#these books do live rent free in my brain even though objectively they are kind of bananas and the writing is a bit purple prosey

[fingertipsmp3]

No because insane yet subtle foreshadowing super early on in a book makes me scream. Noah Czerny’s “I’ve been dead for seven years” and then he actually had been. “Lazlo could no sooner change the colour of his skin than ask a pretty girl out” and then he fucking does both of those things and you don’t even expect it or suspect the significance because it seems like such a throwaway line

[urmomsstuntdouble]

congrats on 100! is it possible for you to write some headcanons for china?

of course! and ty! also, quick shoutout to @mysticalmusicwhispers for some of the inspiration for this :)

He is a firm believer in the concept of chaotic time (i will be discussing various interpretations of time as they are described in The Fourth Turning by Neil Howe and William Strauss, as their books about American generations live rent free in my brain), which is defined as “history having no path. Events follow one another randomly, and any effort to impute meaning to their whirligig succession is hopeless.” It’s sort of the original way that people percieved time, and this interpretation of time can be found in a lot of indigenous cultures, as well as in popular nihilism. I think part of why Yao thinks this is because of all the changes in political leadership he’s had throughout his life, which prevent him from being able to apply an overall narrative to the universe. This can make some things like diplomacy a little difficult for him, as many of the other world powers are proponents of linear time- The idea of “time as a unique (and usually progressing) story with an absolute beginning and an absolute end.” 

That’s not to say that Yao is terrible at diplomacy- He’s actually very good at it, and can talk people into buying just about anything from him. 

He has an entire house that’s just filled with his old stuff. Clothes, pottery, paintings, manuscripts, trinkets, et cetera. It’s not very organized, though, and some things can never be moved because if somebody were to touch them, the objects might get damaged. 

His weapon of choice is a gùn staff, when it comes to gun-less fighting. I think he likes to bop people on the head with it when they’re being annoying. 

This is sort of based on some ancient chinese military history that i don’t fully recall so I’m not sure what to type into google but. very deadly with the gùn. 

On that note, he’s very well practiced in both Northern and Southern style Shaolin kung fu, but you probably wouldn’t know that unless you’d been around him for a while. He gives me massive “old person doing tai chi in the park” vibes. Where kung fu is concerned, I think his favorite animal thingy would be the crane? I feel like he’d really like a lot of crane forms even though he’s a bit short for it. (also im very sorry if im getting this wrong or talking about it in the wrong way! i pracitce shaolin kung fu, although i haven’t been able to really engage with it during the pandemic, so my memory might not be 10/10)

His spice tolerance?? through the roof. The things this man eats could kill a human

To me, Yao feels like one of the most human characters in hetalia, because he’s the oldest. Part of this is just because he’s the oldest, so he’s been through the most stuff- While other prominent characters are depicted as being kind of messy young adults who haven’t figured everything out yet, Yao has a calmness about him due to his age. Don’t get me wrong he’s still a bit messy, but he’s messy by choice?? like. from @peonycats latest china drawing. that was voluntary. But at the same time, I think he could fit the wise old mentor trope if he had the patience to be a mentor. He’s lived through so much that he has experience with pretty much everything one could encounter. This is also a double edged sword, because it can make him a bit impatient, especially with things he feels he’s already seen and done before. Sometimes he’s just over it, ya know? (side note i feel like that’s smth he’d be able to bond with India over- being done with all these modern kids who want to do stuff that he’s just endlessly bored by.)

He has a love-hate relationship with C-dramas. On the one hand, they’re interesting stories and imbue nostalgia. On the other hand, they can be super historically inaccurate at times- One complaint I’ve heard is that the hairstyles are often inaccurate for the sake of making the actors look really pretty. 

short king

His government is often wary and not trusting of him, because they see him as being a sort of relic from previous times. Like a potential threat to their sovereignty? idk, just. mutual distrust. 

idk where this came from but I’ve seen the hc that one time the italy brothers were like yo you knew our grandpa right? we just wanna talk- and then china goes yah we used to fuck and i think that’s so funny

He nibbles at his food, eating sort of like a bird, and does the same with water. 

