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crygimethydgoode · 3 years ago

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Lover’s Fantasia Chapter 1 (Crystal Methyd x Gigi Goode RPDR12) Cruel Summer

no rules in breakable heaven

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32286397/chapters/80027176

June 28th, 2021

Amsterdam

It was a fresh start. And it was exactly what Gigi needed after finally starting to feel like herself, finally seeing the sun without her smile. It was a new city bustling with new people and new experiences. It was perfect timing too. Soon after Biden was sworn into office, vaccines were being rolled out. By spring Gigi was fully vaccinated, she could finally go out with her friends and feel the sun beating down on her skin. Her best friend had just won Drag Race, and in late May they celebrated with a trip to Mexico. Gigi was performing again, living again. She breathed in the fresh air that was once masked with a piece of cloth. Everything was finally going back to normal.

Well, almost everything.

Because some days Gigi still went to Venice Beach to sit alone for a moment, allowing herself to bask in the almost nostalgic feeling. Allowing herself to feel that ache in her chest she had fought so hard to push down the past year. But she knew that feeling wouldn’t last, so she’d leave, telling herself it was for the best. Then the sun blinded Gigi through her curtains early one morning when she got a call from Jaida Essence Hall and Michelle Visage offering her a gig for the summer in Amsterdam. And Gigi couldn’t help but hope. It was Hunter who ultimately convinced her to go.

“It’ll be good for you,” he said. “It’s new. It’s nothing she’s… touched.” And Hunter was right, so that night they booked a ticket to Amsterdam. Gigi was excited, she really was. What could be better than spending nearly three months with Jaida and Michelle while they prepared for the iconic Amsterdam Pride? It was the perfect opportunity.

So why did Gigi’s chest ache as she made her way through customs? She decided to ignore it, which was something she had gotten used to doing. The Schiphol airport was much different than LAX. It didn’t have the same white interior and harsh lights that always caught Gigi in her worst moments, no, this airport was different. It was modern, but not artificial. With plenty of art, places to sit, and excitement. It was enough to make her nerves settle.

Gigi’s eyes scanned the horizon through the large windows, and if she squinted she swore she could see Amsterdam, her home for the next few months. She saw The Man in the Clock and quickly took a picture, captioning it “surprise!” before sending it to her story. She decided to keep Amsterdam a secret from the fans, mostly because she couldn’t promise that when the day came, she would be able to get on the plane.

“Don’t be dumb,” Symone said to Gigi as they walked into the airport, Hunter trailing behind. “This is a good thing, Gigi, you’re gonna realize it as soon as that plane takes off.”

So Gigi boarded the plane, not wanting the last time she saw Symone for a while to end in a fight. And she made it to Amsterdam, but now she wasn’t exactly sure what to do from here. She decided going to baggage claim would probably be a good start.

As Gigi walked to the baggage claim, she decided that Symone was right, and this really was the best thing for her. It had to be. She stood waiting for her suitcase when a flash of color caught her eye. Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach, hoping her eyes were just playing tricks on her. It wouldn’t be the first time. Sometimes she’d see a head of curls on the street and her heart would skip a beat, and the sensible part of Gigi’s mind would remind her that they were worlds away.

Gigi assumed it was just her wishful thinking and continued to look for her suitcase and waited for the tightness in her chest to go away. But then the flash of color Gigi had seen came into full view. A hot pink suitcase covered in various stickers with a leopard print scarf tied around the handle. Suddenly her heart shot up from the bottom of her stomach into her throat. Gigi blinked a few times, trying to wake herself up from this nightmare. ‘It couldn’t be,’ Gigi thought. ‘There’s no fucking way.’

“Excuse me, pardon me,” a small nasally voice said. ‘No. Nope. This can’t be happening. This cannot be happening. Fuck this. It’s not her, it couldn’t be.’

“Excuse me, thank you- Gigi?”

Fuck. Gigi took a deep breath and grabbed the pink suitcase, as well as her own. She turned around.

“Hi,” Gigi said.

“Hello?”

Summer 2019

Drag Race

Gigi paced around her hotel room, deep in thought. It was her first day off after the first challenge. Gigi had been stuck in her room all day, just expected to sit around and do nothing. Just expected to ignore the longing in her chest for her friends back home. Hunter, Symone, Rosy, Marko, who were just a short car ride away, technically. But Gigi was locked in her hotel room, being told to enjoy some time off. In solitary confinement. What a way to celebrate the fact she had just nearly won her first challenge of Drag Race, placing in the top two of the very first challenge. Gigi was on cloud nine, relieved that she made a good first impression.

And that the judges liked all the helmets.

But Gigi was so lonely, all she could do was lay in bed and watch weird daytime television. She tried to watch the shitty soap operas but they were just so boring and corny, she couldn’t stomach them. She didn’t have anything to work on, anything to read, nothing. She even attempted to work out, jogging around the tiny hotel room. That lasted for thirty seconds.

Gigi knew the obvious solution. One of the first things she had noticed in her hotel room was the conjoined door, which led right into Crystal’s room. Crystal Methyd. Probably the weirdest person Gigi had ever met. Not just because of her crazy bright drag, clown makeup, and outrageous but perfect amount of jewelry. No, she was shocked by how drawn she was to Crystal. She really was unlike anyone Gigi had ever met.

When Jackie asked Crystal if she was a fashion queen or a comedy queen, and Crystal just responded with “Fashion queen, comedy queen, I’m a TALENTED queen,” Gigi was completely fascinated by her. And then she actually got to talk to Crystal and get to know her a little bit, and Gigi knew in a heartbeat that Crystal was special. She was bright, sociable, and funny. But also really quiet, drawn into herself. Gigi couldn’t quite decide what it was, but Crystal had something the other girls didn’t. She needed to be her friend. So Gigi came up with a game plan.

She obviously couldn’t just knock and say she was bored like a loser. What if Crystal didn’t want to be bothered? What if Crystal hated her already? No. Gigi had a feeling Crystal just wasn’t that kind of person. Maybe she could ask to borrow sewing supplies, saying that she wanted to polish up one of her runway looks. And then she would just... charm Crystal into having a conversation with her? That could work. It’s not like Gigi had many options.

So she walked to the door that went into Crystal’s room. “Go before you’re ready bitch,” Gigi said to herself. She took a deep breath, raised her fist to the door, and before her screaming mind and pounding heart could stop her, she knocked. She could hear rustling coming from Crystal’s room, probably her crawling out of bed.

‘Do you have a big sewing needle? Do you have a big sewing needle? Do you have a big sewing needle?’ Gigi said over and over in her head. And then, before she was ready, the door swung open, and there she was. Crystal Methyd. Gigi’s breath caught in her throat and she prayed Crystal didn’t notice.

Crystal’s mullet had been put into two messy space buns on top of her head, little tendrils of curls framing her face. Gigi could tell that Crystal had hastily shoved her glasses on; they were lopsided, slowly slipping off her nose. There was only one word to describe the person who was standing in front of Gigi, being engulfed in an oversized One Direction concert T-shirt. Adorable. Her game plan flew out the window, and she was left there, speechless, looking like an idiot. What did she want again?

“Hi,” Gigi blurted lamely. Crystal’s face split into a grin, and Gigi could tell she was trying not to laugh.

“Hello?” Crystal asked in her sweet voice. Maybe it was her soft appearance. Maybe it was the fact that Gigi was too bored to care. Or maybe it was Crystal’s kind smile and bright eyes that made Gigi immediately relax. This was just Crystal. The same dork who had a One Direction tattoo on their chest in Arabic. She’s just... Crystal.

“I’m so fucking bored,” Gigi sighed, letting herself smile.

“Oh my GOD, me too! I thought about knocking on your door but I didn’t wanna bother you. Do you wanna come in?” Crystal offered, stepping to the side. Oh. That’s it? That’s all it took?

“Yeah,” Gigi grinned and stepped into Crystal’s room. Gigi’s heart was still pounding, her stomach still felt like it was in her throat. And there was Crystal, already climbing back into the bed, beckoning Gigi to join her. It felt like… it felt like Gigi was truly seeing Crystal for the first time. And her heart was still pounding. It felt good.

Amsterdam

Gigi had imagined what it would be like to see Crystal again for the first time, she had thought of scenario after scenario. Maybe she would enter the Werkroom for All Stars and there Crystal would be standing, a bright grin on her face. Or maybe one day they would be randomly booked for the same gig and they’d bump into each other backstage. Gigi also had wondered what it would feel like to see her again. She expected it to feel like a punch in the gut, or maybe like she was drowning, gasping for air while trying to find the right words to say. But as Gigi stood in the middle of the Schipol Airport looking into Crystal’s brown eyes, the only thing she found crashing over herself was a wave of relief. Crystal was still... Crystal. For some reason, Gigi assumed Crystal would be different, or maybe Gigi assumed she would feel different. But she stood there and felt as the familiar fire began to burn in her chest.

“What are you doing here?” Crystal asked, a slur of emotions ridden on her face.

“I-”

“Oh good, you found each other!” Jaida’s voice called out. Gigi and Crystal’s heads both whipped to see Jaida and Michelle Visage.

“Welcome to Amsterdam bitches, it’s about to be the best summer ever!!!” Michelle ran to them, giving them each a hug, Jaida following suit. Gigi felt like she had just been slapped in the face, but she put on the best grin she could, and Crystal did the same.

“Look at us, top three reunited! I can’t believe it’s almost been a year since Drive n’ Drag,” Gigi’s breath hitched in the back of her throat and she hoped no one noticed.

“Totally,” Crystal said, voice falling flat.

“So excited.” Gigi managed a smile. Jaida cocked an eyebrow.

“You two okay?” Michelle asked. Gigi was anything but okay.

“Yeah. I just got to go to the bathroom before we leave,” Gigi said. She heard Jaida and Michelle questioning Crystal as she walked away.

“She’s probably just jet-lagged,” Crystal shrugged. Gigi walked faster. She rushed to the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

“Fuck,” Gigi exhaled, fumbling for her phone, not exactly sure why. Who would she even call? If Gigi told Hunter now, the rest of the day her phone would be blowing up with messages. Besides, it was around 6 AM in LA, Hunter wouldn’t even be awake for another few hours or so. Gigi decided to just splash some water on her face, hoping she didn’t worry Jaida and Michelle too much by running off.

And Crystal.

God, what could Crystal be thinking right now? Gigi took a deep breath and stared at herself in the mirror. “You got this.” And with that, she walked out of the bathroom, head held high.

“Y’all ready?” Jaida asked.

“Ready,” Gigi nodded. With a loud whoop, Michelle and Jaida started towards the exit of the airport, Crystal and Gigi trailing slightly behind. After a short walk through the parking lot, they arrived at Jaida’s rental car. Gigi put her suitcase in the trunk and tried to ignore Crystal, who was clearly watching her. Jaida was driving, Michelle had taken shotgun, which meant Gigi and Crystal would be sitting in the backseat together. Great.

Crystal and Gigi sat in their respective seats. They didn’t lean in and talk to each other, they didn’t slowly find themselves inching closer and closer until their shoulders were pressed together, they both just busied themselves by looking out the window at the flatland that seemed to go on forever. Luckily, the drive was only about twenty minutes into the city. They made some light conversation, but it was clear that Crystal and Gigi couldn’t match Jaida’s and Michelle’s energy.

“Oh! There’s this long-ass tunnel coming up. No, Michelle, I’m not talking about your throat,” Jaida said. Gigi tried to see Crystal out of the corner of her eye. She had a worried expression on her face. ‘It’s not my problem,’ Gigi thought to herself. ‘ It’s not my job to make sure she’s okay.’

Gigi knew that. But that didn’t stop the sick feeling rising in her stomach as the tunnel appeared in the distance. She bit the inside of her cheek, Crystal shifted uncomfortably in her seat as they entered the tunnel. “Weee fuckers!” Jaida cackled. Crystal forced an uncomfortable laugh.

“Can we put on some music?” Gigi folded. Crystal visibly relaxed.

“I thought you would never ask!” Michelle said, handing back the aux cord. “Who wants it?”

“Crystal, you want it?” Gigi said, trying to sound as neutral as possible. Crystal just nodded, plugging her phone in quickly. Before they knew it, the car came out the other side of the tunnel, being filled with sunlight once again.

“Oooh, ladies we are getting close! I’m so excited for you guys to see Amsterdam. You’re gonna love it here,” Michelle said after a few more minutes of driving.

“Wait, how close? Because I have something very important I need to do,” Crystal laughed. God, Gigi missed Crystal’s laugh. She had almost forgotten the way it could fill and brighten the room.

