#cafe fredo

[suit212]

Click here to see unique craftmanship. A superb espresso machine coming from Netherlands. I love it.

[coffeenewstom]

Kretisches Kaffeetagebuch: Kapetanisa Traditional Cafe in Kandanos

Wir machen uns über die gewundene Bergstraße wieder auf den Weg nach Chania. Wir haben nicht viel geplant, können uns also Zeit lassen. Und den einen oder anderen Zwischenstopp einlegen. Außerdem nehmen wir eine etwas weitere Strecke in Kauf um nicht die selbe Straße noch einmal zu fahren, die wir schon hergekommen sind. Ein Glücksfall! Denn diese Strecke führt uns durch das idyllische Dorf…

[balapann-blog]

Day 21 - 26 September - Thessaloniki > Alexndropolis

We work up and went for a run along the seafront. It was nice, the seafront is very nice here, especially in the morning before it gets too hot. After that we went back to the flat and packed up before leaving. We got some take away breakfast and then got a taxi to the bus station.

I have loved being in Thessaloniki, it was a really cool city, it felt a bit like Barcelona and Marseille with the sea and the hills behind it. The food was really nice and the vibe was lovely It also has so much history.

Our bus was retry straightforward with a 20min stop about halfway. Along the way I saw cotton fields which I had never seen before, as well as quite large parts of the countryside that had forest fire scars. I saw a bit of that when we came in from Macedonia, but it seemed like a much bigger area.

I listened to a podcast on the bus called Imagining Turkey by UCL which spoke about lots of the things that I had been thinking about n the trip so far, particularly the one episode that speaks about the Balkans. One of the things that it spoke about was that the Balkans and Turkey are viewed as liminal countries in the eyes of the west, not eastern (with all the connotations that that has) and not western but existing as both.

We then got to Alexandropolis and went to our apartment. We went for lunch at this nice fish restaurant. I had grilled mackerel, Nin had calamari and then we had the same salad that we had yesterday. We also had some home made white wine which was good.

After that we went to the beach for a swim. It was nice water but very shallow so even if you were 30m out, you could still stand up to below the waist. We then had what I think must have been our most expensive drink in the last few weeks in a bar by the sea but it did have a great view of the sunset. We also saw all these boats so started looking at a boat tracker which was quite fun to do. I imagine it will be nice to use it in Istanbul.

We went back to the flat and just chilled out in the evening. Nin had some tuna and rice and I had some super noodles. We watched The Ottomans which is this weird docurama about the siege of Constantinople, getting ourselves ready for tomorrow!

Where we ate - Ntisios Ioannis (take away bagels and a burek), Ouzeri Alexis (lunch)

What we liked - Lunch was very good my burek was good in the morning and the bagel was grand.

Day 22 - 27 September - Alexndropolis > Istanbul

Work up and mobilised quite slowly. We went to the bus station to check if we needed to print our tickets (we didn’t but had been burned before). After that we went for a fredo-cappuccino. I read about the Ottoman / Russian war of 1877/8 which led to Alexandropolis being briefly part of Bulgaria before then becoming Ottoman up to the second Balkan war when it became Bulgarian, until the end of the First World War when it was given to Greece due to Bulgaria being an axis powers, which is very confusing.

We then checked out of the apartment and went for some lunch, I had some Greek meatballs and Nin had moussaka. We then went to the bus stop and got our bus which was about 30 mins late. The bus got to the border quite quickly but it took quite a long time to get through, first 35 mins to leave Greece and then about an hour to get into Turkey. The bus then went along the coast of the north of the sea of Marmerà. It took quite a long time and need up 2 hours late.

The bus station is huge and is actually quite far away from the main town, the last time we get in to it was last year after a night bus, everything was closed and dark and a bit spooky (we should have learned not to do night busses). We then got into Galata and then got to our hotel. It is not quite as nice as it is in the pictures but is still okay. After that we went to his Lebanese restaurant for a quick meal and then came back and went to sleep.

Where we ate - Kipou 12 Alexandropoli, Arada cafe

What we liked - Both pretty good, my meatballs were really nice, Arada was good too

Day 23 - 28 September - Istanbul

We woke up and went first to the train station to see if we could buy tickets for the Turistik Dogu (Eastern) Express to Kars from Ankara. The person in the station said we ‘no’ so looking for more information we went to a travel agent who was listed on the Man in Seat 61 to see if we could get any more answers. On the way we went to a quite expensive cafe in an old madrassa near Topkapi Palace. We had a Turkish coffee and a cheese toastie to keep the wolf from the door. The thing that really ground our gears was that when we gave the money for the bill, they didn’t bring us our change (i guess assuming that it was automatically their service charge) We waited for a bit and eventually we asked for our change and it was brought.

The travel agent building was hard to find at first due to the fact that there was building work and scaffolding in front of the building, and when we walked in there was a dead crow just in front of the door which was a little strange. The guy was very helpful though and said that the Turistik Dogu Express had just disappeared and cannot be booked, and no one knew what happened to it (spooky), he just said this kind of thing happens in Turkey all the time.

After that we went to the grand Bazaar and looked around, it was nice this time not to be rushed like we were last time we were in Istanbul and we only found the grand bazaar onwards then end of our trip. One textile place we went to, the old guy was very suave and told us about his old shop and then said that he had provided costumes for lots of films. He said lots of people don’t believe him about this but that it is in a book on the history of Turkish textiles written by on for Turkey’s main historians. The shop was pretty nice and I did actually find the book in English on the shelf in one of the rooms and the bookmark was on the page about this guy, so i think it checks out.

We then got a bite to eat, we had this thing called Kokrec which was a roll with this meat chopped up really fine with tomatoes and peppers and things. It was delicious! I then googled what it was and it turns it it is lots of different types of lamb offal in a lamb stomach lining. We then went back into the bazaar for a bit and then started to walk back towards the golden horn. On the way we found a really nice little cafe and had a lentil soup and a pilav rice, as well as these small sodas that were really tasty.

We walked back to our hotel and tried to book the normal Dogu express from Kayseri in Cappadocia but the app wouldn’t let me pay without a Turkish phone number or a Turkish ID number so we made the trek out to the station again and went to the ticket office. The lady was very patient as we gave our requests. We then also asked for a train to Konya to be booked for a few days before, she was obliging but gave us a look of ‘couldn’t you have asked for this at the start?’ There was a bit of a queue behind us and we were finally all finished and leaving the station when we realised that the train to Konya had been booked for the wrong day so we had to go back. She didn’t look pleased to see us but again was very obliging and changed our tickets.