Despite being kind of thin himself, will absolutely pester the shit out of his kids (even if theyre on bad terms) for not eating enough. in the same breath he’ll also berate them for eating unhealthily, and take huge offense if they won’t eat his food. like even if they’re just not hungry that time yao will develop a grudge and he’ll make sure you remember that you didn’t want to eat his food that one time. how rude of you >:(

i probably have more thoughts but theyre either too jumbled/not well worded in my brain or not present at the moment. i hope you enjoyed these!

writing requests

[risingfire17-the-weeb-trash]

Buds of Beginnings-Original Story

“Ugh, isn’t that your own fault?” he drawled into the phone, his voice a mixture of boredom and exasperation. Kyle Brennan had just finished his opening shift at the grocery store, and had a mere half hour of freedom before starting his shift on campus as a repairman. He couldn’t stand university students, who flew into panic at the tiniest sink leaks, before fishing out their parents’ credit cards so he could save them from “that awful dripping sound” interfering with their studies. Sometimes he wanted to ask them if reading Plato put food in their bellies, as it had clearly fixed their sinks. But full-time campus jobs came with a good salary and even health insurance, which was a huge score for a high school dropout like Kyle. Besides, he actually liked the work itself, working with his hands, where things made sense, and he could make things happen. At any rate, his day was long, and he certainly didn’t want to spend his precious break time listening to his mother rant drunkenly about the latest loser boyfriend to leave without paying his share of rent for her decrepit trailer.

“That’s cold! All I did was refuse to take his shit! There are some things a self-respecting lady just can’t put up with!”

Kyle sighed, remembering the call from the trailer park manager last week, something about his mother drunk and naked in front of her trailer, throwing beer bottles at some piss-smelling tweaker and cursing him as he left. As usual, a promise of free repairs had staved off a call to the police.

“Besides, I never had to worry about rent before you moved out, so isn’t it your fault?!” Another sigh. This again, huh? “Hey, why don’t you move back in? It’s cheaper than whatever yuppie apartment you live in, maybe you could cut back on work and actually live a little!”

“Mom, you already know my answer to that. Don’t start.” A slight edge was creeping into his voice. He shuddered at the thought of ever again living in the trailer-turned-brothel-turned-traphouse he had grown up in.

“See?! It’s all your fault! I never should have had you! You know, I-“ And with that, he hung up and set his phone to Do Not Disturb. He had long ago stopped getting angry when she did that, and now he could enjoy the rest of his walk to campus with Metallica coursing uninterrupted through his ears, drowning out any fatigue or annoyance that life could throw his way.

He had almost finished engulfing himself in his monstrous headphones when he saw her just ahead of him. She must have turned onto this street at the last intersection while I was on the phone. She’s probably going to campus too. I’ll just stay behind her so I don’t have to talk to her. Michaela Sommers. Student. He only knew her because she was a part-timer at the grocery store. Like all students, she annoyed him. She came with the extra annoyance of being oddly unconcerned with others. Once, they had taken lunch at the same time, and she had been alone in the break room when he had walked in. She had looked up from her book to greet him and as how he was doing, and her smile had seemed genuine enough, but as soon as they had finished exchanging niceties, her face was back in her book. Maybe she’s shy, he had thought. But she had just sat there with her book, smile on her face, happily absorbed in her own world as she abandoned real-life responsibility. She even giggled at her book! Like they had some secret too good for the actual person in front of them! Maybe they were even laughing at him! How rude, in a public place! Doesn’t she understand how uncomfortable she makes people? He had finished his lunch out back with a cigarette, even though he was trying to quit.

That was just Michaela. Every free moment of hers was spent in her own world with some bliss she refused to share with anyone else. She always turned down party invitations from coworkers. Given her chubby cheeks and puny frame, she was probably too young to drink; he honestly would have taken her for a teen if he didn’t know she was a university student. But he was only 20, and got on just fine! It wasn’t like people were terribly opposed to buying for minors around here! No, she didn’t turn down invitations because she was young, she did it because she was a stuck up prude who probably got off on some dead philosopher rather than making actual friends. Well, let her!

