#the french and their giant croissants

[seoul-bros]

What is it about the French, BTS and giant croissants!

TwiX

Post Date: 23/01/2025

[burntheedges]

Summer Stuff-My-Inbox Fic Rec List (Part 2)

I can't believe it's already September? What the hell, honestly. Thank you all for sending me your fics again!

Remember to check out Part 1, too.

The list has 57 more Pedro-character fics posted since June 1, organized by character and then alphabetically by author. Mind all tags and warnings! I've noted word count (we've got a range!), whether it's part of a series, and pairings. Let's get reading and reblogging!

Characters in this rec list: Dave York, Dieter Bravo, Din Djarin, Ezra (Prospect), Frankie Morales, Javier Gutierrez, Javier Peña, Joel Miller, Marcus Acacius, Marcus Moreno, Marcus Pike, Pero Tovar, Tim Rockford

...

Dave York

melt by @sizzlingcloudmentality | 960 words | Dave x f!reader summary: wine drunk and with fresh croissants from the bakery you're having French breakfast and sex with Dave. | Daphne mentioned being proud of this one particulary because of the smut!! 😏

Dieter Bravo

Eros & Psyche by @schnarfer | ~16k, complete | Dieter x f!reader summary: Dieter is a modern day Greek God Eros. We’re going full existential dread rom-com, actually. | I can't wait to read this!

Golden Girl by @whocaresstillthelouvre | 2.9k | Dieter x f!reader summary: What happens when you discover your husband has been cheating on you? You call his best friend to help comfort you.

Starlet by whocaresstillthelouvre | 3.7k | Dieter x f!reader summary: Your husband has a big movie premiere, sure he looks great, but his co-star looks even better.

Din Djarin

Fifteen Weeks by whocaresstillthelouvre | 5k | Din x f!reader summary: It's been fifteen weeks since Din Djarin first entered your life, now you can't imagine it without him. You take a leap of faith in your relationship and visit him at his farm. | this is part 2! Don't miss part 1!

Oath Broken and Soul Bound by @whxtedreams | 1.8k, wip | Din x OFC Witch hunter!Din x OFC!Witch, from Flora: It's a Witch AU, fantasy and forbidden love. It's very new, only one chapter out but I have very big plans. I have pretty much the entire fic mapped out. It also has Ezra, Frankie and Joel as characters. You can learn more about their characters here in the character study i did for them. This is my passion project, I have so much love for them and I can’t wait to share my story in more detail!

Tales from the Dark Garden by @hapan-in-exile | 9k | Din x f!reader summary: The reader is a courtesan at the Dark Garden, Coruscant’s most prestigious pleasure house, where you encounter the Mandalorian.

Touchstone by @sawymredfox | 2.6k | Din x f!reader summary: Things are not always what they seem. They have a meaning. They have a reason behind them, private and cherished.

Ezra (Prospect)

There are Other Fish in the Sea by @beefrobeefcal | 4 parts | Frankie x f!reader, Ezra x f!reader summary: an alternate ending (and continuation) of another of Beefro's fics, where Frankie messes up and Ezra comes along.

Joel x Ezra

who knows where the time goes by @sixhours | 11k | Joel x Ezra (Prospect) summary: It's New Year's 2027 and the dads are going through it. An i know you by heart one-shot.

Frankie Morales

Like the Rain by @jennaispunk | 2.9k | Frankie x f!reader summary: Frankie has something to say….will you listen? | Jenna said this one is her first Frankie fic!! and a challenge because it has more spice, which is fun!

There are Other Fish in the Sea by @beefrobeefcal | 4 parts | Frankie x f!reader, Ezra x f!reader summary: an alternate ending (and continuation) of another of Beefro's fics, where Frankie messes up and Ezra comes along.

Tide by whocaresstillthelouvre | 1.2k | Frankie x f!reader summary: Frankie Morales is capable of almost anything… except not cumming in his jeans when he thinks about you, the pretty clerk at the grocery store he always buys his giant jugs of laundry detergent at.

Javier Gutierrez

KEPT by @beefrobeefcal | 5.3k | Javi x f!reader summary: You might just have bitten off more than you can chew by possibly becoming Javi G's sugar baby.

Rhapsody in Blue by @maggiemayhemnj | 5.5k | Javi x f!reader summary: Javi G takes you to the Oscars. Takes you to the Vanity Fair party. Takes you back to the Chateau Marmont. Then just takes you. | Maggie said this one took her out of her comfort zone, and she ahd fun delving into more spice!

Javier Peña

An End to Drought by @almostfoxglove | 5.4k | Javi x f!reader summary: The future of your family's homestead hangs in the balance as Javier Peña comes home in the middle of a drought.

Dispose of Me by whocaresstillthelouvre | 1.8k | Javi x f!reader summary: Javier Peña needs you… and you're moving away in two weeks.

Dusk by @the-orange-tabby-cat | 8.7k | Javi x f!reader summary: Javier sees you again years after the end of your love affair. Torn between the memories of what happened then and what is now, you both face the weight of your actions from Bogotá to Madrid.

Hold my hand by @milla-frenchy | 4.1k | Javi x f!reader summary: a stranger saves your life. Or your and Javi’s love story.

I'll Carry You by almostfoxglove | 2 of 3 parts, 13.6k | Javi x f!reader summary: You reunite with your childhood best friend when he arrives home from Colombia. Javier's sudden return to your life exhumes buried heartbreak, but he longs to set things right.

Scathed by @dancingtotuyo | 41k, wip | Javi x OFC summary: Javier and Emily experienced the drug war on different fronts in very different ways. Maybe, they’re what the other needs to heal.

Joel Miller

Joel & Ellie, no pairing

happy birthday, baby girl by sixhours | wip | Joel and Ellie summary: Ellie has never had a birthday. Joel can fix that.

Joel x Ezra

who knows where the time goes by sixhours | 11k | Joel x Ezra (Prospect) summary: It's New Year's 2027 and the dads are going through it. An i know you by heart one-shot.

x reader or x OFC

A summer with the Millers by @milla-frenchy | 4.2k, wip | Joel x f!reader x Tommy summary: you come back to your father's house for summer vacation and want to get closer to your crush and dad's best friend, Tommy Miller. His brother Joel is gonna help you to reach your goal.

Always in my Heart by @mermaidgirl30 | 1.2k | Joel x f!reader

summary: Losing a pet is never easy, but you’re not alone because Joel is right there with you, keeping you afloat.

BDSMaid by @mountainsandmayhem | wip | Joel x f!reader summary: After recently graduating from university, your best friend offers you a job cleaning luxury homes for clients you’ll never know. It’s only temporary and a good way to save money for when you go back to get your law degree. That’s what you’re promised at least. Easy. Simple. Mundane. That is, until one of your clients is home and everything that you felt was missing in your life starts to fall into place. This goes against the NDA you signed and you could get fired. Or worse, you could fall in love.

