#mid-town belvedere

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Clock Tower Crosswalk

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THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … November 19

1889 – Clifton Webb (d.1966) was an American actor, dancer and singer born Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck in a rural part of Marion County, Indiana, which would, in 1906, become Beech Grove, a self- governing city entirely surrounded by Indianapolis. Webb's parents were Jacob Grant Hollenbeck, the son of a grocer from a multi-generational Indiana farming family, and Mabelle A. Parmelee, the daughter of a railroad conductor. In 1892, Webb's formidable mother, Mabelle, moved to New York City with her beloved "little Webb," as she called him for the remainder of her life. She dismissed questions about her husband Jacob, a ticket clerk who, like her father, worked for the Indianapolis-St. Louis Railroad, by saying, "We never speak of him. He didn't care for the theater."

Webb was in his mid-fifties when actor/director Otto Preminger chose him over the objections of 20th Century Fox chief Darryl F. Zanuck to play the classy, but evil, radio columnist Waldo Lydecker, who is obsessed with Gene Tierney's character in the 1944 film noir, Laura. His performance was showered with acclaim and made him an unlikely movie star. Despite Zanuck's original objection, Webb was immediately signed to a long-term contract with Fox. Two years later he was reunited with Tierney (with whom he shares this birthdate) in another highly praised role as the elitist Elliott Templeton in Somerset Maugham's The Razor's Edge (1946). He received Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for both. Webb received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1949 for Sitting Pretty, the first in a three-film series of comedic Mr. Belvedere features with Webb portraying the snide and omniscient central character.

Webb's elegant taste kept him on Hollywood's best-dressed lists for decades. Even though he exhibited comically foppish mannerisms in portraying Mr. Belvedere and other movie characters, his scrupulous (read "deeply closeted, highly repressed") private life kept him free of scandal. The character of Lynn Belvedere is said to have been very close to his real life — he had an Oedipal devotion to his mother Mabelle, who was his companion and who lived with him until her death at age ninety-one. Webb's mourning for his mother continued for a year with no signs of letting up, prompting Noël Coward to remark of Webb, "It must be terrible to be orphaned at 71."

Among the many stories, once, he and Tallulah Bankhead were smitten with the same handsome Austrian army officer and vied for the uniformed stud's favors. While Tallulah did her stuff vamping him, Webb retreated for a moment, and returned with an armload of roses. To Tallulah's amusement and the officer's shock, Webb danced around the man and began pelting him with flowers. Tallulah won.

1919 – Morris Kight (d. 2003) was a gay rights pioneer and peace activist, based in Los Angeles. He is considered one of the original founders of the gay and lesbian civil rights movement in the United States.

Kight was born and grew up in Comanche County, Texas. From 1941 until 1958, Kight lived in northern New Mexico, where he and many other gay people were active in Adlai Stevenson's campaign in the 1952 presidential election. The presence of many gay people in Stevenson's campaign led to the spreading of a rumor that Stevenson was gay.

While in New Mexico, Kight married and had two daughters, Carol Kight-Fyfe and Angela Chandler. He only shared that information with his closest friends, apparently believing that would diminish his credibility as a spokesman for gay rights.

Kight also acted while he was in Albuquerque. From 1950 to 1955, he was involved in the "Summerhouse Theater" and the "Old Town Players" in Albuquerque. The two companies brought in many actors from California, and Kight was able to read some of the new "Homophile" organizations' pamphlets and circulations that these actors brought with them. This was his first exposure to groups like the Mattachine Society, which he considered elitist.

Kight was active in many political, civil rights, and labor rights groups. As early as the 1940s, he was involved in organizing the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union. After moving to Los Angeles, he kept up his involvement in varied rights groups. This work led to the first protest groups he himself founded: the "Dow Action Committee" in 1967. The Committee protested the chemical company, including its production of Agent Orange and its use, during the Vietnam War.

Kight's strong beliefs sometimes put him at odds with members of the gay community. In 1977, Kight began what became a national Coors boycott to expose how the Coors Brewing Company used its millions to finance union busting legislation and anti-gay politicians. Morris infuriated organizers of Outfest the year the festival accepted Coors funding. He organized a demonstration in front of the event, using the opportunity to educate the community about the ways anti-gay corporations try to clean up their public image by funding cash-starved gay organizations and events.

Morris persevered and Outfest no longer accepts Coors funding.

In 1958, Kight moved to Los Angeles, where he was the founder or co-founder of many gay and lesbian organizations. The first such organization was the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) in October 1969, the third GLF in the country (after New York and Berkeley). The name was used to show solidarity with the Vietnamese National Liberation Front. By the next year, there were over 350 GLF organizations around the country.

He also co-founded Christopher Street West gay pride parade in Los Angeles in 1970, Aid For AIDS in 1983, and the Gay Community Center in 1971, (now the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center), the Stonewall Democratic Club in 1975, and many others. Kight remarked that creating the Community Center was the achievement of which he was most proud.

Kight brought his experiences in political action into the realm of gay rights. One of the first actions by the LA GLF was against a local eatery called Barney's Beanery. The restaurant, located in West Hollywood, not only had a sign above bar that said "Fagots [sic] Stay Out", but also printed up matchbook covers with the same saying. Kight, along with Troy Perry and 100 activists protested outside, sending in protesters occasionally to order coffee and take up space at the tables. The protest was initially successful - the owner eventually handed Kight the sign in front of news cameras. But after the media left the owner replaced the sign, where it remained until West Hollywood's first lesbian mayor, Valerie Terrigno, took it down when the city council passed an anti-discrimination ordinance. Perry vowed at the initial protest to never set foot in the place again until the owner apologized, which finally happened in 2005. The new owner, David Houston, has apologized and, among other methods to reach out to the gay community, holds monthly lunches for disadvantaged gay youth.

In 2003 the City of Los Angeles dedicated the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and McCadden Place, in Hollywood, California as "Morris Kight Square." This location was selected as it was the stepping off point for Christopher Street West, the very first street-closing gay pride parade in the world.

His longtime companion was Roy Zucheran.

After a series of strokes, which slowed him down, he died peacefully at the Carl Bean Hospice in Los Angeles, on January 19, 2003.

1942 – Calvin Klein, American clothing designer, born; Calvin Richard Klein was born in The Bronx to Jewish-Hungarian immigrant parents. He attended the High School of Industrial Arts and matriculated, but never graduated, from New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, receiving an honorary Doctorate at the graduation ceremony in 2003. He did his apprenticeship in 1962 at an old-line cloak-and-suit manufacturer, and spent five years designing at other New York shops. He later launched his first company with a childhood friend, Barry K. Schwartz.

Klein was one of several design leaders raised in the Jewish immigrant community in the Bronx, New York along with Robert Denning and Ralph Lauren. Cal became a protégé of the ever-so-flaming editor of Town & Country Baron de Gunzburg, through whose introductions he became the toast of the New York elite fashion scene, even before he had his first mainstream success with the launch of his first jeans line. Later, speaking in an interview with Bianca Jagger and Andy Warhol for Interview magazine, published shortly after the Baron's death, Klein said:

"He was truly the greatest inspiration of my life... he was my mentor, I was his protégé. If you talk about a person with style and true elegance — maybe I'm being a snob, but I'll tell you, there was no one like him. I used to think, boy, did he put me through hell sometimes, but boy, was I lucky. I was so lucky to have known him so well for so long."

Calvin Klein was immediately recognized for his talent after his first major showing at New York Fashion Week. Klein was hailed as the new Yves Saint-Laurent, and was noted for his clean lines.

Thirty years on, it all seemed like a surreal curiosity — when the billboard of a well-muscled young man in white briefs went up in Times Square in 1982, it stopped traffic there. The perspective which focused on the obvious bulge in the briefs caused a big controversy. It nonetheless led to the acceptability of the male form in mainstream American advertising and ushered in the era of "male as sex object" which saw a renaissance in the early 1980s. American Photographer magazine named the photo as one of "10 Pictures That Changed America." His wildly homoerotic advertisements transformed the men's fashion advertising and fashion industry.

Married twice, he has never actually come out, but he divorced his second wife in 2006, and it has been reported that he has dated gay, ex-porn star Nicholas Gruber.

Klein and Nicholas Gruber

1955 – Steven Jay Powsner (d.1995) a founder and former president of the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center in Greenwich Village.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Oceanside, L.I., he graduated from New York University in 1976 and the New York University School of Law in 1979. After working as an associate at a New York City law firm, he established his own practice in 1982, specializing in real estate.

Steven's early passion was theater, especailly muscial theater. In high school he took acting lessons at the Neighborhood Playhouse and auditioned for every play. He had chorus roles in My Fair Lady.

1974 marked the beginning of Steven's most formative years. A major part of these years was his first lover, Bruce Philip Cooper, who died of AIDS in 1987. They met when Steven was a freshman at NYU and Bruce was a freshman at Columbia. They were determined to prove society wrong by committing themselves to a permanent, long-lasting relationship, or "marriage" as Steven called it. They moved into their own apartment.

Working as a volunteer for the fledgling gay center in 1983, Steven guided the organization through a yearlong negotiation with the city to buy the former Food and Maritime Trades High School at 208 West 13th Street, which now houses the center.

Everything fell apart in 1983 when Bruce was diagnosed with AIDS. Doctors were judgmental and uncaring. Hospital workers left food outside Bruce's room, refusing to go inside. Their cleaning lady was told by another client that she would be fired if she continued to work for a person with AIDS. Steven would come home from work to find "AIDS" scrawled in large letters across his mailbox.

He took care of Bruce for four years until he died in 1987. During these four caregiving years, Steven became a very dedicated gay activist. His family offered no support around Bruce's ordeal and even scorned Steven when Bruce died because Steven included his name in Bruce's New York Times obituary.

After Bruce died Steven donated to Columbia University a large endowment, with which they established the Bruce Cooper Memorial Fellowship for graduate studies in Philosophy.

Steven met Ben Munisteri 1987 at the the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center. Ben was 22 years old, just out of college, and a modern dancer. They were commited partners until Steven's death in 1995

A few months before Steven died he won the Center's Heart of the Center award, something he had always wanted. After he died, the Center created the Annual Steven J. Powsner Volunteer Recognition Award.

Besides his work for the center, a hub of lesbian and gay life in New York, Steven left a two-and-a-half-mile mark on the city in the form of the lavender line that is painted along the Fifth Avenue route of the annual Lesbian and Gay Pride March. He paid for much of the painting of the first line in 1985.

1962 – Jodie Foster, American actress, born; Foster began acting in commercials at 3 years old, and her first significant role came in the 1976 film Taxi Driver as the preteen prostitute, Iris, for which she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She won for Best Actress in 1989 for playing a rape survivor in The Accused. In 1991, she starred in The Silence of the Lambs as Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee assisting in a hunt for a serial killer. This performance received international acclaim and her second Academy Award for Best Actress. She received her fourth Academy Award nomination for playing a backwoods hermit in Nell (1994). She has also won three Bafta Awards, two Golden Globes, a Screen Actors Award and a People's Choice award as well as two Emmy nominations.

John Hinckley, Jr., became obsessed with Foster after watching Taxi Driver a number of times, and stalked her while she attended Yale, sending her love letters to her campus mail box and even talking to her on the phone. On March 30, 1981, he attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan (shooting and wounding Reagan and three others) and claimed his motive was to impress Foster, then a Yale freshman.

Foster is, as the phrase goes, "intensely private" about certain aspects of her personal life, notably her sexual orientation, which has been the subject of speculation. She has two sons but has never revealed the identity of the children's father(s).

