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dontfeeltoohot · 6 years ago

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Here is the meningitis fic! I went with viral because it is not nearly as devastating. I hope you all enjoy!

TW: Vomiting

Sebastian shifts in the uncomfortable, plastic chair and represses a sigh. He knows it’s no ones fault his flight has been delayed. But he’s also exhausted, and he has a q&a to be at in four hours. Selfishly, he also wants to be back in New York as quickly as possible so he can see Chris and hopefully take some Tylenol for the headache that’s aching in his left temple and behind his eye, along with the dumb crick in his neck from sleeping wrong. .

His new assistant, Jade, is texting someone- he assumes the director of all of the q&a stuff, so he shifts again and fiddles with his own phone, though doesn’t bother actually unlocking it.

“I’m going to grab some coffee. You want anything?” He finally asks, bored and longing to be flying.

“I’m fine, but make sure whatever you get has some caffeine in it. You look like a zombie. An attractive zombie, but still a zombie nonetheless.” She smirks and ruffles his now fluffy hair. Oh how he’s missed his hair.

Sebastian nods, rolls his eyes fondly, makes sure he has his wallet and then stands. His back cracks and he groans. “Jesus, I’m fucking old,” he whines before he makes his way to the small coffee shop that’s a few minutes down the terminal. He walks back with a large iced caramel macchiato, as well as a muffin. He hasn’t eaten much at all today and he can feel his blood sugar dropping.

His phone rings as he sits back down, letting Jade sneak some of his muffin too.

“Hello?” He asks between sips of coffee. He already knows who it is. Just by hearing the breaths on the other end.

“Dodger! Buddy! I miss you...I’ll be home soon bubba, I promise! I hope Daddy’s taking care of you,” Seb coos into the phone. He can hear Chris snickering, and the slap-slap-slap of dodgers tail on the wood floor of their house.

“You’re too cute,” Chris’s voice comes over the speaker. Seb curls into the sweater he’s wearing- Chris’s- and blushes a little.

“Shut up. You’re even worse than me.” Seb wrinkles his nose. “...I miss you.”

Chris chuckles softly and then sighs. “You’ll be home soon? Promise?”

Seb nods, wincing as his temple gives a throb. “Yeah. I’ll be home soon. Plane should be here in an hour,” he assures, rubbing his eyes. They talk for a few minutes before Chris has to go to get ready for a meeting. The second the phone hangs up, Seb buries his face in his hands and hopes to God his head will stop hurting.

**********

He’s been on the plane for roughly half an hour and he’s already feeling nauseous. It’s no secret Sebastian hates flying. But he also gets motion sick sometimes. It’s not often, and it was much worse as a kid. He can remember being driven around Austria and vomiting in his step fathers car, feeling like it would never stop.

Seb shifts in his seat, feeling vaguely uneasy as he yawns. He instantly regrets it when it makes him move his neck oddly and the crick in his neck returns with a vengeance. He almost lets out a whimper- between his head, his neck, and feeling nauseous, this plane ride is starting to become one of his worst yet.

Jade must know something’s wrong, because she’s frowning at him when he comes back to reality.

“You’re pale. Do you feel okay? Are you going to puke? I know you get motion sick…” she trails off, trying to flag a stewardess down. Seb shakes his head and pain flares.

“N-no...I’m alright. Really Jade. Just need to sleep I think,” he swallows and closes his eyes, pops his earbuds in and tries to listen to his podcast about a zombie apocalypse with some interest.

*******

By the time the plane is landing, Seb’s really starting to wish that the q&a wasn’t tonight. His head hasn’t let up at all, he’s obviously messed his neck up more trying to sleep on the plane, his stomach won’t settle even after they’ve finally landed on the ground.

He rides home in an Uber, but it’s all a blur. He feels like he can barely stay awake the whole time. He thanks his driver but it sounds far off, even to himself. This all should be a warning for what’s to come, but Sebastian’s never been very intuitive.

Seb walks through the door and shivers, a chill running down his spine. He walks farther in and finally sees Chris on the couch with Dodger, watching some show about space. The noise is a little loud for him, but he doesn’t care. He goes over and plops down, pressing his face to Chris’s shoulder.

“Hey baby! How was the flight?” Chris pauses the show and Seb shrugs, swallowing. When he doesn’t respond, Chris pulls back from the hug and frowns.

“Seb, hey. Honey...what’s wrong?”

Sebastian shrugs. “Just tired. Jet lag and all. Sorry,” he gives a tiny smile and forces himself to sit back up. “I should go get ready for the q&a,” he adds. Chris nods, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Love you Babe. You’ll kill it, even if you’re sleepy and adorable.”

**********

Sebastian most definitely isn’t killing it. The stage lights are too bright and the smoothie he’d been drinking earlier while waiting hasn’t settled yet. He moves his head and his neck throbs in protest. He’s starting to feel washed out and achy everywhere, too cold and fuzzy-headed to focus.

He’s not sure how he gets through the whole panel, but he thinks he did alright, all things considered. Fans ask to take photos and he stops and smiles, but it feels forced and he apologizes after every single one.

Seb gets home at 11pm, feeling awful. He thinks maybe jet lag would be more manageable if this crick in his neck weren’t so bad, or if his head would stop hurting. The nausea hasn’t stopped either, and he feels chilled to the bone. He gets inside, half heartedly pets Dodger, and moves to their bedroom to lie the fuck down.

Chris is half awake, watching some space show when he walks in. He slumps onto the bed, still in uncomfortable jeans and his jacket.

“Babe, go change. I know you’re tired..” Chris frowns when he looks over and sees how pale his guy is, and how truly sick he looks.

Sebastian makes a tiny noise, and then moans a little when he moves his head to fast. “Ngh...hurts,” he whines, his right hand pressing into left eye, left hand on his neck. Nausea builds and suddenly he’s gagging onto his pillow, in too much pain and too tired to really move.

Moving as quickly as he can scramble up, Chris hurriedly grabs the small plastic garbage bin in their room and then jostles his boyfriend. It’s the wrong thing to do, because Seb swears loudly and then vomits into the bin that's being held for him.

“What hurts sweetheart?” Chris asks, rubbing his back soothingly.

“Every’thin…” Seb whimpers, gagging again when Chris jostles his neck slightly. Pain bursts through his head and explodes behind his eyes and down his neck. Black dots dance across his vision.

Sebastian’s dimly aware of Chris cussing, but everything hurts. He shivers and shuts his eyes tightly, trying to block the pain out.

“You’re really hot Seb. Jesus...why didn’t you tell anyone you were this sick?” Chris says, voice slightly high in panic. When Sebastian only makes a noise, not totally coherent, Chris swears again. He tries to figure out what to do. Sebastian doesn’t get sick like this. Sure, colds and maybe strep sometimes, but this? This is way too sick for Chris to deal with on his own. So he turns to the person he knows he can always trust. His fingers are dialing the number before his head even catches up with him.

“Hey sweetie! Dad and I a-“

“Ma…”

Lisa Evans’ voice freezes and her stomach becomes lead. Her son’s emotional, but this is sheer panic and terror.

“Honey, what’s going on? What’s wrong?”

“Seb...he…” Chris runs a hand through Sebastian’s hair, but all he gets in return is the feeling of heat and no witty remarks or reassurances that his boyfriend is fine.

“Chris, sweetheart, talk to me. What’s going on?” Chris hears Lisa say something to his dad, hears rustling of sheets and other items.

“Seb’s really sick ma, he’s burning up, and he’s not totally here. He said everything hurt...he’s thrown up…” Chris’s voice gets high pitched and tight again.

“Okay, okay. It’ll be okay, can you ask him what hurts?”

“I did...he said everything,” Chris bites his lip but decides to try again.

“Seb, baby...hey...can you tell me what hurts the most?” Chris asks, smiling when he sees Seb open his eyes and look at him.

“...head’n’neck…” Seb manages through the pain, shutting his eyes as quickly as he opened them.

“His head and neck,” Chris relays to Lisa, who makes a soft but worried noise.

“You said he threw up?” She asks and Chris nods, forgetting she can’t see him.