Cover Me Up by almostfoxglove | 97.7k, finished | Joel x f!reader summary: After you spare the lives of two kids who break into your isolated cabin in the woods, they lead you back to their settlement. You intend to get in, trade for valuable supplies, and get out, but end up staying. Four years later, you're a solitary but respected pillar of Jackson's close-knit community when Joel Miller shows up, kid in tow. You think nothing of him or the kid. You like your quiet life. Too bad it won't stay quiet for long. Or: Joel and Ellie make you human again. | Freya's first series!

Dark Shades of Innocence Lost by mermaidgirl30 | finished | Joel x f!reader summary: After your friends drag you out to Club Inferno on a Friday night, you meet an unexpected man with dark brown eyes. That man is Joel Miller, who turns out to be the owner of the club. The menace that will turn your life upside down. After not dating for a couple of years, Joel finds out and strikes up a proposition for you. Keep coming back and he’ll make sure you experience pleasure like you’ve never felt before.

Fragile State by @galway-girlatwork | 2.5k | Joel x OFC Tara summary: The aftermath of a traumatic car accident leaves a family struggling with fear and uncertainty. The emotional toll weighing them all down as they try to find some normalcy which they all know is impossible until he wakes up. Vulnerability and desperate needs for the man who is the center of their lives to remember who they are and the life he had with them. | the author mentioned this way of writing a story was new, which is very fun!

Halcyon by @justagalwhowrites | ch 16, 110k so far | Joel x f!reader summary: When your life falls apart, you find yourself back in your hometown of Austin, Texas for the first time in more than a decade. Eager to make your own way after a rough divorce, you reconnect with your high school best friend Joel Miller - a man you never thought would be in your life again. Things have changed since your falling out just before you left for college but friendship with Joel comes easy. His life isn't in any better shape than your own and the two of you make a vow to get your acts together - personal, professional and romantic - in the span of a year. But will your burgeoning connection make it so you can figure everything out or will your history together get in the way?

Her by milla-frenchy | 3.2k | Joel x f!reader summary: after Joel confides one of his fantasies to you one day, you make it come true. | her first kinda sub!Joel with Joel realizing a fantasy. 😏

In Need of a Top Up by @tateypots | 1.5k | Joel x f!reader summary: Joel likes calling you his wife and you like hearing it.

In pain and heartache. In comfort and love. by whxtedreams | 2.5k | Joel x f!reader summary: They were so desperate to hold each other after tasting life without one another.

It Tastes of Magic by sawymredfox | 12k | Joel x f!reader summary: Your grandmother always told you the same thing. Have always salt in handy to spill over your left shoulder. Knock on wood to keep away the bad luck. Don't forget that mint likes to have her space to grow. Actions always speak louder than words. And love as much as you can, because even when it hurts, it makes you stronger. Will she still be right?

Lock the Gate by almostfoxglove | 23k+, wip | Joel x f!reader summary: You're less than enthusiastic when your uncle's partner Frank invites two strangers from the Boston QZ to your compound to trade. Joel Miller proves just as callous as you and brutishly stubborn—but after a cutting first impression, a bloody inconvenience, and a long walk through infested woods, you're not sure if the fire you carry for him is actually hate.

Push it by milla-frenchy | 3.4k | Joel x f!reader summary: you have a secret “relationship” with Joel, your dad's best friend. You know you can't have more, but you can’t resist the idea to provoke him a little.

See How She Rides by @arcanefox207 | 4.4k | Joel x f!reader summary: BoatMechanic!Joel Miller is just doing his job when you show up unannounced to soak up some summer sun. | Ally said she had a lot of fun writing this one and I think we're going to have a lot of fun reading it!!

spin me around by @ace-turned-confused | 2.4k | Joel x f!reader summary: you find a vintage record store full of rare finds, the man behind the counter the rarest of them all. | for the Secret Springs challenge!

Stranger in a Bar by justagalwhowrites | 17.3k | part 2, finished | Joel x f!reader summary: You meet a stranger in a bar, one who is fun and sexy and makes you wonder if the single life is all it's cracked up to be. But there's one big problem: you probably shouldn't be fucking your dad's best friend.

Teach Me How to Play Coach Miller by whocaresstillthelouvre | 3.2k | Joel x f!reader summary: You're home alone, relishing a lazy day when your hot neighbor knocks on your door. Seems his TV is out and he really wants to watch the Rangers game. You know nothing about baseball… maybe he can teach you a thing or two?

Tear You Apart by mermaidgirl30 | wip | Joel x f!reader summary: Joel comes for you late at night. He always does. Always stalks, chases, and prowls after you like a starving wolf. And when he catches you, he devours you, feeds on you like the animal he is. Will you run and hide or will you give into the temptation that calls you into the forest?

Tenacity by whocaresstillthelouvre | 2.3k | Joel x f!reader summary: Joel Miller will never allow himself to take what he wants and you know that. How can a broken shower make him realize it's too late and he's already fallen for you? (Or Joel fucks you on his beat up couch in the QZ.)

The Fallen Warrior by @bluestar22x | 6.7k, wip | Joel x f!reader summary: Joel Miller, once the great archangel named Jaoel, fell from grace many centuries ago. After his brethren take everything from him, he immerses himself in human culture. Careful not to get too close to anyone new, everything changes when Joel finds a nephal (nephilim plural) living on the streets in Austin - the first since his fall. A trusted co-worker (reader) ends up adopting her. But just as the street kid, Ellie Williams, is settling into her new home Heaven’s angels come to town searching for her. They have a plan to use her blood in their battle against Hell, then dispose of her after. Joel can’t allow that. He won’t.

The green flannel shirt by milla-frenchy | 817 words | Joel x f!reader summary: Joel comes back home from work and finds you asleep wearing his shirt.

The Savage and the Sanctuary by justagalwhowrites | 8.3k, wip | Joel x f!reader summary: After the death of his daughter, Joel Miller fell apart. But when searching for answers at the bottom of a bottle and within his own rage doesn't fix it, he resigns himself to working for his brother in private security. It's a job that starts him down the path to stability and a semblance of a life, even if it's not one he particularly wants. At least it does until you show up. The biggest movie star in the world with your newly adopted niece in tow, you throw everything about Joel's life into flux. Is he capable of letting himself feel something again while protecting the only things left in the world that matter?

untitled by @idioticcatss | ~1.5k | Joel x reader sophie mentioned being proud of getting out of a writing slump with this fluffy, smutty fic! some tags: love marks, age gap, pet names, smut

Wings of the Dawn by the-orange-tabby-cat | 49k, wip | Joel x f!reader summary: You are Jackson’s librarian, a doll with good heart, that has your life changed when a handsome man and his kid decides to start again in your small town. Having a hard time ignoring Joel’s dark brown eyes, you found yourself wishing to have him closer as you both navigate through love triangles, teenage drama, city gossip and ghosts from both your pasts.