In December 2007, Foster made headlines when, during an acceptance speech at Hollywood Reporter's "Women in Entertainment" event, she paid tribute to film producer Cydney Bernard, referring to Bernard as "my beautiful Cydney, who sticks with me through the rotten and the bliss." Some media interpreted this as Foster coming out, as Bernard was believed to be her girlfriend since both met in 1992 during the filming of Sommersby. Foster and Bernard never attended premieres or award ceremonies together, nor did they ever appear affectionate with one another. Bernard, however, was seen in public with Foster's children on many occasions. In May, 2008, several news outlets reported that Foster and Bernard had "called it quits."

In her acceptance remarks upon receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards, she commented about her sexual orientation: "I already did my coming out about 1,000 years ago back in the stone age, those very quaint days when a fragile young girl would open up to trusted friends and family and co-workers, and then gradually and proudly to everyone who knew her, to everyone she actually met." She thanked her former partner of 20 years, production manager Cydney Bernard, calling her "my heroic co-parent, my ex-partner in love but righteous soul sister in life".

1962 – Gottfried von Bismarck-Schönhausen (d.2007) was a member of the German House of Bismarck best known for his flamboyance and parties.Born in Uccle, Belgium, Gottfried von Bismarck-Schönhausen was the second son of Ferdinand, Prince von Bismarck and grandson of Otto, Prince von Bismarck, a diplomat at Germany's embassy in London until a feud with Third Reich foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop. He was the great-great-grandson of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.

Bismarck's great uncle and namesake, Count Gottfried, was a Nazi official who allegedly became part of the famous plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. His younger sister, Vanessa Gräfin von Bismarck-Schönhausen is a public relations agent in the United States. His elder brother Carl-Eduard Graf von Bismarck-Schönhausen was a member of the German Bundestag.

Gottfried had multi-faceted history as a pleasure-seeking heroin addict, hell-raising alcoholic, flamboyant waster and a reckless and extravagant host of homosexual orgies. When not clad in the lederhosen of his homeland, he cultivated an air of sophisticated complexity by appearing in women's clothes, set off by lipstick and fishnet stockings. Never concealing his homosexuality, von Bismarck continued to appear in public in various eccentric items of attire, including tall hats atop his bald Mekon-like head. At parties he would appear in exotic designer frock coats with matching trousers and emblazoned with enormous logos. Flitting from table to table at fashionable London nightclubs, he was said to be as comfortable among wealthy Eurotrash as he was on formal occasions calling for black tie.

The death of heiress Olivia Channon in Graf von Bismarck's room would disrupt his life. She was found dead from a heroin overdose in Bismarck's rooms at Christ Church College in 1986. Bismarck was charged with drug possession. He was fined £80. His father, Prince Ferdinand, recalled him to Germany for treatment at a private clinic, it was said he left Oxford so quickly that a family servant had to settle his bills with public houses, tailors and restaurants.

In August 2006, Anthony Casey, 41, fell 20 metres from Graf von Bismarck's Chelsea flat and died. Bismarck was not arrested and the police said there were no drugs found in his flat. This incident triggered speculation from the tabloid press. London's Daily Mail claimed the incident was triggered by a cocaine-fueled orgy. The coroner's report had found no alcohol in Casey's body, but did discover a significant amount of cocaine. The accusation of a 'gay orgy' was officially denied by Gottfried, though the coroner, Dr. Paul Knapman, told The Guardian that a great deal of sexual paraphernalia was discovered in the flat, including sex toys, lubricant, and a rubber tarpaulin. "In common parlance, in the early hours of the morning, there was a gay orgy going on", Dr. Knapman told the newspaper. "Nevertheless, this was conducted by consenting males in private."

On 2 July 2007 Bismarck was found dead in his almost empty £5 million flat, which was in the process of being sold. He was 44 years old at the time of his death. Sebastien Lucas, the pathologist who carried out the autopsy, said that Bismarck had been injecting cocaine on an hourly basis on the day before his death, and that Bismarck's body contained the highest level of cocaine that he had ever seen, as well as morphine; he also had liver damage, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV.

1993 – Romania: Marius Aitai, Ovidiu Chetea, and Cosmin Hutanu are sentenced to up to two and a half years in prison for same-sex acts in private. Amnesty International calls for their immediate release and protests the imprisonment of 54 other people on similar charges, as well as the reportedly widespread torture and sexual abuse of persons arrested on suspicion of homosexuality.

Being Gay Is Beautiful in Bucharest

[bainbridgemidlothian]

Luxury Apartments in Midlothian, VA

If you want to live in a luxury apartment in Midlothian, VA, look no further than Bainbridge Midlothian. This luxury apartment, Bainbridge Midlothian, offers modern 1, 2, and 3-bedroom apartment homes with amenities such as 2" faux wood blinds, built-in desks, deep, single basin, stainless steel undermount kitchen sink, and luxurious 5' x 5' Carrara-tiled showers. The residents of this apartment can access the community 24/7, with secured access, a package room, and a mail room, as well as a 24-hour fitness center with cardio and strength training machines. Controlled access and elevator service are available in all residential buildings. The community also features a carved lanai with an outdoor fireplace, TVs, and seating. To know more about the apartment and community amenities, call (804) 531-4413.

Cost of Living and Safety in Midlothian, VA

Midlothian is a city known for its affordable living costs, with a cost of living index of 99%, 1% lower than the national average. A typical family of four would require an annual income of approximately $93,857 to meet their basic living expenses. Midlothian is also known for its safety; it has a lower crime rate than 41% of US cities. With 1212 occurrences per 100,000 residents, there are only 93 violent crimes per 100,000. The Chesterfield County Police have over 500 sworn officers and 100 civilian personnel to keep the safety of the residents. Also, Midlothian offers numerous neighborhoods, including Hallsley, Tarrington, and Charter Colony, each with its own unique features for a great living.

Buckingham Antique Mall

The Buckingham Antique Mall in Midlothian, Virginia, is a seven-day-a-week store with over 35 dealers, offering a wide variety of items, including period antiques, glassware, mid-century furniture, vintage collectibles, Persian and oriental rugs, coins, jewelry, unique gift items, and early/vintage games. The mall is located in historic Midlothian, 2.5 miles east of 288 or 1.5 miles west of Chesterfield Towne Center in the Food Lion Shopping Center (Village Marketplace). The Virginia Tourism Corporation offers gift certificates and is open seven days a week. Many people go to the Buckingham Antique Mall while being in Midlothian, VA.

Great Greek Mediterranean Grill Opened in Midlothian, VA

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, opened by Franchise owners Ken and Heather Tell, is located in The Shoppes at Belvedere, Midlothian, VA 23235. The fast-casual restaurant offers a wide selection of fresh, authentic dishes prepared using generations-old recipes. The menu includes classic dishes like The Great Greek Gyro and Australian lamb, steak, garlic shrimp, or chicken Souvlaki plates prepared in-house using high-quality ingredients. The restaurant also offers fresh Greek salads and four house-made dips, including Hummus, Tzatziki, Melitzanosalata, and Tirokafteri. Customizable options include the Classic Greek Salad or Rice Bowl with Gyro meat, salmon, and more. The restaurant is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., seating 40 guests in the dining room and 12 outside on the patio.

Link to map

Buckingham Antique Mall LLC 13150 Midlothian Tpke, Midlothian, VA 23113, United States Take Hopper Ln to Old Buckingham Rd 2 min (0.2 mi) Take US-60 E to Walmart Way 2 min (0.8 mi) Follow Walmart Way to Dutton Rd 3 min (0.5 mi) Bainbridge Midlothian 12400 Dutton Rd, Midlothian, VA 23113, United States

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Walter Sickert

Girl at a Window, Little Rachel (1907)

Walter Sickert's work can be very dark and hard to see but the paint is thick and interesting to look at. Sylvia recommended Sickert to me because of my life painting work this week.

1. Portrait of Mrs Barrett (1906)

2. Reclining Nude, Le Lit de Cuivre

He's known for his work featuring ordinary people and urban scenes. He preferred to paint from from drawings instead of nature and after the mid 1920s he painted from photographs. The oil paint is layered thickly which gives the painting texture. His dark paintings especially of women have an ominous feel and he had a series called The Camden Town Murder.

Belvedere, Bath (1917)

I love the colours in these two paintings. These ones are smoother and softer looking. I like the purple shadows in the bottom painting.

1. The Church Of Santa Maria Maddalena, Venice

2. Santa Maria della Salute, Venice (1901)

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Murder Park

Deathnottober day 2, murder. L drags A and B to an amusement park but then someone gets murdered so they step in to solve it.

(Story time: So on October 2nd, I was out of town because we were going to an amusement park in Ohio. And I have all these prompts saved on my phone for each day by just the prompt name meaning on that day, I woke up and checked my phone and I had a notification for ‘murder.’ My brother also got that notification because Google calendar dumb. So we all joke about me scheduling a murder with Google calendar and it��s a reoccurring joke all day and then I got the bright idea to have someone be murdered at an amusement park and call it a DN fic. The wrench thing is also relevant because we were talking about wrenches in line at one point and my brother asked my dad if the big wrench in his garage could kill someone. So here we are. Also because I just don’t think we talk about L CANONICALY liking roller coasters enough.)

Alias note: A is using Alan and B is using Belvedere because I don’t think B is capable of just going by like ‘Blake’ like has to be some dramatic ass name.

@deathnotetober

A and B were both extremely pissed off. L was taking a weekend off and had decided to go to an amusement park and wanted A and B to come with him. A and B would’ve declined. However, Watari forced them to go, so now, they stood at the front of the park they didn’t even want to go to.

“Let’s go to the back of the park first to avoid lines.” L said in his monotone voice.

“Sure, whatever.” A grumbled.

B said nothing but instead stared at L menacingly.

They walked through the park, looking around at the decor, which was Halloween-themed as it was fall, much to A and B’s liking as it was their favorite holiday, and seeing the park decked out in skeletons and other spooky things made them a bit happier. They got to a ride in the very back, and L was right, no line. They kept doing that until about mid-day when the lines were sufficiently long no matter where they went. Now they had to stand in line and wait. After they were finished waiting, they sat down for a drink as it was sweltering out, and poor albino A was wearing long sleeves. Plus, they’d been walking or standing for 1 ½ hours with the only times to sit being on rollercoasters where they were constantly tossed around at high speeds.

After their break, they pushed on, being dragged around by L the entire time. Both of them were considering killing him somehow, but that would make A the new L, and he wasn’t ready for that. They ate lunch after a while, which was actually quite enjoyable. Then they rode more rides. At about 6:30, they were in line for the last rollercoaster on their list. The sun was setting, and the air was cooling, much to A’s happiness.

“This time, I get to sit next to A.” B asserted. B’s least favorite part of this was that rollercoasters tend to pair people in groups of 2 or 4, not 3. He was the one who had to sit next to strangers seeing as L always wanted to sit beside A even though A was HIS boyfriend.

“Mhm… yes sure….” L hardly acknowledged B as he was too busy inspecting some of the bolts keeping the ride anchored to the concrete ground.

Once they were on the ride, it was dark, and they got to see the park at night. The lights were lit up, and fog machines covered it in a hazy mist giving it an early look. It was quite the sight. Once they were down, they got to enjoy nighttime on the ground. They walked back to a plaza that contained A’s favorite decorations, a creepy pirate ship. The fog was very thick there, and employees were walking around dressed as zombie pirates scaring people. Three of them all decided that if they were jump scared, they’d either kick the person or cry, so they all walked around the fog cloud. 

