plate of cheese, charcuterie, special salads and homemade cakes. 

For more information on the best wine-tastings and heurige in close reach of the city, including information on how to get there by train and/or bus, visit this page. 

04 of 10

Klosterneuburg Monastery

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More than 900 years old, the Klosterneuburg Monastery is one of the Vienna area's loveliest and most historically important centers of religious activity. It houses numerous prized works of religious art, including the “Verdun Altar,” crowns, and other ceremonial items. 

Blending high Gothic and Baroque architecture, the Monastery features distinctive green domes and towers that can be spotted from afar as you approach the hilly area on which it stands. It's also surrounded by centuries-old vineyards: a typical feature of the Austrian countryside. 

Founded in 1114 by Margrave Leopold III, the site has served as a residence of many Imperial dynasties, including the Habsburgs. Since it's served as an unusual combination of monastery and royal residence, it lends much insight into the religious and Imperial history of Austria. 

What to Do There: Make sure to see the Verdun Altar, a remarkably well-preserved piece of medieval art. Also see the onsite wine cellars and the former private rooms of Emperor Charles VI, which serve as the starting point for most guided tours. For more information on getting there, what to do and see at the monastery, see this page. 

Continue to 5 of 10 below.

05 of 10

Kreuzenstein Castle and Fortress

Cristiano Alessandro/Getty Images Austria

Crowning a grand hill that was prized by settlers as far back as the prehistoric period, this castle and fortress is one of the most arresting sites around Vienna. Although the original 12th-century medieval structure was destroyed during the 17th century, the reconstructed 19th-century site and its adjoining museum make for a fun and informative visit. 

Kreuzenstein served as a center of strategic defense against enemies for many centuries, and was acquired by the powerful Habsburg family (later to rule much of Europe with their Empire) during the Middle Ages. Today, it serves as a museum of medieval history, art and culture.

What to Do There: There's an armory, chapel, Knight's Hall, kitchen and keep to explore. For more information on visiting the site, including details on guided tours and admission fees, see this page. 

06 of 10

Prague

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True, Prague is a bit of a stretch for a day trip in the strict sense—at least if you want to really take advantage of the city. But if you leave Vienna early in the morning and opt for an overnight stay in the Czech capital, a 24-hour hop between the two remarkable cities is feasible. 

It takes around four hours to get to Prague from the Austrian capital, by train, car, or tourist bus. For this reason, make sure to set out early so you have enough time to explore all the highlights of the former center of Bohemia. 

What to Do There: Old Prague is a marvel and another UNESCO World Heritage site. With its breathtaking and remarkably preserved Old Town Square, Royal Palace, Jewish Quarter and distinctive synagogue, Prague Castle, Kafka Museum, and numerous other attractions, this is one of Eastern Europe's most fascinating cities. 

In addition to taking some time to taste specialities such as local Czech beers, goulash, dumplings and pastries, we recommend hitting off-the-beaten-path attractions such as the Cubist Museum, one of the city's most interesting gems. Also make sure to stroll across the centuries-old Charles Bridge. 

07 of 10

Beethoven Museum

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A must for classical music fans, the quiet village of Heiligenstadt lies just outside of Viennese city limits. Its claim to fame is that Ludwig von Beethoven visited the town many times, composing part of his Second Symphony in a small apartment here in 1802. Arriving for the first time at the tender age of 17 as a student of Mozart's, the young Ludwig would return to Vienna to study under Haydn and stayed until his death in 1827.

What to Do There: Make sure to visit the composer's former residence at 6 Proubusgasse. It's been transformed into a 14-room museum that's only been open since November 2017. Toward the end of his life when Beethoven was losing his hearing, he wrote the Heiligenstadt Testament here, an unsent missive to his brothers that reveals much about the composer's suffering.

The permanent collection tells the story of that famous letter and displays numerous personal artefacts of Beethoven's, musical equipment and other objects of interest. 

Also, Beethoven, who eventually moved to Vienna, is buried in the city's biggest cemetery at Zentralfriedhof. There are many other sites around the Austrian capital that can be visited as part of an informal “Beethoven tour”—the new museum being one of them. For information on visiting the Beethoven Museum, visit this page.

