#so i dug out most of the plants and used my lake rocks for decoration

[killerchickadee]

My big black friday purchase? SHRIMP. The Shrimp Farm had them for 25% off so I got 5. I've been waiting for a hot minute to snag some.

Um also a 10 gallon tank cause it was half off lol. Nowhere to put it right now though. The shrimp are for my 5 gallon, but the 10 is a 10 tall? Cause I like weird shaped tanks. It's going to primarily be a shrimp tank too cause not a lot of fish are gonna like a 10 tall.

Anyway gonna have to wait until I have money again to set it up. But yay aquariums!

[sillspore]

Clan Culture

the way i envision the clans in my head, and how i wish the series had made them more than just copy pasted versions of each other :,)

THUNDERCLAN

Thunderclan traditionally lived in a ravine in the forest, overcome with life and vegetation. Their dens are a mix of caves in the walls of the ravine and trees and bushes that grow there. In the lake territory, Thunderclan makes their home in an abandoned quarry where their dens are largely the same as the ravine. A large tree has grown in the middle of the quarry, the bottom of which has become the leader’s den with a branch of the tree functioning as the leader’s spot during clan meetings. 

Thunderclan are known, crafts-wise, for their woodworking. Thunderclan cats use their claws to make bowls and containers out of wood. Their most iconic invention was making a bag out of a wood cup and vine so healers could carry more herbs at once. 

If ThunderClan cats choose to accessorize, it’s with feathers or plants. 

Thunderclan often names their kits after things found in the forest, most often birds and plants. 

Historically, Thunderclan is the least accepting of outsiders, but after the events to TPB they slowly open up to them. 

SHADOWCLAN

Shadowclan lives up to their name and traditionally works and lives in the dark. In the old forest camp, there was a small cave system they lived in, and they hunted exclusively at night. The cave was small, though, so warriors slept in dug-out dens in the clearing around the cave.  Due to their night-hunting habits, most Shadowclan cats have darker fur to help with camouflage. At the lake territory, there’s an outcropping of rocks and boulders that form a cave-like tunnel system, so Shadowclan makes their camp there, in the dark, where only they can navigate. 

Shadowclan is one of the least-crafty clans, but kits are known to play in the mud of their marsh. Most commonly, Shadowclan skins prey and makes blankets for their cold dens out of the fur. 

Shadowclan commonly names their kits “dark” names, such as Murk- or Shade-. They have a reputation to uphold, after all. 

Shadowclan is usually unfond of outsiders, with the exception of Brokenstar’s leadership, where he invites many rogues into his clan. 

RIVERCLAN

Riverclan has always lived near water, due to their diet of fish. In the old territory, they live right next to the river, with decorated dens of shells and clay. Their dens are weaved by them and made to float if flooding occurs. In the new territories, they live once more by the river, but their camp is surrounded on all sides by shallow, but wide streams, making their camp safe as an island. 

Riverclan cats have the best access to large amounts of food, and are almost always large and sleek. Due to this, and no need to fight over their borders (in the old territory, due to the river, and at the lake, due to the horse place and camp grounds bordering them), Riverclan have lots of free time to prioritize creativity. They love decorating with twine, shells, fish bones, feathers, and clay. Riverclan often makes clay bowls and decorations, which are used to make many tasks easier, such as delivering water to sick cats. 

Riverclan often names their kits after water, the plants found in their territory, fish, and things found in the water such as pebbles and shells. 

Riverclan has historically been the most accepting to outsiders, due to Riverstar’s nature, but by the time of TPB they’re only slightly less rigid than the other clans. 

WINDCLAN

Windclan has always lived in the open moor, where their ancestors can look straight down on them. In both the forest and lake territories, they live in a dipped clearing at the top of a small hill, and sleep open to the stars. Only the medicine den is an actual den, so herbs don’t get swept away with the wind. In the old territory, Windclan had tunneled paths all over their territory and used them very effectively. In the new territories, they begin tunneling anew and discover the tunnels underneath Windclan and Thunderclan. 

A unique trait of WindClan is their tunneling system, which faded from many living cat’s memories by the time of the series’ beginning. However, after WindClan is driven from their land by Brokenstar, Tallstar laments that if they’d still been tunneling, they could’ve won the fight, or at least stayed in their territory as no other cats would dare to follow them beneath the earth. Due to this, Tallstar brings tunneling back. 

Windclan names are often plants and animals found on the moor, or names after the weather and sky. 

Windclan doesn’t despise outsiders, but they certainly aren’t the most friendly. On one occasion, a Windclan queen accidentally took an abandoned puppy into her litter of kits and refused to let any warriors remove him — so Windclan raised the pup, who became a full warrior of Windclan and helped make other dogs stop bugging his clan. 

WindClan are so crazy religious, way more so than the other clans. Their healers are basically nuns because the only thing they wanna bone is god. 

SKYCLAN

Skyclan traditionally lived in the trees of their territory, dens forming from tree hollows and cats weaving branches together to make paths. Where they lived was one of the best-kept secrets of Skyclan. Later on, after Firestar revives Skyclan, they live in a gorge, most living on the ledges of it. Once they rejoin the main clans at the lake, their ancestors remind them of how they used to live, and Skyclan takes up tree weaving once more. Some cats are uncomfortable with this, however, so they instead live at the bottom of those trees, in dug-out dens. Over time, all of Skyclan transitions to living in the trees again. 

Skyclan has “odd” names, due to its reformed members being originally outsiders with their own naming traditions. Forest prefixes are becoming more common, though, and -leap and -spring are common suffixes.  

Once Skyclan is reformed, they’re the most accepting to outsiders among the clans, due to many still-living members being former loners and kittypets. They kind of just take in strays. Somewhere, in the far future, Ford F-150paw exists, and that’s a world i want to live in.

[a-supernatural-writer]

Wendigo Pt.1

Summary: The journey to find John leads the trio to Blackwater Ridge. Being with her boys bring back old memories from Isabeau’s childhood. There was a time when the boys got to be children.

Pairing: Eventual Sam X OC X Dean (polyamorous relationship)

Warnings: mentions of blood, language

Words: 4,659

*This work is also posted on other fanfiction sites*

Next Part | Main Masterlist | “Party of Three” Masterlist

Isabeau’s face scrunched up, her eyes opening slightly. The open road was in front of her, her surroundings passing by as Dean drove the impala. She was in the front seat of the car, between Dean and Sam. Her head was laying on Dean’s shoulder, her cheek squished up against his leather jacket. 