This proved to be a good idea as when they were walking away; they heard a blood-curdling scream. Which, considering a bunch of people were being jump scared, that shouldn’t be too weird. However, A recognized the screaming voice as an employee, who were quite easy to identify even by voice as they were yelling complete jibberish rather than screaming in fear like the other park goers. A turned his head to the sound just in time to see another employee come out of the fog screaming incoherently. B gripped L’s hand in fear as his acute sense of smell picked up the strong tang of blood in the air.

“L,” B trembled, “I smell blood.”

“I think we’ve witnessed a crime.” L said, trying to sound nonchalant but B sounding slightly afraid and A clinging to his side made it hard for him not to be scared because, after all, A and B were not easily frightened.

L stepped back a bit and pulled A close to him. On the other hand, B had remembered he was a Wammys kid, so this was no time for him, of all people, to be scared. Although, he was just a bit fearful that the killer would come after them next. Though that was not the case as once the chaos died down and someone turned on the fog machine to see what had happened, they saw a gruesome scene in front of them with no killer in sight.

A corpse of a young woman laid there, her head smashed in from the side pouring blood and brain matter onto the pavement. Guests screamed in disgust, and the street devolved into complete chaos until park security came and roped the area off. L, A, and B had watched the entire scene play out and stepped forwards after everyone had calmed down.

“Excuse me,” L said, raising a hand, “We three happen to be detectives. We can handle this.” 

The park security was more than suspicious at that claim until L pulled out a fake FBI badge he kept on him for times like these, “We’re FBI. Child prodigies. We’d like to take a look at this crime scene.”

The security members looked at each other for a moment, then decided to take L’s word and let them inspect the body. B knelt next to the corpse and examined the wound, putting his forensics and CSI training to good use. L and A stood by waiting for an opinion from B, considering he was one of the few kids who specialized in forensic pathology rather than actual deductive work.

“Alan, what do you think?” L asked with his thumb placed on his lip.

A raised an eyebrow at his alias being used but answered non the less, “I think we need to question the employees and people she was here with, but more importantly, not let anyone leave the park.”

“And why do you say that?” L prodded some more. He already knew why A’d make that call; he just wanted to make sure A knew why he made that call.

“Checking with the employees is obvious along with interviewing the people she was herewith. Making sure no one leaves the park is so we don’t lose any suspects. I’m mostly interested in keeping the employees here, though.” A said coldly.

“Oh,” L turned his head to A, “And why employees?”

“It’s just- a shot in the dark… is all….” A trailed off. A had an issue with making claims with no basis and wild leaps of faith during investigations. He knew L didn’t operate like that, but it was just in his nature to do it.

“Well, Alan is right.” B interrupted as he stood up, “This wound was made by a hard, slim object hitting the skull with tremendous force. My suggestion would be a wrench and a large one at that.”

“Right… And no one brings wrenches to an amusement park unless they need to work on something, which points to an employee who works in Maintenence or, at the very least, has access to a tool room.” A said, looking back to L for approval.

“Yes, that’s what I’d say s the most likely conclusion.” L said calmly.

A smiled, knowing L thought his deduction was correct, “So then we should question the employees here?” A asked.

“Yes, you work on that while I speak to her part members. Belvedere, you keep looking at the corpse.” L said, referring to B using his alias as well.

B was a little angry he was being demoted to corpse inspection, but he was fine with that. He enjoyed the dead bodies. A took a deep breath and approached the employees who were dressed up at the time and spoke to them all, trying to get as much information out of them as possible. Likewise, L spoke to the girl’s party. Afterward, the two met up again to discuss.

“So, what did you get?” A asked.

“She was a college student from out of town here with her boyfriend, who is also not from this area. She had no contacts here, so there’s n reason anyone in the area should have a grudge against her. And you?” L responded, immediately assuming A was looking for connections, which he was.

“The employees say everyone who works in this part of the park has access to at least one tool room, so no one is ruled out except for the few who were out in costume as they wouldn’t have had time to retrieve a wrench while working here. It is to be noted, however, that the employee who screamed when the corpse was discovered had a reputation among the others as a bit of a promiscuous lady, so plenty of other employees had a reason to hate her, considering the relationship drama. That, combined with what you said, makes me believe that an upset coworker killed our victim accidentally while the real target was the employee who first discovered the body.” A said proudly.

“Impressive….” L mumbled, “Now we just need to find who did it from our list of suspects.”

“Right, I think we should figure out what size wrench killed her. Considering not everyone has access to every tool room, and each one contains different tools for each ride.” A turned to B, “Any idea as to what size wrench we’re dealing with, Belvedere?”

“Judging from my measurements, it should be a… 4? I would fit what I believe is roughly a 3 inch bolt. That’s what Google told me.” B shrugged.

A and L scowed at him.

“I’m GAY. I don’t know anything about tools!” B yelled.

The two of them rolled their eyes, “Well, what ride would use that size?” A asked.

“The ride we were just on, of course. The paint was chipped around the bolts at the bottom of the ride in a way that resembled the marks left by a wrench. This is unlike the other bolts on other rides, which are painted over perfectly, meaning only that one was receiving constant maintenance. Conveniently, those bolts were 3 inches in diameter.” L stated his own deduction this time without having A explain his thoughts—this time, A mentally kicked himself for not noticing that minor detail. He shouldn’t have, but he didn’t while L did. Just another way, L was still much better than him.

“Ah, perfect!” A turned to the employees, “Are there any people who work on that ride,” A pointed to it as he did not know its name, “Who would have a grudge against our intended victim?”

“Well, Steve would. He’s kind of a creep. If it were anyone, it’d be him.” one of them said.

A turned back at L and smiled. L nodded his head in approval. They had a suspect, just in time too, the cops had arrived, and the three reported their findings before leaving. The park had to be closed early, but it was starting to rain, so they didn’t want to stick around. L bought the two of them some things from the shops, and they all went back to their hotel.

“So A, noticed you were pretty scared there.” B teased.

“Shut up, so were you.” A replied.

“You both had a good reason to be. I’ll admit even I was startled by such an event.” L said.

“Whatever… I was scared. But I had you two, so I’m fine.” A rolled over, trying to hide his blush.

“Aw, you trust us to protect you? That’s adorable. I’m touched.” B placed a hand on his heart.

L sat down next to the two of them on the bed, “B, you were trembling, so really I was the one protecting you two.” “Yes, it’s a miracle we all made it.” B rolled his eyes.

“You’re very ungrateful. I saved your life back there, you know.” L was joking, but it seemed hard to tell with his monotone. Though A and B could tell, seeing as they were used to it.

 A hugged L, “Well, I’m grateful.” he said before kissing L on the cheek and then laying down, “Good night. I’m tired.” 

L touched his cheek as his face went a bit pink, “Good night, A….” 

“I’m also tired.” B said before crawling under his blanket, “Good night, L.”

“Good night, Beyond.” L moved to get off their bed, but A stopped him.

“L,” A asked, “Could you sleep in our bed? To protect us?” A said in a half-joking manner.

L understood what A meant, though, and climbed in between the two. A curled up against him immediately. B took a minute before deciding he also wanted to cuddle and nuzzled into L’s back.

In the morning, L was watching the morning news before A and B woke up. The story of the amusement park murder came on, and he learned that Steve had been arrested where he confessed to the murder. A was right in his deduction, aside from the small part where L had figured out the ride staff to look at. However, that was a very small detail, though he hoped A didn’t beat himself up over it. Either way, they both did a fine job solving it. L turned off the tv and laid back down between his two succors, deciding to get some more time in with them before he had to leave them again.

[theunusualworldofrockclimbing]

Climbing in the Aosta valley for a few days :

Villair : in Courmayeur

South east facing crag so gets sun from early morning. We were expecting it to be cloudy and it wasn’t so it was a bit too hot. Granite rock. Base of the crag wasn’t nice as it was narrow and you needed to use a static line to cross it. It was quite juggy slightly overhung climbing.

6b 4810 was dirty at the bottom and only turned into good climbing at the top. Not a great route or warm up

6b Belvedere a better warm up although a tricky start but much cleaner route with good holds and nicer moves

6c selection favourite route

6b+ blue eyes quite similar to selection

6b maiali come voi steepest climb and the hardest one we did! The start was steep but on massive holds, it was more the top section where it felt like horrendous unobvious crimps to hold onto!

La gare : Valgrisenche

Gets morning sun but then in shade in afternoon.

The Gare wall is near La Bethaz. Like all walls in Valgrisenche, it is made up of granite Gneiss. Thus the climbing style is mainly cracks and crimps. Unlike other walls, route gradient is higher and slightly steep with some roofs. Thus the climb requires resistance and strength plus good technique.

Bienvenidos a rumiod 6a+ nice route with no tricky moves

Smorzacandela 6b nice juggy warm up

Vapor activator 6b+ tricky start up the corner but if you bridge its way easier

Spigolo 6b on the arête which went into a crack higher up

Ghisa fusa 6c+/7a pumpy and sustained start up the crack but the hardest bit is getting up into the roof and having the gas to pull over the roof. The sequence getting over the roof isn’t obvious and takes quite some effort

Fessurix 6b+ good warm up although more pumpy than I thought it would be

Asterix 6c a really nice route with a tricky crimpy sequence in the middle and an easy juggy roof at the top

Miollet : Valgrisenche park behind the little town before drive up to la gare

We climbed on the left sector which was vertical compact orange gneiss with a few little roofs.

Was in the sun most of the day so was a bit hot. Every route we climbed was really beautiful.

Non ti fidare 6b was a nice route but had a tricky move in the start for the short !

Re ferendum 6c the start was technical and pumpy and then it was sustained and then the roof was quite a pull to get over. Managed to onsight it which was good.

Vade retro 6b overhanging bridging corner was easy and a delight

Pietros Avenue 6b had a couple of technical cruxes that felt quite tricky for a 6b so again glad to onsight it

La ravoire

In the sun most of the day and baking. Probably nicer to climb there later in the season (October/ November).

La sei 6a nice finger crack and then an easy finish

Fammi di tutto 6b crack with a committing sequence of moves at the top which I was happy to onsight

Via del venerdi 6b+ felt really nails in the sunshine and i struggled to figure out some of the awkward moves on it. Not sure I fancy it again!

Non capisco ma mi adeguo 6b a nice warm up route which a couple of thought provoking moves but quite easy climbing

Lucertola nella fessura 6b+ a really cool route which I somehow got a foot slip on when I came out of the heel hook. Was gutted as did exactly the same set of moves again to finish it.

Monstro Alfonso which had a technical start I managed to do the sequence for but mid way up had a tough set of moves my fingers were not strong enough for and then it strangely went right back into the 6b as it ran out of bolts!

Falesia del fer

North facing crag, completely quiet with a plunge pool water hole just next door to the climbing. Nice to be in the forest.

I due polli 6b warm up route finding was tricky when the holds were slopey and not as good as I expected but a nice route

Statale di merdia 6c a beautiful overhanging crack where I messed up the top but and tried to go left when going right was way easier

Carnissima 6c+ really beautiful technical route which I was happy to onsight

Posso pensarci flipping tricking move at the beginning going into a left hand gaston then having to do a massive dynamic move up to a jug from some teenie crimps. Followed by some awkward moves on a flake with no feet out right then a finale which was requiring you to stand on a teenie foot hold to somehow reach a right hand rail that again turned into a jug. Need to go back with some dynamic strength and some better footwork to get this one

[tippitv]

TippiTV recap: SPN 15.01 “Back and to the Future”

First a quick note on the format of this recap: I'm dealing with some neck/back/shoulder pain so I'm not going to make a bunch of captioned screen shots and diagrams and other visual aids like I usually do. That stuff, while hugely fun to do, is time-consuming even under ideal conditions. I will instead attempt to provide you with mental images of graphics I would have made.

