#the real question is should i bail on the hiking plans i have for the weekend lol

[guinevereslancelot]

what if i ate something besides toast and saltines 🤔

[yanderecandystore]

Yandere Ocs dream date hcs please?

Hi!

This seems fun :3

Also, oh my God, I haven't started writing for Prey chapter 2, I'm sorry!!! ;-; ;-;

I didn't have enough time to write it. Neither did I write for A Vixen Walking Around At Night yet.

Sorry ;-;.

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

Our first moment [Yandere OCS x Reader - Headcanon]:

🍒 Bullies 🍭:

→ Alexandra Coldwell:

Well, what can I say? She is a little princess, and you'll need to treat her as such.

She is pretty mean, and would totally be expecting you to make her the perfect date. Yes, that also means that you should be the one to ask her out, and if you do, she will talk as if you're the one that should have planned this out.

But don't worry, she knows that she is the one that has to fix everything. Going out is her favorite thing, so why just go around a mall while you two find something to do? Maybe even make you buy things for her.

Alexandra is mostly fucking with you though, I mean, she really wants you to treat her like a princess, but she knows you don't have enough money to buy anything for her (don't worry about buying anything for her boo, she only wears really expensive brands :D).

A movie is cool and all, but even if she is watching something she really likes, she would still find out she is missing something. This date wouldn't feel complete.

Alexandra does like to stay active, and although it sounds really niche, if her darling dares her to run faster than them, she'll totally do it. No questions asked.

Heels or no heels. It's on now. If you bail out though she is going to make fun of you, cause of course she would.

If you win then, well, she lost, is there anything you would like to get as a reward, Ms/Mr. Winner? Does a kiss from her majesty suffice?

Alexandra can be a little bitter sweet, but she does really care about her darling, in her eyes, your just as much royalty as her.

Her dream date would probably be going around a national park, princesses with heels can still do some hiking. Watch her act like a nerd at every single cute animal she spots. Turns out she knows quite a lot about biology, the absolute goof.

→ Adrien Coldwell:

I know that he may seem boring as hell and absolutely "0 fucks given" all the time, and believe me he is, but give him some credit.

He can be probably one of the chilliest out of the two. He does make a couple of ill comments here and there, but he doesn't mind going along with you and doing things you like.

He may comment something along the lines of "not expecting you two to have a great date, because it's impossible to have fun with someone that sucks so much", with yeah, he went full on out with that one, but he is mostly picking on you.

Just seeing you being yourself is pretty entertaining. I guess that's why he keeps picking on you, trying to get different reactions.

Adrien likes to binge watch cartoons, and although he likes music concerts he can't be bothered to move one inch most of the time.

He lets you do what you like to do, but, to be honest, something that you two can do and create sounds a lot better. Maybe he wants to find an active that you two can do while still having fun and bickering at each other.

Would you like to bake with him? He can do just fine on his own, but if you want to, he would really, really appreciate some help.

Even if whatever you baked was a mess and probably burned, you two would still have fun. You'll probably see him smiling for once.

Adrien's idea of a dream date is being able to have fun with you while crafting something, being that baking or even just a silly project. The project may not turn out really well, but throughout the experience, you still get some good laughs.

🍎 Teachers 🥧:

→ Matthew Robinson:

Oh this, suit and tie boi. This sweet, sweet boi.

What can he say? He doesn't have enough experience in the dating department, at least not the most fun of experiences.

He isn't really that lucky, you know?

Maybe show him a little bit of what you're into. That would help him understand how dates are supposed to go.

He is afraid of his ideas being pretty cliche, honey. He would love to take you to eat at a fancy restaurant, or maybe a picnic, just the two of you.

He can be a bit of a glutton. He does enjoy musicals, but he understands that is not exactly everyone's taste.

He is getting old, isn't he? He has even thought about going into a cafe, reading books or something. But can you two just stay home and read? Wait, why would you two even be reading, weren't you two supposed to interact?

Why would he even offer that? God, he probably needs to interact with people more.

His perfect date would probably involve nature, to his own surprise though. Probably taking you to his own home in the countryside, or maybe just being in touch with nature. Getting lost in the woods with you would be, quite the interesting experience.

→ Madeline Allen:

Do you like staying in home and binge watching series/cartoons? Cause she really doesn't like getting out of her house much.

She loves staying at home and simply having a more comfy day. Watching nostalgic movies, eating only the best snacks and having just a great time.

The only other thing that she likes to do is visit the beach whenever she can. She likes collecting shells and she'll probably show you her favorite ones. Her collection could be bigger, if her visits to the beach would be more frequent.

Actually, when she was younger she discovered the best spots to hangout when she wanted to be alone. Well, there are other people that go around that place, but not many actually enter and stay inside for long.

She would absolutely love to bring you inside the hidden grotto she found. It's really spacious, and the view is amazing, but her favorite part is watching the fishes swimming in and out of this little paradise.

The best moments to visit are when it is sunset and when it's a full moon night, it is absolutely amazing, you'll love it!

At least, she hopes so!

🍋Delinquents 🐍:

→ Jackson Macnee:

Jack doesn't really seem like it, but he kinda enjoys reading about romance, even if it's the most cliche bullshit he has ever heard.

I guess it makes sense for him to have a couple of ideas of the perfect date, he used to love reading this shit when he was studying at that snobby school.

But he is a different person now, I mean, yeah he has some ideas on where to take his darling, but he doesn't really think he will ever use his knowledge.

… But, if he ever found someone he actually has a thing for, maybe… A movie?

I mean, he could elaborate on a perfect date and all, he actually would love to elaborate on his perfect date, but- He feels like It would be pointless.

Eh, why not keep things simple? He doesn't want to sound like a dork. At least not to his darling, he would only feel self-conscious about it.

His actual idea of a perfect date is to bring his darling to watch a movie and show them his favorite part around town. He knows how to access some abandoned docks and believe, although it doesn't sound like much, the scenery can be pretty neat.

Two dorks hanging around at some docks while the sun is setting, talking about feelings and shit like that, sounds like something he read about.

→ Janette Sartorius:

Honestly, not even she knows what the fuck she wants.

Her hopeless romantic heart can only take so much love!

Every single idea sounds like the right idea. Stay at home, go out to get something to eat and drink, see some movie or concert, vandalize some shit like you're both Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy or something, find somewhere secret that only you two know how to get there and write your initials together, like-

I mean, she would probably be thinking of doing all of these.

All. Of. These. Every time you hangout she'll be already thinking of the next date.

Something she would totally love to do, would be just playing games with ya. In her house or in an arcade.

Maybe after playing some games, getting some ice cream and walking around the park. But she will always, and I mean always, stop whatever she was doing to pet the dogs along the way.

I guess what she wants is to spend time alone with you, with you two lost in each other's eyes, while she can also show the entire world how beautiful her darling is and how her darling is only hers. Her dream date would totally be in a place like an abandoned haunted house where she can hold you while your scared (and probably scare you whenever she can).