08 of 10

Salzburg

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This iconic city served as the setting for the beloved movie “The Sound of Music.” Salzburg is roughly two and a half hours away from Vienna by train. If you're looking for a slice of the idyllic Austrian atmosphere you've so often heard about, a trip to this city near the German border is well worth a try. Offering views of the Eastern Alps, Salzburg is surrounded by picturesque mountains.

What to Do There: Famous denizens include Mozart, and classical music fans can visit his birthplace at the popular museum that stands here.

Make sure to spend a few hours roaming around the Baroque Altstadt (Old Town), which has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Noteworthy sights and attractions there include the Mirabell Palace and its sumptuous formal gardens (reportedly a favorite playground of the Von Trapp kids), Salzburg Cathedral, and the Residentzplatz, an immense square in the city centre that's dominated by the Residenzbrunnen, a stunning fountain crafted in marble. 

Otherwise, a stop at Hohensalzburg Castle is another good option, as is a walk along the gorgeous banks of the Salzach river. You can even take a sightseeing cruise on the river to rest your feet for a stretch. 

Continue to 9 of 10 below.

09 of 10

Carnuntum, an Old Roman Archaeological Site

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Austria was a vibrant and important part of ancient Rome's nexus of power and influence within Europe. Located just east of Vienna via a short (and inexpensive) local train, the Archaeological Park at Carnantum features some impressive Roman ruins, reconstructed buildings and an engaging permanent exhibition that brings the 1st Century BC town back to life. 

For anyone interested in history and archaeology, this makes an ideal and easy day trip. There are plenty of activities designed for kids, too, so a family outing is certainly possible here. 

What to Do There: During its heyday, Carnantum was home to some 50,000 people. Come see the reconstructed buildings at the park. These include elaborate Roman baths, or Thermae, stately houses of wealthy citizens, and even part of an arena that once served as a gladiator school. The latter was only discovered in 2011. 

For more Information on the park, tickets and getting there from Vienna, see this page at the official website.

10 of 10

The Woods of Vienna

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The Vienna Woods—part of the lower foothills of the Alps—are immense, full of easy walking trails, heurige for wine tasting and casual meals, and the Kahlenberg, a small mountain popular for its panoramic views. 

What to Do There: On a clear day, the Kahlenberg viewpoint affords visitors incredible vantages over the entire city and its surroundings. Home to a centuries-old monastery and the Baroque St Joseph's Church, the mountain also features a large tower, the Stefaniewarte, that was built in the late 19th century in honor of the Crown Princess Stefanie of Belgium. From here, you can enjoy the panoramic terrace before accessing the many walking paths that wind through the Vienna Woods. If you start early enough, you can even walk the whole way back to the city (about 4.5 hours in total). For lovers of the outdoors, spending some time on these trails is highly recommended—UNESCO even named the Woods a Biosphere Reserve, owing to their outstanding natural beauty and diversity. Some 2,000 plant species and 150 bird species, including endangered ones, inhabit the sprawling forest. 

For information in English on the Woods, walking trails and getting there from the city center by tram or bus, see this page.

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[hoganandmaryjo]

Avignon & Cassis, France

As soon as we crossed the border between Switzerland and France, the landscape changed. As we rode the train from Geneva to Lyon, and then on to Avignon, we left the left the coziness of the grey mountains and entered a landscape made of limestone, marked by rough vertical bluffs and large, lazy rivers that meandered through the hills. Each hill had a small castle or old stone structure topping it, all surrounded by vegetation that grew sparser and more mediterranean as we reached the south of France. The city of Avignon, where we were meeting Evelyn and Bill, Hogan’s mom and stepdad, has a continuous history of human settlement beginning in neolithic times roughly 4,000 years ago and including Phoenicians, Romans, Visigoths and Ostrogoths, the Franks, many kingdoms, and was home to nine Popes beginning in the 14th century. After our long train journey, made even longer due to the rail strike in France, we arrived and walked around the edge of the medieval city to meet Evelyn and Bill in a spacious flat near a main entrance to the old city.

