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jaimehwatson · 3 years

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I made another Snowpiercer playlist!

After posting my Wilford/Audrey playlist a while ago, I added some songs that didn’t quite make the cut to a different playlist, intending to put together another similar one. But rather than focusing on just one ship this time, I also ended up getting really interested in theorizing about what Wilford’s relationship with Melanie might have been like before the Freeze, and exploring the idea that maybe there was something going on there and some kind of love triangle with Audrey.

So here’s my new playlist, full of absolute jams that could apply to any combination of relationships involving Wilford, Audrey, and Melanie, and/or just general Snowpiercer vibes! Read on for more detail about the songs I selected, and as before, content warning for references to canon abuse & self-harm/suicide.

1. “The Tradition” by Halsey

Oh, the loneliеst girl in town Was bought for plenty a price Well, they dress her up in golden crowns His smile hides a lie

She smiles back, but it's a fact That her fear will eat her alive Well, she got the life that she wanted But now all she does is cry

Thanks @onetrainsnowpiercer for getting me into this excellent album! I thought it would be fitting to kick off the playlist with one that could suit the earlier days of Wilford’s relationship with Audrey, like my previous playlist was more focused on.

2. “cardigan” by Taylor Swift

'Cause I knew you Steppin' on the last train Marked me like a bloodstain, I

I knew you Tried to change the ending Peter losing Wendy, I

I knew you Leavin' like a father Running like water, I And when you are young, they assume you know nothing

Did you think I would make a Snowpiercer playlist without Taylor Swift on it? Not a chance. I picture this one being more from Melanie’s perspective, reflecting on possibly having had some kind of ill-fated romance with Wilford when she was young and naive.

3. “No Children” by The Mountain Goats

I hope I cut myself shaving tomorrow I hope it bleeds all day long Our friends say it's darkest before the sun rises We're pretty sure they're all wrong

I hope it stays dark forever I hope the worst isn't over And I hope you blink before I do And I hope I never get sober

The only reason this perennial favourite of mine wasn’t on the first playlist was that I had too many Mountain Goats songs already and wanted to keep things balanced. But this one got all the ones that didn’t make it to the first playlist plus some more I thought about later, so I’m kind of giving up on that balance by now. They just have a lot of great songs about terrible relationships, and I love them all so much.

4. “Gold Guns Girls” by Metric

I remember when we were gambling to win Everybody else said, "Better luck next time." I don't wanna bend like the bad girls bend I just wanna be your friend Is it ever gonna be enough?

This is another one that I can picture being about young Melanie, gradually growing more aware of everything that’s terribly wrong with Wilford and his approach to life, and of how little he cares to try to fix it.

5. “You’ve Haunted Me All My Life” by Death Cab for Cutie

And there's a flaw in my heart's design For I keep trying to make you mine

You've haunted me all my life You've haunted me all my life You are the mistress I can't make a wife And you've haunted me all my life

And this one I can see being Wilford thinking about either one of the women, and his unhealthy attachment to them and inability to keep them around for very long—maybe once he’s finally reunited with them both on some level in season 2, but still can’t fully persuade them both over to his side.

6. “Old College Try” by The Mountain Goats

From the cities to the swamplands From the highways to the hills Our love has never had a leg to stand on From the aspirins to the cross-tops to the Elavils

But I will walk down to the end with you If you will come all the way down with me

Another Mountain Goats classic. If you divorce it from its context of being from a concept album about a horrible marriage, I actually think this song is kind of sweet in the way it describes a couple still committing to try to make things work despite a whole host of problems. But never mind that now, because I’m putting it back in the new context of a whole collection of horrible romantic relationships!

7. “Risk” by Metric

So you're beaten up but you bounce back It’s all part of the pull And the story runs like a soundtrack We repeat 'til we're full Started slow, started late Started strong, then we lost faith Started slow, started to lose control The more we accelerate, the more we accelerate

Half of arranging any playlist I make is just trying to split up the Mountain Goats and Metric songs so that they aren’t always clumped together. Anyway, this one seems especially fitting to me in its imagery of a speeding vehicle of some kind (it’s a train, I’m always picturing a train) alongside its description of a relationship going badly.