We then walked to a bar that Alex had recommended in Cihangir a drink and then walked up to Taksim to a restaurant that Alex had also recommended which was really nice. There were cold meze that the waiter spoke us through and helped us order. We had a really nice fish ceviche thing with lemon and basil pesto, a really nice salad , some nice lamb skewers, grilled artichokes, tsatsiki but with the cucumber diced not grated, a really nice olive dish with all nuts and pomegranate seeds. All in all it was really nice. We then walked to near Galata tower and had a Turkish tea and a cheesecake and then back to the hotel.

Where we ate - Mercan Pilav and Kokrec, Galata Pilav, Musterek Meyhane

What we liked - All delicious Musterek was a great dinner the others great snax!

Day 24 - 29 September - Istanbul

Woke up and went out for the day basically. We crossed the bridge and went to get some pilav and simit as we made our way to the boats to get the ferry to the island of Buyukadain the Sea of Marmara I had been there the first time I had been in Istanbul as we went there after the failed coup as it was more quiet and less tense than where we were staying. The ferry took about an hour and 15 and I listened to a couple of episodes of The Rest is History (Alexander the great) and looked out at the never ending expanse of city on the Asian side, there is city for nearly 50km along the shore!

Once we got to the island we rented bikes and cycled around. There are very few cars on the island and a few electric busses bring people around but it is mainly people on bikes or walking around. The busses only came in in 2020 before that people still used to get around on horse and cart. Also weirdly Trotsky lived on the island for 3 or so years and wrote an essay about it!

We stopped and had a frappaciano and then carried on to the center of the island where there is a monastery devoted to St. George. Which we were going to walk up to. As we were getting to the square which had multiple roads including the one that went to the monastery disaster struck. I had no idea in Turkey that the back break on a bike is not the left hand but the right hand break, up to then I had been using both hands at the same time so hadn’t clocked, however this time I only pulled the left, only wanting to slow myself slightly not come to a stop. But stop I did. In fact the bike stopped, I did not. As the front wheel jammed shut, i continued moving forward. I was not going fast enough to go over the handlebars but I did come off the seat and my midriff bashed into the lower handlebars. I was lucky, and it bashed my upper groin, five centimetres to the right or five centimetres lower and we might be talking about an entirely more dangerous situation.

To make matters worse, while I was still reeling from the injury, I took us down what I thought was the road to the monastery on the bikes but it turned out to be a road down hill to the other side of the Island, it was too late and the only way as to take the road around the side of the island and come back to the square and take the correct road up to the monastery then. Thankfully the road was lovely with panoramic views of the sea. We also found the field where all the old horses from the horse and cart days were living.

When we got back to the square we managed to take the right road up to the monastery, we pushed our bikes up the hill, bravely ignoring the bike parking spaces and pushing them up the very steep incline for the 750m climb. By the time we got to the top I was sodden in sweat and in need of a drink. There was a small cafe that sold small bottles of EFES, and after cooling down with a cold one looking out at the Asian side of the shore, we looked in the monastery church and descended the hill in a mixture of pushing and very gently descending on the bike with both breaks on.

We then cycled down to the town, dropped the bikes off and with an hour before the ferry went to a ‘public beach’ to see if we could have a quick swim before we went back. When we got there it turns out it was 600TL to enter so we went back and had a tea in a terrace restaurant instead. Having to pay for access to the sea really annoys me!

We then got to the ferry and had a relaxing time heading back. We then disembarked in Karakoy and went to this fish wrap place, which was out of this world and walked down the sea front eating the delicious food. The sunset and lights were very pretty and you really felt that this is a magical, historic and important place.

After this we went back to the hotel and then out to near Galata tower as there was a Turkish jacket potato food that Nin wanted to try. It was good but quite expensive . We then went back and relaxed in the room and went to sleep.

What we ate - Pilav and simit from the waterfront, Kiyi Balik Karakoy, Grabs Street Food

What we liked - The fish wrap in Karakoy the highlight for me - seasoned with sumac and pomegranate molasses- really amazing

Day 25 - 30 September - Istanbul

We woke up and went for a quite hilly and windy run around Galata. It was a good bit cooler today. Our run was mainly on big roads as this seems to be quite common in Istanbul, I feel like living here is the same as smoking like 10 cigs a day! When we got back we brought some clothes to a laundry and took a tram in the direction of Besiktas. There we had a breakfast on the famous breakfast street, which is apparently lots more expensive than a few years ago, the inflation you can really feel from a year ago too! The breakfast was really nice with all the menemen etc. and Turkish tea.

We then walked up though Taksim square and town to this neighbourhood a bit further on from Galata and went to a local hammam the Kizilay Square Bath which was ridiculously cheap compared to other ones in the city. I got a scrub and bubble massage. The hammam is 19th century and had a section for men and for women. It is in the neighbourhood that president Ergogan grew up in so maybe he had been there before. I was the only person there at the time which was a bit strange but was a bit generally fine. The guy doing the scrub spoke no English so our conversation was very stunted.

After we both finished in our respective sections we went to hotel briefly and then walked around Galata and Cukurcuma areas where there are lots of antique shops. I also got a hair cut and beard trim was getting pretty needed but I now look too clean cut for my clothes and the type of trip we are on, so looking forward to a bit of growth.

We then went for a drink where we saw the cutest kittens and their mother playing. I love the cats here they are so looked after by the people, there are cat houses everywhere! We then got a Kokrec and a battered muscle sandwich which was delish and then walked up to Taksim square to get a wet burger! We then walked home and got an early night as we have to be up early for our train to Konya!

Where we ate - Cakmak Kahvalti Salonu, Sampiyon Kokorek, Kizilkayalar Taksim

What we liked - All very good nothing that beat the fish wrap but the breakfast was pretty delish.

[supergreece2023]

Sat. 10/21/23: Blogging is tough, and I am already behind. A few more notes about Athens! First, THE LATRINES!! Ground floor at the Acropolis Museum - actual remains of a local community where people had to “go” up to 8 at a time! That is like, my deepest wake-you-up-at-3AM kind of night terror, where there’s no privacy, no doors on the bathroom stalls…Yikes. Possibly some TMI here, but…yeesh. On a lighter note, we had our first Fredo at Folk cafe where they are Promiscuous, but in a good way (see pic from last post). And right across the way from “Slits” department store—Just, yeah. Was a good shopping day, because I also found a Greek thrift shop and got me some 8 euro jeans that say “Feel Good. Enjoy. Happiness.” Allll down both legs. My daughter would be proud. And finally, we also managed to make it up Licabettus Hill, which had a superb view of the city despite the clouds.

[yeyinde]

Been seeing all this Jacob Seed talk, so I had to research, and then I find out Mark Pellegrino is his voice actor. My Lucifer! Ate beignets next to him at Cafe Du Monde before the SPN convention that morning. So I mean, I guess I gotta get into Far Cry 5 for my lord and savior Lucy.

