#walking past a closed chruch

[non-present-inactive]

I think I can say that I'm scared to live. I'm fearful of what I have gone through and what I may go through in the future. I am making a decision so aggressively out of my comfort zone. My whole body feels laced and lathered with fear. I am angry because I want to succeed. I want security, and I want to feel protected and at peace with my life. I feel scared because, along with this decision, I face limitations, bias, and prejudice, and I may have to constantly prove myself to those around me. I will have to reconstruct myself in such a way that I become unrecognizable to how I am now. In a way, that's a good thing. The person I want to become will be at my reach instead of something I dream about. I'm scared because the journey is isolating. I will have to advocate for myself more than I'm comfortable with, and as I take this step, I feel more empathy with my own relatives. I always understood their struggles and their resilience to overcoming their hardships, but now that I have to start. Take that leap towards something this unfamiliar, something so foreign with the possibility that every turn could be a blessing or threat; my heart , my soul, and my being are filled with admiration and anguish. What I face is nothing compared to them but my family, the kindest, strongest , smartest and most hard working people I know, must've dealt with so much against them, alone in a place meant to have them fail at every turn. A big part of me wants to scream,cry, and run for the hills out of fear. As I write this, I choke back the tears, blinding my vision, dropping on the keys , and making typing, slippery, and difficult. I'm so afraid, my body shivers. I feel as my skin prickles, goosebumps ever present, and my nerves spiking at the thought of having to take this step. I try to imagine the result, but it's so vague and so far from here that I can't conjure any vision of how the future will look like . And I tell you in my current situation, I face a nag next to my ear , a threat in the form of authority. I want to burn this bridge to the extent that even the thought of me plagues fear in their hearts. I want them to regret ever making me feel this way, and really, I hope that whatever they think or feel about me is overpowered by my success. I haven't taken that first step yet, but that date is coming soon, and as each second tics, I feel fear, but most of all, I feel excitement. After all, I'm pursuing the one thing they want me to believe is impossible to reach. The thought of having the possibility of proving these people wrong and, most importantly, proving to myself that I can surpass feels bad, to be honest it feels awful because it's a mixture of emotions I'm feeling at the moment. I feel neutral and kind of tired as crying takes a lot out of me. I hope and desire my future self to read this entry and may laugh at how silly my current fears are. That I get that feeling of reassurance that maybe this all will be worth it.

[my-fanfic-library]

Something Different {BBC Dracula x Reader}

Masterlist

~^*^~

The fog that had settled overnight was nothing short of opaque. Thick and with an amber tinge, it seemed to cast a curtain between the north cliffs and the harbour, and, the North Sea, of course. However, a little fog wasn’t going to get in the way of any business or any vendor today as people still busted about the small seaside town, getting on with life.

Your feet carried you over the swing bridge and down to Bridge Street, where shops began to open by pulling up their shutters and the owners looking out expectantly as the small clusters of customers waiting to come in. Instead of following the road round to find yourself on the other side of the mouth of the River Esk, you abruptly turned left up to Church Street, where the cobbled road made walking just that little less easier. The boutiques here were also opening up, doors unlocking and shutters ascending to be concealed by the concrete above the windows.

Although the fog that had seemingly come from nowhere overnight, the humid summer air still clung to the streets and made a sheen of sweat grow on your skin. The walk from the viaduct, all the way down the cinder track and even this far was quite a trek when it got warm. 8am, a foggy day and you were still panting from the heat? Something wasn’t right.

But then again, you had read in the news this morning that a strange man had been surrounded by police on the sea front, not too far from the cliffs that hosted Whitby Abbey in the early hours of the morning. And that was the cause for your journey so early. Clutching your bag closer to your chest, you made your way past the countless Whitby Jet distributors and found yourself at the top of Church Street, eyeing the 199 steps.

“Quite a lot of exercise for first thing in the morning, no?”

You snapped your head left, eyes connecting with the blue orbs belonging to Dr. Zoe Van Helsing. Her eyes smiled at you, along with her lips that pulled up mischievously. She had caught you off-guard and she knew it. Replying to her question with a hint of sarcasm, you both began to climb the stairs. About halfway up, when the seagulls had no issue with swooping far too close to your head, you decided to pipe up and inquire about the gentleman you had been called to visit.

“Ah, you mean the Count? Yes, he is definitely a piece of work. We have a whole test group of people to come in close contact with him, however, we’d still like for you to have a chat with him, given your expertise in the area.” She turned her head to look at you expectantly.

“Well, it sounds like it’ll be a challenge. But you know me, I love a challenge.” You smirked back at her.

“We’ll see.”

When you both made it to the top of the steps, you stood to take in a deep breath of air and look back out towards Whitby. The fog was moving inland and it was getting difficult to see even the band stand, which stood overlooking the harbour on the opposite side of the mouth of the river from where you stood. There was a faint noise coming from the amusements and the sound of people slowly filling up the streets. But it was all drowned out by the roar of the North Sea, the howls of the summer winds and screeches of seagulls.

You turned once more, facing towards and beyond St Mary’s Chruch. Just further up, you could make out the peaks of Whitby Abbey. You were close. No more words were shared between the pair of you as you walked further up. You pushed past the open gates and found yourself facing the visitor centre. You turned right once more and before you, as grand as every, the Jonathan Harker Foundation.

Zoe led you through the winding halls and turns once inside and it seemed she knew the place like the back of her hand. You had only been inside a handful of times, and yet you still hadn’t acquainted yourself at all with the winding halls.

“I must warn you before we go in, so I suggest you take a seat.” Zoe began, leading you into a small room with a desk. She held the door for you as you stepped inside and reluctantly took your seat.

“You say it like it’s a life or death situation.”

“Actually, it is.” As if she had simply stated on the weather, she strode last you and slumped down into the seat opposite.

“You alright?”

“A little tired. Nothing a cup of coffee can’t fix. Now, let me explain to you a little about the gentleman we are... housing. You need to throw all of your understandings of this world out of the window. This isn’t some basic cannibal or murderer we’re dealing with.” With every word, with the seriousness of her tone, you were starting to panic.

“Ok, Zoe, you’re really starting to worry me now.”

“There’s no need to panic. You see, you will be in safe hands and there are precautions put into place to ensure your safety.”

“My safety? What on Earth, Zoe-?”

“Count Dracula, the man you will be speaking to today, is a vampire.” Your mouth dropped at the words. The absudety of it all! A real life vampire?! What nonsense!

“Ok, you’re definitely pulling my leg. There’s-...” you looked at the demeanour of her expression. Her eyes were cold, lips softly turned into a frown. She wasn’t joking.

“Count Dracula is approximately 525 years old. He spent 123 years drawing energy in a box of his own Transylvanian earth at the bottom of the before emerging last night. According to oral accounts, Dracula is the cause of one of my own ancestors deaths, along with several others on the Demeter that brought him here. You will be assessing him - just like you do with all of the other criminals you’ve worked with before. Except he isn’t a criminal. He’s a beast.”

Those last three words rung in your ears continuously as you followed Zoe down the hallway towards the room that held this beast of a man. You did not know what to expect, though the image of an old and shrivelled man concealing superhuman strength came to mind. He was over 500 years old, after all. You had read the case file after Zoe’s briefing with you, and learnt about the real mystery of the Demeter whose ruins lay on the coast line. It had come as a shock to you to learn of such things actually existing, yet you had no time to digest the information as you practically marched behind Zoe. Lining the hallway was an abundance of guards; you took notice of the fact that they were oddly guarded with crosses and stakes. Clearly all of this vampire lore turned out to be true. You wondered if Zoe had figured this out, or if it was the work of her ancestor who was murdered by the man lurking behind you door you stride towards.

“Don’t let him intimidate you. He’s like a dog - can smell fear a mile away. He feeds off of it.” These were Zoe’s last words to you before she pushed the doors open. A large room stood before you, with a glass square in the centre perched on a circular stage rising maybe a foot higher than the rest of the floor. Inside the box, a desk, and standing in the corner, hidden in the shadows, a looming figure. Zoe spoke again, “you may close the skylight. Let him come to us.”