“Well this is our exit, so do what you need to do, girl,” Jaida said, taking the exit. Gigi waited, wondering what Crystal could possibly have planned. Suddenly, in the distance, the tops of roofs appeared as the busy highway turned into a bustling street full of cyclists cutting through the road, causing Jaida to scream. The buildings changed from modern, glass exteriors to faded brick masonry.

Citizens and tourists alike walked the cobblestone streets freely, other people driving didn’t blink an eye at the cyclists who truly ruled the streets. Everyone was going at their own speed, each person had their own tempo they went to. It was refreshing, seeing everyone just doing. Gigi was almost emotional, this was still her fresh start despite… everything. She could actually see herself calling this place home.

Just then, she heard it. “Boom, Clap” by Charli XCX started playing out of the car's speakers, and Crystal was wearing a shit-eating grin. Gigi tried desperately to force back her smile, but couldn’t. They turned down road after road, slowly finding their way into the heart of the city. It was fucking gorgeous, it almost felt like they had gone back in time as the vintage buildings captivated them completely. Gigi felt the excitement rise up in her chest, she couldn’t stop grinning. She stole a look at Crystal, who to her surprise, was looking back. A feeling rose within Gigi, hope, maybe. And then Jaida slammed on her breaks, causing everyone to lurch forward in their seats.

“DAMN IT’S LIKE THE VANS ALL OVER AGAIN!”

Drag Race

Once all the queens had gotten out of drag, they were escorted to the vans, which brought them back to the hotel. Gigi soon found that one of her favorite parts of being on Drag Race was oddly the van rides to and from the studio. It was about a fifteen minute drive in the mornings, but a 45 minute drive when they had to go through heavy L.A. traffic. But Gigi enjoyed it. She liked sitting with Crystal, just shooting the shit. Sometimes all the girls would make up stupid road games to pass the time, which annoyed the hell out of the driver.

But most of the time, Crystal and Gigi were off in their own little world, foreheads nearly pressed together, hushed whispers about whatever stupid random thing they were talking about, two giggling messes. But things were different tonight. The challenge was Snatch Game, and Gigi was going through a whirlwind of emotions. She had just WON Snatch Game, which was totally unexpected but meant everything.

But she had also gotten into her first “TV fight” and it wasn’t as glamorous as she had expected. If anything, she just felt like shit for coming after Heidi’s makeup out of nowhere. Yes, she looked cracked, but Gigi wished she had just kept her mouth shut.

BUT SHE HAD JUST WON SNATCH GAME.

‘I’m not just a fashion queen anymore, bitches,’ Gigi thought gleefully. And then her attention turned to the queen who was walking to the vans slower than usual, head cast down. The night had been so hectic, Gigi had only been able to talk to Crystal a couple of times since the runway. Poor Crystal. If Gigi had a bad night, it was nothing compared to hers. Crystal’s Snatch Game didn’t go so well. At all. It was shit.

No one but Gigi had really understood it. While Crystal’s Poppy was accurate, the judges didn’t find it funny. Gigi thought it was amusing. Entertaining? Well, at least her performance wasn’t as bad as Aiden’s or Britta’s.

The queens climbed into the vans, all going to their unassigned assigned seats. Gigi, Crystal, and Jackie sat in the way back, Crystal in the middle. Gigi couldn’t help but smile as Crystal slid in next to her, shoulders knocking together.

“Hey,” Gigi whispered, tilting her head to look at Crystal. She just gave Gigi a sad smile, resting her head on her shoulder. Gigi’s stomach immediately dipped, her whole body on fire. ‘Is my heart really beating that fast?’ she thought, feeling the pounding against her chest. She prayed Crystal didn’t notice. If she did, she gave nothing away. She just nuzzled her head closer to Gigi’s neck, letting out a sigh. Gigi could practically feel Jackie smirking at them, but couldn’t be bothered to care. She loved these van rides for a reason. But they couldn’t know that. So Gigi just gave a soft chuckle and leaned into Crystal. “You good?” She whispered. Crystal gave a small nod.

“‘M just tired,” Crystal murmured. The vans took off, and they were immediately stuck in L.A. traffic. Within five minutes Crystal was fast asleep. Gigi allowed herself to relax for a moment, just thinking about the person that was practically sleeping on top of her. Things with Crystal were... interesting. It was weird how fast they clicked. The minute Gigi had built up the nerve to knock on Crystal’s door, they had become nearly inseparable. Of course they were close with the other queens, but Crystal and Gigi had each other on lock, painting next to each other, working on their challenges together, riding in the vans together, always.

And nearly every night since had been spent in each other's hotel rooms; practicing the lip syncs, sewing costume pieces together in silence, or just talking about everything and nothing. They were just there for each other. Within the span of two weeks, Crystal had become one of Gigi’s favorite people in the world. Gigi couldn’t help but wonder if the feeling was mutual.

Suddenly the van hit a huge bump, causing everyone’s heads to smack the ceiling.

“Did you hit a fuckin dog?!” Gigi heard Jaida ask the van driver. With a soft laugh, Gigi turned her head to see Crystal was awake now, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

“We hit a dog?” she whispered, still half asleep. Gigi chuckled and shook her head.

“No, it was just a bump,” she replied. Crystal let out a breath, laying her head on Gigi’s shoulder again.

“Your snatch game was so good,” Crystal muttered dreamily. Gigi could feel her face beginning to heat up, but tried to keep her cool.

She’s just Crystal. Just Crystal.

She’s just... Crystal.

“Thank you,” Gigi replied softly. She wasn't sure why, but something gave her the nerve to reach for Crystal’s hand, giving it a light squeeze. Crystal laced their fingers together and didn’t let go.

“I’m just so happy for you. You’re killing it, Geege. You’re gonna go all the way,”

“Yeah well, I’m not going anywhere without you. So you better do good next week. I need you,” the words came out of Gigi’s mouth before she could even think to stop herself. Crystal raised her head, turning to look straight into Gigi’s eyes.

“You will not see me in the bottom again,” Crystal said, a determined look on her face. And Gigi believed her.

“I know.”

The vans pulled up to the hotel, and everyone was escorted to their rooms. Crystal and Gigi said a quick “goodnight” in the hallway in front of the producers and went into their respective rooms. And then Gigi heard it. Her knock. Gigi opened her conjoined door and there Crystal was, looking like she was holding back a shit-eating grin.

“Was my Snatch Game really that bad?”

“Crystal...” Gigi trailed off. And they both burst into laughter. And it was nice.

Amsterdam

It was nice to laugh with Crystal again, nice to feel carefree and happy with her again, driving through the streets of Amsterdam as Jaida and Michelle pointed out a few of the clubs.

“You bitches aren’t ready to see your apartments! We’re all in the same building, Jaida and I are a floor below you,” Michelle said excitedly, turning back in her seat as Jaida turned down a narrow road.

“Y’all are on the top floor. Michelle and I didn’t wanna go up all those stairs. Sorry bitches!” Jaida cackled unapologetically. So not only did Gigi have to spend two months in Amsterdam with Crystal, she also had to live right next to her.

‘This is fine. Amsterdam is still my fresh start. This is fine. I will be alright,’ Gigi repeated over and over in her head until Jaida parked on the side of a busy street, her car parallel with one of the many canals in Amsterdam.“See that coffeeshop?'' Jaida pointed at a tall building across the street that was much wider than the other ones. There was a coffeeshop on the bottom floor, the storefront painted bright turquoise. All along the windows were tiny versions of all the different pride flags waving in the wind.

Looking through the windows Gigi could see walls covered in art as people sat in booths, passing joints around with dazy grins on their faces. And Gigi couldn’t help but grin too. “We’re living right above it! Pretty good gig, right?! Me and my girl Michelle tiptoe down the stairs every night, we smoke a little, laugh a little, and stumble up into our beds. You two are gonna love it, I know,” Jaida explained as everyone helped unload Crystal and Gigi’s suitcases. Gigi could tell Crystal wasn’t paying attention, looking around the city in wonder.

Jaida and Michelle started to cross the street towards the apartments, but Crystal was still standing in the same spot, watching the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam.

“Crystal,” Gigi called, not wanting to cross the street without her. Crystal’s head snapped in Gigi’s direction, and she immediately ran towards her, suitcase in trail.

“Sorry. Thanks. It’s just all so...” Crystal trailed off as they followed Michelle and Jaida into the apartment building.

“I know,” Gigi muttered, giving Crystal a tight smile.

“Right,” Crystal said, her voice barely above a whisper. They walked up a narrow stairway behind Jaida and Michelle. After climbing four long flights of stairs, they finally stopped. The four stood on a small landing, barely fitting. There were two doors across from each other, the one on the left labeled 28, the one on the right 27. “I want 28!” Crystal blurted, eyes wild. Gigi had to hold back a laugh.

“That was your apartment anyway, dipshit. Michelle, if you wanna give Crystal a tour of her apartment, I can show Gigi around hers,” Jaida said, and pulled Gigi into her apartment. She looked around at the narrow but long room. Immediately to the left, there was a door that led to the bathroom. Gigi stood in front of the door, looking at the small kitchenette before her, knowing she would never use it. But there was a small table with four chairs that Gigi immediately knew she would use to organize all of her drag stuff. To the right, there was a huge bed with fluffy white pillows and a matching comforter. And right next to the bed was a door that led outside.

“THAT’S RIGHT BITCH YOU GOT A BALCONY!!!” Jaida exclaimed as she dragged Gigi outside. She was immediately blown away by the sight. The balcony overlooked a small canal, jutting over the water. There was no road, just another set of apartments on the other side. But to her right, Gigi could still see the main street where Jaida’s car was parked, tourists and dutch folk alike going in and out of the small shops and restaurants. “And you get to share the balcony with Crystal! You two will have fun out here,” Jaida winked at her. Gigi saw another door right next to hers, which she guessed led to Crystal’s apartment. Conjoined balconies. Cute.

Jaida walked back inside, leaving Gigi no time to dwell on it as she went in after her. “Anyways, not much of a tour, there’s not much to see, but I just wanted to help you get all settled in! At like, 7, I thought we could get dinner? Go explore the city a little?” Jaida stood at the door, a glint in her eye. She knew.

“Yeah. That’s great,” Gigi replied easily. Jaida opened the door, and Gigi couldn’t help but stop her. “You left out some key details when you invited me here, Jaida. I didn’t know Crystal would be... joining us,” She tried to sound as casual and pleasant as possible, but she gave Jaida a pointed stare.

“Oops must’ve slipped my mind! SORRYBYE,” Jaida winked and practically ran out of the apartment. And Gigi was alone.

“Fuck,” she said out loud. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK!” Gigi collapsed onto her bed and immediately took out her phone to FaceTime Hunter. “I don’t care if you’re sleeping, bitch, pick up,” She whispered, waiting to see Hunter’s face. He finally answered, still in bed. Gigi could see Marko’s sleeping body next to him.

“Geege it’s so fucking early whaaaaat,” Hunter groaned. ‘Oh just you wait bitch,’ Gigi thought. No matter how miserable she was, she couldn’t wait to see Hunter’s face when he found out.

“Guess who’s joining me, Michelle, and Jaida in Amsterdam?” Gigi said in a false cheery voice. Hunter just looked at her for a moment, and she could see the realization slowly dawn on his face.

“No.”

“Hunter...” She said, feeling the familiar tightening in her throat.

“No,” Hunter said again, and Gigi was surprised to see tears in his eyes. Fuck.

“Yeah,” Gigi said lamely, now trying to fight back her own tears. She had almost forgotten just how shitty her situation was. Almost.

“Gigi...” Hunter whispered, hand clasped over his mouth.

“Hunter...” Gigi’s voice cracked, and fuck she was crying again.

“A whole year of progress, of you finally... finally being your old self again. It’s all-all gone. And those assholes didn’t even tell you?!” Hunter was pissed now, getting out of bed and pacing around the darkroom.

“No, but it’s okay! I’m still me. This is still my fresh start, I can do this. She doesn’t matter,” Gigi said fiercely. And she wanted to believe herself so badly. But Hunter didn’t look convinced. And she wasn’t either.

“Gigi... what are you gonna do?” Hunter asked, still shell shocked.

“I don’t know. I don’t know. I guess just... keep my distance? I don’t know, Hunter,” Her voice cracked.

“Hasn’t the universe put you through enough?” Hunter implored, desperately trying not to break. Gigi had also forgotten how hard everything had been on him. How he was left to pick up her broken pieces.