It was a surprise treat to meet Evelyn and Bill on this trip. We had discussed the possibility before leaving California, but it wasn’t until a little over a month before that they had confirmed and bought their tickets. They flew into France early, spending some time vacationing together before meeting us for a little less than a week. Bill was celebrating the beginning of his retirement after a lifetime of hard work, and this was one of the longest vacations they had both taken in a while. Evelyn had been following our trip closely, and it was special to share some of it together.

Southern France is a cycling mecca, so we knew we wanted to ride while we were there. Evelyn rented us four nice road bikes for our days in Avignon, and we headed out on two separate days to explore the countryside. Hogan led the group through the narrow cobblestone streets of the old town and beyond, along paved paths beside vineyards, dirt trails next to the Rhone River, and busier streets connecting cities. We tested the bikes out on a shorter ride through the outskirts of Avignon, passing old castles and ancient ruins on the way, and after some trial and error learned the best way to navigate back through the medieval city center to our apartment. There are many destinations around Avignon that are tailor-made for a day of riding, but the total distances of these rides, at around 45 kilometers, were a little more than what Evelyn and Bill were comfortable doing. We all discussed the options after our first ride but in the end it was clear we had to try for the longer distance. How often, after all, do you find yourself in the south of France in beautiful weather on road bikes?

We rode to the Pont du Gard, a monumental Roman aqueduct that spans an emerald green river about 20 kilometers outside of Avignon. It’s a stunning piece of engineering and was part of a system built in the first century AD that moved water more than 50 kilometers from a natural spring to the Roman colony of Nimes. We parked our bikes and walked across the span, admiring the workmanship and knowledge required to build something so lasting (it was in use for 500 years before it failed). It is hard to comprehend how long it had loomed over the river valley and the feat of engineering needed to create it nearly two millennia ago. The area is a destination for locals and tourists alike, who spend the day laying in the sun on the banks of the river and swimming in the cool water. After hours of riding in the heat that sounded wonderful, but we had to keep moving to make it back to Avignon before dark. We picnicked under the shade of a tree overlooking the scene - a very temporary piece of greenery compared to the Pont du Gard. We rode back along the same route, whisked quickly along by a welcome tailwind the whole way. Evelyn and Bill rose to the occasion, completing the day without any problems. We celebrated our ride back at the apartment, especially Bill who took a very well deserved nap while we made dinner.

From the 1300s to 1790, Avignon was home to nine Popes. We were surprised to learn that the Vatican wasn’t always where the leader of the Catholic Church lived. Avignon has restored the former Papal Palace, and we were excited to go see it on our last morning in the city. Hogan and MaryJo went solo while Evelyn and Bill got ready to go to our next stop in France. We got a free interactive tablet and audioguide tour with our tickets, and it was incredibly well done, guiding us through the buildings and showing what various rooms looked like back in the 1300s using augmented reality. The palace was huge, made of grey stone, and despite the heat outside, it was cool as we wandered through the vast rooms. The compound had been expanded upon many times over the years, and is very complicated. We saw large halls, chapels with tall vaulted ceilings, the treasury room with hidden spaces underground where they kept the important documents and money, and the Pope’s own chamber. The former kitchen was particularly impressive - it was a simple room that extended two stories upwards to a small opening at the top, making the whole structure a chimney. All the food was cooked in the center around an enormous fire, and the smoke went out the top of the ceiling. While the whole palace wasn’t particularly religious feeling, it was powerful to see frescos on the walls and intact original decorations on wooden ceilings dating back to the early 1300s. Like everything we have seen that is that old, it is very hard to imagine how it continues to exist for centuries.

After our tour of the Papal Palace we piled into Evelyn and Bills rental car and hit the road towards the Mediterranean and our next destination: the small port town of Cassis. Hogan dusted off his driving skills and guided the vehicle through beautiful countryside and down narrow lanes to the rocky coast towards Cassis, which is located on a steep hillside that rises quickly from the water. Our flat was minutes from the port, and after filling the small space with our bags we strolled along the waterfront past the fishing boats and on to the beach. The town was busy with tourists buying ice cream and boarding boats to visit the famous calanques (which are like small fjords) in the national park surrounding it. It is a beautiful place, almost entirely made out of a local tan-colored limestone that if you look closely, is marked with the pattern of ancient sea shells. We settled into a sidewalk cafe overlooking the water to plan our next steps.

