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moodsandtenses · 9 days

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Dracula's Guest: in which a business trip gets off to a rough start

Welcome back to Dracula Daily season! If you want to kick things off a little early this year, why not treat yourself to a read-through of Dracula’s Guest? Originally a cut first chapter of the novel and later published as a separate short story, it takes place today on April 30, also known as Walpurgis Nacht. The whole thing’s available here, thanks to Project Gutenberg.

Some further discussion of this absolute wild ride of a not-quite-canon side trip below:

Dracula’s patented “when in doubt, address the problem with Wolves” strategy gets off to an early start

We join Dracula’s guest - unnamed in the story, but pretty obviously Rough Draft Jonathan Harker - in Munich, on the first leg of his business trip to Transylvania. If this had been part of the finished book, it would have really front-loaded the tension, giving Jonathan a whole Vampire Sidequest to get involved in before he even gets to Transylvania. A few fun facts worth noting here:

The Dracula Daily community has done a lot to rehabilitate Jonathan Harker’s reputation, restoring his place as a courageous, resourceful vampire hunter and countering the pop-culture image of him as a clueless naif that’s persisted since the early film adaptations. Rough Draft Jonathan, meanwhile…well, he really is a whole lot more Like That. The whole first chunk of “Dracula’s Guest” mostly consists of him cheerfully ignoring a SPECTACULAR parade of red flags:

Whereupon he burst out into a long story in German and English, so mixed up that I could not quite understand exactly what he said, but roughly I gathered that long ago, hundreds of years, men had died there and been buried in their graves; and sounds were heard under the clay, and when the graves were opened, men and women were found rosy with life, and their mouths red with blood. And so, in haste to save their lives (aye, and their souls!—and here he crossed himself) those who were left fled away to other places, where the living lived, and the dead were dead and not—not something. He was evidently afraid to speak the last words. As he proceeded with his narration, he grew more and more excited. It seemed as if his imagination had got hold of him, and he ended in a perfect paroxysm of fear—white-faced, perspiring, trembling and looking round him, as if expecting that some dreadful presence would manifest itself there in the bright sunshine on the open plain. Finally, in an agony of desperation, he cried: “Walpurgis nacht!” and pointed to the carriage for me to get in. All my English blood rose at this, and, standing back, I said: “You are afraid, Johann—you are afraid. Go home; I shall return alone; the walk will do me good.” The carriage door was open. I took from the seat my oak walking-stick—which I always carry on my holiday excursions—and closed the door, pointing back to Munich, and said, “Go home, Johann—Walpurgis-nacht doesn’t concern Englishmen.”

Abandoned village plagued by rumors of the Un-Dead? Carriage driver crossing himself repeatedly and refusing to go near the place? Even the horses are panicking and trying to get away? Sounds like a lovely place for an afternoon stroll! Sorry, I’m simply too English for foreshadowing.

(Maybe this is just what comes of being engaged to Mina Murray, goth girl extraordinaire, who will later display the same “when in doubt, make a beeline for the creepiest local ghost stories” approach to vacation planning in Whitby.)

The inscription on the tomb of the vampire that Jonathan 1.0 encounters - who might or might not be one of the Brides of Dracula - identifies her as “COUNTESS DOLINGEN OF GRATZ, IN STYRIA.” Styria is, of course, the setting of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s 1872 vampire novel Carmilla, suggesting a direct connection between the two stories that didn't make it into the final novel.

The tomb is also inscribed with a Russian translation of “The Dead Travel Fast,” the same line from the German gothic ballad Lenore that will later get quoted at Jonathan on his first encounter with Dracula himself. He just cannot get away from that quote (and the gothic heroine narrative parallels inherent therein).

Jonathan is saved from his nearly-fatal encounter with Countess Dolingen by a very familiar wolf, before being rescued by a search party of soldiers (who are understandably pretty freaked out about the whole affair). The maître d’ of his hotel later reveals to him that he knew to send out a search party thanks to a quietly hilarious telegram from Dracula himself, who’s evidently decided to take proactive steps to protect his guest/investment/snack for later:

Bistritz. Be careful of my guest—his safety is most precious to me. Should aught happen to him, or if he be missed, spare nothing to find him and ensure his safety. He is English and therefore adventurous. There are often dangers from snow and wolves and night. Lose not a moment if you suspect harm to him. I answer your zeal with my fortune.—Dracula.

The whole story is obviously Not Canon as far as Dracula proper is concerned - and in particular, the more oblivious narrator here is a pretty far cry from the Jonathan we've all come to know and love over the past several time loops. But all the same, it's a fascinating look at what could have been, and furnishes some intriguing ingredients for Dracula-adjacent storytelling (thanks to that Carmilla connection in particular). And it is pretty funny to imagine Jonathan going through All That and then just cheerfully getting back to travel-blogging his trip for Mina like absolutely nothing happened. All like, “Well, that was terrifying! Anyway.”

#Dracula #Dracula Daily #meta #adventures in not-quite-canon

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kyanitedragon · 1 year

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c-c-cherry · 4 years

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I simply must ask... could you spare some spooky Halloween headcanons? I know it’s not quite Halloween yet but I’d love to see your spin on a jojo Halloween!

Oho....hohoho...you have no idea what kind of a beast you’ve awakened in me...

Halloween is arguably the best holiday ever because free candy, costumes, and the weather is fucking PERFECT. (also idk what’s up with the rest of y’all but Canadian thanksgiving is in the middle of October so I’m still riding the high of good thanksgiving food by the time its Halloween (AND I’m half-American so we celebrate it in November too hehehe)

But long story short I love spooky season (and autumn in general) with a burning passion and I am SO willing to go hard on jjba spooky headcanons

Thanks again to @jjadegreen for alway being my best headcanon bud!!

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Part One:

-For the sake of this, I’m making them like 13 or something, like maybe not even a year after they met

-In 19th century England, it was actually pretty typical for them to have a bonfire on Halloween!!