“I guess not,” She answered lamely. She just looked at Hunter for a moment and watched as he took a deep breath, collecting himself. And then he went into momager mode.

“Okay. Here’s what we’re gonna do. You are not going to be alone with Crystal. Ever. You have worked on yourself way too much to throw it all away for her. Okay? If you feel like you’re gonna do something stupid, call me. I don’t care if I’m sleeping, I don’t care if I’m at a rager. I don’t give a shit- Fucking call me. You can’t do this again Gigi. We can’t do this again,” Hunter ordered Gigi, giving her no room to object. And she easily agreed, even though a small, secret part of her didn’t want to. Not long after Hunter hung up, going back to bed. As Gigi stared at the ceiling, she knew she was utterly fucked. After all, when had Gigi ever actually listened to Hunter?

Drag Race

When Gigi heard a knock on her door, she wasn't exactly surprised. Crystal had been coming to visit every night since the Political challenge. And every night Gigi dreamed in screaming colors. At first, she tried to blame it on the excitement of being on Drag Race, but Gigi knew she was just lying to herself. She opened the door and of course, Crystal was there. Her mullet was pulled up into a top knot with a scrunchie, a mischievous grin had taken over her face, one hand behind her back. Needless to say, Gigi was ready to say yes to whatever Crystal had in store.

“What’s behind your back?” Gigi cocked an eyebrow.

“Well, I told you I was saving a joint for my first win...” Crystal sang, revealing a joint and lighter in hand.

“Oh my fucking god,” Gigi laughed, a rush of excitement crashing over her.

“I figured if we turn on the steam-fan-thingy in the bathroom and smoke in there everything would be fine, right?” Crystal asked. It was a bad plan. Definitely a bad plan that could get them both in trouble. But Gigi couldn’t be bothered to care.

“I’m in,” She grinned.

“Okay, we have to go to the vending machine first though,” Crystal said, and then “I already begged the producers to let us go together, be thankful it’s Annie and Noelle babysitting tonight.”

They walked down the long hallway, visibly excited. Gigi leaned against the side of the vending machine, peering at Crystal through the glass as she punched in item after item.

“Are you a peanut butter gal? I kinda am. It’s not my first choice but also not my last choice, you know? God, I wish they had Swedish fish...” Crystal kept on rambling about candy, but Gigi couldn’t hear over the pounding in her chest. The artificial light shone in Crystal’s face, and Gigi had to force back her smile. As she got lost in Crystal, Gigi couldn’t help but feel as if she was breaking out loud, the way she never did. “That should cover it,” Crystal said, arms full of snacks. The smile Gigi was forcing down shone through. “What?” Crystal asked, looking shy. Gigi smiled.

“Nothing. Come on, let me help,” she said, taking some of the snacks. They went back into their respective hotel rooms before Gigi entered Crystal’s room through the conjoined door. Crystal turned on the fan, it was a little annoying, a little loud, but didn’t matter at all to Gigi. Crystal threw all the snacks in the tub, and Gigi saw the lightbulb in Crystal’s head.

“I just had the best idea-”

“One step ahead of you,” Gigi laughed lightly, already going to sit in the bathtub. Somehow, their legs ended up in a tangled mess, but neither of them moved. Gigi grabbed the joint and cleared her throat. “This joint is being smoked tonight to honor the one and only Crystal Methyd’s first win!” Gigi said. Crystal cheered for herself. “I will now do the honorary lighting. Miss Methyd, if you would.” Crystal held the joint between her lips. Gigi had to hold her breath as the flame reached the joint. Crystal inhaled deeply then exhaled through a grin.

“Finally!” Crystal laughed, passing the joint to Gigi. She took a hit, sending all the smoke into her lungs then back out. They passed the joint back and forth a few more times until Gigi could feel the familiar buzzing in her chest and the tingling set underneath her eyes. She found herself giggling as she watched Crystal take another hit, coughing as she exhaled.

“Okay!” Crystal coughed. “First impressions of each other, go!” Gigi took a second to think. She had replayed the first time she met Crystal in her head over and over, but it was hard to put what she felt into words.

“Uhm... I remember you walked into the werkroom, and I thought ‘What is this thing-’” Gigi started. Crystal immediately started laughing, shifting to face Gigi. “And then you introduced yourself, and you talked about your One Direction tattoo, and I... I don’t know, I feel like I immediately could just be me around you. You were just... I don’t know. Yeah,” Gigi finished. Crystal passed her the joint.

“I thought you looked like Kelly Mantle at first. And I absolutely thought that you were going to hate me,” Crystal laughed. Gigi’s jaw dropped.

“Crystal-”

“I’m sorry.”

“You thought I looked like Kelly-“

“It was the hair-”

“-Mantle? Bacon dress girl?”

“Only for a second! And she’s a VERY talented Drag Queen!”

“Why would you think I’d hate you?”

“Because you were like... pretty. Not pretty, you were stunning. And stunning people sometimes don’t like me or don’t understand my drag. I don’t know, I just thought you’d hate me. People do,” she shrugged. Gigi didn’t know what to say. “I don’t know. You just made me... nervous? Then I heard you knock on my door on our first day off, and I got so excited because I just really wanted you to like me,” Crystal giggled, but there was weight behind the words.

“Crystal Elizabeth Methyd, there is no world where I could ever hate you,” Gigi said. Crystal looked at her differently for a second.

“Did you just call me Crystal Elizabeth Methyd?” Crystal chuckled. Gigi didn’t even realize she had called her that.

“Yeah...?” she said. Crystal just burst out laughing.

“I love that! That’s my name now. Crystal ELIZABETH Methyd. I sound fancy!” Crystal giggled.

When Gigi got the call saying she made it on Drag Race, this was the last thing she thought would happen. She didn’t think she’d find herself opening up one stitch at a time to Crystal. Yet as the smokescreen faded in and out of view, legs tangled, something screamed from within her. Crystal took a hit, then exhaled the smoke onto a piece of chocolate.

“Gigi, look! I made you an edible!” she laughed. Something screamed from within Gigi, and it screamed “This is exactly where you should be.” They finished the joint and ate all the snacks while swapping stories and laughs back and forth. Gigi learned a lot about Crystal, she learned about Get Dusted and all the work Crystal did for the drag community in Springfield with her friends. Gigi couldn’t wait to meet all of them. She also learned about Crystal’s fear of tunnels.

“Like, there’s cars above you, and you’re just stuck and I get all claustrophobic… it’s just not good,” Crystal explained. Gigi loved learning about Crystal, she loved watching her eyes light up as she praised her friends back home, about everything she accomplished with the Get Dusted girls. And Gigi loved as Crystal listened to her long-winded life story that she had definitely already told her before. But Crystal paid close attention, gasping in all the right places, listening intently. Hours had passed without either of them realizing it.

“Shit. It’s probably three by now,” Gigi groaned, rubbing her tired eyes. Crystal sighed.

“This is my least favorite part of the night,” she said. Gigi cocked an eyebrow. “Saying goodbye.” And again, Gigi saw a light bulb appear in Crystal’s brain. “You could stay the night!”

So Gigi crawled into bed with Crystal and tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. She dreamed of Crystal in the glow of neon signs, her hair, her glasses, her hands, her. When Gigi woke up, the silence of morning couldn’t be louder.

Amsterdam

At some point, Gigi found the motivation to get out of bed and stop moping, worrying about how she was going to avoid Crystal all summer. But Hunter was right. She could do this. Why would she ever be alone with Crystal anyways? All she had to do was lock herself in her apartment. Never go out on the balcony. Always make sure she was with Michelle or Jaida. Gigi could do it. And if she ever felt like she couldn’t, she would just FaceTime Hunter. She could do it easily.

But still. A small part of her didn’t want to.

Gigi shoved that intrusive thought down real fast and got changed for dinner. At 6:45 Jaida and Michelle came knocking on her door, and soon the group of four was off to dinner. Gigi had no idea where Jaida and Michelle had taken them. All she knew was that the booth was way too cramped, her arm nearly brushing Crystal’s. She thought this would be the worst part of dinner. But really it was Jaida and Michelle’s lame attempts at small talk.

“So. Crystal,” Jaida began, looking at her expectedly. “Why did I hear a little rumor that Widow is babysitting your cat?”

“Um... because she is,” Crystal giggled awkwardly. And then they were right back to that awkward silence. They soon finished up their meal, and Gigi didn’t look at Crystal the rest of the night, knowing she couldn’t. Knowing it would unlock something too strong. Something she couldn’t just push down and forget. But then Crystal was walking on the edge of a canal, arms spread, trying to balance. Fucking idiot.

Gigi found herself slowly inching closer to Crystal, knowing she was tipsy and stupid. She noticed. The minute Crystal could feel Gigi’s presence, her head whipped to look at her. And then she stumbled. In a flash, Gigi’s arms flew out, one hand clutching Crystal’s elbow, the other one pulling her by the shoulder. Crystal stumbled into Gigi, but at least she didn’t stumble into the canal. Crystal regained her footing, quickly pulling away from Gigi after muttering a lame “thanks.”

Gigi’s mind was going crazy, her heart was pounding, her body on fire. That was the first time she had touched Crystal since... that was the first time Gigi had touched Crystal in ten months, just short of a year. It was all too much. That was the first time she had seen Crystal in a year. The first time she had spoken to her. She had been cut off from Crystal for nearly a year with absolutely no contact, just trying to forget about her. Could Gigi really do this? She thought she could. She hoped this would get easier.

“Y’all wanna smoke before bed?! I think it’ll be magical,” Jaida turned. Crystal hummed in agreement, Gigi just gave a silent nod. They soon made it to the coffeeshop they lived above and walked in. The inside was decorated with all kinds of weird shit. There was no specific lighting source, just a bunch of random, probably thrifted lamps scattered across the shop, casting different shades of light across the floor. There was a bookshelf filled to the brim with books and magazines. Gigi swore she could see the Harry Potter series next to some old Playboy magazines. One wall was covered with vinyl records that had been painted over. Every record was different, painted by different Dutch artists. Gigi’s favorite was a sunset over the desert, a car driving past with a U-haul trailer attached. She knew this would become one of her favorite spots in Amsterdam.

Crystal, Gigi, and Michelle sat at a table while Jaida went up to buy two joints for them to split. She came back shortly, an excited grin on her face.

“Just a little nightcap ladies,” Jaida sang, and Gigi had to chuckle. At least she had Jaida. Jaida put the joint between her lips, lighting the end of it. Gigi watched the top burn away as Jaida deeply inhaled. As she blew out her smoke, Jaida gave Michelle a lazy grin and passed it to her next. Soon Crystal had the joint, taking a hit.

“Blow O’s!” Jaida cackled as Crystal obliged. Gigi fought back a smile. And then Crystal passed her the joint. It fit easily between Gigi’s fingers, but she was confused. All she saw was the back of Crystal’s head. It was turned, looking down at her phone. And then she realized. Crystal wouldn’t look at her. And all Gigi could think was, ‘What have we done to each other?’

Eventually, they finished passing the joints around and followed Jaida through a side door that led to their apartment building entrance. Gigi gave long hugs to Jaida and Michelle on the third-floor landing, not caring that they had blatantly lied to her about Crystal being there. It wasn’t worth it. And maybe this would end up being a good thing. She hoped to god it would.

Crystal didn’t say goodnight, just ran up the stairs and went into her apartment without a word. Gigi didn’t know how that made her feel. Relieved? At least she wouldn’t have to say an awkward goodnight to Crystal. Yes. This was good. No Crystal is a good thing. So why couldn’t Gigi stop thinking about her as she got ready for bed? Why couldn’t she stop replaying everything over and over in her head? Seeing Crystal for the first time since...

Gigi was supposed to be okay without Crystal. She thought she was. She had gotten better in L.A. It didn’t hurt every time she thought about Crystal, just more of a dull ache. Gigi had let herself let go, move on to a life without Crystal. And she was hoping that she could do the same thing in Amsterdam, despite seeing her every day. But it was only day one. And all she could think about was Crystal.

Crystal at the airport, Crystal in the car, Crystal walking along the canals, Crystal passing Gigi the joint, refusing to look at her. Her mind was all just... Crystal. And she just wanted to forget. But that was impossible. Crystal had found a way to burrow into the deepest depths of Gigi’s brain, refusing to leave. Did Gigi really want to let go?

How do you let go of someone when you’ve spent the last year desperately wanting them? When you’ve spent the last year replaying every moment together over and over in your head, wondering what you could’ve done differently, wondering where it all went wrong. How do you let go of someone when for so long, it was the last thing you wanted to do? How do you let go of someone when your heart is screaming at you, begging you not to, no matter how much you know you should?

