#long island croatia

[bidoctor]

Mljet, you are beautiful and I love you. 🌵☀️

#mine #mljet #croatia #hrvatska #europe #summer #photography #nature #naturecore #travel #travelcore #mljet national park #mljet island #one on my bucket list for so long to see and we spent 4 days there and still want to come back asap. #go to this national park you will not regret it! #but make sure to get a bike ;)

[mj0702]

Attention all inmates!!!

Part 8 is done... fair warning.... it's LONG... many many MANY words...

Y'all still have to wait until tomorrow because I promised I'm not gonna post it tonight due to the Norway - Croatia game...

After I posted that part I need a vacation... you'll find me on the Bahamas with a coconut filled with rum on the third island on the left...

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Greece fires: Satellite images and maps show extent of damage

25 July 2023

Tens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes and abandon holidays on Greek islands including Rhodes and Corfu as fires spread across the region.

In Rhodes, a black scar has been scorched across the middle of the island to the southern town of Kiotari.

Satellite images show the extent of the damage to the popular holiday resort.

The flames have destroyed many homes and businesses in the town.

The fires have been burning since last week on Rhodes, where temperatures have reached 45C.

More than 30,000 people have fled the flames on the island since the weekend, Greece's largest-ever wildfire evacuation.

Some 16,000 people have been transported across land and another 3,000 evacuated by sea, police say. Others have had to leave by road or use their own transport.

They include thousands of tourists who had to make for temporary shelters like sports stadiums before getting the emergency planes laid on by travel companies.

But with Greece in the middle of a long spell of extreme heat that has increased the risk of wildfires across the country, Rhodes is not the only place that has been affected.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says the country is "at war" with the wildfires and warns it faces "another three difficult days ahead" before temperatures are expected to drop.

Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilia says fire crews have been fighting more than 500 fires across the country over the past 12 days - including in Midea on the mainland.

Firefighters also say the situation in Corfu and Evia is not totally under control.

Satellite images show smoke blowing from fires on the blackened hills near Kassiopi in the north of Corfu.

And Crete, the largest of the Greek Islands, has been also been put on high alert because of an extreme risk of fire.

The situation in Greece is the result of a heatwave across southern Europe and northern Africa that has helped create dry conditions and also let fires take hold in Sicily, Croatia, Algeria and Tunisia.

The situation would have been "virtually impossible" without human-induced climate change, scientists say, adding it has made the heatwave in Europe 2.5C hotter.

By Chris Clayton, Dominic Bailey, Tural Ahmedzade, and Kate Gaynor

#Greece #Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis #wildfires #Rhodes #Corfu #Vassilis Kikilia #Midea #Evia #Crete #fire #firefighters #heatwave #climate change #Europe #Africa #fire crews #wildfire evacuation #tourists

[remimibanana]

3DS Retrospective Part 1: Memories of the Past

Since the 3DS eShop has now closed and the online is shutdown, I thought I would take the time to look back at some of the games I've played on the 3DS!

This handheld was a huge part of my childhood, and I still play on it to this day. It deserves a very long retrospective from me for being in my life. I would love to come back to this in the future and smile at all of the memories I once experienced.

I have to thank my dad for introducing me to Nintendo or I wouldn't be here right now blabbing about this. He truly was my number one supporter in my gaming journey back then. I’ve played a lot of games so this will be long aha (sorry....thank you for reading this all if you do!).

Part 1 is under the cut!

Animal Crossing New Leaf

One of my absolute favourites on the 3DS! Love the music and gameplay and practically everything about it.

I remember going with my dad to my local Target to buy ACNL around the time it came out. I had my red 3DS with me, ready to play it as soon as I got back into the car.

I was so excited, I remember rushing to the 3DS section and instantly taking the game off the shelf while my dad was chasing after me. We went back to the car after he paid for it. I couldn’t wait to open the game, and I think I remember my dad going “open it already”.

Which I did!

Unfortunately for me, there was no game cartridge inside there. The staff forgot to put it in after we paid for it, and we didn’t even notice.

I told my dad and he was saying we could come back tomorrow because we were already far from the Target.

I was so sad about it that my dad turned around and drove back anyway lol

Once we finally got the game cartridge, it was time to play!