I've also, been meaning to ask if you've watched the trailer for The Penguin and what you think?!?

Ahhh, that must have been amazing!! 🤩 So lucky!! And yes! He's really great as a VA, and I don't think I'd like Jacob as much as I do if he was voiced by someone else. Pellegrino really brings the same calculating coldness to Jacob as he did for Luci, and it just makes him feel very human, very flawed but at the same time, extremely dangerous. But FC5 voice acting is honestly top tier (outside of the same copy pasted NPCs who stand in front of each other, with the exact same face and voice, and talk to each other when you're traipsing through the forest).

And AHHHHHH, the Penguin!!!! I can't wait to see it, and I already know it's gonna be sooo good! It seems like they are leaning into the Fredo angle with Farrell!Penguin still being undermined by a lot of people, but that shot with him just laughing in a dark room??? After presumably gunning people down?? 😳 Absolute perfection. I love that it has the same atmosphere as the grimy, wet looking Reeves Batman but with the added element of a late 70s early 80s mob/mafia film. Can't wait to see it!

[greekingout2024]

Greetings from Greece beautiful people!!!! We certainly had a busy day. We started our day with a food tour around Athens, led by our amazing tour guide, Nicki. We started our food tour with Kolouri, a circular baked sesame snack. Next our tour guide took us to a lovely little cafe where we were pleasantly caffeinated with fredo espressos (iced espressos) and frappes (instant coffee with milk and sugar) and bougatsa (a vanilla cream filled pastry in filo pastry). This was definitely the most filling as the dough was coated with olive oil and baked instead of with our American staple of butter. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic little treat to keep us going. For lunch, we had the pleasure of eating a chicken or pork gyro, wrapped in pita, with potato fries, lettuce, tomato and a house sauce aka (My personal favorite Greek food). To finish our food tour we we all indulged in a refreshing cup of Greek gelato where flavors ranged from a light strawberry sorbet to a rich coconut to a decadent tiramisu flavor that will for sure have us coming back for more. Throughout the tour, we learned that Greeks take their meals much later in the day than Americans do. Breakfast is typically after 10am, lunch after 3 pm and dinner after 7pm. Though it seemed insignificant upon first hearing about such habits, it makes sense that Greeks would take their first meal later in the day so that their bodies have ample time to digest and when they sit down for their next meal, they are truly hungry. Their gelato is also made with more natural ingredients such as pure cane sugar and Greek yogurt instead of pastured milk and added sugar which is often hidden in several American ice creams and gelatos. Overall, I had an amazing experience trying these Greek food staples. The quickest way to my heart is through my stomach and Athens is certainly on its way.

~Emma Iskhakov

[whatdoesirawant]

In Corfu

I apologise for the decision to make this blog's aesthetic the simple black and white (in my mind thinking of old newspapers), as the pictures from Corfu mean little without the beautiful colours.

Corfu is a very elegant, little town that's really seducing me with its leather bags hanging on each corner of the cobbled streets. But I have a 10kg limit for checked baggage out of here (which I'm already over) so the leather bags will have to wait for Naples!

Today I had to split from the group and wander by myself. Turns out after living alone for 2 months and talking to almost no one has made being in a group of 8 difficult emotionally. Or maybe I've always been like this, in need of serious alone time.

Either way, I wanted to wander the streets of the old town, to sit in Orthodox churches and put candles down, to browse shops (but not purchase, save for the white fan that reminded me of my old one that someone broke at a party), to drink fredo espressos in cafes spread across steps of Old Corfu underneath beautiful trees. And I did all that, plus ice cream.

[the-godfather-1972]

Thinking about Michael's demeanor, his coldness... and wondering, to what degree is it a part of him, a genuine part of him, and to what degree is it a mask?

During the scene where Fredo and Michael are at the outdoor cafe in Havana, we can see that Michael is realizing more and more what Fredo has done. But he still cracks a smile talking about the banana daiquiri- and it feels like a sincere smile, but then it's almost as if he remembers suddenly he needs to have the mask on. The defenses up. Because even though Fredo is his brother who he loves, and even though he so badly wants to trust him and have a normal relationship, he knows that is no longer possible. He knows he needs to think of him as a liability, an adversary even. But again, a smile still cracks through the surface.

So, how much of it is Michael, and how much of it is a mask? How much of Michael is there really left?

[damnityrallthegoodusernamestaken]

Modern AU

KRS is in his 2nd year in high school when people out of nowhere gather around him. LSH is the overprotective and charismatic sunbae while CJS is his childhood friend. Alberu, Rosalyn, Jack, Hannah, Mary and CH ambush him at school and annoy the heck out of KRS. Eruhaben’s the poor homeroom teacher stuck taking care of them. The kids get adopted by Sherrit and the wolf tribe. The Henituse couple claims to be KRS’s godparents and proceeds to smother KRS with gifts and money. CH is CJS’s distant uncle but somehow just a year older and in the same class. He also takes up the role of being KRS’s bodyguard (as if CJS and LSH weren’t doing that already). Poor KRS is confused as to why these people bother him but just learns to roll with it. He gains his memories a month later (the God of Death wanted to mess with him for a bit but got bored).

Also: 

Bud is the head of the local police. Glenn runs a popular bar and Bud is his most troublesome customer.

Cage and Taylor Stan are regulars in said bar. They also join the gang to annoy KRS sometimes.

Gashan runs a cat cafe, which KRS secretly visits. (Yes, the others know but they pretend not to. The kids are very jealous.)

Witira, Archie, Paseton and Litana are seniors in college. They meet KRS at the cat cafe. (The Whales are cat lovers in this AU. Litana prefers dogs though and Ten is her pet.)

Lee Jin Joo is a senior at the same college. Lee Seung Won is KRS’s juniour.

Tasha and the Dark Elves mostly assists Alberu in his work. They live in the neighborhood next to Rok Soo’s dorm.

Park Jin Tae is the school delinquent and Lee Chul Min is his follower.

Grandma Kim is the sweet old lady who runs KRS’s favourite bakery.

WS and his group have no power and are infamous for their behaviour. The teachers don’t care though as they get beaten up by Cale/KRS and co. if they do anything. Adin is Valentino’s cheating ex. (Valentino beats the shit out of him after he finds out.)

Billios runs his shop which KRS, CJS and CH frequent. Odeous is the head of the local mafia.

OG Cale exists and acts like the tsundere elder brother that he is. (LHS, Alberu and OG Cale have a competition going on for the best hyung title, KRS is sick of it. CJS was disqualified.) He also gets a happy and healthy relationship with his family here.

