#so basically i want to lead a huge euro trip for me and my little sisters

[abby420]

love being an older sister sometimes bc like i get to be like omg i am going to fill your lives with so much joy and great memories

[donttellpeterparker]

Euro Trip Part 2

Summary: A trip of a lifetime right? Going abroad with your friends and the guy you were head over heels for... how could anything possibly go wrong?

Requested: No

Word Count: 3.6k+

Warning(s)?: FFH Based, Please don't read if you haven't seen FFH

Taglist: @editsbyjenny, @campcampie, @peter-parkerdeservedbetter, @jackiehollanderr, @lukesbabylon, @fangeekkk, @kaylaisafangirl, @pfctparker (message or submit if you’d like to be tagged too, however if you’re hyperlink doesn’t work I’ll scratch it out as above)

masterlist (xx) request (xx)

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Part 1, Part 3, Part 4

Euro Trip

''Hey man, did you see Y/N and Brad on the plane? They were practically laughing together the entire time'' Peter stresses, not helping but to stare at both you and Brad. He had noticed your friend didn't look pleased either.

''Relax dude, I'm sure it's nothing'' Peter just frowned and finally peeled his eyes away. So far this trip was not going as he had planned. In fact, the plan was basically beginning to fall apart.

''Hey babe, can you hold this for me please?'' Peter's eyes widen when he sees Jenny approach Ned.

''Yeah, of course'' Ned replies sweetly.

''Thanks baby'' Jenny coos,looking straight into his eyes. It almost made Peter want to throw up. How in the hell did this happen? And since when?

''What was that?'' Peter couldn't help but ask. Ned beamed from ear to ear.

''Okay well, Me and Jenny got talking on the plane and it turns out we actually have a lot in common so uh, we're boyfriend and girlfriend now''

''What ever happened to 'Bachelors in Europe'?'' Peter was growing more and more confused by the second.

''Peter, those were the words of a boy, and that boy met a woman, a very strong and powerful woman and now... that boy is a man'' That logic made no sense to Peter but he just nodded anyway, happy for Ned nonetheless.

''Babe?'' Jenny calls.

''Coming babe'' Ned responds cheerfully, quickly scurrying off after her. Peter shook his head to himself and soon found himself frowning again.

How in the hell does Ned managed to score the girl in an 8 hour plane ride yet he had been trying for months?

~*~*~*~*

After we all had made it through customs we were all waiting outside the airport where the river had met. I smiled to myself once I saw the boat arriving towards us. However, my eyes soon traveled all around, taking in as much as I could. It was Venice, Italy for crying out loud! This place was amazing!

''All aboard now!'' Mr Harris, of course, was still in charge. I hopped on quickly and made my way up to the front, finding a seat where I could see everything. I couldn't wait to start exploring the city.

Unfortunately we had made it to the hotel not 20 minutes later. All of us faced the hotel and all collectively groaned.

''It's under some... renovations'' Mr Harris tried to keep us all optimistic but failed. It looked like it was falling apart. We all grabbed our stuff and began walking inside.

''Well, here we are- ohhh'' Mr Harris began but cut himself off once he stepped in a huge puddle of water. I smiled to myself, finding it amusing before looking around the ground. My smile soon fell.

''This place is sinking'' Flash speaks up, avoiding the pot holes of water.

''At least we're on the second floor'' I spoke up sarcastically earning multiple unpleasant stares from the group.

''Not funny, Y/N'' My best friend glared, she continued to walk straight past me and follow a few others to the center of the room.

''It was a little funny'' I muttered to myself, not appreciating everyone's negativity.

''I thought it was funny'' Brad came up to me and smiled. I turned to look at him and faked a bit of a smile back. I decided to just nod my head and walk away, joining everyone else in the middle.

''Okay everyone! Bags off! We are gonna meet at the D'vinci (can't spell :/) Museum at 3! Let's go!'' Everyone was very surprised to say the least once we saw Mr Fitz at the front screaming at us happily.

''Spastalo, everyone!'' Mr Harris calls.

''It's spostalo" Jenny corrects him earning a loving glance from Ned. Once we all made our way up the stairs, which we had to take one at a time, Mr Fitz handed us our room keys, each of us pairing up.

''Guess we're sharing'' MJ walks up and stands still next to me, holding an identical room key. I smile at her and nod. MJ and I weren't very close but we were friendly.

''Guess so'' I responded, still too distracted with the peeling wallpaper around us. I worried for what our rooms and bathrooms were like.

~*~*~*~*

It was nice to finally step outside the hotel and get some fresh air. The air was so clean here, I could easily smell the salt water which was surprisingly pleasant to my nose. I made sure I had everything I needed with me in my off the shoulder purse before heading out with everyone else.

''Where do you want to go first?! There's so many shops we can look at! So much stuff to buy!'' I laughed at my best friend's antics, knowing she lived and breathed shopping. I smiled to her happily and took her arm, leading her away from the group and off separately.

''3 O'clock ladies!'' Mr Fitz callled out to remind us. We just turned around and smiled before happily skipping off down the small road.

We stopped literally in the first shop and had a look around inside, trying on different hats and sunglasses, taking a few crazy pictures before moving along. There was just so much to do!

''Okay I'm beat, there's only so much shopping I can do'' I answer honestly after visiting our 15th store. My best friend turned around and frowned but soon smiled once she saw one of our fellow classmates.

''Casey come with me! Y/N's getting tired, wanna swap buddies?'' I smiled my thanks to her as Casey and I traded places.

''Love you, dork!'' My best friend called over her shoulder as both her and Casey walked off.

''Love you, Loser!'' I called back just as happily with a smile before turning to walk in the opposite direction with Mindy. We had decided to walk for a while in silence, both of us wanting to soak all of this up. I held my camera up as I took pictures of everything. I was so glad I brought an extra SD card.

''Oh the pier! Let's go!'' Mindy happily took my hand and dragged me over to the Pier. I was so grateful she did, my eyes widen at the view in front of us. It was beautiful.

''Do you think we could get some pictures?'' Mindy asked nicely, pointing towards my camera. I smiled and nodded, putting the camera up in front of my face as Mindy posed for a few pics.

''Awesome! Your turn!'' I gave her the camera and posed for a few pics as well, feeling a pair of eyes on me while doing so. I shrugged it off and walked up to Mindy to collect my camera. I walked along the pier a little more and stopped in front of one of the boats and knelt down, the crystal clear water brushing alone the old boat would make a perfect picture.

Again, I felt a pair of eyes on me so I turned around and smiled once I saw Peter on the pier as well, a little further up. I swallowed the lump in my throat and willed my heart to slow down as we held eye contact for a few more seconds.

''Bo (I couldn't look it up so bare with me)'' I blurted out once Peter was in ear range of me.

''What?'' I smiled and rose to my feet.

''It's my new word, it's actual quite cool it fits me perfectly'' Peter just stares at me slightly confused.

''Well what does it mean?'' He asked with a soft smile.

''It could mean I don't know, get out of my face or I don't know and get out of my face'' He just smiles and shakes his head.

''Well that's... interesting'' I furrow my eyebrows as I notice a small bag in his head.

''What's in that?'' I was curious by nature as well. Peter looks like a deer caught in headlights and quickly looks at the bag himself, quickly popping the bag behind his back.

''Bo'' I smiled up at him and laughed softly.

''Nice'' Was all I said before I turned back around admire the view. Peter stood beside me for a few more seconds, soaking in the view as well.

''I honestly wish we could stay here forever'' I blurt out without realising, my eyes still trained on the beautiful city and water in front of us.

''So do I..'' I could hear Peter's voice drop a little, as if he was deep in thought but I didn't question it. He was always like that.

Though feeling my heart speed up more and more inside my chest I needed to get away from him soon. Liking your guy best friend was such a cliche. It never ever works out in the end which was sad. I liked Peter, a lot, but I never wanted to lose my friendship with him over something like my non-so-friendly feelings.

I glanced down to water level and see it begin to lower against one of the pier's stand. I took a step forward and watched the water lower even more, the pier's algae rotting stand showing complete view.

I followed the water and looked out towards the middle when all of a sudden a massive wave shoots up in the sky. 

Startled, I jump back with a start, a scream getting lodged inside my throat. The water soon drops down creating a ripple effect. I jump back even further once I see a small boat holding Ned and Jenny come flying towards us.

I feel a pair of hands on my waist pulling me back even further, the boat just millimeters from me.

''Ned, Jenny, are you okay?!'' Peter asks frantically from behind, his hands soon leaving my waist to help out Jenny and Ned. I join as well, taking Jenny's trembling hand into my own. She steps off the boat safely and begins sprinting up the Pier towards the street opening.

I stop short once I hear a low grumble, an inhumane grumble that echoed off all the surrounding buildings. My body grew cold as I felt my heart stop. The water began to lower again and my eyes widen.

''Guys it's happening again!'' I yelled at Peter and Ned, both of them turning their heads to see the water rise again, this time a figure form taking shape in the water. My feet were frozen in place as all I could do was stare in horror.

''What the hell is that!?'' Ned asks, panicking.

''I don't know!'' Peter responds just as flabbergasted.

''Well, what are you going to do!?'' Peter just turns to face Ned and shakes his head, completely out of ideas. He came on vacation leaving his other persona at him, this was the trip where he was just going to be himself, no spider-man.

''I don't know I just...'' Peter trails off as he sees most of his classmates along the pier including you who was only a meter away. His eyes widen in fear once again, not wanting to see any of you guys hurt, especially you and Ned.

''Get everyone out of here Ned, hurry!" Peter yells out Ned. He watches as Ned grabs your hand and quickly begins dragging you away and off the pier. Peter gulps nervously as he turns back to the river, watching the water figure move along and over towards the bridge.

''Oh, no you don't'' Peter quickly ditches his back pack and jumps onto the bare pier stands, jumping across them and onto the bridge helping everyone off before he was blown back by a massive wave of water, knocking him off of his feet and against the railing.

Meanwhile I ran for my life alongside everyone else. Ned held both Jenny's and I's hands as he led as both away to safety, inside the nearest building and making us duck for cover. As soon as we were all on the ground I willed my heart to stop beating so fast, the fear and adrenaline shooting through my entire body.

''Hell of a trip, huh?'' I tried to joke while we could all still hear the crashing of buildings in the distance. All I earned in response were death glares.

~*~*~*~*

Once everyone was back at the hotel I could tell everybody was on edge. Having a brush with death really left everyone shaken. I couldn't believe that this has happened, where were the rest of the avengers to help defend these people?

I couldn't help but to feel slightly angry towards them, wanting to blame them for the events that occurred today. I knew it wasn't their fault but somehow I always feel that they are responsible for things like this happening.

''Are you okay?'' MJ had approached me. I turn to her and fake a smile, nodding my head.

''I'm fine, are you?'' She nodded as well, though I couldn't even tell if it was fake or not. I walked away and joined Jenny and Ned on their laptop, peeking over their shoulder to see what they were looking at.

It hadn't dawned on me till then that someone was missing. How could I have not noticed earlier? Probably the big freaky water monster was the answer but still, how could I have not noticed that he was missing?

''Where's Peter?'' I began to freak out, alerting a few nearby students with me. Ned turns in his chair so quickly and his eyes widen.

''He was with us the whole time remember? Though he wanted to stay in the back just in case it was chasing us'' Ned had lied smoothly. However my eyes widened even more.

''Oh my god the water monster took him'' Realisation dawned on me as Ned's eyes widen even more.

''No! No h-h-he's here I promise, let's check his room'' He tries to calm, sending a loving look to Jenny before leading me up stairs. My hands wouldn't stop shaking the entire time. I was so selfish, only thinking of my own damn safety when Peter's was on the line. I could almost taste the bile that was coming up from my throat.

If he was hurt or.. worse, I could never forgive myself. I've always paid close attention to Peter, so much that I knew his damn schedule. Okay... that might be a little creepy but I couldn't help it, he keeps disappearing all the time, it's hard not to keep track of that.

''Peter! Buddy, wanna open on up? I know you're inside I-I-I just really need a jacket, the air conditioning is broken down stairs so it's getting cold...'' Ned trailed off. I squinted my eyes at him, not believing him for a second before banging on the door myself.

''Peter open this damn door!'' My voice boomed in the small hallway. Ned tried to reach for my hand to stop me but I just pulled it away.

''Why the hell isn't he opening the door Ned? Oh, maybe it's the fact that he was taken and all of us were too stupid to see it!'' I yelled in despair, Ned's eyes frowning. I instantly felt guilty for yelling at him but didn't apologise yet, he was covering for him and I wanted to know why.

''He wasn't taken Y/N, I promise'' I stare at him flabbergasted.

''How can you promise that? You were with Jenny and I... you weren't even with him!'' I could feel my eyes begin to water with tears. My heart beating faster and faster inside my chest at all the possibilities.

''I told you! He was behind us the entire time I swear!'' Ned began to yell too, growing more and more worried for Peter himself.

''Then how come I never saw him?'' I threw back, turning back to the door in worry. I knock one more time and try to move the door handle. It was locked.

''Why don't you just open the door? Get your key or something'' I turned back to look at Ned, still worried. Ned visibly frowned.

''What, what is it?''

''I left it in the room...'' I knew Ned was telling the truth this time. I let out a frustrated groan and banged on the door one last time, so loudly that the door beside Peter's room swung open.