“....yes, yeah. He threw up. Has a high fever…” Chris says, petting at Seb’s hair gently. He listens to silence on the other end of the phone and then Lisa’s intake of breath.

“Baby, I think you need to call an ambulance,” Her voice is shaky and Chris’s eyes widen.

“An ambulance?! Why? Ma, he’s just sick. What...what do you mean-“

“Chris, listen to me,” Bob’s voice cuts through the line.

“I’m not saying he has it, but all his symptoms line up with meningitis. If it is that, he needs help right away.”

Chris’s hands shake as he looks down at his boyfriend. He’s too pale and gripping his leg tightly, obviously in pain.

“O-Okay...I’ll keep you updated…” his voice shakes and he hears Lisa day they’ll be on their way in ten minutes. It’s a four hour drive. Chris has never been more grateful for his parents. “I’ll keep you updated..”

It takes another fifteen minutes of panicking and talking to a dispatcher from 911 before Chris moves again. An ambulance is on their way, and Chris suddenly regains thought, realizing he should get stuff for Seb. He kisses his forehead, assures him everything will be okay, and then gets up, grabbing a bag and stuffing things into it they might need. Dodger is nudging at Sebastian’s hand that’s still clenched on his leg.

Chris is in the middle of putting Seb’s toothbrush into the bag when he hears a knock at the door and Dodger starts barking. Hurriedly, Chris runs down the hall and unlocks it, relieved to see two paramedics with a stretcher.

“Are you Chris?” The woman asks, the man already walking in to find Sebastian.

“Yes...he’s in the bedroom, first door on the right…” Chris hears his voice and isn’t sure he’s even speaking.

They all move that way. Sebastian’s still curled into a ball. When the paramedics go to talk to him, he opens his eyes and winces, confused and far too feverish. The woman starts asking him questions as her partner hooks up a heart monitor. When she moves to get him to turn his head, Sebastian chokes out ‘please don’t’ before he’s gagging again. Chris feels his heart break more and more.

After what feels like hours, but is really only 7 minutes, they’re on their way to the back of the ambulance. Chris has his hand in Sebastian’s, who’s lying miserably on the stretcher, whimpering and trying to clutch to Chris’s hand.

********

Sebastian wakes up to beeping. He feels heavy and confused even though he’s not fully awake. His head aches, but not badly. It’s dull and distant. He finally manages to open his eyes and sees white. After a moment of adjusting and looking around, he realizes he’s in the hospital. What the fuck.

He goes to turn but let’s out a low, involuntary moan when his neck rotates. He shakily brings his hand up to it, feeling like he’s been hit by a truck. Is that what happened?

“Sebastian...oh my god..” he moves his eyes to find Chris, not making the same mistake again. Chris looks awful. He’s not shaved, he’s pale and looks exhausted. Sad.

“Ch-Chris…” Seb coughs out, suddenly realizing how dry his throat is. Chris presses a button, and then presses it again for good measure, standing and grabbing Seb’s hand.

“Hey, shhh, it’s okay. Everything’s alright,” he promises. A doctor walks in, along with two nurses. The man, in his fifties, smiles softly at Sebastian.

“Mr.Stan. Good to see you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

Sebastian lets himself think for a moment.

“Like shit,” he finally admits, eyes drooping slightly.

“Do you remember what happened?”

Sebastian’s brow furrows before looking slightly alarmed.

“N-No..I don’t...why don’t I re-“

“You’re really sick, Mr.Stan. You’ve been in the ICU for six days.”

Sebastian feels his whole world tilt. 6 days? Sick? ICU? He looks over gingerly, looks at Chris with immense guilt.

“You contracted viral meningitis. You’re lucky to be alive. You’re boyfriend called an ambulance when he realized how sick you were,” the man explains. Seb reaches for Chris again, holding his hand as tightly as he can in his weakened state.

“We’re going to get some pain medicine in you, and some anti nausea meds as well. Then we’ll let you rest for a bit before running some tests and getting you actual food,” he adds, letting a nurse put a solution in his IV.

When Chris and Sebastian are alone again, Chris’s brave face crumbles and he leans down, kissing Sebastian, tears mixing with their lips. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Sebastian’s whole body trembles a little and he scoots over enough to let Chris sit down.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You’re okay now. You couldn’t help it. Just rest.”

#my fic #meningitis fic

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littleyellowgilbird · 6 years ago

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Black Swan

Title: Black Swan

Rating: M

AU: Human AU, Nyotalia

Summary: Theatre-AU. Sofia is a ballerina and she hates Julia passionately. She hates all in this German girl: her haircut, her awful roaring accent, her habits. And her lips are bitter. Like a wormwood. Fem!Prussia/Fem!Austria.

Sofia hates Julia passionately.

She hates all in this German girl: her haircut, her awful roaring accent, her habits.

Fifi.

She spits toothpaste with water out disgustedly and then waters it away. Her lips are covered with a sticky bitter peel of Julia’s cigarettes, and eyes water because of tobacco smoke of Marlboro.

What a stupid name! Fifi. Like a dog nickname.

Healthy life wasn't her creed, but she will blame herself for such a weakness led to the tear marathon, tobacco smoke and cheap Hungarian porn that made her vomit in a toilet until morning. After all, smoking was harmful to her lungs and she's known that but couldn't do anything. And Julia has always noticed that due to Sofia’s pant and liked to joke about it.

What a bitch. And for her, it all was the same. Sofia guesses that Julia will breathe smoke soon.

Her lips are bitter. Like a wormwood.

Coffee doesn't help to wake up but make her drink more it. Like a very expensive and exclusive drug. If there were punishment for drinking coffee Sofia would be all her life in a prison. Oh yeah, coffee is a drug.

Her feet hurt, and blisters bleed.

She wishes she could never see this barre again and could never exercise with it. But then her role will be played by that stupid burring Nazi. Though Julia always gets pissed when someone calls her Nazi.

So funny.

Sofia hates Julia because she is always better than she. She's always gotten all too easy. She's always done all too great. She's been too German.

‘How, holy gods, can you live in such a shit?’

Firstly, Sofia wanted to take offence but then realized that she indeed needs to clean up her living room. But, unfortunately, since her last mate had left her, she didn't have any time to tidy.

Daniel was too good. And Sofia doesn't like when somebody does something better than she. As and Julia.

They were similar. Two different and similar girls.

‘Are you all equal in Germany? Well, unisex and all such shit?’

Sofia knew that Julia hates when someone tells her that. Sofia knew that Julia tries to be a girl. And Sofia knew that Julia hates to be a girl.

‘And my brother…’

Oh yeah. Julia knew that Sofia always gets pissed when she tells about her brother. And she liked to talk about him. You can do anything for a man that you love.

Taxi stops too sharply, and Sofia finds her coffee on her blouse. Maybe it's for better. Because no one can drink six coffee cups in an hour. Even Sofi. Taxi driver tries to say sorry, but she doesn't listen to him and leaves the car throwing some dollars.

Oh, gods! Julia isn't supposed to watch her in such an awful way.

Shit. Julia's already practicing. Black swan. Like another mockery. Like another effort to show how different they are.

White and black.

Soldier and musician.

Julia doesn't see how Sofi comes to her dressing room. And Sofi doesn't see how mop of white hair appears in the dressing room.

Fifi?

Again. Again, that stupid name. Call your dog such name!

Sofia keeps silence and doesn't turn around, trying to unbutton her dirty blouse. Coffee is still steaming, and she can feel the pleasant scent of it. And Julia sets her hands on her shoulders.

These hands could touch her eternally. Too soft and accurate. She doesn't deserve such hands. They can't belong to such a… girl.

There is a sharp reversal, and bright scarlet eyes stare at her attentively, noticing a huge brown spot on her chest. There is so familiar grin. The scent of Julia’s cigarettes has already messed with the scent of coffee. But there was something else.

The perfume.

Sofi gave Julia this perfume last Christmas. Oh god...

Adroit hands take her from her thoughts, and Sofi notices that all buttons are already unbuttoned because of cold light wind against her skin. They need to ask for aeration repairing. Otherwise, she can get cold.

Clumsily, Sofia thanks German and tries to step back from her. But black swan always gets all. And she will get her white queen. No matter what it takes.