The children get introduced to KRS by Eruhaben. They cling to him after that. He also tutors them with the wolf children (Lock is included) and babysits the wind elementals who are chaotic toddlers. (He wants to quit but the pay is really high so he doesn’t.)

Toonka runs a well known private security company with Harol. (Deruth hires them for KRS and his children. Cale and KRS are not happy.)

Ron, Beacrox, Freesia, Hilsman and Hans are part of the staff that works in the dorm KRS stays in. (The others move into said dorm when they get to know.)

The ancient powers are people who are mistaken for KRS’s creepy stalkers at first, but after KRS remembers them the threats (courtesy of Deruth, Ron, LSH, CJS, CH, the children, etc) stop.

The World Tree is the stressed out principal of KRS’s school. The Elves and dragons are teachers there.

Duke Fredo is this creepy, very rich businessman who tries to adopt KRS every chance he gets (which is not very much because of the others). That doesn’t stop KRS from accepting the money Fredo gives him though. (Deruth cries after he hears this.)

Cale has a fanclub and Clopeh Sekka is in charge of it. Hans, CH, CJS, LHS and the kids are a part of it and make sure to keep it a secret from KRS.

Most importantly, NOBODY DIES. (Except for maybe WS and his bastards.)

[Hopefully I got everyone.]

[missguomeiyun]

☕ in Korea #17 - Osulloc Tea Cafe

Like I said at the very beginning of Blogmas, not all posts will involve “coffee”. Today’s post is about a cafe but it’s a tea cafe!

Welcome to the Osulloc Tea Museum!

Osulloc is a luxury tea brand that originated in Jeju Island, where tea farming & tea production (& tea drinking) is huuuuge! It started out as a small business but increased both its popularity & brand power through several decades.

Long story short: it is now a big deal, with many locations scattered throughout Korea, & their high-quality teas are famous with beautiful packaging, making them an essential “Korean souvenir”.

I have been to several locations in Seoul; however, this one that I visited is the Osulloc Tea Museum that’s located on Jeju Island. From my hotel in Jeju City, it takes just over an hr (by bus) to get to. Be sure to go here early, as it’s now a tourist attraction for both tours & free-roaming travelers like myself.

What makes this location unique?

The other Osulloc’s carry merch & has a small cafe (depending on the location), but this is like their main branch. It’s not reeeeeally a “branch”; I don’t using that term. It’s just different! They have several sections here that contain displays & a lot of educational information - about tea-making process, about tea cups & tea drinking culture from other parts of the world, about their own history as Osulloc, etc.. . having a wall of Osulloc tea packaging from the 80s to their current designs. Their merch section is also large, with “Jeju-only” products. Additionally, their cafe menu is more extensive too.

& so after I browsed through the rest of the Museum, I stopped by the cafe for a treat~ Bcos you have to!

The displays looked so real.

Green tea ciabatta sandwich?

More options.. .

FYI: there are no coffee drinks here.

I ordered a drink & a dessert.

The cake is their Hallasan cake & the hallabong-o-fredo (hallabong slush with hallabong cream & a piece of dried hallabong). The drink was super refreshing!

*hallabong = Jeju-famous tangerine. (some say it’s mandarin.. . others say orange).. . Tbh, I don’t know what the correct translation is but it is a sweet & citrus-y fruit that Jeju Island is famous for. It’s like on-par with their green tea.

A side profile of the cake. Starting from top to bottom: cream, green tea cake, green tea mousse, green tea cake, dense chocolate layer with crunchy rice crispy bits, & lastly, chocolate cake. So yummy!

I took some photos outside as well. I really like their logo!

The famous “photo-zone” spot in front of these 2 cup-shaped bushes.

Osulloc camellia field <3

[thedazedyouth]

It’s You Who Hung The Moon 3

Life Of The Party

When Alfredo woke up, for a moment he was back in his apartment. It was his bed underneath him and the cool breeze on his face was because he forgot to close his bedroom window. But then someone shifted next to him and his memory finally caught up.

The ground was hard on his back, and his arm had fallen asleep from when he used it as a pillow. The wind was from the open door leading into the Haunted House, which as let in the blinding morning sunlight when Alfredo managed to open his eyes. Trevor was already awake, and rummaging through his backpack. He noticed Alfredo, pulled out a protein bar and offered it silently.

Alfredo groaned as he sat up, his body was no longer accustomed to sleeping so rough, and the wound on his side only ached more. He took the bar with his good arm, giving a small smile in return and flexing his other hand as feeling returned to it. The boys sat there, eating in a peaceful quiet and listened to the nature around them; it was so vastly different to the noises of Los Santos. Alfredo could’ve forgotten about Sparks in that moment, while he was content with just existing.

It was such a big change in pace from his usual life.

“We should keep moving,” Trevor stated, breaking Fredo’s serenity. He rolled his shoulders back, indicating his own pain, and ran a hand through his now messy black hair.

Swallowing the last of his food, Alfredo asked, “Do you even have a plan?”

“Well,” Trevor started, “we managed to piss Sparks off pretty badly. I doubt he’s just gonna wait for us to go back to the city. We can draw him out here so he won’t have a lot of backup; get the drop on him, get rid of him, and get home.”

“How do we find him?”

Trevor smiled; it’s no wonder the Fakes cause so much destruction with him in charge.

“We don’t,” he said. “Let him find us.”

They said goodbye to the amusement park, passing the decrepit rides and wishing to have seen the place in its prime. Fortunately, the car was still there when they arrived. Trevor moved the weapons bag into the back seat, just in case.

While they drove, the radio turned from distorted music to static, and back to distorted music, indicating that they were close to another town or city. Alfredo realised how little he knew of LS’s surrounding area; it seemed the seclusion of the city blinded him to the rest of the world.  

Alfredo was uncomfortable with the plan. He would’ve questioned it, should’ve, but he didn’t have anything better so he sat in the passenger seat in silence. Trevor seemed smart, he certainly looked smart, so he had to know what he was doing.

Trevor glanced from the road ahead to Alfredo, noticing the shift in mood.

“Listen Alfredo, the plan is more than just waiting to run into Sparks. I’m just used to trying to lead the Fakes, unless it’s really important, they don’t listen well. And I usually just simplify everything,” Trevor explained.

“So give me the full plan,” Alfredo said. Thank god,  he is smart.

Trevor hesitated for a heartbeat. “Okay, well , so it is still kinda waiting for Sparks to find us, but we’re prepared for it. There’s a town up ahead and since we weren’t found last night, I bet that there’s someone there that works for Sparks. We draw the right attention and boom, we’ll get Sparks.”

Alfredo huffed. “That’s a little better.” But not by much.