Now, let's get on with things.

Welcome to the 15th and final season of Supernatural, everyone! If the show were a person we could give it a Quinceañera.

[Graphic: The Impala in a beautiful taffeta gown and tiara and like... satin mudflaps instead of gloves.]

It's been 5140 days since the show premiered. That's 123,360 hours. Our solar system travels around the center of the galaxy at 490,000 miles per hour. This means we have moved through 6.04464e10 miles of space since this show premiered. I don't even know what that means. Once numbers start getting letters in them, I'm lost. But it's got to be nearly as many miles as are on the Impala's odometer.

[graphic of our solar system and the Chevy Impala zooming through space together, perhaps in friendly competition]

The road so far: Man, I do not remember a lot of this. Relevant to this episode is God throwing a hissy fit, killing Jack, and releasing all the souls and/or demons from Hell.

Currently: Jack's eyeless corpse is lying around as corpses are wont to do. The surviving members of Team Free Will are fighting a lot of freshly risen dead bodies that were possessed by the released souls. If it were me just out of Hell, I wouldn't waste time in a rotted corpse. I'd just fuck off as quickly as possible and possess someone who's eating a deep-dish cheese pizza.

The risen dead are polite enough to mostly attack the Winchesters one or two at a time, so they get to grab Jack's corpse and run into a mausoleum for shelter. Okay I understand why the souls can't get through the iron doors but what's stopping the disembodied ones from just going through a window? Or through a stone wall, for that matter?

Sam asks Castiel if he can bring Jack back but he sounds like he already knows the answer. A mid-level angel without all his original powers isn't gonna be able to undo what God's done unless the plot requires it.

[Graphic of Sam's incredibly sad face as he says or thinks "maybe the plot will require it later?"]

Everyone tries to figure out what they're going to do next. Dean snarkily wonders if they're going to starve to death. I mean, no, because the ambulatory corpses will break in before long. Failing that, they'd die of thirst unless Castiel has like a TARDIS bladder that holds Dasani, and then they could eat Jack. Mmm nephilim jerky....

Proving my point for me, a resident of the mausoleum or perhaps a neighbor tries to bust through some of the loose stones just as Sam starts chipping away at them in search of an escape route. Castiel smashes its head with a big rock, causing the ghost to flee? I guess? Whatever it is looks like a glowy skeleton and ghosts usually look like their living selves for the most part.

"What the hell are we gonna do now?" Sam asks.

Ol' Eyeless Jack pops up and says in a friendly tone of voice, "Hello!" Nobody's super shocked by this turn of events.

[Graphic of Jo and Ellen saying "nobody stays dead on this show except us"]

It's just Jack's bod with a demon in it, though. Was he the one that looked like a glowy skeleton? Whatever. He happens upon some budget sunglasses on the floor nearby. No seriously they're sunglasses to save the budget because it wouldn't be cheap or timely to have to CGI empty eyes for the whole episode.

He introduces himself. "My name is Belvegar." The fuck? That sounds like a horrible portmanteau for shipping Mr. Belvedere with Garfield the cat.

[Graphic of Buckleming: "We'd write that!"]

I suppose I should check IMDB to see how that's spelled...

BELPHEGOR???

Oh okay apparently Belph is a prince of hell and "Lord of the Gap," which is like half a step up from being Lord of Old Navy. I'm looking this up on regular Wikipedia not Supernatural Wiki so the show didn't just make him up. It says here he seduces people by suggesting inventions that will make them wealthy. One time I came up with an idea for pills that would turn people's urine into toilet cleaner. I was going to call it Vita-Wiz. And that's why I've never been able to seduce anyone with my inventions.

Anyway Castiel shoves Belph up against a wall, as is customary on this show, and demands he leave Jack's bod. But Belph says he has some mojo that will get rid of all the hellish souls and demons currently trying to get into the mausoleum. Much like how Vita-Wiz gets rid of hard water stains and leaves your toilet with a minty fresh scent!

[Graphic: a colorfully jaunty ad for Vita-Wiz with Sam's endorsement a la the "Changing Channels" Herpexia ad. "I've got powerfully clean urine."]

Belph knows all about the Winchesters but is slightly surprised this latest fuckery is God's fault. He makes himself out to be a low-level demon so either he's lying or the show's not going with the prince of hell backstory. Judging by his delivery and mannerisms he thinks he's auditioning to be in Goodfellas: The High School Years.

[Graphic: High School Musical promo poster but make it mobster]

He goes on to say that, like the Winchesters, he wants all the souls back in Hell where they belong and he can get back to torturing them. "I like my job!" Unrelatable. He can't fix the main shitsplosion that's going on but says he can get them all out of the cemetery safely.

Using some "graveyard dirt" from the floor and angel blood from Convenienstiel, he works a little spell that turns all the risen dead back into just... dead. Unoccupied corpses litter the ground by the dozens. Man, what a mess. You know who isn't gonna like their job in the morning? The groundskeeper.

Also, that sure is a useful spell. I wonder if it will ever come up again...

"Where are all the ghosts?" Dean wonders.

Cut to two teenage girls somewhere else acting like teenage girls Dabb has seen in Troom Troom videos. One of the girls sees herself as a ghost in the mirror and claws her face clean off. Man, that ghost's wig is terrible. Is she Bloody Mary? I don't remember her wig being this bad. I can't believe they couldn't afford a better one even with the Budget Sunglasses.

Back to Three Men and a Belphy. Riding home in the Impala, Sam checks the news. So far, no mention of any kind of worldwide Ghostpocalypse. It seems like you're mostly safe in this universe as long as you don't live in middle America. Belph suggests they may be able to contain the ghosts before things get too out of hand and he just happens to know the right magic.

"Imagine a salt circle a mile wide," he says. Castiel points out that Harlan, Kansas is less than a mile from the cemetery so Dean hatches a plan to get everyone out so as to not trap them inside with the ghosts and demons. Is it gonna be a lame plan that would never work in reality?

But first they stop for a wrecked car on the side of the road. There's blood on the inside of the windshield but no body. "This look familiar to you?" Dean asks Sam. It looks like a lot of wrecks where someone got wanged on the head and wandered off in a daze, but they figure it's the Woman in White. "If she's back then they're all back," Dean goes on. "Every last one that we ever killed."

Okay shout out to everyone who answered my post where I asked if ghosts used to be obliterated rather than going to Hell. The consensus seems to be that the Winchesters didn't really know one way or the other early on and were guessing.

Cut to a woman running through a house with her young daughter in her arms. The aftermath of a destroyed birthday party can be seen. How late in the day were they throwing this kid's party?? To make a long story short, the ghost of John Wayne Gacy is chasing them. I'll just reiterate my hatred of this character, not because Gacy is a serial killer obv, but because it lacks internal logic! Why is he dressed like a clown?? He wasn't executed in his old clown outfit!

Suddenly it's daytime. It's like Bugs all over again. Sam, in a jacket with an FBI decal on it approaches what must be the dumbassiest dumbass sheriff in three states. He convinces the sheriff to evacuate the whole town because of a benzene leak and the sheriff just... takes his word for it. Like, he's never heard of a benzene pipeline in his hometown but doop de doop this handsome giraffe in a cheap jacket said to evacuate so it must be true!

Also why isn't the sheriff down at the cemetery?? Someone would've called that in by now! You know what I don't really care.

Meanwhile, Dean is in the car and tells Castiel to take Belph to go get supplies for the spell. Cas says he can't do it, he can't even bear to look at him. And Dean! Rolls! His! Eyes! Like, Jack's the closest thing Cas will probably ever have to a child. He was with Kelly through her pregnancy. It's only been like eight hours since the kid died horrifically. Don't roll your dang eyes!

Cas leaves and Dean puts the Equalizer gun in the glove compartment along with a copy of The Complete Works of Anton Chekhov.

Belph notices that everyone walking down the street is good-looking. Yeah, that's casting agencies for ya. He says back in his ancient penis-worshiping days, people were uglier. Belph appears to be an equal-opportunity ogler. He turns to Dean. "I mean look at you. You're gorgeous!"

[Graphic: Belphegor replacing his penis-shaped rock altar with that Skittles poster of Jensen Ackles.]

"So who was he anyway?" Belph asks, referring to his meatsuit. "He was our kid, kinda," Dean says. The show manages to resist making a Gay Dads joke that I feel like it would've given into in an earlier season. So, yay progress I guess?

Sam and Castiel split up to check every house for ghosts. That seems super time-consuming. How many Reapers are left besides Billie? I feel like they should get one on the horn unless they're all dead. Anyway, Cas's house is where the Troom Troom girls were killed. The ghost's wig looks even worse in daylight. Do they get their wigs from the Hobby Lobby doll crafting aisle or something?

Sam's house, meanwhile, is where John Wayne Ghosty went on a sartorially illogical rampage. Somehow the mother and daughter are still alive. Dumbass ghosts can't see behind a shelving unit, I guess. The instant Sam gets them safely down, Ass-Clown immediately slices him across the belly. Castiel shows up to blast the ghost with rock salt.

Meanwhile, Belph is fanboying over Dean's torturing skills. Gasp! The show remembered Dean was in Hell. It'd be nice if they were consistent about it but whatever. Belph casually mentions that all the doors in Hell opened and Dean realizes this means the cage, too.

[Graphic: That dancing gif of the actor who played Adam that says "Still in Hell" but now it says "Maybe not in Hell."]

Castiel heals Sam's wound and the fabric of his jacket! The mother and daughter are still standing there seeing all this. Cas is like, "Whatevs, I'm an angel of the Lord & Taylor." The mom is pretty flabbergasted, and even more so when Sam mentions the wound he sustained after shooting God. Castiel can't heal that one, though, because it's probably gonna be a recurring plot point judging by the flash of Evil Sam we see.

The sheriff is making a final sweep through town when he happens upon the Woman in White. The sun looks to be setting, which means it's probably been 16 hours since all the souls and demons escaped, but they're still basically within a mile of the cemetery? Even I, burdened with an easily exhausted flesh body with shitty joints could have gotten farther than that.

Anyway, Belph needs a fresh human heart for his spell so it's pretty handy of the sheriff to die! That way none of the mains need to do the morally objectionable thing of murdering someone.

Dean senses a sudden drop in temperature. "Winnie the Pooh, right now!"

WHAT THE FUUUUCK??

Hold on. I'm watching this at 1.2x speed. Let me rewatch it at 1x.

Okay he says "we need to move, right now."  My apologies to Mr. Pooh for thinking you could ever be a part of this.

[Graphic: Winnie the Pooh chipper as anything. "I CRAVE THE BLEAK ABIDING COMFORT OF DEATH AND HUNNY."]

At the same time, Sam and Castiel are walking the two survivors through town. The little girl pauses at a badly placed fish pond because she sees a woman in it. Is it Bloody Mary? What's she doing in a pond? Seriously though putting a pond right on the street corner is just asking for trouble even without spectral shenannigans. How many people have driven over the curb and right into that thing?

Okay I gotta stop getting hung up on landscaping issues. Even if they are HIGHLY IRRESPONSIBLE AND NONSENSICAL.