Woman by dancingtotuyo | 74.6k, finished! | Joel x f!reader summary: Joel Miller returns to Jackson bringing back memories and feelings from 20 years ago, but you refuse fall into the universe’s trap again. Your table is at capacity. Adding another chair will only kill you when they get taken away. | also Em just starting posting a no-outbreak AU of this fic!!

Yearling by justagalwhowrites | 306k, finished! | Joel x f!reader summary: After years of surviving in the wilds of Wyoming after the cordyceps outbreak, you find yourself in Jackson. It's a town filled with friendly faces and the kind of world you hardly remember, let alone can connect with or understand. But one man - Joel Miller, another loner, like you - makes you think that trying to find your place in society again might be worth it.

Yearling No-Outbreak AU by justagalwhowrites | 4.1k, wip | Joel x f!reader summary: When Ellie sees you riding at a rodeo, she knows you have to teach her. A no-outbreak AU of Yearling, where you and Joel find each other in every timeline. Can be read independently as a no-outbreak AU fic.

Marcus Acacius

Legionary by whocaresstillthelouvre | 3.4k | Marcus x Lucius x f!reader summary: Marcus returns to his hometown while traveling with his young soldier who's eager to learn from him. Good thing he knows your domus is always open to him.

mould me for ruin by ace-turned-confused | 4.6k | Marcus x f!reader summary: after years of watching general acacius, you long to wield a sword of your own — an opportunity arises for your dreams to come true, in more ways than one.

proud to be yours by ace-turned-confused | 2.7k | Marcus x f!reader summary: it's the first time you've seen acacius since he took your virginity, and he has plans for a different kind of training.

Marcus Moreno

(Some) Bodies by galway-girlatwork | 3.1k | Marcus x OFC Priestly summary: In the shadows of the ancient city, a dark romance blossoms between a healer and a sinner. It is a connection of light and dark, life and death. Can he accept her past? Can she believe there is redemption for what she’s done? Can carefully guarded secrets stay that way?

Marcus Pike

Code name: Hephaestus by @604to647 | 3.2k | Marcus x f!reader summary: Marcus requests a change to his FBI Agent code name. | Emily wrote this for Kel's Pedro Pantheon challenge and really challenged herself!! I'm excited to read. 🧡

next year by me! | 18.3k | Marcus x gn!reader summary: You expected your vacation to go like it always did -- a week of reading, relaxing, and so much alone time you'd be almost happy to see your coworkers when you got back. You'd spend time on the beach and walk around town and generally do whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted, just like you did every year. But when you locked eyes from across the sand with the handsome man renting the house next door, something told you this year would be different.

Pero Tovar

Maple by @sawymredfox | 2k | Pero x f!reader summary: A fox, a rifle, and two strangers in a forest. What could go wrong?

Tim Rockford

The detective by @milla-frenchy | 2.6k | Tim x f!reader summary: being a suspect in a theft case, you get interrogated by a handsome and dominant personal investigator.

...

happy reading and reblogging! 🧡

[mailamoon]

Ratatouille for a parisian Sanji... and a very french controverse.

Choisissez votre camp ! Pain au chocolat ? Chocolatine ? Ou... Croissant au chocolat ?

(originally this fanart is part of a dyptique for the Sanjiweek "modern day". But Sanjiweek is over and I didn't have the time to paint the other one)

(and yes I did this because I wanted to draw a giant octopus tatoo on Sanji's back...)

[spectral-idiot]

HI, NOW, (RE)INTRODUCING MY OC, NOELLE

HII, SINCE THIS OPTION WON SOME DAYS AGO IMMA INTRODUCE MY CUTIE!!! I LOVE HER SO MUCH

Due to the flop of the first post, I posted this a 2nd time since i posted this at 3 am originally :D

° Her name is Noelle (Ignore the big "Elaine" in the drawing, that was the original name) she is 14 years old and she is Kalish! She is a cutie patootie whit diagnosed ADHD

° She is an red giant star! She tooks the MC place and has the energy electric center! A little (too) distracted , kinda impulsive and maybe reckless, but she has such a beautifull flame inside her and is so big-hearted.

° I based her design on how I looked when I was 14 a couple years ago. Whit the signature bun I had and my love for tank tops and bracelets (Till the dermatitis nation atacked)

°Her lore is kinda dumb, but I wrote it sooooo long so ill release it in other post whit some ugly art i did 4 her if this post get´s love

°I´ve done a ship whit Kieran and her, Chocolapple! :D Since she hates apples but loves chocolate and kieran vice versa (The olive theory)

°If you have ideas of her or how to improve her, let me know! Ideas like that will be apreciated! Or ideas of her team, i have no ideas about how to build it

Fun facts below the cut!

° Her surname is Lambert, she is from Kalos, she is 1.58 mts tall and weighst 67 kg

°Her favourute color is velvet or a soft pink, her favourite songs are Amour plastique and Rosas by La oreja de van Gogh

°She loves so much macarons, chocolate, tea, ham sandwiches and "Media luna rellena" (An arg dish that consist croissant used as ham an cheese sandwich bread)

° Her themes are:

Encounter: Queen - Deltarune

Battle! (Normal): Gourmet Race - Kirby

Battle! Vs Kieran (Championship match): Heartache - Undertale

The Santalune theme plays when you get in her room

° She speaks Kalish and paldean pretty well, as a native. Arven gave the fella extra paldean lessons, but despite being the main pokeworld language, she struggles whit Galarian (Poor girl) she had to take a preetty hard galarian exam to enter Blue berry (Sometimes a "Wi" or an "Orwa" scapes her mouth talking paldean or galarian) (If she wakes up too sleep deprived she confuses languages)

° That makes her have an horrible galarian accent, just imagine french tongue and spanish tongue tryng to pronounce english and fuse voth struggles. She speaks galarian to comunicate whit kieran, that made their bond even harder since none of them speaks it that well

°She is a sweet thoot, but she happens to hate apples, when Kieran gave Noelle a candy apple, hoping that she would love it, she didn´t like it and he got disaapointed

°She hasn't ogerpon in her team since she saw indigo disk kieran (If you lost the battle snd then you say she should catch it, the fact that you are not onay whit that isnt clear, Kieran)

°In BB she is laceys vest friend since they are both cute things lovers and sweet thoots

° She taught nemona and arven to cook "Pokelitos" for their pokemon! And then she also teaches lacey

°She calles her pokemon amies :D

°And she knows how to sew snd makebeautiful dresses, she loves confectioning dresses 4 lacey and nemona, she modified her uva uniform to have an skirt

°She will wear the summer uniform from both BB and Uva until she is freezing (She loves summer uniform so much)

[quibbs126]

May I request a Croissant and String Gummy fan child?