''What the hell are you kids doing?'' Mr Fitz stepped out, his eyes looking tired as if he had just woken up.

''How in the hell have you slept through all of this?! One of your students is missing!" I yelled before Ned could even stop me.

''Missing?'' At this he quickly widen his eyes and rush past us, running down the stairs.

''Great, why did you do that?'' Ned turns to me in anger now. I look up at him in bewilderment.

''Uhhh, maybe because there is in fact a student missing!'' How in the hell was Ned so... calm about this compared to you? What in the hell was he hiding?

The door quickly opens, almost coming off it's hinges by how harshly it was pulled. Ned and I stop and turn to look at the doorway, noticing a tired Peter Parker standing there. I was the first to launch forwards and wrap my arms around his neck. Peter stiffened as he felt his injuries hurt at the contact but wrapped his arms back around you regardless, sending Ned a 'thank you' smile over your shoulder.

''Where in the hell were you? We were so worried...'' I let my voice trail off, holding Peter even closer to me. Peter just smiled sadly to himself and held you even closer despite his pain, feeling his own heart starting to beat like crazy. Ned just smiled at the two and decided to walk down stairs to deal with both Teachers before a massive freak-out occurred.

''God I was so scared... you were gone.. And I-'' I hiccuped as a sob managed to lodge in my  throat, a tear escaping my eye and down onto my cheek. I didn't want to admit that I hadn't noticed, what kind of person would that make me?

''I'm here, I was always here'' Peter replies softly trying to ease you. I sniffled however and tried wiping my eyes before pulling away reluctantly.

''Then why didn't you open the door? I was belting on it for the past 5 minutes'' I wondered, now looking him in the eye to see if he would lie to me. I tried to ignore the racing of my heart and the heat that had ignited inside of me due to his touch.

''I was slee-''

''Wait, why do you smell like salt water? And is that blood?'' I question, completely cutting him off. I lean forward once more to see if it was really blood or not. Peter quickly recoiled from my touch and shook his head.

''I may have tripped a few times while running away with you guys'' Unfortunately his lies weren't as smooth as Ned's. I placed both hands on my hips and frowned.

''Did you trip into the water too?'' Peter's eyes widen as he shakes his head.

''No I just... got splashed a few times'' My own eyes widen once again as worry seeps in too.

''The monster did catch you!?'' The worst possible scenario began to play in mind. It would explain the blood too.

''No, I promise he didn't'' He? Something was off and I wasn't liking it at all. I was getting sick of being lied to, like there was some massive thing both him and Ned were in it. It even seemed... dangerous.

I looked Peter in the eyes and frowned, knowing he was lying to me now. Why didn't he want to tell me? Was I not his friend? Perhaps one of his best friends?

''You're lying'' I stated, hurt clearly evident in my voice. Peter looked at you and gulped, picking up on the hurt instantly. It was almost as if seeing you in pain caused him pain too.

''I-im not, I promise'' He made an empty promise yet again. Fortunately for him I was too tired and worn out to argue. All I did was nod my head sadly and turned around, deciding to head to my own room and relax if I could.

''Hey, are you okay?'' Peter grabbed your hand to stop you from walking away any further. I ignored the tingles that instantly shot up through my hand and turned my head to face him.

''I'm fine'' And with that I dropped my hand from his grasp, the warmth instantly leaving as I continued on to my room. I swiped the card a few times then opened the door, closing the door behind me once I was in the room.

Peter was left standing in the hallway, his eyes never leaving your closed door. He knew deep down you weren't fine but had no idea what to do about it. He was tired of lying to you, he hated himself for it. But it kept you safe, all of this was too keep you and everyone else he loved, safe.

It was pointless lying to you, he knew that by now. But if there any chance that you could be apart in all of this, used hostage or taken or hurt or anything, he would rather have you hate him then for you to know the truth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Here's Part 2! Ending on a bit of a bittersweet note xx

[leggigoesabroad]

we were staying in paris to get away from our parents

Lyric from “Paris” by the Chainsmokers.  We (Rach and I) used to love the Chainsmokers until we found out they were trash humans who cheated on their girlfriends with no remorse, and instead we’ve followed the ex-girlfriends loyally since the breakups.  Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARY!! It’s 11:23 am here in Paris on Cinco de Mayberger and I wish I was in Philly holding that muffin and celebrating our girl, but hopefully I can be soon.  

I really shouldn’t be blogging right now because I’m sitting in a super cool cafe that is meant for working and co-working and I’m paying to be here, so I shouldn’t waste my paid time on blogging... but hey, I’m waiting for my Adderall to kick in and also I think this is the coolest concept ever.  It’s a super cozy space and you pay for the length of time you’re here.  It’s a little expensive but I have no sense of responsibility anymore.  It’s 5 euro an hour and that gets you access to the wifi, convenient plugs everywhere, and an all-inclusive self-serve tea and coffee bar.  I think it’s kind of genius!!  There’s snacks, bread, nutella, all kinds of tea, coffee, etc.  Takes away all the stress of posting up at a coffee shop for hours and wondering how much you need to buy to make yourself feel okay about using their space all day.  Kitty and I are personally very passionate about rental businesses/unlimited concepts like this, and I’m making a mental note to tell her about this so we can open one at home.  There’s a chance Americans wouldn’t go for it, but I think at the right price it’d be dope.  Of course, it basically reminds me of a bottomless brunch, and I’m pre-panicked I won’t get my money’s worth.  What if we served mimosas at our place, Kitty?!  Interesting.  I wish it wasn’t 3:30 am in Breck right now so we could discuss this.  

Last I left off I was on the train to Paris.  Vienna and Prague genuinely feel like years ago.  Such a weird trip, start to finish.  Not the kind I’d design on my own, but not NOT... just odd to be here mostly alone without a plan and kind of figuring it out as I go.  Not my style.  I got into Gare de L���est in Paris and figured out the Metro to Angie and Adam’s place around 7 pm.  Their 7-month-old is very French and goes to bed around 9:30 pm, so we bonded right away and she instantly took to me.  They tell me she’s mostly like that with all strangers, but I feel I’m special to her.  She cries when I leave the room!!  I had to sneak out to the cafe this morning because she was bawling when I went to my room after saying good morning to her.  Sweet angel.  Her name is “Thea” but they exclusively call her “Doodle” and it reminds me of our muff.  We ended up just hanging out all night on their couch and catching up, and then they got some pizzas and pasta from the place across the street for dinner and I ate All Of It.  The French don’t fuck around with their food (she says, shoving a shortbread cake coated in Nutella in her mouth between keystrokes.)  Had a bottle of wine and we stayed up until 1 am or so, just so lovely.

I woke up Saturday morning and braved what was admittedly freezing rain to walk to the local bakery Angie suggested.  Since they live right next to the Luxembourg Gardens I also popped in there, as it reminds me of the photo Amy and I took sitting on the fountain mirroring each other, back in January 2011.  I captioned it “The City of Love and Weight Gain” and steel trap Amanda remembered that ever since and recently posted a pic with the same caption, smh, she’s incredible.  Learned on this morning walk that my right black boot had worn through the sole, so my foot got soaked and I felt that “squidge squidge” with each step... so fun.  Went to the bakery and had a panic attack leading up to the order as I rehearsed what I was going to say in my head a million times over.  Eventually spit out “Je voudrais... trois croissants....deux pain au chocolat... et un baguette....s’il vois plait....” and to the girl’s credit, she didn’t immediately transfer to English upon hearing how painfully transparently American I sounded, and gave me the total in French!  I obviously had blacked out and couldn’t hear her, but the total was displayed on the cash register, so I paid and survived.

After lazing around a bit the rest of the morning, we all packed up and went across town to a Scottish bar that was playing the Tottenham game that Adam was interested in.  I love sports so I was happy to go, but man, soccer is dumb.  At one point one guy got a red card for lightly shoving a player after the play, and I almost burst out laughing at how that move disqualified him from that game and the next game, whereas in hockey that’s literally encouraged and we tally how many hits per game a player has.  Our friend Aaron came to join us!!  So good to see him, I think the last time I saw him was December 2016 right after I had moved to Denver and he was passing through town.  I remember specifically because I showed him my apartment, that first one in Uptown next to Kitty, and it was completely empty.  Back when I glamped all day.  He’s near fluent in French now and I find it attractive.  

We all went to an ex-pat bar after that and met up with Adam’s English co-worker and her friend who I found enchanting.  They’re both from Brighton and were just lovely, interesting, funny women.  We talked a little bit about the differences between England vs. the States and they said, “one thing we’ve always wanted to know - why do you have those huge gaps in the doors between your public bathrooms? You can practically see inside!” I said “I honestly have no idea and we all hate it too.  Ask me something else I can answer!!!”  We drank there for a while until Angie took Thea home because she was starting to get a little under the weather and fussy, and Aaron had a weird reaction to his IPA and immediately lost his voice.  Adam went home to Angie, and Angie’s niece who had just come in asked if I wanted to get dinner.  To be honest, I did not want to get dinner.  She is a little odd for a 30-year-old female and I didn’t have any idea what we were going to talk about.  Spoiler: I was correct.  She’s the kind of person who just won’t respond if she isn’t interested in what you have to say.  So we’d be walking along chatting, and I’d say something, and she’d just be silent.  Laaa dee daaa... she also lived in Versailles in college and is also fluent in French, and knew her way around very well, so I unintentionally just felt dumb and patronized.  We stopped at a place she wanted to go to for “authentic French cuisine”, blech, and I just got an omelette.  The menu was all in French and luckily I mostly knew what I was reading, but she didn’t even lightly offer to translate. Ha.  She eventually got more approachable and bubbly when we started talking about dating and her boyfriend and the online dating scene.  After dinner, to her credit, she thanked me for agreeing to dinner with her and humoring me on the choice of restaurant and walking together.  So maybe she’s just one of those people who doesn’t emote well but is kind and appreciative on the inside.  Walked home and went to sleep, again in silence.

Woke up intermittently and kept checking the Phillies’ score in the middle of the night, only to see a very sad ending... sigh.  At least Rhys and Bryce looked hot AF.  Angie and Adam are Nats fans but admittedly love both Rhys and Bryce.  I showed Adam the press conference of Bryce thanking Ned as a part of his signing, and Adam was THOROUGHLY impressed, so that made it all worth it.

Going to stay at this cafe for several hours and try to give Angie and Adam some space, as Angie thinks she and Thea are getting sick and I don’t want to impose more than I already have.  I may walk to the 6th later to visit the Hotel Raphael, Hotel Majestic, and the Peninsula; as ER has places in each of them and it would be amazing to see them firsthand.  Usually people on-site are very kind to me when I just pop in and say I work for ER, because it’s in their best interest to show me good service so I highly recommend them to my members.  Maybe I’ll splurge and have a cocktail or a short massage at the world-famous Peninsula hotel!!  TBD, the day is young.  For now, hopefully I accomplish my freelance work so I’m not a miserable jet-lagged shrew next week.  Wish me luck!! 

[keywestlou]

STUCK IN MYKONOS

DAY 22…..Greece the First Time

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Key West Lou

I am never going to get out of Mikonos!

The Greek gods are working against me.

First, I wanted to go to Fourni. No way. The boat to Fourni had been discontinued. I decided to stay in Mykonos a few extra days.

Tomorrow, I was planning on leaving for Amorgos. Someone told me there is a monastery worth seeing. The monks provide water and food to visitors through a hole. The monks never see nor speak to anyone from the moment they enter the monastery. Also, Amorgos is considered one of the prettier of the small islands.

I went down to get my boat ticket for Amorgos this morning. Down by the waterfront. I wanted to leave tomorrow. No boat to Amorgos today or tomorrow. Everything cancelled. Even planes. The weather.

Strong winds today. The kind we get in Key West when the water breaks against the White Street Pier and splashes 20-30 feet high. I was on the waterfront this morning. Ten feet from the water. Hitting the beach and shooting up and over all nearby. Including me.

I am becoming knowledgeable about Mykonos weather.

When I first arrived, it was hot and humid. No breeze at all. The last three days big winds. No humidity.

Natives tell me that is the way the weather is this time of the year. Three days humid. Then three days of wind.

I also started hearing that today’s wind is unusual for June. It is September wind.

Who knows? I just want to leave Mykonos. I have been here too long. It is not my type place. Too touristy for me. Key West is mild by comparison. The flavor and grandeur for which Mykonos is known was in the 1960s and 1970s. Gone. Today’s tourists are wannabes to that life style.

A great place to visit for a few days and leave.

Wednesday is my scheduled departure day now.

Yesterday was Paradise Beach. The place I had been seeking. All my desires were satisfied. I saw it all! I was a little embarrassed. I never showed mine.

Stayed in last night again. Dined in the hotel’s dining room.

I have been eating Greek food for more than two weeks now. I yearned for something else. I enjoyed a huge portion of spaghetti bolognaise.

Christina is in charge of the dining room. She does a top notch job. Great service, great food and the right touch with personal amenities.

Christina is 35 years old. Looks 25. A short lovely blonde. Fair skinned. A single mother of a 4 year old boy.

I asked Christina where she works in the winter. Mykonos is a summer town. Closes down for the winter months. She says she can always find work somewhere in Mykonos in the off months.