As if her words were spoken by a god, the light that streamed down into the glass container began to dim as load croaks came from the ceiling. Now, he was free to roam his transparent prison. Your eyes locked on his form, watching as he slowly prowled forwards. His nose twitched and pulled his head up. He was taking in a scent.

“Ah, I see you’ve brought me another new appetiser.” His smirk was plastered over his face and you were finally able to take in his features.

He was nothing of your imagination. Nothing close. He was a towering 6’4” with ebony locks styled up and out of his face. Matching thick eyebrows kept watch over darkened eyes and although his face was clearly mature, it was built well and prominent with masculinity. This, paired with the tailored suit he wore (where on Earth he had managed to acquire such clothing, you hadn’t a clue) screamed danger. It screamed warning. He was sophisticated; he was inviting; that meant he was dangerous. His feet carried him towards the glass panel closest to you and he pressed his long, thick hands up against the glass.

“I can smell her from here.” His smirk deepened.

“Pay him no attention, [First], he’s trying to scare you.” Zoe rolled her eyes, leading you closer towards the cell.

“No, just... testing the waters.” His tone was slightly mocking. His voice was deep and somewhat sensual to the ears. It was nice, melodic voice. It was a dangerous voice. Just like the rest of him.

“Well, there’s absolutely no need. Count Dracula, this is my associate, [First].” Zoe stepped aside, allowing him better access too look you up and down. Had he been a normal male, the gaze would have been dubbed rather disgusting, eyeing you up with a sickly grin toying on his charming features. But he was not a normal male and he was gazing at you like a predator eyeing up its prey.

“Very nice to make your acquaintance, [First].” He locked his eyes with yours and you could only stand the building tension for a fraction of a second. But you continued to keep the gaze locked, wanting to prove that you were the stronger of the two of you, “oh, I like her.”

“Good. You’ll be spending a considerable amount of time with her. Now, step back so she can enter - and don’t you dare forget that we can end your pathetic existence in a second if you attempt to harm her.”

“I have been around for over 500 years, Helsing, so don’t be surprised if some things happen to slip my mind.”

“You have no reason to harm her. We have provided you with adequate nutrition.” Zoe stated plainly, leading you closer to the door.

“You humans have no reason to indulge in confections, yet you do. It’s about the satisfaction, is it not?” His eyes bore wicked holes into you. You were much too close to him now, mere meters and a thin sheet of glass separating you from him.

“I am not your confection, Count Dracula.” You narrowed your eyes, “ and believe me, you try to put a single malicious finger on me and it will be the last thing you do.”

“Ooh, feisty. You remind me of someone I once knew. Hopefully your fate will not adhere to a path similar to theirs...” he trailed off and once he realised your presence was about to accompany him, he stepped backwards, keeping his eyes locked on you.

“Do not threaten her.” Zoe warned before turning to you and placing her mouth close to your ear, “he tries anything funny, use your fingers as a makeshift cross. We’ll get you out as soon as we can.” You merely nodded, psyching yourself up for this fateful date with a real life vampire.

The ceiling opened up as the door opened in sync and you stepped over the threshold. Immediately, you were hit with an intoxicating scent of something. Pine, maybe? Or something more earthy. It filled your lungs in a matter of seconds and you took a moment to intake the scent, pleasing to your senses. 

Dracula’s eyes watched you closely as you placed your bag down beside the door as it snapped shut. Now, a triangle of light illumated the centre of the glass cell and Dracula was pinned against one dark corner.

“Come closer.” His velvety smooth voice commanded, long finger beckoning you towards him. You knew that he wouldn’t try anything here. The jeopardy to his life was too great, and so you found yourself being pulled closer towards him. In this proximity to him, you realised just how much he towered above you. His head found itself slowly rolling downwards to stay connected with your eyes and his mouth was turned upwards smugly.

You grew closer still, until all that remained between you was the barrier of light. An oddly symbolic line of goodness and of evil.

“May I?” His eyes trailed down to your hand. You looked at him, eyes narrowing slightly, “my only intention is to be chivalrous, I swear.”

“If I get even a hint of tooth-“

“You have my word that you will not.” His eyes flashed with mischief.

Oh, the way he spoke! The way he smiled! The charm oozed from him, but that was to be expected. He had over five centuries of experience under his belt in the art of charming his victims. Of course he was going to be good at it.

Hesitantly, you lifted your hand and it cut through the veil of darkness. Part of you was intruding on his side now. His cold hand slipped under your own, a tinge of freezing cold electricity running up your arm and down your spine. The smirk that had played on his lips since the very moment you stepped into the room moved towards the back of your hand, and cool lips struck your flesh.

“Compliant, I like it.” He spoke against your hand, “why don’t you come into the shadows?”

You immediately pulled your hand away, taking a large step back into the light as you did so.

“Why don’t you come into the light?” You mimicked.

“Touché.” He turned his head to look at Zoe who was standing close to the door, “where did you find this one ? She’s got a fire to her.”

“Yes, well let’s hope you don’t get burnt.” Zoe countered, ignoring his question.

You looked around the cell, mostly at the large desk in the centre where a chair sat on either side. You looked back at the count who was eyeing you up (again), clearly waiting for your next move. Taking a breath, you pondered on the recklessness of your request the followed.

“Close the skylight.”

“[First], that’s not safe!” Zoe called, alarm bells clearly ringing in her head at the million different scenarios that could play out from that action alone.

“It’s alright,” you eyed Dracula, “he won’t hurt me. He knows his place.” You glared.

“I do, do I?” His right eyebrow cocked.

“Yes. Now to make yourself comfortable. We have quite a discussion.”

When the sound of the skylight closing filled your ears, your heart began to pound. You took steps backwards in the light as it retreated, and like a slow, careful dance, he took steps forwards, like he was commander and the darkness filling the space was his army. This was a battle you were losing.

“You’ve got some nerves, haven’t you?” He lowered his voice, “trusting a vampire so easily.”

“I don’t trust you. I trust them.” You eyed the several guards stationed around the room.

“And who do you think would come out as victorious?”

“Why don’t you tell me? I want to know everything about you, Count Dracula. Now, take a seat.”

You slumped down into one of the two chairs and Dracula took the seat opposite. He sat up with a straightened back, crossing one leg delicately over the other and rested his elbow on the mahogany, and his chin in the palm of his hand.

“I can hear it.” He spoke softly, eyes once again locking with yours. Every time they did so, your heart faltered.

“Hear what?”

“The blood rushing through your veins. It was rather sweet the way it jumped when I kissed your hand. Tell me, [First], why are you putting up such a front? I can read you like an open book. You’re nervous, you’re afraid.”

“I told you. I’m not afraid. You can’t harm me because they will harm you.”

“And again, I must lead you back to the rhetorical question of who would win?”

“You believe it is you, correct?”

“Correct.” He leaned forwards, closing the gap by another inch, “well, I know. I do not believe anything.”

“Well, I know that all we have to do is open up that light once more and you’re toast. Quite literally.” He chuckled at this. A deep, booming noise that sent a chill down your spine.

“There it is again, your heart. You must be infatuated with me.”

“You wish.” You glared, “now why don’t you tell me just what happened on board the Demeter.”

“You see, to tell that story, I’d have to begin right back in Transylvania - months before I even set foot on that ship.” He noted, eyes boring into your face.

“I have already read the accounts, Count Dracula. I already know. I want to hear it from you.” You folded you arms, tryinf to control your heart rate.

“Why from me?”

“To understand you. That’s why I’m here. Surely you knew that. Just get on with it. I don’t have all day.” You unfolded your arms, your impatience beginning to get the better of you. Your fingers found their way to the edge of the table.

“Then let’s begin,” he raised his head, just enough to slip his hand down into the table. In a swift movement, his right hand had swept up your left and encased it in coolness, “when I stepped foot on the Demeter.”

It took no less than two hours for Dracula to finish his account of the Demeter and he decided to also explain what had happened after he was arrested on the beach in the early morning. The entire time, he was effortlessly attempting to charm a little of your trust into him, but from the first words that left his mouth, you knew what his game was and you wouldn’t give up. Often, his foot would brush against your own, he’d insist on eye contact, or he’d grasp your hand in his at every opportunity he could get. By the time he was finished, you were beyond pissed off with his actions, horrified with the story he had told and exhausted from trying to keep your body from ratting your true emotions out to him.