It's too hot in the room, and she finds herself being set up on the desk. Julia knows her too well, so she won't let her go. Not now. And Sofia knows herself too well to let herself defeat.

It's a lost fight.

Sweet perfume tickles her nose, and her lips are dark-red after Julia’s kiss. Her hand has taken Sofia’s body as their property long ago and study it impudently. And Sofia doesn't try to resist. Because every white swan needs his own dark side.

The temperature is rising, so aeration doesn't help at all, her voice doesn't hide her feelings, and Julia still smiles and doesn't say anything after her coming in the dressing room. Their colleagues don't come in because they know about their relationships. So, no one will interfere.

Julia bites her light smooth skin of the neck and leaves there bright red marks. Her forehead is sweating. Julia’s fingers are long and thin. As if she was a pianist. Sofia always liked pianists. She loved Daniel because of that too.

Julia plays her. She plays her soul, she discovers her, studies her. Julia knows Sofia better than Sofia knows herself.

And Sofia hates her for that.

Mobile phone rings softly in a bag, but Julia doesn't allow her to take it and hits her hand roughly. German hisses something in her ear continuing her pleasurable tortures. Though Sofia cannot understand a thing. Maybe it's because of her accent. Maybe because she doesn't care.

Her chest rises as high as it's possible with her bra and Julia wrinkles. She always gets annoyed because of this stupid unnecessary thing. Well, it's her opinion. Her hands reach clasp and, in the next moment, she throws bra in the depth of costumes and old clothes.

Sofia’s breast is beautiful. Not like Julia’s. And Julia wants to kill Fifi for that, this little submissive dog that tries hard to prove that she can live without her master.

Julia likes to rule Fifi. She likes to see how she squirms under her lips leaving bright sucks on her breast. She belongs only to her. And everyone's supposed to know that. She likes to watch her half-opened mouth, that little sharp tongue that always says such many filths. Almost like hers.

She likes to watch Fifi weak, faintly moaning her name and praising to stop this torture. She likes to put her in embarrassing situations in front of their colleagues. Because theatre is a very sophisticated thing. And everyone will talk about their little enjoyment in the dressing room during dinner pause.

Sofia begs her to stop and shivers at every movement of German.

It's a little price for victory.

Black swan concedes only ones.

Her skirt is ripped. Her legs sparkle with shame that Sofi wants to forget. She wants not to hear that blaming voices in her head, but she can't. Julia smokes. Again. She doesn't care that that is banned. Though no one really cares about that. They even turn off the fire alarm.

Are you really think you can escape from me?

A crumpled ticket to New York is thrown on the table. Sofi tries to hide view from Julia, but the German grabs her chin demandingly, nipping a cigarette with her teeth, and rise her face. She can read almost what the German doesn't say in her eyes. But Sofia understands all.

She belongs to her.

Darkness always has to have light.

Julia walks away as suddenly as she came here, leaving Sofia alone with her thoughts and feelings. It would be better if she also left her a book Thousand and One Way to Kill. It would be surprisingly generous.

Sofia turns herself to the mirror and wipes the tears away, smudging cheap mascara. She needs to buy a normal maquillage.

Points shoes squeeze her legs, pressing band in wounded skin. Black tracks of tear and hatred are running down her cheeks. She hates only one person in this world. And she's supposed to be next to him yet ten rehearsal hours.

Sofi doesn't know when Julia managed to change her clothes and went on stage.

Julia seems not to notice scarlet blood that leaks through soft pointe shoes and carries on dancing.

Sofi hates her passionately.

Yet she already likes the name. Fifi.

#hetalia #Hetalia Prussia #hetalia austria #pruaus #prussia #austria #femslash #nyotalia #fanfiction

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passionate-baker · 5 years ago

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24 Hours in Galway, Ireland

Hello friends, happy Sunday!

Today I’m taking the opportunity to share a little something I’ve been working on: 24 Hours in Galway. What I’ve created below is a small guide, retracing the steps my mum, my sister, & I took earlier this year. Together, the three of us traveled all the way to Galway for some quality bonding time, lots of fantastic food, and plenty of drinks to keep everyone cheery. Ain’t nothing wrong with treating ourselves every once in a while, right?

And yes, before you ask - that is a real photo-bombing seagull up there.

Below is roughly how our 24 hours in Galway panned out. The only moments of our trip that I’ve excluded are a) when we came back to take a long nap after pints & before dinner, b) when we had more drinks in our hotel room after our night cap, and c) when we had a pre-brunch breakfast in the hotel because it was included. I didn’t want you to judge our laziness or our gluttony, but I guess the cat’s out of the bag now!

Enjoy!

F R I D A Y

1 P M : C H E C K I N

We wanted somewhere very central for our overnight stay, but also somewhere that didn’t cost us an arm & a leg. Enter: Harbour Hotel. Conveniently located on New Dock St, it’s a speedy 4 minute walk into the city centre - just far out enough that you can’t hear any drunken escapades from your window at night. We checked in early, refreshed ourselves after the long drive, dumped our bags, and set out for the remainder of the day.

2:30 P M : C A F F E I N E F I X

We were in serious need of a caffeine hit after having spent so long cooped up in the car. Everybody I talked to prior to our trip recommended the same place: Coffeewerk + Press. An adorably yellow building located bang smack in the centre of town. As if the exterior wasn’t cute enough, the inside space is very aesthetically pleasing! A bright & airy space, filled with quirky pieces of art and stunning lamps etc. Thankfully, the coffee was fantastically strong and one flat white fueled me through the remainder of the day. Time for food!

3:00 P M : F O O D F O R T H E S O U L

The original plan had been to hit up the pizza bar at O’Connell’s, but that doesn’t open until 5pm on Fridays, and our grumbling stomachs couldn’t wait any longer. Mercifully, The Dough Bros - a casual pizza restaurant - is extremely close to O’Connell’s and opened at 12pm. We ordered a few glasses of wine and two pizzas to share: one Posh Pepperoni & one Hey Pesto, both of which were delicious. Thin crust pizza at its finest, enjoyed in a casual, chilled-out kind of atmosphere.

4:00 P M : E X P L O R E

As terrible as it sounds, we mostly trekked all the way to Galway to eat & drink, not to go sightseeing. That said, it would be sacrilegious to drive all the way to the other side of the country & not do a small bit of exploring; reluctantly, we dragged ourselves through the pouring rain to some main sights. Highlights include: the Spanish Arch, wandering out to get that view of the houses along the dock, Eyre Square, and the large street market. With that out of the way, it’s time for a well deserved reward...

4:30 P M : P I N T S

At last - beer! O’Connell’s Bar is probably the most well known in Galway, and for good reason: it’s fantastic. The bar has so much charm it would be impossible to disappoint even the fussiest of customers. We picked up our pints & walked through the labyrinth of small quirky rooms to the impressive beer garden beyond. Honestly, it’s unlike any beer garden I’ve visited before - the only resemblance coming to mind is how I imagine Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter books to look. Seated under the heated lamps, it was the absolute perfect place for a pint. Some of Ed Sheeran’s Galway Girl video was filmed in the bar, so clearly we aren’t the only ones who think it’s cool.

7:30 P M : F I N E D I N I N G W I T H O R G A N I C W I N E S

As soon as I saw the website for Tartare Cafe + Wine Bar, I was sold. Think: small marble tabletops in a cozy-not-too-small room with exposed brick walls & lighting provided by small candles dotted around, but also from a large neon sign on the wall. An impressive menu in the style of Frenchie’s in Paris, filled with small (perhaps too small) sharing plates, accompanied only by organic/natural wines. We devoured: lamb with wild garlic pesto & kale / ham hock with cabbage & smoked potato foam (!) / mushrooms with sage & garlic / an Irish charcuterie & cheese board / and sourdough with fermented butter. The three of us fought over every single plate put in front of us - the quality of the food was impeccable.

11 P M : N I G H T C A P

In all honesty, we probably didn’t need a nightcap after all the lovely wine at Tartare... but what’s the point of staying in a hotel with a cute bar if you aren’t going to avail of it? Dillisk on the Docks was the perfect place for one last drink. We chose a cozy spot in the corner & ordered some cocktails: one espresso martini, one cucumber gin cocktail & one refreshing glass of frizzante. An excellent way to round off the night!