-Halloween costumes were popularized a few centuries ago in France so you bet our phantom blood buds were wearing costumes and shit :)

-I doubt the rich participated in such “unruly” stuff like lighting shit on fire and bearing torches and whatever (but you never know)

-Like George probably spoiled Jonathan with candy as a kid and let him dress up with his school friends and that was it lol

-Dio though OH MY GOD-

-You know based on where he grew up that all that wild shit definitely happened

-He can’t say that he misses living like that, but there’s some kind of weird nostalgia that comes with it

-...which is why Jonathan is really confused when he catches Dio sneaking out of the mansion in the middle of the night

-Begrudgingly, he tells Jojo his plan and this boy’s eyes LIGHT UP

-Instead of being a “stupid, crybaby, tattletale,” as Dio puts it, Jojo is like,,,super hyped

-“Oh! I have an idea! Why don’t we sneak out in costumes so no-one knows it’s us??”

-The sheets on their beds may have two holes in them now, but it's worth it

-They hijack a horse or some shit and skeet over to a giant bonfire

-Dio thinks it's gonna be a drag since Jonathan is there to watch his every move, but it's actually,,,really fun

-As a kid who’s barely ever left his sheltered property, Jonathan is having the time of his life and Dio never thought he would be happy to see Jonathan so happy

-It ends with the two of them sitting by the river, absolutely exhausted from the rush and Jonathan pulls out this bag of shit from his pocket and is like

-“It’s candy!! :D”

-Dio could never really afford things like sweets on Halloween growing up so he’s a bit touchy about it but OH MY GOD that shit is GOOD

-Probably one of the only times where they actually bond properly

-BUT IF THIS IS MY POCKET DIMENSION THEN I CAN SAY THAT THEY BECOME FRIENDS >:)

Part Two:

-I’m just gonna start out with the fact that Joseph is fucking OBSESSED with candy. You know those kids you knew growing up that loved it more than anything on this goddamn earth? *cough cough @jjadegreen*

-That is Joseph

-And now that he consumes that type of shit with the power of mastered Hamon at his fingertips,,,holy shit man,,,it's like a child’s sugar rush but 100x worse

-Caeasr is put in charge of Jojo to make sure he doesn’t do anything idiotic *which he definitely will trust me*

-The MOMENT he goes to the bathroom, Suzi pops in like “JOJO!!!! :) Let's go trick or treating!!!”

-He can’t say no to that, bro,,,he and Suzi are tight ;-;

-While Lisa Lisa is out to meet Speedwagon and Erina and bring them back over to where everyone else is, Joseph sneaks out with Suzi and the two of them dash off into the streets of New York

Caesar: *steps out of bathroom*

“Jojo, what the hell do you and Suzi want for dinner?”

*silence*

“...Jojo?”

*Hears the screams of of children in the distance*

“JOJO, NO—”

-So turns out Joseph’s way of trick-or-treating at such an old age is just terrorizing young children and ransacking them for candy

-Suzi Q is just totally unphased by how awful this is and just thinks its the funniest shit

-Caesar is running out into the streets of New York like ???? and spots Joseph being himself and he could probably just pretend he doesn’t know them

-But,,,Joseph may be an idiot but he’s his idiot and Suzi Q is his bimbo best friend so he goes out to drag them back home

-Erina, Lisa Lisa, and Speedwagon are already home by the time they get back and Caesar sits Joseph down and chews him out in front of everyone

-Erina is super pissed and lectures him about “Joestar values” or whatever and tells a really embarrassing story about how a kid took his candy once when he was little and he cried about it for DAYS

-Caesar is still really angry about it so he replaces all of Joseph’s gummies with sugar free ones (you goddamn know the ones I’m talking about) but he didn’t know Joseph WOULD EAT THEM ALL AT ONCE

-He is so fucking sick on November 1st

-Also off-topic but Lisa Lisa gives out dental floss or some shit on halloween

Part Three:

-Honestly all Jotaro wants to do is buy candy for himself, hole himself up in his room like he always does, and just munch and watch shitty horror movies

-But of course he has actual friends now

-Kakyoin tackles him before he can get his ass upstairs and suggests that they go out and trick-or-treat

-To which Jotaro thinks is a joke and laughs because he’s not only 17, but also 6’5” but Kak’s face looks dead serious

-Kakyoin goes on this long, detailed ramble about how he meticulously made the best Halloween route for them to get the best candy

-Now THIS is when Polnareff abandons whatever he and Avdol are doing to join in on the stupid plan they have

-When Kakyoin comes back with a handful of white sheets, they already know what he’s thinking and its brilliant

Kakyoin’s 5-step, foolproof Halloween plan:

Step one: It’s already established that stands can hold non-stand items (like when Star Plat whipped Iggy across the desert) so what’s stopping them from being able to have sheets over their heads?

Step two: They faze a bit of their stands into the ground so that they at least resemble the height of children (plus non-stand users can’t see anything besides the sheets so it's perfect)

Step three: Polnareff pretends to be the father of these shy children who can’t speak (he looks the oldest) while Jotaro and Kakyoin hide nearby so their stands don’t de-summon

Step four: Hit up every good house in the neighbourhood

Step Five: Candy.

(Kak used to put a sheet over hierophant all the time as a kid and always got twice the amount of candy each year)

-It actually works pretty well, aside from the fact that Star would sometimes scream “ORA” in a really deep, manly, not seven years old at all voice whenever the people at the door would try to speak with him or make him say ‘trick-or-treat’

-They finally reach the richest house in the neighbourhood, where the snootiest lady lives (but she has a shit ton of candy leftover every year since no one goes there)

-Once the stands knock on the door, she starts saying stuff like “ohh, let me see your faces so I make sure you aren’t too old for this” and ducks under to look at the sheets…

-...Only to find that there’s literally nothing there

-She looks up at Polnareff like 👁👄👁 and Kakyoin seems to get the message because one of hierophant’s tentacles grabs her ankle and she SCREAMS and throws her entire candy stash at them, slamming the door behind her

-Half of them are full-sizes chocolate bars. Candy acquired.