“Right,” you began, pushing yourself up from the table, “I think that will be all for today.”

“Going so soon?” He faux pouted. He rose with you, clearly trying to prove his dominance over you one more time before you left.

“Unfortunately for you, yes. I’m afraid your company has ran out for today.”

“Is she coming back again?” He looked past you, towards Helsing who was frowning deeply.

“Perhaps. Don’t concern yourself with it, though.” Zoe snapped, “come, [First], you have other appointments this afternoon.”

Turning on your heel, you began to make a b-line for the door. However, the vampire behind you had other plans and before you had even made it halfway, his icy fingers hand tangled around your wrist and kept you held in place. Your heart jumped. Your blood pounded in your ears. His lips brushed against the cartilage of your ear, a cool sensation rippling throughout the left side of your head.

“You really must work on that heart of yours, it is much too easy to pin when you’re lying.” He mumbled, the words pooling in your ear, “even now, the blood coursing your veins is pumping with some vigor. It makes me... hungry.”

You tore your body out of his grasp, turning on your heel to face him and the smug look on his face at the reaction he gained from you. The door was opened and two strong arms hailed you backwards before the door shut once more and light began to flood the cell. Your body collapsed under the pressure of the other person pulling you and your knees buckled.

“Are you alright?!” Zoe was by your side, kneeling quickly to help you up, “you!” She bellowed to the vamp, “you shall be getting only scraps today for that!”

“Now, where have I heard that before...” Dracula mused.

He watched as you practically fled the room, eyes following your every movement until the doors shut. Helsing was glaring at him.

Your feet carried you, the adrenaline pumped in your veins and it was like you knew your way back out without ever having remembering it before. At the entrance, a man dressed up a little too much was arguing with the lady sitting behind the white desk, but you could only catch a snippet as you got yourself out of the building as quickly as you could.

“...-don’t understand! I’m his lawyer!”

Later that evening, when your appointments had all been dutifully carried out, you found yourself wandering along the beach below the cliffs where Whitby Abbey stood proud. The summer air had cooled and the fog had all but dissolved into the summer air. You looked out towards the wave cut platform where rock pools had been formed, and remembered times when you were younger and had gone fossiling (usually with little luck), or waded throughout the rock pools until the sea licked the sand once more.

The dusty sky was lilac, slowly bleeding into navy the higher up you looked and the sun had already disappeared behind the horizon south of you, behind the swing bridge and beyond. The tide was completely out, the waves sounding years away as seagulls cruised the sky above, unable to find any supper for the evening. The sand was derelict apart from you.

“We meet again.” You gasped loudly, turning on your heel to come face-to-chest with a rather unfortunately familiar form.

“Wha-.. I-... how did you-?”

“Get out?” He finished your rambles amusedly, “I have connections.”

“Even though you technically haven’t been on earth for over a century?”

“Yes, despite that.”

“What is it that you want...?” You took a step back, feeling a small pebble bite the underside of your foot through the flimsy sandals you wore. His eyes bored down into yours with such an intense predatory gaze that you felt your knees buckle for the second time in the day. He grinned.

“What else? You.”

[beatlesqueen1960s1970s]

Frain: Take Me To Chruch

Tw: Homophobia, Faggot Used, Attempted Murder, Cult, Violence

Freddie lays on the hill Brian cuddled against his side, "You know this is wrong.." Brian whispers feeling Freddie's hands roam over his body.

"I love being wrong then." Freddie whispers softly passionately kissing him roaming his hands on the younger man's backside.

Brian felt his body shudder as he kisses Freddie back the older man pulls him closer as the stars shine bright but clouds were slowly rolling in. He touches his cheek and sadly pulls away, "I'm only a field away." Freddie whispers standing up as they heard a noise.

The town of Shiloh, was entirely Anti LGBTQ+ they had to hide their relationship heavily. They have little safe moments together which are becoming fewer and fewer.

"We were born sick." Brian whispers putting a cold hand against his cheek not wanting to leave his love behind. He felt Fred's heated breath against his face, Brian grabs Fred by one of his suspender strap and kisses him passionately. He felt the roughness of his beard rub against Fred's bare cheek.

"The only heaven I got is when I'm with you." Freddie whispers forcing himself away wanting to feel more of Brian wanting to keep him in his arms.

Brian works for the church and Freddie attends the church even if he isn't the same religion.... a new poison each week.

It was hard being in a homophobic town and being a immigrant. They make sure to blend in by worshiping heavily and "dating" women..... Aka  paying a few women to be their girlfriends. The two bought houses that were a field away from each other and they worked on their farming. Everything was going smooth no one suspected any thing right?

Freddie was waiting to be dragged away he had been caught dating a white woman named Mary. He didn't stick to his own race and he knew that was sinful enough but lord if the town ever found out about him and Brian? He would have to flee the very same hour while a huge ass witch hunt would conduct. He can almost feel the burn of ropes dig into his skin as stones hit him and it makes him shudder to think such a thing but he knows what the town is like.

Freddie and Brian part ways like they've been doing each night since they started dating five years ago with linger eyes and a yearning for each other. Freddie assumes it will be like any other night they kiss goodbye and head back to their homes, only a field away never too far apart. Freddie greets his cat, Chester as he kicks the door behind him closed.

"Hey buddy. Did you miss daddy?" Freddie asks.

Loud intense purring comes from Chester and Freddie laughs as he gets dinner started, "My lover's got humor..." Freddie whispers then frowns, "She's the giggle at a funeral...Knows everybody's disapproval. I should've worshiped her sooner....If the Heavens ever did speak.... H- She's the last true mouthpiece." he tells his old cat scratching behind Chester's ears.

The stew almost smelled heavenly the sign of a good cook was in the kitchen or  complete luck. Freddie got a cutesy little flowery designed bowl down for his stew and prepared to get a nice beer from the fridge when he heard the commotion of a century happening outside his house. Freddie peers out as the rain sprinkles gingerly down a small bonfire was a blazed, two men guard it, Father Daniel and his son Abel he has a older brother but Freddie doesn't see him anywhere. They had a bonfire going in the centre of the field.

No masters or kings when the ritual begins

Freddie rushes out there his boots almost slipping in the mud, "Father! Father what is the matter?!" one of his straps was dangling off his shoulder now, Chester his beloved kitty was at his feet mud covered now.

"There's a nasty disgusting faggot right under our noses." Father Daniel sneers, "We're going to get rid of him." a big smirk comes onto his face, "Wanna joi-"

Freddie's already running to Brian's house it would be too dark to see anything but the young man's house was engulfed in flames the poor boy was being dragged out by his hair he was kicking and scream while trying to protect his body from the rocks being pelted at him some of the men still held molotov cocktails in their hands, some had their faces covered by masks.  Freddie could hear the town's words, all the screaming and wailing.

"Pedo!" a big hulk of a man screams crashing their boot into Brian's nose, "You're going to burn in hell!"

"He's mental ill!" a woman yells fanning herself with a church flyer.

"He's been vaccinated!'' someone else wails in the crowd sounding like a banshee.

Freddie hides behind some shrubbery he has to come up with a plan to rescue his love, Chester rubs against his knees and meows. Freddie covers his mouth, "You're right, Chess."

The town released all their pent up rage using Brian as some toy as they beat him, stone him, toss him around. He's being dragged towards the bonfire he's screaming for his life. His eyes are so full of fear and he's starting to choke on his own blood. They are literally going to burn him at the stake if Fred doesn't stop this.

"Stop!!" Freddie screams bolting from the shrubbery lifting his hands up a blueish glow seems to emerge from them as a  crack of lighten happens and the rain gushes down, Chester stands by his owner meowing louder, more than comes down.

"Witch!!" Abel yells lifting up his shotgun at Freddie.

"I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies!" Freddie screams, "I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife

Offer me my deathless death. Good God, let me give you my life. Please spare him!''

"Cain no!" it was Father Daniel's voice.

Cain fired his shotgun and hit his brother instead the preteen falls to the ground and a woman's cry can be heard,

Freddie raises his hand and sends Cain flying back into his father sending both men barreling towards the bonfire, "Witch! He's a witch!" the town stampedes around tramping each other leaving a dying Abel and a dying Brian.