Dean is attacked by the Woman in White. Ass Clown goes after Sam and the others, and is soon joined by... a tall ghost and... Lizzie Borden? Sam accidentally shoots Cas full of rock salt when Lizzie vanishes, which is pretty funny although move ya pretty self out of the way, Cas. When she pops up behind him, she tries to choke him with the ax handle. It reminds me of that lesser known poem about Miss Borden.

Lizzie Borden had an ax Gave her mother 40 whacks Tried to choke the angel Cas 'Cause axing would've been too fast

In the ensuing fisticuffs, everyone has time to throw punches while Belph performs the spell. All he does is put the heart on a little pile of salt and chant some Latin. Is like the thing Ruby 1.0 did with that poor virgin girl's heart a million years ago?

Oh sweet Jeebus the sight of these ghosts chasing everyone on foot is... bad and funny. Y'all are ghosts! You can just blip in and out of wherever you want to go! One of the only upsides to being dead has got to be not having to do cardio anymore and here you are running the hundred yard dash like it's 6th grade PE class. They come screeching to a halt where the spell has created an invisible boundary. This might be worse than Hell.

[Graphic: Parisian street mimes trying to escape an invisible box]

But wait... Why wasn't Belphegor affected by this spell? Did he write in an exception clause? Or is it only for ghosts and not demons?

The Good Guys plus Belph bring the mom and daughter to the high school down the road where all the evacuees are sheltering. With no sheriff to coordinate things, isn't it all just gonna... fall to pieces now? How are they gonna convince everyone to stay away from their homes? What if someone needs their prescriptions? ("Oh no my Herpexia!") They can't get rid of the ghosts as long as Hell isn't in business anymore, right? This is a mess. Dean seems to know it.

Dang why are Castiel and Dean on such icy terms? Why do I not remember last season?

Now that they have a five second breather before the shit hits the fan, Dean wants to see Sam's godly bullet wound. It looks a little crusty but not too bad except... "There's no exit wound," Dean notes. He gives it a swipe with some alcohol which will surely kill whatever supernatural E. coli is in there.

"So when Chuck said this was the end I guess this is what he meant," Sam says. Yes being trapped in a high school with my neighbors seems like end times to me, too. Tonally, things seemed a lot more dire in All Hell Breaks Loose 2.

Dean's feeling a bit embittered about discovering they didn't have as much free will as they'd thought, that everything was part of Chuck's personal lab experiment. "What did it all mean?" he wonders. "It meant a lot," Sam says. "We still saved people."

But what even are people, man? I'm going to have an existential crisis and I can't drink as much as Dean because I have that "Asian flush" gene thing. One drink and I turn super red and hot and queasy and then I pass out.

Sam thinks God has fucked off to who knows where because he hasn't seen the promos for episode 2 yet. "He gets bored and starts another story." Ah yes like me and my WiPs. Relatable. Overall, Sam is feeling much more optimistic. "Once we win this, God is gone... and it's just us. We're free."

Dean catches his optimism cooties. "I like those odds," he says of fighting billions of evil souls. You know what that means? We got work to do. Quick intercut of Baby Winchesters with Middle-Aged Winchesters saying the same thing and closing the trunk of the Impala.

[Graphic: Impala with the solar system again. This time the Impala is pulling ahead. "ONE MORE TIME AROUND, SONS O' BITCHES"]

So there we are at the first episode of the final season. Reblog or reply with what you thought of the episode and thanks for reading!

One final note:

You can read more about my writing and general life situation and GoFundMe here: https://tippitv.tumblr.com/post/188224749207/supernatural-final-season-recaps-and-assorted

If you enjoyed the recap and are able, please visit my virtual tip jar: paypal.me/TippiBlevins or https://ko-fi.com/A4017DA

Henry Hound and I could use the financial help!

See you next week.

[juliamayart]

The story behind Woman in Gold

If you're any kind of admirer of paintings then you've seen and valued crafted by Gustav Klimt. Gustav Klimt paintings are brilliant artful culminations. His original composition The Kiss is one of the most mainstream prints underway. It has been reproduced on everything from postcards to kitchen magnets. 

His art is immortal and appealing in an all-inclusive way. Any Klimt fans fount it in the theaters on their night out on the town. However, similar to a motion picture of Woman in Gold features Ryan Reynolds and Helen Mirren. It digs into the startlingly striking story of Klimt's other most well-known work. It`s his Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, the Woman in Gold painting. This record-breaking and invaluable work of art is a brilliant stage propelled Woman in Gold painting. It holds more history than anybody may have envisioned.

The Woman in Gold painting

Picture of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is the first of two representations of Adele. It considered being a significant articulation of Klimt's "brilliant stage." In 1925, Adele kicked the bucket of meningitis. In her will, she asked that her better half hand down the two representations and a few other Gustav Klimt paintings to the Austrian State Gallery. After 10 years, the artwork despite everything hung in the Bloch-Bauer family home, when the Nazis attacked Austria. A year sooner, Maria Bloch-Bauer, Adele and Ferdinand's niece wedded Frederick "Fritz" Altmann. She became Maria Altmann. With the intrusion, Ferdinand fled to Switzerland, and his works of art and other prized assets were appropriated. Maria stayed in Austria, not having any desire to leave Fritz who had been captured and sent to the Dachau Concentration Camp. The Nazi's were utilizing Fritz' capture to compel his sibling Bernhard to move his material production line to the Germans. And he did that. Fritz was discharged and he and Maria fled to the United States, inevitably settling in California. (As an intriguing side note; Bernhard had sent a Cashmere sweater from his processing plant to Maria soon after the war. Cashmere has not been accessible in the United States. Maria pulled in various purchasers and turned into the essence of Cashmere in California.) After the war, the Austrian Government kept the Bloch-Bauer assortment. It referred to Adele's will as be having lawful power and moved the masterpiece to the National Gallery at the Belvedere.

One of Gustav Klimt's most famous works is the subject of a significant Hollywood motion picture.

The hypnotizing brilliance of Adele Bloch-Bauer's look in Klimt's gold-spotted representation of her gives no trace of the fierce destiny that lay coming up for the canvas. The portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer Appointed was ordered by her spouse. It took Klimt three years to make. He hypothesis that the Austrian craftsman and his high-society subject were sweethearts. Adele's passed away in 1925 from meningitis. But the artful culmination stayed in the Bloch-Bauers' Vienna townhouse until the Nazis attacked Austria in 1938. It was one of five Gustav Klimt paintings taken from the Bloch-Bauer living arrangement winding up in Vienna's Belvedere Gallery. Ferdinand passed on in a state of banishment in Switzerland in 1945.

The Nazis likewise took a wedding band having a place with Maria Altmann, Adele's niece. Altmann got away from Austria, advancing toward Los Angeles with her better half, where she opened a dress boutique. In 1998 the Austrian government passed a compensation law. It decided that property taken by the Nazis could come back to its legitimate proprietors. Maria Altmann was 80 at that time. She started a fight in court to recapture the Klimts that had a place with her family. It incorporated a second representation of Adele Bloch-Bauer. She banded together with unpracticed legal counselor Randol Schoenberg. He was a grandson of her auntie's writer companion Arnold Schoenberg. It turned into an extended fight for equity against the Austrian specialists. The last incorrectly contending that they lawfully possessed the photos.

It was a significance to Austrian culture. It is no big surprise that Austria contended so energetically to keep the work inside the bounds of its fringes. The Altmann adventure is no special case. In the same way as other craftsmanship compensation cases. The film makes a better than average showing of featuring the quality and strength of Altmann. It misses the mark in communicating the significance that the case has had on the fate of reestablishing Nazi loot to its legitimate proprietors.

From one perspective, the case sparkling light on how little galleries and national assortments care about returning taken Nazi loot. Just as featuring the extraordinary duty required by those mentioning the arrival of their property to see equity win. For Altmann and her legal advisor, Randol Schoenberg, engaging a remote government over responsibility for painting was an overwhelming undertaking, particularly against a nation. They attempted to clutch its most prized aesthetic belonging, a work of art synonymous with the nation's personality. The prosperity is a demonstration of Altmann and Shoenberg's guts. The case had a considerably more enduring outcome. That in instances of craftsmanship compensation of Nazi loot, national organizations can't hole up behind sovereign resistance to keep away from lawful debates. Sovereign insusceptibility implies that outside governments can't be constrained into protecting their activities in remote courts. Until the mid-twentieth century, the sovereign resistance rule was practically total. Around that time, governments and state-supported industrialist ventures. They started to widen their jobs into something beyond conventional government works. Also, they turned out to be increasingly engaged with jobs that were customarily held by the private segment. This advanced the travel industry through national galleries. The craftsmanship was being purchased for national exhibition halls.

[peanutnozone]

Feeling very springy. (at Mid-Town Belvedere, Baltimore) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9uHITch3eF/?igshid=5764uv7ifmsz

[istandonsnowpiles]

Catenary Land

[theolivechickken]

Windy in Wien

Jan 24

The bus ride to Vienna was super comfy. I’ve realized that I get ansy when I haven’t been in a car for a while. There’s something so comforting about being in a moving vehicle. And I love that it allows me to see parts of the city or country that I wouldn’t be able to see on foot or in a plane. Still haven’t tried trains yet though.

Still weirded out by how much snow there is. I wasn’t expecting it to melt overnight, but I think this is the longest I’ve been in a place with actual seasons so I keep expecting winter to end pretty soon. But it’s mid-January so I don’t think that’s going to happen.

We rolled into Vienna after a pretty quick drive (5 hours and half of it spent asleep) and immediately were welcomed into the city scene: towering renaissance and baroque architecture, gothic churches, rounded off street corners, and narrow cobblestone roads. Street art (or graffiti in some people’s eyes) stylizing public walls. Gentle waves in the Danube river. Trains, cars, and cable buses. Individuals and groups bustling through and conversing in different languages. It seems larger and livelier than Salzburg, yet still very similar to our home there.

We dropped our luggage off at Hotel Post, hobbled into a restaurant for a quick lunch (had some goulash), and met up in front of St. Stephen’s Cathedral for a guided walking tour lead by our professor, Elizabeth. IT WAS SO COLD AND WINDY. Thankfully, we were able to step inside the Cathedral and warm up before carrying on with our tour. We roamed the streets as Elizabeth bombarded us with historical facts and information about the city and architecture. I think the one thing I took away from the tour was the fact that there are bumpers that stick out on the sides of the walls and posts, and this was designed so that carriages wouldn’t scrape and damage the walls. This really got me thinking about just how long this city has been standing and how much history has passed. It’s wild to visit the museums that used to be actual homes of noble families or to see works of art that portrayed life in a specific period of time. Not long ago, individuals from a very different lifestyle roamed and built these magnificent structures or gave the lord a visit in these beautiful, Gothic churches.

For dinner, we stopped by a little Asian restaurant next to our hotel. I ordered soup and was expecting a cup but got a massive bowl. Perfect for my throat. Afterwards, we went to the Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper) to watch Sylvia. Both the opera house and the ballet were breathtaking. The architecture and interior design of the were so captivating to look at, and the story of the ballet kept me on my feet. I’ve seen many ballets, and this one was unique because it was accompanied with a live orchestra. It was a long performance with 3 intermissions, but it was a lovely performance.