S A T U R D A Y

10:30 A M : B R U N C H

After a few cups of coffee in the hotel, we ventured out for food, deciding to use brunch as a two-birds-with-one-stone kind of occasion. On our stroll down to the Spanish Arch the day before, we spotted The Kitchen Cafe inside the Galway City Museum. I have to say, the place is so lovely! An adorable room decorated with fairy lights and populated by a seemingly hipster staff. We tried the Bacon Bagel, the Eastern Eggs, and a large stack of their pancakes, all of which were delicious. Obviously, we also opted for a couple of bellinis to wash everything down. Added bonus: the museum the cafe is housed in is free to wander!

12:15 P M : C O F F E E , M O R E P L E A S E

One last coffee before setting off on the road again. We passed Tribeton earlier in the day and were very intrigued by the unending stream of people going through the door, but also by the fact that there didn’t really seem to be anyone inside? We wandered in, followed a couple up a very large + very grand staircase, and came out into a spacious open plan restaurant buzzing with activity. Who knew!? We chose a good people watching spot, fueled up on a couple of flat whites, and were eventually ready to face the long drive back to Dublin.

R E L A T E D P O S T S

Bremen, Germany // Paris, France // Amsterdam, Holland // Copenhagen, Denmark // Cork, Ireland // Edinburgh, Scotland // Westport, Ireland // Barcelona, Spain // Munich, Germany // Vienna, Austria // London, UK i - ii - iii // Florence, Italy // Bologna, Italy

#galway #ireland #travel

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clamjumper5-blog · 5 years ago

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A Healthy Hedonist’s Guide to Slovenia

The question I got asked the most this summer (besides why I decided to elope) was what made me choose Slovenia for our big summer trip. (And, er, where is that, again?)

The answer feels a little silly: it’s because of the Netflix show Chef’s Table. When I watched the season 2 episode featuring Ana Ros and her restaurant Hisa Franko, I was blown away by how beautiful the country looked. Sure, the cinematographers on that show could make a dingy back alley seem romantic. But there was something about the place that felt special—a secret oasis of natural wonders untouched by mass tourism, despite it being just a stone’s throw from the Italian border.

A few months later, I saw that one of my favorite Hashi Posse members, Sarah Wilson, had adventured there. Hearing her rave about the diverse scenery, eco culture, and fresh (gluten-free friendly) cuisine, put it even higher on my bucket list.

So when Charlie and I began discussing another European summer road trip earlier this spring, I thought it would be the perfect place to get the best of the mountains, alpine lakes, and Adriatic seashores—all the hot spots of the summer high season—without having to spend 50 euro a person at every meal.

The country surpassed our expectations in every way imaginable, and though we had a full 10 days to explore, it felt like we were only scratching the surface. That said, one of the hallmarks that makes Slovenia worth at least a week of your time is that you can cover so many different landscapes in a short distance.

With less than three hours of driving, you can visit the fairytale capital city of Ljubljana—with a public recycling system that’s even more impressive than its castle—laze by the water in the quaint, postcard-perfect town of Lake Bled, explore the otherworldly underground caves in Postojna, invoke your inner mountain goat in the Julian Alps, raft in the emerald waters of the Socca River, taste countless natural wines in Goriška Brda (Slovenia’s Napa), and float along the salty shores of the Mediterranean in Piran.

With a population of only 2 million, even during the busiest weekends of summer, the country still felt refreshingly empty and undeveloped. We barely heard any English speakers while we were there, and yet, due to its history, most Slovenians speak perfect English, along with several other languages.

Neighboring Italy, Austria, Hungry and Croatia, the country’s borders have been a constant moving target. Until voting overwhelmingly for independence in 1991, the country was the economic breadwinner of Yugoslavia. It was also the only present-day European nation to be completely absorbed and annexed into Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Hungary during World War II.

Despite this tumultuous history (or perhaps because of it?), the center of Slovenian pride and culture is love. There was far more tourist regalia dedicated to the fact that it’s the only country with love literally spelled out in the name than the fact that Melania Trump came from there. More importantly, the combination of being an international nexus, with a rich landscape, and heart-led people, meant truly memorable food.

Read on for my tips on eating gluten-free in Slovenia, the best restaurants we tried, hotels with stayed in, and how to plan an epic road trip itinerary.

With health and hedonism,

Phoebe

How to Eat Gluten-Free in Slovenia

Thanks to the neighboring countries, you’ll encounter a lot of different culinary influences depending on where you are in Slovenia.

There’s the humble Hungarian-influenced peasant food that uses some combination of sausage, sauerkraut, beans and barley. Homemade pastas and Italian-style pizzerias on every corner. And no shortage of beer at the tavern-like Gostilnas across the country.

Farm-to-table local ingredients reign supreme throughout, with specialties including trout from the socca river, game meats like venison and rabbit, and all manner of wild mushrooms. If you’re a truffle lover, you might just pass out eating in Slovenia, where you can get freshly shaved truffles on appetizers that cost less than 15 euro. Take advantage of the porcini and chanterelles too!

Eating gluten-free in Slovenia was fairly easy. While servers aren’t as knowledgeable about cross-contamination and the particulars (so many thought barley was GF) as in Italy, many menus had in depth allergen indexes or icons.

Even at more rustic gostilnas (inn-restaurants), you can find some simple options like grilled trout with a side of spinachy potatoes, baked sausage with sauerkraut, grilled polenta, or a large salad with the oil and vinegar on the side to dress yourself. Plus, one of the most prevalent grains was buckwheat, which was served as risotto or a hardy side in its whole grain form.

10 Days in Slovenia: A Road Trip Itinerary

Our time in Slovenia was designed around two main events: a 3-day trek through the Julian Alps and the Socca Valley, and dinner at Hisa Franko, which we locked in before we even had plane tickets!

Below is a snapshot of our itinerary, with slight modifications for how I wish we had done things. We had a lot of guidance from our travel guru, Miha at SloTrips, and I know we wouldn’t have been able to design such a comprehensive, robust experience without him.

Especially if you’re looking for more than just day hikes, I’d highly recommend working with SloTrips to design your adventure itinerary. They can put together your whole trip for you, including arranging wineries, hotels and restaurant reservations. But if you don’t want to go all in like a traditional travel agent, I would at least recommend having them handle a hut to hut hiking experience for you, which we would have never been able to dream up or execute ourselves from the States.

Charlie and I are not ones for organized group travel. We don’t like spending most of our trip with strangers! So the self-guided option was perfect. Miha handed off a detailed packet of instructions for every stop we made on our trip and directions down to the turn for our hike so we didn’t get lost. He arranged transfers for the bikes, and to bring us back to our car when we finished. He even gave us a local smart phone with all the contacts built in, PDF’s and marked maps to follow.

Since we knew so little about Slovenia before going, it was also a treat to have someone give us a whole rundown on the history and fairytale lore behind each town we visited, and the best restaurant and local artisans to try. Miha put together an insanely comprehensive 40+ page guide for us that was like our own personalized Lonely Planet. I give full credit to him for half of the delicious things we ate listed below!

A few other notes:

We found the cheapest direct flights through Venice, which is about 2 1/2 hours by car to Ljubljana. To connect through another major city by plane would have taken roughly the same amount of time and was more expensive. We opted to design our trip around a few days in Venice on the backend, which was a fun way to round out the trip.

Instead of spending 3 nights in Piran, if we had it to do over again, we would have added a second night upfront in Ljubljana. It’s small enough to do in 24 hours, but also quite a pleasant place to ease into the trip, learn more about Slovenian culture, eat great food, and more importantly, get over your jetlag before more adventurous outdoor activities await.

Day 1: Arrive in Venice and drive to Ljubljana. Wander the canal in the afternoon and enjoy dinner at Spajza.

Day 2: In the morning, visit Central Market and explore the castle. Drive to Bled (45 minutes) in the afternoon. Walk around the perimeter of the lake. Enjoy dinner at Castle Bled Restaurant.