She didn’t even remember falling asleep in the first place, but not sleeping for a couple of days finally caught up to her and exhaustion knocked her ass out. “Good morning sleeping beauty.” Dean playfully said, his hand squeezing her thigh where it’s been since the moment she fell asleep. 

Isabeau didn’t answer, her mind a little foggy, and eyesight a little blurry. Why the boys insist on her sitting in the front between them, she didn’t know. She only guessed it was because Sam wanted some comfort after the loss of Jessica and Dean, well, Dean only asked her to sit in the front if he needed support. Though he would never admit it. 

She tried to move away from Dean’s shoulder but an opposing weight on her other side prevented her from doing so. She glanced over, blinking slowly seeing that Sam was passed out on her shoulder. He was also holding onto her right hand tightly. 

The corner of Isabeau’s lip curled up. She was brought back to a time when the three of them were younger. 

June 21st, 1987

“Come on, Sam! Dean!” Little newly turned 5-year-old Isabeau runs down the little hill in the backyard of her house. At the bottom of the hill was a small lake, it’s surface reflecting the crescent moon in the night sky. 

A 4-year-old Sam giggles as he locks hands with Isabeau, the girl dragging him down to the edge of the lake. The two were stuck to each other like glue. The minute that John stopped by to wish Isabeau a happy birthday and drop off his sons, Sam never left Isabeau’s side. 

8-year-old Dean was close by the two, watching them and joining them in their antics in the backyard. His mind is void of any thoughts of his dad hunting instead of staying and celebrating Isabeau’s birthday. Dean was enjoying what fun he had when he stayed over at Isabeau’s. 

“Easy you three!” Isabeau’s father, Bartholmieu called out with a smile on his face. He was carrying four glass mason jars with holes poked through their metal tops. Bartholmieu reached the lake where the three waited by, throwing rocks into the water, seeing who could throw their rock the farthest. 

Bartholmieu handed each one of them their jar, leaving one for himself and gesturing the kids to open the jar. He crouches down to their height and points towards the field that surrounded the lake. “Now watch.” 

After a few seconds, hundreds of little yellow lights glowed in the fields, flying up from the grass and into the night air. Isabeau smiled. Fireflies. 

“Whoever can catch the most fireflies gets an extra slice of cake!” Bartholmieu declares a competition before jogging off into the field, Isabeau, Sam, and Dean running behind him, laughing and screaming in joy, each of them trying to catch the most fireflies. 

Isabeau looked away from Sam and groaned, closing her eyes back up, and shifting slightly to lay her head comfortably on Dean’s shoulder. “How long have I been asleep?” Isabeau asked. 

“About an hour. Sammy passed out not long after you. You both needed sleep.” Dean said. Isabeau smiled, taking her free hand, sliding it into Dean’s hand that was resting on her thigh. She squeezed it. “Thanks, Dearie.” 

Dean smiled and chuckled, squeezing back. Isabeau hardly ever used that nickname for Dean, so when she did, Dean cherished it. 

Sam suddenly jerks awake. Isabeau opens her eyes, lifting her head from Dean’s shoulder and looking at Sam, concerned. “Sam?”

Sam blinks, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. Dean glances over in concern. “You okay?” 

Sam glances over at Isabeau and Dean, squeezing Isabeau’s hand and then looking away. “Yeah, I’m fine.” 

Isabeau rubbed her thumb back and forth over Sam’s hand. Sam wasn’t getting much sleep either.

Dean nods. “Another nightmare?” He asks. 

Sam clears his throat, not answering Dean. Isabeau knew that it was another nightmare, he kept on having them ever since Jess died and refused to fall asleep because of them. Isabeau took it upon herself to conduct aromatherapy on Sam, and in doing so led to many nights that she didn’t sleep because she was helping Sam. 

“You want to drive for a while?” Dean asks. Isabeau glanced over at Dean. He barely lets Isabeau drive, much less Sam. 

Sam laughs. “In your whole life, you never once asked me that.” 

“Just thought you might want to. Never mind.” Dean brushed off the offer. 

“Look, man, you’re worried about me. I get it and thank you, but I’m perfectly okay.” Sam says. 

“Mm-hmm. Thank Isabeau for that. She lost sleep helping you.” Dean countered. Isabeau slipped her hand out of both Dean’s and Sam’s hands, lightly slapping Dean’s shoulder. 

“Hey! If I lose sleep to help Sam, then I lose fucking sleep. He’s human, you’re human, I’m not. I can go for a couple of days without it.” Isabeau huffed out. She turned toward Sam who was staring at her with his puppy dog eyes. 

“You still need sleep, Isabeau.” Sam said softly. 

Isabeau groaned. “No puppy dog eyes. I’m weak for those. Besides, it gave me a chance to work on my aromatherapy. Haven’t done it in a long time.” 

Sam nodded, looking away and grabbing a map that was sitting on the dashboard. “All right,” He clears his throat. “Where are we?” 

“We are just outside of Grand Junction.” Dean answered. 

Sam folds the map of Colorado and has a large red ‘X’ labeled ‘35-111’. He sighs, “You know what? Maybe we shouldn’t have left Stanford so soon.” 

“Sam, we dug around there for a week. We came up with nothing. If you want to find the thing that killed Jessica…” Dean said. 

“We got to find dad first.” Sam finished. 

“Dad disappearing… And this thing showing up again after 20 years?” 

“It’s no coincidence.” Isabeau stated. Isabeau looked toward the road. None of this was settling right with her at all. The fire at Sam and Jess’s apartment, she couldn’t stop it, it kept ongoing. It reminded her of her fire, never-ending, nothing being able to put it out. Whatever this thing is, deep down, Isabeau was terrified to know. 

“Dad will have the answers. He’ll know what to do.” Dean said. 

“It’s weird, man. These coordinates he left us, this Blackwater Ridge…” Sam said, looking down at the map. 

Dean glanced over the map. “What about it?”

“There’s nothing there. It’s just woods.” Sam answers. Isabeau puts out her hand, and Sam hands her the map. “Why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?” 

The three glance at each other, not knowing why they were going into the middle of the woods. Isabeau sighed, looking back at the road, the car driving by a sign that says, ‘Welcome to Lost Creek Colorado National Forest.’ 

Isabeau smirked to herself. Fire might have been her element, but she had a strong connection with nature. This could work in her favor. 