A hard worker. A talented person. I wish her well.

The Greek election. Yesterday. I called it right. The euro supporters won. It was close. The euro people got 29 percent of the vote. The non-euros 26 per cent. Several other minor parties grabbed anywhere from 12 per cent of the vote downward.

Twenty nine per cent is not enough to control. A coalition is required. It is anticipated the winners will form the coalition with the party who got 12 per cent of the vote. Still not enough to make a majority. However, under Greek law the party receiving the largest number of votes automatically gets an additional 50 seats in the national legislature. That puts the euro people over the top. A crazy country!

Forget what you read in the papers and on TV today. This new government is not going to work. The Germans have already suggested they might ease some of the time payment dates. But that is it! The big hard dollar payments still remain. Greece will not be able to make them. The new government and the euro will fail. I give it three to six months.

To put it all in proper perspective, this election is not even a band aid. Some one took a rag and merely brushed the blood aside. A very temporary solution to an ongoing aggravating problem.

I noticed yesterday that many of the older Greek homes have what I thought was some religious design on each house. All alike. A bunch of small triangles set in a large square. The square sits on one of its points. There apparently is space behind the openings. I noticed the newer buildings did not have the design. My initial thought was that whatever it was was intended to keep evil spirits away.

I was wrong. The triangular openings were for doves.

At one time there were many white doves flying above Mykonos. Predatory birds discovered the doves and came in large numbers to feed upon them. This was many years ago. The citizens of Mykonos enjoyed and favored the doves. Ergo, as homes and buildings were constructed, these triangular openings became part of the construction. The doves could fly inside and evade the predator birds.

It must not have worked. I have seen no doves in my time here.

Terri White makes national news again! She was selected by GO Magazine as one of the 100 Women We Love. Take a look at the 6/15/12 edition of the magazine. A terrific pic of Terri and a concise litany leading to her success.

I survived yesterday’s hit and run. Woke this morning with a swelling half the size of a golf ball on my arm. No pain.

I have a pretty good tan. The sun is strong in the Greek isles. Much stronger than Key West. Between walking around and a bit of sun bathing, I am getting dark. Very dark.

I have only shaved once in the four weeks I have been gone. I look pretty bad. I apologized to one woman I met for having such a sloppy growth. She thought it looked sexy. I may never shave again. I wonder how I will look if I do not shave the balance of this trip. Another three weeks.

Enjoy your day!

—

Moving up to mid February 2021, a lot is happening everywhere.

Texas has been hit with a major snow storm. Power outage greater than ever before. Texas  was not ready for it.

Texas’ major power company, serves 26 million people. The company says it may take a month to get everything and everybody going.

At the moment, Texans at each other’s throats with blame. Heads will role.

Some believe it is climate change. I do also.

When it comes to weather generally in recent years, the only consistent has been and will continue to be unpredictability.

Texas’ present deep freeze has presented an unseasonable demand from residents trying to heat their homes. The demand has stripped Texas’ energy supply.

Following are some happenings not previously considered when a winter storm of the Texas magnitude hits.

People are dying of carbon monoxide poisoning trying to heat their homes by running their cars inside their attached garages.

Thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses are at risk of spoiling.

Crops planted ahead of the spring harvest are dying under the snow and ice, burdening farmers already struggling after years of Trump’s trade wars.

Texas is not the only place where snow rarely falls that is getting buried this week.

Athens.

At the moment, snow is blanketing Acropolis. The snow fall heavy. The Acropolis and Parthenon looked strange under snow in the photos I have seen.

Athens is not generally cold in the winter. You recall my friends that owned the cave dwelling I lived in on Santorini closed their facility for the winter. Santorini too cold. However, Athens generally not. If so, my friends would lock up their Athens home and take a 1-2 month vacation somewhere in the Caribbean.

The snow which fell on Athens and continues today is heavy and freezing. Many highways around Athens are closed.

Ferry service in the 800 Greek isles is like bus service in the U.S. Ferry service has been cancelled. As have all flights in and out.

Two major automobile accidents. One involving 800 vehicles. The other 600.

Not a good time to be in Athens. Note however the extreme cold and snow was not expected.

I mentioned a few days ago Trump had come out on top in his second impeachment trial. Worry not, I explained. He will have his Las Vegas as O.J. Simpson did.

In fact, over the next two years Trump is going to be buried in all kinds of lawsuits no one has heard of as yet.

The first one hit yesterday. Bennie Thompson is a Democrat Representative from Texas. He has joined with the NAACP in filing suit against Trump, Giuliani, Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.

The suit a civil one for money damages. Compensatory and punitive. A violation of the Klu Klux Klan Act of 1871 claimed. The suit has to do with the defendants’ interference with Congress’ certification of the Electoral College count.

The Klu Klux Klan Act is intended to protect Black citizens from violence and intimidation. The grounds set forth in the Complaint are basically the same as those made by the House Managers in the Impeachment trial.

Trump may have to pay in the end. He also has another expense he was rarely confronted with while President.

There is a law that where a President is named in a law suit while President, he is entitled to be represented free by the Department of Justice.

The free ride is over. Trump is no longer President. He will have to pay private counsel to defend him in the lawsuits sill pending and those that will now come.

I mentioned yesterday that I was not in favor of Biden’s Child Tax Credit in the stimulus bill. Too much money going out to certain individuals. The size of the government dollars to each recipient will easily discourage many from returning to work.

There is a benefit to the Child Tax Credit, however. It is projected it will cut poverty by 54 percent. Five million children will be removed from the poverty classification.

Jared and Ivanka seem to have closed out there public White Hose careers on a positive note.

First, they purchased a lot on Billionaires Bunker near Miami for $31 million. Note, an empty lot. House till must be built. It was reported last week in some federal statement they were required to file that their gross earnings for last year was $120 million.

There is more.

They have no where to live till a home is built. They are presently renting in top of the shelf Arte Surfside near Miami Beach on a yearly rental. Not cheap. A 4 bedroom condominium unfurnished rents for $39,000 a month. A 3 bedroom furnished $60,000 a month.

When they both went to work for Donald in the White House 4 years ago, things were financially tough. Especially for Jared. Very high debt.

The $1 a year White House job worked out for them. Look at how much they are now spending and take into account the $120 million jointly earned last year.

All earned while on the White House payroll.

The shame of it all. Florida Governor DeSantis is being touted as Presidential timber for 2024. Amazing. He is totally incompetent. Danced 100 percent to Trump’s tune. Florida is not in the best of shape.

Apparently, it no longer requires competent people to run our country. Don’t say it cannot happen. Trump got nominated and then elected. Surprised everyone. Incompetency rises to it highest level with regard to recent political leaders.

Jim Brown. A fine individual. On top of which regarded as one of the best professional football players ever.

Brown played exceptional football while at Syracuse University and with the Cleveland Browns. In 2002, The Sporting News recognized him as the greatest professional football player ever.

Why do I write of Brown? The Syracuse connection a partial reason. However Brown had left Syracuse by the time I started in 1957.

The primary reason is Brown’s age. His birthday is today.  The man is 85. Louis is 85.

I end with May Johnson.

My information re her diary publication soon coming to an end has not been precisely accurate. I recently said her last diary entry would appear February 18.

Today is the 17th. No May diary entry.

I hope the Citizen can work problems out and return her very interesting 1897 life style to us.

Enjoy your day!

STUCK IN MYKONOS was originally published on Key West Lou

[thetravellingvagrant]

Day 4: Chisinau - Training Wheels

For the first time since before my arrival to this country, I had managed to squeeze something resembling an adequate amount of sleep into my body, during the night. Though I had still been woken artificially by the choral squawkery of my phone's alarm, I arose from my bed, enthusiastically and with as close to a spring in my step as it is possible for an unrepentant curmudgeon to have.

I decided, given the extra daylight I had afforded myself, that I would spend the morning catching up on some vagrant admin, which I had been hitherto neglecting, reasoning that my plans for the day were sparse (buy magnet for my nice girlfriend, buy train ticket for self, perhaps see Afgahn monument if time allowed) and that it probably was time to take the 'easy day' I had been promising myself, though, thus far, had failed to really deliver to myself. It was 2pm then, before I left the comfort of the apartment.

After a laborious, hour long walk to the train station (which I imagined would constitute a problem for future-Lawrence, given that I heavily suspected that the only viable train would depart at 6am the following morning, but whatever, fuck that guy.), I arrived, ready to ineptly bumble my way through purchasing a ticket to my next destination; a feat almost never not characterised by some degree of difficulty or embarrassment, on these trips.

It was then wildly fortunate for me (though I concede less so for fans of schadenfreude) that beyond an initial struggle to actually locate the ticket office, this was easily one of the most straight forward ticket purchasing operations I had ever undertaken, while abroad. Hell, a lot of previous ticketing experiences in the UK haven't even gone this smoothly.

I was shown to the ...not quite “english speaking”, but definitely “more-english-speaking-than-the-other-ones” cashier and I asked for what I wanted, employing the clever trick I have learned over my years of travelling, of loudly, slowly and clearly enunciating the key words of a given sentence.

“Hello, I'd like to BUY a TICKET to IASI for TOMORROW, PLEASE”. Some of you may be thinking at this point that “please” isn't a key word, to which I reply that manners cost nothing.

The lady nodded her head, “Iasi tomorrow? In morning?”

I nodded back. She wrote down the numbers (and I suppose letters) 6:52am on a scrap of paper. Guh.  I asked her if there were anything a little later. She was confused by this, however I, the clever little shrew that I am had taken the trouble of screen capping the google translation of the phrase “do you have anything later?” on my phone, quite rightly thinking that I may require the use of such a phrase.  She understood and indicated that there was a train at 4:50pm, arriving at 10:00pm, that night. Fuck that. I didn't fancy wasting a whole extra day in Moldova, when I could, instead take my chances on being allowed to check into my Iasi hostel a little early. Morning train it was.

“First class? Second?” She asked.

“Pft. Second!” I scoffed. I'm not bloody made of money.

My thoughts then turned to my wallet. I still had half of my budget for Moldova left, unspent and only half a day to spend it (Moldovan Lei being a closed currency and therefore non-transferrable, before any of you sensible types say anything.)

“...How much extra is first class, actually?” I asked.

25 lei was the answer. About a euro. For fucks sake, Moldova, how am I even going to spend all this money? And so, I left, first class ticket in hand, positively upbeat over the whole experience, which, avid vagrant fans will know, is a stark departure from my usual attitude, post ticket office.

I decided to magnet hunt first, rather than go directly to the Afghan monument, reasoning that, due to shop closing times, it was a more pressing matter, The magnet shop wasn't far away, anyway...

...At least I thought. I trudged slowly to what I thought was the location of the eye-rollingly named 'made in Moldova' souvenir shop, which I had sourced on google and which, upon my arrival, I realised no longer existed. (Or perhaps...NEVER existed? Spooky). Ok, fine. I had back-up souvenir shops to go to. Of course I did, this isn't amateur hour. This is the real shit. Sure they were yet further afield from the monument, but I had thoroughly committed to this plan now.

My trudgery continued to the second of the three shops on my list; this one named “my art story”. I stepped inside. It was deathly quiet and occupied by a single sullen lady, sitting behind a counter. It took me less than a second to realise that the twee, hand-made christmas decorations with which the shop was filled were not even remotely near to anything I, nor anyone I know would be interested in, though I dutifully pretended to peruse her stock anyway, out of sheer awkwardness. After around three or so excruciating minutes, I shot the woman a warm, yet clearly uncomfortable smile and left, vowing never to return, as I did.

On to the final shop. 'Pro Prezents'. This one was really out of the way; an additional twenty minutes in the wrong direction from that fucking monument and down a super sketchy, entirely unlit alleyway, to boot. Regardless, I steeled myself and, hand hovering protectively over my wallet, went inside.

This shop, to put it kindly, was hideous. To put it less kindly, it looked like a demented old grandmother's living room, if the grandmother in question compulsively hoarded every rubbish little knick-knack she could get her hands on, was entirely unburdened by good taste and had genuinely no respect for Jamaican people, yet still found the offensive cartoonification of their culture inexplicably charming.

Shuddering, I quickly located the wall of magnets, and approached. I perused for no more than a second, before the thuggish looking man spoke.

“Moldovan?”

“...Uh, yes?” I replied, hoping he was asking if I wanted to see Moldovan themed magnets, rather than asking if I was Moldovan, myself.

“Da. Come.” he nodded and proceeded to lead me upstairs into the shop's upper floor in order to show me...fuck, I don't know. I can best describe it as a room full of trolls; row after row of horrbile tan-skinned, nude little porcelain goblins all posed into quote unquote (which I suppose is an unnecessary phrase to use in prose) 'comical' poses, such as fishing or having a nap in a wheelbarrow. Or wanking. A whole lot of wanking little Goblins in that room, let me tell you.

“Uh...” I stuttered, taken aback by how shit what I was looking at was. “N...not really my thing. Magnets instead?”

He shrugged and led me back downstairs. Now even more uncomfortable than I was before, somehow, I grabbed the first magnet off of the board that looked vaguely appropriate, paid very, very little for it and strode back out into the darkness of the Moldovan night, my pockets still bursting with currency.