8. “Big God” by Florence + The Machine

You know I still like you the most The best of the best and the worst of the worst Well, you can never know The places that I go I still like you the most You'll always be my favourite ghost

I think this one could be any one of the three of them contemplating their complex feelings about the past at some point around season 2.

9. “I Still Do” by The Cranberries

I don't want to leave you Even though I have to I don't want to love you Oh, I still do

There aren’t as many specifics that match the characters going on in the lyrics here, since it’s more of just a general break-up song, but I also really like the creepy way it sounds.

10. “Fault Lines” by The Mountain Goats

But none of the money we spend Seems to do us much good in the end I got a cracked engine block, both of us do

Yeah, the house and the jewels, the Italian racecar They don't make us feel better about who we are I got termites in the framework, so do you

This one feels really fitting for pre-Freeze Wilford, especially the engine imagery!

11. “I Don’t Care” by Fall Out Boy

Say my name and his in the same breath I dare you to say they taste the same Let the leaves fall off in the summer And let December glow in flames

Erase myself and let go Start it over again in Mexico These friends, they don't love you They just love the hotel suites

Another song that is simply a) an absolute jam, and b) generally fitting for my favourite obscenely rich asshole and his terrible relationships

12. “You asked for this” by Halsey

I want my cake on a silver platter I want a fistful in my hands I want a beautiful boy's despondent laughter I wanna ruin all my plans I want a fist around my throat I wanna cry so hard, I choke I want everything I asked for

This one I can picture as Audrey—or maybe Melanie too, but especially Audrey—beginning to regret getting involved with Wilford, but only once she’s in way too deep for leaving to be a safe or easy decision.

13. “my tears ricochet” by Taylor Swift

And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake? Cursing my name, wishing I stayed Look at how my tears ricochet

Much like several other Taylor Swift songs, I just know in my heart that it’s the type of music Wilford listens to in secret, while possibly drunk and definitely singing along very dramatically. This one he dedicates to Melanie once they’ve met up again in season 2.

14. “Speed the Collapse” by Metric

All the way from where we came Built a mansion in a day Distant lightning, thunder claps Watched our neighbor's house collapse Looked the other way

This one has a lot of good apocalyptic imagery that I can imagine scoring Wilford’s life in the last few years before the Freeze, as he makes his plans to save himself and let so many others die.

15. “Ox Baker Triumphant” by The Mountain Goats

I will thank my ride and crawl my way back inside To the guts of the building where my enemies Hide in the dark like roaches And I will signal the camera crew and everyone will do What he's been trained how to do Sweat dripping from my face as my moment approaches

Click your heels, count to three I bet you never expected me A little worse for wear Practically walking on air

I love this song a lot, and listening to it lately makes me imagine Wilford plotting his revenge while on his way to catch up with Snowpiercer before the end of season 1.

16. “Firewood” by Regina Spektor

The piano is not firewood yet But the cold does get cold So it soon might be that I'll take it apart, call up my friends And we'll warm up our hands by the fire

Don't look so shocked Don't judge so harsh You don't know You’re only spying Everyone knows it's going to hurt But at least we'll get hurt trying

This has to be one of my favourite songs of all time. It’s very beautiful, and I love the piano in it. I’ve always personally interpreted it to be at least partially about someone surviving a suicide attempt, and the overall imagery about burning a piano for warmth—and this bit about not judging someone for doing that—reads to me as more of a general statement about the difficult choices people struggling with mental illness and other similar issues have to make to survive. I listened to it recently and I could picture Audrey singing it in the nightcar. I think it suits her well.

17. “Cry for Judas” by The Mountain Goats

But I am just a broken machine And I do things that I don't really mean Long, black night Morning frost I'm still here But all is lost

I think the imagery of this song suits the show a lot in general, but I can also particularly imagine it being Wilford in a rare moment of self-awareness about how much damage he’s caused to the world and the people around him.

18. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” by David Bowie

Time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth You pull on your finger, then another finger, then your cigarette The wall-to-wall is calling, it lingers, then you forget Oh oh, oh, oh, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide

I love Wilford a lot. I don’t want anything bad to happen to him ever. I hope he kills more people, and I hope he gets his train back, and I hope he wins. But if he does eventually die in the show, I hope he’s found in the bathtub with there being some ambiguity about whether he really killed himself or whether one of his victims turned the tables on him, and I hope the climax of this song swells as the camera pans over his dead body. That’s the only Wilford death I will accept, thanks for coming to my TED talk.

19. “Source Decay” by The Mountain Goats

I park in an alley And I read through the postcards you continue to send Where as indirectly as you can, you ask what I remember I like these torture devices from my old best friend Well, I'll tell you what I know, like I swore I always would I don't think it's gonna do you any good I remember the train headed south out of Bangkok Down toward the water

Okay, I promise this is the last Mountain Goats song on the playlist. It’s just—it’s perfect. It has a train in it. And on the podcast “I Only Listen To The Mountain Goats,” John Darnielle commented that there’s barely anywhere you can go south of Bangkok before you hit the water, it’s a train going nowhere, it’s so good. It’s also one of the songs I’ve previously ripped a line off for my fanfiction titles!

20. “Sellers of Flowers” by Regina Spektor

The sellers of flowers Buy up old roses They pull off dead petals Like old heads of lettuce And sell ’em as new ones For cheaper and fairer But they die by the morning So who is the winner? Not the roses Not the buyers Not the sellers Maybe winter

And Regina Spektor closes out the playlist again! This song is another one I picked more on imagery and vibes than anything else. But since it’s about a young child in a world that seems to be moving inexorably toward an all-consuming winter, if it suits any of the characters, maybe it’s an appearance of Alex here at the end!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the playlist!

#snowpiercer #wilford #music #snowpiercer tv

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snarkybluechristian · 5 years

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Hazbin Hotel: Yandere Alastor x Vaggie Chapter 4

Vaggie dashed down the multiple flights of stairs as quietly as she could until she finally reached the bottom and stopped to catch her breath and think.

The Radio Demon’s home was much larger than she thought. Oh, well. On the bright side, that should mean she would have plenty of places to hide…

A bright red light lit up the far end of the hallway indicating the presence of Alastor or one of his minions. Vaggie practically stopped breathing for a moment. She didn’t start breathing again until the light disappeared into another direction. Vaggie didn’t know where it had gone, but she figured she didn’t have time to figure that out.

Vaggie crept quietly off the stairs and opened the door of the first room she saw. After shutting the door with her bound hands, she stopped to look around.

As her eyes started adjusting to the dark, Vaggie realized that she was in a workout room.

Strewn all over the black-matted floor, there was a bunch of really old-fashioned looking workout equipment. There were dumbbells with round weights at the end, a treadmill that was run manually, a rowing machine, and other equipment that Vaggie could only vaguely recognize.

Vaggie didn’t study the equipment too much however. She quickly noticed the sliding glass doors on the other side of the room leading to the outside and made her next move.

Vaggie silently navigated around the equipment. She moved as slowly and quietly as she possibly could avoiding every noise possible. Vaggie even regulated the noise of her breathing.

She did not know the full extent of Alastor’s demonic power. Nobody really did, except those he had deposed and sent to the fiery pit, but Vaggie had a hunch.

Alastor only came back to her room and dished out punishment when she had destroyed one of his radios. A rich kingpin like him could easily replace a broken radio and Vaggie had seen dozens of them in the house during their “tour,” so he didn’t return to lecture her about breaking a prized possession. There was another reason Alastor came back.

Vaggie suspected that reason was that Alastor needed radios for surveillance. Somehow, he used radios as listening devices that were telepathically connected to his ears. He used them to survey his home, and most likely, the rest of hell. That was how Alastor could hear whatever Angel had done and how he likely collected information all over hell. Without them, he was blind, or more accurately, deaf to things happening across a longer distance.

If that was true, Alastor had a few obvious weaknesses. First, as with any security system, Alastor couldn’t possibly catch everything, especially since radios didn’t keep recordings. Second, Alastor couldn’t track what he couldn’t hear, so if a target was silent and fast enough, they could theoretically escape him. No one had succeeded yet, but that didn’t mean Vaggie couldn’t try. Besides, what choice did she have?