The three wind up at the “Ranger Station Lost Creek Trail, Lost Creek National Forest.” 

“So Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote.” Sam says as he looks over a 3D map of the national forest, paying attention to the ridge labeled ‘Blackwater Ridge’. Isabeau was flipping through some plant identification books that were focused on the area while Dean looked at the decorations. 

“It’s cut off by these canyons here, rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place…” Sam explained further. 

“Dude, check out the size of this friggin’ bear.” Sam looks over. Dean was looking at a framed photo of a man standing behind a much larger bear. Isabeau looks up with a scowl as Sam stands next to Dean. 

“...And a dozen or more grizzlies in the area. It’s no nature hike, that’s for sure.” Sam says. Isabeau sets down her book and walks up to them, still frowning at the photo. “Horrible.” She whispers under her breath. 

Dean looks down at her, his brow furrowed. Before he could ask, a ranger walks up behind them. “You boys and girl aren’t planning on going out near Blackwater Ridge, by any chance?” The three whip around to look at the ranger. 

“Oh, no, sir. We’re environmental-study majors from U.C. Boulder, just working on a paper.” Sam laughs a little as Dean raises a fist. “Recycle, man.” 

“Bull.” The ranger says. 

Sam’s eyes flick over to Dean and Isabeau. Dean doesn’t move and Isabeau’s hand reaches down to play with her rosary. 

“You’re friends with that Haley girl, right?” He asks. 

Isabeau tilts her hand and considers it for a moment. “Yes. Yes, we are, Ranger…” Her eyes flicker down to his tag and gave a soft smile. “Wilkinson.” 

“Well, I will tell you exactly what I told her. Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn’t be back from Blackwater until the 24th. So it’s not exactly a missing persons now, is it?” Ranger Wilkinson explained. 

Dean shook his head. 

“Tell that girl to quit worrying. I’m sure her brother’s just fine.” Wilkinson said. 

“We will.” Isabeau answered. 

“Well, that Haley girl’s quite a pistol, huh?” Dean said with a smile. Isabeau rolled her eyes, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets. Sam noticed Isabeau’s actions and narrowed his eyes at her. 

“That is putting it mildly.” Wilkinson responds. 

“Actually, you know what would help is if I could show her a copy of that backcountry permit. You know, so she could see her brother’s return date.” Dean asks. 

Ranger Wilkinson eyes Dean and Dean raises his eyebrows. 

Dean, Sam, and Isabeau leave the ranger station. Dean is holding a piece of paper and laughing. “Yeah.” He folds up the paper.

“What, are you cruising for a hookup or something?” Sam asks. 

“What do you mean?” Dean asks. 

Isabeau sighs. “The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge.” She said trying to get Dean’s mind off of a girl and back on the hunt. 

“So what are we waiting for? Let’s just go find dad.” Sam finishes for Isabeau. “I mean, why even talk to this girl?” 

Sam walks over to the passenger side of the impala, while Dean is on the driver’s side and Isabeau is next to Sam, ready to get in the backseat. 

“I don’t know, maybe we should know what we’re walking into before we actually walk into it?” Dean suggested. 

Dean pauses and looks at his brother. “What?” Sam slightly spreads his arms out. 

“Since when are you all “shoot first, ask questions later”, anyway?” Dean asks. 

“Since now.” Sam turns away and slides into the passenger seat. 

Dean smiles. “Oh, really?” He looks at Isabeau. She raises her hands in defense, “I just want to get this hunt done and over with.” Isabeau leaves the conversation like that and hops into the backseat. 

Dean knocks on the front door of the Collins house. A woman, presumably, Haley Collins, opens the door. 

“You must be Hailey Collins. I’m Dean, This is Sam and Isabeau. We’re rangers with the park service. Ranger Wilkinson sent us over. We wanted to ask you some questions about your brother Tommy.” Dean explained to Haley. 

Haley hesitates. “Let me see some I.D.” 

Isabeau smiles lightly, pulling out a fake ID with the name ‘Samantha Cole’ and holds it up against the screen door. “There you go.” 

Haley looks at the ID and then at Isabeau, who still has a smile on her face. Isabeau puts it away as Haly opens the door. “Come on in.” 

“Thanks.” Dean says. 

But before they could walk in, Haley notices the impala and looks at Isabeau. “That yours?” 

Isabeau’s smile slightly falters at Haley’s sudden eye contact but she can’t help but chuckle.  Sam looks at the impala as Dean stares in confusion at the two girls. 

“No, it’s his.” Isabeau jabs her thumb at Dean. 

Haley smiles at Isabeau, glancing at Dean then back to her. “Too bad, nice car.” Hailey turns to lead the three inside while Isabeau turns her head mouthing, ‘Oh my god’, to Sam and Dean before heading in after Haley. Dean’s jaw is slightly clenched while Sam rolls his eyes. Both brothers weren’t happy about the interaction between Isabeau and Hailey. Not one bit. 

Isabeau didn’t notice the brothers' reactions. Besides, if Dean wanted to shamelessly flirt with women, what’s wrong with her doing it when the women flirt with her first? 

They walked into the kitchen, Sam taking the lead for asking questions. “So, if Tommy’s not due back for a while, how do you know something’s wrong?” 

Haley comes back into the room with a bowl and places it on the table. “He checks in every day by cell. He emails photos, stupid little videos, but we haven’t heard anything in over three days now.” 

“Well, maybe he can’t get cell reception.” Sam suggested. 

Haley shook her head. “He’s got a satellite phone, too.” 

“Could it be he’s just having fun and forgot to check in?” Dean asked. 

The boy, Ben, who was sitting at the table interjected. “He wouldn’t do that.” 

Dean eyes Ben and Ben looked away as Haley puts more food on the table. “Our parents are gone. It’s just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other.” Isabeau nodded, understanding. 

“Can I see the pictures he sent you?” Sam asks. 

Haley nods her head. “Yeah.” Haley grabs a laptop and sets it on the table, pulling up pictures. “That’s Tommy.” She clicks through photos and stops on a still frame of the beginning of a video. “This is his last message.” 

She starts the video of Tom. “Hey, Haley. Day six. We’re still out near Blackwater Ridge. We’re fine, keeping safe, so don’t worry, okay? Talk to you tomorrow.” Sam tilts his head as he spots a shadow flicking past and the video ends. 

“Well, we'll find your brother. We’re heading out to Blackwater Ridge first thing.” Dean says to Haley. 