At least she worked hard and never called out, which was honestly more than Kyle had expected from her. Most students worked part-time just so they could post selfies in uniform on Instagram with “#worklife,” but called out if they were ever scheduled for nights, weekends, or more than five hours per week. Who would take a job seriously with Mommy and Daddy paying all their bills? Michaela would, it seemed. Good. One less thing to worry about.

And here she was. Despite the baby-pink scarf and matching fingerless gloves, the black oversized sweater, and the faded denim blue backpack stuffed to full capacity, (no doubt with more damn books) her beige work pants and black non-slip boots gave her away. Furthermore, her black hair was pulled out of her face into a sporty ponytail. She must have work after class today. She seemed like that practical type of girl who would wear her uniform to school so she needn’t carry it (probably because there was no room in that book-crammed backpack).

But, for once, she wasn’t reading. Now, she strolled down the block, constantly looking up to stare at the trees lining the street. Trees, of all things?! Just WHAT is this girl’s deal? Although, following her gaze, Kyle realized for the first time that the trees had pink leaves, same as the girl’s scarf and gloves, rather than the green he assumed all leaves were. He also thought how odd they looked, blooming on such a cold, gray February day. But the sight was not entirely unwelcome. Maybe such a dreary day needed some pink leaves. Kyle found just the slightest hint of a wry smile sneaking onto his face. Is this the kind of world she sees? So far, it didn’t seem so bad. He couldn’t imagine having the time to notice such a world, though.

He draped his giant headphones atop his shoulders and continued to watch her as they made their way down the street. Someone’s got to watch where that dumb kid is going, because she sure isn’t! He didn’t understand how she could be so careless. He didn’t understand how any of these kids could be so careless. He had never been able to be careless. He had worked since he was about 10 to keep himself and his mother in that shitty trailer. He had always been careful not to waste time, money, or food, because his mother would do that for him, and he would have to fix that before rent came due. Now he was careful to ensure he would never again have to live that way. He was too used to his own studio apartment, tiny but his own, his music collection, and the occasional carefree night at a concert or party. Unlike Michaela and the other college kids with trust funds and whatnot, Kyle was always one mistake from losing everything he had worked for, and he took this reality seriously. He, for one, always watched where he was going.

He was a few feet behind her when she walked through a tunnel of construction scaffolding affixed to the shop next to her. Apparently, she hadn’t noticed the “Workers Above-Watch For Falling Objects” sign, because her eyes were still on the trees across the street. Damn kid. As he entered the makeshift tunnel, he lazily looked up, just in time to see a worker knock over a wrench that had been left carelessly behind him. The wrench began to plummet.

Straight. For. Michaela’s. Skull. And still she smiled, blissfully unaware of the tool coming for her. Blissfully unaware that even a small metal tool from that height could crush her skull, tear into the brain beneath it, even take her life. So blissfully unaware that this could be her last peaceful moment…

Kyle didn’t realize he had lunged for her until after her tiny body was wrapped in his arms, her hazel eyes turned up to him, open wide in astonishment. The wrench clattered harmlessly to the ground right behind them. The worker who had knocked it over was screaming “my God, are you kids, okay?” But Kyle didn’t register this yet, nor did he register anything that had just happened. The first thing he noticed was Michaela’s heartbeat pounding against his chest, so intense it might even be her heart, and not his own, sending his blood rushing through his ears in a torrent. He realized he was still holding her, and put her down, his face growing hot.

She seemed to recover quickly. She glanced at the fallen wrench and gently patted the spot on her head where it would have landed. She looked back up at Kyle with a warm smile and a soft chuckle.

“Well that could have ended badly. I’m glad you put a stop to that!” and then, a little softer: “Thanks, Kyle. Really.”