Freddie steps over Abel guilt fills him but he can't help, Chester rubs against the boy's face. The boy looks already dead anyway and he just hopes Brian is still alive. Freddie kneels the mud soaking through his jeans freezing his legs more, "I don't know how they found my little secret out." the words come out with a twisted giggle, "Maybe I wasn't that safe."

He saw Brian's dulling hazel eyes search his face, "There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin," he cups Brian's cold wet face with one hand,

"In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene." he presses a chaste kiss against Brian's chapped lips.

He raises his hand the blueish glow returns he grazes the tips of his fingers against Brian's temple making the younger man cry out and arch his back before collapsing into his arms his white dirty dress shirt sticks to his thin body, "You truly are a witch." Brian rasps out a glow among his eyes.

"I'll leave, Brian. I understand." Freddie says getting ready to stand.

Brian grabs him weakly and kisses him feebly, "I love the mad ones."

Freddie gingerly picks up Abel and brings him inside the crumbling church Brian following at his heels he still has some bruises peppered on him, Chester meows following after flicking his big fluffy tail trying to get water out. Freddie lays Abel on a small table and heals him, "In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit. I heal you, amen." it was bullshit Freddie spewed from his mouth but he knew faith would most likely help ease Abel as he gets healed.

"Lets leave." Freddie says taking Brian's hand dirt was still caked in his nails and fingers from where he fought for his life only a little bit ago, "A train will be leaving soon."

"Take me with you." Abel speaks up struggling to sit up he holds his head.

Now that Freddie can see him in the light better he realizes the boy is no older than 9 years old. He's malnourished and missing a good bit of teeth.

Brian pushes past Freddie and grabs Abel putting the boy on his hip, "Lets flee before they get brave."

Freddie picks up Chester and snuggles into the kitty's ginger fur, "Come now."

And the walk to the train station under the cover of darkness, they manage to get tickets to the farthest town away from Shiloh, Mulberry. It was was a tiny small town perfect to hide and blend in to. The four leave town on a train around late 5AM, leaving the cult like town of Shiloh behind them. They watch out the train window as the fire from the bonfire spreads engulfing the cursed town like a hungry serpent.

[omoghouls]

"Are you seriously telling me that you've never peed in the woods before?" Rain to Cardinal Copia

Copia smoothed out the blanket beneath him, a small on his face as he watched his ghouls mingling and venturing around the parkland. He supposed, this small outing was one last retreat of peace and serenity before their touring season began for them all. 

The Cardinal leaned back slightly, looking up to trees that shaded him from the warm, June sun. He winced slightly from the growing tension in his lower abdomen, the downfall to such a beautiful day, meant extra hydration to keep from growing dehydrated and the fact glaring fact that the ghouls hadn't nessicarly taken to the sweetness of the ice tea packed.

The soft noise of footsteps coming close took him out of his thoughts. 

"Ah, Rain," he began, giving a small wave to the standing ghoul.

Well, all but one ghoul had actually enjoyed the tea.

The water ghoul waved back, swaying slightly as he stood there, Copia tilited his head, although he had spent time with the ghouls, the Cardinal still had a difficult time distinguishing the nonverbal language of ghouls. 

"Is, eh, is everything alright, Rain?" He asked as he watched the ghoul kneel beside him, leaning in a bit before he spoke. 

The Cardinal glanced down, curiously watching the knees of the ghoul rubbing together as he sat there. 

It didn't take a genius to know what was about to be said. Copia glanced around for a moment, noting the lack of facilities, he looked back to the ghoul, giving a small guestre to the small forest past the clearing they were in. 

The water ghoul hesitantly stood up, looking a bit wearily to the vast amount of trees, "Could, could you," he paused, wringing his hands together, "Come with me?"

The Cardinal looked softly to the ghoul and nodded, "Of course, of course, bit of a look out eh?" Copia said as he stood up.

Copia chewed on his lower lip when he stood, the gravity landing firmly on his bladder, perhaps he had to go more than he had cared to admit. He brushed the thought away as he walked with the water ghoul.--

The Cardinal moved from foot to foot as he tried to lean nonchalantly on the near by tree as he waited for the water ghoul to finish. The small sigh of relief coming from the bassist rebuttoned his slacks, walking back to where the Cardinal stood.

"There we are, ready to head back with the others?" Copia asked.

Rain nodded, standing as he looked to the righthand man, turning around. 

Copia cocked his brow at the actions of the water ghoul, "Is something the matter, Rain?" He asked.

"I'm giving you privacy."

"Privacy?"

Rain nodded, "So you can go too, I saw you fidgeting too" he paused, "that's why I went to you," Rain added, looking over his shoulder to the man.

"Rain that is, very kind but, I can wait until we're back at the chruch, honest," Copia said to the ghoul.

"Are you sure? You did drink a lot of that tea, and not in a mean way but, you human's, well, they don't have the same capacity as a ghoul," The water ghoul explained, turning fully to the Cardinal.

The Cardinal felt his face flush when the ghoul looked to him, he wasnt sure but he couldnt let the others know that, he had to hold it. He nodded, hopping it would end the conversation.

Rain tilited his head, "But, wouldnt it be easier to just go now instead of wait, it's a long walk back to the church.""That is true but, I would rather wait until we are back," he paused, "I am, not much for this sort of thing."

"Wait,"

Copia looked at the ghoul in confusion.

"Cardinal, are you, are you saying you haven't peed in the woods before?" 

The Cardinal swallowed, fiddling with the end of his vest, unlike human's, ghoul's had a near impeccable grasp on body language and what it translates to. He silently cursed that.

Copia shrugged a small bit, "Now, I didn't say that! But, yes, I never have, there never was a situation that arose where I needed to do so." He awkward explained, glancing to the side as he spoke, absently shifting his weight.

Rain watched the man with a small pout from the resistance coming from the other man, the others had mentioned time and time again that humans had a slightly ramped up dignity they wanted to uphold, making situations such as these difficult to do. 

"It'll be easier to go now rather than wait, Cardinal," Rain softly said, "I'll even make sure no one sees or hears." 

The Cardinal knew Rain had the best intentions with what he was offering, he knew he wasn't getting out if the woods until he actually went. With a small sigh he nodded, giving a small guestre for the water ghoul to turn around as he himself turned to the tree he had been leaning on.

Copia tilited his head back slightly as he unzipped his slacks, waiting, and waiting for his body to go. But, nothing. He couldn't relax, there were too many variants that were running through his mind, hindering him from relief. The Cardinal inwardly groaned, feeling the pressure from his taut bladder. 

Rain could hear the soft sounds of frustration coming from the Cardinal, being that he hadn't heard any trickling against the tree made his assumption correct without even asking.

"Do, would you like some,,help, Cardinal?"

Copia's felt his ears burn from the question, slowly he nodded. Assuming the ghoul would just simply walk over, press down on the bladder. However, he heard no movement, only the soft snapping of claws coming together. 

Copia began to speak but, was cut off when a stream of urine hissed out, hitting the tree, being quickly absorbed by the earthy ground as his bladder quickly released. Once he was finished, the Cardinal was quick to tuck himself back in, turning back to the ghoul with a confused look.

Before the man could speak, Rain gave an answer to the question that hung in the air.

"I'm a water ghoul," he began.

Before he could futher delve deeper into his explanation, Aether's voice carried over to them, asking if the two were coming back to the chruch with them.

"Coming!" Rain called back, looking to the Cardinal with a smile before running off, back to the clearing.

Leaving the Cardinal to walk back with new questions flooding his mind.