In New Leaf, you get to name the town you’re moving into. I didn't know what I wanted to name my town so I asked my dad. He said Knin, a city in Croatia where he comes from. I put it as my town name while asking him how to spell it.

Unfortunately I lost pretty much all of my games a few years ago, including this one (they were all in this giant yellow case and I can't find it, weep). But I do have screenshots! They're super nostalgic.

I loved the Southern Islands the most, the minigames were a lot of fun and listening to the cap sing was so cool. I never skipped his songs, I never knew you could (unlike some people).

You could even play with people from around the world with Club Toritimer that cost like 50 medals to obtain. I remember working hard to gain so many of them—all so I could go to the International Islands!

And hoo boy, I have a story to tell regarding this.

I went to the island and there were these people who were talking about giving bells. I stared at them, not wanting to interfere with what was happening.

One of them dropped like 50,000 bells, and I remember staring at it in awe.

Guess what I did?

I ran to the bells and picked them up into my pockets like any sane person would. I ran away while the others chased after me, yelling at me to stop. I clicked on the button to get me out of the island and that was that—I was a thief!

I can't believe I would ever do such a thing, stealing bells like that! I don’t even remember why I did it! I was really something as a kid.

I even ran into one of them again after a few weeks on the International Islands and I was so scared they would yell at me. They didn’t seem to realise or they just didn’t care, but I ran off anyway.

Tomodachi Life

I love this game.

I remember making myself, my whole family and other random characters and friends on my island! I used to spend hours on there, utterly immersed.

My brother and I used to play together since we only had one copy and things always went awry because of it. Case in point, let me tell you some things that I remember occurring.

My cousin married my old childhood best friend, which was flipping funny to my brother and I from memory. I told my cousin and she looked at me as if I was crazy and you know what, deserved

I didn't want a boyfriend in game at all, and somehow I never managed to but my brother decided to go behind my back one time.

I came back to me having a boyfriend and the game already saved. Once you save, that's it. Unless you had an action replay or something, you were screwed and stuck with whatever happened.

For those who have never played Tomodachi Life, the Miis can have dreams while sleeping. Some were interactive, allowing you to do things in the dream—those were the best.

You would also get an item relating to the dream, so it was always worth checking them out. I think it was one of the main reasons why I played.

My favourite dreams were:

The Transform (Superhero) where the Mii character says "by the power of (insert item)" and they just transform and say some random advice. Every time I looked at one of my Miis dreams, I always hoped it would be this one.

The Hide and Seek one where there are two Miis and the seeker says "are you ready?!" and the hider goes "not yet." and it just repeats and repeats until you exit. My brother and I used love copying this dream a lot lol

The Giant, where a Mii is sitting at a cafe in front of a closed window and the window blinds open to show your face using the inner camera and the Mii freaks out intensely lol

Of course, we can't forget that you can make songs! I used to love this feature. I was a kid, so I just made my characters swear lmao or sing about weird things.

I unfortunately lost this game, so all I have left are screenshots and my own memories….

I currently play the Japanese version on my 2DS since the European version I had installed stopped working for some reason. It’s good practice!

Bring it to the Switch Nintendo! please I beg I'll do anything even sell my brother why not

Pokémon Alpha Sapphire

My favourite Pokémon game! I love everything about this game, hands down one of the best remakes ever made.

I remember getting this for Christmas back in 2014. I woke up at like 4:30am alongside my brother (for some reason) and we went downstairs and started opening presents.

At this point, I already knew what I was getting. It wasn’t much of a surprise but I was so excited none of the less!

My dad who was awake at the time said "what the hell go back to sleep", and that we did. We went back to our rooms with our presents.

Fun fact, my brother got this small car while I got a whole 3DS game LMAO

When I woke up again, I instantly turned on my 3DS and started playing. A few weeks before Christmas, I got the guidebook for ORAS (I still have it actually!) instead of clothes like my mum wanted me to lol

I used that guidebook throughout my playthrough, and I managed to beat the entire game in one day which is seriously impressive, I could never do that now

I loved soaring the most, it was such an fun feature! Soaring through the skies with Mega Latias and exploring Hoenn...I can hear the soaring music even now. Take me back...