He wasn’t sure why her nonchalant acceptance of what had just happened made him uneasy, only that it did, so he started on her. “Christ, Michaela, can’t you watch where you’re going?! You kids are all so damn careless! It’s a miracle you even made it to 18 like that!” She had been handing the wrench back to a construction worker while Kyle scolded her, but as he finished, she turned and fixed him with a stare, cocking her head slightly, before chuckling and continuing on her way. With nothing else to do, he caught up and fell into step beside her. She was still glancing at trees! Damn kid!

Anyway, what’s so interesting about trees?” At that, she paused to look at him. He felt like her gaze was taking him all in, absorbing his existence into her strange world, and it made his face grow hot again. When he averted his eyes, she answered his question with one of her own:

“Don’t you think such a dreary winter day could use pink petals like those to brighten it?” Kyle froze. Did this girl read my mind earlier? Just what kind of scary powers has she got?

“…I guess.”

“Do you know what kind of trees those are?”

“…not really…I never thought about that kind of thing.” Does she study trees in school or something? Was she doing her homework while walking? Why else would she care?

“They’re cherry blossom trees, native to Japan. In springtime, they bloom en masse and shed their flowers immediately, so the entire air is dancing with pink flowers. Even though Japan starts their new year on January 1st like we do, their school and fiscal years start in April, around blooming time. It’s said that when the cherry blossoms fill the air, any new beginning is possible. Isn’t that sweet?”

“That’s…kinda cool, I guess.” He now remembered cleaning the streets after the spring festival a few years ago. He had felt like he and his broom were drowning in a sea of those pink flowers. But when he was no longer the one cleaning it, he had to admit it had been a refreshing sight. Is this the kind of world she sees all the time? He wondered where a student with a job found the time to notice this world. Especially one who actually showed up top work. Come to think of it, he saw her at work quite frequently. Could she possibly be full-time, on top of her schooling? That would make the time she spent in her hidden world even more miraculous. Even the yuppie kids without jobs didn’t seem to have that kind of time, between exams, books, staring at their phones, parties, and whatnot.

“But hey, here we are, in February, still shrouded in cold and gray. No one tells the trees that Spring is almost here, that they just need to hold on a bit longer and then they can share their blossoms in warmth and safety. But still they bud; they work hard because they know their time of suffering is almost over. How do they know?”

Kyle couldn’t even begin to answer that. He wasn’t sure he even understood what she had said. It sounded like nonsense, like the ravings of a mad little girl who had forsaken reality. But, strangely enough, he found himself asking if her nonsense world was such a bad place, or if it was even truly nonsense at all.

He didn’t notice that he was staring at those beautiful cherry blossoms, or that he had slowed his voice, until he heard her voice again, softer as it gained distance: “Do you think nature speaks a language that we could understand if only we actually listened? Do you think maybe we would even be happier?” Once again, he had no idea how to answer, but he had a feeling she did, and he found himself wanting to hear. Before he could ask, though, she changed the subject:

“By the way, what makes you think I’m 18?” Kyle wasn’t expecting that, but he supposed if the girl could go on tangents about trees and hidden languages, he better be ready for anything. He shrugged.

“Well, you attend university, so obviously you’re at least 18. No offense, but I doubt you’re any older than that.” He quickly eyed her up and down to indicate how young she looked. Was she about to tell him she was really 30 in some immortally youthful body or something?

She just chuckled again. “I’ll be 17 next month. My home life wasn’t great, so I graduated early and became legally emancipated last year. I chose this school because it was the furthest I could go from home without paying out-of-state tuition. I came here for a new beginning. I worked hard for it, and I still do. I don’t resent it any more than the cherry trees resent Winter, because I always know Spring is on its way.” She finished with a flippant smile.

It was Kyle’s turn to stare and take her in. Michaela Sommers. 16 years old. Alone in a new city. A child living as an adult. Tiny, so, so tiny. But that tiny girl fought for her future, making it happen with her own two hands and willpower. Yet, still she could be gentle; still she could giggle, despite the looks she got, at things she couldn’t possibly share, because who would understand? Still she could notice things like cherry blossom buds in February, and the hard work the trees put into those buds. She was a tough girl, tough, but not hard, unlike weary, hardened Kyle. And he couldn’t help but think that was simply amazing.