Day 3: Relax by the water and rent a paddle board or canoe to visit the island in the center. Do a nearby hike to visit one of the great overlooks over the water. Another option would be to rent bikes, take the train to Lake Bohinj (25 minutes), and explore that region.

Day 4 – 5: Drive to Kranjska Gora and begin hut to hut hike through the Julian Alps and into the Socca Valley.

Day 6: Finish the hike. Return to your car and drive to Kobarid in the Socca Valley. Go to Hisa Franko for dinner and stay there for the night!

Day 7: Drive to wine country and do a tasting at one of the many fabulous wineries. You can also pop over to Friuli on the Italian side. Another option is to visit the caves in Postojna. Arrive in Piran in the evening.

Day 8: Relax in Piran. Bike through Portorosso to the salt flats and dip in the Adriatic. Enjoy dinner at Pri Mari.

Day 9: Optional day trip to Croatia or unwind again by the sea in Piran.

Day 10: Return to Venice and fly home.

LJUBLJANA

What to Do and Where to Stay in Ljubljana

Though it houses a third of the population, Slovenia’s capital feels more like a town than a city. You can easily explore all the major landmarks in the old quarter in 24 hours. But it might be worth spending a second night there to try more of the fabulous restaurants and experience some of the more idiosyncratic remnants of socialism, like the pay-by-the-kilo art galleries, or cafes where you can hang out all day like it’s your home and just pay for your time when you leave.

For recommendations on great shops, music and art to check out, my friend Bianca’s article is a great guide. For more recommendations on restaurants that we didn’t have time to try, Sarah Wilson’s post is another great resource.

Hotel Cubo

We loved the sleek feel of this boutique hotel and its proximity to the center of old town. Request a room facing the castle!

Where to Eat in Ljubljana: The Best Gluten-Free Restaurants

Spajza

This restaurant on a quaint side street in old town was the perfect mix of old school Slovenian fare and refined farm-to-table cuisine. Make sure to take advantage of the extensive seasonal specials, which during our stay, included a wealth of fresh truffles (for a fraction of the price you’d find in Italy). I had a beautiful appetizer of baked scallops on the half shell with buttery chanterelles, and Charlie enjoyed mixed mushrooms and truffles with eggs. While my duck breast special was a little tough and undercooked, his entree was the real winner: bacon wrapped rabbit over a silky-smooth pea puree. It was good enough to forgive carving up one of my childhood friends alongside my spirit animal, “young horse,” which appeared multiple times on the menu as a specialty.

TaBar

Off the main canal drag, this small tapas bar is a great option for small plates or a light lunch of fresh local ingredients. The menu is well marked for allergies, and I was able to order a beautiful trout crudo with roe and grilled octopus.

Gelateria Romantika

It was a true treat to find gelato on the same level as neighboring Italy, but with inventive flavors like cucumber-lime and strawberry-basil. The former was a tart, refreshing revelation. And needless to say, there were plenty of options for dairy-free folks and vegans alike. Had I risked a little more cream before our hiking trip, I would have had the black sesame – it was insane. Sadly no GF cones, FYI.

Monstera Bistro

We didn’t manage to make it to this modern space with minimal, creative dishes. But heard great things! At dinner time the service is more formal with elaborate tasting menus. Go for lunch if you want a casual a la carte experience.

LAKE BLED

What to Do in Lake Bled

Lake Bled is one of the biggest tourist destinations in Slovenia, and can be swarmed with people during peak summer weekends. That said, it’s a relatively small town that’s mostly dominated by the lake. And since there are very few hotels and villas built around its perimeter, you can almost always find a quiet place to perch for the day.

The lake itself has garnered a lot of folklore over the years (you’ll notice there’s a lot of fairytale speak built into Slovenia’s major landmarks, in general). Besides the fairies who initially inhabited the valley and eventually flooded it to prevent the nearby shepherds from letting their flock feast off its mossy floor, the biggest lake legend involves the gold bell originally intended for the church in the center of the lake, which upon initial transport, sank to the depths, never to be recovered.

In later history, the lake has also been home to Nazi outposts during WWII, and is said to be the final resting place of several intelligence resources, and a large swath of hidden gold. Note to self: don’t leave anything in the lake that you intend to find again.

The perimeter is around 6 kilometers and has a well-groomed flat walkway along the edge that’s perfect for a light stroll. The sidewalk gets a little too congested for a pleasant bike ride during the high season (when we were there) but bikes make for a great way to get to and from dinner, since the roads themselves are even more congested. When we mapped out our journey one night, it was actually faster to walk than drive!

About a 25 minute train ride away from Bled is a second lake that’s equally beautiful and much less crowded. Sadly, we did not make it to Bohinj to confirm this, but if you have trouble finding accommodations in Bled, it would be the perfect alternative for visiting the lake region, or a second option for daytime activities, should you find Bled too mobbed.

Where to Stay in Lake Bled

Garden Village Bled

We chose to glamp at this fabulous matrix of tree houses and tents rather than opt for a traditional hotel. It’s a little pricey for what you get (and compared to some of the more formal hotels in the area), but we wouldn’t have traded the experience of sleeping by a beautiful creek, above an estuary of trout, and getting to relax by their man-made “beach” during the day. The restaurant on site is quite tasty and they source all the produce from the garden on the premises (and fish from those waterways!). Had we done it over again, we would have splurged for one of the larger tree houses cabins or tents versus the pier tents we stayed in (where you couldn’t stand up).

Vila Bled

The old country home of former Yugoslav president Tito, this beautiful villa is on the lake and includes a secluded area of beach chairs right on the water. You can also rent paddle boards and boats straight from their boathouse. We didn’t get to see the rooms, but the prices seemed reasonable given the grounds on offer.

The Best Gluten-Free Restaurants in Lake Bled

Bled Castle Restaurant

You can’t beat the views at this elegant restaurant overlooking the lake. While ordinarily one might expect overpriced and uninspired fare fitting of such a tourist venue (inside the Bled Castle), instead the tasting menu is refined without being fussy. If you let them know in advance, they will also provide homemade gluten-free options, which for me included a gorgeous tart stuffed with pumpkin and fresh local mozzarella, instead of the pasta course. The highlight of an all-around tasty meal was a seared trout served with buckwheat risotto. Sadly, it rained the night we went, so we enjoyed our meal inside the modern, minimalist interior, but ordinarily, there is outdoor seating cliff-side with a perfect vantage point of the island.

Penzion Berc

Despite it being ranked as number 1 on TripAdvisor, we found this restaurant to be hit or miss. The ambiance was beautiful, housed in a courtyard garden (with a live pianist) a kilometer or so from the lakeside. The white glove service was painfully slow, and the food similarly uptight. But there were some nice dishes, including a venison main course, wild mushroom risotto, and a light, cream-free carrot soup.

Ostarijia Peglez’n

Slovenia takes its fine dining seriously, and most of the plates we ate while in the country were carefully composed. But as you know, I’m usually happier in a cozy trattoria environment. Which is one of the reasons I so enjoyed my meal at this little mom and pop fish shop. It’s a great option for a simple lunch or unfussy dinner of reasonably priced seafood. We got a fish for two served in a large roasting pan with mixed vegetables and potatoes.

Restaurant Vrtnarija (at Garden Village Bled)

If you’re looking for an unpretentious farm-to-table (or garden to table) meal, the restaurant on site of Garden Village Bled is a great option. It’s particularly fun for lunch in the daylight since you can sit in the middle of their man-made pool and feast on tables covered in live grass. Make sure to order a side salad with their beautiful fresh assorted greens. The chicken skewers with rice off the kids menu was a safe and satisfying meal after so many indulgent ones at fancier restaurants.

Sova

Unfortunately we didn’t make it to this cute wine bar just a short walk from our glamping site, but I heard great things. I wish we had tried it instead of Penzion Berc!

THE JULIAN ALPS AND THE SOCCA VALLEY

Your jumping off point for all things outdoor adventure is southwest of the capital, in the towns of Kranjska Gora, Bovec and Kobarid. The first was where we begun our hut to hut hike into the Alps, but you can also find some beautiful day hikes. Bovec, where our trek ended, is where you can book other activities like mountain biking, rafting and sky diving.