We had spent a good amount of time in Avignon going restaurants only to discover they were closed. Determined not to repeat this experience, MaryJo booked a table for four at a newer seafood restaurant for the evening called Angelina. The four of us strolled in for our reservation prepared to order the bouillabaisse, the famous Provencal fish stew originating from this area. The waiter looked at us quizzically, since it turns out you need to order the stew 24 hours in advance so they can get freshly caught fish. Things are done differently in France. We had a delicious and fun meal nonetheless - salted whole fish with Cassis white wine - seated in an open courtyard underneath a potted olive tree. Two nights later we returned, having ordered the bouillabaisse well in advance this time. It was a feast of many different kinds of fish, which they showed us before and after cooking for our approval. None of us could finish our portions.

Like almost everywhere in France, Cassis is known for its wine. In particular, the Cassis AOC produces 75-80 percent dry white wine, which is unique when compared to the area around it, known mostly for rose. (AOC stands for appellation d'origine contrôlée, or protected designation of origin, which certifies wines, cheeses and other French products are from where they say they’re from and upheld to a certain standard specific to that area.) It is also unique in that there are only 12 operating Cassis domains, or wineries, under this AOC. Though every bar and restaurant in the small town was serving Cassis wines, we wanted to go try some at the wineries ourselves and booked a tour with a winery right on the coast, Clos Sainte Magdeleine. Before even arriving at the winery, we learned that wine tasting there is much different than the enormous tourism industry of California’s Napa and Sonoma regions. Other than the one place we were able to book a tour, the domains held weird hours, and despite our attempts to call, make online reservations, or even just show up at the front gate, they simply aren’t open for tasting in the same way we are used to. Nonetheless, the tour at Clos Sainte Magdeleine was fantastic, with a knowledgeable guide and a beautiful setting. We learned that although the AOC highly regulates the production, irrigation, taste, etc. of the wine, they do not regulate what vessel the wine is stored in before bottling. This domain used a combination of stainless steel and, surprisingly, egg-shaped concrete vats, not the oak barrels we expected from France. In a small-world experience, we also learned that their biggest U.S. importer, Kermit Lynch, is based just down the street from where Bill and Evelyn live in Berkeley. We all took some bottles to go, happy that our determination to visit the domain paid off.

Our trip to Cassis wouldn’t be complete with our own visit to the calanques and on our last day we got up early, put on our swimsuits, and got into kayaks. We launched from a small rocky cove just south of Cassis in five boats: Hogan and MaryJo in one, Evelyn and Bill in another, and our guide and his brother each in their own individual kayaks. As we left the enclosed water and rounded a rocky outcropping into the Mediterranean, the water stayed smooth and glassy as far as we could see. We asked the guide if this was normal and he laughed - we had gotten lucky - a very clear and calm morning, perfect for kayaking. Our half-day trip took us north past Cassis and into three different calanques that each were subtly different. Though you can walk to each calanque and look out at the sea, we felt good to be on the water instead, taking in the limestone cliffs rising from the water close up. Even more interesting was the view we had peering down the cliffs, through the clear water to the sandy sea floor. The limestone is sharp and rough, and naturally forms long ledges that slope into the water, the stone slowly breaking into large rectangular boulders over time. Between bouts of paddling, we rested in the clear waters and watched small fish swim through the seagrass below. Later, we stopped and swam (even though the water was pretty cold) at a secluded beach where the even taller cliffs attracted rock climbers, who hung on to ropes around us. The waters got busier as the day went on, mostly with larger motor boats filled with other tourists, and we paddled back to shore tired but feeling rejuvenated after the day out at sea.

Our short visit to France was well worth it, but we were excited as we boarded an early train to Barcelona the next morning. It had been a busy five days with Evelyn and Bill, and we were happy to be returning to our own schedule as we began the final few weeks of this long trip. We would see family again soon enough. After visiting nine countries, Spain would be our last stop.