[liturgical-lesbian]

reflections on my pilgrimage to Knock Shrine, home to Our Lady of Knock

my grandmother and i pilgrimaged to knock shrine this past october where God fulfilled our lifelong prayer—that we would be able to walk the holy ground where Our Lady appeared. the same holy ground that my great grandmother walked and her mother before that. my grandmother and i had hoped and prayed my whole life that we would be able to experience Knock Shrine together. i will be forever humbled that God heard our lifelong wishes and blessed us with the gift of sharing in Knock’s mysticism. 

my mom drove us there after we picked up my grandmother's sister in the neale. when we arrived, i’ll be honest, i was disappointed by the appearance of the shrine grounds. i had expected a grand, ethereal, and cohesive look to the place. i had always imagined, that at first glance of the shrine grounds, i would divinely transcend any earthly awareness. my need to be spiritually transcended by physical appearance alone was quickly humbled by the Spirit of the Lord and God’s Peace began to percolate within me. 

when we entered the Apparition Chapel i became so overwhelmed by the Peace of the Lord that i began to sob uncontrollably. i sobbed for so long and my grandmother just held me as i experienced healing. i am unsure of how much time passed but i felt fastened by God’s Peace—unmoved by space and time, suspended in the presence of my everloving Creator. i cried and my grandmother prayed, and i prayed and she cried too. every fear, anxious thought and feeling, every distraction, and every ounce of guilt was stripped away and i just sat there, in my grandmother's arms, tears spilling and the Spirit of the Lord overflowing.

i have been “drunk on the spirit”, i’ve been slain by Spirit, and i have certainly sat in the sorrows of lamentation and mourning with the Spirit. but never had i experienced the Peace of the Spirit so consumingly for so long. 

we left the Apparition Chapel, me still in tears, to make the 3 o’clock mass at the Parish Chruch. the mass was a plain one. it was full of locals (farmers and shopkeepers) as well as foreigners who had pilgrimaged there like myself. there was no choir, no organ, no special readings, no assigned hymns. but, my God, was it transcendental. many women, Spirit-filled women, uninhibitedly wove beautiful hymns and spirituals into the service and kept my tears flowing. to hear these old rural women, scattered amongst the pews, join together in one tongue to fill up the chapel with impromptu songs of praise and anguish, was humbling. they carried these songs in their hearts and probably received them from the hearts of their mothers before them, and kindly passed them on to my heart that day. i will not soon forget their reverent abandon in exalting Yah. 

i sat diagonally behind two older women throughout the mass. i believe they were lesbians. though i do not know it to be fact, my gaydar was yelling at me and so was something beyond that. i was in the midst of feeling trapped and alone in the closet, and something was gently whispering to me that these two women were a sign or at least a reminder of some sort. i sort of fixated on them off and on throughout the mass, wondering if Yah would somehow confirm my supposition and was curious if they saw the same in me. 

after distributing the holy Eucharist, the priest announced that he would be giving the sacrament of healing to anyone who wanted it. i had not experienced that blessed sacrament in almost ten years. i continued to cry as i approached the altar, as i was blessed with healing, and as i returned to the pew to pray. i had no words for Yah through it all; just physical response of tears streaming. 

at the conclusion of the service, the two women in front of me, who i had remained fascinated with, turned around and awkwardly greeted me, my grandmother, and my great aunt with a sign of peace. one of the women then discreetly pulled out an item from her pocket and told us it was a relic of st. padre pio. she gently placed it in the hands of my 92-year-old great aunt bridgie, a “mighty woman” as she is called in backcountry Mayo, who knew right how to handle it. i watched her as she kissed it, blessed herself with it, and then rubbed it on her body where she needed healing. she passed it to my grandmother who did the same. my grandmother then passed it to me and i took it in my hands and admired it slowly. it was a small oval reliquary made of a silver medal, no bigger than one of those elongated coins you can get from those machines at the mall. under the glass was a worn piece of fabric pressed over sapphire velvet. i closed my eyes and blessed myself with the relic and rubbed it against my mind and against my chest for my generalized anxiety in hopes of a miraculous cure. 

when i opened my eyes, i met the eyes of the woman who gave it to us. we held eye contact in a deeply spiritual way. she then leaned over the pew, grabbed my arm with both of hers with an unforgettable intensity. she said to me, holding my eyes and my arm and my soul, “you caught my eye... you caught my eye and i felt that i had to say something,” with a gentle urgency. my grandmother burst into tears and my heart welled up with joy. we maintained eye contact while my grandmother and great-aunt muttered to each other in awe. i knew that she knew. God heard my cry. 

my grandmother, my great-aunt, my mom and myself left the parish church and walked to gift shop and cafe. my aunt, a poor farming woman, was so humbled by my interaction with the woman in the parish church, she insisted on gifting me with a matted celtic print that read,

“Let us be renewed by God’s mercy and let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice & peace flourish.” ~pope francis

i was so honored by this gesture and will never forget the day i received it. 

the four of us women then nestled ourselves in the cafe over vegetable soup, brown bread, and pots of tea. the walls were almost entirely glass and let in the warm rays of the golden hour. i sat there, my tummy full of soup and tea, my heart filled with the stories of my ancestors, and my soul filled with the Spirit of my God, and i gazed out the window at the green earth Our Lady, st. joseph, st. john the baptist, and christ the lamb came down upon.

my grandmother and i pilgrimaged to knock shrine this past october where God fulfilled our lifelong prayer

for those of you who are unfamiliar with the apparitions of mother mary, often called “our lady”, here is a good place to start, it just has brief descriptions, history, and context of her many apparitions. 

[missvalerietanner]

Last weekend, I was jet lagged and had to rest. This past weekend... turns out I needed more rest. XD But I finally got everything organized, and it’s time to share... 

I WENT TO CANADA!

As a birthday present to myself, back in June, I filled out all the paperwork and got myself a passport ‘cause, damn it, I want to travel. Just three little months later in September, I had to help my boss check in for his flight for a work thing ( he’s not so computer savvy), and I got antsy. I wanted to be flying somewhere too. And I wanted to give my passport a trial run. SO! My aunt had mentioned wanting to see Niagara Falls, and I was cool with seeing Canada cause 1. passport test, and 2. Lewis Black’s words haunt me: “Even drunk on a bet, you make it to Canada.” (in reference to the fact that George W. had never been outside the country. 

So I started planning, told my aunt (she was thrilled by the idea), and in a matter of two weeks, we had the trip laid out, plan tickets bought, hotel room reserved, and we were good to go.

We stayed in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. We flew into the Buffalo airport in New York, got a rental car, and drove across the Rainbow Bridge ‘cause I figured that’d be pretty cool. Our flight got into Buffalo at midnight, Friday morning (Nov. 2nd), and we reached our hotel in Canada at about 2AM. Should’ve slept, but we were both too jazzed to fall asleep ‘cause we were excited and we could see the freakin’ falls from our hotel room so we stayed up until about 4AM just planning the next day’s adventures and finally crashed. Then we woke up at about 8AM. Insane.

Friday, we shopped at Niagara on the Lake, this cute shopping district about 30 mins north from our hotel (Sheraton on the Falls, if you’re curious). 

Saturday, I had bought us tickets to the boat tours with Hornblower Cruises. We got on the first boat at 10AM and froze our butts off in that 40 degree weather while getting hosed by the mist coming off the Falls. But as I have told everyone, “It’s cool. My face caught most of it.”

That water was cold, but it was revitalizing. We got back to the hotel room, and my aunt said, “Don’t you feel refreshed?” And, you know what? I fucking did. I felt, like, not “born again,” but definitely close to that. I felt... pure and alive.

After the boat ride, which was only 20 mins, I drove us up to Toronto ‘cause, why not, right? We were RIGHT there. Well, not right there, but only two hours away. XD The drive was nice, though, and there are some beautiful bridges along the way. (Though, I never really adjusted to the speed limit signs being in kilometers per hour versus miles. But that’s my fault and America’s. We seriously need to be standard.)

Anyhoo, Toronto was large and loud and busy and kinda insane. Though with 2.2 or so (I think the sign said?) million people, it’s like the crowds of Manhattan with the insanity of L.A. (I assume?). The city’s pretty, though. The architecture of the residential areas was so homey and 1980s feeling--I loved it. So nostalgic and well-kept... like something out of a sitcom. Every yard was perfect. Every car maintained and polished. It was lovely.

On the way out of Toronto (we just drove in and pretty much back out ‘cause it was such a long drive to get back to the hotel), we drove through a primarily Jewish community and saw some of them heading to church--I assume by the way they were all gussied up. That was awesome and definitely not something you happen upon in Tennessee. 