👾 A.I 🍈:

→ Yuma Soma:

Oof, oh dear. Are you the type of person to go out and eat a lot? Cause Yuma is a 100% that person.

What I mean is, they only like going out if it means being able to eat. There are so many human foods that they didn't even know while they were inside the game.

In the food department, there are a lot of things they didn't know, wait until they see the rest of what they don't know about, like other countries and other culture's cuisines.

Maybe that's what they like, going out and discovering new things. Maybe they would like making a trip around the globe with you, or just visiting local restaurants because that's way less expensive lol.

I guess their dream date would be whenever they can go out with you without being trapped inside the game, preferably if you don't run away or start yelling at them for imprisoning you.

But until then, they'll keep you in their hands and bring you to do all the things that real human couples do!

Just stop screaming from inside the game, will you?

🦊 Kitsunes 🍬:

→ Tatsumi:

Tatsumi is an absolute couch potato. He hates having to get out of his room.

But if it's a date with you, then of course he'll go! It's not everyday that the love of his eternal life asks him to go on a date!

But… Where would you go? He kinda doesn't know what to do. Most of his dates end really prematurely.

Get some drinks, have sex and take their energy and leave. He doesn't know what else he can do, love.

When it comes to his darling, sexual interactions don't really come to mind as much as he thought it would. I mean don't get me wrong, he can be a little pervy, but anything with you is already amazing darling.

If he could, he… Wishes he could have a normal day with you. Ya know? Without him being… Him. His dream date would be a day where he can do many of the things he and his darling likes, it may sound clichê but-

Whatever you do together would be wonderful either way.

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

[coeurdastronaute]

Essays in Existentialism: Rivals II

Previously on Rivals

There really wasn’t anything to be nervous about. Why should she be nervous when she’d already spent two nights in the same bed as a complete stranger and player for the opposite team. That was weird, but going on a date was incredibly normal. It was the most normal part of the timeline of their entire flirtation, and yet, Clarke was slightly antsy. 

The nerves might have stemmed from the lying. 

It wasn’t really mentioned when her friends asked her what her plans were for the weekend. Vaguely, she insisted that there was some family stuff she had to do and kept out of the conversations about meeting up, much to the dismay of a few voices. But the lies were made easier by the proximity to winter break. If she told them what she was really doing, she’d never hear the end of it from Octavia, and that was a fight she didn’t want to have. She’d never get over Bellamy’s sad eyes. She’d have to listen to Raven rail about this and that, and why not avoid it if she could?

In the end, lying felt right and easy and when everyone gave up trying to figure out when she’d be able to do something, instead chalking it up to a complete family weekend, she relaxed. 

Maybe her nerves stemmed from the intensive dive into Lexa’s scant social media presence, strictly for science. 

The very night she got home from the state championship trip, she laid in her bed and did the only normal thing she could think of doing-- looking into a certain Lexa Woods, all while texting the star kicker deep into the night. 

And though she didn’t find much, she did see that Lexa was too cute and it was going to be a problem. Candids taken by friends of her in weird positions, reading. With glasses. Adorable glasses. Pictures hiking with her family. Camping with her little brother. Volunteering at the Special Olympics. Record shopping. Camping. Running. Biking. Studying film. Dressed up for a family wedding. 

It spanned her entire high school life, and Clarke learned that she was an outdoorsy person who seemed too good to be true. She had a crush on a stranger she slept with-- twice. 

Yes, that was where her nerves came from, Clarke decided as she heard the doorbell chime downstairs before she gave herself a once over in the mirror while taking a deep breath. There was nothing to be nervous about, she chanted. 

Except it’d been two weeks of almost non-stop texting and Lexa was funny and nice and sweet and a nagging part of her brain couldn’t let Clarke believe that this girl was real. 

“I’m coming!” Clarke yelled down the steps as she hurried to the bathroom and quickly sprayed a dash of perfume from the tiny, expensive bottle her dad got her for her birthday. 

She heard the rumble of voices downstairs and tried not to think of how embarrassing her father could possibly be. In record time she snagged her coat and phone, pocketing and tugging on as she hustled down the steps. 

But handling it well enough, Lexa stood there, in Clarke’s house, in the flesh, real, alive, and in-person. Red letterman jacket folded over her arm, she stood there and listened intently to Jake Griffin talk about something before catching her date’s eye and smiling. 

“I will have to check that movie out, Mr. Griffin,” Lexa nodded, tearing herself away from Clarke. “Thank you for the suggestion.” 

“Okay, we’re heading out, Dad,” Clarke interrupted before he could start talking about something else. “I’ll be home later.” 

“Not giving me much time to embarrass you, honey,” he chided as she leaned up to kiss his cheek. “I got distracted talking about movies.” 

“An easy way to avert him. Nice work, Twelve.”

Lexa smiled quickly as Clarke came to stand beside her. 

“I do want to hear some embarrassing things though. I’m sure we have ti--”

“Okay, we’re off,” she cut off the thought. 

“It was nice to meet you, Mr. Griffin,” Lexa stuck out her hand and shook Jake’s. “I’ll let you know what I think of that film. I’m always looking for new favorites.” 

“You won’t be disappoint,” he smiled, surprised by the action as she shook her hand. “Home by twelve at the latest.” 

“What about one?” Clarke tried. 

“Actually, I have to be home by eleven,” Lexa offered. “So unless you plan on bailing…” 

“You know, eleven sounds so much better to me,” Jake grinned and looked at his daughter expectantly. 

With a shake of her head and sigh, Clarke moved toward the door, Lexa trailing behind her and shrugging on her coat as the moved out into the cold. The patriarch of the small family stood behind the glass and watched them hurry to hop into the still-running car in the driveway. It wasn’t that he truly trusted anyone that took his daughter out on a date, but something about Lexa seemed okay enough for him to not worry as much, which was surprising for someone with a letterman jacket. 

But he waved as they pulled out into the street and he smiled, the faint remnant of the perfume he bought for his daughter for her last birthday still lingering on the stairs. 

XXXXXXXXXX

As much as she told herself that she wasn’t nervous, that it was pointless to worry about it, that Clarke obviously liked her enough to make out with her in a hotel bed, twice, Lexa still felt a little nervous about their first official date. She did a valiant job in pretending though. 

But then she saw Clarke and she relaxed, despite the fact that her heartbeat picked up by about half. It was baffling and she wasn’t sure what it meant, but she didn’t waste any time thinking about it too hard. 

“I can’t believe I’ve never been here before,” Lexa smiled as they pulled up to the museum parking lot. “My brother has a thing for museums.” 

“Now I get to spoil it for you so when he drags you here eventually, it’ll be old news.” 

“You know, you haven’t insulted me once since I picked you up.” 

“Can’t let them go to your head,” Clarke grinned and waited, sticking her hand out for her date to grab so she could lead her into one of her favorite places in town. “Your ego is already monstrous after winning a championship.” 