-When they get back, Joseph is so fucking angry that they didn’t invite him out for Halloween shenanigans >:(

-Avdol and Holy have a very nice chat, meanwhile. They answer the door while everyone's gone and are so sweet to the kids about their costumes :)

-Also Avdol is 100% the kind of person to bake pumpkin seeds and season them and shit

-Kakyoin sorts all his candy and puts it on a spreadsheet and also make a pie chart just like he does every year

-T’was a very successful halloween

Part Five:

-Giorno is probably short enough to go out if he really wanted to

-But he has maturity issues and there would be no way in hell that the Bucci Gang would catch him going out in a costume and begging for candy

-So as soon as all the daily tasks and shit are met Giorno locks himself in his room

-He honestly wants some candy and to watch spooky movies with the gang but he just feels like an outsider to all of that stuff since he never did it

-So Bruno slips a thing of dracula-themed chocolate pudding under his door and leaves him be :)

-Narancia and Mista DO go out, however

-Not only do they go out and steal shit, but they also go and hit up houses for candy just for the fun of it

-The moment the clock strikes 6 Trish is OUT of there

-Girl is hitting up as many parties as she possibly can and eventually meets up with Nara and Mista at some shitty Halloween party and end up just buying really shitty beer and going to the graveyard or something

-Fugo wants none of that shit

-He’s perfectly content sitting with the black cat that Giorno made him and watching shitty reruns of whatever’s on

-Bruno takes out his tacky Halloween apron that definitely looks something like this

-Fugo helps him make all this really good spooky-themed dessert shit and helps him sort the candy in the nut and nut-free bowls :))) (because Bruno really goes and does that)

-Abbacchio seems like the kind of person who would go really fucking hard with Halloween decorations

-Like, no explanation why, he just loves it and everyone knows not to get in his way

-The moment October 1st comes around, this man is in his ELEMENT. He’s READY.

-It’s the one month where he looks anywhere near normal compared to other people and man is ready to rock that shit

-Later that night they go to check on Giorno and find him asleep surrounded by bags of candy

-Turns out he snuck out and had a good time after all :’)

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You’re wondering why I skipped part 4, right? ↓ ↓

I’m sorry to disappoint y’all, but I don’t think I’m gonna be doing much for Whumptober this year! (I’m just shit at monthly challenges in general lmao) but I think y’all need a breather from all this giant dump of whumpy stuff coming this month, so I, your dear friend Cherry, have decided to write fics throughout the month that I dub SOFT HALLOWEEN :D (with uhhh a side of whump and hurt/comfort and all that shit because I can’t help myself)

It’s gonna vary (hopefully from parts 1-5)! I didn’t add any part four headcanons in here because Jade and I are literally writing part 4 shenanigans first and we didn’t wanna spoil anything :)

SPEAKING OF SPOILERS here’s a horrifying, blurry, teaser picture that’s only gonna make sense once you read the fic:

Isn’t it beautiful?

Hope you enjoyed these!! Tell me what you want the Jojos to do on Halloween!

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Ok so apparently its not normal to sort your candy by type, count it all out and then put it into a spreadsheet which then gets made into a graph? Because I did that. EVERY. FUCKING. YEAR. Ask Jade. She was there every goddamn time. Please I’m begging you someone else tell me you did shit like this I need to know

#jjba #jjba headcanons #halloween #halloween headcanons #jojos's bizarre adventure #phantom blood #battle tendency #jojo's bizzare adventure golden wind #vento aureo #stardust crusaders #jonathan joestar #ask-c-c-cherry #joseph joestar #jotaro kujo #giorno giovanna #spooky month #:)

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enacclimatechangethings · 4 years

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Mathieu 18/03

I am no expert to argue on what to do to reduce your carbon footprint. I am just a random citizen who struggles the best he can to change its surroundings. When it comes to climate change issues, I am too pragmatic and scientific to ignore the true reality. For a few decades, global warming is skyrocketing, and we are slowly sleepwalking into an unsustainable world. To rein in gas emissions and to slow down the pace, I use some tips that I’m going to explain in this document.

The first tip, and without any doubt the most important, is to stay humble and to listen to the others. Everyone has a different approach with climate change, and has something to learn. The best way to improve our relation to climate change is to consider every idea, and to analyze it using actual science and figures. Only then, one has to figure out if it is a change for the better or for the worse. Please remember some undeniable basic rules :

The argument of the majority is not an argument. It is not because a huge part of the population (or even the whole population) does “something”, that this “something” is legit. The number of partisans should never be a norm, not even a tiny one.

The argument of the duration is not a valid one. An idea is not more reliable or efficient because we do it for a long time. You should never take the time factor into account when it comes to assessing an idea.

The following part will cast a light on a huge number of tips you can adopt in your daily life. As my knowledge on this issue is limited, I will only argue and feedback the ones I uses daily.

Let’s begin with an obvious one, do not use your car when you can take your bike instead. It saves gas and means fewer cars on the road—which means less carbon emissions. Plus, it’ll keep you in a good health and your wallet happy! Moreover, you’ll end up being more punctual than before, the bike rides do not depend on traffic jam and can use special roads. You are not too far from your job to use your bike, I live 12km from ENAC and I go there by bike each morning, each evenings, for 2 years. I walk to the mall and I just need a case to put in my purchases, I don’t need a car, I save the planet.

Try not to eat meat. The figures put forward by the scientists are scattered. 1kg of meat needs between 50L and 15000L of water. The most trustworthy company reports that 1kg of meat uses 700L of tap water. Even more, the fields to raise meat animals are created by cutting down wild forest. Around 90% of all the fields are targeted to raise animals and animal hay. This is the major cause of deforestation. Eating meat is one of the main cause for concern. If you don’t think you can become vegetarian, try first to reduce your daily dose of meat. Believe me, being vegetarian is not sounding the death knell of your tastes! You just need to relearn how to cook, and of course to be more attentive on what you eat, regarding the vitamins you need to have, and the defieciencies you need to dodge.