So many of the pictures you see throughout this post were taken from our SloTrips 3-day adventure. It was an incredible way to see the country as it morphed from densely wooded forests, to craggy peaks, to mossy Fern Gully banks that lined the socca river. A day hike along the river is a must, though the water looks more inviting than it is. We could only stand putting our feet in for 30 seconds before they went numb!

Going from hut to hut also allowed us to taste some humble mountain foods like sausage and sauerkraut stew. As someone with an information-based business myself, I don’t want to give away our hiking itinerary. So make sure to get in touch with SloTrips if you’re interested in designing your own adventure.

We ended our hike in the Socca valley, which is insanely green and dotted with beautiful medieval churches. In Kobarid, we stayed at an AirBNB apiary for the night among the bees, which was a cool experience, before heading to Hisa Franko for our culinary reward.

They offer a small number of moderately-priced rooms above the restaurant, and if you’re going to be eating dinner there, I highly recommend you try to book for the whole night, as the wine pairing was generous and not to be missed!

So, as for the main event…

The meal at Hisa Franko blew me away. As you know, I’m not one for Michelin star, molecularly overly wrought meals. On the surface, this is what you get during your 11 course tasting menu. But Ana Ros’ cuisine is infused with so much more soul than the sum of her foams combined.

Our favorite dishes were among the most simple: her trout in a milky broth with briny beets to cut the fat, and the only substantial meat course, a beautiful venison medallion with anchovy butter and spruce dust that tasted like the forest.

The iconic pasta dish is sadly not gluten-free. Instead, they served me a delicate sardine. But I stole a little taste of Charlie’s ham and hazelnut broth. It was insane. I would recommend all GF folks request a cup of the broth without the pasta. I asked them if I could have it instead of one of the desserts and they laughed politely and said no.

My favorite part of the experience was Ana and Valter’s hospitality. They aren’t present in the dining room or kitchen during service, but since the restaurant is an extension of their home, you can see them having family dinner with their kids and wandering around during the day. They are incredibly friendly and make you feel at home.

GORISKA BRDA WINE REGION

These hills, a stone’s throw from Italy’s Fiuli region, are considered the Slovenian Napa. It’s a small area with lots of producers clustered around, and many have restaurants on the premises that offer tastings along with a tasty meal. There’s a large influence from Italy and much of the meats and cheeses (as well as the tourists) come from across the border.

Since most of these wineries of small family-run operations, you can’t just show up. Email them in advance to set up a tasting session or lunch reservation.

The wineries recommended to us were Klinec Medana for orange wines, Movia for natural whites, Edi Simcic for great reds, and Erzetic to learn from a younger next generation producer. We had a lovely lunch at Klinec Medada with overlooking the grapes with beautiful produce from their neighboring farm. I wasn’t as wild about the orange wines, but they were interesting to try.

The wine pairing at Hisa Franko introduced us to a lot of lesser known producers, and throughout the rest of the trip we tried many of the above wineries off the restaurant lists, so by the time we made it to wine country, we didn’t feel the need to do more than 1 appointment.

In general, the wine in Slovenia is mostly natural, organic and biodynamic. We got to try some interesting grapes I wasn’t familiar with like Malvasia, and generally loved everything we tried. If you find a Slovenian wine on a your menu, order it!

PIRAN

Last but not least, we made our way to the Istrian Peninsula, which is home to Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. In fact, if you lived in Piran for most of your life, there’s a chance that you’ve had citizenship to 4 different countries as the borders changed.

What to Do in Piran

This sleepy seaside village is the perfect place to unwind after a rigorous few days of adventuring. The Adriatic sea is incredibly buoyant, pristine, and perfect for habitual porpoising. You won’t find sandy shores, but the perimeter of town is lined with some pebbly patches to perch, and plenty of small concrete docks to dive off of if a dip is all you’re after.

The high salt content also makes it a hub for sea salt production. If reading by the rocky shore isn’t enough activity for you, try renting bikes and visiting the salt pans 5 kilometers outside town center towards Portorosso, the more commercial stretch of the marina. It’s an easy flat ride along the shore. Otherwise, your best bet for exercise is to hike up to the church at the center of town and take in the view.

Where to Stay in Piran

Hotel Piran

This is the main game in town, and though we found it a little shabby and overpriced for you what you get, you can’t beat the location and view. The rooftop restaurant is a great place for an evening spritz as the sunsets. And the breakfast buffet even had GF bread!

Note that cars aren’t allowed in the town center, but some hotels like Piran offer a shuttle service so you can drop off your bags and then return your car to the lot at the edge of town and get a ride back in. The hotel also offers bikes to rent that were very pleasant for exploring the outlying areas.

The Best Gluten-Free Restaurants in Piran

Pri Mari

We loved this cozy gostilna so much that after a mediocre experience at Pavel (don’t recommend), we decided to go back a second time for dinner. The sea bass baked in sea salt with baked potatoes and spinach is the perfect simple meal. For those who can partake, Charlie raved about his vongole pasta. And I was majorly smitten with my saffron risotto with prawns. Make sure if you’re celiac to avoid the crispy potatoes that come with some of the single serving fish entrees as there’s cross contamination in the fryer. Don’t miss the pannacotta for dessert and ask for a special aperitif to go with it. Whatever bitter anise-y spirit they served was just what we wanted.

Rizibizi

A short walk or bike ride outside town towards Portorosso, this restaurant is one of the more formal in the area, with prices to match. Still, the prawn and truffle risotto was affordable by US and Italy standards. We also had a beautiful beef carpaccio with truffles. Basically, we ate an entire truffle between the two of us and had no regrets.

Pavel

Right in the center of town by the shore, this restaurant is slightly touristy with some mediocre dishes as a result. BUT it was one of the few places with gluten-free pasta in town and the clams did not disappoint. I’d recommend it just for a vongole with a view.

Source: https://feedmephoebe.com/best-slovenia-restaurants-hotels-itinerary/

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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middletuna7-blog · 6 years ago

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A Healthy Hedonist’s Guide to Slovenia

The question I got asked the most this summer (besides why I decided to elope) was what made me choose Slovenia for our big summer trip. (And, er, where is that, again?)

Read on for my tips on eating gluten-free in Slovenia, the best restaurants we tried, hotels with stayed in, and how to plan an epic road trip itinerary.

With health and hedonism,

Phoebe

How to Eat Gluten-Free in Slovenia

Thanks to the neighboring countries, you’ll encounter a lot of different culinary influences depending on where you are in Slovenia.

10 Days in Slovenia: A Road Trip Itinerary

Our time in Slovenia was designed around two main events: a 3-day trek through the Julian Alps and the Socca Valley, and dinner at Hisa Franko, which we locked in before we even had plane tickets!

A few other notes:

Day 1: Arrive in Venice and drive to Ljubljana. Wander the canal in the afternoon and enjoy dinner at Spajza.

Day 2: In the morning, visit Central Market and explore the castle. Drive to Bled (45 minutes) in the afternoon. Walk around the perimeter of the lake. Enjoy dinner at Castle Bled Restaurant.

Day 4 – 5: Drive to Kranjska Gora and begin hut to hut hike through the Julian Alps and into the Socca Valley.

Day 6: Finish the hike. Return to your car and drive to Kobarid in the Socca Valley. Go to Hisa Franko for dinner and stay there for the night!

Day 8: Relax in Piran. Bike through Portorosso to the salt flats and dip in the Adriatic. Enjoy dinner at Pri Mari.

Day 9: Optional day trip to Croatia or unwind again by the sea in Piran.

Day 10: Return to Venice and fly home.

LJUBLJANA

What to Do and Where to Stay in Ljubljana

Hotel Cubo

We loved the sleek feel of this boutique hotel and its proximity to the center of old town. Request a room facing the castle!

Where to Eat in Ljubljana: The Best Gluten-Free Restaurants

Spajza

TaBar

Gelateria Romantika

Monstera Bistro

LAKE BLED

What to Do in Lake Bled

Where to Stay in Lake Bled

Garden Village Bled

Vila Bled

The Best Gluten-Free Restaurants in Lake Bled

Bled Castle Restaurant

Penzion Berc

Ostarijia Peglez’n

Restaurant Vrtnarija (at Garden Village Bled)

Sova

Unfortunately we didn’t make it to this cute wine bar just a short walk from our glamping site, but I heard great things. I wish we had tried it instead of Penzion Berc!