The radio became clear. The opening to Sugar, We’re Goin Down played, and the pair couldn’t help but scream-sing the lyrics, relishing in the feeling of a simpler time. By the end, they had made it to the next town.

Alfredo hadn’t noticed its name but assumed that Trevor had visited before by the way he found the first café within a minute; that or he smelt caffeine like a hound. Alfredo decided to wait in the car while Trevor ordered drinks for them.

His door closed and instantly Alfredo’s mind swarmed with every thought he struggled to hold back the last few days. His body was itching to run, to ditch Trevor and never look back; he had to save himself. It was always him before anyone else. Trusting this stranger, a man he was meant to kill, went against every instinct that had been etched into his brain and body.

Alfredo knew that this was the stupidest thing he’s ever done. There were dozens of opportunities that he let pass by, and because of what? Some scrawny white kid that had some self esteem issues? Alfredo should be smarter than that.

Alfredo knew that this was the stupidest thing he’d ever done. There were dozens of opportunities that he let pass by, and because of what? Some scrawny white kid with some self esteem issues? Alfredo should be smarter than that, he is smarter than that.

But as he watched said scrawny white kid hold the café door open for an elderly couple, Fredo couldn’t bring himself to betray that trust Trevor had placed in him. For whatever reason, Trevor thought Alfredo was worth something, that he was important enough to help; and something inside of Alfredo wanted to believe it too.

He had been working alone for so long, but maybe he didn’t have to do that anymore.

Alfredo’s thoughts were broken by his damned instincts demanding his attention be placed onto a man and woman entering the café. They were both wearing casual clothing but the way they carried themselves was what alerted him; like they were better, stronger than everyone else.

They stood in line behind Trevor. He didn’t bother to show that he notice them, his gaze remained focused on the menu overabove. Alfredo couldn’t share the same relaxed stance. One hand crept towards the door handle while the other gripped his pistol. He waited, ready to run inside but nothing happened.

Trevor reached the counter, ordered their drinks and waited patiently. The pair behind him didn’t recognise him, or even his voice; they must be new. Or they were just regular people.

Either way, Alfredo didn’t like them. So he watched.

He watched as Trevor shuddered when the barista poured sugar and creamer into Alfredo’s cup, “it’s an ungodly amount, Fredo”, then Alfredo shuddered when the barista poured straight black coffee into Trevor’s.

He watched the barista call Trevor’s name, and he saw the couple lift their heads and realisation hit them.

They’re definitely new. They wouldn’t have reacted so irrationally if they had experience.

The woman threw the first punch, aiming for his head. Trevor dodged it, watching his dull reflection in the cafe wall. The man swung from the other side, making Trevor duck. He stood back up and slammed the man in the face with his elbow, sending him stumbling backwards.

Alfredo was in the cafe within a few steps. Just in time to catch the man off guard, keeping him preoccupied as the woman tried fighting Trevor.

Fredo tried keeping an eye on Trevor, but the man swinging his fists around took up most of his attention. The man got a few hits on Alfredo; but it only took a few swift movements for Alfredo to knock him off his feet. He gave the man a rough kick in the head to keep him down.

He looked for Trevor and found him in a similar position, standing over his unconscious opponent and a slight smile.

Trevor spun back to the poor barista who was cowering against the back wall. He fished a fifty from his pocket, saying, “Keep the change,” and took their coffees

Taking the cup, Alfredo said, “Is that the right attention?”

Trevor shrugged. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

Back in the car, Trevor and Alfredo took a calm approach to their cautiousness. They drove and drunk their coffees, glancing in the side mirrors every other second and keeping both a gun and knife within reach.

The town they had entered, Granville Alfredo realised after seeing a couple stores, was lively; people were hurrying around, and traffic flowed at a steady but constant pace. It was nothing like Los Santos, or Alfredo’s home town, not that he remembered much about it. It felt. . . lighter there, there wasn’t this heavy pressure weighing on Alfredo anymore, it felt real.

It was real. There were kids playing in their yards, even in the poorer areas of the town. There were teenagers strolling through the streets, blissfully unaware of any potential danger. There were adults walking, hands free as they passed by strangers, not even bothering to protect their valuables.  

Trevor was real, too.

He had risked everything because he wanted to help Alfredo. His left his crew, his home and threw away safety for some hitman that couldn’t make a shot. Despite his reputation, Trevor was still good.

Alfredo only heard vague rumours of some tall demon, stalking the dark streets of Los Santos with the protection of the Fakes, even before he was deemed an official member and some said he was more terrifying than the Vagabond. As long as Alfredo never ran into him, he ignored that rumours. Carried on his life, believing he’d never find himself face to face with that demon.

But the demon was far less scary than what he was lead to believe. He knew the words to practically every song, he pointed out dogs when they passed by, he thought he was unimportant, and he wanted to help people.

“Fredo? You’re staring.”

“Sorry,” he muttered, not realising his gaze had travelled onto Trevor and returned it back to the road.

Alfredo and Trevor had left Granville, returning to the open road and its emptiness. They didn’t see another car, like the road was trying to lure them into a false sense of security.

Trevor stiffened next to him, hands gripping the steering wheel as he look into the rear vision mirror. Alfredo checked his side mirror, behind them, and accelerating quickly, were two red pickup trucks and two black SUVs. They spread across both lanes in a line, their sights set on Alfredo and Trevor, no doubt they were Sparks’ men.

“Alright so you got Sparks’ attention. What now?” Alfredo asked, reaching into the backseat for the first rifle he could grab.

“You may not like this,” was the only warning Trevor gave before slamming on the brakes.

The convey line behind them opened, letting the pair slip between them; but they were easily surrounded on all sides. Trevor put up no resistance as one of the SUVs aggressively guided them off the road and into a ditch.

The landing was a bit rough, but there wasn’t a second to waste.

“Trevor?”

He ignored the worry in Alfredo’s tone. “Just shoot them before they shoot you, or me.”

Before Alfredo could even begin to protest, the window behind him was shot out, then his window and then the car was being riddled with bullets. Making a grab for extra ammo and crawling across the front seats, out of the drivers door, Alfredo crouched behind the car next to Trevor.

Alfredo poked his up slightly, gaining a glimpse of what they were up against.

“Okay, there’s two cars across the road,” he explained to Trevor. “The other two are closer to us, they’ll be used as shields. We won’t be able to push them back unless we clear the first line.”

Trevor nodded, barely blinking when a round of bullets hit the other side of the car. “There’s only twenty people max, probably less.”

“I’ve had worse.”

“Same. Let’s do it then.”

Alfredo felt an odd sense of comfort and familiarity as he lent over the hood of the car and Trevor stood by the trunk, each firing as quickly as they could. It was like they had fought together for years, trusted each other like brothers and could take on the world side by side.