Jan 25

Found the complimentary hotel breakfast and had some toast with eggs, bacon, and VITAMIN JUICE which I was probably slightly allergic to since it made my tongue all fuzzy (are there apples in it?) Once again we went on another walking tour with Elizabeth and tried not to freeze as we strolled through Imperial Vienna. Also went to the Kunsthistories Museum and got to freely explore all of the floors and exhibits. The top floor was interesting because it contained a collection of different coins and forms of currency that even dated back to ancient Greece. The middle floors were the main focus for our trip. We walked through several rooms that showcased portraits and

We still had some time to wander, so Patrick and I also explored the bottom floor which showcased several artifacts including glasswork, wooden figurines, and bronze and marble sculptures.

For lunch, we found a Chipotle style restaurant that advertised themselves as California-style burritos. We were excited because it was Mexican food, but also prepared for it to be not that great. Not gonna lie: it was off-brand, semi-sad Chipotle. But it was food and it was quick. We also saw a guy wearing a horse head and playing the accordion as we walked to Haus der Musik. Betty had us speed walk through this museum as well, but I liked that it was interactive and each room showcased a different composer and his personality.

Man, Beethoven was DEAF but I really feel like that could be me in the near future because I can’t hear half the time anyways.

You would think that I’d be all museumed- out but I’m only in Vienna once so might as well soak it all up! I ended up visiting the Albertina and this was probably my favorite part of today. I loved being able to walk through a museum and explore it completely on my own time. Also love modern, contemporary art and they definitely had an exhibit right up my alley. Discovered Erwin Wurm’s work and had a grand ol time feeling inspired by it.

Later that night, we were trying to find a place to eat dinner before going wine tasting. Nadia, Raine, Patrick, Aubree, and I were intrigued by the photos of the dishes that one restaurant was offering. BUT WE LEARNED TO ALWAYS REQUEST THE MENU BEFORE SITTING DOWN AND COMMITTING. We were seated and opened their menu to reveal extreme prices (for dishes that were probably worth the money but not within our budget). We ended up getting two dishes of spaghetti and sharing it family style. Which resulted in us each having legit 3 bites each.

Then the wine tasting place that we were trying to visit was packed and didn’t take any reservations for the rest of the night :( Most stores were also closed by 7pm and restaurants were shutting down for the night. It was nearly 9pm but there was one grocery store that was still open till then. We RAN to that place to get some wine, bread, and cheese and throw our own little tasting party at the hotel.

Jan 26

We had the chance to sleep in a little this morning but we had a tough time getting up and being ready on time as a group. We really scarfed down a quick breakfast and hurried to catch the bus so that we would make it to our museum appointments. We went to the Belvedere Gallery and visited the Schönbrunn palace. I wish I could say more about both but I think I really was museumed-out at this point. I wish I had more time to digest and enjoy Vienna instead of constantly going from one event to the next. However, both were very beautiful and I’m glad we had the chance to see these places.

In between these stops, we were dropped off at Naschmarkt to have some lunch in a restaurant of our choice. We stopped inside an Asian restaurant and I had some pad thai (I don’t think i’ll be missing Asian food as much as when I was in Swaziland, but I do miss some good Mexican food). We also stopped at a little cafe afterwards for some sweets. I got this pancake (crepe) with strawberry jam filling and it was pretty tasty.

After Schönbrunn Palace (sadly, we weren’t able to go inside since it didn’t fit in our schedule), we boarded the bus to head back to Salzburg.

It was a cozy, comfortable ride back. And a beast to climb the mountain. Aubree, Raine, and I were plopped on our floor for a good hour because we were too tired to move. Finally, we decided to go downstairs with Patrick to have a family dinner. Pasta Time. What could go wrong? Aubree and I had one pot boiling pasta noodles, one pot simmering the red sauce, and another pot warming pesto sauce. Then we tried to get creative with garlic bread. Patrick had the genius idea to stick the foil-wrapped butter in the microwave to warm it up. I was in the process of dumping out the boiling water and noodles into a strainer in the sink when we all heard ZZZZZZPT and saw a flash of lightning happen in the microwave.

Patrick learned something that day. I think we all learned something that day. Pro-Tip (brought to you by yours truly): hold the foil-wrapped butter in your hands to soften it up.

Eventually, we got the butter spread on the bread and the garlic powder dumped all over for some pizazz. Then SaVanna came in to make a grilled cheese. One too many people in the kitchen. One minute we were all trying to hustle and bustle to continue making our food. The next? GRILLED CHEESE IS BLACK AND BURNED, OUR PESTO SAUCE IS SOMEHOW BOILING (who turned it up to 9???), AND WE ARE ALL OPENING WINDOWS AND DOORS AND FANNING SMOKE WITH TOWELS (which Raine accidentally whipped Patrick in the eye with) AND CHAIRS SO THAT WE DON’T SET THE FIRE ALARM OFF AND GET A HEFTY FINE.

What a night.

Jan 27

Definitely slept 12 hours that day and could go for more. Only reason I got up was to eat some food. Raine, Patrick, Aubree, and I went to a cafe for some good eats. We were in the mood for sandwiches but that’s not really what we ended up with. We tried some glühwein and were intrigued by “burgers” on the menu (not a great combo btw). Afterwards, we stopped at the grocery store and then carried on to New Town to hang out at the coffee house and do homework. I think we were pretty productive for the few hours that we were there.

We came back to the Mönchsberg for pasta, wine, bread, and cheese night 2.0.

We started out strong with some pasta and tortellini boiling on the stove while we enjoyed our bread, wine, and cheese. Then Aubree’s tourettes decided to kick in. Her arm spazzed out and knocked over her glass of wine onto Patrick’s laptop. Poor guy was just trying to watch the soccer game.

We were up quickly, scrambling to throw towels and napkins onto the table and holding Patrick’s laptop upside-down while blowing on it to get the liquid out. I was quickly scrolling through Google’s answers on how to fix this situation while trying to make sure that our pasta wouldn’t somehow burn and catch fire.

Luckily, we had a Christmas miracle come early this year (or very late??) and Patrick’s computer finally turned on after attempting to restart 12 times.

What a night 2.0.

[bostonmagpie]

The Feast of the Peacock

A tribute.

James had disappointed her, so now it was time to make reparations.

The idea had long been simmering, but it wasn’t until he was stuck in the white, sterile walls of the hospital room that the idea had been given the breath of life.

(It was nice to have had something to throw himself into. Schoolwork was useful for this purpose, to some degree, but it wasn’t quite the same. There were four things that weighed the heaviest upon him, and nowhere else to release it to.

The sickness that lingered, that made death seem peaceable in comparison.

The sacrifices he had made, and how very alone it made him feel now.

The fact that he didn’t get a task, and all that it implied.

The fact that now he had missed two, three weeks of academics. Even with all the sweetest emails in the world, he had missed deadlines, tests, quizzes, assignments, projects, valuable lectures, notes, and discussions that were irreplaceable. There was a difference between aiming for perfection and slightly missing the mark, and struggling to even pass the bare minimum for his scholarship.)

The chance to bury himself chin-deep into a task that was both enjoyable and formidable was welcomed greatly, and besides he’d been disappointed by the weak and limping parties he’d so far attended in Whitebridge. If he wanted something done right, he supposed would have to do it himself.

There was, of course, the added bonus of showing off. It was an answer to the third item on his list. James was useful. Beyond his gorgeous face and his stellar grades, it displayed that he had: one, excellent project management skills (good practice for the three hundred charity galas he will have to throw as future first First Husband) and two, broad-reaching social influence and the ability to mobilize several hundreds with a few key moves.

The word was already out, and the whispers spread fast and wild and returned to him in bursting notifications in every social media account. Only barely a day out of the hospital, James was still not at his peak, but - it would do.

Just to check, he gave the meticulously constructed Gantt chart a glance:

VENUE - COMPLETED

He had considered a fair amount of venues - Mack’s apartment (too small); the Red Lantern (blasé); a gorgeous, glowing rave in the woods (the weather too sporadic, presenting too many logistical issues, difficult to supervise); a pool party (everything that was wrong with the woods, plus the dangers of the water, the filthiness of sharing a single source of water with several hundreds of college students, and the fact that James had quite enough of water now).

It was with his mystery texter’s help that he had determined that one of his - friends of friends, perhaps - Nessa-Patricia Cameron, was saddled with a gorgeous country mansion by the outskirts of Whitebridge that was never in use. Ness, the darling, loved parties like this but could never throw one of her own, and so was a very willing contributor. It was vast, it was spacious, well-ventilated, and with plenty of escape routes; and while it would require clean-up and set-up, it could easily hold the thousand or so he aimed for. The venue was fully secured.

LOGISTICS - GOODS & SERVICES - COMPLETED

This was the... difficult part. James had no resources of his own. It was the resources of about six to eight (depending on how one counted) benefactors that allowed the party to rise to its current state. Their contributions allowed James to bring everything together without even a cent from his side.

The alcohol came rather easily. Attaching the word free-flowing was always a challenge when it came to parties, especially when the alcohol that James required was of the price tag that it was. After all, it was always the cheap kegs and wines in boxes that he complained about when attending the parties of others. James liked to rise to challenges, and this particular one, perhaps the greatest success of his party, only required the rekindling of a friendship with his favourite Arnault brother, who so kindly provided him with all that he needed - the belle of the ball, the peacock ice sculpture centerpieced champagne fountain of Moët & Chandon (though, of course, for the best and most important of his friends he had secured some several cases of Dom Pérignon), and an endless amount of Belvedere and Glenmorangie.

His dear friend had been kind enough to include a few sample bottles of some others, but mostly James had seized this for himself, and for the rest of his alcohol did have to gather up several thousands from certain other friends-slash-benefactors, filling an entire room with supplies to last through the night, a wide variety of mid-range to high-end alcohols and mixers to accompany and to be served by themselves. Accordingly came with were servers and bartenders, several at a time as not to clog up certain spaces. Fire hazard codes were not exactly the priority of many college party planners, but James was... cautious, when it came to certain things. 

(The drugs, James would deny firmly any involvement in or awareness of. That it was in the same thematic colors was purely coincidence. In any case, this was a task theoretically delegated to others with more colorful leanings.)

The DJ was an offer of a friend. He knew that this was easily very expensive, and he left this up to another benefactor to procure. It was a rather nicely-sized name, this DJ - not Marshmello or Tiësto, which not even he had hoped for in a party of all of two weeks of planning - but James didn’t particularly care, probably not even planning to pay attention to it through most of the night.

Beyond that, he’d recruited manpower to remain sober and watch over partygoers’ health, as well as a crew to clean up the inevitable wreck that would remain afterwards. James hated clean-up, so he wasn’t going to be part of that unless he absolutely had to.

Logistics were secured.

GUEST LIST - COMPLETED

Clout. Who had clout with whom? At this point, James was in the process still of forming a reputation, only having been in Whitebridge for all of two months. He was known well enough in Andover, but without a name to back him up, he had had to start again almost from square one in Whitebridge. He’d managed to slip his fingers into a few key pies, a frat president or so, a quarterback here and there, student council president - but his ideal guest list neared a thousand, and it would be tedious to have to send an invite to each and every one. That was what connections were for - a few words would suffice and bleed through to the rest. And, oh, what wonderfully well-connected friends he had. 

James had 75% of the sports teams down, at least eight greek letters (though two of them were currently in a war, and so James might have to prepare for that somehow); most mover-shakers, elevated student leaders, anyone with at least three towns named after their family or an immediate family member in Forbes' World's Billionaires list, each and every influencer of Whitebridge - these key figures, their crews, and at their discretion whoever they found important enough to invite. Once the ball had began to roll with the first few, there was no more effort required from James. His guest list was secured.

(Except. Again. He knew that nine of the most important would not be able to be there. How unfortunate. How beautifully it could potentially narrow down his list.)