Secret Bases were the bomb, I remember always looking for those little holes around Hoenn and seeing how much space there inside them was with Hidden Power. My Secret Base was at Route 119 right before you enter Fortree City, at this grass bush.

I remember that you could buy decorations at Mauville City, and you could even get special ones on a Saturday.

I transferred my level 100 Sylveon from X to this game for some reason, I think I wanted my beloved partner with me but it wouldn't listen to me for the entire game lmao

The only reason I beat Steven back then is because Sylveon finally managed to listen to me and land an attack on Mega Metagross, which obviously died immediately upon impact lol

Good times.

Pokémon X

I remember getting Pokémon X because my friends had Pokémon Y and I wanted to play with them and be cool but I didn't remember they had Y at the time so I chose X lol

My old childhood best friend gave me a shiny Haxorus at my cousin’s birthday party when I showed him how I had the game and was stuck in Reflection Cave.

I loved all the customization, the music and just the entirety of the game! Probably my second favourite overall!

My favourite town is Lumiose City, it was so fun to skate around and explore every nook and cranny. It’s literally amazing how well they were able to make it.

Especially the sketchy alleyways, I used to always go through them all and then get lost because I don't know where I landed lol

I know how people didn't like the postgame (or how little there was) but I really liked it! Working with Looker and meeting Emma and her little Espurr Mimi....good memories!

I remember when I found out about Sylveon, the new Eeveelution in Gen 6, I knew I had to have one. I remember searching up how to evolve Eevee into Sylveon on Google, and it said it needed high affection.

So the new Poke Amie came in handy. I love Poke Amie so much! My favourite minigame is Head It, I can't believe they removed them after Gen 6, they were so fun ;;

But I wasn't sure how much hearts I needed for my Eevee so every time it tried to evolve, I would spam B to cancel it, I was that afraid of not getting Sylveon lol

I did this until I had full affection and then I let my Eevee evolve and I was so happy to see a very cute Sylveon! I checked again after and you only needed three hearts at the end.

This Sylveon was the first Pokémon I ever got to level 100 and it had Dazzling Gleam, one of my absolute favourite Fairy moves. The same one I moved to Alpha Sapphire I just talked about lol

Sylveon has been in my team ever since (had one in Gen 7, 8 and 9) and I plan on keeping it that way! Pokemon Legends ZA was announced and you bet your butt I'm going to have a Sylveon in my team.

The ost is so nostalgic to me. Lumiose City always makes me stop and reminiscence...

Yo-kai Watch

I love this game so much!

Technically this was my brother's game back when, he was the one who wanted it initially but I used to play it all the time since it was there.

The music and story is really good, I'm sad it kind of flopped overseas because it's really popular in Japan. Another reason to go to Japan....one day

I really like Komasan, just a cute Yokai that says "oh my swirls!".

My brother was the real pro at this game, I remember he used to mock me because I couldn't beat a boss that looked like some crazy doctor. He nearly finished the entire Medallium and got all the legendary Yokai which is rather impressive I might add!

(Unfortunately that copy got lost so he uh…lost all that….aha)

My most favourite part of this game is Terror Time. It happens randomly at night where the clock stops and you get transported into Terror Time. It's like a nightmare where you have to escape at the exit without getting caught by any oni minions otherwise they call Gargaros, the main scary oni. He was real powerful and strong and kicked your butt when you get caught.

I would also put away the clock and just run around at night on my bicycle hoping Terror Time would come. If I stopped randomly and I can't move, that meant it was Terror Time. I live for that thrill.

My brother used to be so afraid of it while I begged for it to happen. Every time it did, he'd give me to play so I can get him out of it.

Please localize the Yokai Watch 1 Switch Port I beg Level 5. It wouldn't be that hard. Pleaseeeee

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

I know most people don't like this game but I really like it! It was my first introduction to the world of Paper Mario.

I played the entirety of it with my brother and it was a lot of fun. I was the main person who actually played, my brother was moral support as we tried our best to beat the game!

I loved collecting all the stickers and going through all the worlds to get the royal stickers. I remember the beginning where everything is destroyed, and you have to save all the toads from being stuck in various places.