Unplug everything before leaving your room. A lot of appliances, (un)affectionately called “vampire appliances,” use up electricity even when they’re switched off. Set top boxes(like Google TV and Apple TV) are the worst culprits, but DVD players, modems, and computers also act like little Draculas, sucking up power even when they’re meant to be “dead”. Taking a wooden stake to your appliances is one solution, but the cheapest might be to invest in a power strip and turn it off every time appliances aren’t in use—or just go the manual route and pull the plug.

Dry your clothes in the air. If you have a clothes dryer, there’s a good chance it uses more energy than anything else in your home. Grab a clothes rack, set up a clothes line outside, or just hang wet laundry on clothes hangers around the house. Hang them high and they’ll be dry in a day or two—without spiking the electricity bill. Moreover, if you’re as broke as me and don’t have room for a drycleaner, this could be your lazy chance to rein in gas emissions while sparing money!

Go paperless. Switching to paperless billing lowers the odds of losing bills in the mail and getting the electricity cut off right before your movie marathon. Plus, many billers offer a discount for doing so because it saves them money on stamps and printings, it also cuts down on paper, which cuts down on tree deaths (and don’t you know that trees are hugely helpful in combatting climate change?). I can be also when attending a course at ENAC. Many a teacher give paper sheets with small interest, when the lecture is done, reuse them to write on the blank part for other courses. I helps both reducing your carbon footprint and your savings.

Opt for reusable water bottles. Here’s a secret a lot of people don’t seem to know: Tap water is drinkable. Keeping a nice, BPA-free water bottle in your bag is an insanely simple way to save the cost of a three-dollar bottle of water—the same cost of 300L of water out of the tap at home. Bottled water is incredibly wasteful on so many levels: An estimated 80 percent of them don’t get recycled and, because of the plastic production process, it takes three times the amount of water in a water bottle to produce just one! Instead, you could bring your own Chilly’s (the brand I use) and fill the same eco-friendly bottle again and again. And last but not least, you’ll end up bringing a custom bottle with amazing drawings (or not) on it, and no longer a transparent one that crackles every time you touch it!

Use solid soap instead of liquid one. I don’t have much to say about it, it’s a win-win both the planet and for you. You will spend less money buying it, and solid soaps need less fossil energies and plastic to arrive under your shower.

Recycle your waste. Trash that is thrown away and not recycled will end up either in a landfill, or incinerated, or will hurt the environment in some other way. The more waste that gets recycled, the less damage is done to the environment. Between about 2/3 and 3/4 of household waste is currently recyclable. The more people who get involved recycling, the more resources can be made available for recycling and the more pressure can be put on manufacturers and stores to use renewable materials. All it will cost you is a small amount of time, sorting your waste into the basic categories and washing out cans and bottles and maybe a minimal amount of fuel for the transport of your recycling boxes and bags to be recycled. In my case the trash recycler stands just in front of my building, sorting my waste is even mandatory and no one reports it is a bitter pill.

Use Ecosia instead of Google. Google is one of the biggest polluters in the world. Ecosia provides mainly the same information, but uses only renewable energies to supply its servers. Moreover, Ecosia spends all its revenue planting trees around the world, and fighting climate change. It’s one of the most lazy way to battle global warming while not changing our habits!

To reduce deforestation, we need to jeopardize paper ads. One simple way to do it is to put an “no ads” sticker on your mailbox. Admit it, you never read what you get anyway!

What you just read is my daily routine. Believe me, it’s not that complicated are constraintful. I am not bearing the brunt of my eco-friendly activities, and I am hardly conviced that those will become mainstream in the following decades. Especially in this context, we all understand that putting off is no longer an option and we are going to reach breaking point. We need to think outside the box and to bring solutions to battle global warming. Let’s join the fight and you’ll see that the our quest for saving the Earth is unquenchable!

#sorry

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notimetoblog · 5 years

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Thank you all so much for joining the World Book Day celebration! It was a pleasure getting to hear about your favorite books! I am a fervent believer that reading is so powerful. It expands your minds, takes you to places you had never even imagined, and can teach you so much about the world and ourselves.

I have compiled the list (in alphabetical order by title) of all the books that were recommended during this celebration. Each book links to the original recommendation, states the genre of the book, and has a brief synopsis of the book :D

If you would like to recommend more PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DO SO!! We could always use more books in our lives!! Thank you all again and I hope you’re able to read some books on the list that you haven't read before!

BOOK RECS

A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas

Recommended by @wintersxsoul here

Genre: Young Adult / Romance / Fantasy

Synopsis: Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price.

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Recommended by @just-add-butter here

Genre: Fiction / Adventure / Classics

Synopsis: One ill-fated evening at the Reform Club, Phileas Fogg rashly bets his companions £20,000 that he can travel around the entire globe in just eighty days - and he is determined not to lose. Breaking the well-establised routine of his daily life, the reserved Englishman immediately sets off for Dover, accompanied by his hot-blooded French manservant Passepartout. Travelling by train, steamship, sailing boat, sledge and even elephant, they must overcome storms, kidnappings, natural disasters, Sioux attacks and the dogged Inspector Fix of Scotland Yard - who believes that Fogg has robbed the Bank of England - to win the extraordinary wager.

Burn for Burn Series by Jenny Han

Recommended by @marvelsangel here

Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal / Young Adult

Synopsis (of first book): Postcard-perfect Jar Island is home to charming tourist shops, pristine beaches, amazing oceanfront homes—and three girls secretly plotting revenge.KAT is sick and tired of being bullied by her former best friend.LILLIA has always looked out for her little sister, so when she discovers that one of her guy friends has been secretly hooking up with her, she’s going to put a stop to it.MARY is perpetually haunted by a traumatic event from years past, and the boy who’s responsible has yet to get what’s coming to him.None of the girls can act on their revenge fantasies alone without being suspected. But together…anything is possible. With an alliance in place, there will be no more “I wish I’d said…” or “If I could go back and do things differently...” These girls will show Jar Island that revenge is a dish best enjoyed together.