As Gigi brushed her teeth, she heard Crystal opening her balcony door and stepping out onto it. She peaked out the window and saw her lighting a joint, sitting in one of the chairs. A year ago Gigi would’ve joined her on the balcony in a heartbeat, complaining that Crystal hadn’t invited her in the first place. Now Gigi was just utterly... confused. How do you let go of someone when she’s right there on your shared balcony, and all you want is to just be with her, no matter how much she might hate you?

‘Maybe I should call Hunter. He’ll stop me from doing anything stupid.’ But Hunter was worlds away, and couldn't really do anything to stop Gigi. A part of her knew this was coming. She knew she’d cave eventually and try to talk to Crystal. Why? Why did Crystal have so much power over her, still? And why was Gigi trying not to smile as she heard Crystal coughing outside? Even when things were so different, even though everything had changed, Gigi couldn’t help but admire Crystal, who was now just scrolling on her phone, lazily holding the joint between her fingers. Absolutely wasting bud, if Gigi may add.

Gigi’s feet started moving before her mind could scream at her to stop, going before she was ready. Her hand slowly went to the doorknob, just hovering there. Was it worth it? Was she going to throw it all away for Crystal? All the tears, all the talking, all the driving, the countless days where she forced herself to get out of bed, knowing she would forget about her someday? All the days where Gigi really had forgotten about her? When she felt like she could finally breathe again? Gigi felt that familiar burning in her chest. And she knew. There’s no way to let go of Crystal Methyd. Not when Gigi swore two summers ago she never would.

LAX

Gigi felt the knot forming in her stomach when she passed the sign that read “LAX 5 MILES AWAY.” Crystal had the same sad smile on her face as Gigi. It was really about to be all over. The summer of competing, crying, laughing, smoking, sneaking into each other's hotel rooms, lingering glances, and shy smiles. Why did it have to end like this? In Hunter’s Jeep, Rosy blasting “ Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift, all the windows down, letting the music rumble through the speakers and through their chests. Crystal and Gigi’s shoulders pressed together even though there was plenty of room in the backseat.

Why did it have to end at all?

Hunter took the exit, and Gigi started to feel sick. Crystal was supposed to have one of the vans bring her to the airport, but couldn’t refuse a ride with Gigi, Hunter, and Rosy. And Gigi hoped that Crystal accepted the ride because she too, couldn’t stand saying goodbye just yet. Just yet.

It was bittersweet. Of course, Gigi was happy to go home and be with her friends and family, but she couldn’t shake the sense of dread ringing throughout her body.

“You want us to drop you off at the front, Crystal?” Hunter asked.

“I’m gonna go in with her,” Gigi blurted, knowing she couldn’t say goodbye... just yet. Crystal looked at Gigi, beaming. “I don’t think Crystal could drag five suitcases around an airport by herself.”

“Oh sure,” Crystal murmured, nudging Gigi slightly. Crystal didn’t notice Gigi blushing, but Hunter did, sending her a knowing look in the rear-view mirror. Hunter found a parking spot after about ten minutes of looking around.

“It was so nice meeting you, Crystal! I absolutely adore you my fellow Aries,” Rosy said, grabbing Crystal’s hand and giving it a parting squeeze. Gigi caught Hunter’s eye again.

“I’m sure we’ll talk soon, but it was really nice meeting you,” Hunter said.

“Thank you guys so much for giving me a ride, you’re literally the best,” Crystal said. And so she and Gigi dragged the suitcases out of the Jeep before walking into the airport together. It was packed with a lot of people going home after spending their summers in LA. Gigi didn’t dare look at Crystal, scared she would see right through the brave face Gigi was trying to maintain despite the tears threatening to fall. Gigi watched from a distance as Crystal checked in and got her ticket, breathing slightly shallow. She knew what was coming next, she wasn’t stupid, this was always inevitable.

“All checked in!” Crystal tried to sound her usual cheery self, but Gigi could hear the sadness in the back of her voice.

“So this is it...” Gigi said, looking anywhere but Crystal. Crystal grabbed Gigi’s hand.

“I’ll see you soon. I promise,” Crystal said, voice cracking slightly. Gigi chuckled, tears stinging her eyes.

“Don’t cry cause I’ll start crying,” Gigi said, blinking back her tears.

“Geege...” Crystal put her hand on Gigi’s face, her thumb gliding across Gigi’s face. Chills ran down her body.

‘don't go, don't go, don't go’

“You have to go, you have a flight to catch,” Gigi said, composing herself quickly.

“I know, I just-”

“I know.” Gigi looked Crystal in the eye, who had tears streaming down her face. “Believe me, I know.” Crystal threw her arms around Gigi, and Gigi held on. She held on so tight her chest felt hollow. It was inevitable. There was nothing Gigi could say to make Crystal stay, she knew that. But that didn’t stop her from trying.

“You could just stay for the weekend, you know?” Gigi said into the hug. Crystal hugged Gigi tighter.

“I can’t, I gotta get back home to Paul and Tictak,” Crystal whispered.

“Paul?” Gigi asked, though the pessimist in her already knew the answer.

“My boyfriend,” Crystal said. The knot in Gigi’s stomach burst, now feeling empty and gutted, utterly hollow. Of course. Gigi pulled out of the hug.

“Oh. Well, um-”

“He’s just very um- private. He asked me not to talk about him on the show... And then it... just never came up I guess,” Crystal said, sounding slightly guilty. Crystal shouldn’t feel guilty, she owed Gigi nothing. Gigi knew that. She kept repeating it.

“No, I get it. I just uhm-”

“Shit, I’m sorry I got to go through security or I’m gonna miss my flight. I hate goodbyes. I hate that this is happening-”

“It’s okay, Crystal,” Gigi gave Crystal’s hand a final squeeze. “We’re gonna see each other soon, remember?” Gigi said. Crystal’s lip was trembling, she nodded quickly.

“Yeah. I’ll see you soon,” Crystal said. And that was it. Crystal walked away. Gigi couldn’t bear to watch as the person who completely captivated her left to go be with someone else. And Gigi just hoped she could smile long enough, just until Crystal turned back over her shoulder, finally ripping her gaze from Gigi. She waited, a painful smile on her face that made her cheeks ache, waving Crystal goodbye. Goodbye, for now.

Alas, Gigi didn’t bother wiping the tears streaming down her cheeks as she walked back to Hunter’s Jeep.

“Hey!- oh god she’s crying,” Rosy said, getting out of the car to wrap Gigi in a hug. She immediately started crying in Rosy’s arms. Hunter stood, a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“You really like Crystal, don’t you?” he asked gently, which made Gigi hurt even more. She tried to answer, tried to form a sentence, tried to say it’s just a crush or we’re just really good friends but she couldn’t admit that, not yet, so instead she said.

“She has a fucking boyfriend.”

And as Gigi stood in the middle of the LAX parking garage crying in Rosy’s arms, she only thought one thing. ‘I will not let go of you, Crystal Methyd. I will not let go.’

Amsterdam

Gigi’s hand landed on the doorknob, and she knew Crystal heard it. ‘Go before you’re ready bitch,’ She turned the doorknob, and felt the warm summer air on her face. And there Crystal was, looking up at Gigi with a dumbfounded expression. “Hi,” Gigi said softly, smiling at Crystal. She watched her visibly relax, returning the smile.

“Hello,” Crystal grinned, putting down her phone.

“We should probably talk about... everything.”

#gigi goode #Crystal Methyd #crystal methyd x gigi goode #crygi #crygimethydgoode #fanfic #fanfic rec #drag queen fanfic #crygi fanfic #Lover’s Fantasia #please read this we promise you’ll love it

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streetartmuseumamsterdam · 8 years ago

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Kaagbaan Experience - Street Art and Schiphol

When we got a phone call from our favourite client at Schiphol Real Estate SPOT Community, it was a no-brainer that Street Art Museum Amsterdam would be a perfect match for the event: Kaagbaan Experience. See what we managed to achieve in 2 days :)

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#street art schiphol #schiphol street art #kaagbaan experience #kaagbaan #schiphol #street art museum #teamblazin #calligraffiti #chalk drawing #creative workshop #alternative tourism #alternative art

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artmutt · 5 years ago

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Amsterdam, Part 1

Our flight into Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport arrived just before dawn, resulting in a beautiful sunrise at the airport. Then we jumped in a taxi into the city, and ended up at our hotel before 8 a.m. It was much too early to check in, so I shifted some things from my day bag to my suitcase, and vice versa, and we went out to explore the city.

It was still very early, and we were groggy from the flight, Our hotel was about a block away from the Rijksmuseum, and the Museumplein (a big open area near the major museums) was quiet and beautiful, with nobody around, except a couple of food vendors getting ready for the day’s activities. After a nice stroll through the area, we decided we desperately needed a real breakfast, and lots of very strong coffee.

Luckily, we found Blushing, an adorable little cafe just off the Museumplein, where they were serving really terrific food and a variety of coffee beverages. Europe has adapted to the new food sensitivities that people have these days, so that even in a country as obsessed with cheese and milk products as the Netherlands, we were able to get coffee with almond and soy milk. Blushing’s version of Eggs Benedict was made with smoked salmon instead of Canadian bacon, and eliminated the Hollandaise sauce, and replaced the English muffin with spelt bread. So no dairy for my lactose-intolerant partner, and no gluten for yours truly: perfect. The walls were adorned with celebrity photos (all drinking coffee, of course), and it’s hard to argue with the sentiment that “A yawn is a silent scream for coffee.”

There are three major museums in the area. Besides the Rijksmuseum, there is the Van Gogh Museum, and we had pre-bought tickets for that on Sunday morning. The third is the Stedelijk Museum, which is the museum of modern art in Amsterdam. That was where we headed, after we were sufficiently caffeinated to actually focus our eyes.

The Stedelijk originally began in an older building, repurposed as a museum, but some years back, they added a new wing to the building, fondly referred to as “the bathtub” by locals because, well, that’s what it looks like. I’ve seen a couple of amazing shows at the museum, which has strong holdings of early Modern art by artists like Kasimir Malevich, and Piet Mondrian. At the moment, because of some remodeling going on (this becomes a motif for the visit), most of the permanent collection is kind of jammed willy-nilly into a crowded space. It does keep important work available, but this jammed presentation doesn’t encourage prolonged or contemplative looking.

Luckily, the current temporary exhibit of work by the Atlas Group, which is to say Lebanese artist Walid Raad, was well worth seeing, and it was given the kind of space needed for careful contemplation. It’s also very diverse work, politically vibrant and conceptually engaged. There were multiple rooms, each with very very different work, ranging from photography to painting to large-scale sculpture. A full-blown consideration of such thematically and technically diverse work would require an extended essay, so I’ll provide three photos, and let you go looking for better discourse on the Stedelijk website. I’ll just say that the exhibit, which spread across seven rooms, included “Sweet Talk,” one of the most stunning video pieces I’ve seen in a long time, in which buildings being demolished (basically imploded), through the use of mirroring, reversals, and loops, became a huge kaleidoscopic abstraction that was both horrific and beautiful at the same time. We sat and stared at this for a very long time because it was completely mesmerizing. While sitting we also had time to contemplate the myth of “progress,” the double-talk that delays any serious effort toward peace in the Middle East, and the whole conflicted notion of what “Modernism” is.

Of course, I can say that now. At the time, the jet lag was really kicking in, and I was rapidly heading toward incoherence. I had planned to have lunch at the Stedelijk’s cafe, only to find it was closed for renovation (like I said, a motif). So we fled to the nearby Keyser Brasserie, where I made the mistake of ordering a couple of Dutch classics, only to discover that neither of them were really what I wanted to eat at that moment.

I had also failed to pack any good walking shoes, and after walking around on cobblestoned streets in my dress shoes, my feet were screaming. So we popped into a shoe store, and I picked up some black high-topped leather sneakers, which totally saved me for the rest of the trip. A bit pricey, sure, but no more pricey than if I’d bought the same thing at Nordstrom in Chicago. And besides, we all need a good souvenir of any trip.

We went for an afternoon stroll through the Vondelpark, one of several large city parks. It was a lovely fall afternoon, and there were a lot of people out and about. My partner was expecting a lot of drugs, and there was certainly the occasional note of marijuana in the air, but for the most part it was a very civilized location, with lots of college-age kids on bikes or roller skates or scooters, and a lot of families with strollers or toddlers in tow. In point of fact, my partner saw less drug-use now than he had seen in the 1970s, before marijuana was legal. Just goes to show...