“Then maybe I’ll see you there.” Haley says walking away. The three share a look. “Look, I can’t sit around here anymore, so I hired a guide. I’m heading out in the morning, and I’m gonna find Tommy myself.” 

“I think I know how you feel.” Dean said. Isabeau discreetly hooked her pinky around Dean’s finger. Dean looked over to Isabeau and she said nothing. It was her reaching out to Dean saying that she was there for him. She was going to help him no matter what. 

Isabeau glanced back over to Haley who stared straight back at her. “Hey, you mind forwarding these to me?” Sam asks, breaking their gaze. 

“Sure.” Haley answers.

Isabeau heard someone breaking a game of pool in the distance, and rock music blasting in the bar as they sat down at a table, Isabeau in her usual spot between the two brothers. 

“So, Blackwater Ridge doesn’t get a lot of traffic. Local campers mostly, but, still, this past April, two hikers went missing out there. They were never found.” Sam pulls out newspaper articles. 

“Any before that?” Dean asks. 

“Yeah. In 1982, eight different people all vanished in the same year. Authorities said it was a grizzly attack. And, again, in 1959, and again, before that, in 1936.” Isabeau pulls out Sam’s laptop from his bag and hands it to him. Sam nods at her and opens it up to Tommy’s video. 

“Every 23 years, just like clockwork. Okay, watch this.” Sam turns the laptop towards Dean and Isabeau. “Here’s the clincher. I downloaded that guy Tommy’s video to the laptop. Check this out.” 

Sam pulls up the video and goes through the frames of the video one at a time. A shadow crosses over the screen. 

Isabeau furrows her brow. Dean notices it too. “Do it again.” 

Sam repeats the frames. “That’s three frames, it’s a fraction of a second. Whatever that thing is, it can move.” 

Dean reaches over Isabeau to hit Sam’s arm triumphantly. “I told you something weird was going on.” 

“Yeah.” Sam closes his laptop. “I got one more thing.” Sam hands Isabeau another newspaper article. “In ‘59, one camper survived the supposed grizzly attack, just a kid. Barely crawled out of the woods alive.” 

“Is there a name?” Dean asks. 

Mr. Shaw talks to Sam, Dean, and Isabeau with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth as he leads them inside of his house. “Look, ranger, I don’t know why you’re asking me about this. It’s public record. I was a kid. My parents got mauled by a-” 

“Grizzly?” Sam interrupts. “That’s what attacked them?.” 

Mr. Shaw takes a puff of his cigarette, takes it out, and nods. 

“The other people that went missing that year, those bear attacks, too?” Dean steps forward. Mr. Shaw doesn’t answer. 

“What about all the people that went missing this year? Same thing?” Still nothing. 

Isabeau sighed, stepping up next to Dean. “Mr. Shaw, please. If we knew what we were dealing with, we might be able to stop it.” 

Mr. Shaw pulled his cigarette away. “I seriously doubt that. Anyways, I don’t see what difference it would make.” Mr. Shaw sits down. “You wouldn’t believe me. Nobody ever did.” 

“Mr. Shaw…” Sam comes to sit down across from Mr. Shaw. “...What did you see?” 

Mr. Shaw sighs. “Nothing. It moved too fast to see. It hid too well. I heard it, though. A roar… like no man or animal I ever heard.” 

“It came at night?” Sam asks. 

Mr. Shaw nodded.

“Got inside your tent?” 

“It got inside our cabin. I was sleeping in front of the fireplace when it came in. It didn’t smash a window or break the door. It unlocked it.” The three glanced away when they heard that. “Do you know of a bear that could do something like that? I didn’t even wake up until I heard my parents screaming.” 

“It killed them?” Sam asks. 

“Dragged them off into the night.” Mr.Shaw shakes his head. “Why it left me alive… I’ve been asking myself that ever since.” 

Mr.Shaw pauses and his hand goes to his collar. “It did leave me this, though.” He pushes away his collar to reveal three long scars, they were claw marks. Isabeau’s hand flies up to her mouth in surprise at the scars. Suddenly, flashes of shadows casting on cabin walls flickered in her vision, screams of a man and woman fill her ears. They left as soon as they came and Isabeau winced at the slight headache it gave her. Sam glanced over to Isabeau, seeing that her hand migrated to one of her temples and was massaging it. 

“There’s something evil in those woods. It was some sort of a demon.” 

The brothers and Isabeau walked down the corridor of the motel. “Spirits and demons don’t have to unlock doors. If they want inside, they just go through the walls.” 

“So it’s probably something else, something corporeal.” Sam suggested. 

“Corporeal? Excuse me, professor.” Dean mocks Sam’s choice of words. 

“Shut up. So, what do you think?” Sam asks the two of them. 

Isabeau shrugs, whatever she saw at Mr. Shaws wasn't enough to get a good look at whatever it was. “The claws, the speed that it moves… it could be a skinwalker, maybe a black dog, hell, maybe even a wendigo.” 

“Whatever we’re talking about, we’re talking about a creature, and it’s corporeal, which means we can kill it.” Dean turns to Isabeau. “What the hell happened in there?” 

Sam looks at Isabeau, wanting an explanation as well about what happened at Mr. Shaw’s. Isabeau sighed. “I don’t know. Looks like my ability to look into the past just doesn’t have to be activated by touch. Now it’s just seeing things and then flashes. Whatever happened it gave me a fucking headache.” 

Both brothers nodded. “Also, that comment back at the ranger station?” 

Isabeau raised a brow at Dean. He rolled his eyes. “About the bear?” 

Isabeau nodded. “Ah, well Dad taught me the idea of the ‘Wiccan Rede’. Even though we are, technically speaking, witches, Dad taught us to ‘harm none, and do what ye will’. Meaning hurting no living thing and we can do whatever magic we want. Though there were exceptions of course with hunting. But I’m against hurting any animals of any kind.” 

Isabeau shakes her head. “It’s just cruel.” She walks ahead of them. The brothers stared after her. 

“You knew that?” Dean asked Sam. 

Sam chuckled and gave a sad smile to Dean. “No offense Dean, but we don’t know a lot about Isabeau’s ways of being a witch. Yeah, she’s a fire elemental and makes fire do whatever the hell she wants, but all we know is the little things; her aromatherapy, simple tracking spells, her ability to move objects, and now this.” 