I’ve actually had this dude finished for like a week, I just forgot to do the mini sketch and post, but regardless, this is Ficelle Cookie

So the name comes from ficelle bread, which is a French bread basically like a baguette but thinner, so like croissant (I’ve thought for the longest time that croissants are bread and not pastry). And also making them thin makes it more like a string, like String Gummy. Plus, apparently in French, ficelle literally translates to “string”, so it all works out

Ficelle bread:

So I do admit, I took some liberties while doing his colors, like how his hair is a slightly lighter color than Croissant’s, instead of being darker or more red, and how he’s got light yellow markings in his hair, but I thought it made him look closer to the reference I had. I was at the airport while drawing him, so it was all I had. Also, I gave him red eyes while neither characters have them, but the thing was, I didn’t want to give him brown eyes because I thought he wouldn’t look enough like String Gummy, but I didn’t want to give him SG’s purple eyes, because I thought he’d look too much like another String Gummy kid I’ve done, who also has purple eyes, and he already has a similar outfit to her, so it was a way for me to differentiate the two, as well as making his accents more red. I don’t think I’ve posted the other one since it’s in a batch of 5, but she does exist

Also that headband was going to be goggles, and it was just a placeholder shape, but I never changed it and made it a headband. I like it though. Also I gave him the purple stripe just so it’d pop more

In any case, I do like how Ficelle turned out. I do admit, his outfit may be a bit too simple, but maybe this is just his work outfit. He still looks good though

Anyways, so let’s get onto him

So I imagine him as a mechanic/engineer, and he gets very engrossed in his work, preferring that over the company of other Cookies. He tends to come off as a bit rude and antisocial to others, as well as just generally rather moody

Anyways, so what he builds isn’t vehicles or other time devices like Croissant, but rather oversized anime weapons (or what I think they look like, since I don’t watch much anime). His weapons are usually more futuristic and typically guns/cannons, so he’s not really considered a blacksmith. And as you may see, it’s when using these weapons that he tends to be more…expressive, as when the opportunity presents itself to use them, he goes from a moody and serious seeming guy to a bit of a dramatic maniac, pulling out his giant weapons

Also as you can tell, I don’t know how to draw them, since it just looks like a giant laser pointer. But in my head they look cooler

I don’t he works at the TBD, especially since his “firepower” is a bit too overpowered to be necessary for their line of work. Hopefully Timekeeper hasn’t gotten their hands on any of them

Anyways yeah, not too much, but he’s still enjoyable to me, and I hope you like him too!

[vylad243]

Yoo you worked in a bakery? What did they make?

Well, specifically I work in a grocery store bakery, but I also used to do culinary classes

Most things in the grocery store came frozen, (the dough does) but we would proof and bake them. We have croissants, cookies, bread, cinnamon rolls, butterflakes, muffins, danishes, butterhorns, strudels, pies. Things like Cheese buns, kaisers, calabrese, French bread, Asiago cheese bread, Portuguese buns, paninis, all sorts

We also do cakes, cheesecakes, fruit flans, tarts, sticky pudding, chocolate strawberries, all good things

In culinary classes, we did pies, giant cookies, cheese buns and other stuff I don't remember (it's been a few years)

I mostly did dishes in culinary class because no one liked me and I was always excluded from my group, sometimes the teacher would make me do the entrees, but since I was alone I never did it too often. I was content doing dishes

[morroodle]

Legoland day 1!

It was supposed to rain today but it was fine in the morning, a lil misty but nothing too bad. Started pouting after lunch though and we ended up leaving early but it was still decently fun. The theme park was smaller than I expected but that's ok, less strain on my legs (fuck you chronic pain). Theres a special ninjago weekend event going on so theres more ninjago than normal and at each activity you get a sticker and once you get 5 you get a prize but I am determined to get them all

Here's what we did:

Went on the lego factory ride. It was alright but I lost my water bottle and we had to stop and turn off halfway through cause of some baby so that probably made things worse (dw I got my water bottle back at the end of the day)

Went on the ninjago rides which were kinda underwhelming but still fun

My family abandoned me in the ninjago gift shop but it was like candyland in there

Got THOROUGHLY distracted by the ninjago playground thing they had. It was like 2 cubes at an angle and the inside was a maze also at the same 45° angle and it was a ton of fun I will be going back in there tomorrow

Split up from my sister and dad cause the show going on outside the ninjago ride was too loud for her (kinda too loud for me too but I needed the sticker)

Helped build a giant serpentine so I could get a sticker

There were these lil scavenger hunt type things, one about which weapon each ninja uses and one about a secret phrase ninja must live by (never put off until tomorrow...) but I already knew the answers so they just gave me the sticker

Took a picture with Lloyd! There was like no line and he was so goofy looking and I high fived him

(Exiting the ninjago area) went on my first real roller coaster (don't make fun of me I know I'm a pussy) and had a ton of fun. It wasn't too intense and it was pretty short but it was a blast and I'm gonna do it again tomorrow

Met back up with the rest of my family for lunch. I had the saddest school-quality sliders and stole some of my mom's actually good french fries. Sister got a MEAT STICK (giant turkey leg) which appearantly had a sauce that was made with coca cola

Went into lego city where my sister played one of their Carnival games and got a lil axolotl plushie as a prize then made me carry it because I'm the only one who thought to bring a decent sized bag

Went to go see the 4d ninjago show but they had absolutely no information about what time it was at so we ended up seeing lego mythica instead which I did not care for

Went to the pirate area and looked around but it was raining heavily so we couldn't really do mucu

Went back to the theater and ACTUALLY saw the 4d ninjago thing. It had similar energy to the wu's teas clips, especially the ones where they drink the teas they shouldnt. The main gimmick of the 4d thing was spraying water in my face which got old really fast

Headed back to the ninjago area to see a show that was canceled due to the rain and learned that another show and the dance party were also canceled. Did still get the stickers for the other 2 though :D

I wanted to play the ninjago carnival games cause there was a prize I really wanted (NINJA ORB) only to discover that it was not what I thought it was. I thought it was a giant fluffy plush sphere with a lil ninja face on it but turns out it was actually a rubber ball with a fluffy skin. I was heartbroken. Tried to win it anyways but it's harder than it looks. I might get it tomorrow then take it home, pop the ball, skin it and stuff it to be what I wanted but idk.