Between firing and dodging bullets, Alfredo found himself looking to Trevor; needing to be sure he was still okay and wondering if he felt the same. A bullet skimmed the edge of his ear and whispered as it passed, don’t get attached, you know better than that.

The first line of cars was cleared, Trevor and Alfredo moved as one unit behind the vehicles. They took the moment to pause. Trevor dumped an empty magazine, reaching into his back pocket for one with a full clip. Alfredo had already gone through his extra ammo, counting only three more bullets in his round.

“There shouldn’t be much left.” Trevor looked around them. “We already got eight of them.”

Alfredo lifted his gun at Trevor, a flash of panic went over his face but quickly faded after Fredo pulled the trigger.

“Nine,” Alfredo corrected, nodding towards the man trying to sneak up on them, now lying dead on the ground.

Trevor’s smile was enough to refuel Alfredo’s energy, giving more reason to finish everything.

The fight didn’t take much longer, Trevor and Alfredo equally taking out the remaining four. Trevor had left to check their car, they would have to leave soon and the other vehicles were too badly damaged to drive, thanks to them. Alfredo stood in the middle of the battle field.

Their opponents’ weapons were high quality, all marked with a code; one he recognised from the bullet that Sparks had given him.

Someone was looking to get famous.

A series of grunts gained his attention. Across the way, it seems a man hadn’t wanted to die and despite the wound in his stomach, he was still fighting. He wielded a knife, Trevor managed to dodge most swings. Trevor grabbed onto the man’s arm, slamming it against the car and catching the knife as it dropped.

The man finally died with a knife stuck in his throat.

Alfredo was already running towards Trevor, even though he didn’t the help. Wait, no, Alfredo thought. Trevor didn’t help in the fight but he grimaced when he pressed his hand against his right shoulder.

Somehow, when Alfredo wasn’t watching, the man had stabbed Trevor.

Trevor brushed off any concern he had about himself when he met Alfredo. “You good?”

“Are you serious?” was all Alfredo could say. He gestured to Trevor’s wound, in complete disbelief someone could ignore it.

Trevor shrugged, looking away when he winced. “Just a flesh wound.”

Alfredo could’ve spent the whole day standing there, lecturing Trevor on his stupidity. How dare he care so much about Fredo, but completely disregard himself? If Alfredo had refused the help, Trevor would’ve dragged him onto that motorcycle, and tied him down to fix the injury.

Yet, before Alfredo opened his mouth to yell, the hum of engines broke through the wildernesses peace. Cop or civilian, Alfredo didn’t want to be caught in the scene they stood in. He shouldn’t have wasted so much precious time.

But it wasn’t the police, it wasn’t some poor random stranger, no, of course it had to be Sparks and a small army. There was too many, it was impossible to fight them all; maybe they’d get a quick death if they surrendered.

Maybe Alfredo would get a second chance, if he finished his mission.

He always listened to his instincts, they were meant to keep him alive and he’d always do what he had to; but that voice could go fuck itself.

Never in a million years would Alfredo betray Trevor like that, he didn’t know why, didn’t care why; he just knew he hated that voice.

Sparks sat passenger, tinted window rolling down as he neared the boys.

“How’s that plan of your’s working out?” Alfredo snapped. He could still be angry without wanting to kill Trevor because despite everything, they were still caught, cornered after so much running.

Trevor ignored the jab, or understood the defeat Fredo was feeling.

“Follow my lead.”

Alfredo had been following him for so long he couldn’t call Trevor a stranger, a random person, anymore. Those short days they spent together has made them so much more than people passing by.

If Alfredo lived long enough, he’ll figure out the proper definition to what they were.

Right then though, all his attention was on Sparks as he left the car, and strolled casually up to them.

“Boys. It’s lovely to see you again.”

Spitting at him didn’t seem like the best option, with all the new backup Sparks had, even though Alfredo really wanted to. He stayed silent, not trusting his tongue to be polite.

“Can we get this over with, Caden? I’ve got places to be,” Trevor said, a small grin on his lips.

“Sorry to say, Mr Collins, but I had other plans with you.”

“Shit, I was hoping that would work.”

Alfredo hoped this was apart of the plan, because in his experience, being a little shit never helped his case.

Sparks smoothed his features, keeping any trace of annoyance clearly out of his face. But Trevor and Alfredo both saw the little signs.

“Well, my plans involve you two coming with me,” he explained. “Or you can die out here, on an old forgotten road where your bodies will rot before anyone finds you.”

Trevor looked around, weighing their options or pretending to. Alfredo realised this was the plan.

Trevor raised his hands, and Alfredo followed slowly.

The last thing he saw was Sparks’ smug grin before a bag went over his head, and he was pushed into a car trunk. He didn’t hear what happened to Trevor.

The trunk slammed shut and Alfredo wondered, again, if Trevor was worth it.

[reveriesfm]

REST YOUR WEARY HEAD!

we hope you’re enjoying your stay, knock! we’re happy to have gorgug thistlespring (dimension 20) and shoto todoroki (my hero academia) here in kymira— the discord will be sent to the account you sent your app(s) from, in the meantime: peruse our checklist. you’ll have 48 hours to join the ooc discord and post in character; let us know if you need an extension!

conan gray, demi man, he/him & they/them. / do you hear saturn suv by fredo disco, i.am.orange playing? i always hear gorgug thistlespring listening to that. i haven’t seen the +kindhearted and -furious drummer around lately; they always remind me of a baggie grey hoodie pulled over a lanky body; headphones flattening the top of his head; channelling rage into his drums. what do you mean you saw the twenty-one year old carrying a tin flower the other day? that’s weird… i haven’t seen them without it; the last time i saw them, they were telling me about a vision they had— something about (dimension 20 / fantasy high) leaving the nightmare king’s forest with his friends. i hope they’re okay, probably just a bad dream. (knock, 23, aest, she/her)

none, cis man, he/him. / do you hear mars by yungblud playing? i always hear shoto todoroki listening to that. i haven’t seen the +loyal and -dense student and part-time cat cafe employee around lately; they always remind me of heterochromatic eyes blinking lazily; struggling under the expectations of your parents; reconciling your place in the world. what do you mean you saw the twenty-two year old carrying a utility belt the other day? that’s weird… i haven’t seen them without it; the last time i saw them, they were telling me about a vision they had— something about (my hero academia) preparing for the battle against the league of villains. i hope they’re okay, probably just a bad dream. (knock, 23, aest, she/her)

[balapann-blog]

Day 19 - 24 September - Thessaloniki

Woke up quite early due to the fact that we are now an hour earlier that we were before. I nipped out and got some coffee from a shop and wrote my diary from the day before. I then went out and looked at 5 of the 15 or so churches in the city that are Unesco world heritage sights. They are all Byzantine churches that had been turned into mosques by the Ottomans when they took over Selonica as it was called in the 15th century. They were subsequently turned back into churches when the city became part of Greece in 1912, which seems fair enough. I did see an old Ottoman bath house that looks pretty dilapidated and the google reviews all spoke about how much of a shame it is that the ottoman history is not being looked after by the government.