By now it was too late, my body too cold and hungry, and too far a distance to walk to justify bothering to go and see the Afgahn monument, and so, for the third day in a row, I discarded the idea, where, to be honest, it belonged, all along; in the trash. Afghanistan is rubbish anyway.

Not quite ready to return home yet, though, I checked my map. I was close to Mall-dova. Beyond snacks for the subsequent days, I had literally nothing else I imagined I could spend my money on, and so decided to see if anything caught my eye among the glitz and razzmatazz of mid to high end shopping. At the very least, I figured they would have a food court in which I could whittle a way some Moldollars.

The mall itself was disappointingly high-end and full of international chains. I spotted a united colours of Benneton and shut stopped paying any kind of attention, instead heading straight for the food court, which again, was unsurprisingly full of highly recognisable international brands; McDonalds, KFC and so on, gaudily screamed for my business, but I heeded them not a bit, instead plumping for the vaguely Americana themed and mildly amusingly named purveyor of chicken, “the lord of the wings”.

The place was certainly exepsnvive, by Moldovan standards, though I suppose that's sort of what I wanted. I bumblingly ordered a bowl of poutine and some chicken quesadillas. In keeping with the country's “I have just learned to cook” motif, the poutine I ordered was just a bowl of chips and cheese (that's definitely something I'd struggle to find, in Glasgow...) and the quesadillas were just tortilla wraps with a couple of peppers and bits of chewy chicken lumped into them, so salsa, no sour cream, nothing.  Again, though, my meal wasn't unpleasant, chips and cheese is hard to fuck up and every individual part of a quesadilla is nice on its own, so put them together in any combination and it's still basically alright, but I mean...just try? For me, Moldova. Just try, once.

By the time I had waddled home, little time was left in the evening. I decided not to eat dinner, as my extraordinarily late lunch had proved to be, if basic, still pretty huge and instead spent the night bibbling away on my blog, watching old episodes of Dragon's Den, because I will not be judged by you and puttering around on other assorted activities of presumably very little interest to a wider audience.

[rachelisnotatwork]

Ich war eine Berlinerin

A long time ago I decided in a daydreaming moment to spend a month at language school in Germany. In my head this was going to be largely drifting around town feeling cultured and multi-lingual. So I merrily booked some lessons and an airbnb in Berlin. Then it got closer to the time and I remembered I absolutely hated every minute of German lessons at school, and the only way to drift around feeling cultured and multi-lingual would be from cramming German into my aged brain. This triggered what could best be described as the “complaining phase”, which was weeks of bitching to Marcel that I didn’t want to go, I hate German grammar and this was the worst idea of my life.

We arrived 5 days before language school started in order to get settled. This mostly involved me complaining at a number of places around the city, and on a trip out of town. Our first weekend was forecast to be sunny so we decided to head out into the countryside of the East to go canoeing. Step one was rent a car, which turned out to be phenomenally expensive and involve driving out to the airport. We then immediately took the wrong turning and circled the whole airport trying to find our way out...and straight into a non-moving traffic jam. Google maps refused to consider there might be any possible alternative routes to spending 2 hours in a traffic jam. Neither did our car satnav. So instead I decided to get creative with the map and managed to navigate around the whole thing, whilst being incredibly smug about it (which I’m sure Marcel deeply appreciated).

When we finally got out to the East I was pleasantly surprised. The only real news that reaches the UK of rural East Germany is neo-Nazis and depopulation. Thankfully the first wasn’t visible where we were, and the second meant lots of wildlife. We saw a real live stork (not delivering a baby) before we even got there.

Our canoe trip was down the Havel to try and see beavers (of the wildlife variety). It was a stunning day and a pleasantly quiet river. Naturally we saw zero beavers, and due to Marcel’s ambitious nature we had to paddle back at speed to get back from our 16km run before dark. My muscles were screaming (and only screamed more over the next few days). We also had to return the car before 21.30, which involved driving back and then getting lost in the airport AGAIN and circling it twice. Now feel like I know the roundabouts of Tegel extremely well.

After bitching about language school heavily, it turned out to be...surprisingly fun. Or I got stockholm syndrome. Not really sure, but after a couple of weeks I had settled into a very nice routine of morning classes, then a leisurely lunch at our awesome airbnbs with the best views in the world, followed by museums or excursions in the afternoon. My language school card bought me an annual museums pass for 25 euros, so I got to relive the student dream again!

It was pretty hot whilst we were there so we got into the local lake swimming culture. Our favourite turned out to be Krumme Lanke. It is surrounded by forest but still accessible from town. On day one we were there, we saw a grass snake emerge from the bank and go for a little swim with it’s head above water. Being from the UK where wildlife is...sparse, this was extremely exciting. When we returned a few days later, it was much busier and I thought to myself “poor snake, it has no chance of a swim today”. Only to find myself looking down whilst swimming in the water a couple of hours later to find the snake swimming entirely underwater by my legs. Turns out whilst I like wildlife there are limits and that is definitely one of my limits.

One of the other benefits of it being hot was I decided a policy of daily ice creams was essential. We started off at our local ice cream place but then one day found an amazing place that was about a 15 minute walk from our house. I then took to making Marcel take daily walks in the broiling heat with me to eat them. We also discovered that German museums don’t really do air-con after some of the hottest museum trips of my life to the Stasi Museum and Ephraim-Palais Museum. Sort of surprised we didn’t have to step over the collapsed forms of over-heated tourists between exhibits.

My language school did an afternoon programme of lectures, seminars and activities. Whilst Marcel was around, I didn’t attend any as for some weird reason Marcel didn’t want to hang out and listen to someone explain things very slowly in basic German to a bunch of language learners. Odd that. However at one point he went off to visit his relatives near Frankfurt and I decided to attend a seminar on art in the Third Reich. This was a great lecture but lead me to become...somewhat over-confident with my German. On Marcel’s return I decided we should escape the boiling weather by doing one of the tours run by “Underground Berlin”. They did one inside a flak turm and because the tour timing was more convenient in German that in English, I decided I’d be fine going on that one.

My first indication that I might not be fine was when our guide took a huge breath before starting because it turned out he was one of those people who had a lot of information to impart and didn’t want to waste time doing so. A rapid torrent of German poured forth from him, with me barely able to assess where one word finished and the next started. Which would have been fine if it hadn’t been the safety briefing he was giving as he handed out hard hats. Would strongly advise not getting over-confident with your language skills when you are going to be touring a half-blown up bomb site. I spent most of the tour understanding nothing but trying desperately to copy the others in the hope of not dying down there. Marcel very nicely said it was very technical and harder to understand than his C2 language exam he had to do to prove he was a real German, and then gave me a long summary afterwards about what the whole tour had actually been about. Anyway it was a really cool site and I thoroughly recommend you sign up for the (English language) tour of it. Plus the park it is in has red squirrels, which Marcel and I got unbelievably excited about but actually turns out to be really common in Europe.

Other cool tours we did included one of the Bundestag, which was free although it was hardly spontaneous. You had to email to book tickets ages in advance and then bring your passport (weirdly not the only exhibition I had to do that for, also had to do it for the world press photography exhibition which was taking place in a political party’s head office [as you do]. I think this might feel more normal for Germans who are used to carrying ID at all times, but if you are British it is quite hard to remember and feels strange). The tour was pretty interesting though and there is uncovered Russian graffiti all over the walls inside from the second world war, which was cool to see.

Beyond that we largely mooched and ate a lot. We were staying upstairs from a fondue restaurant and a vietnamese place, and just around the corner from a vegan Szechaun restaurant. As a result, we did ate out a LOT. Also given how hot it got, we very much appreciated not using our kitchen and letting someone else heat up their place by using their oven. Instead we’d just eat out and admire the views from our amazing balcony.

It got hotter and hotter until towards the end of our stay we had three days of epic thunderstorms in a row. We had a great view from our balcony of the Fernsehturm, which Marcel managed to see get hit by lightening twice, both times after I had despaired of seeing it happen. The first two days the thunderstorms were at about midnight and kept us awake with constant lightening and huge claps of thunder. The last day it happened at about 6.30. Which was sub-optimal as that was when my mother’s flight from London was due to land. Weather went from fine to “wind so strong the leaves and flying upward past our 5th floor balcony, followed by rain and mist so thick we couldn’t see anything anymore” in about 5 minutes. We constantly checked my mother’s flight updates online and her landing time kept getting pushed back and back. And then suddenly it just disappeared entirely from the landing/landed screen. Note to German airports, this is not very reassuring. Nor is it when you phone the airport and ask what happened to the flight and you say you “don’t know”. We then looked on the BA website, who said the flight had been diverted to Hamburg. We phoned Hamburg to check this and they said they didn’t know and hadn’t heard about that. Thankfully at just about the point when a full freak out was starting, my mother texted to say they had landed in Hamburg after several terrifying abortive attempts to land in Berlin. They did then fly them back to Berlin when the storm finished so she arrived pretty late and then we had to take a huge diversion back to her hotel because of trees blown over the in the street. Oh the delightful summer weather.

By the end of the month, I was entirely in love with Berlin and the relaxed life of a language school attendee. But alas we’d planned a road trip and our airbnb booking was running out so I had to say a very reluctant goodbye to my language class and Berlin and hit the road.

[passionate-baker]

Exploring Copenhagen, Denmark

This coming September, I will have known one of my best friends for twelve years. That’s half of my lifetime &, I would say, a rather impressively long time to still enjoy another person’s company. We’ve spent a heck of a lot of time together during our twelve years, so much so that our teachers used to make comments to our parents about us being glued together at the hip. That’s normal though, right? Our school days went like this: if one of us wanted to go somewhere, then the other followed suit. Even now, years after school has ended, we can usually be found together most of the time. Probably the biggest example of this was that time I decided to walk across Spain on the Camino de Santiago & I didn’t even really have to convince her into coming with me, she just did. 

As far as I can remember, we’ve journeyed abroad no less than nine times together, & visited a total of seventeen cities, not including travelling within Ireland. Quite frankly, I think she’s a keeper. 

A few months ago, we realised that it had been close to three years since our last trip abroad together. This was enough to prompt us to start looking up flights, accommodation, cities etc. Spain, Croatia, Poland? Denmark? Denmark stuck, & everything fell perfectly into place for Copenhagen. It was decided. 

The Danish capital is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever been in, & I speak for the two of us when I say with absolute certainty that we loved every single second of our time there. We spent (nearly) all day every day being amazed by the beauty around every single corner. Cobbled streets, pastel painted buildings, rose bushes, bikes as far as the eye can see, cinnamon rolls, amazing coffee, beautiful Danish people everywhere (why is everyone so blonde & perfect in Denmark!?), quirky parks & statues, an incredible atmosphere, & an overall sense of calmness & safety. I know that last one sounds a little bizarre, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt so safe in a city - everyone just seems so laid back & casual. 

Heaps of photos & recommendations on where to go, what to do, where to drink, & where to eat below!

Stay 

Copenhagen Downtown Hostel // this is the same place I stayed the first time I visited Copenhagen, and I still loved it this time ‘round. It’s a casual chilled out kind of place & the staff are super lovely. We stayed in a 4-bed female only dorm during our stay & it was perfect for what we needed - it was quiet & clean & cozy. Added bonus: you get a free dinner thrown in when you book through their website & also the alcohol is gloriously cheap. 

Do

The Round Tower // this was one of the things that somehow eluded me on my first trip to Copenhagen a couple of years ago, so I was pretty eager to visit the tower this time around. It turned out to be one of our most favourite things that we did during our time in the city, we completely loved it. The price of a ticket is dirt cheap - something like 3 euro - and it is beyond worth it. Instead of the usual pain of having to climb up a billion steps on a tight spiraling staircase, the path to the top of the Tower is a welcoming spiral slope. 

Rosenborg Palace // the whole truth: we only wandered down to Rosenborg Palace because we spied it from the top of The Round Tower & thought it was high time we visited a pretty garden. Wandering into the gardens is like wandering into a movie scene set in Paris - there’s something about the roofs of the surrounding buildings and the people picnicking with glasses of rosé & baguettes and the other people celebrating a birthday with bunting wrapped from tree to tree that just makes it all feel so surreal in the best way ever. During our walk of the grounds we came across the royal guard about to make their journey over to Amelienborg Palace for the changing of the guard.

Amelienborg Palace // we didn’t plan on paying to visit the inside of the palace - although I’m sure it’s worth it - so we planned our day around going to see the changing of the guards, which happens on the grounds of the residence every day at noon. The (what look like) toy soldiers come marching into the centre of the square & slowly make their way around to each of the four houses to change guards while the crowds excitedly snap away. Coincidentally, the day we decided to visit was also the King & Queen’s 50th wedding anniversary, so the place was extra jammed with people! 

Botanical Gardens // it was maybe definitely a bad idea for us visit the Botanic Gardens when we did, as there was four too many drinks the previous night & the sheer heat inside the glasshouse nearly killed us both. It’s this huge big beautiful old greenhouse that makes you feel like you’re walking through the forest & there’s this gorgeous cast-iron spiral staircase that leads you up to a top level so you can walk amongst the super tall plants (which was definitely the worst idea we had ever because there was even less air up there). After our glasshouse experience we spent some time breathing in some quality fresh air in the gardens, which were most delightful. 