THEME - COMPLETED

The Peacock.

This entire party was for her.

More than simply halfhearted decoration, the bird was the entire undercurrent which ran through the party - the blood itself that ran through the veins of this party, that which gives it life, that from which its very idea arose. It could be nothing less than worship, nothing less than a feast in honor of a goddess.

Flamboyance. Feathers. Vibrant, iridescent greens, blues, and purples, gorgeous splashes of yellow. Glow-in-the-dark walls that resembled the patterns of the eyespots in the peacock’s extravagant plumage. His darling Gia had offended the good bird with her graffiti, and so James made reparations, too: in giant, glowing letters was the name ‘PEACOCK’, just in case it was not obvious enough to everybody what the theme of this party was. Every corner, every wall, every table, every inch of surface detailed intricately. Art majors were so terribly brilliant. 

(He had considered bringing an actual peacock into the mix. It seemed like a terrible idea, but he didn’t fully discount it quite yet. He still had the number, if the whim struck him.)

He had considered vaguely the idea of masquerade, beautiful feathered masks in the same colors, but he had another purpose for this party, and that purpose required faces to be seen, required observation to be possible. Besides, in tribute they all ought to bare themselves to their deity, to show off their best selves without hindrance or doubt.

In vanity, the Peacock written - and if there was anything that could feed more into one’s vanity than to be raised to the level of a god and worshipped, celebrated, revered - for a revelry, a feast to be held in her name and in her honor, James didn’t know what it was.

Hopefully, she would take it. 

[architectuul]

FOMA 16: Romanian Coastland

FOMA goes back to Romania. Miruna Dunu is exploring the seaside architecture on the Romanian Black Sea coast. She is passionate about collecting postcards that brought her to the investigation of the complex case study of the socialist leisure facilities between 1960s and 1980s. Her Forgotten Masterpieces are revealing the vast political mechanism, the social discrimination and the hyper real narrative of the seaside holiday architecture, the forgotten promised paradise. 

Venus resort beach. | Postcard author’s collection, photo by Hedy Löffler, 1980

Historically a privilege of the aristocracy, leisure only became accessible to the masses in the 20th Century. In the particular case of seaside leisure, it was a gradual process that combined ideological aspects on the one hand, such as health pursuits and the creation of the modern man, and more practical considerations on the other hand, like the new work patterns imposed by the Industrial Revolution. Furthermore, with a working class already on the rise before WW2, state policies for paid workers’ holidays drove leisure and its associated architecture one step further.

Making no exception to the established trends, the basis of the Romanian seaside leisure was laid with the emergence of the first treatment facilities in the late 19th Century. In the early 1900s, the first beach cabins appear together with a wooden pavilion of Victorian inspiration, in the old fisherman’s village of Mamaia.

Royal Palace of Mamaia by Mario Stoppa. | Image via adevarul.ro

The inter-war period marked a significant increase in the emergence of seaside facilities. Once reserved for the wealthy few or merely a contemplative retreat for romantic flâneurs, the coastal area became a popular destination for fashionable activities like water sports and sun-bathing. The architecture would reflect the novel lifestyle, turning into a breeding ground for spatial experiments and typologies that would hardly belong to the urban setting.

Despite the gradual and relative democratisation of the seaside developments, the aristocracy’s traditional access to the coastal retreat facilities remained prominent, especially in the 1920s. A notable architectural addition of the time is the Royal Palace of Mamaia, completed in 1926. Commissioned by the Romanian royal family, the Neo-Romanian style villa situated in the proximity of the beach is designed by Italian architect Mario Stoppa and consists of lower horizontal volumes with terraces and a watchtower as the main vertical element. The design cleverly combines vernacular elements and textures with the latest technological developments of the time, such as central heating and air conditioning. Unlike the cubist buildings that would become increasingly popular on the coast, the Royal Palace of Mamaia pays homage to the local traditions of the building crafts, exploring the specific architectural expressions of the area.

Mamaia Casino under construction in 1934. | Image Radu Cornescu  

With the concept of free time on the rise, it wasn’t long before radical spatial experiments appeared on the seaside, driven by both the trends of the latest architectural discourse and the necessities of the new leisure activities. Modernist villas displaying pure geometric structures, unconventionally-shaped bungalows and steamboat-like hotels radically transformed the urban fabric of the resorts, equally reflecting the architects’ and the public’s interest in the contemporary European tendencies. The rising number of tourists stimulated further investments in the seaside’s infrastructure and development. The mid-1930s saw the inauguration of an Art Deco style Casino right at the heart of Mamaia resort. Designed by architect Victor G. Ștephănescu, the building was hosting a restaurant, a dancehall, shops, a police office, telephone booths and the manager’s private suite. Additional beach cabins and a concrete pier with slides, two wharfs for small boats and a terrace-bar at its very end completed the ensemble. The Mamaia Casino complex readily became one of the main attractions on the Romanian coast, hosting thousands of local and foreign visitors each year.

A crowded day at the beach in the late 1930s. | Postcard via radiovacanta.ro

The abrupt transition to communism in the post-war period brought a fundamentally different approach to leisure policies, thus pushing the spatial production in a different direction. Implemented in two stages, the socialist seaside project drove beach tourism to an unprecedented scale. 

The vibrant atmosphere on the terrace of the restaurant club Neon in 1957. | Postcard author’s collection, unknown photographer, 1963

The first phase, spanning from 1955 to 1965, focused on leisure as a hygienic retreat, the spatial production consequently reflecting this through the low-rise hotels and spas. Following the international trends, the buildings integrate a functionalist modernist aesthetic achieved through the use of glass, concrete and steel. A notable level of architectural experimentation was involved in the design of clubs and restaurants such as Neon. Elevated on elegant concrete pillars, the attention to detail is visible through the bespoke design of the balustrades, floor-tiling and concrete shell roof.    

While the first phase intensified the construction of amenities in existing beach towns, the second phase of the seaside development consisted of erecting a series of resorts ex-nihilo. Fuelled by both the public success of the first stage and an extended political agenda aimed at attracting foreign tourists, the architecture and urban planning of the new resorts confidently incorporate the augmented scale. 

The “futuristic” silhouette of the Amfiteatru-Belvedere-Panoramic ensemble at night, Olimp (1971-1972). | Postcard author’s collection, Al. Florescu, 1974

The environmental impact of this massive intervention is not to be underplayed, with nature being shaped and enhanced in order to fit the ambitious vision of the architects. The cliffs were carved, a rich natural forest was in part cut down and artificial lakes completed a highly engineered landscape. However, architects strived to incorporate the natural features of the site into their designs. Although the resorts were in certain cases filled with standard boxy high- and low-rise hotels following the same blueprints, two developments stand out for their tailored response to the site conditions. The Amfiteatru-Belvedere-Panoramic ensemble integrates public spaces and other loisir amenities within the actual hotel buildings, merging vertical and horizontal circulation through a series of terraces and wide flights of stairs. 

Spectacular views from every angle of Amfiteatru-Belvedere-Panoramic. | Postcard from author’s collection, photo by Al. Florescu, 1974

The Aurora resort consists of a series of hotels with a distinctive silhouette that merges modernist pure geometric shapes with organic angulations and layouts that create semi-enclosed spaces filled with vegetation. The architects’ interest in the contemporary (western) discourse becomes apparent in these interventions and echoes Romania’s relative political openness of the early 1970’s. The construction pace slowed down with the last additions to the socialist coastal development made in the late 1970s. The austerity of the following decade entailed a significant cut down on the state funding for the seaside tourism. Today, a vast majority of the socialist buildings are still standing and largely operated, be them poorly maintained or carefully refurbished. However, the chaotic privatisation policies following the communist downfall resulted in a fragmented landscape that renders the modernist-inspiration layout almost illegible.  

The distinctive silhouette of the hotels in Aurora resort (1972). | Postcard via sanuuitam.blogspot.ro, photographer C. Vladu, 1975

Although benefitting from a superior architectural quality when compared to the mass housing developments across the country, the seaside project consistently acted as a microcosm reflecting though its spatiality the broader Romanian socio-political reality, from cultural experimentation and dictatorial control to turbulent transition to free-market economy. In this sense, it is a typical example of how an exceptional sample can paint a rather accurate picture of the whole, if looked at in all its complexity.   

A development of an unprecedented scale in Mamaia resort | Postcard from the author’s collection, photographer D. Bădescu, 1970

___

Notes

Popescu, C. (2014). An Effective Mechanic: the Romanian Seaside in the Socialist Period

#FOMA 16: Miruna Dunu

Miruna Dunu is a visual designer with an architectural background. She graduated with a Bachelor degree in Architecture (2013) with First Class Honours from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, and a Master of Arts in Information Design (2017) from the Design Academy Eindhoven, Netherlands. She worked in architecture and in theatre, both fields greatly influencing her work. She expressed her passion for space and visuality through her first film Coastland.

[thewanderingboomerang]

  We visited Vienna at the end of February 2018. We arrived in Vienna at lunch time on a bus from Bratislava.

https://thewanderingboomerang.com/2018/04/16/bratislava/

The taxi from the bus station to our hotel was 15 euro. We stayed in 25 Hours Hotel after a long search on Air BNB and booking.com. I read about this hotel on a Vienna travel blog and made a note of it. I did my usual accommodation research and found that the Air BNB options were more expensive than 25Hours Hotel. The other hotels were also more expensive and old fashioned in comparison. I can’t recommend this place enough. It’s modern, the staff were friendly, it’s right beside the town hall/museum quarter and close to the metro.

The icing on the cake was the spa, the free yoga classes and the eco friendly shampoo and soap that was cruelty free! This hotel was made for me.

We stayed in the standard double room (98 euro). You can stay in a room with a bathtub on the balcony for 187 euro. Sadly that was out of our price range, but the outdoor bathtub nearly tempted me. I suggested we stay one night in the room with the bathtub and one night in the standard, but they don’t let you use the bathtubs in the winter months 😦

I should also note that I write this blog purely because I enjoy it and I don’t get paid to advertise hotels. I only recommend places I truly love. Thankfully they have hotels Berlin, Cologne, Dussledorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Paris and Zurich. I will definitely stay in 25Hours again in future.

https://www.25hours-hotels.com/en/hotels/vienna/at-museumsquartier

We checked into the hotel and walked to Naschmarkt. This outdoor market is 1 mile long and has been running since the 16th century. It was such good fun bantering with the vendors. They shout at you “where are you from” and “try this, it’s an aphrodisiac”. You will get bombarded by vendors giving you free tasters. We nearly had enough samples to fill us for lunch. They vast array of hummus and olives in all different flavours and colours is worth a visit alone. With plastic free fresh produce, falafels and walls of spices and teas it’s a vegans delight. Don’t miss this! On Saturdays they have a flee market at the end of the mile long strip. I was also pleased to find hot mulled wine stands along the market as it was below zero temperatures that day!

http://www.naschmarkt-vienna.com/

We walked to the Opera House in the hope of getting tickets, but we were unsuccessful. I would suggest researching online before your trip and booking in advance. The tickets can range from approximately 45-150 euro. You can get tickets for 3-4 euro if you are willing to spend half a day queuing for standing tickets, and then willing to stand for the entire show. It was a bitter cold day and our time was limited in Vienna, so we opted out! The queue is indoors for the most part.

We took a walk around and stumbled across Hofburg Palace and the Palmhaus. Go in for a nosey or make reservation to make sure you get a table.