Of course, he couldn’t tell her any of that. Who would say something that awkward? She would, probably, but…oh, hell, I can’t do this! I need to get out of here, damn it! His face was burning and his legs felt like rubber for some god awful reason. He had to get out while they would still move! He picked up his pace and left her behind him, muttering that he had to get to work. Damn it, Kyle, don’t be a dick! He turned around, feeling feverish at this point, unsure of what to say, settling on “it…was nice talking to you, Michaela. Really.” Then he turned and practically fled the scene, speeding off to the repairs waiting for him. At least those made sense!

[acekatherineplumber]

Questions! Yay questions!

1: 6 of the songs you listen to most? Out Tonight (RENT), Tightrope (The Greatest Showman), Candy Store (Heathers), Delicate (Taylor Swift), Gorgeous (Taylor Swift), So Much Better (Legally Blonde)

2: If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be? Taylor Swift. It would be so nice.

3: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17. You will have to pay for excess baggage.

4: What do you think about most? How much cleaning I constantly have to do

5: What does your latest text message from someone else say? “I once again work until [private information], but I hope you have a great day”

6: Do you sleep with or without clothes on? It depends. 

7: What’s your strangest talent? I’m doubled jointed in three places

8: Girls… (finish the sentence); Boys… (finish the sentence)Girls are wonderful. Boys can choke.

9: Ever had a poem or song written about you? No.

10: When is the last time you played the air guitar? No idea.

11: Do you have any strange phobias? I’m afraid of stairs

12: Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose? When I was like 5. It was a bead.

13: What’s your religion? Atheist

14: If you are outside, what are you most likely doing? Taking a walk

15: Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it? Behind it

16: Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band? I like solo artists more

17: What was the last lie you told? I don’t remember

18: Do you believe in karma? Kind of? I believe that the way you treat people affects how they treat you.

19: What does your URL mean? Katherine Plumber is ace. Fite me.

20: What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength? Perfectionism, passion

21: Who is your celebrity crush? Emma Watson? I just think she’s pretty, but I’m not sure I want to date her because I don’t even know her, and I’m not sure she would like that.

22: Have you ever gone skinny dipping? I have a hot tub, so regularly.

23: How do you vent your anger? I like to vent it through art

24: Do you have a collection of anything? I used to collect state quarters, but nothing current

25: Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online? Phone

26: Are you happy with the person you’ve become? Sometimes yes, sometimes no

27: What’s a sound you hate; sound you love? I hate windshield wipers, I love cats meowing

28: What’s your biggest “what if”? Everything is a what if for me

29: Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens? Yes to both

30: Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm. My earbuds, one of my cats

31: Smell the air. What do you smell? I have a stuffed nose today, so nothing

32: What’s the worst place you have ever been to? Probably my old private school

33: Choose: East Coast or West Coast? East

34: Most attractive singer of your opposite gender? No.

35: To you, what is the meaning of life? Finding and pursuing your own happiness

36: Define Art. Anything that makes you think (except Modern Art, because that is fucking elitist and pretentious and terrible)

37: Do you believe in luck? I believe in making your own through hard work, but sometimes shitty things just happen.

38: What’s the weather like right now? Cloudy, slightly rainy

39: What time is it? 10:07 am

40: Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed? Yes, and unfortunately yes.

41: What was the last book you read? The Count of Monte Cristo

42: Do you like the smell of gasoline? I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it

43: Do you have any nicknames? Yes, but it’s personal

44: What was the last film you saw? The Princess Bride

45: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had? I’ve had a lot of bad sprains. Also a concussion.

46: Have you ever caught a butterfly? Yes

47: Do you have any obsessions right now? Bubble tea. Don’t judge me

48: What’s your sexual orientation? Asexual

49: Ever had a rumour spread about you? I used to be bullied really badly, so yes

50: Do you believe in magic? Yes

51: Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong? Yes.