[cbkendall]

SOUTH OF FRANCE

I'm a HUGE traveler and never seem to get enough of it. I know for each person going on vacation is different. Some people like to go to a tropical destination and just relax by a beach. Well for me that doesn't always work because I'm pretty pale and within 15 mins I'll look a lobster. So I'd rather exploring the new city/town and the culture and atmosphere it has. I would much rather get up, get moving and seize the day instead of just lounging around. Even though those types of vacations are also super fun too. 

So with that being said this trip my boyfriend, Jose, & I headed to France for two weeks. We landed in Paris, and caught the TGV directly to Avignon in the South of France to start our 2 week trip. After exploring the South of France we headed to Bordeaux and back to Paris where we concluded our trip.

Since we had limited time in the South, (6 full days), we had to cram in as much as possible. We stayed in the quaint town of St. Remy, which it is super slow paced and gorgeous place. Having St. Remy as our hub was super convenient for us to explore the area. We chose to rent a car so it made it easier to travel between all the different cities we wanted to visit. When I looked into the South of France I was inspired by the gorgeous imagery of lavender, endless open fields, olive trees & of course the food & wine. The Provence region is super well known for making all types of wine but mostly Rosé, which honestly wasn't really ever on my radar till this trip. Now I can't get enough of it especially Miraval. With the weather being so warm and sunning during the summer I'm not surprised that most people drink it here to help cool them off. I also just wanted to share a site I found that was super helpful in planning our trip and picking the places we would like to visit.

Day 1: Marseilles

We headed to the city of Marseille with our rental car and grabbed a quick breakfast to start our day. Coffee & pastries were the best way to get the morning off right. We started our walk through the Castellane district to get a birds eye view of the city from the Notre-Dame de la Garde (Basilica Lady of the Guard), which is atop the highest hill in the city. The interior is gorgeous filled with colored marble, murals and the best part is the view.

After enjoying the view and taking plenty of photos we walked back down towards the Saint-Victor back down by the Vieux Port (Old Port). We admired the Abbaye Saint-Victor from a distance and enjoyed the the super picturesque port filled with fishing boats and yachts. As we walked around the Vieux Port we walked under this amazing Mirror art piece that was covering part of the port. The waterfront is super gorgeous filled with tons of restaurants, bars and a great view of the port. We stopped by and grabbed a little bite to eat and a quick drink since it was rather warm out.

We then visited Fort Saint-Jean which also had a great view of the city and an awesome art exhibit. There is also the MuCEM right next door you could check out. If you just go inside the fort it's free entrance but if you wanna go inside the actual museum you'll have to pay. We then continued walking passed Cathedral la Major which was sadly under construction. We were able to spend more time walking around the Saint-Lazare & Le Panier area, which was super artsy and had lots of unique cute stores to explore.

Another part of the city which we sadly didn’t get to see was Château d’If and for me that has no significant meaning but for those fans of ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ you’d all be jumping at the chance to see it. My boyfriend really wanted to go but by the time we realized the island was here we were too tired and there was a long wait to go over there. So if you’re fans I would totally make the time to see it. We also didn’t make it to the Musee des Beaux Arts which has lots of Italian and Provincial paintings and sculptures from the 17th and 21st centuries. Again it’s another beautifully designed building no harm in taking a look. 

Well that was our day spent in Marseille overall it was a gorgeous sunny, warm day. Don't forget to pack the sunscreen and hat. It is a city worth visiting but I wouldn’t say you need to spend more than one full day there.

Day 2: Pond du Gare, Nîmes & Beaucaire

We're still in awe about how beautiful it is down here! Anyway after a good nights rest we had breakfast at home on the porch admiring the view eating fresh fruit and yogurt. We then drove about an hour to check out Pond du Gare, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is a gorgeous ancient Roman aqueduct that was built over 2000 years ago that grosses that crosses the Gordon River. I’d always wanted to see it and when we got there it was just magnificent. It was free to visit and when we were there they had a car show happening at the open park area near the aqueducts. It was pretty cool because there were so many classic cars. You could bring a little picnic and sit on the grass or grab food, drinks & gelato at the restaurant in the area while you admire the Pond du Gare. We walked across the bridge on the lowest level as well as walked to the top to catch the spectacular view.