Got a super cool sexy limited edition collectors item ninjago legoland ny cup for way too much money

Headed back to the entrance to meet up with the other part of my family in The Big Store and then proceeded to loose them in The Big Store. My dad and sister both got giant really expensive lego sets and my mom got the lego Orchid set. I got a croissant.

Overall the day was ok but could have gone much better. I'm glad I'm headed back tomorrow cause there's alot of stuff I couldn't do due to the rain and also I still need to buy stuff. There's a few thing that really stood out to me but I'm not sure exactly what I'm gonna get. My dad really wanted the giant lego flowers they have around the park but alas they do not sell them. Now we're just chilling in the hotel room letting our clothes dry until dinner. I'll let yall know how tomorrow goes. Gonna put all the pictures from both days in a different post because this one is plenty big enough already.

[mysteriousdragon2]

Art trade for @milowoaaah Requested me to draw Polnareff holding a massive croissant! The superior French bread out of all breads that exist out there haha. Almost reminds me of that one doodle I did where I drew a couple of my fav JoJo characters interacting with a giant croissant lmao. Anyway thank you for this art trade idea, has been a pleasure ;p

[imaswellkid]

I gotta know what you think about this

(Link to full article here)

Giant Cube QUOI????

I’m sorry, I’m going to be so French about this.

Ok, this thing looks good. Probably too sweet for me, but still delicious.

But it is not a croissant.

Croissant means crescent. Anything using the same dough that isn’t crescent shaped is “brioche feuilletée”. Period.

Then, “croissant with ham and cheese”… Let me laugh in French: Ah ah ah! Don’t get me wrong, I like it, but it’s not French, it’s British. I think they were trying to piss us off, here, and ended up creating something very good, that most French people despise but that I personally enjoy (I’ll eat pretty much anything, save for artichokes).

So, “Giant Cube Brioche Feuilletée” would be the accurate headline, here. And the only thing Paris has to look out for is the massive strike on March 7th to defend our social rights (you’ll find me there).

[achaiapelides]

Kit's Diary

Chapter 15

Dear Ty,

today we left Paris to spend a few days in the Netherlands. In Paris, we visited the Louvre, the church Notre Dame and of course the Tour Eiffel, which looks beautiful at night. Tessa also told me stories about Matthew Fairchild, the parabatai of her son James, who always was fascinated with Paris and run away with James' wife Cordelia to the city. I tell you, the drama is perfect. Tessa should totally write a book about them. Lol.

But we only stayed in Paris for three days. The day we arrived (Saturday), the day we explored the city (Sunday) and the day we left (Monday). So in addition to that, we only visited the Paris Institute and ate the famous French breakfast, which was very expensive, but totally worth the prise. So delicious. If cookies ever go extinct, I might survive with croissants, too. Also, I found out, that Americans pronounce croissant wrong. It's not "craysant", it's pronounced somehow like "cruwasoh". I can't really write out how it's pronounced, because it ends with this French nasal o-sound.

Anyways, after the breakfast on the third day we packed our stuff and portalled to the Netherlands. For the next days, until next Sunday, we are staying in a holiday home in a village called Cadzand-Bad. The house has three bedrooms, a living room and kitchen and three bathrooms. Now we can all shower at the same time. Lol. But the room Tessa and Jem are sleeping in is really the best in the whole house. It has a giant window, so big that basically the whole wall is the window. Here are some pictures:

This is the house:

Tessa and Jem's room:

Mina and my rooms (they look the same):

And the living room / kitchen:

Source: Verhuurburo Cadzand

After we arrived at noon, we went to the beach. It was still very warm and we decided to swim in the sea. First I was a bit shocked because, obviously, the North Sea is way colder than the Pacific in Los Angeles. But after a few minutes it wasn't that cold anymore and Mina and I attacked Jem and Tessa with the water. Note to self: Never attack a warlock with water! Mina suddenly decided that she wasn't on my side anymore and came up with a new game: Making-Kit-As-Wet-As-Possible. Or rather, Mate-Kish-Wet. When she archived that goal with the help of her parents, we put our normal clothes back on and walked back to the house through the street where all the shops are. We also bought some fish called Kibbeling and some North Sea shrimp.

Back at the house we ate dinner (the Kibbeling with fries), showered (not at the same time because the water pressure wouldn't be good) and went to bed. There, I texted Dru, who is staying with Emma and Julian because she also has holidays at the academy. She had asked me to meet in London, but since I'm not in England right now, I had to decline. But I send her a lot of pictures from Cadzand and now she's happy again. She apparently also showed them to Julian, who decided that the sunset here looks so beautiful that he had to come here, too, to paint it.

Obviously you also need to see the pictures, so here they are: 

The sunset:

The street with the shops:

And Cadzand from above:

Now, I'm going to sleep before I fall asleep in this position. That might not be great for my back.

Good night and sleep well.

Love, Kit

Author's note:

The photos of the sunset were taken by me, when I was in Cadzand last year, the other photos were not taken by me, but the source of them is linked.

Also, we actually wanted to rent this house for our next vacation, but somebody else was faster than we were, so Kit is now living in it instead.

And, yes, the next posts will be about Cadzand. Because I like it there so much.

[adventurebeforedementia]

Genoa and Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre - five villages with brightly coloured houses built into the hillside on the rugged Italian Riviera coast and designated a Natural Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site - were the main reason we made a stop in Genoa.

We could have stayed closer than the two hour before dawn train ride needed to reach them, but we also wanted to visit the city. So we decided to get up early, grab jam filled croissants for breakfast from the little bakery in the town and take the train.

Once the early morning commuters had left, it was a lovely ride with great views of the coastline before we arrived at Monterossa, the first village on our stop. This is the largest of the villages with a lovely beach and lemons, vines and olives growing on the hills.

From here, we could hike through the next four villages in six hours with stops. Don’t be ridiculous! it was so much more sensible to buy tickets for the Cinque Terre Express and take the train. It takes just five minutes to travel from one village to the next.

Next stop was Vernazza, probably the prettiest of the five. The sun shining across the port onto it’s coloured houses was just stunning.

These villages grew up as fishing communities and it’s said that the fishermen painted their houses in bright colours so they could see them from the sea. Each has its own castle, built as a fortress to protect the community from Turkish pirates.

We decided to miss out the third village as it is the least known and least visited with its lack of port and difficult accessibility. We needed to save time at some point on this journey if we were going to make it back in one day.

The final two villages were just as charming as the previous ones. At our final stop Riomaggiore, Alex persuaded me to take the cliff walk. Here we go again! Why do I always let him talk me into this? Pleased to say I made it, grabbing onto his hand a little too tightly at certain points, and loved the views.

After battling our way through the tourists to see these lovely places and with a couple of hours to spare, we found a beach bar and finished our visit with Pineapple Mojitos. Cheers!