52: What is your astrological sign? Leo/Virgo

53: Do you save money or spend it? I try to save it

54: What’s the last thing you purchased? A stuffed cat

55: Love or lust? Love

56: In a relationship? Yes

57: How many relationships have you had? Technically 5, but only 2 of them have been really serious

58: Can you touch your nose with your tongue?No

59: Where were you yesterday? At home for most of the day

60: Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you? My cat’s nose

61: Are you wearing socks right now? No

62: What’s your favourite animal? Cat

63: What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you? Honesty and passion

64: Where is your best friend? At her school. She has a summer class. The other one is at work.

65: Give me your top 5 favourite blogs on Tumblr. @hoogwoorts @schmackarys, @keepers-quaffles-and-old-clocks, @berrykikwi, and @purplerainbowsrachel

66: What is your heritage? German, English, Irish. Very white.

67: What were you doing last night at 12AM? Browsing the Internet.

68: What do you think is Satan’s last . It’name? I don’t give out the last names of real people.

69: Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off? Yes. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, and is actually really healthy. It’s good for anxiety.

70: Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend? I hope so.

71: You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do? I call someone else over and head on my way.

72: You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid? I would probably wait until my last two weeks to tell people. I would travel. Yes, I would be afraid.

73: You can only have one of these things; trust or love. I don’t trust people anyway, so love

74: What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it? Love Song by Sara Bareilles

75: What are the last four digits in your cell phone number? Not giving that out.

76: In your opinion, what makes a great relationship? Honesty, kindness, and common interests.

77: How can I win your heart?You can’t! You can have eggs and you can have bacon, but you can’t have Elphie because they are taken!

78: Can insanity bring on more creativity? Yes, but it should still be medicated

79: What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far? Going to London.

80: What size shoes do you wear? 7.5-8

81: What would you want to be written on your tombstone? I don’t know, but I think it should be in French.

82: What is your favourite word? At the moment? Princesa.

83: Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart. The color blue.

84: What is a saying you say a lot? It’s amazing what you find when you clean up.

85: What’s the last song you listened to? Delicate

86: Basic question; what’s your favourite colour/colours? Aqua

87: What is your current desktop picture? Liberty Leading the People

88: If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be? Mike Pence. I hate Trump, but Pence is scary and would be harder to impeach.

89: What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on? Everything that is wrong with my brain.

90: One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do? Run and lock the door.

91: You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power? Invisibility

92: You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again? Probably the latter half of the first act of Les Mis in London.

93: You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be? The thing that caused my PTSD.

94: You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be? I don’t really want to do that. I don’t know of trust them.

95: You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go? Berlin.

96: Do you have any relatives in jail? No

97: Have you ever thrown up in the car?Yes

98: Ever been on a plane? Yes

99: If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say? Something about education rights for all.

[thiseulife]

My big trip of 2017 was an adventure group trip in Andorra. It was incredible!

The above are just a select few of the amazing photos I have from the trip. In the top 3 you'll see photos from day 1, we hiked 14 km and about 700 m - starting at 1700 m and making it to 2400 m at our highest point.

The yellow bushes with mountain background is from our drive to white water rafting in Sort Spain. The mountain lake was from our second day hiking another 14 km and 500 m. And the chair is from our last day biking and adventuring as a group. There is a land Andorra land art exhibition going art and the chair is a part of that.

BUT - I am getting ahead of myself! Let me start from the beginning...

My trip started on Friday after work when I peacefully out on a flight to Toulouse, I wasn't quite ready to depart from my tasks so I spent the trip writing integrated test scrips, but after that luckily I was able to put down my computer and turn off my email for the full week. I landed late in Toulouse and went straight to sleep in my adorable Airbnb after getting the keys and a quick overview from the girl who rented the place out. I woke up on Saturday bright eyed and eager for adventure, of course my first objective was food! I made it to a grocery store and grabbed sun screen (I was quite determined not to come home to Finland with a terrible burn) and I located a market and picked up a wide variety of truly succulent (I honestly cannot think of any more accurate word for this sweet juicy amazing fruit I was eating) fruit and a baguette. Including potentially the best nectarines in the world. I took this picnic with me on my city explorations. I of course enjoyed some lovely meandering around the city... finding cute shops, a few pieces of art, but really mostly the sun shining on me and basking in the grass of the Japanese garden and a small park by the bridge near my apartment. I read, I relaxed, I soaked it all in. It was good to have a day of rest before the go-go-go of adventure starting on Sunday.