Both of them remained silent at the realization that outside of Isabeau using her powers for hunting, they didn’t really know about her craft. “I guess we better ask when this is over?” 

Sam nodded at Dean’s suggestion. “We may be her best friends Dean and grew up with her, but there’s a whole nother side to her that we might not know.” 

Dean opens the trunk of the impala, then the weapons box, and props it open with a shotgun like usual. He starts putting some guns in a duffle bag. Both Isabeau and Sam lean in on either side of him. 

“We cannot let that Haley girl go out there.” Sam says. 

“Oh yeah, what are gonna tell her? That she can’t go into the woods because of a big scary monster?” Dean asks. 

Sam nods. “Yeah.” 

Isabeau looks over to Sam. “Her brother’s missing, Sam. She’s not just gonna sit this out. Now we go with her, we protect her, and we keep our eyes peeled for our fuzzy predator friend.” Isabeau grabs one of her knives in the trunk and puts it in the duffel bag. 

Dean points a finger at her and nods at her words, picking up the duffel bag. 

“So finding Dad’s not enough?” Sam asks. Sam angrily slams the weapons box shut, then the trunk. “Now we got to babysit, too?” 

Dean says nothing but stares at Sam. “What?” 

Dean juts his head. “Nothing.” He throws the duffel bag at Sam and walks off. Sam stares after him and then turns back to Isabeau. 

“Isabeau…” Sam starts. 

Isabeau fists clench. “Sam, I don’t exactly like her coming either. But I know that you, Dean, or myself can stop her from going tomorrow. Hell, if I were in her shoes and it was my three little brothers, I’d probably raise hell and get rid of anyone who came in my way.” 

Isabeau sighed, stepping forward and placed a hand on his chest. “It’d be the same if you two went missing on me.” She patted his chest and walked after Dean. 

Sam watched her walk away. Isabeau would do anything to keep the people she loved safe. Sam could never be mad at her for that. Never. 

Isabeau leaned forward from the back seat as the impala pulled up to Ben, Haley, and another man along the trail. Dean stops the car and the three of them get out, closing the doors shut. 

“You guys got room for three more?” Dean asks. 

“Wait, you want to come with us?” Haley asks. Isabeau hands Sam the duffel bag and the three walk up to Haley. 

“Who are these guys?” The man behind Haley asks. 

Haley turns back. “Apparently, this is all the park service could muster up for the search and rescue.” 

Sam takes Isabeau’s hand and the two head past everyone. “You rangers?” The man asks. 

“That’s right.” Dean nods. 

“And you’re hiking out in biker boots and jeans?” Haley places her hands on her hips, giving Dean a look. 

Dean looks down at himself. “Well, sweetheart, I don’t do shorts.” Isabeau snorts at that comment and she and Sam turn back. Dean walks past Haley and towards the two. 

“Oh, you think this is funny? It’s dangerous back-country out there. Her brother might be hurt.” The man said. 

“Believe me, I know how dangerous it can be. We just want to help them find their brother. That’s all.” Dean responds. He heads past Sam and Isabeau. 

The group hikes through the forest, the man who they found out who’s name was Roy, leading them. Dean, Haley, Bean, Sam, and Isabeau bringing up the rear. Sam and Isabeau still held hands, Isabeau was looking around, her eyes scanning every tree, plant, basically anything living. 

Despite that they were on a search party, Isabeau was smiling at the world around her. The forest reminded her of the one back home that she would spend countless hours exploring. In a way, she felt at peace. Sam stole a few glances at Isabeau, he smiled a little seeing how happy she was. 

“Roy, you said you did a little hunting.” Dean asks ahead. 

“Yeah, more than a little.” Roy stated. 

“Uh-huh. What kind of furry critters do you hunt?” 

“Mostly buck. Sometimes bear.” Roy answered. Isabeau grimaced at his answer. 

Dean slightly passes Roy. “Tell me, uh, Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back?” 

Roy abruptly grabs Dean and pulls him back. Sam and Isabeau look on. “What are you doing, Roy?” Isabeau tightly asked. 

Roy grabs a stick and pokes a bear trap that Dean had almost stepped in. Roy looks at Dean with a smug smirk. “You should watch where you’re stepping… Ranger.” Roy drops the stick and retakes the lead. 

Dean purses his lips and chuckles to Sam and Isabeau. “It’s a bear trap.” Isabeau rolls her eyes, slightly annoyed and amused at what happened. Haley and Ben walk behind Dean and Sam and Isabeau take their place back at the end. 

“You didn’t pack any provisions. You guys are carrying a duffel bag. You’re not rangers.” Haley reaches out and grabs Dean’s arm. “So who the hell are you?”

Ben goes past Haley and Dean. The two brothers share a look, Dean indicates that Sam’s good to go on by. Isabeau hesitates, looking at Dean. He nods to her as Sam drags Isabeau past the two. Dean watches them go for a moment. 

Dean exhales sharply. “Sam and I are brothers, Isabeau is a friend, and we’re looking for our father. He might be here. We don’t know. I just figured that you and me, we’re in the same boat.” 

“Why didn’t you just tell me that from the start?” Haley asks. 

“I’m telling you now. Besides, it’s probably the most honest I’ve ever been with a woman… that wasn’t Isabeau. So we okay?” Dean says. 

Haley pauses. “Yeah, okay.” 

“And what do you mean I didn’t pack provisions?” Dean asks. He turns over to Isabeau’s direction, she wasn’t too far up ahead. She let Sam go ahead as she waited for Dean. “Hey, Beau!” 

Isabeau turns toward him as he strides up to her. “Got my provisions?” Isabeau rolls her eyes as she pulls out a heavy bag of peanut m&m’s from her jacket pocket. “You mean our provisions. I bought these, moron.” 

Dean glares at her reaching into the bag and popping a few in his mouth. Isabeau jerked the bag away from him, smiling as she took a few herself. Haley waits a moment, watching the two bicker over the m&m’s, playfully pushing each other, fighting over the bag. She shook her head, following the two. 