It’s honestly a pretty quick stop but totally worth seeing. We then got back in the car and went to the town of Remoulis which was about a 10-15 minute drive from the Pond du Gare. We just walked around the town it was honestly super small with some cool architecture and buildings. We sat down at a restaurant we stumbled upon located on the main road leading into the town. We decided to order a small carafe of rosé & and amazing prosciutto pizza. We really wanted to try a local wine so we asked the waiter to recommend a rosé which was from, Domaine le Clos du Bailly. It was right around the corner from the restaurant but it was sadly closed when we were there. 

We then headed to Nîmes, which is known as the French Rome because it was once controlled by the Roman Empire. It again is a very small town and easy to walk around. Several of the Roman Empire architecture and sights are scattered throughout the city in amongst some of the newer buildings. We took a look at the exterior of the Nîmes Cathedral and then headed to the Esplanade Charles-de-Gualle to look at the beautiful fountain (Fontaine Pradier) and Elise Sainte Perpetue. Near by was also Cour D'Appel de NIMES or the Court of Appeals which was also a gorgeous Roman style building. On our walk I kept noticing images of a crocodiles chained to a palm tree. My curiosity got the better of me and I searched the background behind it and found out it is their Coat of arms! Which I thought was super funny and cute! Anyway as we continued our walk around we went to the Roman Arena, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. We didn’t go inside since its was pretty expensive but we did walk around it and admired how stunning it was. We also looked at the Maison Carree and The Gates of the Roman Town. We didn’t make it to the Temple de Diana or The Jardins de la Fontaine but both looked stunning. 

Our final stop of the day was Beaucaire. Another ancient town on the banks of the Rhone river, & a canal boat basin running down the center of the city. The town is filled with nice squares and ancient churches. There isn’t a ton to see here and not everyone would really wanna visit but It was close by and on the way home. I really wanted to check this town out because I wanted to see the Chateau de Beaucaire which is a 11th-16th century castle. The ruins are still pretty and i can only imaging how magical it was at its time. It still had a great view of the city as well as the area around there. We were able to admire the beautiful blue cloudless sky and admire the Rhone river that ran on one side of the castle. We even drove passed the Aqueduct Les Archades which are also aqueducts that cross a valley on very tall arched pillars. 

After a long day of exploring we just wanted to come home cook dinner & watch football.

Day 3: Les Baux & St. Remy

Our day started out by heading over to Saint Paul de Mausole Asylum which is where Van Gogh admitted himself for his last final years of his life. Being in this area really inspired him and he even created a few of his final pieces while he was inside the asylum. The grounds were beautiful filled with lavender rows and a ton of poppies. We then headed over to Les Baux, a castle & village, located on top the hills with small squares, well-shaded terraces and narrow streets. Grabbed a bite to eat in the town square enjoying some great french food and rosé this area. 

We then headed over to Carrières de Lumières located inside the heard of the Alpilles. The exhibit is projections of specific artist's work onto the inside cave walls to fully immerse the viewers. We happened to see Chagall’s, Midsummer Night’s Dream. I’ve never seen anything like this before and no pictures I could take would do this justice. It was such a different way to view art and it felt like I was on a journey of his career.

We continued on to the Chateaux located at the highest point of the mountains which gives one of the best view of the countryside. It may have been a super hot day but that view and the wind that blew through made everything worth it. We explored every nook and cranny, every high top tower we could climb and enjoyed the view. 

After that we continued to the 17th-century Mas de la Dame winery for our first wine tasting in France. It was a beautiful and the wine was amazing we ended up buying a couple bottles. The grounds were so pretty with 132 acres of vines throughout the property and 60 acres of olive groves. Everywhere in this area including where we stayed had groves of olive trees so most wineries did olive oil tastings. Van Gough even did a painting of this winery while he was staying in St. Remy. The next winery we went to was Domaine des Terres Blanches which was the first organic vineyard in Les Baux Nimes. 

Day 4: Aix-en-Provence

We enjoyed our typical French breakfast on the patio and drove to Aix-en-Provence (about 1 hours drive). Aix-en-Provence is a dream destination filled with elegance, constantly bustling streets and squares. It is a city filled with joyful impressions, colorful festivals, provincial markets & lovely countryside walks. 