On Sunday I made my way back to the airport to catch the group transport to Andorra. For those of you who don't know Andorra... a quick overview: 70,000 residents, 35,000 citizens. You can drive across the whole country in about 2 hours. The official language is Catalan but most people speak Catalan and French and/or Spanish and English. There are some well known ski resorts in the mountain village of Soldeu. It's officially represented in international relationships by both French and Spanish leaders. It's considered a tax haven so customs won't check your passport but you're in trouble if you try to bring more than a few packs of cigarettes, bottles of alcohol, or a trailer full of bikes (why this tour leader no long takes people biking in Spain) across.

ANYWAY. I met the 12 others in our group at the airport and we loaded us and our bags in the group vans to drive the 2 hours from Toulouse to Soldeu where our base hotel was (The Roc St Michael). Once we arrived Nick the manager divided us into our rooms and introduced us to his wife and our guide for the week, Nuria. I'll tell you something, that woman is amazing. She runs races in the mountains! She ran every morning before going walking or biking or rafter with the group! And she helps run the hotel and has 2 daughters. We unloaded into our rooms and regrouped in the hotel bar to get acquainted, enjoy the sun, and wait for dinner prepared by Nick. Our group consisted of a couple and a single guy from Australia, a few single guys and a girl from London, a couple from Scotland, and grandmother and her grandson from Canada, a guy from Germany, a guy from the US. and me. Exhausted from all the travel and driving, everyone went to bed early.

Day 1- as I mentioned above, day 1 was a hike in the mountains surrounding the valley. About 6 hours hiking followed by reading drinks and dinner at the hotel. Also got to know the group a bit more, everyone was so interesting! The grandmother, Leis, is originally Dutch but living in Montreal for a long time. She is a therapist who travels at least 2-3 months of the year, interested in tribal groups and photographs and writes articles for a travel blog. Candice is a production manager for some U.K. Shows and networks including the U.K. Version of pimp my ride, kinda not really but that's the closest. They re-do cars. The couple from Australia was there on extended vacation in conjunction with an education week the woman, Claire, was attending for her side gig and a speed skate referee! For real! These people were fun and cool and I was really happy to be traveling with them for a bit! This evening we also got to enjoy a great thunderstorm. We arrived back just before the heavy rain hit so it was quite relaxing to build a fire in. The bar, read my book, and sip some wine!

Day 2- we switched to the bikes for day two, giving out feet a rest if not our thighs. It wasn't too rough a day to be honest, mostly down hill biking on the switchback mountain roads. We took a small break between route to do a high ropes course as well. That was probably the most disappointing part of the trip (it was advertised as a zip line so I was picturing big exhilarating drop and it wasn't QUITE that). The biking was beautiful and we did get to do a more mountain bike off road track at the end if we wanted to. I certainly did! Again, after the day of adventuring we. Enjoyed a relaxing evening at the bar and then having dinner together back at the hotel.

Day 3- We all piled into a big bus early on Wednesday morning. It was about a 3 hour drive to get to Sort where the rafting company was. Going down in elevation from Andorra we got to enjoy the incredibly warm weather as we stopped for short breaks and to enjoy the views. When we arrived I Sort the packed us into wet suits and then rafts and threw us in the river. I, not knowing what I was getting into, volunteered for a front seat in the raft. It was not more scary... it was more wet. Well, not a problem because It was thrilling to take the waves straight to the face and gripping the foot strap for dear life and going up and down in the rapids! It was a grand time in the water and having splash contests with the other boat, and watching the guide try to shove Candice into the water which totally didn't work after Steve came to help and threw the guide in the water instead! At one point we did hit a rock and Reid and Andreas fell out and we had a deal pulling them back in, I was laughing so hard that I was no help at all. Once down the river we got to enjoy the pool and yard of the rafting company to bask and relax and have a drink and eat our sandwiches. All too soon though we had to get back into the bus and head home for another tasty dinner prepared at the hotel.