Krusemyntegade // you might find yourself wondering why on earth I’m recommending you visit a random road well out of the city. Well, if you’re anything like me (or half of the other people on Instagram), then this is definitely a road you’ll want to see. We affectionately started to refer to it as Instagram Road - pastel colours as far as the eye can see, roses crawling up the side of nearly every house, bikes parked nonchalantly all over the place, & an odd bench here & there for sitting back & taking it all in. It’s basically Copenhagen’s version of St. Luke’s Mews.

The Little Mermaid // what trip to Copenhagen would be complete without getting to visit The Little Mermaid? She’s located a bit further afield than most of the other attractions, but just think of it as a Hans Christian Anderson type pilgrimage. Of course, the statue is a huge attraction in the city, so don’t expect to have her all to yourself - I took five photos during our time there: in three of the photos it looks like she’s being attacked by a swarm of tourist canoe boat-ers, there are some miscellaneous heads popping up in two of them, & in the last one she’s (rather rudely) having her nipple tweaked by some drunken man.

Agnete & the Merman // you have to hunt this statue down - it is so cool! It’s a group of statues under the water at Slotsholm Canal & it never ceases to fascinate me. Hard to see on a sunny day, but so worth checking out. 

Nyhavn // we were pretty lucky during our visit, because we had to walk through Nyhavn basically anytime we wanted to get anywhere. There’s something magical about this old harbour - there’s jazz music & a nice atmosphere in the air at all times. It’s also one of those places you just have to visit to get that quintessential Copenhagen photo. 

Canal Tour // this was my second time doing a canal tour in Copenhagen & even this time around I loved every second. Our canal tour left from Nyhavn, where there are a couple of companies offering different routes. We did the standard one that brought us out & around Christianshavn, as well as past a few of the main attractions - Amelienborg Palace, the Opera House, the Black Diamond Library, & The Little Mermaid. 

Tivoli Gardens // a whole day out that is totally worth the money. There are (I think) a few different options for tickets, but we bought a band that gave us entry into the gardens, which means that you can sit around & relax & watch whatever ballet or folk dancing that happens to be on at the open air stages and also gave us unlimited rides on every ride in the park. The gardens themselves have peacocks roaming free, fairy lights strewn overhead, & plenty of restaurants, cafes, & bars to keep everyone happy. We spent our day working our way through the map of the rides, going back to the ones we liked 2-5 times (getting our money’s worth), drinking beer, watching ballet, & exploring the (small but cool) aquarium. 

Magstræde // no, this is not just another beautifully photogenic street, it is the oldest surviving street in Copenhagen. The street (which still has its original cobbling!) was two seconds from where we were staying, & we were entirely unable to pass up an opportunity to walk down it at every chance we had. 

Drink

Original Coffee // confession: good coffee shops are the first thing I investigate when planning my trips away. Original Coffee was top of my list, & we certainly weren’t disappointed. Added bonus: the branch at Illum shopping centre is located on the top floor, so you can sit outside & watch the world go by beneath you. 

Espresso Roasters // admittedly, the only reason we stopped into ER was because we had been traipsing all over town looking for a coffee shop that was meant to do the best cinnamon rolls ever, but we couldn’t find it & we were totally desperate & on the verge of becoming hangry. Turns out that the cinnamon rolls here are fab! Heated ever so slightly & perfectly spiced.

Husted Vin // we didn’t actually get to go to Husted Vin, but I’m adding it to the list because I want you to go & tell me how it is. Typically, the one day we had planned to go there it was closed, but it had been open every single time we’d walked past previously. 

Biergarten @ Tivoli Gardens // I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again: I have this thing with Germany, which pretty much means I love all things German, especially beer & pretzels. I’m only a little bit ashamed to tell you that we visited the Beirgarten twice during the handful of hours we spent at the Gardens - both times indulging in a 1/2 litre tankard of beer & just once devouring a hot freshly baked salty pretzel. We regret nothing. Added bonus: going on roller-coasters a little tipsy is the most fun thing to do ever! 

Eat

Sonny // we walked past this hipster looking cafe on our way into the city on our first morning & immediately made plans to go back for breakfast the next day. The interior is gorgeous, the menu is full of health options (as is every other menu in Copenhagen), the music is very hipster-chic, & the coffee is wonderful. Added bonus: they offer a jasmine & orange iced tea, which is totally amazing & definitely a good choice. 

Atelier September // similar to Sonny, the menu is full of health. We both opted for the ‘Grapefruit & Blueberries with granola’ breakfast, which certainly left me feeling healthy. Luckily, they also had croissants & poppy seed danishes pumped full of butter to cancel out the health side of things, & for this we were truly grateful. It’s worth visiting here to see the space alone -- a gorgeous open room with communal tables & an open work station -- but also for the amazing coffee & mismatching ceramics. 

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[kaynamiteineurope]

Day 14: Sleeping In, Shopping, and YAMAS! Today we had basically a full free day, so while Natasha edged out of our room at 9:30 to go downtown with some of the other girls, I woke up at 9:30am and had a nice slow start to the morning with Carolina. It's been an amazing journey so far, but my body (and my mind) isn't conditioned for this kind of energetic lifestyle. So I got ready and even blow-dried and curled my hair. I wore my favorite top (Chris Pratt as Star-Lord with the raptors behind him--the Raptor Five) and a pair of Capri jeans, which ended up being a really nice outfit to explore in. We met Natasha downtown a little after noon at an art shop for a guy who had amazing oil paintings. He was so talkative and passionate that he reminded us a lot of the guy we bought our oils from in Venice, which just seemed so perfect. This time it was Natasha who picked out a giant piece (much bigger than the one I got in Venice), but it was so entirely stunning. I picked out a smaller one and a medium sized one, and he discounted them so I could get both for 100 euros even, which was lovely. We ended up talking to him for probably an hour or more total and he told us all about his work, Athens, Greece in general, and the islands (apparently Santorini is the busiest and Paros is gorgeous because it's very native and not a whole lot of tourists go there). After we finished talking with Yanis, the painter, we walked around the downtown area and did some other tourist-y shopping. We found some relatively good postcards and I found a cute Athena shirt, then we got caught in a torrential downpour that was not only rain, but also golf-ball sized hail. So, naturally, we took a quick video of that and then edged our way around to a nearby restaurant we saw to wait out the storm. It was a cute, home-y sort of place just across a square from Yanis's gallery, and it had a lot of very authentic food. I got a dish that was artichokes and potatoes in a lemon sauce (turned out to be a lot more like artichokes, potatoes, peas, and carrots in a lemon-ish sauce, but it was still very yummy!). I realized here that Greek food isn't like Italian. Not in the way you would think--but in the fact that Italian's don't give you extras. They don't do "sides" or big portions or anything like that. What you order is what you get and it's usually a smaller portion than you anticipated. Greek food is not that way. It's more than you ordered, it's big. And it's filling as hell. Delicious. But very VERY filling. Needless to say, I picked out all the artichokes and the carrots, but still left about half of my plate full because it was so filling. After lunch, we did some more shopping (because what else do you do in a market other than eat and shop?). Natasha and I were looking for a list of items, so we started down them. Jewelry was the hardest one. Sure, we found all of the little "for the friend" items, but it was jewelry that stumped us the most. We both really wanted a ring from Greece, and the main square we were at literally had two dozen or more jewelry shops just down the three streets we walked, but either nothing would catch our eye, or the ones that did were thirteen hundred or more euro. Until... So we walked into this shop on a whim because I saw these gorgeous goblets and glasses with this beautiful gold metal pattern fused to the outside and they were just stunning, so I wanted to take a closer look. The man who owned the shop came over to us and introduced himself, telling us he was originally from Crete, but that he and his father had owned the store for about 40 years now and that it used to be his dad, but now he designed everything in the shop. He asked what we were looking for and we said rings, so he pulled out this tray. They were all relatively simple, with a silver band with some designs, and a gold-plated ring of small spheres surrounding a gemstone--he had them in nearly every gem. And they were so lovely. He told us they were 55, but he would give them to us for a discount. We tried a few of them on--mainly the different shades of blue. I was really drawn to this turquoise aquamarine stone, but so was Natasha, so I started trying on a bunch of different ones. He picked out this lighter aquamarine and put it on my finger, telling me that was my ring. I wasn't sure at first, but the longer I looked at it, the more I loved it. It's a lighter blue, but it shines so much and catches the light in such a lovely way. Natasha ended up picking one with a moonstone, which he said represents good luck, and he dropped the price more to 40 euro and he even gave us both a free shot of the liquor native to Crete (something that sounded vaguely like "Dothraki" when he said it). We kept exploring after that and I found this lovely white, floor-length dress that I spent 45 euro on (it was more than I wanted, but she knocked off 5 from the original price and I figured it could come out of my jewelry budget since I had anticipated a 200 euro ring). I think I'll probably wear it tomorrow on the beach once we make it to Santorini! Yay! We walked around some more and then my feet started to hurt, so while Natasha browsed for things for her parents, I parked myself (kind of in the gutter) on a curb and called my mom for a bit. When I hung up, this lady popped out of the shop next to me (a clothing store) and looked super worried. "Are you okay? Would you like a chair? Would you like water? Food?" She was so persistent, and I kept saying no, that I was fine, I was just resting, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. She came out a couple more times, bringing me a stool and one of those giant liter water bottles--"it's not cracked *makes opening motion* I didn't open. You open!"--and then she came back with a portion of a sandwich. "You hungry? You eat! If you don't want, I can have them make something else *points to the restaurant across the street*" I tried to assure her that no, I wasn't hungry, and, yes, I was indeed going to be okay. "Are you sure?" "Yes, I'm sure." "You want something to eat? Yes or no?" "No, I'm fine." "You need food? Yes or no? Yes?" "No." "You have very pretty eyes." "Oh, thank--" "You want food?" Dear lord. I felt like she was going to take me in as a pet like a stray on the street. So I finally got up and walked down the street a bit to find Natasha, and then insisted we walked around to avoid the shop (which ended up getting us lost a bit), and then headed back to the Monastiraki metro station. We hoofed it back to the hotel and then went up to our room on the 13th floor to change into our outfits for our Greek Night dinner!! Now, this was one of the optionals we were super excited for. It was going to be an authentic Greek dinner with music and even a dance lesson from Alexandra. We met her down at the Monastiraki Square and then walked over to the restaurant where our group of 10 (including ourselves) was waiting. The food, man. Food. They brought white and red wine and then a mess of appetizers all at once (unlike our Italy dinner where the 5 courses took like 3 hours). There was fresh bread and deep fried feta with honey, a traditional Greek salad, fried zucchini with tziaki (literally don't know how to spell that, sorry) sauce, and an feta-coated eggplant dish. I wasn't a huge fan of the eggplant, but everything else was AMAZING. AKA I ate too much and by the time my lamb dish came, I was only able to eat a few bites of it before deciding all I had room for was the pita bread (which was the most amazing pita bread in the world. Just saying). Dessert was yogurt with honey, but we didn't really have time for that because Alexandra deciding to start pushing tables to the side so we could learn to dance. She started with a simple one-person dance, which was a lot like belly dancing, and only four or so of the ladies joined in on that (including me, Natasha, and the other Kristen). It was a lot of fun and we laughed basically the entire time. After that, she pushed more tables out of the way and pulled everyone up so we could learn one of the circle dances that you would see in Greek movies. 1. We didn't have enough space, so everyone was tripping over everyone else. 2. My Grecian-style dress was floor-length, so both I and other people stepped on my dress the entire time, so I kept tripping. 3. It was definitely fun though! The dinner wrapped up pretty quick after that. A bunch of the others were going to a bar called the Six Dogs and when we said we were going back to the hotel (Natasha, myself, and a girl named Ashley who was an old lady like us), Alexandra told us, "No! You have to at least see it! Go with them." So we went with them. The bar was down another street past the metro and kind of nestled in what looked like an alleyway. There were these colorful lighted-up steps leading down from street level that sort of ended up in this low-level courtyard kind of thing. There were all these twinkle lights and it was super pretty. Gus and Kristen tried to get us to stay for at least a drink, but we decided we still wanted to go back, so we made our way back to the metro and walked back to the President's Hotel. We stopped off in the lobby to see if we could get onto the wifi (which we barely could), and then Natasha and I went up to the roof bar to see what the city looked like at night (gorgeous!). Then we went back to the room to (ugh) pack. Thankfully, we both still had our second personal-sized cakes from the bakery last night, so we ate those (super chocolate-y goodness!) and then spent a lot of time talking with Carolina about stuff, and trying to attempt the packing thing. I swear, I haven't really gotten any better at it. I had planned on doing a bit of reading before going to sleep, but when we turned off the lights at 1am, I couldn't keep my eyes open and completely fell asleep. Day 14 complete!