The neighborhood near our hotel turned out to be one of the fancier shopping areas in the city. This is where all the high-end clothing stores had their outlet stores. This turned out to be a very good thing, because there was very little else in the area besides high-end retail, so during the day the area was buzzing with wealthy shoppers and dropped-jaw tourists (the prices were pretty intense), but once these places closed, the streets were empty, so the neighborhood was very quiet in the late evenings. if we’d been in an area filled with bars or clubs, (like the area just across the canal from us), things would have been hopping until 2 a.m. or later.

My favorite among these places was the Hermés shop. Yes, I’m a fan of their stuff: I wear their cologne, and for many years had a treasured orange scarf from there that I wore until it fell apart. I also recognize how insanely overpriced their merchandise is. But they do have a certain je ne sais qua that I admire. Their Amsterdam outlet is constructed out of glass bricks, consequently, at night, it is illuminated from the inside, and presents a glowing presence on the street that makes all the other buildings look boring.

After a meal of Indonesian food (that merits a separate post), we got to bed early, and more or less collapsed until morning.

#amsterdam #blushing bistro #stedelijk museum amsterdam #walid raad #vondelpark #hermés

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prettylittleflowerx · 4 years ago

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Unique Hotels For Wonderful Travelling Experiences

The potency of hotels in Amsterdam is likely in the situation of their diversity. The many types and models of special hotels like Amstel and Krasnapolsky have been created for at least a hundred years. Being a portion of the history of earliest resorts, these establishments play a significant role in enticing travelers to seeing them and staying inside their premises as part of their travel itinerary to researching the classic and culture of the grand city.

One very distinctive hotel is the Renaissance Hotel, located in a somewhat hidden nook along the small street named Kattengat, which translates to the expression Cats hole. The place is in direct proximity of the Central Station involving Singel and Spuistraat. Though initially tricky to determine its precise location, it can be seen from afar as a result of its cupola of the former Renaissance church that's now serving as a conference room in addition to beautiful lounge. The Renaissance Hotel is made up of 397 rooms and five suites. It's one of the most unique hotels in Amsterdam; formerly its nomenclature has been Sonesta. Belonging to the worldwide series of Marriot Hotels, the hotel seems to have gained greater reputation on account of the architectural designs and heritage value.

Aside from that, Victoria Hotel is also another exceptional place whilst spending time in this capital city. It's been awarded four stars and is a workhorse amongst the other leading hotels. Its location is conveniently inside the proximity of the Central Station that is the principal railway station in Amsterdam. This is surely a no-nonsense hotel, best for a brief holiday visit or business trips. Since the Central Station is a short 20-minute train ride from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, this resort in addition to many others are popular with visitors to the city.

V-hotel Frederiksplein stays in the list of unique hotels in the city district. With the uniqueness of its title, V-hotel is one of both fashionable hotels in Amsterdam. The location is in the immediate proximity of Utrechtsestraat, a road famous for shopping and dining delights. It's a fireplace in its lobby, matched with aggressively designed interiors projecting a trendy setting throughout its assumption. With the Rijks Museum in easy walking distance from the resort, many guests can take a relaxing stroll into the Dutch national museum to enjoy a huge selection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age in addition to Asian artwork for exhibition.

Seven Ways to Enrich Adventure Travel Experiences

What are the best methods to enhance Adventure Travel for you and your companions? Seasoned travelers pick up tips along the way, and I invite you to add your own to the list. Below are seven ways that visitors to Cape Breton Island have improved their enjoyment of their journey, their stay on the Island and even the magical in their everyday lives upon returning home. Notice the frequent ingredient is link .

1. A Vision For Your Trip provides your experience travel a context of what you would love looking back on as a reference point of you being energized, connected with yourself and your environment, a sexy minute that could re-energize everyday life.

2. A excellent Destination: What place engages your sense of curiosity, your sense of where you and your companion(s) would love to research and also settle in for a moment?

3 Fragrant Local Guides: By guides I mean people who know that an adventure destination and are generous and passionate about sharing their expertise and experience. They may actually escort you on a trip or just educate you on areas off the beaten track, things to do, where to eat or sleep, and where to visit to be able to discover exceptional spots mentioned above--to create your own"sense of place". These guides can provide a local connection embodying their passion and excitement --they reveal an adventurous spirit that's joyful, even infectious. Guides offer a link to local people, places and experiences. They offer you security and useful information and recommendations.

4. Unique Gatherings The native Mi'kmaq on Cape Breton Island call parties"Mao I Omi" as well as the French call them"place de rencontre" and the Celts"Ceilidhs" (often involving music and dancing ). What you will discover is that meeting others and sharing your experiences, experiences and stories is a way to feel a part of things, to live your experiences and enjoy others'"magical experiences", gifts and abilities. Local parties, events and ceremonies are designed to make connection between individuals, a feeling of"magical", as well as the gift of great memories.

5. "An Adventure a Day (mild to wild)" By experience, I mean something which has a level of freshness and challenge to you even when you're accomplished at it. It doesn't need to be hiking up a wilderness trail or rock climbing, it may be as seemingly mild as learning a new recipe by a specialist chef or finding a blueberry patch ripe for the picking with the majority of the blueberries consumed on the spot and the remainder put to a yummy blueberry pie! Easy as it is to overload your journey, with a list of things to do, think about focusing on"an experience a day", whether mild, wild or someplace in between.

6. A Greater Purpose (During Service and Learning) Besides recreation why traveling? And is your adventure travel most important just for you and your companion(s)? Having a greater Purpose frequently adds to the experience and gets you beyond temporary distress and obstacles. 1 current objective is what I call the"Green Theme" for adventure travel. A lot people experience what some call a character deficit disorder (c/o writer John Louv) and detect it in our children and others' children. What happens when you connect with nature--trees, open space, birds and other creatures --is a sense of connection not only with nature but on your own. Connected to this"link" with nature is a growing desire and awareness of this delicate balance between nature and ourselves. Many volunteers and adventure travelers are trying to remain in areas that waste less and promote use of renewable energy, also tend to honor and preserve natural places or at least to do no harm. For campers the saying is to"leave not a trace". The goal progressively becomes to be"of service" and to have a greater purpose in adventure travel: you of appreciating and maintaining the green around you. The greater purpose for your trip can expand to any number of particular regions of adventure and potential learning:, the arts, outdoor recreation, re-building following a hurricane,, team-building, ie is any action for which you have a fire and can become a part of your experience travel. The purpose is to produce an effect in you or in your environment that's useful and has importance.

7. Well-being, health and safety locate a location and be with individuals fostering a feeling"well-being" or health. . After all, our regular routine is frequently full of work, obligations and, honestly, stress. Have you ever made space for"healing arts" or what some call"health" in your trip program? Ensure you have enough time and knowledge to not just travel safely, but to catch your breath and to regenerate. Assessing Your Brand of Magic in Adventure Travel You're the adventurer, jury and judge. The experience and feeling of the"Magic" is yours and it could be a different experience for your companion(s), but a good guideline is to ask yourself whether you have some memories and stories and even video or pictures that capture some of the juice, energy and excitement of the magic you created during your trip. Spread this soul of magic on your return home and the magic will last.

#travelling #travel #travel experience #travel tips #travel ideas #adventure travelers

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chaletnz · 7 years ago

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Slovenia Day One: Metelkova City, Lake Bled and Slovenian Sausages

Somehow I dragged myself out of the most comfortable bed I've slept in in months and got ready for the day at 4.30am. Since my last flight from Schiphol in the early morning (to Albania) where I cut it too fine I wanted to be as early as possible taking the first train! This time of course I was too early and didn't even need to pass through the immigration which seems to be the big delay. The flight was great, a window seat and a row all to myself plus the snow capped mountain views were amazing! I waited with all the Dutch tourists at the bus stop for the driver to show up about 20 minutes late and then I was en route to the city of Ljubljana through scenic country roads. The landscapes were all so crisp and colourful and with so much greenery around it didn't feel like autumn at all. But the scenery wasn't the only beautiful thing, as I sat on the bus and more Slovenians boarded I couldn't believe how good looking they all were! It was like being in Latvia all over again! From the bus window I caught sight of some interesting looking graffiti just before we stopped at the central bus station so I headed back in that direction and stumbled upon the coolest graffiti-filled garden court ever - Metelkova City! It must be lively in the evenings when all the pubs and clubs open but early morning was the perfect time to take a look around at the huge variety of art. The graffiti was one thing but I was so impressed by it as a whole, everywhere I looked I found a new mural, a unique sculpture or a sign. I wandered around the entire thing and enjoyed all the little surprises popping up along the way. I then walked back to my hostel, checked in and began the adventure to Lake Bled. I found where all the burnt orange and red trees were - lining the postcard perfect mountains on either side of the motorway to Bled! The bus dropped me on the town's main road but when I walked down a little further the lake came in to view in all its glory. Surrounded by green, red, orange and yellow trees there was the Bled Castle up above everything else, near the castle there was a church that demanded attention too. As I made my way around the lake's perimeter I discovered the tiny little Bled Island in the centre. I attempted to get some photos including failed selfies until I baited a couple trying to take a selfie, it's really very easy - you ask if you can take their photo and then they'll feel obliged to take one of you too! Back into the central city and I tried to see as many of the old town sights before the darkness really set in then I walked the liveliest streets and browsed in shop after shop of random knickknacks and unique souvenirs. I fell more and more in love with the originality of Ljubljana and the way the city seemed to have something waiting to impress me at every turn. I followed my map (which was honestly like a Bible) religiously and ended up at a popular local fast food restaurant for dinner. Klobasarna came highly recommended despite offering only Slovenian sausages and soup. When reading the menu - carniolian sausage with bread, mustard and horseradish, I had this image in my mind of a hot dog but the man at the counter sliced up the sausage into small pieces and then put everything separately onto a paper plate. It was an interesting meal to say the least! I sat inside on a small stool at the only table and ate silently as I read the full menu before me. It had been a full day and I was looking forward to a good sleep, and with my luck I had the entire 7 bed dorm to myself!

#Slovenia #Ljubljana #Lake Bled

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caveartfair · 6 years ago

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Searching for Truth in Rembrandt’s Myths

On a trip to Amsterdam during the city’s most nebulous season last month, I found myself lost in treacly thoughts. I was there to take in the many “Year of Rembrandt” exhibitions organized by the Dutch government to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the towering artist’s death.

The legendary nature of Rembrandt’s love life was at the forefront of my mind. His heart-rending reaction to his beloved first wife Saskia van Uylenburgh’s early death—the grief-stricken artist gave up painting for seven years—quickly turned from sentimental to schadenfreudian. I’m getting married this year, to a painter, and the thought that my fiancé might follow Rembrandt’s example in the event of my premature death was enticingly poetic.

Self Portrait with Saskia, 1636. Rembrandt van Rijn Forum Auctions

My sincere intention for the trip was to glory in the passionate artworks of this art-historical crush and to walk in Rembrandt’s shoes, to uncover the man behind myths of my own making. This should have been a simple task, considering the numerous primary documents the artist left behind, and the dearth of breathless scholarship that’s been written in the wake of his death. Instead, even before I stepped on the plane, I found myself lost again in a curious collision of conviction and reality.

Right before I left, my father excitedly shared with me his own late father’s belief that Rembrandt was secretly a Jew. Why else would the great painter have spent his costly pigments on lowly Jewish models, or turned to Old Testament subjects so often and with such respect? This false persuasion was not unique to him; it’s been tightly clung to by disenfranchised Jews for centuries.

I’m convinced: Rembrandt has fully ceased to be a man—he’s become a state of mind.

I wondered why my grandfather, whom I never once spoke to about art, cared about Rembrandt’s Jewishness in the first place. There’s a deep skepticism to his belief—that any form of empathy toward the Jewish people must be scrutinized for an ulterior motive—but I also recognized the same proud sense of myth and personal ownership over Rembrandt that had permeated my own artist-muse fantasies.

I returned from Amsterdam a few weeks ago; my experiences there strengthened my love for Rembrandt, and complicated his legacy. I’ve been flipping through the Polaroid photographs I took on the journey, over-exposed snaps of the artist as he appears in 21st-century Amsterdam. I’ve been gestating on them, but as the first night of Passover loomed, it all came together. Rembrandt devoted his life to an insistence on truth—emotional, physical—in his art, with a mission to involve viewers in the subtle narratives of his works. He married sacred myth and profane reality to achieve heightened, universal emotions. Today, as the artist is studied and celebrated, the attribution of his works picked apart, he remains shrouded in legend and projection.I’m convinced: Rembrandt has fully ceased to be a man—he’s become a state of mind.