“Did you know I get a ring and everything? The lunch lady gave me an extra cookie the other day, too.” 

“What a life you lead. And here I am, taking up your time when you could be basking in the glow of being the city’s golden child.” 

“Not this town,” she murmured, feeling slightly out of place in her jacket. 

“Don’t sweat it. You’re with me, Woods.” 

It was a baseless sentence and in no way did Lexa imagine that Clarke ran her town, but there was something to her confidence and ease that made her want to believe it without question. Clarke was easy that way-- just constantly moving and pushing and remaining undaunted, it felt like. Through their late night chats, she’d learned that Clarke really figured out that she didn’t like a lot of who she was over the past few years, and was restarting, with purpose. 

Lexa wasn’t sure what it all meant, just that Clarke was honest and fun, she was unpredictable and passionate, and most importantly, she was fiercely independent.

Somewhere between the paintings of the boats and the ones that were just lines, Lexa felt Clarke’s chin on her shoulder and the proximity of their bodies as they walked through the massive rooms, perusing and joking, appreciating and debating, predominantly disappearing into themselves without a care for anyone else in the place. 

Somewhere between the busts and the installation art, Lexa kissed Clarke’s cheek and held her hand a little tighter, occasionally pulling her own behind her back to pull Clarke closer to her side. 

And at the end of the night, after dropping Clarke off and getting a kiss for her troubles, Lexa smiled and replayed the entire date in her head on the drive home. 

XXXXXXXXXX

Despite the normal festivities of the holiday season combined with winning a championship and having many more friend obligations to attend with, Lexa ignored what she could and spent her most of her break driving back and forth to the rival town to see a certain cheerleader who like to kiss her and sometimes slip her hand up her shirt. And she liked returning the favor, hence the driving and hosting. 

But between the family and the girl and break homework, Lexa was sure to spend time preparing for her soccer season. That was a point she made because she sure as hell wasn’t going to only get scholarship options for one season in a sport she didn’t truly love. 

There was a schedule and Clarke fit into it all, much to Lexa’s relief. 

“You have to head home soon,” Clarke whispered, though her lips moved to capture the kicker’s once again. 

“I can push my luck a little bit. Your dad likes me.” 

The scoff was cut off by a low moan as Lexa let her hands get a little more brazen than they’d been before. She was fueled by the fact that they were busy and school was starting again and she wouldn’t know how long until she’d see Clarke again. That and the delectable little noises coming from beneath her. 

“You should leave, before I make you stay.” 

Lexa smiled against Clarke’s neck and bit there before pushing her thigh harder into her center, earning a shift of hips. Fingertips dug into her neck and she sighed at the sensation. She wanted more time. She wanted to pause everything. 

“You feel so good,” Lexa whispered. 

“We should see each other again.” 

“I’d like that.” 

“You’ll let me know when you get your schedule for soccer?” 

“You’ll be the first to know. I’d like my own cheerleader,” Lexa smiled, kissing toward chest. “And as my girlfriend, you get the perks of wearing my jacket and old jersey whenever you’d like.” 

“Girlfriend, eh?” Clarke adjusted so that Lexa hovered over her. She cocked her head and smiled before pushing hair away from her eyes. She loved Lexa’s green, and how deep and expressive they were if you were smart enough to pay attention. 

“Yeah, well. If the letterman fits.” 

“I do look cute in it,” she shrugged, smiling enough with a dimple and all. 

“Much better than me.” 

“I can’t go wearing it at school. That’d be the end of me.” 

“I suppose we should talk about being star-crossed and such, since we’re heading back to the real world.” 

Clarke groaned a complaint and hugged Lexa toward her tighter. 

“What is there to talk about? My girlfriend goes to a different school.” 

“It’s adorable how you think it’ll be easy.”

“You’d be amazing at how good I am t being difficult.” 

Despite herself, Lexa chuckled and shook her head before kissing Clarke’s cheek and jaw and nose. She finally pushed herself away. 

XXXXXXXXX

The fall out was… biblical, in a way that Clarke never fully expected. It seemed insanely trivial for her to develop a crush on a person that could develop so much ire from her entire world, but she bore the brunt of it with a flippant disregard to such ridiculous stigmas. 

The worst of it was Octavia, fiercely loyal to her team and her school and most importantly, her brother. The news worked its way through the friend group, debated and marvelled over for a few days before it became old news. It was a novelty and for a while Clarke fielded their questions and took their taunting well enough. 

It wasn’t until spring that Clarke finally blew up, lashing out at Bellamy, Octavia, Murphy, and a few others who were still bitter about their lost. It ended with her scolding their pitiful performance and childish behavior. It didn’t really help, but she certainly felt better. 

“Good job! Nice kick!” Clarke cheered from the bleachers amidst the large crowd in the waning evening light. 

“Oh now you’re a cheerleader,” Octavia rolled her eyes and scoffed from a few rows away. 

Clarke grit her teeth and shook her head before focusing back on the pitch as number twelve streaked down the field, maneuvering quickly through defenders. She shoved her hands into the pockets of the jacket for the opposing team and smelled a hint of Lexa on the collar still, vowing to give it back to her for a few days to get more of it back. 

Unsure of if the booing spurred her or the fact that her girlfriend was watching, but Lexa and her team won by a wide margin, which was gratifying to the singular fan in the audience. 

“Hey, Twelve, you looked good out there.” 

“Oh thanks. Just showing off a bit for you,” Lexa grinned, hanging on the railing of the bleachers as she watched her red jacket walk towards her. “Thanks for coming.” 

“Couldn’t miss it. Hottest seat in town.” 

“I have to get on the bus in a few…” 

“Can’t waste time then,” Clarke grinned, jumping off the final step and wrapping her arms around the sweaty soccer players neck. 

In a second, she was kissing her girlfriend and smiling, content with the glares she knew she’d be getting from the peanut gallery. 

“You should come over this weekend. There’s a great movie playing at the Local, and I could be persuaded to take you for dinner.” 

“Persuaded, huh?” 

“Mmhm,” she nodded, setting her girlfriend down.

“Do you want to meet my friends?” 

“I think I’ve met some of them,” Lexa looked at the gaggle that followed. “Hi.” 

“Guys, this is Lexa,” Clarke offered as she turned around and found the rest of the group. “Lex, this is Bellamy, his sister, Octavia, Raven, Murphy, Monty, and Madi.”

A small chorus of hellos greeted her as she lifted her hand awkwardly. 

“Sorry about making that field goal. I can honestly say I didn’t mean to, and it just kind of happened.”

The crowd relaxed slightly and mingled about with some small talk before the coach called and Lexa looked over her shoulder, realizing it was time to leave. 

“I’ll see you Saturday, if that’s okay?” Clarke asked, walking with Lexa toward the bus. 

“Did I do well enough with the friends to earn a date?” 

“You did. I do have to spend Friday with them though to make up for it, but yeah, I’d say you’re okay.” 

“Am I going to have to see them more?” 

“Definitely.” 

“Whatever works.”