Our visit to Genoa earlier in our stay had thrown up some interesting quirky facts, not least at the city’s Cathedral. This black and white marble building was hit during the Second World War by a shell fired by the British naval fleet. The bomb crashed through the church ceiling but failed to explode. Now it is on show to visitors in the church.

While sculptors were working on the Cathedral in the 14th Century, a little dog befriended them and came to sit with them every day. When he failed to return one day, the story goes that the sculptors were so sad they carved a statue of the dog sleeping, in the marble at the main entrance door. The tiny dog is still there to this day.

The city’s central square the Piazza De Ferrari, has a mix of buildings of different styles including the opera house. In the middle of the square stands an impressive giant brass fountain.

Our next stop was the Port of Genoa, the Porto Antico, which hosted the World Expo 1992. From there we walked through the old town with its narrow covered walkways and alleys, known as “caruggi”, which can be found in towns and cities along the Italian Riviera.

We have now swapped the Italian Riviera for the French Riviera and we are soaking up the sun in Cannes in the south of France.

[guardian-of-gotham]

@who-is-muses

When Harvey opened the door to his office on the first day of his new job, the first thing to greet him was a range of smells similar to a buffet table all set for Sunday brunch at a nice diner. The next thing to greet him was the sight of his best friend of several years, Bruce Wayne, turning towards the door in surprise after having lost track of time while obsessing over the smallest, perfectionistic details he wanted to get right before the other man arrived.

"Harvey?" Bruce glanced at the clock above the door, confirming that it was in fact time for his friend's shift to start soon. "Shit. Um... Surprise!?" Despite his own self-consciousness regarding his preparations, everything looked immaculate and over the top. Tea lights set atop miniature scales of justice were strewn about the room, safely distanced from anything flammable, of course, and a pair of detachable sconces containing a pot of algerian ivy were hung on the two side walls. Behind his friend's new desk was a large, round blackboard with "Congratulations Harvey!" written on it in an elegant font, and framing the whole thing was a giant golden laurel wreath. Off to the side was the true center of attention, though: a banquet cart supporting a larger set of scales, each tray laden with an assortment of food.

On the left, the dishes included grits and eggs with fried bologna, creamy mushroom and brie croissant sandwiches, bananas foster belgian waffles, cinnamon rolls, tahitian vanilla bean souffle with salted caramel anglaise, bourbon pecan cream cheese stuffed french toast, and buttermilk biscuits with sides of butter and sausage gravy. Underneath the tray, there was a chafing fuel can to keep everything warm. Such a thing wasn't present under the right tray, though, which contained chilled or room temperature foods, like chocolate-dipped strawberries, banana slices with a chocolate peanut butter ganache dipping sauce, coffee crumb cake, white chocolate raspberry scones, and a bowl of fresh raspberries and sliced strawberries with whipped cream. To the side of that tray, there was also a bucket of ice containing a bottle of Dom Perignon dated the year of Harvey's birth and a few pitchers of various juices. Meanwhile, the warmed tray had beside it a pot of coffee, a thermal carafe containing steamed milk, a tin of hot cocoa mix, a few jars of various syrups and toppings, and a ceramic cup containing a recently-made salted caramel latte with a laurel wreath drawn in the foam on top, a design which Bruce had spent months perfecting each time he made himself coffee at his own office.

Speaking of Bruce, the man himself looked nowhere near as elegant as everything he'd set up. Having gotten no sleep at all between the previous night's patrol and the extensive time spent in the kitchen this morning, his eyes were accented with a prominent pair of dark circles. He was sweaty and disheveled from running around to get everything done in time, leaving several strands of his otherwise slicked-back hair hanging in front of his face. To keep from over-heating, his shirt was only half-buttoned with the sleeves rolled up, and while his suit jacket hung neatly from the coat rack at the door, his tie hung loosely over his shoulders. He'd hoped to have the time to make himself look more presentable before Harvey arrived, but instead, he quite literally appeared to be a hot mess.

"Oh, um, these are for you!" Bruce blurted suddenly, stepping aside to reveal an ornate glass vase containing a bouquet of red and blue pansies on Harvey's desk. His new position also revealed a lock-picking kit he'd set aside there earlier, as well as a microwave and mini fridge tied up with red ribbon next to some filing cabinets against the back wall, but he was too tired and nervous about his friend's reaction to comment on, or even pay attention to any of that. A fiery pink haze spread across his cheeks as that nervousness shifted to embarrassment over the dawning realization that he'd likely overdone things.

"This isn't too much, is it?"

[supersabbatical2024]

4/20/24: Pastries tasted to date… Un Brioche de sucre, deux cookies au chocolat 🍪 🍪, trois Palmiers, trois crèpes et beaucoup des croissants 🥐 🥐 🥐 🥐 🥐 🥐 🥐 🥐 Très bien pour cinq jours? Ok, that basically means that eating pastry has been one of our top priorities since we got here 5 days ago. Bien sur, some of my middle and high school French is coming back to me, dans mon 🧠, mais je ne parle Francais avec ma bouche… I can read and get the gist of the words, I can listen and understand the gist of the words, but speaking aloud is just a mental block for me. I just freeze and go blank. Meanwhile, Claude learned some French from his Japanese mom some 40+ years ago, and he is better than I am at ordering lunch! Maybe when I come back and live here for 6 months, I will have a break-through… 👀

We heard good news about Oreo yesterday, and my son is taking great care of mom, so all is holding steady on the home front, knock wood…😬

Today, we walked through several street markets of fresh flowers, spices, as well as fruit and produce. We have passed through a different street market pretty much every day, in one spot or another here in Aix. We have enjoyed buying boxes of gorgeous shiny fraises 🍓and framboises to eat while we walk around and around this town… At my request, we are trying another Thing on this sabbatical…I always liked the idea of traveling and staying put in one place rather than moving every few days or so—the idea is to feel like I am getting to know “my neighborhood.” I thought it could make us feel more like we’re living here than if we popped around hotel to hotel. We are only 3 weeks, so it’s LIKE we are living here, but without having to actually figure out too many real life things except Where and What to Eat. But also Where to Go for Groceries, and whether I can actually buy French Onion Dip here (not that I can see!). BUT part of “kind of like” living here is also cooking at home, so I was on a mission at the street market today.