Café Demel is another tick on the tourist list. You can walk in and buy from the shop or queue at the back to get a seat in this beautiful café. We didn’t fancy the queue and opted out!

After exploring on foot all we were exhausted and slightly numb. It was an extremely cold day, so we went back to the hotel to warm our bones in the sauna, before heading back out at night time to the Town Hall. Over the winter months this Town Hall Ice Rink runs daily. You can pay for the whole day of skating, but we were pretty wrecked after an hour of fast skating around the rink and through the trees. This was probably our highlight of Vienna. Do not miss this!

Thankfully our hotel was 5 minutes from the Town Hall or we nipped back to the hotel for dinner at 1500 Food Market. I was able to request a vegan pizza. We went up to the 25Hours hotel rooftop bar to check out the snowy balconies before bed. The restaurant and rooftop bar were busy. I reckon it’s a popular place for the locals at the weekend.

The hotel staff suggested we go to the Burggasse area for Breakfast. It was a 5 minute walk from the hotel. This is a popular place for the locals, and we had breakfast in das mobel café. It had vegan options on the menu and vegan brownies so I was in my element.

I ordered the vegan black bread (coloured with charcoal) with coconut carrot spread and pink chickpeas. Really delicious! I wish we had time to come back here so I could try the rest of the vegan options.

Burggasse is right beside the metro so we jumped on the train to Schonnbrun Palace.

Schonbrunn Palace is a UNESCO world heritage site. The palace has 1441 rooms, and Mozart played here at age 6. You can stay in the palace, if you are willing to part with a good chunk of your spending money.

We walked around the grounds in the snow and sunshine, and found ballet dancers, water features, a zoo, and a café in a monument at the top of the hill to the rear of the palace.

The grounds also have a palmhouse and botanic gardens (7 euro), an orangerie (3.50 euro), maze, labyrinth, playground (5.50 euro), Hapsburgian Imperial Stables and rose gardens, but we had tired ourselves out by then. You could easily spend a whole day here and it’s free to walk around. There’s an apple strudel show outside the Café Residenz every hour (6 euro). You get a sample, the recipe and a free hotline service when making it yourself at home and need help. They also have a panorama train that takes you around the grounds (7euro, 50mins). If you have a Vienna Pass everything is free!

We booked the short tour to go inside the palace and I got a sneaky photo inside the main hall. The audio guide for the tour was interesting and helpful to understand what you were looking at. Don’t do the tour without this!

14.50 euro (short tour 22 rooms)

17.50 euro (long tour, 40 rooms),

or free with a Vienna Pass.

We got the metro back into the city centre and jumped off at St. Stephens Church. It’s free in, but you pay to go to the roof in the smallest lift I’ve ever seen. If your claustrophobic, climb the 343 steps instead. I went up to see the tiled roof but be warned it was bitter cold up there. You can also do a tour of the catacombs below.

There’s also a rooftop bar called ‘Lamee‘ that has a free view of the church roof tiles, although you’ll have to buy a glass of wine or a coffee to sit there.

  We walked to Vegiezz for lunch. This is a chain vegan restaurant and we saw two on our walks around the city.

After a long day and a lot of walking, we went back to the hotel for our last go in the spa before dinner.

We went to Glasc briesl for dinner. It was a 5 minute walk from the hotel and suggested by the travel guides provided by the hotel. Good food and decent prices. The Vegan dish only 9.80 euro. I was surprised by the prices. I was warned how expensive Vienna was, but our most expensive meal was in Bratislava.

Our flights were in and out of Bratislava so we booked our train back to Bratislava for 10 euro. When booking the train back to Bratislava we booked online with ‘Go Euro’. It told us to use the ticket machines at the station and use the code to print our tickets. This didn’t work and we ended up in the help desk. They only printed them for us out of pity! I would suggest printing the tickets in your hotel or buy the tickets on the ‘OBB‘ website only. You can also buy tickets at machine in Haubanhof Train Station really easily. There was a Starbucks in the station with a vegan option! They had run out unfortunately. Bring food with you!

There were no vegan options in Bratislava airport! In fact the two food options left a lot to be desired. Eat before you go or bring food with you, vegan or not!

Things we missed in Vienna

Belvedere Palace – (UNESCO) 20 euro or Free with Vienna Pass

Vienna Opera http://www.viennaconcerts.com

St. Peters Church – oldest (and apparently nicer than St. Stephens)

St. Michaels Church – large crypt, 4000 corpses including mummified corpses.

Hofburg Palace – in between the church and the gate, there is a small excavation with a glass covering. Archaeologists found remnants of a roman settlement.

Vienna City Hall – (we didn’t enter the building, just ice skated in front of it! In the summer there is a film festival where the ice rink lives in winter.)

Votivkirche Church

Austrian Parliament Building

Burgtheater – Austrian National theatre

Hundertwasset Haus – It is considered cultural heritage. You can visit the house for free and take pictures from outside. The museum is 12 euro or free with Vienna Pass.

Kunsthauswein Museum

Church of Assisi

State Hall, Austrian National Library – (7 euro or free with VP, 10am-6pm) 200,000 value books and a beautiful building.

Albertina Museum – Monet and Picasso and highly recommended (12.90 euro or free with VP)

Time Travel Vienna – multimedia shows, 50 cinemas (19.50 euro or free with VP)

Capuchin Church + Imperial Burial Vault – resting place of emperors and empresses (free with VP)

Leopold Museum – (13 euro or free with VP)

Mumok Museum – Pop art, cubism futurism, surrealism (11 euro or free with VP)

Natural History Museum – largest and oldest meteriote collection (10 euro or free with VP)

 Bank Austria Kunstforum – Modernism, Impressionism, Avant Garde and Van Gogh ( 11 euro or free with VP)

Melk Abbey Church

Johann Strauss Apartment

Sigmund Freud Museum

Kunsthistorisches Art History Museum

Zentralfriedhof Cemetery – 2.5milion tombs including Beethoven)

Karl Marx Hof – 1km long. Longest single residential building in the world (19th district)

Watch an Ice Hockey match

Palais Coburg Wine Cellar Tour – stunning according to a travel blog I read.

Outdoors

Prater  – large public park with 250 attractions  including a Ferris wheel, Madame Tussauds, Prater Museum, Planetarium, indoor skydiving, bungee jumping etc. Free entry, pay per ride. Closed Nov-Mid March, however the Ferris Wheel remains open.

Vienna Ringstrasse – former medieval city walls, 5.3km. You can rent bikes and cycle or there’s a tram that covers the route.

Volksgarten + Augraten parks

Lainzer Tiergarten – Hike (U4 subway, end of the line Huttledorf 25 mins from Vienna) red line = longer route and orange line = shorter route. Lunch at Rorhaus after.

Krapfenwald Outdoor Pool – 4 euro

Oberlaa Therme Wien – Indoor + Outdoor thermal pools

Kahlenburg or Cobenzi  hills – good views.

Wienerwaud – Viennese forest and Heuriggendof Grinzing restaurant (expensive)

Am Himmel – outdoor area with Celtic horoscope tree and Oktogon Restaurant (bus 38a/U4 towards cobenzi)

Danube Island – recreational area, sports and beach activities, water playground, swimming. restaurants and free concerts in the summer.

Wakeboarding at Donaukanal – summer only

River Cruise

  Shopping

Mariahilfer Strasse – shopping street

Karntner Strasse – Vienna High street

Kohlmarket – luxury Shopping

Kirchengreasse, Lindengrasse, Neubaugrasse – hipster shops

Spittelburg street – shops/cafes, closed sundays

  Local food + Drink to try

Apple strudel

Chicken Schnitzel – Figlmuller’s has repution for being the best schnitzel, so expect a mass of tourists.

Goulash

Chocolate Torte Cake – Café Demel

Mineral Drinking water from the taps comes straight from the alps

Wine – Vienna is one of the few capitals in the world that produces it’s own wine

  Food and Drinks

Café Central – UNESCO building

Café Speri

Lugeck – recommended for traditional Austrian food (reservation required).

Wratschoko Gatwirkschaft – Austrian style food in 1800’s pub

Gasthaus Kopp – recommended on a travel blog I read.

Mini Restaurant – Hungarian food recommended on a blog, reservation required.

Hotel Sofitel – roof garden + sunset views

57 Lounge + Restaurant – tallest building in Austria

Lamee Rooftop – views of St. Stephen’s Church

Miranda Bar

Sign Lounge

7th + 8th district – night clubs and bars

Vegan food spots we missed

Le Burger – Austrian chain restaurant that drove out mcdonalds from the main shopping street. They serve low card lettuce wrapping instead of bread.

Tian– wonderful vegetarian restaurant

Vegetasia – 100% vegan Taiwanese

YAMM – vegetarian, self service (2.70 euro per 100g) expensive, near Opera

Kostlich – 1-2 vegan options, lunch only

Weltcafe – ethically sourced and organic, 2 vegan options

Brass Monkey – vegan Cupcakes

Harvest – vegetarian, vegan options. Lunch menu (weekdays) and Sunday brunch.

Veganista – vegan ice cream

Pinocchio – Pizza with vegan cheese option (hole in the wall)

Deli Bluem – vegetarian, lots of vegan options + organic breakfasts

Swing Kitchen – 100% vegan fast food (8 euro meals)

Fett + Zucker – vegan cakes

Nom Nom Vegan Bakery

Bio Bar – vegetarian, ask for vegan options

Blue Orange – bagels + sandwiches with vegan options – English menu

Cupcakes Wien – vegan options

Delicious Vegan Bistro – beside Naschmarket but hard to find. Lunch + dinner Pizza and juice bar.

Easy Going bakery – vegan cake pops and cake

Landia – vegetarian with vegan options

Pirata – 100% vegan sushi

Dr. Falafel – vegan options

Mikkamakka – 100% vegan, self service local dishes

Rupp’s – vegetarian Irish pub with cheap vegan options

Café Telegraph – Omni – Serves Avocado Burger

Simply Raw Bakery – zoodles, savoury crepes, raw pizza + cupcakes

Die Bio Bar Von Autun – 100% vegan across the street from Simply Raw Bakery. Serves Schnitzel and Goulash

Hollerei – vegetarian with vegan options

Motte Am Floss – beet burgers on the Danube rover. (The café upstairs is cheaper)

Nimmersatt – 100% vegan + Organic take out

Maran Vegan Bistro – 100% vegan supermarket + deli counter

Formosa food – 100% vegan Asian food including curry soy schnitzel

Loving Hut – 100% vegan on Favouritenstrasse

Vegana Indiana – 100% vegan, gluten free + seasonal

Voodles  – 100% vegan

Elmira – 100% vegan

Uli’s Veganeria – 100% vegan

Tuwi – 100% vegan

Salonpafond – vegetarian options, organic locally sourced food

  vegan in Bratislava – http://www.thewanderingboomerang.com

  You can have a look at my Bratislava and Vienna Pinterest Board

https://www.pinterest.ie/wanderboomerang/bratislava-%2B-vienna/?eq=bratislava&etslf=5933

If you have any more tips or good vegan places we missed in Vienna, I’d love to hear! Please comment below.

Enjoy your trip, and return safely,

the wandering boomerang 🙂

Check out my other vegan + travel blogs…

  Vienna We visited Vienna at the end of February 2018. We arrived in Vienna at lunch time on a bus from Bratislava.

[istandonsnowpiles]

Pitchfork, Triangle

[peanutnozone]

Work mate is really digging in to the project. I see a promotion in her future. (at Mid-Town Belvedere) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGqBNgChUQI/?igshid=xj3drkb94x52