“Here,” Clarke shrugged off the coat. “I need you to break this in again for me. I lost your smell.” 

“Can’t have it not smell like Ireland looks, I guess.” 

“Shut up.” 

With a shove and a kiss, Clarke pushed Lexa toward the bus.

[yourlifefun]

Get fit for tramping

Oh fitness, my beautiful frenemy. At only our relationship status is “It’s complicated”, mainly because I cheat you with Netflix. Often. From the surface, it probably looks as if I’m bounding up steep mountain slopes with limitless energy. But that, my friends, is a lie. My family knows the reality – which I’m often not fit enough for tramping/hiking. That I find yourself hobbling around the house post-adventure looking like I'd quite a full body cast.

(My husband just nodded sagely while reading this and said “you do” during a tragic way).

I’m not an expert when it involves fitness, so that’s why I reached bent quite my friends to assist write this text. Penzy Dinsdale was President of the Otago University Tramping Club back once we were both at uni, and has competed within the toughest adventure race in New Zealand (twice!). She also takes beautiful shots of her adventures over at Southerly Storm Photography. Ruth Nicholas, one among my lovely colleagues, has also checked over the article to form sure I’m not leading you all astray. She added some really helpful tips from her combined experience as a physiotherapist and tramper. Many thanks, such tons to you both for sharing a quick time and expertise!

Why is it important to train?

SAFETY

Let’s be Debbie Downers for a second (sorry Debbie) and consider the worst-case scenario in terms of your fitness:

You’re nowhere near fit enough to tackle the tramp you’ve begun on. You can’t complete the tramp and need extraction by Search and Rescue (SAR). Alternatively, it takes you tons longer than planned to know your destination, necessitating risky travel within the dark, or exposure to the weather for extended than you have the gear for. It sounds ridiculous, but it happens more often than it should.

REDUCTION OF INJURIES

Being fit enough for tramping also reduces the danger of injury. Tired and weak muscles are more likely to provide away, or not compensate over rough terrain, causing soft tissue injuries or worse. Add an important pack to the mixture, and balance comes into play also.

ENJOYMENT

If you’re not fit enough for a visit, I doubt that you’ll be enjoying it the utmost amount you'll. I don’t always love slogging up hills (let’s be honest, I rarely enjoy that), but I hate it less when I’m fitter and it's like “I’m overcoming a challenge” instead of “Why am I voluntarily doing this? It’s like I’m dying!”

TARGETED BENEFITS

Lastly, specific training for tramping adventures means you’ll target all those muscle groups and special sorts of fitness you'd like for adventuring within the wilderness. Getting to the gym every day doesn’t mean you’ll be ready to carry a 13kg pack over rough terrain for 6+ hours every day for 3 days. You’d wish to make up endurance, balance, strength, and stamina (both physically and mentally) before you’re fully ready.

Right, you understand the importance of coaching, so let’s get right down to it – what should we be doing to rearrange for our tramps?

How do I buy fit tramping?

I’m very sad to mention there isn’t a magic solution where you get to eat all the chocolate you'd like, work your 9-5 office job, binge-watch shows on Netflix then be fit enough to travel on adventurous hikes within the weekend (take this from personal experience). You’ve to place within the work – although hopefully, you'll find the due to form it fun so as that it doesn’t appear to be work.

First off, exercise could even be a very personal thing. Body types, metabolism, base fitness, general health – all of those factors and more can drastically differ between people. With Penzy and Ruth’s help, I’ve popped some general advice and tips here, but if there’s something that’s not working for you or doesn’t suit your lifestyle, that’s completely fine – training possesses to work around your body and your life, not the opposite way around.

SET GOALS

We normally say “don’t run before you'll walk”. In tramping lingo, we could change this to “don’t continue an overnighter before you'll do an extended day walk”. You’d wish to start out slow and build up – this might assist you to enjoy your trips far more, and help keep you and your group safer.

Start with the subsequent two questions. If the answers to them are drastically different, then it’s time to undertake to do something about it and acquire training!

• What’s your current level of fitness?

• What level of fitness is required from your future trip?

If you’re a relative beginner then it is often really hard to gauge how suit you purchased to be. Finding the answers to those further questions might help:

• How long will you be walking each day? Time is usually a more helpful measure than distance, because it takes under consideration distance, terrain, and elevation change, although it's subjective. Remember to seem at several resources as you'll find times on a given adventure vary wildly counting on the person. Penzy’s advice is that you simply can calculate around 4km per hour on a satisfying track, plus 10 minutes for each 100m of elevation gain.

• is that the trip uphill or flat? To be fair if you’re in New Zealand that question answers itself – there be hills. So better questions are: what's the elevation gain? How steep is it? (Will you'd wish to be using your upper body to tug yourself up the mountain, also as your legs?)

• Will you be carrying a pack? How heavy will this be?

• How fit are the opposite people you’re going with? Do they need to wish breaks or do they need to only smash it out? Are they like Penzy and should are training for an occasion where you don’t even stop to eat or drink? (Shudder)

• What’s that the weather likely to be? Extremes of either hot, cold, or sun/wind/rain exposure can make trips harder and drain.

Use these inquiries to line your goals. As an example, if you’re getting to be walking up a steep track, then you’ll want to be focussing on your leg strength (and potentially arms counting on how steep!), core, and cardio. If you’re getting to be carrying an important pack, then you'd wish to be training with a pack. If it’s an extended trip, you’ll want to figure on endurance.

Goals are often great motivators, so they’re important to the line. Please reach bent me if you've any questions on this – you'll leave a comment below or message me over on Instagram. Penzy is additionally happy to field questions on this – you'll get in-tuned in conjunction alongside her on her Instagram or her website.

Just remember that you simply won't always be ready to reach your goals because of factors outside your control (weather, people, breakdowns, etc.). Knowing when to bail is more important than proving you're fit enough or than reaching the summit. Don’t risk your life and others’ to prove some extent.

EXERCISE

Now that you simply know what you’re working towards, what do I want to try to assist you to get there? Here are some exercises to assist you to get fit tramping without equipment – you'd wish to be ready to do most of those at or around the home. REI also features an impressive specific training schedule here with samples of exercises.

• Warm-up

Before you're doing any exercise, remember to limber up your muscles to avoid injury. This might mean just going for a walk on flat or sloping ground. Or it's going to mean starting your exercises with reduced weight or intensity.

• Ankles

I’ve been noticing after lacing up my tramping boots for the primary time in over 7 weeks and walking up quite 10 meters of incline, that my ankles are weaker than I’d like. They’re also a typical injury for trampers so don’t overlook them.

• Legs

Your legs are getting to be what takes you from Point A to Point B. they have to be a key focus of your training. The sole because of getting fit tramping is honestly to travel tramping. Start with small half-day walks and work your high from there. However, there are some cases where it's going to pay to undertake to slightly more training, particularly if you’re getting to be tackling some steep elevation gain.