And, look, I don’t wanna come off as creepy, but on the way into Toronto, we stopped at the ONLY SHELL GAS STATION WE EVER SAW, and bought a shit ton of candy for the ride. Then we spot this super adorable Jewish boy, and I made a few jokes about offering him candy (not where he could hear me, obviously). He stared at us as we passed. We stared at him, and I joked that’d he’d puff up his collar and tell his buddies: “These babes were checkin’ ME out.” But in reality, it’s probably more like: “These weird Americans from Pennsylvania were staring at me.”

We had Penn state license plates on our rental car, and whenever I passed people in traffic, I’d say, “Let show ‘em how we drive in Pennsylvania.”

We are NOT from Pennsylvania.

Then on Sunday, our flight was at 7:27 PM in Buffalo, the plan was to just get to the airport and wait there and be bored. But stupid Daylight Savings Time totally fucked us. Not to mention we switched from Central to Eastern time while flying, so we lost an hour then gained one then lost it again on the way home. Fucking stupid.

Anyway, we accidentally checked out of the hotel an hour early ‘cause we thought it was noon (spolier: it was only 11 AM). I realize then when we’re leaving in the car--too late. We cross the border, eat lunch at an Irish pub in... I forget what city it was--but upstate New York outside Albany and about twenty minutes from the Buffalo airport. The place was called Connor’s, and it was fuckin’ delish.

Then we returned the rental car, chilled in the airport for like five hours (that went by faster than you’d think), flew to North Carolina for a layover (which turned into a stress-filled sprint walk, as Daniel Tosh calls it, to our boarding gate which we were late arriving too ‘cause our previous pilot had to circle the damn state of NC ‘cause some jackass was blocking up the runway), and then finally back to Nashville.

All in all, the trip was a blast. It cost me roughly $1000 for the three day trip. We split the hotel room and plane tickets, but I paid for the rental car, gas, and the boat tour. And then I spent roughly $400 on souvenirs and food. Not a bad chunk of change for such a relaxing vacation. That weekend felt SO long, but every minute of it was awesome.

OH! We also ate twice at this ice cream place on the corner from the hotel (well, actually inside the hotel) called Sweet Jesus. Look it up. That place is fucking wonderful.

Canada is lovely and so so peaceful. Probably the best thing about the trip was leaving behind all the bullshit of American culture. We are seriously bogged down here with so much shit every day and so many things demanding our attention and our money and... UGH! I didn’t feel any of that in Canada. Granted, being on vacation and not at work helped, but even still, the country just seemed laid back and calm. 

We all need a little Canada in our life.

Also one place we ate at served tiny packets of peanut butter at breakfast time along with typical tiny packets of jams and jellys. Totally stole one. Totally awesome. 

And at that Shell gas station, I spotted these:

They taste more like hot sauce on a potato chip rather than ketchup, but awesome to see. Oh, and I bought us Tim Horton’s coffee one morning, ‘cause I just HAD to. And boy do Canadians love their Wendy’s and Subway’s. We saw those two eateries everywhere. And we passed a marijuana store which was pretty nifty too.

We didn’t go in, despite what the guys at work say.

Ready for some pictures? :D

This was the view from our hotel room on the 8th floor. We could open the door and just get such a perfect view of the Falls. Every night, they lit up the Falls in an array of colors, but when they colored them for the American and Canadian flags... just wow.

Beautiful homes in Toronto. (And the Mini Cooper that was behind me FOR MILES and probably getting pissed ‘cause he’s in every damn shot. XD)

More houses. I love architecture, o.k.!

Made my aunt grab this shot while I drove. 

Another shot of the Falls, but lit in blue, white, and green. 

And a shot on Sunday morning at about 9AM (we thought it was 10AM XD). Sunday was the only sunny day while we were there, but I didn’t mind. We did a lot of walking--I mean, A LOT--and I’d rather walk under clouds than the sun any day.

And this is Connor’s, the Irish pub we stopped it in New York. 

Here’s a shot of us on the Hornblower boat. The distorted look is ‘cause it was shot with my cheapo-knock off Go-Pro. The big green building in the center back is our hotel. ;p

‘Nother shot from the boat with the CamPark. Those are the American side of the Falls.

The Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side. Probably the best angle the CamPark caught on the boat.

There were also fireworks over the Falls on Saturday night. I overheard some women in the hotel saying there was some winter festival starting that night (Nov. 3rd). Dunno, but the fireworks were beautiful.

At long last, a shot of some sweet Canadian money ‘cause I still have the $5 bill and one of the $2 coins. I love the look of their money. 

[/content sigh]

...I would absolutely go back.

The even better news is that my aunt knows this chruch group that travels around a lot (like, right now, they’re in freakin’ Sierra Leone!), and they’re planing an Italy trip next June.

YES! Be still my heart!

My aunt signed us both up, and barring an unforeseen accident or a lobotomy, I could be in Italy in June 2019. And the chosen dates line up with my birthday, so I could very well spend my 30th birthday in FREAKIN’ ITALY, MAN! How cool would that be? And yeah, I’m not much for church and religion, but I am willing to put up with anything if it gets me to Italy. XD Plus, Italy has so many beautiful churches I’d love to see, and a church group damn better get me there.

[indiaimagine]

Prague- Architectural Beauty Of Europe

Capital of the Czech Republic, located in the heart of Europe-Prague is one of the most popular travel destinations. The City of Hundred Spires is the nickname given to this most charming and photogenic city. When compared to other European cities, Prague dominates every city in terms of sheer beauty, architectural and cultural history. Bohemian art, colorful Baroque buildings, ancient sculptures, historical palaces, Gothic churches, bridges and museums make Prague one of the world's architectural gems. Dream of every architecture lover, Prague is a complete package for travelers. Divided By the Vltava River, this medieval city offers world-class dining options for every traveler, fantastic beer and top-class shopping center. Narrow laneways of Prague, Charles bridge on the Vltava river, Prague Castle The climate of Prague in summer and autumn is best to attract tourists towards it. Prague has many impressive ancient buildings around the city. Our article will guide you through the best which this amazing city has to offer. So, let's discover the best places to visit in this enchanting city with some top attractions in Prague.

Discover Most Popular Prague Castle

Renowned all over the world and the city's most popular tourist attraction is Prague castle. It is the largest ancient castle in the world, as well as one of the most gorgeous. Located at Hradcany, Prague Castle is the official residence of the Czech Republic president. Furthermore, it has been home to all the different Czech heads of state ever since the 9th century.

Via: Pinterest Inside the castle premises, there are several Prague's most popular tourist sites such as St. Vitus Cathedral, St. George's Basilica, Old Royal Palace, the Powder Tower, and the Golden Lane. The main highlights of Prague Castle include the main hall of Old Royal Palace, the Vladislav Hall, Royal Garden, the Ball Game Pavilion, the Royal Summer House with its Singing Fountain, and the Lion's Court. You can also join the classical music concert and workshops held at Prague castle. Also Read: 12 Family Holiday Destinations In Europe

Explore The Old Town Square

Untouched from the 10th century, the Old Town Square is the historical center of Prague. Europe's most beautiful sight is the Old Town Square. One should start exploring the whole city of Prague from here. Tyn Chruch, the Clementium, Jewish Quarter, Josefov and the National Library are the center of attraction for tourists visiting this destination.

Via: blamethemonkey.com Many architectural buildings and ancient churches belong to the 11th century. Established in 1338, Old Town Hall located there, which has 5 buildings. The highlights include the Gothic Tower and the ancient Astronomical Building.

Stroll Across Famous Charles Bridge

Magnificent Charles Bridge is one of the most famous old bridges in Europe. Commissioned in 1357, Charles Bridge is popular for its history, 600 old construction and beautiful ancient statues. The spectacular views over the River Vltava and the structure's superb Gothic gates are the highlights of the bridge.

Via: charlesbridgepalace.com Charles IV, Former Czech king laid the first stone of the bridge at precisely 5.31 am on July 9, 1357. It is believed that Charles IV was so into astrology and numerology that he chose this date because of its written form 135797531 (year, day, month, time). For a memorable experience, we recommend you to visit early morning or late night to witness the beauty of the bridge.

Get Amaze By Astronomical Clock

The most eye-catching point Old town Square and the pride of Prague is the ancient Astronomical clock. Placed in 1410 and now considered as the best-preserved medieval mechanical clock in the world. Located on the southern side of the Old Town Hall Tower.