The Oude Kirk, a grand medieval parish church around the corner from Rembrandt’s house, stands stony and forthright against the wind. Rembrandt’s children, most of whom died in his lifetime, were baptized there.

When he lived in Amsterdam, from 1631 until the end of his life, in 1669, Rembrandt enjoyed—and directly contributed to—a Golden Age in the Netherlands. It was a period of economic prosperity and scientific and artistic innovation driven by the energetically independent Dutch Republic. The port city teemed with middle-class merchants, scholars, artists, and immigrants of all shades. It was an exciting and diverse place to be.

The Amsterdam of today retains much of its Golden Age vivacity and infrastructure, and when the sun sets on a clear day, the city still glows with the same pale light immortalized by Dutch masters like Rembrandt and Vermeer. That’s not to say the history of the city, the one its population chooses to remember, and its present aren’t in conflict—they are, right now.

When I landed at Schiphol in the early morning, I got in a cab and headed straight to the Rijksmuseum in the city’s center. The largest repository of the artist’s work, the museum had mounted “All the Rembrandts”—an exhibition of literally every painting, etching, and drawing by the artist in its collection. I walked into the imposing building, a 19th-century castle, under the banner of Rembrandt’s face—a national statement of cultural pride.

A massive banner advertising “All the Rembrandts”—an exhibition of every painting, etching, and drawing by the artist in the Rijksmuseum’s collection—marks a national statement of cultural pride.

The museum had organized an interview with curator Jonathan Bikker, author of a new book on the artist, Rembrandt: Biography of a Rebel. Bikker mercifully allowed me to slurp several cappuccinos at the café as we engaged in a free-flowing conversation about Rembrandt, before joining the crowds to see the show. I mentioned my mawkishly romantic ideas on the artist and my grandfather’s conviction. “When you look at his work,” Bikker simply said, “you’re experiencing your own humanity.”

In the first exhibition halls, painted drab gray and my grandpa’s beloved Brooklyn Dodgers royal blue, I felt as if I was experiencing, for the first time, Rembrandt’s true self. Dense throngs of people of all kinds lingered over thumbnail-sized etchings—self-portraits of the artist made as a young man and as a seasoned one. They show him laughing maniacally, frowning, open-mouthed; in a beret, bare-headed; sword drawn or in retreat, contemplative.

From left to right: Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait with Raised Sabre, 1634; Self-Portrait, Open-Mouthed, 1630; Self-portrait with Beret, Wide-Eyed, 1630. Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum.

Rembrandt’s elderly parents peer out from other works, wrinkled and grotesque; the artist’s young son Titus smiles from behind a crop of his father’s curly hair; quick sketches capture Saskia’s serene face, over and over, on a single page. Then there are endlessly funny and empathetic urban scenes of food vendors, scampering children, beggars, foreign travelers, Jews, and other exotic street creatures he encountered. Rembrandt the man is most present in these commission-less drawings and etchings, in which he was free to train his eye on whatever he pleased, without the painterly guises of allegory or religious narrative.

His mischievous sense of humor is often most moving in these drawings. In the swift pen-and-ink sketch The Pancake Woman (ca. 1635), a few strokes render a boy digging desperately in his pocket for change as the impatient, withholding old pancake-maker regards him suspiciously from behind her griddle. A tumble of pen marks indicate tussling youths, and the straight-lined lip and puffed-out cheek of an even younger boy show at least one character’s pancake satisfaction. The scene calcifies in the final, more detailed etching, produced after the drawing in the same year.

Rembrandt van Rijn, The Pancake Woman, c. 1635. Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum.

Rembrandt van Rijn, The rat-poison pedlar, 1632. Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum.

Rembrandt van Rijn, A man making water, after 1630. Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum.

Rembrandt van Rijn, Three Women and a Child by a Door, c. 1645. Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum.

Rembrandt van Rijn, Jews in a Synagogue, 1648. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The humanity inherent to one of the artist’s most popular and magisterial religious etchings, however, is deepened by an appreciation of the studies that led up to it. Christ Healing the Sick (ca. 1648), also known as The Hundred Guilder Print, is a quintessential show of Rembrandt’s great skill in utilizing the dramatic effects of light and shadow. In typical fashion, Jesus radiates from the center of the picture as he opens his arms to the huddled masses encircling him.

At his feet, a frail woman feebly raises her hand to beg Christ for a miracle. Nearby, studies for this character show the woman growing progressively weaker. Her posture and delicate hand are lowered in each iteration, until the artist arrived at the wan but attention-grabbing gesture in the final print. Made only a few years after Saskia’s death, I wondered—tragically, pathetically—if these changes to the sick woman occurred as Rembrandt dug into his own memory for reference. That’s often how it was with Rembrandt—street scenes, real life, permeated his biblical narratives.

Early on in our conversation, Bikker railed against the tendency of art historians to overly read Rembrandt’s work through the lens of the artist’s biography, but even the curator couldn’t help but mingle the two in his own impassioned talk. Bikker spoke at length about The Jewish Bride (ca. 1665–69)—the work he considers “the greatest love story in painting of all time.” As we stood before this supremely modern masterpiece, it seemed to eloquently clarify every legend and sentimental feeling I was trying to make sense of at that moment.

Made between 1665 and 1669, during the experimental, rejuvenated period toward the end of the artist’s life, The Jewish Bride shows a tender moment between Isaac and Rebecca from the Book of Genesis. When he moves to a foreign Philistine land, Isaac fears that the king, Abimelech, or his men, will murder him for the chance to sleep with his young, beautiful wife. So he lies and pretends that they’re siblings. After a good amount of time has passed, their lie undetected, the king catches them in a caress, acting quite unlike a brother and sister should.

Rembrandt van Rijn, Isaac and Rebecca, known as ‘The Jewish Bride,’ c. 1665–69. Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum.

Rembrandt chose to depict this oddly tense moment of discovery, when the reader is sure that the couple is doomed. Isaac, dressed in glittering gold, the thick paint of his sleeve wonderfully scratched with the end of Rembrandt’s paintbrush, looks at his pearl-adorned wife with love as he fondly touches his hand to her breast. She, in turn, reaches over her red gown to skim her fingers against his probing ones. It’s a completely unstudied pose—the pair is still, for another fleeting moment, unaware of the intruding king and their imminent danger. But Abimelech is nowhere to be found in this picture. He is us—purveyors of judgment, witnesses to a profound love.

It’s a stunning work of art, for its expressionistic brushstrokes and sense of color, but more so for the compassionate and personal look at a genuine moment of affection. Across the whole history of art, it’s rare to encounter unaffected sincerity, and this genuineness is underscored by the exceptional artistic freedom Rembrandt took in its composition. It’s unclear who commissioned the painting, but it was presumably the models, probably a well-to-do couple. Basking before it,Bikker couldn’t help but suggest a resonance between this painting and Rembrandt’s life.

The greatest love story in painting of all time seemed to eloquently clarify every legend and sentimental feeling I was trying to make sense of at that moment.

In 1649, almost a decade after Saskia’s death, a despondent and cantankerous Rembrandt began a relationship with Hendrickje Stoffels, his housekeeper. The artist was in his forties and she in her twenties—an age gap that may mirror Isaac and Rebecca’s. Bikker offers as further evidence of Rembrandt’s amorous state his typically contrary decision to depict a scene infrequently chosen from the story. Usually, artists portrayed Isaac when he met Rebecca, who is shown as the consummate subservient wife, on wedding pamphlets. Otherwise, Dutch artists would play up the sexuality in the scene of their embrace, perhaps exposing Rebecca’s breasts. Rembrandt, my good man, chose to make his version far more profound.

Rembrandt van Rijn, Nude Woman Lying on a Pillow, c. 1658. Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum.

A Woman bathing in a Stream (Hendrickje Stoffels?), 1654. Rembrandt van Rijn "Rembrandt: The Late Works" at The National Gallery, London. Oct. 15th, 2014 – Jan. 18th, 2015.

A young Woman sleeping (Hendrickje Stoffels), about 1654. Rembrandt van Rijn "Rembrandt: The Late Works" at The National Gallery, London. Oct. 15th, 2014 – Jan. 18th, 2015.

Saskia with Pearls in Her Hair, 1634. Rembrandt van Rijn C. G. Boerner

Rembrandt van Rijn, Studies of Saskia and Others, 1636. Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum.

Judith at the Banquet of Holofernes, 1634. Rembrandt van Rijn Museo Nacional del Prado

This is a calling the artist took up again and again, to subvert the sacred to the personal and profane. Rembrandt was the preeminent painter of the Old Testament; his penchant for depicting these stories, a marked departure from Christian European artists’ almost myopic focus on narratives from Jesus’s life, had much to do with the artist’s generally rebellious attitude. His feeling that their grander themes lent themselves better to depicting the “passions of the soul,” as Bikker described it, seems especially endearing in light of his somber, 17th-century world of starched white collars and buttoned-up black silk. Surely no artist has better understood, as Saul Bellow has written, that in the Old Testament “all the strength and all the radiance of the world are brought to bear upon a few human figures.” There’s a fitting parallel here to my own projections on the artist—his biography has made him an unwitting conduit for our most universal, deeply felt emotions.

From left to right: Rembrandt van Rijn, The Sacrifice of Abraham, 1655; Adam and Eve, 1638; David at Prayer, 1652. Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum.

I thought again about my grandfather’s belief. To me, it’s clear that Rembrandt’s quest for authenticity, to replace the theatricalism of the Baroque with greater simplicity and sincerity, was largely responsible for his intense interest in the Old Testament. Rembrandt considered its main characters, the Jews—the “authentic people of the Bible,” as the art historian Jakob Rosenberg, himself a German Jew living in exile in the United States, wrote in his at-the-time definitive 1948 biography of the artist. Almost a third of Rembrandt’s works feature Jewish subjects or models. It was this same conviction in storytelling’s intimate relationship withreality that inspired Rembrandt’s tender, unidealized portraits of his lovers under the paradigms of exquisite, folkloric beauties. That thinking also led to his clear-eyed sketches of society’s most overlooked citizens, many of which were incorporated into religious scenes.

Rembrandt never stood on the floor of the anatomical theater, which was built 60 years after The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632) was painted, though the commissioning Surgeon’s Guild proudly displayed it there until the mid–19th century.

Out of the museum and on the street, I walked over the canals and stopped into a coffee shop in search of sustenance. Behind well-dressed twentysomethings sipping coffee, I was stunned to see a tacky reproduction of The Sampling Officials of the Amsterdam Drapers’ Guild (1662). The work, commonly known as The Syndics, had been sketchily brushed over with bright colors in what I imagine to be a “contemporary art” effect.

Despite the strangeness of seeing this serious painting—which shows the sober male guild members as they peer up, startled, by the interloper (us), who has interrupted their business—in such a fashionable setting, I found myself drawn again into the work. I had just encountered the original at the Rijksmuseum. As in The Jewish Bride, Rembrandt seemed to delight in creating compositions where we’re made to rudely interrupt. It was this attitude toward the viewer—his insistence on pushing them into the scene—I realized, that was paramount to his success in achieving emotional timelessness in this work.

The interior of an Amsterdam coffee shop where a reproduction of Rembrandt’s The Sampling Officials of the Amsterdam Drapers’ Guild (1662) is on view.

These intrusions also helped Rembrandt transform a usually staid genre into explosive history paintings. Far removed from religious ecstasies, the artist enlivened his group portraits with similar implied narratives. As in The Syndics, in his master paintings produced for Amsterdam guilds, like The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632) and The Night Watch (1642), the subjects acknowledge the viewer, who has cut in on their important activities. I had to spend one of my Polaroids on the scene in the café, and felt embarrassed—as if I were in the painting—as the hip set looked up in reaction to my flash.

Rembrandt van Rijn, The Sampling Officials of the Amsterdam Drapers’ Guild, known as ‘The Syndics,’ 1662. Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum.

Back on the streets, in the gray, soupy weather, I wound my way toward the house where Rembrandt lived from 1639 to 1658. Now preserved as a museum, Rembrandthuis is in a posh neighborhood on the Jodenbreestraat (Jewish Broad Street), adjacent to the city’s Jewish quarter. My grandfather’s isolated interest in Rembrandt, his conviction about his identity, followed me down these cobbled streets, considered a haven for oppressed Jewry throughout Europe and North Africa during the artist’s lifetime.