If your next trip involves 2,000+ steps (looking at you Mueller) or a steep climb (*cough* French Ridge) with a pack then it pays to extend the strength in your legs. Squats, lunges and stair climbs (especially the jumping kinds) are my sworn enemies, but they're bread and butter for building strength in your legs. Adding a weighted pack to the mixture will simulate real tramping conditions. This might additionally further increase your strength and balance.

If you’re stuck for time, find an area hill, and challenge yourself to steer up it at speed with a heavier pack than you’ll wear the trip (obvious build-up to this). This might need you ever feel like you’re flying when you’re next call at the particular hills.

If you've known weaknesses, now is the time to figure specifically on these so that they won’t slow you down on your trips. For Penzy, it’s her glutes, although quads are equally important, particularly for shielding your knees. For me, it’s an old knee injury that may get stiff post-adventures.

Be careful of your joints, particularly your knees, when you’re completing these exercises. Be especially cautious when adding quite just weight or doing the jumping versions. If you’re having difficulty, don’t dip as low, or use extra supports quite wall sit. If you experience any pain, see a registered professional quite physiotherapist to assist guide you.

• Hips

I often get achy hip muscles after a tramp, especially when rising steep terrain with a pack sitting on them. There is often a selection of reasons for this (including inferiority or ill-fitting boots and pack). Sometimes after a couple of trips your body adjust, but how you'll prevent this is often by strengthening your glutes and core, also as your hip flexors. Backpacker.com has some awesome exercises here that you simply can work on before heading out.

• Core

Your core helps provide your stability and strength when it involves tramping. Bicycles, leg dips, and planks are key exercises here. You’ll find modified versions of those online to combine things up and keep your exercise interesting. This is often probably the foremost important area to think about, after your legs.

• Upper body

Working on your arms and shoulders are often useful when you’re getting to be taking an important gain / off, using your arms to climb up steep slopes, or using hiking poles. There are some weight exercises that you simply can easily do reception, like push-ups. I find my elbows get rather sore doing these, so I tend to refill 2L water bottles with water and use them as make-shift weights instead.

• Balance

Balance is important when it involves tramping. Running or walking on rough terrain will help, but you'll also work on this with specific exercises reception if it’s something you struggle with. Stand on one leg in conjunction alongside your eyes closed for a flash or more at a time. Once this gets easier, start doing leg swings in conjunction alongside your other leg (start with eyes open for this one) and standing on slightly uneven terrain. Remember to alternate your legs.

• Cardio

Strength alone won’t get you up those hills without puffing slightly a touch just like the massive Bad Wolf. Performing some quite cardio will help your aerobic fitness. This might be whatever you prefer; running, briskly walking up hills, stair climbs, swimming, biking, dancing, gym classes, etc. Whatever works for you and your lifestyle? I like swimming because it helps my breath control, also as toning my muscles. But that’s just a private preference – pick what works for you and blend it up if you’re becoming bored.

• Stretch and rest

Remember to stretch after exercise and provides yourself adequate rest. Hear your body. If it’s feeling not so great at some point, take it easy and inspect again the subsequent day. If something doesn’t feel right or is causing pain or strain, stop, and reassess. You’ll need to hunt guidance from a registered professional to assist with any underlying issues that you’re experiencing.

ACCOUNTABILITY AND MOTIVATION

It’s impossible to remain motivated 100% of the time (if you disagree, please let me in on your secret). the sole way I’ve found is to a) have goals to figure towards, quite a specific tramp or adventure, b) have someone to carry you accountable, and c) mix it up.

Penzy’s training for GODZone helped her try an entire quite different sports as training. She says that once you modify it up, training stays interesting and it’s easy to stay motivated. Changing exercises also reduce the danger of injury to any particular muscle group (although you'll discover weaknesses you didn’t know you had).

Another top tip from Penzy that I wholeheartedly accept as true with, is that the sole training for tramping is: tramping. Regardless of how well you’ve been training, you’ll always find the primary trip after slightly of a brief day off are becoming to be an adjustment. So don’t be too hard on yourself if the primary day isn’t quite as easy as you’d hoped.

TRAINING TIPS

Wear the gear that you’ll be wearing on your tramp. Meaning boots, socks, the pack, everything. These all add weight and alter how your body moves. This is often also an opportunity to work out any potential gear failings before the particular trip. Do your shorts chaff? Does that boot and sock combination provide you with blisters?

Make sure your gear fits well. If it’s causing pain or strain, go and acquire it re-fitted. You don’t want it to be causing issues when you’re out enjoying your tramp.

If you’re getting to be hiking with a pack – train with weight on your back a minimum of quite the time. It makes an enormous difference.

Sometimes you'll desire you’ve put the all add like you’re fit enough, but that you simply still aren’t having a powerful time when tramping. Try subsequent trouble-shooters:

• confirm you're giving your body adequate nutrition and hydration during and after exercise – this is often the foremost important beginner mistake.

• If you aren’t taking any rests, try taking a 5-minute rest every hour to wish a seat down, rest your muscles, and re-hydrate and eat.

• Stretch out after you reach the hut or the carpark before you sit down and your muscles cool.

• Consider your mental fitness and resilience (more thereon if you retain reading). Determination and thus the will to succeed plays a huge role in tramping.

How do I STAY fit tramping?

The trick to staying tramping fit is to … keep tramping. It’s that easy.

For many people however which may not be feasible all of the time, especially over winter. Or motivation might start to wish successful and suddenly you haven’t gone on a tramp in 4+ weeks. What then?

The trick I’ve found to staying tramping fit is to hunt out some quite exercise that you simply enjoy doing. On behalf of me, that’s swimming, orienteering/rogaining, and certain group exercise classes. If you enjoy doing something, it’s less of an attempt and you’re more likely to continue exercising. Other examples are:

• Running, particularly trail running or stair running

• Walking over rough terrain

• Cycling

• Gym work: stair climber, elliptical, etc.

• Dancing

• Yoga

• And much of others!

You can also make the foremost of incidental exercise – take the steps, park slightly further away, or incorporate your exercise into your daily routine. That way it’s not a chore or an “extra thing” you've to accomplish within your day. it would be as simple as standing on one leg while you sweep your teeth or do your hair, or walking/biking to figure rather than driving.

If lack of motivation is your problem, connecting with other like-minded people can help. Your local tramping club is great for that, as is Meetup, need to Get Out, and various other local groups. Watch some wilderness videos or read some outdoor blogs, keep the stoke levels high!

There also are various challenges that may help boost motivation. Below are some that I love, but there are many others online or on exercise apps that may assist you to stay motivated and supply daily or weekly goals. Let me know if there are any others that you’d like me to list!

• The Himalayan Trust features a summit challenge where you climb the peak of Everest over a month while raising funds for Sir Edmund Hillary’s cause.

• The spastic paralysis Society runs September – where participants walk 10,000 steps each day for September.

• Many fitness apps like Strava or Fitbit have weekly or monthly fitness challenges you'll check-in for.

What about mental fitness?