Via: unsplash.com The astronomical clock consists of various parts such as a calendar and astronomical desk for the mechanism of 12 Apostles, which sets them in motion. Each hour, Apostles start the parade when the other placed figures on the side of the clock set in motion. The skeleton rings rotate an hourglass to show the Turk that his lifetime is at the end. Also Read: Explore Top Rated 15 Travel Attractions in Dubai

Romance With Bae At Kampa Island

Located between Prague Castle and Charles Bridge, Kampa Island is best known for its romantic atmosphere. The most beautiful islands in the world, Kampa is located in the Malá Strana, i.e., the Lesser Town. The enchanting vibe and best view of many monuments will make you crazy. At Kampa Island, you can visit the museum of modern art- Museum Kampa and you can go for a picnic with friends.

Apart from this, You can also go across a small bridge lock your love site popular among lovers. Walk with hand in hand with your bae on romantic lanes of Kampa island. Visit the Lennon Wall, a graffiti wall dedicated to the famous Beatles singer, John Lennon. The canal that flows under the Charles Bridge and through Kampa is known as Devil’s Stream.

Witness Wenceslas Square

People visit Wenceslas Square to get the best nightlife experiences, unlimited alcohol, and to attend fun parties at the club. But there is much more than this, Wenceslas Square has a National Museum and numerous other architectural sites. Created during the reign of Charles IV in the 14th century and also known as Vaclavske Namesti.

Via: flicker.com Named after the saint of Bohemia, you can see their statue at Square. Indeed, one of the top free things to do in Prague. You will find the best dining options as well as a great shopping center at Wenceslas Square.

Admire St. Vitus Cathedral

Most beautiful and largest church of the Czech Republic, St. Vitus Cathedral is a famous Christian Shrine. Located on the grounds of Prague Castle, Saint Vitus is an impressive Gothic architecture built-in 1344. It took almost 525 years in completion.

Saint Vitus Cathedral, Via: hiddensecretstours.eu Thus it is a mixture of modern Neo-Gothic and 14th-century Gothic styles, along with the Baroque and Renaissance influences. In the past, it was one of the tallest buildings in Prague. The main tower of Cathedral is of height 96.5m. It is home to the tombs of numerous saints and three Bohemian kings. Also Read: Tourist Places to Visit in UK (United Kingdom)

Shockingly Look At The Dancing House

Dancing House is the most amazing modern architectural creation of Prague. Nationale Nederlanden is the official name of Dancing House. Designed by Frank Gehry in the new Baroque style and became one of the most photographed buildings of the city. Dancing House consists of two towers that resemble two dancers.

Via: praguego.com The male tower is a cement tower that connects to an oscillating section and headed by a metal structure. On the other hand, the female tower is made of glass and carved pillars. The top floor consists of Ginger & Fred restaurant from there; you can witness the magnificent view of Vltava River.

National Theatre For Art Freaks

Prime theatre stage of the Czech Republic, the National Theater, is a must-visit for art lovers and performers. This theater is the best example of Neo-Renaissance architecture in Prague. Established in 1881 and designed by Czech architect for promoting the Czech culture and language.

Via: dreamstime.com Perched on the bank of Vltava river, National Theatre has magnificent exterior and interior carved with Bohemian crystals and central stage by black marble. Furthermore, this stunning theatre exhibits the country's top opera, ballet, drama and dance performances. Tourists will get to know the cultural significance by visiting this theatre.

Explore Prague Zoo

Ranks among the top zoological park of the world, Prague Zoo is one of the top tourist attractions of the city. Opened in 1931, this Zoo is famous for a family outing, especially with kids. As younger kids can play in large playgrounds, take pony rides and can feed the animal.

Via: Pixabay Prague Zoo has more than 4,200 animals in which 650 species are close to extinction. Also, many endangered animals like Przewalski's horse saved here. Along with the other highlights include a chairlift ride, a huge giraffe exhibition and the steamy tropical forest. If you want, you can join the educational workshop too at Zoo. So if you are seriously planning for Europe visit please come here and must visit all above places. Read the full article

[kazlifeadventures]

More Georgia

Saturday was the day we were up to set off on one of the most history laden roads of the Caucasus, the Georgian Military highway, the route that connects Georgia to Russia, since about 1769. It’s an amazing winding journey, with incredible views and scenery. The highway has been a source of contention with Russia closing it completely in 2006, finally reopening its side of the border in 2013. Even though it is open, there are so many restrictions on the crossing that Lorries are lined up sometimes for days at a time in order to make the crossing. It was insane to see the kilometres long line of trucks lining the side of the road as we went past.

A quick stop at Ananuri fortress to take in the view, then, hey part of this trip is all about food so we were off to a local restaurant to enjoy some more traditional food. Tasty, somewhat salty, and very meat/carb laden, we then rolled out of the restaurant to some waiting 4wd Delica’s, who were ready to take us up the narrow winding road to the top of the mountain and the wonderful Gergeti Trinity Church. It was a very windy, and cold day, and I may have forgotten to take a jacket with me, but I still persevered. History again wins out, this church was built in the 14th Century and due its remote location served as a storage area for precious relics in times of danger. During the Soviet era services were prohibited, and fortunately this church remained unharmed. I found out later that during Russian rule churches at the top of hills were closed, Big ones elsewhere were re-purposed. The smaller ones in the villages met the worst fate, apparently the Russians sowed mis-information with the poorer villagers, telling them that the priests had stored valuables and cash in the walls. As a result the Georgians themselves destroyed the churches, allowing the Soviets to take no responsibility for their demise. Sad, but not surprising. The more I have travelled these countries the more I have learnt about the time spent under Russian rule and their constant reminders of the past.

Sunday 30th June

Joseph Stalin Museum, Gori. The benevolent dictator. A man who is a perfect example of how people can still love a monster. The museum opened in 1957 and is dedicated to the life of Stalin, who was born in Gori. The local people wanted an area dedicated to him so the museum was born. The site holds the Yalta conference train, which you are able to board and walk through, as well as the house in which he was born, protected under a giant roof. The House wasn’t open to visitors but I was in the right place at the right time when the cleaner came, and got to peek in the windows. It’s odd to walk through the museum, as it feels almost like a shrine, and Stalin was most definitely not a saint.

Then we were off to Mtskheta, an old city inhabited since before 1000 BC it was once the capital of the kingdom of Iberia. It’s known as the birthplace of Christianity in Georgia, declared as the ‘Holy city’ by the Georgian Orthodox Chruch in 2014. We drove up to the 6th Century Jvari monastery to take in the amazing church, its famed wooden cross, and the sensational views out across the surrounding countryside. Yet another cathedral was on the list - Svetitskhoveli dating from the 11th Century, a beautiful example of Georgian church architecture. Both structures are UNESCO heritage listed. It sometimes feels that this is a tour of churches, but oddly each one has something different to offer, and quite often its the history that creates more of an interest than the structure itself.

We then headed back to Tbilisi for a free afternoon before heading out with a larger part of the group for more of the fabulous crayfish... It was great to have some time to wander at our own pace. I managed to get back to the Georgian enamel workshop that I had seen the day we arrived, purchasing my momento of Georgia - a lovely pair of hand made enamel ear rings ( the girls in the store said I could come back and have a go if I wanted to - but we’re leaving tomorrow!!). Pretty much the only souvenir I’d consider really - no room for anything else!

Georgia is currently experiencing further tension in relations with its neighbour, Russia. There have been regular anti-Kremlin protests in Tbilisi, and as a result there has been escalating controls placed on trade with Georgia. Russia has only recently banned all flights from Russia to Georgia in a blockade set to impact the summer tourism industry (apparently there are over 1 million Russians who visit each year). I am hoping that the impact will not damage this country, as it is a fantastic place to visit and you can see how much tourism means to the area. Fingers crossed that somehow a resolution is found. Please research the issue for further information as I have only given it a very small summary here. Much love to you Georgia!

More photos to come...

We head to our last country Armenia tomorrow!