In the Rembrandthuis, I saw the at-the-time lavish quarters where the artist slept most nights—alone, in a small canopy bed, because that’s what people did back then. I walked through his sun-lit studio, his printing press, his wunderkammer (snakeskins flying from the ceiling, alligators on the wall, so many bones). Rembrandt was known as a generous teacher; he organized his students’ workspaces into little cubicles in the attic space, where his apostles churned out attendant works under his watchful tutelage.

Past and present mingle on “Rembrandt Corner” outside the Rembrandthuis, the home where the artist lived from 1639 to 1658, in a posh neighborhood bordering the Jewish Quarter, where he observed many of his Old Testament models.

In the modern exhibition galleries, a show called “Rembrandt’s Social Network” contends with another Rembrandt myth: the cherished idea of the solitary artist struggling alone with his genius and late-in-life debts, largely caused by his prolonged grieving period, when he forwent lucrative commissions. Throughout his life, Rembrandt proved to be strong-willed and largely uninterested in cow-towing to wealthy tastemakers. He preferred instead to socialize with family and friends, especially those who he felt understood art. His best pictures feature these personal figures, their intimate informality startlingly unique to the time.

I ventured back outside, where a diner’s red neon sign dubbed the area “Rembrandt Corner,” and crossed the street to stand on a bridge overlooking the Amstel river, my mind again on Gothic romance. I imagined Rembrandt out on his walks through the city following Saskia’s death, when he took up an interest in landscape. A pastiche stretched out before me, some of the scenery perfectly preserved from his era, other parts unerringly modern.

View on Amsterdam, 1640. Rembrandt van Rijn Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR)

I sensed his presence all over Amsterdam, a city that is historically preserved and reverent of Rembrandt, his ideals heroized and flouted. But most of all, I saw a world shaped by the artist, in which the fire and brimstone of the Baroque—the experiences of the few—gave way to the simplicity and sincerity of his emotional approach to his work, his cultivated obsession with veracity, even in biblical legend.

Today, in New York, I’m thinking about the Passover seder, which suggests divine punishment for those unwilling to insert themselves into the story of the Israelites’ redemption from slavery in Egypt. It is imperative to understand, the Haggadah intones, that God didn’t only save your ancestors—God saved you. In this directive, I recognized the same feeling from Bikker’s words about Rembrandt’s work, and the artist’s frequent decision to push the viewer into his narratives. Perhaps this is the heart of his “Jewishness.” The stories we tell ourselves about the past are one thing; our willingness to enter the scene, quite another.

The stairway leading up to a former anatomical theater, where paying members of the public observed dissections of executed criminals. It’s hiddenbehind the bar of a restaurant in De Waag, once a crowded gateway to the city of Amsterdam.

All of us are contending with the friction between facts and feelings—the disrespect between the two—especially in the political sphere. In this way, Rembrandt fits our current moment well. Despite historical record, his life and work remain wide open; historians and viewers alike can’t help but insert themselves into his story, a tumultuous one that glistens with all the contradictory feelings essential to life, and to great art.

from Artsy News

#Artsy News

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caffeconkim-blog · 7 years ago

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On Amsterdam

Young American tourists flock to Amsterdam because a certain type of herb is legal there....... Apart from counter culture being done incredibly well in this wonderfully clean and mesmerizing city, Amsterdam will leave you stunned and never wanting to leave *insert tears* .

At least that is what it did for my best friend and I!

Here is what we did and how we did it!

DAY ONE:

We flew AirEuropa for about 100 euros from Madrid to Amsterdam’s main airport, Schiphol. From the minute we set foot inside this airport we were amazed!!! (my best friend and I are easily entertained in general but WOW was this place FUN). The dutch aesthetics are very different, creative, and clean cut in comparison to what we are used to in the states and in Italy. There is a caffe called “Park Caffe” that is quite literally a PARK inside the AIRPORT.

To save money on taking a cab and also to have a mini adventure we decided to shuttle/tram to a stop very close to our hostel, Ecomama. Here are the instructions:

Public transport from Schiphol AMS Airport: Take any train to Amsterdam Central station. Travel time is 15 – 20 minutes. Tickets can be purchased from the ticket machines in the airport trainstation. One way tickets are 4.40 euro. From Amsterdam Central station follow directions as above. Public transport from Amsterdam Central Station: Walk out the front entrance of the station to the left until you see a blue sign with a big 'M', which stand for Metro. Walk down the stairs into the Metro Station. On the left you will see the check-in gates. Pass these with a valid ticket, that can be purchased in the station for Euro 2,80 (24-hours public transportation tickers are Euro 7,50). Walk down the stairs and take Metro number 51, 53 or 54 (don't worry about the direction). Get out of the metro at ' Waterlooplein'. When you get off the train, look for the blue direction signs and take the exit that leads to Waterlooplein. Walk up the escalator and pass the check-out gate. You will now see a snackbar in front of you. Turn right and take another escalator up to the exit of the station. On your right you will see a big square (during the day there is a market going on). Cross the street towards the square and head on straight (pass the market and cross another street) until you reach 'Valkenburgerstraat'. Walk down the street for about 4 minutes until you reach house number 124. Here you will see a coffee corner called 'Filter'. Walk in and go to the second desk. You have now reached Ecomama Hotel.

Ecomama hostel is a force to be reckoned with.

Valkenburgerstraat 124, 1011 NA Amsterdam, Netherlands

This hostel knows what they are doing. They have an earthy aesthetic full of young people and extremely clean conditions that will satisfy even the most picky person. We found a good deal for our two beds in the same room for 30 a night. Definitely worth every single euro. The location is a 5 minute walk from Rembrandt Square and a 10 minute walk to the Rijksmuseum in one direction and the Red Light district in the other direction. The customer service was incredible as well. Except for the fact that I was sharing a room with 6 other people, I really felt like I was at a hotel instead of a hostel.

Here are some pictures of the hostel:

Our room

The common space

The indoor tent fort

The stairwell

Alrightttttttttt... enough of me fan-girling and praising this hostel, now on to our adventures throughout the city!

We locked up our things at the hostel and aimlessly walked around until our stomachs called to a restaurant (it was lunch time). Tasty burger won our hearts and stomach over!!!! This place wreaked of BBQ and creative, fun, and LARGE burgers. I had the “Hangover Burger” which consisted of a 10oz. patty, cheddar cheese, jalapenos, hot sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, and avocado.

Here is my monstrosity of a lunch!

After fueling up........ we walked and walked and walked. The first place we stumbled upon was Rembrandt Square! Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was a Dutch draughtsman, painter, and printmaker. This square is surrounded by caffe’s, restaurants, and bakeries. The center of the square has statutes of Rembrandt’s work.

Here we are strutting a few poses!

We then continued just WALKING. Amsterdam is definitely a walking city so pack your comfiest sneakers and a portable umbrella (also a very rainy city). You can get anywhere in this city in no longer than 30-40 minutes. LOOK BOTH WAYS FOR BIKES EVERYWHERE YOU GO !!!!! NOT JOKING!!!!! YOU CAN’T HEAR THEM COMING!! Amsterdam is home to over ONE MILLION bikes in use by its citizens alone! Not even counting the tourists on the bikes without a clue!

Here are some pictures from just walking around the canals:

Seriously, just explore! Every corner of this city is worth taking in.

We then stopped for cake...lol.... the bakeries here are actually UNREAL and then I found the frozen yogurt shop franchise I worked at in high school in Miami!

Our cake:

Yogen- Fruz!

Later that night we grabbed a quick and cheap bite from the caffe at our hostel and went out with a tour our hostel does on Monday nights for 10 euros of the local bar scene. This is a great way to meet people while abroad! We made a ton of friends that were also staying at our hostel and had a great time bar hopping places where the locals hit in Amsterdam. It was also nice to have a local with us that worked as the hostel’s guide of sorts (who was also around our age!)

Some of the bars we hit were:

1. OT301

2. Café The Minds

3. Roest

4. The Greenhouse Effect

These were all great! I would highly recommend them all!

DAY TWO:

We woke up early and hit the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum. We beat all the lines and were able to stroll in peace. We had a wonderful time taking in all the art around us and appreciating the museum’s architecture.

Van Gogh Museum 17 euros a ticket:

The Rijksmuseum 17.50 euros a ticket:

and here we are on the Iamsterdam!

We then had a rather sweet lunch at the Dutch Pancake House. This place is rated to have the Best Pancakes in all of Amsterdam and after one bite, I believed them.

We had a food coma after those EXTRAORDINARY pancakes and relaxed in Vondelpark. The Vondelpark is a public urban park of 47 hectares in Amsterdam, Netherlands. We felt like we were surrounded by all the locals here while we laid down and just took in some sun.

Next up, was dinner! We walked deep into Amsterdam to the Bazaar restaurant. This Moroccan restaurant was built inside of a remodeled church in a more cultural neighborhood in Amsterdam. We had a delicious meal and our surroundings were absolutely stunning.

Later that night we took a stroll around the Red Light district. It was very clean, exactly how everyone had described it to be, and extremely interesting to just take it. A phenomenon like the legalization of prostitution in the United States would cause extreme public uproar and debate, and yet in Amsterdam is was amongst some of the most casual nightlife activities.

Heres a photo I snapped on one of the bridges in the district. The lit up neon pig is a theatre called “Casa Rosso”. It is the district’s most famous live porn show theatre.The lines to get in wrap around multiple blocks.

DAY THREE:

We woke up early yet again because our flight to Munich was at 7pm. We packed all of our things and left them in the storage room in the hostel free of cost. We checked out by 9am and had a few hours left to explore before we shuttled back to the airport.

We rented bikes for 9 euros for 4 hours.

WARNING: if you do not consider yourself a pro biker I would not recommend renting bikes in this city. The bike riding scene on the streets is very intense, crowded, and something the locals should only partake it. It is so easy to fall off and get lost. We definitely decided we would never rent bikes here again! We did lose each other but had the common sense to return to where we rented the bikes and found each other again.

Here I am on my bike!

We returned our bikes and had the brunch of champions at Mr. Paprika which is right next to the floating flower market! It was only 10 euros for all this!

Our final stroll was over to the Anne Frank house. We were slightly upset to find out that the lines to get into the museum were extremely long and could take anywhere between 4-5 hours to get through. When we tried booking tickets in advance they were also all sold-out for weeks at a time. We decided to go pay our homage anyways and at least see her home from the outside and where she roamed around. We were happy we did. Both my best friend and I identify as Jewish and were happy to be able to live to see today because of the sacrifices little girls like Anne faced during the evil of the Holocaust.

Here are the doors to her home:

So there you have it! All of the aforementioned gave me a much deeper and greater appreciation for the wonders of the Netherlands. I spent roughly 250 euros here as well between food, trams, and the hostel stay.

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megankohl-blog · 8 years ago

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More Amsterdam/Keukenhof

(May 21, 2017)

Today was another very busy day, and my legs are so tired from all the walking! I have over 20,000 steps today (according to my Fitbit), and I still have time to walk more! This morning, my group-mates and I got up early to go to Keukenhof Gardens. We left our Airbnb at about 8:30 am and walked to the train station. Prior to coming on this trip, my group-mates and I bought tickets for both the gardens and the transportation there and back, and the transportation involved taking the train to the Schiphol Airport and then taking the bus from the airport to the gardens. So, this is what we did. It did not take very long to get to the gardens this way (about an hour or a little bit less), and I slept for most of the time, so it went by very quickly. Before I knew it, we had arrived. We entered the gardens and started walking around. Everything was very pretty, even though a lot of the flowers were beginning to die (today was the last day the gardens were open). We walked all through the gardens, and we saw a lot of beautiful plants and flowers along the way. We also saw a lake, some statues, a windmill, various mini displays and gardens, and even a quick fashion show. Additionally, we went on a mini zipline, went through a plant maze, and went in a little petting zoo. It was cool to be at the gardens, as we saw a lot of people from all over the world there. There were a lot of tourists, so we did not have a ton of interaction with locals during this experience, but it was cool to enjoy the experience with people from all over the world.

After walking through all the gardens, we walked about ten minutes to see Castle Keukenhof. On our way there, a woman started talking to us in Dutch, and we did not understand what she was saying. We responded by saying that we only spoke English, and she was immediately able to start speaking to us in English. She was asking for directions to the Keukenhof Gardens. This is not the first time something like this has happened. It seems like most of the locals here can speak both Dutch and English and can switch between them relatively easily. On the bike tour yesterday, a different biker passing by said something to our group in English. Our tour guide commented on how he loved the way that locals could tell when they saw tourists and would then speak in English rather than Dutch. Anyway, we then answered the lady’s question in English. It was cool that we could help a local, and it was cool that they thought we looked like we knew what we were talking about. It made my group-mates and I feel as if we were somewhat blending in with the locals around us. So, we then went and saw the castle. It was pretty cool, and there were not very many tourists there, so it felt like we’d found a hidden treasure.