Code Name Verity By Elizabeth Wein

Recommended by @notimetoblog here

Genre: Historical Fiction / Young Adult

Synopsis: Oct. 11th, 1943 - A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun. When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution. As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage and failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?

Coming of Age in Mississippi: The Classic Autobiography of a Young Black Girl in the Rural South by Anne Moody

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Memoir / History / Nonfiction

Synopsis: Born to a poor couple who were tenant farmers on a plantation in Mississippi, Anne Moody lived through some of the most dangerous days of the pre-civil rights era in the South. The week before she began high school came the news of Emmet Till's lynching. Before then, she had "known the fear of hunger, hell, and the Devil. But now there was...the fear of being killed just because I was black." In that moment was born the passion for freedom and justice that would change her life.

Crazy Rich Asians Series by Kevin Kwan

Recommended by @marvelsangel here

Genre: Fiction / Romance

Synopsis (of first book): the outrageously funny debut novel about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families and the gossip, backbiting, and scheming that occurs when the heir to one of the most massive fortunes in Asia brings home his ABC (American-born Chinese) girlfriend to the wedding of the season.When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn't know is that Nick's family home happens to look like a palace, that she'll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia's most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back.

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

Recommended by @just-add-butter here

Genre: Romance / Fantasy

Synopsis: It begins in a cold and shabby tower room, where young Countess Meliara swears to her dying father that she and her brother will defend their people from the growing greed of the king. That promise leads them into a war for which they are ill prepared, a war that threatens the homes and lives of the very people they are trying to protect. But war is simple compared to what follows, when the bloody fighting is done and a fragile peace is at hand. Although she wants to turn her back on politics and the crown, Meliara is summoned to the royal palace. There, she soon discovers, friends and enemies look alike, and intrigue fills the dance halls and the drawing rooms. If she is to survive, Meliara must learn a whole new way of fighting--with wit and words and secret alliances. In war, at least, she knew whom she could trust. Now she can trust no one.

Deadline by Chris Crutcher

Recommended by @rosegoldlilacs here

Genre: Fiction / Young Adult

Synopsis: Ben Wolf has big things planned for his senior year. Had big things planned. Now what he has is some very bad news and only one year left to make his mark on the world.How can a pint-sized, smart-ass seventeen-year-old do anything significant in the nowheresville of Trout, Idaho?

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Recommended by @wintersxsoul here

Genre: Classics / Fiction / Fantasy

Synopsis: Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to move from Transylvania to England so he may find new blood and spread undead curse, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Recommended by @softhairbarnes here

Genre: Fiction / Mystery / Thriller

Synopsis: On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

Harry Potter Saga by J.K Rowling

Recommended by @agentpegcxrter here / First book recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult

Synopsis (of first book): Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Recommended by @notimetoblog here

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis: Two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, are born into different villages in eighteenth-century Ghana. Effia is married off to an Englishman and lives in comfort in the palatial rooms of Cape Coast Castle. Unbeknownst to Effia, her sister, Esi, is imprisoned beneath her in the castle's dungeons, sold with thousands of others into the Gold Coast's booming slave trade, and shipped off to America, where her children and grandchildren will be raised in slavery. Generation after generation, Yaa Gyasi's magisterial first novel sets the fate of the individual against the obliterating movements of time

How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City by Joan DeJean

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: History / Nonfiction

Synopsis: At the beginning of the seventeenth century, Paris was known for isolated monuments but had not yet put its brand on urban space. Like other European cities, it was still emerging from its medieval past. But in a mere century Paris would be transformed into the modern and mythic city we know today.Though most people associate the signature characteristics of Paris with the public works of the nineteenth century, Joan DeJean demonstrates that the Parisian model for urban space was in fact invented two centuries earlier, when the first complete design for the French capital was drawn up and implemented.

Love Style Life by Garance Doré

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Nonfiction / Memoir / Fashion

Synopsis: Garance Doré, the voice and vision behind her eponymous blog, has captivated millions of readers worldwide with her fresh and appealing approach to style through storytelling. This gorgeously illustrated book takes readers on a unique narrative journey that blends Garance’s inimitable photography and illustrations with the candid, hard-won wisdom drawn from her life and her travels. Infused with her Left Bank sensibility, the eclecticism of her adopted city of New York, and the wild, passionate spirit of her native Corsica, Love Style Life is a backstage pass behind fashion’s frontlines, peppered with French-girl-next-door wit and advice on everything from mixing J.Crew with Chanel, to falling in love, to pursuing a life and career that is the perfect reflection of you.

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Fiction / Japanese Literature / Cultural

Synopsis: This leading postwar Japanese writer's second novel, tells the poignant and fascinating story of a young man who is caught between the breakup of the traditions of a northern Japanese aristocratic family and the impact of Western ideas. In consequence, he feels himself "disqualified from being human" (a literal translation of the Japanese title).

Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Recommended by @chocochipcookieyum here

Genre: Historical Fiction / Classics

Synopsis: A story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it -- from garden seeds to Scripture -- is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Recommended by @gamorazenn here / by @agentpegcxrter here / by @arosewithdaisies here

Genre: Fiction / Romance / Classics

Synopsis: The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen's radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.

Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Fiction / Romance

Synopsis: Tsukiko is drinking alone in her local sake bar when by chance she meets one of her old high school teachers and, unable to remember his name, she falls back into her old habit of calling him 'Sensei'. After this first encounter, Tsukiko and Sensei continue to meet. Together, they share edamame beans, bottles of cold beer, and a trip to the mountains to eat wild mushrooms. As their friendship deepens, Tsukiko comes to realise that the solace she has found with Sensei might be something more.

Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeline L’Engle

Recommended by @thesaltyduchess here

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult / Science Fiction

Synopsis: When fifteen-year-old Charles Wallace Murry shouts out an ancient rune meant to ward off the dark in desperation, a radiant creature appears. It is Gaudior, unicorn and time traveler. Charles Wallace and Gaudior must travel into the past on the winds of time to try to find a Might-Have-Been - a moment in the past when the entire course of events leading to the present can be changed, and the future of Earth - this small, swiftly tilting planet - saved.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Recommended by @arosewithdaisies here

Genre: Fiction / Mystery / Crime / Classics / Short Stories

Synopsis: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of twelve short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring his fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. It was first published on 14 October 1892; the individual stories had been serialized in The Strand Magazine between July 1891 and June 1892. The stories are not in chronological order, and the only characters common to all twelve are Holmes and Dr. Watson. The stories are related in first-person narrative from Watson's point of view.

The Bean Trees by Barbara King

Recommended by @nerdgirljen in a comment here

Genre: Fiction / Contemporary

Synopsis: Clear-eyed and spirited, Taylor Greer grew up poor in rural Kentucky with the goals of avoiding pregnancy and getting away. But when she heads west with high hopes and a barely functional car, she meets the human condition head-on. By the time Taylor arrives in Tucson, Arizona, she has acquired a completely unexpected child, a three-year-old American Indian girl named Turtle, and must somehow come to terms with both motherhood and the necessity for putting down roots. Hers is a story about love and friendship, abandonment and belonging, and the discovery of surprising resources in apparently empty places.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis

Recommended by @agentpegcxrter here

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult / Classics

Synopsis: Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battles between good and evil—what more could any reader ask for in one book? The book that has it all is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, written in 1949 by Clive Staples Lewis. But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed, and together they became known as The Chronicles of Narnia.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Recommended by @notimetoblog here / by @arosewithdaisies here

Genre: Fiction / Classics

Synopsis: This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story is of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his new love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted "gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession," it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s. The Great Gatsby is one of the great classics of twentieth-century literature.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tart

Recommended by @lunardanvers here

Genre: Fiction / Contemporary

Synopsis: It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love-and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.

The Gospel of Loki by Joanne M. Harris

Recommended by @wintersxsoul here

Genre: Fiction / Mythology / Fantasy

Synopsis: The novel is a brilliant first-person narrative of the rise and fall of the Norse gods - retold from the point of view of the world's ultimate trickster, Loki. It tells the story of Loki's recruitment from the underworld of Chaos, his many exploits on behalf of his one-eyed master, Odin, through to his eventual betrayal of the gods and the fall of Asgard itself.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Recommended by @marvelsangel here

Genre: Fiction / Young Adult

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr

The Immortal Rules Series by Julie Kagawa

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Paranormal

Synopsis: Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Recommended by @redandpurpleskies here

Genre: Science Fiction / Classic

Synopsis: The Martian Chronicles tells the story of humanity’s repeated attempts to colonize the red planet. The first men were few. Most succumbed to a disease they called the Great Loneliness when they saw their home planet dwindle to the size of a fist. They felt they had never been born. Those few that survived found no welcome on Mars. The shape-changing Martians thought they were native lunatics and duly locked them up.But more rockets arrived from Earth, and more, piercing the hallucinations projected by the Martians. People brought their old prejudices with them – and their desires and fantasies, tainted dreams. These were soon inhabited by the strange native beings, with their caged flowers and birds of flame.

The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Fiction / Japanese Literature / Classics

Synopsis: The story is told through the eyes of Kazuko, the unmarried daughter of a widowed aristocrat. Her search for self meaning in a society devoid of use for her forms the crux of the novel. It is a sad story, and structurally is a novel very much within the confines of the Japanese take on the novel in a way reminiscent of authors such as Nobel Prize winner Yasunori Kawabata – the social interactions are peripheral and understated, nuances must be drawn, and for readers more used to Western novelistic forms this comes across as being rather wishy-washy. Kazuko’s mother falls ill, and due to their financial circumstances they are forced to take a cottage in the countryside. Her brother, who became addicted to opium during the war is missing. When he returns, Kazuko attempts to form a liaison with the novelist Uehara. This romantic displacement only furthers to deepen her alienation from society.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Recommended by @consttantina here

Genre: Historical Fiction / Fantasy / LGBT / Romance

Synopsis: Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

The Song of the Lioness Series by Tamora Pierce

Recommended by @just-add-butter here

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult

Synopsis: The Song of the Lioness quartet is the adventurous story of one girl's journey to overcome the obstacles facing her, become a valiant knight, and save Tortall from conquest. Alanna douses her female identity to begin her training in Alanna: The First Adventure, and when she gains squire status in In the Hand of the Goddess, her growing abilities make her a few friends -- and many enemies. Books 3 and 4 complete Alanna's adventure and secure her legend, with the new knight errant taking on desert tribesmen in The Woman Who Rides like a Man and seeking out the powerful Dominion Jewel in Lioness Rampant.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Historical Fiction / Classics

Synopsis: The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.

#our world book day celebration

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themoderngothicheroine · 7 years

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Castles Fit for a Heroine

Wandering through the halls of an ancient castle is the ideal for any aspiring heroine. With the capabilities of modern travel, these landmarks are now within reach without having to resort to discomforting carriage rides beset by storms and bandits.

Craigdarroch Castle

On the Canadian West Coast is Craigdarroch Castle, built by the Scottish coal baron Robert Dunsmuir in the late 19th century. Once surrounded by vast amounts of land, it has since been hemmed in by expanding neighbourhoods, but the peaks of towers can still be glimpsed over the trees. With elegant drawing rooms, stained glass windows, and a beautifully carved wooden staircase in the heart of the castle, Craigdarroch is a West Coast heroine’s dream.

Heroines can visit Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, British Columbia, and it is open daily from 10am to 4:30pm, with longer hours in the summer. In October, they host theatre acts with horror themes, this year being a modern adaption of Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘The Masque of the Red Death’.