Vaggie finally reached the sliding door without facing any signs from Alastor. She unlocked the sliding door, stepped outside, and silently slid it shut. Still no sign of Alastor. Vaggie smiled. It looked like she was right.

That smile quickly disappeared however when she saw the Radio Demon’s large garden. There were dozens of well-tended beds of red poppies with large statues in the center of each one. As she approached one of the beds, Vaggie’s heart skipped a beat. The statues were of demons, and not just any demons, they were all painstakingly-detailed statues of former kingpins. Vaggie couldn’t recognize their faces, but she recognized the names on the little plaques placed by their feet.

For the moth demon, it was more than a little unnerving, but she couldn’t let herself get scared now. Vaggie shook the thoughts out of her head and looked for an exit.

Unfortunately, when Vaggie looked past the statues, she realized that there was a tall iron fence lining the property’s boundary against the outskirts of a thick forest. Vaggie quickly but quietly ran up to the fence under the shadow of the trees where it would be easier to hide and look for an exit on the periphery.

Once she arrived, Vaggie stopped to catch her breath, looked back at the house she had just escaped from, and gasped in awe.

It was the largest house she had ever seen, not counting the Happy Hotel. It was easily five stories and large enough to house every resident in the El Salvador slum where she grew up. The exterior was a red, stone, chateau-esque Gilded Age mansion that somehow looked every bit as menacing as Alastor’s reputation. The red-flowered vines growing on the walls did nothing to soften its threatening exterior. They couldn’t have. The flowers, like the house and the poppies, were the color of blood.

It was nowhere Vaggie wanted to be forced to live. She scoffed at its excess and began walking tentatively under the shadow of the trees next to the iron fence.

Vaggie looked at the fence and guessed that it went up about 20 feet. A demon like Angel could hop over it without too much trouble, but for her, it was too high, especially considering that her wrists were still bound together. She would have to find a gate and pray that she could escape that way instead.

Vaggie began chewing at the knots that held her wrists together and tried her best not to worry about Angel. If she got out of this place at all, it would be because of him and yet there was nothing she could do to help him. That ate at Vaggie’s conscience.

The dumbass got on her nerves and made horribly misguided decisions, but even she couldn’t deny there was good in him. Angel had a reluctant heart of gold when it came to his friends, and even if he claimed he only came to save her to get back at Alastor, Vaggie knew that Angel considered her enough of a friend to stick his neck out for her all the same. She now owed him.

Vaggie stopped chewing the tight knots in frustration. Rosie was very experienced at tying knots. She probably had a kill count as high as Alastor did.

Vaggie hated it. She hated the rope that bound her hands together. She hated that she couldn’t help Angel. She hated Rosie for being a sadistic bitch. She hated Alastor for dragging her there in the first place. She hated that she couldn’t scream out her pain in frustration in case Alastor heard her and came running to retrieve her. She hated all of it and could do nothing but shed angry tears and send God angry prayers for not helping her more quickly.

Then as if an answer to prayer, Vaggie noticed a small stone house the size of a medium-sized shed coming up in the distance. She assumed it was a shed for gardening tools. It had to be.

Vaggie was overjoyed. The shed would have tools to cut her hands free. It could have the keys to the gate there, or at the very least, it was something she could use the rope to climb so she could reach the top of the gate. It didn’t solve every issue, but it solved enough of them to give Vaggie a bit of hope, as long as it wasn’t locked.

Upon closer inspection, the shed was larger and better built than Vaggie thought. It had air conditioning units on the side along with a hose and a few plumbing pipes going into the ground.

That was when Vaggie came to a horrifying realization. It was a slaughterhouse. It had to be. No garden shed was this well-built.

The hand-painted sign above the door seemed to confirm her suspicion. It said, “Sacred Treasure.” Vaggie gagged. Yep. Alastor would pick such a messed-up title. She was in the right place. Oh, well. At least, a slaughterhouse had sharp objects Vaggie could cut her ropes on, again, as long as it wasn’t locked.

Vaggie twisted open the handle, stepped into the dark, windowless building, and shut the door behind her. She felt around the wall with her bound hands until she found the light switch, and when Vaggie flipped it on, her mouth fell wide open.