THE JULIAN ALPS AND THE SOCCA VALLEY

So, as for the main event…

GORISKA BRDA WINE REGION

Since most of these wineries of small family-run operations, you can’t just show up. Email them in advance to set up a tasting session or lunch reservation.

PIRAN

What to Do in Piran

Where to Stay in Piran

Hotel Piran

The Best Gluten-Free Restaurants in Piran

Pri Mari

Rizibizi

Pavel

Source: https://feedmephoebe.com/best-slovenia-restaurants-hotels-itinerary/

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high-empire · 6 years ago

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Großer Galtenberg

Großer Galtenberg (2424m) is the highest mountain in the Alpbach valley in Tyrol Austria. It’s not the highest in the 50-mile-long Kitzbühel Alps but, being only 134 meters short of the king of the range Kreuzjoch (2558m), it boasts incredible views from the summit.

My brother in law and his family live in Berlin and ski in Alpbach pretty much every year. In February my wife, son and I were lucky enough to be joining them. Having skied in Alpbach six years ago and having glimpsed some of the peaks in the area, I knew this would be a great place to do some winter mountaineering.

I reached the starting point of Inneralpbach at about 7:00 and set off on the main trail at around 7:40. Getting from here to the summit involved snowshoeing roughly 8km and ascending 1450m. The first part of the climb was through alpine forest laden with deep and powdery snow. After walking for just 20mins, I felt a million miles away from both the ski lifts and the crowds.

Climbing solo, and with limited daylight hours, I was particularly keen to have a clear route planned out from the start. I had the usual physical map and compass but had found a GPX route that marked out waypoints all along the summer route. I loaded this onto GPX Viewer on my phone and was treated to a screen with the route nicely laid out over a detailed topographic map. This was a very useful as the A37 path I was following was completely covered by snow.

As I climbed on the sound of the forest become more pronounced. I saw wild mountain goats running through the forest and could see, hear and feel the snow showering down around me from the tree tops.

Just before 10:00, I stepped out above the treeline for the first time and was treated to a spectacular view of the summit peak. The terrain levelled out here and the view quickly opened up to reveal the main ski area and the valley down below. I traversed for about a kilometre and even though the snow was deep, the sun was beaming down and spirts were high.

As I got closer to the base of the peak, I began to prepare myself for the final push of roughly 400m. This was steep, so I switched to crampons and made the decision to leave my snowshoes in a visible place for me top pick up on my return.

The final push seemed to take forever but once I stepped up onto the summit I was greeted by an incredible panoramic view. The weather was perfect and despite a biting wind, I was able to sit down, relax and enjoy something to eat and drink. I called my wife and son and waved down to them in the valley below.

The descent was relatively quick. It had taken me five hours to reach the summit and it took only three to get back to the car. By 15:30 I was back in Alpbach, ready to enjoy a few beers and watch the sun set over the mountain I’d just climbed.

This ended up being a cracking day and a rare treat. I’ll definitely be looking to do something similar next time I’m lucky enough to be skiing in the alps.

#Großer Galtenberg #alpbach #tyrol #austria #kitzbühel alps #alps #winter mountaineering #mountaineering #inneralpbach #snowshoeing

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xmentalia · 8 years ago

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((A oneshot detailing the first time the team met the Vargas brothers))

There was silence between Ludwig, Roderich and Erzsebet. Not tired silence, but a defeated silence. At every other table, there was conversation that was a buzz of foreign language to everyone else, but too clear for Roderich. The man at the back table was courting his mistress, the woman behind him hated her workmates, the couple by the window were planning their Valentine's trip to Vienna but they were going about it all wrong, they should go to Demel.

Francis rejoined them, sitting between Erzsebet and Roderich, and placing a tray in the centre of the round table. "Black coffee for Ludwig," he said softly, handing the mug to him. "Roderich, chai latte with chocolate crumble on the foam, and..." he paused, and sighed. "Erz. Are you sure you just want water?" Erzsebet gave a tight smile, and turned to Roderich, nodding once.

The untrained eye wouldn't have noticed how Roderich's hand tightened on the handle of his mug, and everyone around them was so involved in their own business that they wouldn't have noticed that the table of four were moving their lips without sound. Roderich had contained their sound waves in an invisible bubble; they could hear each other, and everything around them, but not a word would be overheard by another person.

"There's still hope," Erzsebet insisted, taking the glass from the tray. "And if I have to transform with coffee, or cocoa in my system, I'll be poisoned. Water is fine." "We saw from that picture, the mutant has superspeed," Roderich tutted. "You could be a cheetah and not catch them. Ludwig is the useful one here." Erzsebet gave him a scathing look. "Anyone can be useful," they growled. "You're proof of tha-" "Now, come on," Francis chuckled nervously. Erzsebet and Roderich could feel themselves grow placid, and Francis looked away to avoid their knowing looks. "Please don't use your power on us, unless it's an emergency," Roderich said cooly. "It might be an emergency," Ludwig mumbled, eyes fixed on the window. "The police have a dog out there, it's sniffing for mutants."

The others looked out to see two armed officers with a German shepherd by their side. The dog watched everyone pass, occasionally turning to sniff at the glass door of the cafe. "You're sure that's what it's doing?" Erzsebet asked. Ludwig nodded. "That's how they got me," he replied curtly. Silence fell across the table again as they watched the dog sniff the door again, and give a long, high whine. The officers looked to the dog, and one said something that was inaudible to everyone. Everyone but Roderich, who visibly relaxed. "What did they say?" Francis hissed. "They said the dog could smell the food," Roderich sighed, relief tinting his voice. "They'll be on guard for this mutant involved in the shoplifting, probably the same one we're looking for. Superspeed would be useful for that." "Exploit your powers for profit, I like it," Erzsebet smiled. "But we can't leave until they do. We'll all be taken." Ludwig had gone silent, and under the table, Francis and Erzsebet' hands found one another.

Ten minutes passed. The officers held their positions, and not a word was spoken at the table. Suddenly the dog barked. The four mutants instantly looked up, and sick relief filled them as they saw the dog not barking at them, but straining against the leash at a young woman with her tightly curled dark hair cropped close to the scalp. Everyone in the cafe was watching, and Erzsebet felt Francis' fingers tighten around their hand. They squeezed back, because they too were reminded so strongly of Sey.

Nobody asked Roderich what the officers were saying to her, or what she was saying back, and Roderich didn't tell them. The young woman's face grew more and more nervous, and Ludwig put his cup down. Erzsebet quickly grabbed his wrist. "Don't," they pleaded with him quietly. "Erzsebet, I can't sit by and watch this happen!" He exclaimed. "If I go now I can get her to safety, she can come and stay with us, sh-" As he got more upset, his hands shook, vibrating due to his speed mutation, and his words slurred together into an indistinguishable jumble. "Lud. If you save her you endanger us." Erzsebet reasoned. "Saving her will out you as a mutant to everyone here, and they'll know we were with you. You'd be going back to Austria without us." They looked at each other and after a moment Ludwig settled in his chair. He held the empty cup in both hands, staring hard at the drops of coffee left at the bottom. Erzsebet stroked the back of his hand with their thumb, glancing back out the window in time with a collective gasp from most of the other customers, and even a scream from the woman at the window seat.

An officer had grabbed the woman's wrist, and in her fear, in the rush of adrenaline that had been inspired, a long barb shot out from her skin, piercing through the officers hand and out the other side, spraying blood across the window. Roderich looked away, face grey and eyes wide while the barb withdrew back under the woman's wrist. The uninjured officer tackled her to the ground before she could escape, radioing for, presumably, a police van and an ambulance. Both these arrived moments later, and as they shoved the crying woman roughly into an unmarked van with tinted windows, Ludwig's mug shattered in his hands. A waitress rushed over and he apologised repeatedly in clumsy Italian. The moment the police presence was gone, they left a very generous tip, and left.