Next Part | Main Masterlist | “Party of Three” Masterlist

[wanderlustwonderlots]

South of France - Day 3

Caunes-Minervois is proving a great base for day trips, but there’s also interesting things about the small town itself.  This morning we went to the Abbey just a few minutes’ walk from our place, one of the things that Caunes-Minervois is famous for.  The oldest part of the Abbey dates to the 8th century, with newer sections from the 12th-16th century.  It was a beautiful building.  We had the place practically to ourselves, only encountering a few other couples walking around the building.   We first climbed up to the top of one of the towers to get a panoramic view over Caunes-Minervois and the surrounding area.  Not quite as high up as we were in Carcassonne, but it was a nice view regardless!  We also saw the chapel area, with beautiful statues and idols done in various marbles from the area.  The red marble with white veins was the most common, as that's the marble mined right in Caunes-Minervois.  There were other interesting marbles that I'd never seen before - purpleish with some white, deep forest green and a lighter olive green, both with flecks of white and black, and this stunning one in a rich yellow with veins of black.  I didn't know there were so many different varieties of marbles, so it was a treat to see them all in one piece together.  Through the main level Abbey there were a few rooms with art and archaeological pieces in them, including local sculptors' works with the Caunes-Minervois marble.  

Through the chapel we could go underground to see the oldest part of the Abbey.  You could still see the structure of some walls, and the rest was mostly rubble.  But very old rubble!  8th century rubble!  Quite exciting. One of the stranger things in the Abbey was an exhibition on a French comic, Spirou.  I'm not familiar with the character but he is apparently quite popular and many different artists have drawn his comics throughout the years.  I didn't have the patience to read all of the comics they had displayed in the exhibition, but it was interesting to see the different representations of Spirou from his creation to current-day.  Perhaps a bit out of place in an Abbey, in my opinion, but a good use of the space regardless!  While at the Abbey we also went to the back courtyard and got a good look at the architecture of the place.  It's a very aesthetically pleasing building, with lots of attention paid to different kinds of arches and towers and windows.  There was a small, mostly natural garden in the back as well, and a pretty little fountain set into the wall but no longer in use.  Exiting through the central courtyard, I found a small lizard sunning itself on a rock!  It was taking advantage of the sun and heat in a way I never do.  With that good omen for the day, we headed out and off to the rest of our plans.

For our afternoon we went to an archaeological site of the old village of Gaul, on top of a tall hill in the surrounding valley, the area of Ensérune.  This village was situated in an important area, previously a part of Spain, in a very well-defensible area near a border.  It was occupied for 600 years between the 6th century B.C. to the 1st century A.D, though it was only really prosperous in the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C.  It was a hot day to be walking around on the top of a hill, with very little shade offered, but thankfully at one point in the afternoon it became quite overcast and I was out of the sun for a bit.  

On the way up to Ensérune, we had passed a curious field in a circular pattern with a disk shape in the centre.  We got quite the good view of the fields from the hill, as well as a partial explanation.  It had been a lake, but was drained (though it's unclear as to why it was drained) through a few dug canals and then segmented into narrow pie-shaped fields for the surrounding land owners.  Why you would want to drain a perfectly good lake I'm not too sure.  Regardless, it made for an interesting sight.  We ate a picnic lunch while looking out over this before going to the remains of the village.

I was surprised at how much of the old village's structure we could see while walking around Gaul.  I don't know what I was expecting but I ended up with much more!  There were very well-formed and well-preserved walls showing the size of average residences, food storgae pots still embedded in the ground of the houses, perfectly maintaind streets, and sewers running down to the wall encircling the village.  Apparently some of the residences had been two storeys tall, evidence seen through stone bases of supporting columns, but none of this was visible to us.  The signs placed around the site and the brochure/map we got at the entrance were very informative, telling what the various areas of the village were used for during different time periods, and which time period they chose to focus on in the presentation of the site.  Along the "artisan's quarter" (thought to be the most recent use of the area) we could see larger residences and workshops with slightly different structures.  There were less storage pots and more open space, and apparently more of those buildings were multiple storeys.  A little bit farther was one residence where archaeologists found many mosaics and detailed tile work, covered for protection with the findings on display in the museum on the site.  

Distanced a bit from the residences and main area of the village was a burial site.  On the walk to this we passed through fields full of wildflowers, cypress trees, and the occasional fig tree (and one almond tree!).  I was staring down at the flowers as we walked and after a while I realized that what I thought was many small blooms on plants were in fact snails!  Hundreds of them!  When you looked closer and paid attention to what you were seeing rather than just looking passively, the whole field was FULL of snails.  On different plants and grasses, on the ground, along posts, just everywhere.  It was so cool that after realizing this the first time I couldn't stop seeing them everywhere.  The rest of the time spent in the south of France I kept an eye out for snails, and sure enough I found many of them.  It was almost spooky how many there were.

The burial site is where archaeologists found many of the relics that were on display in the museum.  More structures of the village had been built on top of the previous burial site, with one quite extravagant residence standing out in particular.  It had a central courtyard surrounded by 6 or 7 rooms (as I recall), with multiple storeys.  It was by far the biggest and most impressive structure in the village.  Many of the rooms were almost as big as the first residences we had seen at the start of the site.  

Once we walked back towards the entrance to the site we could see all of the relics and findings in the museum.  There was so much to look at!  The village had been at an important location for trading and there were plenty of pieces from different areas.  There was old Hellenistic pottery, some pieces with Celtic backgrounds, and even fragments of Iberian writing on pottery.  This was in addition to various weapons and tools in bronze and stone, pots and dishes, and jewelry and decorative items made of glass and gold.  There was so much to see!  First the Abbey and then this, we had a very historical day.

After such a hot and humid day the air conditioning in the car on the way home was a blessing.  I'm really not built for the kind of heat we've been having in the south of France, and it's only May!  I can't even imagine how it must get in high summer.  I'm thankful that both the car and our place in Caunes-Minervois are a nice respite from the sun and heat.  On the way home, we passed by the biggest field of poppies I’ve ever seen!  It was so stunning!! We stopped to take a few pictures.

  We relaxed at home for a bit before dinner, a much needed rest.  These days haven't been all that busy yet they still manage to be tiring.  For dinner we went to a different restaurant in a different square with a fountain.  They had a total of two vegetarian dishes on the menu - I went for the half-wheel of fried camembert with fries and a side salad.  I don't know what possessed me to get such a large piece of cheese... perhaps it was that camembert is maybe my favourite cheese?  I managed to eat more than 3/4 of the wheel though!  The salad was some necessary vegetables on my plate to go with such a heavy meal.  I overdid it a bit with the cheese, but I still couldn't stop myself from getting tiramisu for dessert!  I was so full I swear I was nearly bursting at the seams.  Totally worth it though.  It was dark by the time we were walking home, and the critters had start to come out for the night!  We met two cats on the way home, one of which was nice enough to let me pet it, and we saw a few bats flittering around above our heads.  It's a quiet enough town that if we stood still and silent we could hear their wings as they passd us, and even their chittering to each other.  What a nice end to the evening!  And I sure as hell slept well after that meal.  