I then met Nin and we had an espresso fredo (Briki on Exmouth Market do these and I highly recommend them!) in this nice cafe and then went to the Jewish museum.

Selonica had at one point, the largest Jewish population in Europe, many of whom ere Sephardic Jews who had settled and thrived in the city under the Ottomans after their expulsion from Spain. Almost the whole population was killed when the occupying German forces transported them to the extermination camps in Poland. They had a room which had the names of the people confirmed killed which was incredibly stark. The gallery of Srebrenica had something similar with photos of the confirmed dead (a much smaller number compared with here) each of those people was a person with a life, a family, friends, interests, and when you hear deaths in numbers that is often lost. I think we as a society have a problem being able to communicate and conceptualise the scale of the violence that has happened in the last hundred and twenty years, and that the impact of it remains to this day in our politics and in our society.

The city, despite being in the Ottoman Empire for so long has almost no Muslim population after the forced population swaps in the early 1920s. Lots of the 1m Greek who moved from Anatolia and Thrace we settled here as well as in Attica. At the time of the Armenian Genocide that took place at then end of WW1 there were large numbers of killings of Christian Greeks and Assyrians which continued following the Greco/Turkish war in 1919-22. Which considering the multiculturalism of the Ottoman Empire, the fact that people who would have lived in an area for hundreds maybe even thousands of years then have to move to another country just because of their religion or language, is one of the great tragedies of the nationalism of the early 20th Century (and beyond).

After the museum, we went to the seafront and walked along it. We were originally going to go to this Feta bar we had read about but in the end we went for a giros which was absolutely delish (as I write this I have only had food in a wrap in this city. We then walked to the Hagia Sophia (church no.6) and looked around. We were going to go to the Rotunda church but that was closed on Tuesdays (as are lots of things it seems).

We then walked back to our flat and chilled out for a bit and then went to the bar on our corner for a drink. We had a strange situation where the dogs of a guy sat beside us bit the owner of a shop next door and no one really seemed to bat an eyelid.

The weather is really nice, not too hot but still quite sunny. We then went to a shop and bought food for dinner. After that I read till I went to bed.

Where we ate - Derlicatesen all Souvlaki, at home

What we liked - Both were very good loved the souvlaki

Day 19 - 24 September - Thessaloniki

Woke up and went on a run to the bus station in order to buy our ticket to Alexandropoli tomorrow. We then took a bus back into the town and had our first fredo coffee of the day (fredo-cappucino), we then went to apartment and got ready for the day. We went to the do a quick-fire blitz of churches before lunch. They really were stunning, with fragments of frescos and mosaics. One of the places we went to was the rotunda which was pretty amazing.

We then went to a place that had been recommended in an article which we weren’t enamoured by and the food was a bit cold. After that walked along the water and moved toward the Byzantine museum, it was very hot so we tried to stay in the shade and were very happy when we went into the building and it was very cool. The museum was very interesting and informative, it had lots of mosaics and frescos as well as lots of stone headstones and pillars etc.

After that we had a very nice coke and water in a cafe outside another museum which was needed as we were thirsty and it was very refreshing (as it was still pretty hot). We then walked up towards the flat. On the way I bought a hat, which was good because I had been looking to buy a hat for a while because the one I have is not very nice (although it is very useful and washable). We had another coffee and went back to the flat and chilled out for a bit.

We then got up again and went up to the top of the hill behind us where some of the old walls are. There was a lovely view over the whole town which was great. After that we went to a tavern called Iggis which we had heard from the same article, which was actually delish, it was in a nice setting and we had some great food and some lovely wine. After that we walked back to the flat and chilled out.

Where we ate - Local, Iggis

What we liked - Local - not very good, quite expensive an disappointing, Iggis - really nice, we had a some white tarama, and fava beans, as well as a salad of wilted spinach leaves with mint and lemon which was lovely. I then had a beef and smokey aubergine dish and Nin had a great pork neck grilled, there were great chips too!

[sofokelatino]

Música Nueva en todas las plataformas digitales y en sofokelatino.com #sofokelatino #reggaeton #musicaurbana #musicalatina  Jerry Di – Adicto A Tus Sábanas  Chino y Nacho – Romantico… Pero Le Metemos Brutal (EP) (2021)  BCA Ft. El Alfa, Noriel, Justin Quiles y Lírico En La Casa – Vitamina Q  Dayme y El High Ft. Jory Boy, Juanka y Joyce Santana – Modo Abusador  Sech Ft. Jhay Cortez – 911 (Remix)  Omy de Oro Ft. Natanael Cano – Bandidos  Natan y Shander – Ojos Cafe  Cauty – Infravalorado (Album) (2021)  SAEL – Me Enseñaste  Maluma – Sobrio  Brytiago Ft. Javiielo y Juhn – Malvada  Crissin – Bellaquita Tierna  Crissin Ft. Totoy El Frio – Trio  Xavi The Destroyer – 11:11  Nova La Amenaza – Habla Pues  Mackie – 4 Copas  Mora Ft. Bad Bunny y Sech – Volando (Remix)  Fredo Versatil Ft. Ivy Queen – Lil Havana (Remix)  Eix Ft. Casper Magico – Por El  Blessd – Hace Tiempo (en Argentina Buenos Aires) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRHzbVtlIlF/?utm_medium=tumblr

[welcometogreece]

                                                   𝐊𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧

Can we all agree that everyone loves coffee?

     Yes! Most of us do! But we believe the Greek’s love for coffee is way above ours! Cafes in Greece and the Greek Islands is not only just an entertainment place, but it is also a way of living and a big part of daily Greek culture. Cafeterias surrounds them either you’re at the busy streets of Athens, till the most secluded villages in the mountains.

People in Greece have their favorite cafeteria where they enjoy long hours with their friends. An average coffee meeting in a cafeteria for a Greek is about 1 and half hour. The most favorite coffee for the Greeks is the famous frappe. But now many kinds of freddos are the trend (fredo espresso and fredo capuccino).

[bites-kms]

Mi Buenos Aires Querido

Buenos Aires: Good Vibes, Tailwind, Hopeful Winds. All these could be an accurate transcreation of its original Spanish name, but nothing further than the truth: this eclectic, diverse, stylist and hectic metropolis is a South American hub for fashion, creativity, food and culture. 