After this, we walked back to Keukenhof Gardens to catch a bus back to the Schiphol Airport. On our walk back, we were walking on a bike path. The bike paths here are very interesting, as mopeds can go on the paths. I got frightened a few times when the mopeds went driving past me as I was walking. Some of them got pretty close to me! Anyway, soon we were back at Keukenhof Gardens, and we hopped on a bus to get back to the airport. I fell asleep on the bus ride once again. I think I need to try to get more sleep tonight! So, we soon got to the airport, and then I got a small caramel flavored coffee to wake me up a bit. We then ate a quick lunch while we were at the airport as well. Mary and Erica got pizza, and I got a to-go chicken Caesar salad from a supermarket in the airport. It was quite tasty, and I enjoyed it. After we ate, we took the train back to the train station in Amsterdam, and then we tried to get an uber over to the Van Gogh Museum. Unfortunately, the first uber driver we called had no clue what he was doing. We could not find where to meet him, and then he started the ride and started charging us before we were even in the car. It was ridiculous! So, we cancelled that uber and requested a refund from uber. Then we called a new one, and there were no issues with this driver. He picked us up within one minute and drove us to the Van Gogh Museum.

Once we got to the area near the Van Gogh Museum, we saw that a large market had been set up. Apparently, the market happens every third Sunday, so we were excited that it was happening the weekend that we were here! Since our time slot for the museum was not for another hour or so (we bought fast track tickets yesterday after having trouble getting in due to the long line), we decided to walk around the market in the meantime. There were lots of cute little stands, and both my group-mates bought some cool souvenirs for themselves and their family and friends. It was really fun to walk through, as a lot of the items for sale were homemade. Everything was very unique, and it allowed us to step into the culture of Amsterdam a little bit more.

After we walked through the market, it was about time for us to go to the Van Gogh Museum, so we began to head over. Soon, we arrived and began looking around the museum. We went up a few floors and looked at all the art around us, but we were confused, as we had seen nothing by Van Gogh by the time we got to the top floor. We knew something was up! So, we walked back down to the lobby and saw that the Van Gogh exhibit was on the other side of the museum. I have no idea how we didn’t see all the signs pointing to the exhibit the first time we entered. Yikes. Anyway, we then went in the Van Gogh exhibit, and it was very cool. There were lots of floors with a lot of his artwork. It was cool to see his work, as I had learned about Van Gogh and his art at school in the past, and now everything was visible to me in real life. All throughout this trip, I have been seeing things that previously only existed in my imagination, and now they are coming to life. It is a very neat experience.

Then, we left the museum and went to take pictures at the Iamsterdam sign. Luckily, today there was not a street performance blocking the entire view (like happened yesterday), so we were able to get some good pictures.

After this, we decided to get a quick dinner in the market. There were a bunch of cute food trucks at the back of the market, and we all ended up getting these yummy barbecue chicken wraps. We sat down at a table in the market to eat these, and it felt absolutely amazing to sit down and get off my feet for a few minutes. Then, after we ate, we looked at a few more stands at the market and then headed back to our Airbnb.

It is still so cool to look at all the buildings and canals of this city as we walk around. Also, it is interesting to look at the buildings, as some of them are crooked and slanting over. Our tour guide on our bike tour yesterday told us that this was because the wooden structures that hold up the buildings tend to sink unevenly into the ground. I thought this sounded a little bit dangerous, but our tour guide didn’t seem at all concerned. Amsterdam is such a cool and unique city. I am so happy I have the chance to be here.

Anyway, tonight my group-mates and I are going to an Ice Bar. We bought the tickets yesterday, and we are supposed to get to the bar at 11 pm today. I have never been to an Ice Bar before, so I think it will be a cool experience. I have been told that the bar provides us with warm jackets and gloves. I hope that I do not get too cold while I am there! I have bad circulation so wish me luck!

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piarou-neelix · 8 years ago

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Surviving VidCon Europe 2017

So, I am slowly getting back to being alive again. So far since crawling out of my bed (for the second time today) at one pm, I have only tripped twice, bumped my head thrice, and spilled/dropped stuff (drink/bread/butter/washing-powder) four times. So yay! :D Now to try and put these past days into words. In only one word is easy: AMAZING. But there is so much more to say than just that it was probably the best weekend I have had in years. So many feelings to describe, so many emotions to be conveyed. And so many people to thank.

Let's start this tale at last Thursday, April 6th, 2017. Under an indecisive sky I waited for Johanna, the fellow Vidcon-volunteer, whom I had only talked to through Skype for an awkward half hour before that day, that was going to stay at my place for the coming nights. With a delay of five hours her bus from Vienna finally arrived at Sloterdijk, and I got to meet her at last in real life. And what luck I had in having her for a guest. Johanna is a young woman with a base state of happiness that is so heart-warming and mind-soothing to undergo and be around, it is almost unreal. That being coupled with a sharp mind and a smart wit made her one of my favorite people I know through the power of the internet almost immediately. The lively and intriguing conversation we had during our short walk through the woods in Castricum after dropping off her bags at my place was a confirmation of my first instincts. After the walk we cooked together, ate our prize, and then played two rounds of Kahuna before going to bed early-ish. Friday we got up at what felt early for me then, but was to become a blessed long sleep compared to the days after. ;) Following a typical Dutch breakfast with bread with 'hagelslag' we took the train to Amsterdam. We started the day with a tour of the more typical touristy locations so Johanna could check them off of her list, after which we went to the Vondelpark where an International Nerdfighter Meeting was organized by good soul Richard. It was the first time in years that I was at a Nerdfighter meeting where I knew less than seventy-five percent of the people. The sun was a bit unsure about it all (though managed to burn me nonetheless), but I think all had a great time. There was songs being sung, games being played, and friends being gained. Johanna, me, and several others had to leave the gathering for a while, because there was a volunteer-training scheduled at the RAI. Other than finally meeting Nick who was our coordinator, I didn't learn much there and then. But I did get to meet more of my fellow volunteers, which was cool. A whole bunch of them joined us at the pizza-place that evening, which made us a group of over 60 for a reservation of 20, but after splitting in two we still had food for all, spread out over two restaurants. All in all, a good day, filled with loads of nice people. Okay, I felt a bit tired from the somewhat too much walking I had done, and my forehead almost gave light from the sunburn, but I figured I would manage. Then again, Vidcon hadn't even started for real yet, for me. :D That happened on Saturday. And oh wow, did it start. So many people eager for an event they had been waiting for for months, if not years. Lines of fans waiting for a chance to meet, touch and take pictures with their heroes, whom they had so far only seen in digital form. And that sea of enthusiasm was compressed to a stream of roiling emotions in the meet-and-greet-wristband-distribution-line. My original shift was a bit over-staffed compared to the understaffed situation at this bottleneck of the first morning, so I was transferred to help out there. And thus I got a first glimpse of what this weekend would entail for me. Hard work, and loads of smiling faces filled with anticipation and joy. In an attempt to entertain the masses while they waited, and to keep myself awake as well, I did some frolicking and goofing around, doing impromptu little dances and pirouettes whenever I had the chance. But as time moved on, it became clear that the lines were filling way faster than we were clearing them, so an extra line was created, and the time for whimsical folly was over. I know for a fact that I was by far the worst wristband-attacher of all times, but looking down and me are not the best of friends. ;) As my shift ended, my neck and eyes were hurting, as well as my fingers. But still, I was filled with an overflowing sense of warmth and happiness just because I was helping people get the best days of their lives. After a short break, and catching the first half of The Vlogbrothers' Q&A, I started what eventually became my favorite shift of the weekend: The Vidcon Booth. Seriously, I was born to stamp passports-of-joy. Enticing people to just go that one more step to get not five, but ten stamps was such fun. Coming up with creative reasons why/how people earned the stamp for “Awesomeness” was the most energy-giving thing I have done in ages. Being on various selfies I had 'forced' people to take for yet another stamp, or just seeing the weird/cute/tender/beautiful selfies being taken right in front of me to earn that precious red blob of ink. Encouraging people to write or draw something on the wall, and then later realizing they had made a little piece of art. All that and more made it the best few hours of 'work' I have ever had. I went across the street for a quick Dirk-van-den-Broek sandwhich for dinner, and then it was time for the Saturday-evening featured-creator-show. Being blown away by the facial expressions and amazing voice of Carrie Hope Fletcher and the wonderful poetry of Savannah Brown made up for the somewhat cringe-worthy Max and Harvey performance. Matthew Patrick closed the night with words of power and honesty that made me want to hug him to make him feel better, and thank him for making so many others feel better. And then it was time for the trip home. The NS had decided to work on the tunnel between Amsterdam and home, so we (Johanna and I) were fearing a replacement bus-service was to be our lot, but luckily the whole weekend we managed to time our travels thus perfect that we could catch the rerouted intercity home. Five hours of sleep is a lot more than four-and-a-half, so we were quite happy with that, indeed. :D My Sunday shifts were a lot less exciting to me. I was room-monitor in the morning, and auditorium monitor in the afternoon. But to be fair, I don't know if I could have handled much else after I started the Vidcon-day with a tumble on the concrete floor. Both my knee and my shoulder were scuffed, and turned stiff quite rapidly. But hey, the show must go on, so I kept doing my utmost best to make everyone around me have the bestest of times at this first ever Vidcon Europe. The morning-shift I decided to be the outside-monitor, as that ensured me to have a quiet start of the day, and meant less walking around with the microphone. But the auditorium was too big to be handled by one mic-walker. And at that point my energy had been adequately replenished by the many awesome fellow volunteers. So I happily went were the panels wanted me to go. The two panels during which I had my shift were very interesting and I will certainly take some of their words with me. In between all of this, there were of course the meet&Greets I myself had the opportunity to have. On Saturday I got to hug Emma Blackery, and give her a bag of fizzy peaches, proving that not all forty year old followers of her are creepy af. Sunday in the afternoon I hugged Hank Green (@edwardspoonhands.tumblr.com this is what I meant when I said I still blame you: http://piarou-neelix.tumblr.com/post/153356577720/i-blame-you), and between my last shift and the volunteer-thank-you-party, I met Hannah Witton, whom I had already met almost exactly two years earlier in Amsterdam. After hugging her, it was straight to the Nedfighter-special event, but that was a bit too noisy for me, so I retreated to the volunteers' little safe-haven of calm and quiet next to registration, where I doled out my ever-present new addiction, Verkade Bites (seriously, don't eat them, or don't blame me). Then it was time for the aforementioned volunteer-thank-you-party, where I managed to grab a bite of food as well. I was amazed to realize I hadn't even met all volunteers yet that were in the room. And all were amazing, seriously. So much friendliness and warmth in one room was invigorating to the soul, and strengthened my already high trust and belief in humanity. A (not completely) surprise-visit by Hank Green, where we caught him in a circle of high-fives, and some completely unexpected gifts were nice unneeded bonuses to an already awesome event. It all ended with the logical end, the Sunday-evening featured-creator-show. We had missed the beginning due to our 'private' party, but saw most of it anyways. Dodie and Jon Cozart were, in my humble opinion, the stars of the evening, and Kwebbelkop surprised me with the way he filled his time on stage in a positive way, but all on stage were amazing this evening. Except maybe for the herring. ;) But as with all things, even the best of the best events have to end some time, and so it went here as well. After hugs and farewells Johanna and I took our leave of the Rai to once again travel to Castricum, and our much needed beds...

...for four hours of sleep. :( Johanna, adventurer as she is, had to go to her next big memory-in-the-making, and had to be at Schiphol at six in the morning. So after a short night, and a very weirdly quiet train-ride, it was time for me to say goodbye to my new friend (for now). She took the one train, that being her first step on the road to India and a new adventure, and I took the other back to Castricum again, and to another couple of hours of sleep. And then, it was all really over. But in my mind, the event will never end. My heart, head, and soul has been changed by all the wonderful people I have met during these past four days, the new friends I made, and the words I heard. Especially the awesome group of volunteers I will not soon forget. Once again I have seen the proof that the world of the interwebs is a powerful world indeed, and that it can do the most beautiful things, and knit the most awesome communities out of yarn from many different types of stories.

#vidcon europe #vidconeurope #hank green #hannah witton #emma blackery #nerdfighter #effyeahnerdfighters #dftba #jon cozart #dodie #rai amsterdam #seriouslypeopleIlovedthisweekend

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