[evolutionsvoid]

The Underworld is a fascinating place for a natural historian like me. Honestly, it should be fascinating to just about everyone! An entire world far below our roots, filled with all types of exotic flora and fauna. While many would be quick to see the Underworld as a place of rocks and barren stone, it is truly filled with a variety of ecosystems and habitats. While it remains miles below the surface, it shares some similarities with our world, but with an odd twist! They have forests, but they are made of fungi, not trees. They have rivers, but they run through flooded tunnels and stone tubes. They have a starry sky, but it is just glowing creatures that cling to the rocky ceilings. There are sometimes when you travel through the Underworld when you forget where you truly are! On the flipside, though, the Underworld faces some unique challenges. The lack of light is one of them, where many creatures have adapted to an eternal darkness. The demons and shades, though, have taken to using lightstones to illuminate their cities and aid in growing crops. Another is a multi-layered environment. Imagine what life would be like if us surface dwellers had to worry about the sky crashing down on us! Another, and this one is forgotten a lot, is that the Underworld is a closed system. While we have the sun and the open expanse of sky, the Underworld is restricted by its thick layers, many tunnels and intricate networks. While we can travel as the crow flies, demons and shades must navigate the hundreds of tubes and tunnels that connect everything together. That doesn't just apply to them either! Nutrients must follow these systems, as does water, air and, most importantly, waste. I do not mean to make this section seem gross or immature, but the subject of waste matter is incredibly important for the Underworld. The flow of nutrients is crucial for making its many ecosystems work. While we can rely on the plants to bring in new food and energy from the sun, those down below do not get these free lunches. All the food and nutrients they have down there is all they are ever going to get. So one cannot allow nutrients to go to waste or be forgotten. This applies directly to waste and any other excretions the fauna may create. Scavengers and coprophages are needed to consume these byproducts, so that the nutrients can be thrown back into the cycle. They also need to exist to keep the Underworld from being flooded by their own waste! Those who stick up their noses at those who feed on fecal matter should take a lesson from this entry, and see how important these creatures are to the ecosystem and world.

The reason I bring up this subject of waste and other nasty byproducts is because I wish to talk about Mound Roaches. These insects are the Underworlds 1# champ in waste cleanup and nutrient recycling. To even guess at how many of these insects exist in the Underworld is mind-boggling, as a single cavern may contain thousands of them at a time! While certainly plentiful, these heavy numbers are only seen in certain areas of the Underworld. Mainly where heavy numbers of bats, clingers and other ceiling dwellers live. From heavy populations comes heavy amounts of waste, and that is what Mound Roaches thrive on. In certain caves, the entire floor of the room may be covered in a lake of fecal matter, and the Mound Roaches are the fish who inhabit these foul ponds! Hundreds of them can be seen swarming across the surface, feeding on anything that is near their mandibles. The ones you see in such hordes are the males of the species. Male Mound Roaches only grow to the size of your thumb, staying at that size for the rest of their lives. The males make up most of their populations, as dozens of them can hatch from a single laying. The females are not as plentiful, but that is because of their impressive size! The ones I have seen have grown to the sizes of dogs! The large females dwarf the males, though the males have them beat by sheer numbers. The females primarily exist to lay eggs and spawn more brood. Since males live incredibly short lives, the female must churn out eggs constantly. They lay eggs pretty much every single day, releasing dozens of hungry larva each time! Though the Mound Roaches feed primarily on waste, they are opportunistic eaters who will devour anything that gets near them. Voracious in appetite, they will happily feed on fungus, plant matter, rotting matter and flesh. Though they can devour meat just as eagerly as fecal matter, they do not hunt. Instead, they merely wait for a meal to stumble into their feeding grounds and get bogged down by the filth. Ceiling dwellers who fall from their perches may survive the initial impact, but they must scramble out of the foul sea before they are devoured. When prey falls into their homes, the Mound Roaches swarm in an instant. The thrashing and flailing of the victim draws their attention, and they will come in droves. Sharp mandibles will slice through flesh, and a hungry horde can strip a full grown demon to the bone in just a few hours. Thankfully the victim won't live nearly that long! The one thing that is not consumed by the roaches is fresh bone. Bones are too tough for them to chew up, so they wait for other organisms to weaken it first. As the bone breaks down and decays, than they shall feast. Until then, Mound Roaches find these leftovers perfect for personal defense. Since the females are so few in numbers, they seek to protect themselves from predators. Building a mound of waste, the female shall perch herself on top, so that she can easily see everything around her. The pillar of waste is also great as an escape hatch, as she can dive into it to avoid the claws of a swooping predator. Adorning her mound will be bones of previous prey, which is waiting to be broken down. Until they rot, she shall use them as armor and deterrents, warding off predators with bony spikes and thick plates. These decorated mounds were once mistaken for a species of slime by surface dwellers a long time ago. Seeing a semi-liquid body with prey chunks sticking out of it, many assumed that they were related to the slimes. What further confused us was the fact that these mounds move! With the constant scrabbling of males, and the semi-solid state of fecal matter, the mounds of a female will slowly move its way around the area. The movements are quite subtle and slow, but with a sharp eye, you can see the columns slide about, as they are constantly forming and reforming. People didn't see the hiding female and assumed it was an actual slime! That is why you may see entries for the Ravenous Slime in certain ancient textbooks. It was a mistake by us silly surface dwellers! With their massive populations, Mound Roaches are a favorite food of many Underworld creatures. Predators who swoop from above or cling to the walls will pluck males from the muck and enjoy an endless buffet. Those who feed on them, though, should be careful! They could become food for the Mound Roaches instead if they fall in! Many have adapted ways to prey upon the roaches, who are practically infinite in their numbers. With that, the Mound Roaches sit as the foundation of the food web, bringing nutrients back into the cycle after it has been discarded.  