Visit Here

Lyndhurst Mansion

Built in the 19th century, Lyndhurst is a Gothic Revival castle in Tarrytown, New York. For an American heroine, there is no better location! It has all the towers and arched windows one could wish for while being located near both New York City and the ever spooky Sleepy Hollow. Together, Lyndhurst and Sleepy Hollow make the perfect day-trip for any heroine in New York, visitors and residents alike.

Lyndhurst Castle is open for tours from 10am to 4pm, Thursday through Monday. Tour the grounds, then go spend some time in ever-spooky Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.

Visit Here

Quinta da Regaleira

You’ve no doubt already come across images of 20th century Quinta da Regaleira before. This castle is the aesthetic Barbie Dream House for any lover of the esoteric. The exterior of the castle has elaborate Gothic detailing, and the gardens are breathtaking, with lakes, waterfalls, and tunnels throughout. The most startling feature is the Initiation Well, said to have been involved in Templar Knight rituals. With the occult symbolism, Gothic facade, and extensive gardens, every heroine would wish to wander the Quinta da Regaleira in her finest white nightgown.

One can drape themselves across the grounds of Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra, Portugal, between 9:30am and 6pm, with later hours during the summer. Perhaps it’s best one cannot visit at night - no telling where you may find yourself on those grounds...

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Eilean Donan Castle

You can’t throw the decrepit skull of your most noble ancestor five metres in Scotland without hitting an ancient castle, but Eilean Donan blows them all away. Located on the coast of the Scottish Highlands, Eilean Donan was originally built for the McKenzie and MacRae clans in the 13th century, and was reconstructed in the 20th century. Isolated with only a single bridge to the mainland, it would be easy to find yourself trapped here with the Byronic hero(ine) of your dreams.

Eilean Donan is open 10am to 4pm every day, with later hours in the summer. But be careful during the winter, as the cold and snowy landscape makes this a popular wedding destination for many heroines, and the castle may be closed for the ceremony.

Visit Here

The Castle of Otranto

If you’re looking to visit a castle in Italy, why not the one that started it all? Located in the heel of the boot, the foundations of Castello Argonese are ancient, but it was used by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and rebuilt in the late 15th century by Alphonso of Naples. Although the castle is hardly the typical gloomy sort heroines yearn for, the coastal location, local cuisine, and place in Gothic literature make this castle a must-see.

No cost to visit the most famous Gothic literary castle, and it’s open year-round between 10am and 6pm. Watch out for siestas though, and long lunch breaks for the staff. Miss A assures you that this is because you’re in Italy, not because something more sinister is afoot.

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Reichsburg Castle

The castle today may be a product of nineteenth century imagination, but the foundations of Reichsburg Castle date back to over a thousand years ago. Located in Cochem, Germany, the castle is perched atop a hill, looking down at the town and river. The castle is an ideal spot to indulge in a picnic and some light reading - Miss A recommends Sheridan le Fanu’s Carmilla for this location.

One can only visit the inside of the castle with a guided tour, which one join between 9am and 5pm. Afterwards you can join in an authentic medieval feast at the castle. Perhaps find a tester for your wine first.

Visit Here

Bran Castle

Although it may not be the real Dracula’s castle (that distinction goes to more southern Poenari), Bran Castle remains one of the most famous landmarks of the Romanian countryside. Built in the 14th century, Bran has passed through many hands during wars of succession and conquest - most recently it was used as a royal residence in the 20th century, until the overthrow of the Romanian monarchy. With its red roofs and secluded location, it would inspire any heroine to take a jaunt to the Carpathians.

Bran Castle is open all year between 9am and 4pm, with extended hours in the summer. Look over the stunning countryside from castle towers before adjourning to the tea room for a strong cuppa.

Visit Here

Which castles inspire your heroine fantasies?

Your doting

Miss A

#gothic heroine #gothic romance #gothic #lifestyle #advice #living #travel #castles

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accuhunt · 5 years

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Away From the Crowds: 11 Offbeat Places in Europe Waiting to be Explored.

Many years ago, over a glass of red wine and stone oven-baked pizza, an Italian chef once told me that you don’t fully experience Italy with your eyes alone. You experience it with your taste buds (through the food), your ears (through the music) and most of all, your heart. Over the years, in my quest to find offbeat places in Europe, I’ve realised how right he was. Not just about Italy, but also about Europe in general.

Experiencing Europe with all your heart. Photo: Linus Mimietz (Unsplash).

Unfortunately, travelling in Europe has changed significantly over the past decade. Locals in popular places like Barcelona, Venice and Rome are rebelling against overtourism. The streets of Central Amsterdam and Vienna’s main square are overrun with tourist groups.

Does that mean we should stop travelling to Europe? Or that it’s impossible to experience Europe with your heart anymore? If you ask me, it just means that we need to look away from the list of “must do” sights, seek offbeat places in Europe and travel more responsibly.

While the Indian passport currently makes it impossible to travel over land from India to Europe, we can pick an airline that is serious about sustainability. While travelling on invitation from KLM, I was impressed with their use of biojet fuel and research in sustainable aviation fuel, which can drastically cut down the carbon footprint of air travel. Next week, KLM will introduce Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flights – with 25% better fuel efficiency than other similar aircrafts – from Bangalore (it already flies from Delhi and Mumbai) to its hub Amsterdam.

Ready to take off!

Within Europe, travelling by train is an experience in itself (it’s worth getting the Eurail pass if you plan to take multiple trains), as is staying with locals in eco-conscious accommodations, choosing public transport over renting a car, eating local and plant-based food, hiking responsibly and delving deeper into the history, culture and way of life of the region you’re in. If we make these conscious choices, overtourism in Europe will be easier to tackle in the near future.

As for offbeat places in Europe, I’ve got you covered! Based on my explorations over the years, these are some of my favorite alternative destinations in Europe to get away from the crowds:

1. Spain: Segura de la Sierra

The charming by-lanes of rural Andalusia.