The building was a slaughterhouse that Alastor had converted into a shrine dedicated to her. Hidden photographs of her covered the walls. Vaggie’s heart sank. The Radio Demon had been stalking her for months without her knowledge and that was not all.

The slaughterhouse table was covered in blankets and pillows that smelled like the perfume she liked to use indicating that Alastor had slept in there. Vaggie gagged as she ran around the table, and found, to her horror, that a detailed statue of her with a display stand holding the spear she used to threaten him on the day they met.

Vaggie was frightened, but she was also angry. Alastor thought he could stalk her, study her like a new animal species, and steal her possessions without her permission. He was going to pay for that, but first, she had to cut her bonds.

Vaggie began cutting her rope on the sharp spear in front of her statue. She smirked in relief as the rope cut through the knots and unraveled on the ground. The rope finally broke apart.

“Yes!” Vaggie cried out in joy as she twisted her wrists around in relief and pulled the black handkerchief free from her neck. “Now to find Charlie…”

“There, you are, my love!” the eerie yet irritating radio host voice said happily from behind her causing Vaggie to freeze fearfully in her tracks. “I was so worried when Rosie told me about that fight you two got in. I wanted to come comfort you sooner, but we couldn’t find you anywhere and I honestly never expected you to get this far. No one ever has. I’m honestly impressed.”

Vaggie just then noticed the radio sitting at the feet of the statue. She screamed out in frustration as she kicked the radio against the wall breaking it instantly.

“Oh, you figured that out, too?!” Alastor exclaimed in surprise. “Oh, Vaggie! You are so smart! I’m falling in love with you more every minute!”

Vaggie angrily grabbed her spear and turned around to point it in the face of the Radio Demon sitting on the edge of the table.

“What happened to the intruder?!” Vaggie yelled pointing the spear in Alastor’s face.

Alastor, of course, wasn’t intimidated in the least but whistled a radio jingle and summoned his familiars. The light went out, the door flew open, and his deer familiars flew in carrying in Angel.

The spider demon had all six of his arms tied horizontally behind his back, and his feet were tied together rendering him completely immobile. He was slightly bruised and coughing very hard, but he still smiled weakly when he saw Vaggie.

“Hey, toots!” Angel said between coughing up blood. “How’s it goin’?”

Vaggie didn’t respond, but her frightened face said more than enough.

Alastor snapped his fingers causing his familiars to throw Angel against the wall making him grunt in pain.

“Argh!” Angel cried out with a condescending smirk. “Is that all ya got? Is that all ya got, Alastor? And, I thought you were going to show me a good time.”

Alastor responded by snapping his fingers and summoning a gag around Angel’s mouth.

“What have you done?!” Vaggie angrily yelled pointing her spear into Alastor’s face.

“Nothing the little bluenose didn’t deserve,” Alastor replied nonchalantly pushing himself onto the floor and leaning his face in front of her.

“Let us go now, you creepy shitlord!” Vaggie yelled before attempting to stab Alastor in the face.

Unfortunately, in one fell swoop, Alastor swiped the spear out of Vaggie’s hands, tossed it back to its stand, put both his hands around Vaggie’s face, and leaned in until their faces were practically touching.

Alastor’s eyes turned yellow as he started singing an old Southern lullaby, “Go to sleep, you little babe. Go to sleep, you little baby. Go to sleep, you little baby. Your mama’s gone away, and your daddy’s gonna stay. Didn’t leave nobody but the baby…”

Something was wrong. Vaggie started losing the feeling in her fingers and toes. She knew it was Alastor’s magic.

Vaggie tried shutting her eyes and squirming her head away from his grip, but Alastor used his thumbs to hold open Vaggie’s eyelids and kept singing, “You’re sweet, little babe. You’re sweet, little babe. Honey in the rock and the sugar don’t stop. Gonna bring a bottle to the baby…”

Angel screamed through his gag. Vaggie lost all the feeling in her limbs until her arms and legs were as stable as spaghetti noodles. She writhed around fruitlessly while fighting the heavy feeling in her eyelids as Alastor sat her down against the wall next to Angel who could only watch.