[lauraskateblogs]

Okay now that the GPF has been over for a few days, time to reflect back on my predictions and where things panned out:

Junior ladies:

I absolutely called it with Sasha Trusova and Alyena Kostornaia on the podium

it was gutting to see poor Anna Shcherbakova have such a rough weekend. I really worry about her, arguably even more than Trusova. Anna’s already had a very serious injury that nearly ended her career before she was even properly a teenager, which puts her even more at risk, imho, of being severely damaged by Eteri’s shiite jump technique and quad-pushing

Alyena being able to win here was a delight though, and I think the ISU was making a pretty clear statement about scoring her so high on her components; it’s pretty clear that they want well-rounded skaters leading the field, not just jumping machines

It was a nice surprise to see Alyena K. 2.0: Panova Edition taking bronze. She’s a very poised skater considering how young she is, and her basic skills are developing beautifully, I hope we’ll see a lot from her in the coming years

RIP Yelim

Seriously I get why she was where she was in terms of scoring but it just hurts my heart to see her tumble to last place like that

Junior men:

I pretty much called it with Gogolev and Gummenik vying for the top spot, it was nice to see Stephen able to produce under pressure unlike his last home ground competition

RIP Camden

As I said in my original post, there was no bad podium with this group of guys. I feel like Adam and Tomoki both are going to be strong contenders in future years, but they’ve both got some mental obstacles that tripped them up this year. Hopefully we’ll see them place high at JWC in March!

RIP CAMDEN

Junior pairs/dance:

I still don’t know jack shit about dance but I really liked watching the teams that podiumed so that was cool

Avonley and Vadym are fun, so I’m excited to see them coming up as potentially the next in line to inherit a place in the US ice dance hierarchy

As for pairs... literally no opinion lol the teams were nice and clearly very talented but none of them stuck out much to me

Shame Sarah and TJ had to withdraw, I liked them on principle because apparently the last, tiniest shred of patriotism I have that The Orange Despot hasn’t managed to smother out of me extends exclusively to unconditionally supporting US athletes on the world stage lol

Senior ladies:

Extremely blessed outcome of Rika winning the GPF title her first senior season!!!! Her golden streak continues!! I’m not naive enough to think it’s going to continue indefinitely, because she’s certainly far from flawless and still has a long way to grow, but I’m confident that her coaching team have a solid grasp on what needs to be worked on and what steps to take to ensure she continues to develop at a healthy pace and stay at a very high level

Satoko was absolutely brutally robbed and I’m super pissed about it. I’ll concede that she had some technical issues that kept her TES down and I’m not about to argue that (well... there was one extremely suspect UR call that I’d like to fight about but w/e) but her PCS was just insulting. Rika and Alina are good but there is no universe where either of them deserves higher components marks than Satoko at this point in their respective careers.

Sofia finished her GP series with six straight performances with no major issues! I think this pretty much guarantees her spot on the Worlds team. Whether Rusfed will send her to Euros as well probably depends on how Evgenia does at nationals, but barring a complete meltdown at nats, she’s probably got a Worlds spot, which is huge for her while she’s fighting to have a place in the conversation once Eteri’s big three move up next season

The fear on Alina’s face both before and after her programs was gutting and I really worry about what’s going on when there are no cameras around

Senior men:

I love Nate and I feel like he won the event pretty fair and square, but I’m a little dubious about the gap in points between him and Shoma, his SP especially feels really stripped down compared to when he first debuted it

Definitely he rightfully had the gold, no arguing that as far as I’m concerned, but the margin seems suspect to me

fuck yeah bronze for Junhwan

that’s it that’s my thoughts, I was gonna be pleased no matter what happened in the men’s event

Senior pairs:

I fucking called the podium, I fucking called it

Good for Peng/Jin, I’m really proud of them for getting a medal here because I feel like they need that boost, confidence-wise, to keep their forward momentum chugging along

Senior dance:

lol what’s ice dance

I guess there’s major drama about levels?

I liked the Italian team

Tiffani Zagorski is hot and imma lesbean

(J)GPF Predictions

Aiight so as this season so far has shown, I’m absolute garbage at predicting podiums this year. Not that I’ve ever been awesome at that but +5/-5 got me all fucked up. But! it’s the GPF! so it’s time to make some predictions anyway and then be Super Wrong and laugh about it…

Keep reading

[mrwizard555-blog]

Guatemala 2018

Eric and I left for Guatemala on Saturday, October 20, 2018.  We rose at 4:00am and Deb, Eric and I headed to Logan.  We had an 8:30 flight to Dallas/Fort Worth and then onto Guatemala.  Eric and I do not talk a lot as both of us are rather quiet, and given how tired we both were we spoke very little on the flight to TX.  We landed at 11:30 (roughly) and had a 4 hour layover.  While there we were also to meet up with the  rest of the team.  We ate, played some cards, took a nap and waited.  I asked Eric if he was a little hesitant about what we were getting into and he said yeah.  I agreed with him but we both decided it was an adventure and we would take whatever the trip gave us.  The flight to Guatemala was pretty basic - I watched Dead Pool 2.  We met up with everyone, got our luggage, cleared customs, and hopped into our vans for the ride to the hotel, the Euro Hostal.  It was a decent place with a whole wall dedicated to license plates from everywhere.  Rooms were clean and after a meeting with the team we crashed.

The next morning we had about a 2 1/2 hour drive to get to San Lucas Toliman, which is a village on Lake Atitlan.  Leaving the Hostal we finally got a good view of the area.  There are walls along the streets on both sides.  Everything is closed off for security.  Side streets have gates and along the top of all the walls are barbed wire. It gave us a bit of a worry given how fortified everything was.  The drive out was an experience as well.  There are no rules while driving on these roads.  And as we drove up into the mountains, along mountain pass roads, we consistently pulled over to the left to pass other vehicles.  It didn’t matter if we couldn’t see 30 yards in front of us.  Eric, Fran, and I were also in the very back of the van, with a wall of suitcases packed to the ceiling directly behind our heads.  All I kept thinking was if we stop short those are crashing down on top of our heads.  But we made it without incident.

Once we arrived at San Lucas I got to see just how beautiful Lake Atitlan is.  It is surrounded - and created by - 3 active volcanoes.  The lake is 1,100 feet deep and huge.  The mountain range around the lake is beautiful and as I sat on our deck at dusk it was amazing listening to all the birds and animals in the jungle around us.  Once we got settled into our rooms we all met up and walked down to the lake, which is a fun filled meeting area for locals.  Lots of people, music, families, and food being sold.  (don’t eat the food).  We all hopped on a boat and took a ride across the lake to San Juan.  Another village with a great many shops.  But the ride was spectacular.  You got to see multiple areas/villages/homes around the lake and understand just how pretty it is.  The village was nice, but poor and run down quite a bit.  It was definitely set up for tourists as the streets were lined with shops.  With Auntie Fran leading I think we visited every one of them.  The  people here are very nice and friendly.  I’ve been told not to eat anything off of the street but I really want to try some of this stuff.  But when we visited Cancun, Dylan and Deb ate stuff from the street folks and got violently sick and it ruined their trip.  So I am not eating anything I’m not supposed to.  Once back to San Lucas we ate dinner in the church/mission, cleaned the dishes and wiped down tables.  Then had a meeting to go over all that is expected, walked back to the hotel and sorted through 10 large bags with medical supplies, preparing for tomorrows work.  My next installment will pick up then, with our first day of working the clinic and helping people.  That will be on Monday, October 22nd, my Carolyn’s 19th birthday.

Monday - October 22

We woke a little before 7:00am after a night of listening to dogs barking and fighting, and roosters crowing since about 3:30.  Eric was a bit grumpy.  We all meet at the mission for breakfast by 8:00.  We stand in a circle and someone leads us in prayer and we all sing some song, which is printed out for everyone so we all know the words.  It may sound a bit dorky, but it is actually quite nice.  Eric never leads my side.  And I can hear him singing along with everyone else.  Us newbies, first timers to Guatemala with this group, then hop onto the back of a small pickup truck, standing in the back, and drive to the local hospital.  We see this because it is tied to the same mission, as is the school we later visit, and all involved are very proud of how far everything has come along over the last 50 years, primarily lead by one priest.  Whose name now escapes me but I’ll add it in later.  The hospital is actually pretty nice, for being in Guatemala, and in 2017 served over 20,000 people.  San Lucas Toliman has a population of 17,000, so many people from neighboring villages come here for help.  The hospital recently had an x-ray machine donated to it, which was needed because the one they were using was from WWII.  It was, because they still have it and we saw it.  They also recently had an ambulance donated to it, which is actually another small pickup truck with a box built on the top.  Honestly, I think it would be too small inside to allow someone 6′2″ to lie down if needed.  But again, it is far better than not having anything at all.  After that tour we went to the local school, again 11 of us piling into the bed of a small pickup.  The school is very nice, with over 800 students.  It is private with families paying about $1.80/week (US) to send their children there.  They recently adopted the Montessori technique for teaching - which I don’t fully understand but have heard of before.

Once our tours were complete it was time to meet up with the others down the mountain at the village we were to work for the afternoon, from 1:00 to 4:00pm.  The ride down was again 11 of us piled into the back of a small pickup, this time shooting down the mountain doing roughly 50 MPH.  The driving here is a bit wild, with “chicken buses” driving faster than anyone else, passing on the left at any point in the road, not caring what could be coming in the other direction.  Eric loved it.  The village was small and very hilly.  We worked in a small 1 floor room and set up stations.  Eric, Jonathon (another boy 1 year younger than Eric and in 8th grade) and I worked the reading glasses station.  We were to test people who had a hard time seeing things close up - which for the US is mostly reading but here can be threading needles, fish hooks, etc.  Primary necessities for many.  We used a tripod with a yard stick attached at the top.  This allowed people to put their forehead against the yard stick, which was 14″ away from an eye test chart taped to the yard stick and hanging down from it.  Our interpreter, Oscar, would explain what we needed them to do, which was read the numbers with one eye at a time, downward to see how small a font they could see without any glasses.  We then tested them with varying strength eye glasses, from 1.0 to 3.25.  It was a great feeling when you watched someone put on the proper strength eyeglass and read all the way to the tiniest print.  They beamed.  It was also funny when the young girls would show up at our station.  They knew we would also give away sunglasses if they asked, but first they had to take the test.  All of them had 20/20 vision and when asked why were they there they simply asked for the sunglasses, which we gave them.  Some people we were not able to help though.  These folks had more serious issues and the glasses weren’t really going to make much of a difference.  I wanted to explain things to them but couldn’t, due to my lack of the Spanish language.  We didn’t wrap up on time, not finishing until after 5:00.  This could have been problematic because of all the supplies we bring with us, including drugs.  We wanted to be back and unloaded before dark, which did not happen tonight.  Eric and I had a chance to talk towards the end of the day, before we had to pack up.  Eric said that this made him wish he was fluent in Spanish because the people are so nice and friendly that he would have liked to talk to them, but couldn’t.  He also said this was making him look at being a doctor a little differently.  He could see how this was truly helping people and making a difference in their lives.  Along with making a lot of money, which of course he added in.  But day 1 working down here and he is seeing things a little differently.  Very nice.  Our ride back, while harrowing to me, was uneventful, thankfully.  We enjoyed dinner together, prayed and sang together again and came back to our rooms.  Everyone truly shuts down after dinner, enjoying a little quiet time and going to bed early because they are all exhausted.  For the second night in a row I”m writing this blog and Eric is snoring next to me.  I’m off to sleep too because I am also exhausted.

Tuesday - October 23rd

Similar day as Monday.  Things get into a routine here with Breakfast at 8:00, prayer in a big circle before we eat, wash dishes and wipe down tables, and make sandwiches.  Hop into the back of a small pickup truck and pray you make the journey safely.  On Tuesday I went with Larry at 8:30 to the hospital to help load all the suitcases of equipment onto one of our trucks.  We then headed back to the mission, picked up everyone else and headed to our village.  Eric was making sandwiches while I went to get the bags with Larry.  We are on different teams for these domestic duties.  Eric, Oscar (our translator), and I were on reading glasses again.  We test peoples vision, try a couple of strengths of reading glasses and repeat.  This day we were working next to a school and the schoolyard where the kids play was just outside.  So at lunchtime Jonathon, Eric, and I started kicking a soccer ball around and some local little kids joined us.  Eric and Jonathon played for a while, which was nice.  Oscar and I managed the glasses alone for most of the afternoon, which was fine.  We finished up earlier than some others so the 2 of us walked around the village.  Not really much to see, but on our way back some little kids went running by us, looking at me, and yelling “gringo!”.  It was pretty funny.  

Even though October is still part of Guatemala’s rainy season we have been blessed with beautiful weather.  It hasn’t rained on us yet.  

That night, after dinner a few of us walked to get ice cream.  We went to the local park which had a nice basketball court and some kids were playing.  Eric was so upset that he has a broken finger because he wanted to play.  The kids there weren’t very good and I think he believed he could take them.  The fair/carnival was closing down and rides were being dismantled in the streets.  The carnival doesn’t set up in some open piece of land like at home.  They set up their rides in the street and shut the streets down.  The ferris wheel was still going though and was probably the fastest spinning ferris wheel I’ve ever seen.  It was a nice day and the routine is getting to be familiar now.  Enjoyable even.

Wednesday - October 24th

We started out as usual, breakfast at 8:00.  The food here is actually quite good and I think we will be lugging a lot of the food we brought with us back home, or give it to the team who are staying another week.  A nice problem to have because the food could have been terrible, and so this is much better.

There was a mass going on during breakfast which was specifically for the hospital workers, so when the mass ended we lined up on both sides of the exit doors and clapped and thanked the workers for all they do.  They loved it.