Unless you happen to be a paragliding enthusiast, it’s unlikely that you’ve heard of Segura de la Sierra – a breathtaking little town in eastern Andalusia. Cobblestoned streets wind along colorful houses with panoramic views on the rugged Sierra Moena mountains; olive trees dominate the landscape (and the cuisine, with fine olive oil); the Arab influence lives on in the form of restored 11th century steam baths and a Moorish castle adorns the hill. Although I enjoyed the unique charms of Cordoba and Granada, it was in this small Andalusian village that I finally felt far from the beaten path. Chatting with a local in broken Spanish about a revered local poet, the long afternoon siestas and the stunning hikes still makes me dreamy-eyed about my time in Spain.

Stay at a casa rural – a room or studio where you’re hosted by a local family. Los Huertos de Segura and Apartamentos Sierra de Segura are both lovely self-catering options, while El Rincon de Paco is geared towards budget travel.

Also read: First Time to Spain: 10 Travel Tips to Plan Your Trip

2. Slovakia: The High Tatras

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While the Swiss and French Alps steal all the attention of hikers and tourists in Europe (and have started getting affected by overtourism in Europe), the High Tatras of Slovakia offer relative solitude amid craggy snow-capped peaks, fields of wildflowers in spring, gushing rivers and trails for all fitness levels. I spent a few days hiking, cycling, journeying on the electric train, chilling by glacial lakes and even spotted a wild fox while hiking alone!

To really experience offbeat places in Europe’s High Tatras, stay at Penzion Tri Klasy in Nova Lesna (a charming wood and stone family-run guesthouse) or Pension Barborka if you want to be based in Poprad. For a high end luxury experience, pick Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tatras.

Also read: A Guide to Exploring the High Tatras of Slovakia

3. The Netherlands: Noord Holland villages

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When KLM first reached out to me about a collaboration involving a trip to the Netherlands, I felt conflicted. On the one hand, I wanted to learn more about their sustainability initiatives. On the other, I didn’t want to contribute to overtourism in Europe, of which Amsterdam is a victim. But when I began to research my trip, I realised that I could choose to stay away from the main city in Purmerend, pick meaningful experiences and discover a unique side of the country.

While in Amsterdam, I sailed on a small, wooden boat that had once ferried 76 refugees across the Mediterranean – with a Syrian ex-refugee guide who put our privileged lives in perspective. A friend invited me to join him on a bicycle ride in a small Dutch village not far from Amsterdam Central – with eclectic houses, cosy cafes and typical Dutch landscapes with windmills and sheep! Further north, I rode for days on the bicycle-only trails of Noord Holland, amid the swaying grasslands, old canal houses, green meadows and flowing streams, often the only cyclist on the trail, discovering little Dutch villages along the way (of which my favorite was Broek in Waterland).

Starting next week, KLM will fly the Mumbai – Amsterdam route daily, making the Netherlands and the rest of Europe even more accessible from India.

Also read: Culturally Intriguing Ways to Experience Europe

4. Germany: Berchtesgaden National Park

The stunning Bavarian Alps.

Even though there’s a lot to explore and experience in Germany, I’m so in love with the alpine Bertesgaden National Park – just 3 hours from Munich by train but a world away – that I’ve already been back twice! Hiking amid the magnificent Bavarian Alps, discovering turquoise Alpine lakes, trying your hand at cross-country skiing, strolling along picturesque Alpine villages and spending warm afternoons with a glass of chilled beer at a cosy cafe, watching pro skiers tackle the slopes – it’s a side of Germany that not many people end up experiencing.

I loved staying at Burmesterhaus (pick the top floor penthouse), originally built in the 1860s, overlooking the stunning Mount Watzman, hosted by a Finnish family. If it’s your first time using Airbnb, sign up with my referral to get 40$ off your first stay.

Also read: First Time to Germany? Practical Tips to Plan Your Travels

5. Romania: Maramures

Sunday prayers at a cemetery in Maramures.

Most people think Transylvania and the legend of the Dracula when they hear Romania. And while the region has its charm, it also draws the crowds. But further north, it was the rural countryside of Maramures that stole my heart. We spent our days hitchhiking with locals, in their ancient cars, trucks, even tractors, and journeyed on a rickety logging train with loggers, shepherds, sheep, axes and a lot of palinka (traditional brandy) into remote settlements high up in the Carpathian mountains. One Sunday morning, we found ourselves standing amidst the tombstones in the cemetery of a 14th century church to attend Sunday mass. Absolutely surreal.

Stay at Amizadil House in Sighet for a culturally unique experience. If you have access to a car, pick Casuta din Gradina or Zestrea Brebului in Breb.

Also read: Romania, You Can Fool the World With Your Smiles but Not With Your Heart

6. Croatia: The Istrian Peninsula

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I felt like I was too late in visiting Croatia, with the explosion of Game of Thrones-inspired overtourism taking over Dubrovnik and Split, and spilling over to other stunning locales. Luckily, the Istrian Peninsula still somewhat qualifies among offbeat places in Europe, especially in off season. Living with a sweet couple in their 400-year-old stone house, I met olive farmers, heard local tales of foraging for wild mushrooms and asparagus in the nearby forests and watched some delightful sunrises and sunsets from the (relatively popular) village of Motovun.

I enjoyed staying at Apartment Pina with a sweet Bosnian couple in Motovun. If you’re travelling in a group and have access to a car, check out Villa Nikolina in Peroj.

Also read: How Croatia Compelled Me to Rethink Travel Blogging

7. Wales: Lake Vrynwy

The night sky above Lake Vrynwy in North Wales.

While in North Wales, I remember turning off the lights one night and peeping out into the balcony, to see the dark night sky shimmering with stars. In the moonlight below, Lake Vrywy glowed softly, forever etching itself in my heart. Although all of North Wales – with its dramatic hills and vast sheep-filled rolling meadows – blew my mind, nothing compared to the raw beauty of the lake. Go while it’s still under the radar!

I was lucky enough to stay at the gorgeous Lake Vyrnwy Hotel & Spa with a bird’s eye view over Lake Vyrnwy and the dark night skies. The next time I go back, I’d also love to try out the little B&Bs along the Welsh countryside.