Day 4- back to hiking for day 4. The difficulty level of this hike was similar to that of the first hike in general. But when we got up to the top we reached a plateau where we could eat lunch and where, if we wanted we could continue to the ridge line. The path we took was fresh from winter snow and we were the first of the season to walk on it. Truly magical and the view from the top was beyond belief. We had two lakes on that path and we saw the standing man rock formation as well. This evening was the free day for dinner, they wouldn’t be serving at the hotel, so I joined the group going into town to a pizza place.I was able to get one without cheese so it wasn’t so bad. Everyone else went ice-karting but I was feeling like a nice rest and some quiet reading so I went back on the bus ahead of everyone else and had a quiet evening in my room.

Day 5- it was finally (sadly) Friday and our last day of biking and of group activities. We went in to the North valley of Andorra and did some more down hill biking including some of the Tour de France path. At various points we had the opportunity to take off road paths and I did so whenever possible. The best one was along the river in the valley and it was ___ insert non overused descriptor synonym for incredible. magical. unreal. amazing. Here is my very poetic description of this ride:

The entrance to the path is steep, all brain power focused on fingers gripping breaks and looking just to the left or right of rocks and bumps lest they throw me off.

Then the path evens out, the way smooths, and with this it is possible to look up and around. The river is gushing to the left, melt water hurtling without inhibition faster than I could ever think to go. The path is new for the season, still carpeted in grass with trees towering in both sides.

I’m in an emerald corridor and the dandelions, though named as weeds, are like my yellow brick road. I follow them along, down, up, through, and out into a field. In front of me is the sun and the mountain peaks forming their valleys and still wearing their hats of snow. Around me is only green and darker green and gold.

And finally the path ends and the edge of the plateau is reached, I rejoin the asphalt road and the biking crew, and the world is again as it’s always been.

Cool Rach. SO back to it then. Once we were done with the bikes we had a bit of a drive back to the hotel. I found another mountain that I wanted to call mine. Sadly no picture due to the driving... I now have a mountain in Cortina and a mountain in Andorra! About halfway through the drive we stopped to see some of the land art which was cool. We also stopped at an overlook of the valley. This was particularly cool because the next day, on our open activity day, I chose to do a Via Ferrata on the cliff we were standing on, scaling the 500 m cliff face to get to the top where I was standing this day that we drove to! I’ll get to that. This night was not our last night eating at the hotel but as a kind of celebration Nick made us some traditional food from Andorra and they gave us wine to drink out of a funny glass (check out the video later on). After dinner we went into the common area where Nick played the guitar and a friend of his sang songs. It was a very good night.

Day 6- ah, we have already arrived at the last day of adventure, the free day, and the Via Ferrata. This was a highlight of the trip, everyone else got a ride the Naturlandia to ride the luge, I only managed to convince Reid to go climbing with me. We met our guide in town and drove with him to the cliff where we would climb. There are a few available route to choose from and we debated between beginner and intermediate. I was quite intimidated by the label intermediate but we chose it any way (and thank goodness we did I think the beginner would have been FAR too easy). Via Ferrata is like rock climbing for dummies. You clip onto a line on the cliff with 2 carabiners and make your way along a pre-determined route with big iron staples. It includes a lot of the thrill of rock climbing without the mind numbing terror that you might have grabbed the wrong hand hold and will shortly slip to your doom. I mean rock climbing isn’t really THAT scary... but even so with lead climbing outside it definitely has a higher fear element than the via ferrata did. Our guide took some bad ass pictures with his go-pro and sent them to us. It took us about 1 hour to get to the top and he said we climbed pretty quick. We climbed down and then I joined up with a path 7 km that took me back from Canillo to Soldeu. It was lovely to walk alone and take in the scenery and reflect on the week. Once everyone returned to the hotel we traded stories and had one last dinner.

The next day we went back to the airport and went our separate ways either home or on to the next destination.