"We need to leave. We need to get back to Austria," Erzsebet choked as they saw the blood roll down the window. "If we do, we're leaving the speedster to this fate," Francis whispered back, putting his free hand on Ludwig's shoulder as the typically stoic man violently shook. Ludwig had been right. This was an emergency. "Let's go back to the hotel and rethink our plan. Being out in the open isn't safe," Roderich grimaced. "If we kee-" He halted mid sentence, and made eye contact with Ludwig. "Did you see anything just now? I could swear I heard a... a whistle."

Ludwig looked up the street, and behind them before talking. "It's not one mutant. There's two of them. The other rides on the speedsters back while he runs." Wordlessly, they all began to walk up the street in the direction the mutants had gone, giving the blood now pooling on the pavement a wide berth. They hadn't walked ten feet when Ludwig, now visibly more calm, stopped.

"They just came back. They're in that store." He nodded briefly to the convenience store across the street. They waited, and while Roderich, Francis and Erzsebet focused on the door seeming to fly open by itself, Ludwig's head snapped to the right as he watched the mutants retrace their steps. "They're stealing food. It's them!"

Quickly, the four assembled in a narrow, deserted side street. "That was at least their second robbery at that store," Francis noted. "They'll come back... but what do we do then?" "I can follow them," Ludwig said. "I'll carry Erzsebet with me, they're the smallest, and we'll track them down. I doubt they're going far, so Roderich, listen for us, and lead Francis to us. We'll all meet up and they'll be outnumbered." "Unless they have others waiting with them," Roderich sniffed. "Well, if they do, I can literally transform into a bear," Erzsi smirked. They met Francis' concerned expression with a confident grin. "They're back," Ludwig said, prompting Erzsi to hop onto his back with the agility of a cat. "Hold on tight," he instructed. "With arms and legs. And keep your head down, very close to my shoulder. Are you ready?" Erzsebet hummed their confirmation. They were silent. And then the signal only Ludwig could see sent them rocketing out.

'Goggles', Erzsi thought. 'We need to get goggles for next time, so I can see.' That was all they had time to think. In the time of that simple thought, Ludwig weaved between cars, buses, bikes, pedestrians, through streets and alleys until he came to a stop, crouched behind a large dustbin in a dead end alley way. He tapped Erzsebet's hand to let them know they were done, and they silently let go, kneeling by his side as the mutants they had tracked chattered.

It seemed they hadn't been noticed. Ludwig watched from a gap between bins as the shoplifters emptied their pockets into a small pile of food, mostly fresh vegetables and fruit. They looked like brothers, close in age. One had dark hair, and an olive complexion while the other was fair with auburn hair, though both had messy hair, with strange curls jutting out; like Roderich's but more obvious. The dark haired one got onto the others back. One second, Erzsebet had Ludwig by their side. The next he was across the alley, and had the mutants pinned down and crying for help.

"Ludwig!" Erzsi whisper-shouted, emerging from their hiding place. "If people hear them then they'll come and investigate, we'll all be taken in!" Ludwig grudgingly backed off from them. "If you try and run, we'll find you again," Erzsebet warned, eyeing the dark haired one. Who knew what his power was. He glowered at her, while his brother sobbed. "Do you speak German?"

"Of course we do," the brunet snapped. "Let us go." "Can't do that," Erzsebet replied. "You've drawn attention to mutants, we can't let you keep doing this. They've upped security, we saw a woman taken away not a half hour ago." "What did she look like?" The fairer skinned brother looked up at Erzsebet with watering eyes, lip trembling, and Erzsebet felt almost sorry for him. "She was black, very short hair, she could push spikes through her skin," Erzsebet described. The brothers went pale. "Did you know her?" They both nodded. As they did so, Roderich and Francis caught up to them, and Ludwig slammed his hand to the wall to prevent another escape attempt.

"What are your names?" Erzsebet asked. They gave no answer, but they were beginning to settle a bit. Francis worked wonders, Erzsebet thought as he stepped forward. "We're sorry to scare you both like this. I'm Francis, and these are my friends; Erzsebet, Ludwig and Roderich. We offer a safe space for mutants to be mutants without fear. It's dangerous for you to stay here, and we want to help you." The dark haired brother wrinkled his nose, while the other chewed his lip nervously. "We don't need help," the dark haired one insisted. "Do we?" His brother looked like he needed all the help in the world. "Lovi," he half-whispered. "Lovi, they took Amedia. They took her away, and they could take us t-" "But they won't!" The one called 'Lovi' snapped. "You can run, you can keep us safe..." His own words seemed to choke him, and his jaw clenched.

They stared at each other for a short while, and Roderich began to wonder if Lovi was a telepath. After a long silence, Lovi looked back to them. "Where is this place?" "It's in Austria," Roderich replied. "There are a few more mutants there, and a human. We're sworn to secrecy for each other." Lovi sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "I want to go." The other replied. He took his brother's hand. "I'm Feliciano, and this is my brother, Lovino." He paused to give Lovino a smile which was replied to with a grimace. "Take us to Austria, please!" Erzsebet and Francis returned his bright smile, and maybe Ludwig did too, just a little.

"Wonderful!" Francis clapped his hands together once, looking refreshed. "I'd say we can still make the train today, depending on how far away you boys live?" Feliciano' smile faltered. "We don't live anywhere," Lovino sneered. "We ran away from home. A mutant in a devout catholic family? We were safer on the streets." Erzsebet nodded slowly. Knowingly. Without a word, Lovino took a large backpack from behind a dumpster, and unzipped it. Less than a second later, Feliciano had packed all he could into it, and zipped it back up.

"It was bad enough travelling as a group of four," Roderich sighed. "Six mutants. If the police are still patrolling... unless Ludwig takes us one by one?" "Actually, I do have a plan," Ludwig said. "Erzsebet, a dog, if you will?"

It was always fun, Erzsebet thought, getting to transform in front of someone for the first time. The brothers watched with wide eyes, and wider jaws, as Erzsebet's nose and jaw extended, their ears grew, they sprouted fur and the hair on their head seemed to shoot back under their skin until standing before them was a cream and brown dog in a pile of clothes.

Francis, chuckling at the shared expressions of awe, gathered Erzsebet's clothes into a bag, softly petting the dog's head as their cold, black nose touched his cheek. Erzsebet trotted over to Ludwig, who crouched to put on the collar and leash from his coat pocket, and to murmur something to Erzsebet that Roderich could hear, but not interpret. Together, they all left the alley, with Francis taking the lead.

"We'll go back to our hotel, collect our things, and then to the train station. If we are stopped by the police, act naturally. You can run if you want to, but you'd be endangering all of us, and I'd like to go home to my daughter if you don't mind." "You have a daughter?!" Feliciano exclaimed. "You look so young!" Francis grinned. "I don't always feel it."

They managed to get most of the way to the hotel before their fears were realised.

Across the street was another police unit. The dog with them was staring. Lovino moved from the back of the group to walk by Feliciano, who had made himself at home at Ludwig's side. "It's ok," Ludwig murmured to the brothers. "Don't worry." "I'm not worrying," Lovino lied. The police dog started barking at them. An officer called to them to stop, and the two officers and their dog began to cross the street.

Erzsebet growled, teeth bared, backing up behind Ludwig a little. Ludwig shushed them, but they continued to snarl. "My dog is, um, protect?" Ludwig called in broken Italian, with a little chuckle. "Not like big dogs." The police nodded, and got to the pavement. The larger police dog began to sniff at Erzsebet's face, who in turn stopped snarling, and sniffed back. "You're in a big group. Not from around here either," one of the police officers commented. "Yes, yes we are travel," Ludwig explained. "We come to Milan to meet friends, then travel soon to Austria. Holiday, yes?" The officers didn't seem interested, and looked down to the dogs.

By now, both tails were wagging, and the police dog only seemed interested in Erzsebet. "Sorry for the trouble," the officer nodded. "Enjoy your time in Milan." They almost had to pull their dog away from Erzsebet, and once they were gone, the group breathed a collective sigh of relief. "Let's go," Roderich insisted. "I don't want to hear Ludwig's butchered Italian again."

#hetalia #aph germany #aph romano #aph italy #aph france #aph hungary #aph austria #hetalia au #writing #xmentalia

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