Suddenly, two cellar doors on the other side of the room that neither Angel nor Vaggie noticed before flung open and Rosie walked up the stairs.

Rosie glanced over at Vaggie coldly and complained, “Awww! It looks like I missed most of the fun. I so wanted to get back at her for burning my face.”

“I know what she did was quite rude,” Alastor said stepping in front of his barely conscious love interest and gesturing towards his other prisoner. “But surely, there’s something I can do to make up for it.”

Rosie suddenly noticed Angel and squealed in joy, “Oh, Alastor! Is that a new playmate? Can I play with him please? He’s so handsome!”

“Of course, you can, but be sure you can satisfy him,” Alastor warned her playfully as Angel suggestively wriggled his eyebrows at her in response. “He’s in demand, and he’s in need of relief if you know what I mean…”

“Oh, of course,” Rosie said attempting to walk past Alastor to pick up her new “toy” before the latter put his staff in front of her.

“But I need you to do something for me first, if that’s alright,” Alastor said.

“Oh, I don’t mind,” Rosie replied. “You are giving me such a cute playmate after all. What do you need?”

Alastor glanced back at his two prisoners and gestured back at Rosie for her to follow him to the other corner of the room where their conversation wouldn’t be heard.

Not that Vaggie could hear them anyway. Her senses were being dulled by the second, and there was nothing she could do.

The mouth demon began shaking fearfully until her right hand faintly felt a squeeze. She twisted her head over to look down and saw one of Angel’s bound hands gripping hers. Vaggie looked up to see Angel’s sympathetic eyes looking into hers in a warm, confident, unbroken stare. She could only stare back to show she understood and smiled tiredly as a few tears fell down her cheek. Angel did the same underneath his gag as he began massaging her paralyzed hand with his fingers.

The moment was broken when Alastor’s foot stomped on Angel’s hand. Vaggie looked up to see Alastor’s angry eyes glare bullets into Angel as he howled painfully into his gag.

Alastor then knelt down to Angel’s eye level, gripped the collar of Angel’s jacket, pulled him in until their faces were almost touching, and whispered threateningly, “If you wish to live, Dust, you will never touch her like that again.”

Alastor then picked Angel up and threw him over his shoulder easily as if he were a towel. Before Vaggie knew what was happening, Rosie did the same thing to her.

“Rosie, not so rough,” Alastor protested placing his arm on Angel’s back to stabilize him. “If that is how you’re going to treat my future wife, I might have to rethink your present.”

“My apologies, Alastor,” Rosie said readjusting Vaggie so that she was being carried bridal style. “I’ll try to be more careful. Please don’t give my new toy away.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Alastor said merrily stepping onto the first stair going into his basement. “I’ll see you two later.”

Without another word, Alastor began stepping down his stairs while Angel stared back at Vaggie as reassuringly as he possibly could until they were out of sight. Vaggie stared back until her eyelids finally slid shut as Rosie gently carried her back towards the house.

#alastor hazbin hotel #hazbinhotelvaggie #hazbin angel dust #hazbin hotel

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toldnews-blog · 5 years

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New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/travel/discover-greeces-amalfi-coast/

Discover Greece's Amalfi coast

(CNN) — From colorful Parga and the stunning beaches of Sivota to the low-key port of Preveza, the Epirotic coast is dazzling.

Characterized as the Greek Amalfi Coast, though with its own allure, this endless coastline dotted with seaside villages, dreamy beaches, mountain villages, archaeological sites and amazing landscapes is still widely undiscovered.

It’s a real gem in Greece, with a charm of its own.

Here are the best places to visit when you travel here:

Parga

Parga is a colorful old town hugging the mainland but with an island feel.

Giota Siomou Besta

This quaint seaside town, with the colorful houses built like an amphitheater on a hill leading up to a Venetian castle, serves as the perfect base to explore the area.

Although on the mainland, the atmosphere feels like an island, with its compact center and lovely corners crowned by bougainvillea flowers and the surrounding hills full of olive groves.

Buzzing with life, Parga offers mesmerizing views of the Ionian Sea. Kryoneri beach is right in front of the town, while numerous restaurants, cafes and bars line the promenade and continue on the road leading up to the castle.