No matter how physically suit you're, if you don’t build mental resilience then you’ll find tramping diligence. I’m often pleasantly surprised by friends I combat trips who I don’t think are that fit or experienced, but who take it beat their stride with seeming ease. An enormous area of that (I believe) is their mental fitness; their attitude and determination.

Alternatively, I’ve also taken fit friends on tramps who didn’t love the experience and who got really on the brink of bailing out. They lacked the mental fitness, instead of the fitness, to form it to absolutely the best.

Penzy has had many equivalent experiences with this, which we had slightly of an interview around why this might be.

We both think that a huge and area of mental fitness is true right down to people’s expectations. If you enter a visit with unrealistic expectations (e.g. this 1,000m steep climb goes to be a breeze), then you’ll find it tons harder to cope mentally (and physically) than if you were fully prepared. Set realistic expectations and be prepared. Some people like Penzy (and myself) also got to have a solid idea of what proportion more walking we’ve got and thus the way big subsequent climb goes to be. If it’s bigger or longer than expected, we struggle (hence why we both wish to trip plan, so we'll figure this all out before time). People don’t seem as bothered by this; they’re just walking and it doesn’t matter whether we are rising or down or by what proportion.

Another part is true right down to general personality, if you’re the sort of 1 which can slave and ignore some temporary discomfort for amazing gains, then you’ll probably love tramping. I hate walking up hills, but I slightly a bit like the very best result – the views, sense of accomplishment, and thus the way it makes my body feel afterward – so I buy it done, even when I’m not that fit.

So once you desire your legs are on the brink of subsiding. When your lungs are burning and sweat is stinging your eyes. When you’re on the brink of hand over. That’s once you dig deep. And keep going. It takes practice. You’ll still get to take breaks, confirm you've enough food and hydration, and ensure it’s safe to stay happening. But you'll keep going if you'd wish to enough. Besides the discomfort is comparatively temporary and thus the reward should be quite worthwhile once you reach the hut or the gorgeous view!

You can do that. Believe yourself. And erupt (safely).

Let me know if you’ve found this handy, or if you've any tips I should add. Better of luck, be kind to yourself and your body, and go get tramping fit! You’ll do this!

[buggingouttysonytrn269-blog]

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When loading up their survival packs, what types of gear and supplies do you think people focus too much, or inadequate, attention, weight, space, resources, and effort on - and why? The carabiners help keep weight without knots, such as suspending a keep handbag or rappelling from a windows. Plastic bands are useful and frequently used when combining two high-use products together generally, such as a light strapped to a weapon. Pack straps help carry gear externally of your back pack, like a sleeping pad or extra hoodie you find on the way.

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At first glance, to the experienced survivalist, some of the items we’ve chosen for this category may seem excessive or even impractical. But if you check the average person products we recommend, you’ll see they’re all made compact and light-weight with the backpacker at heart. Your clothes selection will obviously depend on where you are, environment and the other factors listed above.

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You should assess your bug out bag every half a year. At this period you’ll want a seasonal collection of clothes that you can swap out when necessary.

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For example, having smoke evacuation masks in California would be a perfect prep for a bugout bag, but add 3-5lbs per person. Per your list, it would be one of the first ever to items to be culled for weight limitations, but that could lead to disaster at 3 am desperate for where it was saved.

” kit, so that as useful supplies if you’re sheltering at home. The whole point of a insect out handbag is that it isALWAYS ready and packed to visit. In a genuine emergency, you might not have enough time to toss those last few items into the bug out handbag that you’ll actually need. So, the short answer to this question would be that the bag should be loaded and ready to go at all times.

you can boil drinking water in. That might be a lifesaver if you only have a known level 1 kit. However, we include everything when proclaiming weights. Don’t double dip, mix equipment with your camping/hiking materials, or take other shortcuts that might stop you from being able to get and go without considering. Area of the whole purpose of a insect out handbag is knowing that it’s ready at all times.

An even 3 BOB would contain all the level 1 and 2 items, plus the known level 3 items, which explains why the summary demands a larger back pack at each more impressive range. So in your situation, if you’ve assembled an even 3 BOB, that’s the first handbag you’d grab. If you experienced time, and you’d set up additional luggage with other stuff (take a look at the article on using a priority-based bag system), you might get one or more of those too. Remember not to spread core needs around multiple hand bags. Every adult bag can stand on its own in case people are separated.

range, the primary factor is less resilience, though many are even convenient than the ILBE. And if you liked the post, and would like your own printable Insect Out Bag List PDF, please be certain a subscription for future updates. We love our subscribers and are sure to make them feel extra special.

In the preparedness community we see a lot of people eager to recommend various products, mostly off-the-shelf, dehydrated, store-bought items. Personally, we recommend a variety of non-perishable foods, some that may require water plus some that don’t. In a real insect out situation, you don’t know how scarce your water source might be. Of everything above, we recommend having at least oneLifestraw or two in your insect out handbag for water filtration.

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The only powered items in a L1 package are a headlamp, radio, and phone. Due to how electric battery chemistry works, you should store equipment with around a 50% charge. Check and top up the billed power level during your regular prep reviews. Work with a rigid canteen to store that water so there’s no risk of breakage in your bag. The right container - a single-wall metal canteen - does duty as a vessel double

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[datingadviceonreddit]