Here’s how it went: We were people-watching this morning as we ate our croissant and cinnamon roll at a tiny cafe table outside at Weibel Patisserie (a pretty famous place I’m told). We each sipped a “cafe luong” (deux, actually—I guess I drink strong black coffee now. Bzzzzz), while we sat practically in the street (trucks and older ladie’s roller grocery bags were millimeters apart and nobody but us gasped!). It’s Saturday (Samedi), and everyone was holding their big shopping baskets or trailing their rollie bags behind them. Older couples seemed to be out shopping together, sharing the load, and EVERYONE had giant LEEKS sticking out of their bags!! Perhaps there was a sale at the street market, or perhaps Leeks are very French, which I did not really know. But now I wanted to achèter les poireaux…I wanted to buy the leeks! Claude unwittingly threw down a challenge, noting that he has always LOVED Potato/Leek soup…I’m not sure he believed I could/would actually follow through, but I grabbed the leeks, potato, et bien sur, l’herbes de Provence!!! We stopped at the Casino supermarchè for chicken broth (another item Not to Be Found in two grocery stores we checked, only vegetale ou bouillon…what is that about??). We got home and Claude went off to read on the back patio in the sun ☀️ while I cooked up Le Soup De Jour: Potato et Poireaux…Voila, Je suis une chef Francaise!!! (Yeah No). I even made a cooking video (not my first if you must know! Just NOT widely distributed due to their silliness). You can find it posted…NOWHERE 😝

We will see how this whole “hanging out in one place” works out…It’s only been 5 days, and I feel like I have already found my favorite Palmier. I’ve also been to the snazzy automated Nespresso store several times (I get it, Europe! I really doo!) So much more to master, though, and tomorrow is a travel day. We are actually getting up early to drive to an antique market about an hour away, in Isle Sur La Sourgue. Et maintenant, and now, Claude is cooking at home! Reheating my soup de jour and making his famous salad dressing for a salade avec our last few slices of délicieux jambon 🥗 🍖 Bon soir!! ❤️ 🌙

[jsmathew]

I’m trying to keep up with this as best as I can, but yesterday was my 31st birthday! I was in France for it and what a relaxing birthday it was. I woke up and trekked in rainy/cold weather to a Boulangerie for a giant flaky, buttery croissant. It was delicious with a coffee.

I roamed around for another 1.5-2 hours just getting lost on the streets of Vieux Nice. I’d find a pharmacie or a souvenir shop that I hadn’t seen before.

Afterwards, I returned to my Airbnb to read and take a fat nap. I direly needed the rest because the previous two days were pretty exhausting. Then I woke up and read some more. I got ready for dinner at this yummy Italian restaurant, La Favola on Cours Saleya. I shared my birthday dinner with Michelle, who was in my Wine tasting class the night prior. It was great to have her company while enjoying aperol spritzes, focaccia, too big of a dish of lasagna, and macarons.

Michelle is in Nice for 2 weeks learning French at a local university. How cool is that?!?

We went our separate ways, and walked back through the narrow streets of Vieux Nice that I now knew like the back of my hand.

It was such a great birthday!

[thepercy6andtheradicalsabbatical]

Appendix

Top 10 Museums

Louvre

Vatican Museum

Harry Potter Studio tour

London/Malmo Transport Museum

Prado

Academia

Lego House

Uffizi Gallery

Picasso museum

Glasgow Science Museum 

Top castles/Palaces

Percy Castle in Alnwick (obviously)

El Alhambra

Madrid Palace

Alcazarin Seville

Neuschwanstein Castle

Roman Forum/Colosseum

Old Town Dubrovnic

Mont St. Michel

Buckingham Palace

Edinburgh Castle

Top 10 tourist errors

Not knowing we needed our passports to use our credit card in Swedish grocery stores (Matt and Becca)

Failing to reserve all our slots for venetian mask making (Becca)

Not realizing the hotel rooms in cadiz were 3 people max so getting a talking to and an upcharge from the front desk lady when trying to add nali man to the room (Matt)

Not knowing how to exit turnstiles in the London Underground (Becca)

Not keeping hands inside the vaporetto (children), not watching children to ensure their hands were kept inside (Becca only per vaporetto helmsman) 

Walking in bike lanes everywhere (all)

Panicking and rushing on the train going on the train headed the wrong direction, and thus missing focaccia (Matt and Becca)

Not knowing how to cross streets everywhere (all)

Oli on shoulders in the Louvre (matt)

Getting on bus in split , trying to pay, getting told by bus driver it was the wrong bust, then getting off without paying and seeing it driving away with the rest of the family still on it (Matt)

Top Ten AirBnB/Hostels

Split, Croatia- Butt pool

Billund, Denmark – trampoline + Lego House

Huisnes-sur-mer, France

Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

Wilderswill (near Interlaken), Switzerland

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Rome

Naples (Airbnb much more so than the city)

London

Madrid

Top 10 Gummy Candies 

Sour Rings

Fizzy Straws

Percy Pigs

Percy piglets (yes it’s different)

Coke Bottles

Sour Gummy glow worms (particularly the ones labelled in German)

Sour Gummy bears

Vegan Dinosaurs

Giant sour rainbow candy with nougat filling

Virtually anything else from Captain Candy

Top 10 Playgrounds

Gulliver’s Park, Valencia, Spain

Neighborhood playground with slide built into a hill, Wilderswill

Playground in Madrid near Marco’s restaurant (I think maybe it was in the Plaza de Espana 

Theater themed playground, Malmo, Sweden

Dragon Playground near St. Beatus caves, Interlaken, Switzerland

Dragon-slide Playground, Paris

Buoy playground, Olso

Neighborhood pirate ship playground, London

Princess Diana memorial playground (peter pan), London

Dubrovnic basketball/soccer court

Honorable mention for anywhere henry played soccer, especially munich beer garden, elephant themed playground while waiting for bus in Lindau

Top 10 religious places 

Sagrada Familia

St. peter’s basilica

Alhambra/Alcazar

Roman Synagogue 

Sistine chapel

Pantheon

Cathedral of Seville

Cathedral of toledo (interchangeable)

Duomo

St. Marks, venice

Places we want to come back and visit

Ischia

Slovenia (lake bled)

Ronda + Seville, Spain

Northern Italian lakes/dolomites (including a longer return to Stresa Italy)

Grenoble France

French countryside (houseboat on canals?)

Ireland

Wales

Lofoten Island Norway

San Remo, Italy

More of Germany in general

Austria

Best Part/Favorite food England

Becca- Tower of London, Harry Potter Studio tour, Hamilton/Crumpets, Indian food, chips

Emily- Tower of London, Harry Potter Studios, Globe Theater/ Mango Boba

Buggy- Harry Potter Studio/fish and chips

Matt- Harry Potter Studio/sticky toffee pudding

Henry- Tottenham Hot spur Game/fish and chips

Oli-  Our Airbnb and harry potter studio/Pizza

British Slang index

Right then = allright

Cheers = thanks/gretting

Buggy= baby stroller

Crisps= Chips

Chips = froes

Very nice = really good

Cherio, pip = “how you doing?”