It’s hard to talk about Argentina, but I will do my best to leave my Uruguayan bias aside and be as truthful to my experiences as possible. Buenos Aires is like your older, more fashionable sister: you admire her from the distance, you think she is as cool as it could get, and you’d kill to be like her. Of course, after an intense long weekend with her, you are eager to return to the more laidback version of it, Montevideo, my home. After some visits to both cities, one starts appreciating the differences and the nuances between these two “Silver Princesses”, honoring the river’s name that waters their shores. 

I visited Buenos Aires several times before starting this blog. All of these trips were different and unique in their own way: there were solo trips, a couple’s retreat, multiple done via ferries commute and some via airport queues;  I went for advertising festivals, educational congresses, music concerts and shopping weekends with my dearest friends. Buenos Aires has something for everyone, so my best recommendation is to have in mind a very clear objective for your stayed, since its constant movement and energy may easily draw you into a non-stop vortex of adventure, resulting in a massive anxiety state of mind and FOMO feeling. Here, I’m proposing a few long weekend options (since time there is perceived different, and as an Uruguayan, 4 days in Buenos Aires feels like two insane weeks) that you can use as a guide for your next trip down under:

Showtime Buenos Aires

Check out a concert. The Argentinian crowd, as well as Uruguayan or any other Latino audience, generates an experience on its own, you want to experience at least once during your lifetime. River Stadium filled with crazy, emotional fans is incredible. The beat of the bass felt in your bones while jumping on the field and people’s sweat on your body sounds disturbingly attractive to be honest. Polo National Stadium is also a favorite venue for locals where international and national bands alike give their best performances. For a more local taste, do not miss Ciudad Cultural Konex, a multi-disciplinary space where La Bomba del Tiempo performs regularly. Imagine the latin version of Stomp. That vaguely describes it. Last but not least, make sure to save a night for Fuerza Bruta, a signature show in Buenos Aires. I won’t say much about it, I’m just gonna quote their own website description: “an experience of collective, universal sensibility, without translation, and nor anesthesia. Brutally happy”. Corrientes Avenue is  Buenos Aires’ Broadway. Reaching Puerto Madero, hugging the Obelisk, a parade of national theaters where vedettes, actors, singers perform their latest and best shows is also a classic. Don’t forget Señor Tango, a multi-sensorial tango show with local cuisine.  

Cultural Buenos Aires

La Boca is your starting point. A colorful, over-touristy neighborhood where you experience the football passion, the asado taste and the tango heritage. Originally a low-class, dangerous neighborhood surrounded by the port, brothels and slums, it now became an international destination over the weekends with its crafts market, colorful facades and fileteado porteño, a unique, hand made lettering style that resembles French craft, usually associated with tango and Buenos Aires golden era. Have some entraña steak knowing that it will surely be overpriced and not the best one, but you will be paying for the experience and not just for the food. Visit La Boca stadium and check out its surrounding murals and street art. Watch a street tango show and super talented street artists performance. Take a bus to San Telmo, and enjoy a more relaxed, local vibe. Check out its main square and wonder around its market looking for hidden, used gems. Head northwest to Recoleta, on the opposite side of the city, and visit its cemetery. Yes, you read correctly: Recoleta Cemetery is where Evita is buried and it has some of the most beautiful tombs and niches. During summer time, with its trees, flowers and offerings, it becomes a gorgeous place to take a relaxed stroll and calm down the city frenziness. End up your tour in MALBA, the Museum of Latin American Art in Buenos Aires with its itinerant and permanent exhibition, it gathers the biggest LATAM art collection in the world. To end up in a high note, visiting El Ateneo is a must. A 5 store, beautiful bookstore with a cafe, which used to be a theater, awaits in El Retiro neighborhood. According to 2019 National Geographic, is the world's most gorgeous library. If you have time, read a little bit of Argentina and South American history before heading to Plaza 25 de Mayo where the Casa Rosada, the pink version of the White House, is. This is the place where the National government is located and most of the social manifestations and gatherings happen. Walk down 9 de Julio Avenue, the widest avenue is the world to check out the Obelisk. 

Foodie Buenos Aires

This is surely not updated. I am craving to go back and visit all the new and truly local recommendations my Argentinean friends love. But some of the areas I remember being a must when it comes to culinary experiences are Palermo, Puerto Madero and Las Canitas. I haven't been to this last one, but it’s supposed to be the swankiest place to check out the best food in town. There are some classics every Uruguayan visits at least once during their stayed: El Palacio de la Papa Frita, where their traditional blown french fries are the menu’s best seller, Il Gatto, the Italian to-go chain where portions are massive and prices affordable and El Alamo, the traditional 20-year-old something bar where free pitches of beer or insane 2X1 promos are held for ladies. Palermo is my favorite one thou, probably because that is were I used to stayed the most each time I went. Buenos Aires has its own Burger Joint, the signature NYC burger spot in Plaza Serrano. Check out Krishna Veggie for an out-of-the-box dinner treat and make sure you have spare bills since this one is cash only. For a unique speakeasy experience check out Nicky’s, the sushi bar around Plaza Armenia and ask to visit the cellar. A visit to Buenos Aires is not complete if you don’t have an Italian style gelato, and although you can find good options in Fredo or in local ice-cream shops, my favorite one is L’altra Volta. Bites&KMs tip: get the dark chocolate with passion fruit. 

Fashionable Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires economy is as fluctuant as its traffic, energy and beat. So, a trip to Argentina can result on great shopping deals. If you end up going on the right time, everything will be super, super cheap, except exchanging the dollars you may have. But after that, be ready for a treat. And this is no exception when it comes to fashion: major brand outlets are spread out around Cordoba Street, commonly known as “El Once”, whereas more high-end alternatives, boutiques and brands can be found by Santa Fe, and of course, inside the beautiful malls  the city offers such as Alto Palermo. The classic Galerias Del Pacifico or Florida in Microcentro area are a little bit forgotten nowadays but they still represent the glamorous era of Argentina, with hidden deals and seasonal discounts worth checking out. Plaza Serrano and Palermo Soho have multiple stores and markets where to get cool, design options for every budget. 

As a final note, while living abroad I always had the chance to meet Argentinean people - hell, most of the time I get confused as one due to my accent. And, even thou there’s a constant futile rivalry between Uruguay and Argentina, I have nothing but gratefulness and love to these people that I’ve met along the way. They were always there with a smile, a story or a mate in hand ready to help me. I would like to dedicate it to all these Argentinean friends, that throughout the years, became more than friends. They were, are and will always be our siblings.