Panagia (Virgin Mary), the islet facing Parga with its whitewashed chapel, is one of Greece’s most photographed locations and is featured in tourism campaign posters by the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT), and book covers (Paul Theroux’s “Pillars of Hercules”), as well as a dreamy setting for weddings.

“The islet is also part of a local, urban legend,” says Sergio Tsitakis, co-owner and director of Villa Rossa Boutique Beach Resort, the historic red mansion with a prime location right on Kryoneri beach. (Villa Rossa, Agiou Athanasiou 4, 48060 Parga, Greece; +30 2684031237)

Word has it that shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, who bought the Ionian islet of Skorpios in 1968, had first expressed interest in buying this one. Today, during summer you can hop on a day trip from Parga and swim near the legendary island of Skorpios and others.

Villa Rossa offers luxury lodging at the end of Kryoneri beach.

Villa Rossa

In the morning, you can grab a crunchy oven-baked pargino koulouri, a traditional cinnamon-flavored bread ring, from the Green Bakery and stroll along Parga’s promenade and quaint alleys. (Green Bakery, 40 Sp Livada St., Parga; +30 26840 31400).

For sunset, you can head towards the Venetian castle on top of the hill. From up here, as you recharge over a drink at its café and take in the spectacular views, you’ll soon forget about the steep climb.

Back in town, the olive oil factory Paragaea is worth a visit. Visitors can learn how olive oil production is linked with the local culture and participate in an olive oil tasting. (Paragaea, K. Tzavella 19, Parga 480 60, Greece; +30 2684 032889)

Near the castle, the Pargas Distillery Amicos Cocktail Bar serves its own ouzo, liqueurs and cocktails with mezze platters in a pleasant setting. (Pargas Distillery, Tourkopazaro, Parga 48060; +30 694 700 9151)

August 15 marks a double celebration for Parga — not only is this the day of a big Greek religious celebration marking the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, it’s also when locals celebrate their return to their homeland from Corfu in 1913. Almost a century earlier, the townspeople had fled after Parga was sold by the British to Ali Pasha, the Turkish ruler of Ioannina.

There are plentiful delights hugging the hills around Parga harbor.

Giota Siomou Besta

On this day fishing boats decorated with lights sail towards the port, fireworks splash the sky and a massive street party with bands goes on until the early hours.

Further afield visitors can sample a day excursion to the islands of Antipaxos and Paxos, with its scenic port of Gaios.

On Antipaxos, the out-of-this-world water of Voutoumi beach is one of the highlights.

Archaeological sites such as the Nekromanteion temple (the Oracle of the Dead), dedicated to the ancient Greek gods Persephone and Hades, are another.

Activities in nature abound as well. Into The Wild offers tempting daily excursions for mountain biking, hiking, stand-up paddle boarding, and sea and river kayaking. Surfing is also gaining popularity here.

Best beaches:

The water is iridescent at Voutoumi beach on the island of Antipaxos.

Rania Margari

Close to Parga, the popular beach of Valtos, the lovely gulf of Lichnos and the tiny cove of Sarakiniko are all great options.

Where to eat:

Villa Rossa’s farm-to-table restaurant serves a seasonal menu based on locally sourced, top-quality ingredients featuring fish and seafood such as shrimps from Preveza or beef fillet with fresh Greek truffle from the Pindus mountains.

The chef, Theo Karathanassis, is known as the “saffron chef” because he uses saffron in many of his signature dishes such as his seafood risotto.

Aegis Dine & Drink, Paragaea’s restaurant, serves modern Greek and Mediterranean cuisine at a great location overlooking the sea. (Aegis Dine & Drink, Parga 48060, Greece; +30 693 724 1479)

Where to stay:

Villa Rossa offers fine dining overlooking the beautiful Parga bay.

Villa Rossa

Villa Rossa Boutique Beach Resort is a historic mansion with a great location on Parga’s main beach. (Villa Rossa Boutique Beach Resort, Agiou Athanasiou 4, 48060 Parga; +30 26840 31237)

Sivota

Sivota is a charming fishing village with access to plentiful beaches and hidden bays.

Rania Margari

About 30 kilometers northwest of Parga, Sivota is a small fishing village with a pleasant promenade, tiny center and grandiose setting.