First things first we hit up the tourist office to get a little more of an idea what there is to do here & grab a map. Then we wandered around the town and headed to a Cézanne's house which was a little outside the town center. We were able to see where he got his inspiration and how he live back in the day. The town itself was lined with gorgeous cobble stone streets, classic romantic architecture gorgeous squares filled with lovely cascading fountains. 

After the day we headed back to St. Remy before we went out to a nice dinner. We drove through les baux again and watched part of the sunset overlooking the lovely view of the countryside. We enjoyed a lovely dinner at Le Bistro du Paradou. (Reservations required) It was absolutely amazing. This place is also set in the very traditional Provancial eating style which is a full 5-6 course meal paired with a lovely French red wine. I got to try escargot again and as much as I may not like the texture the flavor was absolutely amazing and I almost changed my opinion of it. We then ate our entrée which I got chicken with potatoes. Then dessert and ending with a giant assortment of cheeses. 

Day 5: Arles, Gordes & Abbey Senanque

After a good nights rest we headed to St. Remy’s town center for breakfast and to check out the farmers market that happens three times a week. Most of the food and wine are locally grown or made; as well as a few souvenirs and other items from bags, hats to sheets & knifes. There was so much lavender from soaps to actual lavender bunches. If this is your scene I would recommend getting there early unless you don't mind crowds. I personally hate when it gets too busy so I’d rather get up early and then leave when it gets busier. 

After we finished buying tons of souvenirs and nick-nacks we went on a hunt for lavender fields. Not going to lie finding fields of lavender was super hard especially because when I did research I read the best time was mid June to early July to see the fields in full bloom. But if you're coming to the South of France to see it I'd go towards mid or end of July. We did get to seem some fields but they weren't as gorgeous as I've seen in other photographs.

Either way we went exploring in search of lavender fields. We ended up driving up into the hills in the direction of Norte-Dame de Senanque Abbey. On our way there we drove through some smalls towns & ended up stumbling upon the beautiful town of Gordes. It really reminded me of the towns they show on Game of Thrones. The buildings live on the edge of the cliff overlooking the Provencial area with a stunning view. The town itself is very quaint and filled with small cobble stone streets. We did a quick drive through so if we go back I'd love to explore it more on foot. 

We left and continued our drive to the abbey, which is located at the bottom of a valley surrounded by fields of lavender and trees. It's been around/open since 1148 and is one of the oldest churches around. The building was beautiful and they do French speaking tours of the inside on the hour and they are very strict with the dress code. The monks give the tour and we sadly missed the tour by 15 mins so we just explored the exterior instead. I wish the lavender fields were in full bloom because it would have made the area so much more beautiful being surrounded by purple flowers.

Once we were done here we headed over to Arles. Arles is another roman town filled with shady squares, gorgeous colorful houses and lots of culture. Most people know Arles because of Van Gough and all the paintings he painted here. We walked around the whole town starting at the tourist office and ended at a restaurant in the Place du Forum square right by Café Van Gogh, which was one of the most well-known paintings from this area. We admired all the unique stores throughout the city and admired some of the biggest tourist attractions like the roman amphitheater called Les Arènes. It is one of the few arenas besides Nîmes that is still standing. During our visit they were doing restorations on it but it was still a cool place to see and had a wonderful view of the city. 

Day 6: Avignon to Bordeaux

Woke up and relaxed in the house for a bit before heading out to Avignon. Once there we went and checked out the castle and the view of the area. As well as walked quickly down the main street to see some of the main architectural buildings and monuments. Sadly we ran out of time because our train was leaving at 1:40pm. So if I could go back I would go check out more closely the bridge that is so well known if here and any of the other sites around.  

Our train ride was about 5 & a half hours to Bordeaux. We stayed in the Saint Michel area just a few blocks away from the Basilica of St. Michael & Place Meynard. Since it was pretty late when we got there we just headed to our Airbnb to drop our stuff off and then headed back out to the square. There were lots of restaurants and lots of little cafe’s around there however arriving so late there was very limited amount of options to eat at. So we settled for the one restaurant that had a the soccer matches on and some really good French food & wine. 

To continue reading check out my next blog post on Bordeaux and Paris.