Digestive = another type of cookie (dunk in tea)

Bin = trash can

Loo = bathroom

Football/footie= soccer

Fly tipping = unauthorized trash dumping/littering 

Hiya = hi

Champion = sweet/great

Nappies = diapers

Fizzy candy = sour candy

No bother = no worries

Best Parts of France

Henry – PSG/Croissant

Emily- Dragon Slide/Croissant

Oli- the PSG game/chocolat croissant

Becca- Mt St Michel/croque Mossier

Buggy- climbing the Eiffel tower/ Baguete

Matt- Huisnes sur mer/train station croque mossieur 

Best Parts of Spain

Becca- Seville, Valencia, the churches. Food: tapas

Oli- Gibraltar Monkeys/Paella Noodles

Henry Las Ramblas, Valencia/ Patatas Bravas

Emily- Gaudi + Bike riding in Valencia/ no favorite foods

Buggy- illegible (she interprets it as seeing the Flamenco Dancers)

Matt- Seville, Valencia, Sagrada Familia /Paella, Patatas Bravas, Horchata with fartones

Best Parts of Italy

Italian words- Ciao, uscita (exit), prego (you’re welcome)

Becca- Florence, Cinque Terre, Rome (loved David, St. Peter’s, hiking, Rafaels fresco in Vatican museum, Pieta. Food: Mozzarella, focaccia in Cinque Terre

Emily- Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome – Food: Foccacia, Pizza, Pasta

Oli- Pizza

Matt- cinque terre, Florence, Vatican museum, venice canals, Amalfi bus ride adventures. Food: mozzarella, pizza, focaccia in cinque terre

Buggy- cinque terre

Henry – Florence, cinque terre + Pizza

Best parts of Croatia

Emily- Pula, Plitvice Lakes, Boat

Henry- Pula, Butt Pool in Split, inflatable water park (pula)

Matt- renting boat in Dubrovnik, Slunj

Buggy- Slunj, bouncy house pula

Becca- Dubrovnik, Plitvice lakes

Oli- water bouncy house, pula

*Food* didn’t really experience much typical food but Matt + Henry say Burek, Emily/Buggy?matt also became Olive Oil snobs after learning to taste it in Pula

Best Parts of Switzerland

Becca- All of it! All the hiking

Buggy- the hut trip (+ice palace)

Emily- All of it

Henry- the huts

Matt- Ice Palace, huts, mountain view trail hikes

Best Parts of Germany

Henry - Going to the beer garden

Becca- Park in Munich, Fussen

Buggy- The night train

Emily- hot springs, castle, munich

Matt- Fussen, English Gardens Munich, Lindau hot springs

Best Parts of Denmark

Becca- Bilund!

Emily- Billund!, Copenhagen, Skiing, Tivoli, the lego home

Matt- Skiing on Copenhill + the Lego House

Oli- Tivoli + Lego House

Henry- The Lego House

Buggy- the Lego house and Tivoli

Best Parts of Sweden

Becca- hanging out with the Gordons

Emily- Malmo

Matt- 9 PM dip in the Baltic in Malmo

Oli- Playing with Henry Gordon’s cars

Henry- Malmo

Buggy- My new friend Isabela 

Favorite Places overall

Edinburgh

Valencia 

Sevilla

Huisnes-sur-mer

Madrid

Barcelona

Florence

Cinque Terre

Rome 

Dubrovnik

Stressa, Italy

Billund, Denmark

Fussen, Germany

Munich

Becca’s book list

The dictionary of lost words

Choosing to Run

I’m Glad my Mom Died

The Great Believers

Solito

Romantic Comedy

All my rage

Hello, Beautiful

We Should Not be Friends

If I Never Met You

Page Boy

What Looks Like Bravery

Breath From Salt

Birnam wood

The True Love Experiment

[hauntingthechateau]

Monday November 20th

Sun and clouds and rain and wind (we've got it all) high of 11.

Went to see inside the church today after breakfast. Raining on and off with some good winds. Church was built at the same time as the modern chateau, but in the neo gothic style. Some nice stained glass and statues, but damn all these french churches are missing a good altar piece or giant crucifix. On the walk back I came across the official trails sign for the two big hikes around here. One 2 hour hike up the Cul du Cerf and one 5 hour (!) hike around to all the different towns in this area, seeing a serious of 4 statues of the Virgin Mary. They had listed horseback times on each and I feel like that would be a really great horseback ride. (or gravel bike!)

Dusty followed us down to church and then must have followed me back to my studio, because after I had been working for a bit, I heard a small little meow from my door and when I opened it a very soggy Dusty sauntered in. After making a circuit around the room, he settled on the chair, groomed himself briefly and fell asleep. I got the last of the portraits done on my main back wall, so I'm starting into the hair lines, backgrounds and finishing. Dusty left for a bit, but came back again and requested to be let in, so that he could hop up on my radiator and warm himself. Come time for lunch I had to convince him to come with me.

At lunch I asked Chef Marie is there was hunting today, and upon her saying no I spontaneously decided I'd do one of the hikes! I was not prepared and had to do some running around to get my bag, get some water and then head out. I had sun when I was leaving, but it rained on and off for most of my walk. The hike is very well signposted, with markers that mean 'trail', 'not the trail', and 'trail turns here'. I used Alltrails as well for a map and for elevation etc and I'm glad I checked it because the comments mentioned that the trail markers try to lead you through a very angry farmer's private property... I detoured around the road for the way home which is a shame and much less scenic, but I didn't know how else to avoid the farmer's land.

The hike was beautiful in that way that European wilderness is beautiful and I'm glad I went. The first half of the hike was all beside the river which was (flooding) and beautiful and green and so clear. Walking alongside a lot of little farms, then along private property and then passing a water station, into the woods proper. Had to go through one pretty deep puddle where the river was flooded and through/under/around some pretty big blow downs, but in general it was a pretty easy trail (although I'm going to feel the 180m elevation gain for days in my legs)! The look out at the top of Cul du Cerf was magical and unfortunately quite unphotogenic! There's a HUGE drop with what looks like the start of the river in the valley. The walk back went through a nice forest, but then was mostly roads all the way home. This trail would have been perfect on a gravel bike, although that climb would have sucked.

When I finally got home I was absolutely spent and HUNGRY but too tired to climb up the hill to get a croissant. After sitting for a while, I did manage to get up and finish a little bit of work before dinner.

Dinner tonight was delicious: Chicken caesar salad, lentil soup, penne with tomato sauce, potato roasties with garlic, goat cheese and onion, SUPER flavoured turkey and cheese and olive muffins. Dessert was tiramisu! Everything went down nice with some naproxen! I stayed a little late and had a glass of absinthe with Stacy before heading home to watch taskmaster with Craig, almost falling asleep during the last task.

Slept like a baby.