[engineeringhungry]

Florence

Florence Tumblr

Friday started at 6:45 AM. I promised that I would run in the morning with this guy from work that I met last week. I was extremely sore from playing soccer the day before so I knew I was going to be slow. However I thought we’d run at like a 9:30 pace but the guy pushed for an 8 minute mile for 3 miles. I could barely keep up. Then on the way back (3 miles back) I quickly dropped off and ran at a 10 minute pace. It was sad but its okay, I ran in the morning! at 7, something I haven’t done. I really liked doing it in the morning though and I asked if he wanted to do hill sprints with me next Monday. He said yes so I have to look forward to that. I went to work with all my clothes packed. Worked rather diligently that day and then picked up my stuff at 4 and took the bus to the train station. It was chaos at the train station - there was a strike that started the night before and all these trains were being cancelled. Was literally praying (fyi not religious) that my bus wouldn’t be cancelled. Holly and Mirny’s were cancelled the the hour before mine and were planning on joining me on my train. Luckily our trained wasn’t cancelled and we jumped onto find seats as soon as that bitch landed in the station. I’m glad they were there though because it was really nice talking and getting to know them as we traveled to Florence. Holly is very cool and I really like her. I’m really glad she came on this trip to Florence - we really bonded. We sat next to each other on the train to Mestre but had assigned seat from Venezia to Florence and I was’t next to them. I tried to sleep but failed miserably and then decided to try and pay my mobile bill since it was going to expire on Saturday. However I kept getting an error and it was so frustrating! I also started to talk to Ariel to see if we could get together or something later that night. We agreed to meet at a square near my apartment, Piazza Santo Spiritosa at Osteria Santo Spiritosa. Once the train got into Florence I wobbled our way to the apartment, twisting and turning through these cobble stone streets and overhanging shutters beckoning the beaming night into their homes. Fireworks burst in the background as we stepped through the streets. We soon ventured along the Ponte Vecchio and saw the display of fireworks celebrating the main saint of Florence. The bridge we were trying to cross was extremely crowded and we needed to push our way through just to try and get across the river.

Upon first approaching the apartment we had turned off the main street and into a smaller alley. The door was tucked away within the wall, with a few steps leading up to the door. A bed of flowers hung over rails in the window next to the door. We called Cody, the guy we were staying in the AirBnb with and he came within a few minutes of reaching the apartment to let us in. The hallway was cool and dark as we climbed to the second floor. The apartment was extremely cute. It had two bedrooms, single and double, with a pull out couch in the main living area. The hosts had left us some fig newton like cookies in the kitchen and I quickly went in and munched on one. Holly and I claimed the double, which looked sort of like a sexy honey moon sweet, complete with a canopy. I mean its probably for mosquitos but never the less, it provided a romantic vibe. Our windows overlooked the alley in the front of the house and the other windows in the apartment looked into little courtyards between each apartment building.

I contacted Ariel and she was on here way by 10. The five of us (Holly, Mirny, Cody, Cici, and I) decided to explore a bit and found that our Piazza nearby was a bumping party. Mirny quickly got the idea to grab a few bottles of wine and drink them in the square. We walked around the streets a little bit and soon found a liquor store that sold us a bag of cashews and 3 bottles of wine, despite it being past the buying hours. They were busy buying it and I was beginning to get worried that Ariel was at the square so I ran over to the square ahead of them to make sure that we found each other. It wasn’t long before we finally caught each other and we then the rest of the gang joined in suite. That first night we just talked and hung out at the square, sitting drinking wine next to a fountain. It was lovely to say the least.

Friday night ended after we walked to Ponte Vecchio bridge and looked out at the water. The air was warm and the breeze felt nice on the skin as we watched the water dance with the lights from the buildings.

Saturday started at 9. I kept waking up during the night for some reason, likely because I have gotten used to waking up a at 8. I texted Taylor and tried to pay my phone bill again but failed. We left around 9:45 and headed towards the Duomo since we were trying to do all the church’s today. We got side tracked and stopped by the church right next to our apartment which was quite glamorous and large in size. I had to buy a shawl to make sure I was descent - honestly a fantastic buy. Its the lovely blue floral print that has nice vibrant colors lining the edges. Holly and I talked outside briefly while we waited for Mirny and Cody to finish upon the church. We then headed for the Duomo, quickly positioning ourselves in line for the tower next to it. The tower is quite tall and climbing all the way to the top was for sure a workout. However - the view at the top was spectacular. You could see the shear size of the church compared to the city and the antique nature of the curving streets and building facades. Breath taking. I climbed own after about an hour of photos and reflection to meet up with the whole group. We decided to go into the church and the battista and meet up with Mirny at 2:30 by the Opera House.

Chruch

Battistsa

Lunch - market

Medici church

TIM

other church

gelato

get lost

View + wine

Trattoria L’Brindellone

Home

Piazza Santo Spiritosa

Sunday started at 7:45 AM. I woke up right before my alarm went off. I quickly put on my clothes and Cody, Cici and I all dashed off towards the Galleria dell’Accademia. Florence is beautiful in the morning. No tourists, empty streets, shining sun. Truly a marvel to behold when you’ve only seen the city riddled with hungry people browsing the gelato and finery. We walked with pace and I struggled to keep up due to my soreness and frankly sleepless nights. Finally we arrived at the museum only to see a long line of people already waiting to get in. It seemed as though they hadn’t started letting people into the gallery yet so we were hopefully. I managed to escape the line briefly to find some fruit for us to munch on as our breakfast. I found two apples at a cafe around the corner from the museum. Eventually the line began to move and after an hour of waiting - luckily we had wifi - we made it into the museum.

The museum was poorly laid out. I’m sorry. I just really disliked the layout and planning the curators put into the flow of the gallery. Besides that, it was very religious with well over 50% of the gallery being church panels. Granted they were beautiful but I can only handle church panels for so long before getting slightly bored. Though, David was magical. The power the statue had was incredible. The shear size, crisp lines, beautify the statue holds is truly a marvel to see. I also found a beautiful Portelli piece called the Allegory of the Immaculate Conception. There was so much happening in that piece - the underlying meanings, the stories it alludes to, poses of each woman, the comparison between eve and the virgin mary, the transfer of power. It both reflects the art of the time, religious significance, and the changing attitudes of people and their relationship and perspective with god and religion. There was so much in this piece as well as the shear genius of the mastery of craft. Favorite piece there by far.

After seeing David I took a quick snooze near the exit while waiting for the other two to finish the exhibit. We then rushed to get lunch with Holly and Mirny at Osteria Santo Spiritosa. The food was pretty good, by far sub par to the food we had gotten the night before, but it had a good atmosphere and white wine. I do have to say the risotto was also quite good - unsure if it was the fact i hadn’t had risotto ever or if it was actually good risotto. Lunch ended and Cody went to go pick up our tickets at the Uffizi while Cici and I walked Mirny and Holly back to the apartment to get the keys. After those two left, Cici and I rushed to the Uffizi Gallery where we met Cody and were quickly ushered into the museum at 2:20.

The Uffizi is likely one of my favorite galleries to date. I felt like I was guided on a personal tour through the ages and evolution of art - really getting a feel for Italian art and their masters. The true marvel of the museum is really the museum itself. It’s hallways are lined with fantastic murals and statues that decorate the warm hall which overlooks Florence at the epicenter of culture. My second favorite was the botticelli room where they casually have some of the most famous painting in the world by botecelli just chilling all in one room. I have a list of favorite works from this museum below.

After the Uffizi, we headed back to the apartment, stumbling on some parade of men dressed up in traditional garb and riding on horses, and then packed up and left. I was the last to leave the apartment, closing the door on my adventure in this cultural paradise. I killed some time by going to La Carraia which is one of the most famous gelateria’s in Italy and tried their white chocolate covered in pistatio flavor - very good and very cream but I just wasn’t feeling all that creamy that day. I walked to the train station, passing beautiful churches right and left, and then got on the train, napped, and then began to write this.

I’m looking at a cloud. It towers above the tumbling town below. The tallest point of the town barley reaches the base of the mountain of clouds. The clouds are a dark blue at the base and softly rise to a careful gray with a tint of turquoise. A radiant beam of orange pierces the face of the mountainous billows and highlight an out stretched arm reaching towards the sun from the heavy mass.

We’re just getting into Trieste. It’s nice to be relaxed.