Snuggled in green, with some of the most stunning beaches of the area and islets which create little fjords, this is the perfect place to hop on a boat and explore dreamy places such as Pisina beach or to experience a sunset cruise.

To feel the soul of this place it’s good to wake up early and watch the fishermen untangle the catch from their fishing nets and maybe buy lunch from them.

On the way from Parga to Sivota, a climb up to the village of Perdika rewards with unhindered views of the area. There are also many taverns offering simple Greek dishes.

Best beaches:

Zavia is one of the best beaches in the Sivota region.

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One of the most exotic beaches is Bella Vraka, reached by walking through shallow water — unusual and fun.

Megali Ammos has taverns right by the beach, while a glamorous beach bar offering super comfortable sunbeds dominates Mikri Ammos. Agia Paraskevi has a tiny island, which can be reached by swimming.

Karavostasi is a long and broad beach with superb blue waters and a traditional family tavern, Skala Karavostasi, serving cold beer, simple food and a stunning seaside view on the far end of the beach.

Where to eat:

Filakas Hotel restaurant (Sivota 46100 Greece; +30 26650 93345) for fish served at the seaside tables with great sunset views.

Melenio (Sívota, +30 2665 093662) is the place to go for ice cream, friendly service and cute outdoor seating.

Taverna “Oasis” in Agia village serves up traditional, hearty Greek food and great mountain views.

Where to stay:

Hotel Oriana (Sivota Thesprotia, Greece 46100; +30 26650 93520) is centrally located and also has recently renovated apartments with small kitchenettes.

Preveza

Preveza town offers a wealth of atmospheric dining options.

Ideal for a day trip, Preveza has a peaceful vibe, a laid-back seafront promenade and cute little corners in its city center to discover while walking. Here, the modern archaeological museum of Nikopolis and the archaeological site of ancient Nikopolis are major highlights.

During summer, Preveza Jazz Festival and the more traditional Sardines Festival (in August) draw the crowds.

Best beaches:

In the Preveza area, the deep-watered Monolithi and Kanali both stretch for miles offering numerous beach bars along the coast. The area is vast so if you prefer to hear only the sound of the waves and the feet tapping on the sand, it is possible.

Alonaki, with its grandiose rocky setting, is an experience of its own, while Ormos tou Odyssea cove has golden, fine sand and shallow waters.

Ormos tou Odyssea is a beach highlight near Preveza.

Rania Margari

Where to eat:

Downtown — Amvrosios for fresh fish and Psatha for traditional Greek recipes.

Kanali beach — Miriounis restaurant for tasty, simple food coupled with impressive sea views and sunsets or Sesa Boutique hotel’s restaurant for gourmet dining.

Agios Thomas — “To Ntaliani” and “Jimmy’s” for fresh fish.

Where to stay:

The Captain’s House (4-6 Karyotaki str. 481 00 Preveza Epirus, Greece; +30 2682023915) is a boutique hotel-guesthouse in a traditional mansion.

Daluz Boutique Hotel (Doridos 2, Preveza 481 00, Greece; +30 2682089220) are family-friendly apartments in the Psathaki area.

Sesa (Kanali Beach, Preveza 481 00, Greece; +30 26820 527070) is a luxury boutique hotel at Kanali beach.

Sailing

While Greek island hopping might be linked with the Cyclades islands, the Ionian Sea, with its calmer weather conditions and numerous sheltered harbors, is better for inexperienced sailors.

EY Sailing is one of the new breed of Greek sailing holiday companies offering thematic trips in the area which include visiting archaeological sites such as the Nekromanteion temple, kayaking in the River Aheron, tasting the local gastronomy in Preveza, exploring the idyllic islets of Sivota and also the nearby islands of Paxoi, Antipaxoi and Corfu, hiking, freediving and sailing.

Yachts can be chartered on a bareboat or skippered basis from Corfu, Lefkada and Preveza, all of which offer good marina facilities. Incrediblue, considered an Airbnb for boats, has many options.

Rania Margari is a travel, food and lifestyle freelance writer and journalist based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Follow her adventures at www.mygreektravellingspoon.com

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