Today at the clinic Eric and I got to work with the dentist.  This is not like a dentist at home.  There is little preventive care, if any, and the villagers only show up to have teeth pulled.  Eric’s jobs were to sterilize the equipment, which was continually used, washed, and reused all day, discard the bloody gauze, and throw out the teeth.  He also handed out free toothbrushes and toothpaste to all the patients.  He was magnificent.  He did a great job, enjoyed the autonomy of having his own tasks to perform, and didn’t make one mistake.  My job was to take temperatures of all potential patients and blood pressure of adults.  I enjoyed today’s work more as well.  I got to interact with villagers more than with the eye glasses because I didn’t have an interpreter with me.  It was a little bumpy sometimes but fun.  I actually had to take my own temperature for one little girl because she was terrified and had no idea what the thermometer was.  Once I showed it she reluctantly let me put it in her mouth and get the reading.  There were a lot of teeth pulled but very little screaming or crying, and we saw a lot of little kids.  They’re tough.  I think they live with tooth pain for so long that the thought of pulling it and having the pain be gone is a happy prospect for them.

Another harrowing ride back with 11 of us standing in the back of a little Toyota pickup, prayer, dinner, clean up, and after dinner meeting/prayer stuff again.  But then we walked back to the hotel and the Red Sox were playing game 2 of the World Series against LA.  Which I was able to watch on the 1 tv at the hotel which is in the outdoor patio area.  Team members joined me for a little while, which was nice because normally we all separate at this time.  It was even nicer because the Sox won and now have a 2 game to 0 lead on LA.  Go Sox!

[yahoo-puck-daddy-blog]

What We Learned: What to expect from Predators' Eeli Tolvanen

Predators 2017 first-rounder Eeli Tolvanen has had a record-breaking season in the KHL. (Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

Over the weekend, Predators 2017 first-round pick Eeli Tolvanen confirmed that his plan is to go to the NHL after his KHL season with Jokerit comes to an end.

Jokerit is currently in the midst of a KHL conferece quarterfinal series against Sochi, and will likely win it. That means you’re probably looking at another two or three weeks before Tolvanen is able to come over the NHL, maybe another before he’s up to speed with what the Predators want from him.

David Poile has all but said Tolvanen will be used as a top-six forward once he arrives in Nashville — that’s The Jimmy Vesey Promise! — and that makes plenty of sense. This season, Tolvanen became the best 18-year-old in KHL history, scoring 19 goals and 36 points in 49 games, nudging Evgeni Kuznetsov’s age-18 points- and goals-per-game by fractions (0.735 to 0.727 and 0.388 to 0.386, respectively).

These numbers basically blow every other age-18 season in KHL history out of the water. Besides these two, only Vladimir Tarasenko and Wild prospect Kirill Kaprizov have even cleared half a point a game.

Tolvanen also had a dominant season in international hockey. He had nine points in five games at the Olympic tournament, and six in five at the world juniors for Finnish teams that weren’t exactly set up to be world-beaters. So basically, this is a guy who is playing at an elite level against basically all conceivable competition at just 18 years old — he won’t be 19 until late April, about a week after the start of the playoffs — and who the Predators will, at the very least, use as a power play specialist late in the regular season and into the playoffs.

But the question is, what can Nashville actually expect from Tolvanen? There’s always a learning curve going from international ice to the closer proximity of North American rinks, especially because the NHL is also the biggest, fastest and most physically demanding league in addition to being the most talent-packed at every position.

None of this is to suggest that Tolvanen couldn’t handle the demands of the NHL or isn’t used to North American rinks; he spent two seasons in the USHL and scored 47 goals and 92 points in 101 career games heading into his draft year (he intended to play college hockey this year but didn’t get into Boston College; good lord, imagine if he had). There’s obviously a difference between the USHL and the NHL, but to say he’s unfamiliar with the North American style wouldn’t be fair.

Likewise, any concerns that Tolvanen would be playing “too many games” this year is silly. While his resume is certainly packed — KHL, Euro Hockey Tour, world juniors, Olympics — he’s only played as many games this year (64) as P.K. Subban and Calle Jarnkrok, who lead Nashville in games played. Plus he’s 18 so he can probably handle the workload.

But in terms of Tolvanen’s actual on-ice impact in Nashville, it’s important for people (including Poile) not to set their sights too high here. He is a dynamic talent, to be sure, but it’s exceptionally rare for any 18-year-olds to be big-time contributors for NHL teams. For every Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, there’s a Val Nichushkin, Sasha Barkov and Alex Galchenyuk. The latter three all clearly had talent levels well above the average teenager in the NHL, and they turned in solid age-18 seasons, but they weren’t huge difference-makers for their clubs.

We don’t have a lot to go on here, right? Alex Radulov went from the KHL to the NHL midseason in 2011-12, also for Nashville, and scored seven points in nine regular-season games, then six in eight playoff games, but got run out of town for being a party boy. He was, however, 26 years old for that little run and had previously played 155 NHL games between the regular- and post-seasons, so it’s perhaps not the best comparable.

Likewise, you can’t really compare what Kuznetsov did as an 18-year-old to Tolvanen, at least in terms of what that means for their immediate impact in the NHL. That’s because Kuznetsov’s age-18 season (2010-11) came three years before he finally made the jump to the NHL. When he did, he too moved after his KHL team was eliminated from the playoffs, and scored nine points in Washington’s final 17 regular-season games. Washington missed the playoffs that year. (Remember Adam Oates? Haha.) This was, however, in Kuznetsov’s age-21 season.

So maybe Nichushkin is actually a decent comparable here, because he went right from Russia during the most recent lockout season as a 17-year-old to the NHL at 18, and put up 14 goals and 34 points in 79 games in his draft year plus-1 for Dallas. This wasn’t midseason but it’s rare for a Russian teen to jump at all, so here we are.

Nichushkin’s KHL track record before coming to North America (4-2-6 in 18 games in his draft year) wasn’t as impressive as Tolvanen’s, even taking his slightly younger age into account.

So let’s say, for example, Tolvanen can’t produce like a mid-20s Radulov could, coming off a number of dominant KHL seasons. But let’s also say he’s probably better than Nichushkin was coming to North America for the first time at 18. Does that put him somewhere in the range of what Kuznetsov did at age 21, scoring a little more than half a point a game?

By the latest NHLe, which attempts to calculate approximate point production from various lower-level leagues around the world, a player scoring like Tolvanen did in the KHL would be expected to score about 45 points in 82 NHL games. That’s a little better than Kuznetsov’s initial NHL production (0.545 points per game vs. 0.529), and by way of comparison is right in the neighborhood of what Mikko Koivu, Patrick Maroon, Andreas Athanasiou and Jonathan Drouin are scoring this season.

These, too, are good players, but the idea that you’d get yourself all fired up to acquire most of those guys at the deadline is maybe a bit much. Especially if the hype train rolls into the station with people expecting Tolvanen to be more like what people think Drouin is (rather than what he’s doing this year).

All I’m saying is, if he’s an 18-year-old scoring more than half a point a game, that’s awesome. He would be the fourth 18-year-old to hit that level of production in the cap era. You just don’t want people getting too far ahead of themselves and expecting him to be anything more than is reasonable.

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: My advice for the Ducks to not need to create momentum swings by killing penalties is to take fewer penalties. Radical thinking, I know.

Arizona Coyotes: This is from last week but man, what a headline.

Boston Bruins: Bruins fans spent like 45 minutes on Saturday night trying to Zapruder-film their way into believing Brendan Gallagher chopped Charlie McAvoy’s foot off with a slash, but it ended up being a totally innocuous trip and you feel like these people really want a patsy anyway. Hey, Oswald said he was a patsy, right?

Buffalo Sabres: The No. 1 thing for Sabres fans to do the rest of the season? Wait for Jack Eichel to maybe come back healthy if he can to play the last eight games or something. That’s not a thing I made up for a joke, that’s actually what they’re saying in Buffalo.

Calgary Flames: To be fair to the Flames after a “stinker,” I feel like if you create 51 shots on goal, with a team-counted 87 scoring chances, you’re not gonna lose 3-1 too often. No moral victories for the Flames at this time of year, though.

Carolina Hurricanes: Peace and love to Jordan Staal and his family. I don’t know how your infant daughter passes away and you’re back at work a week later. That’s really something.

Chicago Blackhawks: It’s all going great now!

Colorado Avalanche: Turns out correlation (trading Matt Duchene) is indeed causation (being pretty good but not great or anything) after all.

Columbus Blue Jackets: It’s amazing to me that this team might miss the playoffs but that’s what the people of Columbus get for doubting me last year. You’re up next, Vegas.

Dallas Stars: At this point the Stars have to be all but assured a playoff spot, right? They and Minnesota seem like the only two non-locks in their division who have a real chance at this point.

Detroit Red Wings: A million “hmmmmmmm” emoji for the “Is it time for Ken Holland to go?” takes.

Edmonton Oilers: Yeah when you can’t beat a post-selloff Rangers team, and look bad in not winning, that’s gotta be the thing that kickstarts some big-time changes for your club.

Florida Panthers: Can we stop with this? Good lord. Yeah the Panthers are a point out of the playoffs with games in hand, but they’re also two points better than the Rangers who are now actively tanking. So, c’mon. Who cares.

Los Angeles Kings: Speaking of, this team is currently in a playoff spot but man, I dunno.

Minnesota Wild: It’s like golf, baby! If you have a bad showing, like one where you give up seven to Colorado and Nathan MacKinnon solidifies his own case for the MVP, you just gotta put it behind you.

Montreal Canadiens: When your stated goal is “avoid embarrassment” against your arch rival, that to me is great and good.

Nashville Predators: This is an attendance award.

New Jersey Devils: Taylor Hall is scoring his ass off lately and he’s still only eighth in the league in points per game. Pretty good!

New York Islanders: This is a headline that could have been published at any point in the last two decades, to be honest.

New York Rangers: STOP SAYING EVERYONE IS IN THE PLAYOFF RACE.

Ottawa Senators: Imagine being a person who watched this Sens-Coyotes game. What must life be like?

Philadelphia Flyers: Shayne Gostisbehere: Nice guy and dark-horse Norris candidate. Just sayin’.

Pittsburgh Penguins: The real place the Penguins need to make a change in the lineup is in net, because with Matt Murray out you get Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith. Which to me is, like, no thanks.

San Jose Sharks: The Sharks owner met with the team and said he “expects a winner.” Bad news, Hasso.

St. Louis Blues: If the Stastny trade wasn’t the nail in the coffin, losing to Dallas again probably was.

Tampa Bay Lightning: The Lightning play their next seven games at home. Is that good?

Toronto Maple Leafs: I know the game was at the Naval Academy but this headline is a huge stretch regardless. There are like six better nautical expressions to use here: sunk, capsized, etc.

Vancouver Canucks: This take is one of those things where you go, “Come on,” but then you think about it and go, “Ah actually, that might be true, but that’s kinda sad.”

Vegas Golden Knights: *Me saying “hmmmmmmm” into the inky black void of space for a literal eternity*

Washington Capitals: It should be illegal to write “Isn’t playing outside special?” columns at this point.

Winnipeg Jets: If the Jets start losing a bunch of games all of a sudden, I think we’ll know why.

Play of the Weekend

Look at this damn stretch pass by Alex Killorn. The fact that it created a 2-on-1 for Kucherov and Stamkos against Andy MacDonald made this goal academic. (What was Andy MacDonald doing out there against Stamkos and Kucherov???)

Gold Star Award

Larry Brooks with the line of the season: “Accepted theory that a team can only come up with a franchise player by bottoming out and cashing in at the draft doesn’t at all hold up if you can get Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli to trade with you.”

My man!!!!!

Minus of the Weekend

The college hockey playoffs started this week so I can’t be mad about anything. I love you all!!!

Perfect HFBoards Trade Proposal of the Week

User “zeke” has a trade proposal that literally made me laugh and say “Yes dude” out loud in my living room.

To TOR: S.Weber

To MTL: T.Liljegren, K.Kapanen, C.Pickard

Signoff

Uhhh, Upstate New York?

—

Ryan Lambert is a Puck Daddy columnist. His email is here and his Twitter is here. (All stats via Corsica unless otherwise noted.)

[wherearchthou]

Portugal

Portugal brought us blue skies, tiled sidewalks, castle views, cheap wine, abundant fresh seafood, and our first hostel experience of this trip. If you make it to the end of this far too lengthy post, you will read my ‘wise’ words of wisdom about my experience as a 30-year-old in a hostel.

We landed in Lisbon, or Lisboa, in Portuguese, on Saturday afternoon. We got our bearings exploring the city on foot. We walked along the waterfront and then trekked uphill for stunning views of the city at sunset. We had dinner at a restaurant called Bota Alto, where the waiter gave us a crazy look because Nick and I ordered, “What the Portuguese order.” The waiter served us a sample to make sure we liked what we were going to eat. Little did this waiter know that we eat basically anything.