Incoming wall of text from a long-time lurker...Before last fall, I had never been kissed. Never been on a date. Never really even flirted.I’m 26 now, but I’ve been in this relationship for 3 months, so I feel like I have enough space to say that it’s working out (for now).CONTEXT5’11” white guy in NYC, decently fit and average looking, but brought down by poor skin and no fashion sense. I’m probably a solid 4-6/10. I’ve never gotten a compliment on my looks from anyone (under the age of 50), nor have I ever been approached or asked out by a stranger. A few girls had crushes on me in college but I wasn’t attracted to them, and I didn’t have the courage to ask my crushes out. Sound familiar?I finally decided to start using “dating apps” (i.e. introduction apps, because the dating is still offline) in the fall. Here are some key strategies that I learned:USE THE RIGHT APP FOR YOUThese apps differ a ton by style and the genres of people they attract. Don’t just dismiss the entire system because you don’t like one particular app. Annoyed by the hookup culture of Tinder? Try a more personality-focused app like CMB. Feel held back by your photos? Try an app that highlights writing like Hinge.Personally, I was lucky if I got 1 match a week on “swiping” apps, but I could do 2-4 a day on Hinge (after a couple weeks of liking people and tweaking my profile until it started offering better suggestions).MAKE YOUR PROFILE STAND OUTWhen looking for a partner, I’d rather have 1 person fall head over heels for me and 99 be revolted than have everyone find me mildly acceptable. Display who you are proudly, flex your strengths, be unique (more on this below).SELF-DEPRECATIONSelf-deprecation is okay when it’s focused on something the other person can relate to. In NYC, for instance, you can talk about the horrors of your life on the subway, or the existential dread of city life. BUT — if it’s a self-centered pity party, it won’t make you seem more “real,” just insecure. You can be authentic about your flaws by being proud of them and who you are regardless!“PERSONALITY”People say that your entertainment consumption “is not a personality.” Well, neither are your hobbies, your favorite quote, a silly joke, your daily routine, or anything else you list in your bio. It’s all about how you write about it, not what you write.So what’s the best way to be unique? (Aside from not stealing lines from Reddit) Two tips:1. BE SPECIFICThis is the easiest way to make yourself more unique, more engaging (and funnier), and fuel deeper topics of conversation. I’ll just go through a few examples of classic “generic Tinder bio” tropes and how they could be upgraded:I love “The Office” (or any popular show): pick a favorite episode, favorite character, or favorite moment, and maybe how it relates to youI love tacos/sushi: what’s your favorite spot? What neighborhood? What’s your go-to order? How much can you eat? What time of day? Can you describe it? What’s the blasphemed version of it?I love travel: describe the last trip you went on, dum dum. Give us a cool story!I love my pet: tell us their name and your favorite thing that they do. How do they greet you when they see you?I love category of entertainment: this is easy, pick an example instead. Enjoying anime, video games, and musical theater is way less interesting than being a huge fan of One Punch Man, Sekiro, and Rent.You may not like Hinge, but take a look at the question prompts that they provide to encourage you to be specific. You can steal your answers and use them on any app.Specificity is also important for messaging. Try to highlight a particular piece of somebody’s bio. Is it blank? You can comment on the pictures in ways that go beyond the person’s looks. That mountain looks cool, where was that taken? How often do you go hiking? Was it as difficult a climb as it looks? (Don’t ask multiple questions at once, you’ll come off like Dash from the Incredibles)2. BE EMOTIONALLY CHARGEDExpressing your emotional reaction or opinion on something reveals your point of view, which is what makes you compelling (it’s also what makes comedians funny). Be bold and make strong choices!Here are just a few options:Annoyances (“I found out my laundromat’s dryers are broken after washing my clothes, so it’s time to wear a casual wetsuit to work”)Favorites (“I could write a multi-volume treatise on LEGO sets”)Outrage (“Reality tv is the death of our culture”)Bonds (“My dog and I will both like you if you feed us”)Mourning (“I’ll need someone to keep me company when Game of Thrones ends”)Disgust (“Oysters are the anus of the ocean”) (“Mmm, delicious...”)Injustice (“Restaurant owners that use non-Heinz ketchup should be beheaded”)ACTUAL DATING AND “THE SPARK”I don’t have enough experience to offer good advice about actual dating, but I will say this: for me, “the spark” was very real. I went on dates with around a dozen different people, and some of them I immediately knew I wasn’t attracted to while others I was, but the conversation was generally equivalent. Usually 2-3 hours over a drink or two, and mutual interest occasionally led to a 2nd or 3rd date, but I was still looking for more matches and comparing/evaluating the women I went out with.I had a date scheduled with one person that I wasn’t super excited about because we had barely exchanged any messages and I had a really good date the night before. But I don’t bail on plans, so I went. Within 15 seconds of meeting her, I knew that she was completely different from everyone else. It was intoxicating, we ordered two rounds of drinks and talked for 5 hours. By the end of the night, I didn’t care about the dates and matches I had been juggling and started cancelling future plans I had previously been organizing.I’m not saying that everyone feels “the spark” or that you have to. I’m aware that many loving long-term relationships begin purely physically, or as platonic friendships, or between cautious daters. What I am saying is that if someone is talking about “the spark,” or if it’s important to them, it’s not necessarily made up bullshit. Maybe there’s a spark for you that you’re just not aware of? Try to look for patterns in the people you’ve had serious crushes on in your life. Or maybe there isn’t, and that’s fine too. via /r/dating_advice

[wherespaulo]

Exploring Lisbon, the Algarve and Andalusia

Nov 18-28, 2017

Portugal and the Andalusia region of Spain had always been on my bucket list, so here I was getting away from the US, over the Thanksgiving period as usual, by splitting my time between two nights in Lisbon, three nights in Seville, and four nights in Albufeira. As well as experiencing the different cultures and architecture, I also wanted to get a feel for whether I might like to live there one day. Although I'm in no rush to leave New York, the job that took me there, along with it's social circle, has now gone, and many of the good friends I'd built up over eleven years have now moved away, so I'd had a loose plan for some scouting trips in different  parts of southern Europe over the next couple of years.

After a winding, steep uphill climb over narrow cobbled streets towards Sao Jorge Castle in the chill morning, the taxi driver from Lisbon airport finally dropped me just outside the old town wall around 6am in the chill darkness, seemingly refusing, in Portuguese, to take me the last few hundred meters to my small hotel, the Solar Do Castelo. As I entered the old town on foot through the arch of Largo do Chao da Feira, the source of my driver's reluctance became clear – all the old buildings on these narrow, winding street corners, were covered in scrapes and grooves from car bumpers. I tried to minimize the clanking of my wheely bag moving over the cobbles at such a god-awful hour as I struggled to locate my accommodation in the darkness of the old town maze – yet when Google Maps finally came to the rescue I felt a pang of guilt, as though I'd cheated somehow; made it too easy by borrowing a high tech solution from the future in this historical location.

A stroll in the dazzling early morning sunshine around Lisbon's main plaza, the Praca do Comercio, where so much of Portugal's political history evolved, including the assassination of Carlos I in 1908, and the military coop of 1974, was a great way to walk off the fuzzy head from my sleepless overnight flight. This was followed by fleeting visits to the impressive cathedral and Santo Antonio Church, where I visited the crypt of St Anthony birth of 1195. I have to say that although I consider myself non-religious, I do have an eye for appealing architecture, and houses of God do seem to have some of the very best – it never ceases to amaze me how the power of religion throughout history lead to so many of these enormous, quality structures, where money seems to have been no object.

I headed back up the hill towards Sao Jorge Castle and strolled around the medieval ramparts. From Lisbon's pinnacle I had a panoramic view of red tiled Romanesque roofs in every direction and as far as the eye could see. Lisbon, along with much of Portugal, had been rebuilt following the major earthquake of 1755, and I tried to imagine the devastation that must have been evident from this elevated position.

Over the following 48 hours I would discover the beauty of traveling by tram in Lisbon – number 28, a traditional 1930's model for the city tour, and then number 15, a modern version going east to Belem to view Jeronimos Monastery, which survived the earthquake as it sits on sand, Belem Tower, the Monument to the Discoveries, and the Tropical  Botanical Garden. I should say that I'm always on the look out for a botanical garden when visiting international cities – the serenity within the urban chaos seems to give me another angle on the place.

My overriding feeling as I left Lisbon behind in my rear view mirror, on my way to the Spanish border and Seville, was of a cosmopolitan city of culture, full of ancient architecture, great restaurants and friendly people with a strange 'Russian sounding' twang, a very different accent to my Brazilian friends – and on top of all that it's very affordable, and has a certain buzz and edge about it that I found very appealing to my creative spirit.