While many inhabitants feed upon the roaches, the demons and shades who live below do not. In fact, they are often the ones who feed the roaches! By that I do not mean that the roaches eat them, oh no no. They can, if given the chance. A clumsy demon or shade who falls in their hordes will be readily devoured without hesitation. It is not a pleasant way to go, and some clans have taken advantage of that. To disgrace their fallen enemies or captured warriors, kingdoms would throw their prisoners into pools of Mound Roaches. Not exactly a dignified way to go. This method of execution has mostly vanished (though some unwanted folk may seemingly "disappear" from time to time), and the demons feed the roaches in a completely different way. After all, when you live in a city made of rock and stone, where does all the waste go? Yes indeed, demons and shades use the Mound Roaches as waste disposal. 

Since dwellings are often stacked upon each other, personal latrines are not really a manageable thing. Instead, inhabitants dispose of their waste in specified pots. When these pots fill up, or when the scheduled emptying comes up, the inhabitant will take it to a "chute." "Chutes" are specially dug tunnels that are used to dispose of garbage and fecal matter. These small openings often lead downward, into a specially made cavern that is filled with Mound Roaches. Each chamber can have dozens of chutes leading into it, giving the Mound Roaches an endless rain of food! When cities are built, these chambers are the first to be made. No one wants to live in filth or catch diseases, so they make the "chutes" easily accessible and close by any major living areas. While most chutes are made solely for dumping chambers pots and throwing garbage out, some are turned into public latrines. These are usually found near marketplaces and public areas. They come in long rows, with many stalls being carved from the rock. Doors are fastened to these stalls, and inside is an elevated seat with a small hole that leads directly into a chute. If you were a demon or a shade, you would just park your tush on top and take care of business. The waste would fall away and that would be that! These stalls are quite convenient to have, though they aren't quite built for outsiders. The main thing is that demon and shade anatomy is greatly different from a dryads. I sure don't have legs that long! Also they don't do too much in sakes of decorating or personalizing. They do not have floor mats near the seats, which wouldn't be a problem if the ground wasn't solid rock. Really wears on the knees over time. Then again, how many times do you have a dryad visiting the Underworld? I guess I should bring my own mats if I find it so uncomfortable. The chutes are such a major staple of their homes and cities, that their name has cropped up in many different sayings. Doing a "chute run," is when you take your chamber pot out for dumping. Imps and young shades usually have "chute runs" on their chore list, something that they should perform every morning and night. The term "chute throat" is an insult for those who have bad breath, while "food for the chute" signifies worthlessness or that one is garbage. The word "chute" itself is synonymous for latrine or toilet. I have heard it dropped in casual conversation many times. "I gotta see a chute" is one I have heard a lot. "Time to run the chutes" is another. "I gotta take a chute," is not a common one, unless you are Valac. Heard that one a lot from him. You would think he would stop eating such big meals before excursions, but nope. I swear that by the time I get back to the surface, I am going to be saying that same phrase without thinking twice. Chlora Myron Dryad Natural Historian

[www-delhtfullyitaly]

Discover the Bellano ravine, one of the most mysterious and fascinating places that lake of Como can offer, just a foot step away from Varenna and Bellagio

The Bellano ravine (orrido di Bellano) is a breathtaking natural wonder, just a footstep away from Varenna. Surprisingly, very few travelers visit it, which is another good reason to visit it. Starting from Varenna Station, you won’t need more than a couple of hours to complete your visit.

What is the Bellano ravine

The Bellano ravine is a natural canyon, formed in 15 million years by the waters of the Pioverana stream, which due to erosion, has dug a deep gorge between Taceno, Valsassina and Bellano. The peculiarity of the Bellano Ravine consists in the possibility of traversing a stretch inside the gorge, walking on catwalks fixed in the rock, in deafening meanders that overlook dizzying precipices.

The route is very impressive, between waterfalls and natural caves, breathtaking views and rich vegetation, the sun is reflected in the ravines, creating incredible light effects. This makes the Orrodo di Bellano a natural wonder you shouldn’t miss when visiting Como lake.

The legend tells of a warrior named Taino, who local imagination wants buried right in the depths of the Orrido di Bellano, along with his immense treasure, guarded by a huge stone that covers the burial.

The power of the waters in the past centuries was used for the processing of iron and leather tanning. Today the power of the waterfall is used to power two hydroelectric power plants.

To guard the Bellano Ravine, on a rock of the Pioverana river, rises the Casa del Diavol. It’s a curious tower whose origin or function is unknown, the irregular hexagon tower rises on four floors connected by a spiral staircase. It is said that inside there were licentious festivals accompanied by satanic rites and evocation of the evil one. His name is linked to mythological figures, including a satyr, which decorate the facade of the last floor of the tower.

Here is the complete photo gallery:

How to get to Bellano ravine

Getting to Orrido di Bellano is really easy: you just take the local train to Tirano and get down at the first stop after Varenna. Getting out of the station, walk right and cross the bridge over the Pioverana river. After a few minutes you will get to the church of the Santissimi Nazaro e Celso (a building built around 1300) and a cobblestone path on your right will get you to the entrance gate of the Orrido di Bellano, where the ticket office is located.

If you are coming by car, the Orrido di Bellano can be reached along the road that leads to the church Santissimi Nazaro e Celso. Here you leave your car in a parking area (paying) and then proceed to the ticket office.

When to visit Bellano ravine

Orrido di Bellano opening Hours:

January, February, December and November: opened only holidays and days before from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

March: opened only holidays and days before from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

April and May: opened only holidays and days before from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm; weekdays from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm

June and September:  Open every day from 10:00 to 19:00

July and August: opened every day from 10.00 to 22.00

October: opened holidays and days before 10:00 am to 7:00 pm and weekdays from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Entrance fees:

Full admission: € 4.00

Boys (up to 12 years): € 3.50

Groups over 25 components: Euro 3.00 each

Children up to 5 years: free admission

When you are done with your Bellano Ravine exploration, you can continue your visit Bellagio and to Como lake, read my post: day trip to Como and Bellagio from Milan.

By the way, don’t forget to recharge your batteries by enjoying a portion of Pizzoccheri, the Valtellina traditional pasta. You can only find it here!

If you are looking for a place to stay in Varenna, which is an ideal location to explore Bellagio and Como Lake, I would recommend the Hotel Olivedo. It’s right on the lake shore, and offers delightful rooms with amazing lake views. It’s just opposite the ferry pier and a very close to both the station and the old town.

Enjoy your visit to the Bellano ravine!

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If you plan to visit Bellagio and Varenna, don't miss the Bellano ravine! Discover the Bellano ravine, one of the most mysterious and fascinating places that lake of Como can offer, just a foot step away from Varenna and Bellagio…