Sunday morning we walked up hilly cobblestoned streets and flights of stairs to the Alfama area to see a castle. We didn’t end up going inside the castle, but we did enjoy gorgeous views of Lisbon from above. We stumbled upon a restaurant for lunch, thanks to the Rick Steve’s guidebook, that was the perfect meal for a hot day after a long walk. We enjoyed sitting on a vine-covered patio while sipping on vinho verde (green wine, which is wine that is aged for a shorter period of time than my usual boxed red wine) and eating cheese, a salad, and prawns. We ended the day at Time Out Market, which was recommended by many people. The huge market is essentially a food hall mecca for locals and tourists alike. One side has authentic Portuguese food while the other side has hamburgers, Chinese food, pizza, and pretty much any other food you could imagine. We stuck to the Portuguese side and were pleased with our choices of (more) cheese, (more) local wine, and (more) seafood. If you’re sensing a trend with our dining habits in Portugal, you are correct. 

Monday morning we finished our last Rick Steve’s self-guided walk in the Bairro Alto/Rossio area of Lisbon. Before catching a train to Sintra, we had an interesting detour to the US Embassy. To make a long story short, I had to get paperwork notarized for my new job. I tried to get the paperwork before we left, but it didn’t come via email until after we left, and of course, the paperwork has to be notarized before we come back to the US. We tried to get an appointment in London to no avail and were very lucky to snag an appointment at the Embassy in Lisbon. US Embassies are not easy places to get into. After presenting documentation and explaining why we were there, they almost made Nick wait outside. I pulled the, “We are on our honeymoon card” which possibly made the guard feel sorry for us, so he let Nick accompany me into the heavily gated- yet beautiful looking- pink building with a ceramic tile roof. Annnddd this is now a very long story. 

Our time at the Embassy brought us an important travel lesson at the expense of a woman who was in a very unfortunate situation. While we were waiting in the very boring waiting room (no cell phones allowed- the guards hold them for you before you are allowed to go in), people were coming and going, many were dual citizens and working out passport issues, etc. Anyway, one woman from the US came in hysterically crying. She explained to the people behind the giant glass window that she had everything stolen. Passport, license, credit cards, debit card. Everything. She walked 2 hours in the afternoon heat to get to the Embassy. While she had her credit cards and passport information online, she was not allowed to actually withdraw any of the money that was being wired to her because she didn’t have a valid form of identification. The Embassy credit card machine was broken that day, so she couldn’t even have money wired directly to the embassy. This was a good reminder to us that when you are traveling, you should try to keep your important documents spread out a little. Potentially, if she had her credit card in a different bag, or her passport back at her hotel room, or her debit card buried in the bottom of her bag...maybe she would have had at least one thing working in her favor. After an annoying wait, and a lot of money for a damn stamp, I got my papers signed and notarized declaring that I am in fact a US citizen. I went up to the crying lady to give her the 4 Euros we had, where she politely kept declining them until I essentially threw them at her and said, “Do something good when you can!” before I hastily ran away and quickly put my sunglasses on because I wanted to start crying for her.

After that not so exciting side trip to the Embassy, we were finally able to board our train to the adorable town of Sintra. Luckily, Sintra is only a 40-minute train ride west of Lisbon, so it was really simple to get there. We got off the train and headed to our hostel to check in. Our room legitimately had an unobstructed view of 2 amazing castles, so I was in heaven. We realized we had time to get to the Moorish Castle before it closed, so we quickly hiked uphill and were in awe of the views and the architecture of this castle. To put it simply, the castle looked just like those sand castle molds you use at the beach. That evening, we had my favorite dinner yet: arroz con marisco- rice with seafood (and an amazing sauce not included in the name). 

Tuesday morning brought some travel woes, but they’re bound to happen, right?! We had some transportation struggles (missed buses, delayed buses) trying to get ourselves to the cute little beach town called Cascais. For starters, I had some major pronunciation issues with the name of this town. After working hard on pronouncing it- which meant me repeating it over and over to myself- I still butchered the name, big time, while trying to tell the bus driver where we wanted to go. When we did finally make it to the adorable beach town, I realized I forgot to pack my bathing suit for this day trip. These were all ‘me’ problems, so let’s just say it’s a miracle Nick hasn’t already moved onto our next destination without me. We ended up having a lovely lunch and walk along the water in Cascais and headed back to Sintra in time to see the amazing architecture of the beautiful and colorful Pena Palace....where we even found a courtyard named for us, further convincing me of my destiny to be royal, even with a new last name!

Our last full day in Portugal brought us back to reality. While we squeezed in a trip to the town of Belem, just 4 miles away from Lisbon (to see the monastery pictured below), we also faced the reality that we really needed to finish travel plans (activities, lodging, food) for the latter half of our trip and that we needed to do laundry....in a hostel....

Which leads me to my lessons learned in a hostel as a 30-year-old. I will preface this by saying: we did not stay in any shared dorm rooms. I’m gathering that if the guesthouse/hostel offers a shared dorm option, they still call themselves a hostel. We opted for the private room with a shared bathroom in a centrally located area. Knowing the duration of this trip, we knew there would be sacrifices including staying in places with shared bathroom facilities, minimalist rooms, and loud street noise. If we’re focusing on positives...our hostels have included nothing but kind people, clean linens, and lovely breakfasts...for about $60/night, which you can’t beat. I should also note that when I booked these hostels (yes, I booked these, not Nick), I was apparently feeling more adventurous than I am now. Not unsurprisingly, my biggest hurdle has been the shared shower, even though the showers haven’t been thaaat bad. But I learned that there are only 2 ways to get through it: either make sure you don’t have your contact lenses in and/or make sure you’ve at least had half a bottle of wine. Depending on if I shower at night or in the morning, one of those things has to happen for me to leave the shower feeling clean. Quite the task was me trying to rinse out our laundry in the said shower, which was also on a 20-second timer (so you had to keep pushing a button to keep the water going), which also ended up flooding some small pools of water into the hallway, while trying not to drop my now somewhat decently clean laundry on the floor while also not touching the walls of the shower. In between swear words, I kept repeating to myself, “Beach. Beach. Beach.” Another part of the reason we stayed in a place with a shared bathroom is so that we can stay in a somewhat nice place when we get to the beach part of our trip. That ridiculous story aside, it really hasn’t been too bad. And if it allows us to travel on this amazing trip (that we will never replicate again), then I suppose that it’s well worth some of the minor inconveniences. 

After a very long day of travel, we just made it to our next stop, Thailand. Thailand which will no doubt be much more chaotic, but we couldn’t be more excited for the next leg of this adventure.

[hannahlizmellino-blog]

First Day

Ah, Monday. If you don’t know me, Dear Reader, then let me explain right now: I hate” first days” of anything. It’s only because I seem to have this curse, where anytime I start something new, something happens the day or week before to make that first day a little miserable. One time, I was just starting a new job at this bakery, and I had sand- burned my legs at the beach the day before, so they were all red and raw. When I started at Payless Shoes as a sales associate, I caught a cold the day before and had no voice and a non-stop dripping nose and coughing spells that made me have tears running down my face. NOW, I was hoping I would have a clean start, but no such chance. On the long walk to church the day before, I had developed a bunch of blisters on my feet ,which then popped and rubbed and bled all the way home. Now, on my first day, they were still raw and tender, and I also had mosquito bites where there weren’t blisters. All night, I had been awakened by the high- pitched buzzing of mosquitos trying to land on my face. The next morning, my hands had large swollen areas from the mosquito bites, and there was also one on my face. I tried to focus on being positive, but the stress was definitely taking its toll on me.

I almost missed my bus that morning for school, because I lost track of time, and I completely forgot that I was wearing the faux pax shoe of Italy: the flip flop. I am always anywhere from five to twenty minutes early for everything. Except SOMEHOW, I always end up a half-hour late for any class of Gary’s, the first week of classes. Not sure how I do it, but it never fails to happen to me. THIS time, I was NOT going to be late for the first day. Turns out, I was about an hour early instead of the twenty minutes early I had planned for. Italian time here varies. The bus can be ten minutes early and not show up for the next half-hour, or it can be ten minutes late and almost make you miss your appointment. However, I got there plenty early!!

Getting to the school, I have to laugh now, I made a definite entrance. Everyone was staring. Everyone was shocked. The American had arrived. How did I make this GRAND entrance? I tripped. OK, HEAR ME OUT. I am not clumsy, I swear. I have never tripped in my life, no matter how many times my brothers have shoved their legs out in front of me, inviting me to fall on my face. Now, HERE I AM, TRIPPING IN ITALY, with the school that has some of the best artists in the world, I’m talking, “Best of the best of the best, SIR……with honors!” (Will Smith, Men in Black 1). See, this gate that you go through for the academy opens, but it leaves a giant metal bar six inches off the ground at the bottom that you have to step over. No warning sign. You just have to know to look down so that you can step over it. And I didn’t look down. I didn’t fall flat on my face; I caught myself in time, but my pride went out the window at that moment. “Hello, yes, dumb American over here. Don’t mind me.” Vicki, who was with me, asked if I was okay, and when I lifted my jeans, I found that my superior extensor retinaculum (I’m not smart; I, legit, just googled that) was completely scraped up and had a large black- looking bruise on it. To put in simply, YEAH, I WAS IN PAIN. Take a sledge hammer and whack your superior extensor foot part. That’s what I did. My nerves didn’t let up, either. While I was trying to pay with my euro bills for a silverpoint class after that, my hands were shaking, and I couldn’t find the right bills. Poor Rosemary, the secretary, thought I couldn’t count or didn’t know how to work the bills. At that point, I was making up a t-shirt design in my head that read in bold, black impact letters, “DUMB AMERICAN HERE.” For the record, I actually understand European money really well. The higher the numbers get, the higher the worth of the bill. Boom.

I figured once I started class, I would get into my groove. I would be in MY area of expertise. Actually, I’m not all that awesome at it, but my point is that I would be more confident  at drawing than anything else I’d been doing the past week. NOPE. NOPE. ALL wrong. Listen to this, though, because, WOW, it is all so incredible, and as much as I struggled HARDCORE, I learned so much.

I stood at my easel and was about to start drawing, when I was told, no, you need to sharpen your pencil.

“Yeah, ok. My pencil was a little blunt, I guess.”

“No, not sharpen, but literally use a knife and slice that pencil until you get AT LEAST an inch of lead hanging out ,and then sharpen the bajeezers out of that.”

“Ok, wow, that’s interesting! Sounds great! Can I draw now?”

“No, you need to hold your pencil differently. Not near the end, like you are writing, but at or near the end of the pencil, to be able to make longer and quicker strokes.”

“Wonderful! Bene! Sounds great. Ok!”

“Good. Now why are you standing so close?”

“Close?”

“Step back. You should be at an arm’s length from your board with the left edge of the board (if you’re right handed) in the middle of you, your board turned slightly towards the model. Make sure the left foot is pointing to the model and the other foot towards your drawing. OH, and now put tape along your feet where you are standing, so you know you’re always in the right spot.”

I was geeking out, to be honest. I WAS BEING A REAL ARTIST!!!!!! But this was a lot to remember and practice all at once. I started to hold out my pencil to measure the distance from the top of my model’s head to the ground, when I was given more instructions! We measure not with a pencil or stick, but with a piece of string with a large metal washer tied to the end. We then measure with our arms spread wide. We hold the string up evenly to parts of the model as we measure up or down, and you then mark on the paper where the string hits.

We were then taught to make an abstract drawing using small to long lines quickly, to just outline the figure. “The more abstract the better,” Simone, my teacher, keeps telling me. And believe me, it is hard. I believe in trying to make the figure look good from the beginning. Now we needed to make an abstract potato- shape and whittle it down to a form. However, as Simone is teaching me, the chiseling process actually gets one to a more accurate drawing. She showed me to even build with basic shapes first, like triangles, circles, and ovals. I was taught to start with the feet and then find my way up the body and focus on the way the body is connected, in order to find the middle vertical line, and then work off of that. Then focus on the skeleton and what it is doing under the skin. That was surprising to me. I copied master works for figure drawing, and it also showed me how important it was to get each line to show the curve of the muscles under the skin. Visualizing the skeleton and how it was moving, combined with watching for how the muscles were being tensed, made a huge difference for me in drawing a figure. In class at home, we were just trying so hard to show legs, arms, and trunk, we forgot about what makes all that up.

Another very important step that I really struggle with, is looking at the overall picture. I am great at picking up details. But if you don’t squint and pick up the large cutouts of overall darks and lights, the details mean nothing. I have struggled with that so much in class. My Professor, Thia, and classmate, Mark, were telling me before that I needed to focus more on that.

IT’S SUCH AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE!!!! It’s really a lot to learn, and it is VERY, VERY intense and VERY overwhelming, but it makes me just want to work harder and perfect this. The other day, I must have spent four hours on a practice drawing of a figure pulling a rope, and even though I REALLY struggled through it, the end result was just beautiful and so worth it. I really am learning to be patient with myself and drawing,to see the bigger picture in life and in the drawing, and to have humility. Also, I need to hustle harder. I ALWAYS hear you tubers, who are getting big and famous, to “put yourself out there”, to “get out of your comfort zone”, and it really is true, I am finding. It is exhilarating to go through a trial, and whether you enjoyed it or not, to be able to say at the very end, that you did it. You accomplished that, and YOU LEARNED. It’s also become a joy for me to know that I worked HARD on something. I didn’t just show up to class and draw and leave. I got there early and practiced; I did the class,; I went home, and then I practiced some more and then repeated it again. It really does make you feel good, and it just fuels you on to do more. And the best thing? Only good can come from that hustle.

MORE COMING SOON!!!