I finally arrived in Seville after a 4.5 hour drive from Lisbon, quickly checked into my accommodation, the Hotel Becquer, and then headed out for dinner. Taberna Colonial looked like a traditional tapas and wine establishment, so I headed in. The place seemed strangely subdued though, and the owner eyed me suspiciously when he heard my accent, seemingly reluctant to serve me – red rags and bulls sprung to mind as I struggled to get an order in. It was only later that I got an inkling of what might have been going on here. It seemed I'd coincidentally arrived in the city center just as thousands of rowdy, and probably slightly inebriated, Liverpool soccer fans had only just left for the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium for an important European Championship game against Sevilla. It seems they had left this owner shell shocked and the sound of my accent probably left him thinking I was a straggler up for some more drunken revelry.

The highlights of Seville for me were the Real Alcazar de Sevilla, or royal palace, the cathedral, the maze of beautiful old cobbled streets lined with laden orange trees and, of course, the world famous flamenco. The absolutely stunning Unesco listed Alcazar in the center of Seville is a magnificent marriage of Christian and Mudejar architecture dating back to the 10th century. As I strolled through its maze of hallowed halls, it was as though I was in a time machine, every room exuding a different period, culture and architectural style, accompanied by their magnificent, ever-present, Islamic-inspired tiling. And as for the gardens – secluded 'rooms' full of blooms and laden orange tree clipped hedges, which could be overlooked from the spectacular Galeria de Grutescos which almost encloses them.

The largest Gothic cathedral in the world (3rd largest cathedral) was constructed of giant blocks of weathered grey/yellow sandstone through the 1400's, on the foundations of the grand mosque from the 1100's, and is located close to the Alcazar. The builders preserved many of the elements of that earlier mosque, including the minaret which was converted into a bell tower known as La Giralda – a brisk hike up the 343ft of elevation via a spiral stone staircase brought me to the top with panoramic views over Seville. After scanning the cavernous space of the central nave, questioning my ability to fully appreciate even a tiny part of this cathedral's grandeur in just a few hours of strolling around, I paused by Christopher Columbus's tomb and felt privileged to stand in the presence of such an eminent fellow explorer – the sheer immenseness, craftsmanship and quality of materials is overpowering and hints at it's iconic importance to the catholic church and Spain all those years ago.

I couldn't leave Seville without experiencing the world famous flamenco, so headed out to an evening show at the Museo Del Baile Flamenco. There was hushed silence in the audience until the suspense was almost imperceptibly broken by the forlorn notes of a lone Spanish guitar emanating from the darkened stage – as the melody slowly built into a crescendo, a female dancer appeared, her beautiful, tight fitting dress, emphasizing her lithe, leggy, athletic body. I became transfixed at the intensity of passion and humor communicated solely by her foot stamps, facial expressions and hand movements, all perfectly attuned to the fast hand clapping and guitar from the sidelines. I was utterly captivated. It was as if she were striving with every ounce of her being to give this intense and complicated story, of love and loss, some kind of tangible shape and meaning. Then a male dancer appeared with moves that told a simpler, more masculine story – of tolling the fields to feed his family, of hard drinking. I was briefly taken back to an earlier stage of my life, to my own flamenco guitar lessons, provided by an accomplished musician who looked the part -- tall, dark and swarve, the word on the street was that he pursued an artists bohemian lifestyle. So it wasn't a complete surprise when I turned up for my scheduled weekly lesson only to find his house completely empty and vacant – he'd clearly done a runner after someones husband, or wife, had discovered his finagling. Well, that was the end of my woefully unlikely flamenco career and, as far as I know, my teacher.

I decided to drive back to Portugal and it's southern Algarve region via a slight detour through Ronda, to see the impressive bridge, Puente Nuevo, built in the 1700's to span the 400 ft chasm located in the middle of this small city. As I took in the breathtaking panorama from the bridge, I felt an urge to experience the spectacle at closer quarters so that I could truly appreciate the magnificence of this engineering feat. But my attempt to hike into the bottom of the chasm was thwarted when the footpath seemingly fizzled out half way down – I'm sure if I'd had more time to explore I would have found a route. But Portugal beckoned, so maybe next time.

When I finally arrived in the southern Algarve, I made a quick visit to the beautiful old town of Tavira before carrying on to pick up my 26 year old son, Alex, from Faro airport, and we then headed on to our hotel, the Aqua Pedra dos Bicos in Albufeira. He'd taken a 2.5 hour flight down from London for a long weekend. Straight away we couldn't help noticing the preponderance of retired boozy Brits in soccer shirts, and sports bars. I was definitely not feeling it for this place -- Albufeira would NOT be a potential place for me to live! Other parts of the Algarve that we drove to felt much more cultural. A drive west along small coastal roads took us to the pretty town of Lagos and then onto the defensive fort near Sagres at the very south west tip of Portugal – as we strolled around the fort perimeter, a little black redstart, dark with it's flicking rust red tail, flitted here and there amongst the cliff side rocks, and reminded me that it's these little sprinklings of magic that elevates an experience from just mediocre to something special and remembered. As the fisherman lined the cliffs edge all around this promontory, I half hoped to see someone catch a largish specimen as I was curious to observe how they could possibly haul it up the 100's of feet of sheer cliff face. 

Another drive, inland this time, took us to Silves, with it's beautiful red sandstone castle, and then onto Monchique with it's medieval, derelict convent which was overrun by a local farmer and his chickens.

As we started our drive back to Faro Airport from Monchique we started laughing so hard at the most bizarre spectacle – it was a muster of storks. I should say here that my sense of humor, along with my sense of the bizarre, is perfectly aligned with that of both my sons. Within a half mile stretch of road there must have been fifty families of these strange, prehistoric looking creatures perched on their large, ragged nests, occupying the pinnacle of every single telegraph pole and tree in sight. And strangely enough, just after we'd left the storks behind, and just as it was turning dark, a gigantic domestic pig nonchalantly strolled in front of our path, briefly reminding me of that bizarre scene from the Lobster movie when the two-humped camel wanders through the woodland in the background. I managed to swerve around it just in time, the pig non-the wiser for it's lucky escape, and luckily for us, and the pig, nothing coming the other way on this narrow road. This had been a strange drive indeed, and a feeling of anxiety slowly started to descend on me as the thought that we'd almost wrote off a pig, a car, and possibly ourselves, started to sink in – what if we'd been at that point in the road two seconds earlier?

After dropping Alex off at Faro airport for his return flight to London, I headed back to my hotel in Albufeira for one final night, then drove back to Lisbon airport the following morning for my flight back to New York. As my plane taxied on the runway, I decided Lisbon and Seville were definitely contenders as places to live, and that the wider Andalusia region certainly deserved more scouting out, maybe around Granada and Cardoba, but parts of the Algarve were probably not for me; I'm not really looking to find a bit of England in a foreign land.