There was this one toad where for the life of me, I could not find. I looked everywhere and it just did not exist. They hid them too well, I'm afraid.

Fun fact, at the end of the game when you have to use Kersti to beat Bowser, I cried. For like three days lol. I didn't want to use Kersti, she was with us for the whole journey and I grew attached to the floating sticker.

Like I was full on crying in bed when I remembered using her. My brother didn't even give a damn.

It was sort of sad, wasn’t it? I finally got over it and used the flying sticker to beat Bowser up with my brother by my side. When we beat him, we were so happy.

I miss those times when my brother and I played games together, we don't do that anymore...

Pokémon Dream Radar

I remember buying this game when my dad put $50 on my account and I didn’t know what to buy. My friend recommended it and so I got it!

It was a very simplistic game where you would use the 3DS camera to shoot at these little energy balls to collect points and catch Pokémon.

You could even transfer them to Black 2 and White 2 after, which I always did with my Black 2 copy.

You could get the Forces of Nature (Thundurus, Landorus and Torandus) from this game, I believe it was one of it's main reasons for existing (but don't quote me on that one). As you play through the game, you upgrade your equipment and get closer to meeting them and of course, catching them!

I think I managed to get only two of the three back then.

Professor Burnet is in this game actually! She's the professor we're working under. I remember being so shocked when I saw her in the Sun and Moon anime. I knew her back when she was researching dreams, hah!

And then you have to capture the Pokémon, which is a whole another story. You had to move around a lot and shoot a continuous beam of light until you fill the meter before the time limit. it was honestly tougher than expected, the dang Pokémon keep moving!

Colors 3D

This was a game I got because my friend told me to get it, like above.

It's a drawing application where as the name suggests, you draw. There is a whole palette with every colour, a few brushes and tools you can use at your disposal.

There is only 5 layers, which isn't that great in all honesty. I wish it had more, it would make drawing much easier.

But I still use it from time to time! I like drawing on there when I’m bored and don’t want to drag everything out. Doodling has never been easier.

My favourite part was the Colors 3D Gallery, where you could view art uploaded by other people. It was very simple, but I used to go on there all the time! Loading into the gallery is pretty nostalgic to me.

Everyone is so talented on there! I don’t get how people can draw such intricate things on a 3DS. I suppose it really proves that it’s not the brush that makes the artist.

You could also add someone else’s art to your own gallery to view and draw on. I remember saving Tokyo Mew Mew art and whatever I liked at the time to my gallery.

I’ll miss going on it (´ｰ｀)

Mario and Sonic at the 2012 Olympic Games

I love this game. It’s my second favourite game in the whole series.

I think my brother got this game for himself, but I used to play it all the time because it was a lot of fun! Anyone could argue that the Wii version is better overall, but I think the 3DS version holds up well!

There were many events to choose from, such as water sports and equestrian! My favourite events were the Rhythmic Ribbon and Beach Volleyball! I was an absolute beast at Beach Volleyball, the one event I could beat at any difficulty without breaking a sweat.

Although you couldn’t choose any character for any event, as you can in the Wii version. Each event has a specific set of characters you can choose from, such as the girls or the heroes. Only four in each group and that's all you got.

I remember being disappointed a bit, since I was used to how the Wii version was.

Back then, I managed to get a gold medal for every event in the easy, normal and hard difficulties! I was as they would say, a pro at the game.

I think the story mode for this game is pretty decent, I remember beating the entirety of it. The end with Bowser and Eggman all powered up with the fog was actually pretty tough, the game let me pass because I kept failing the events over and over out of pity.

The records menu is the most nostalgic to me, the bgm makes me stop and feel things. I feel that a lot with those settings menus, their bgms are always so nostalgic.

I often come back to it from time to time but my skills have dwindled unfortunately…(blames my current 2DS for sucking and not me sucking lol)

Mario Kart 7

I know most people prefer any of the other Mario Karts, but I think this one has to be my favourite one!

I had a white 3DS XL that came with Mario Kart 7 pre-installed, but I also had the physical copy that my brother played with that I got from my birthday.

Emphasis on had. I have a story to tell here, one I’m not that proud of.

Unfortunately as a kid, I was way too naive. My old friend at the time wanted my physical copy in exchange for an eShop gift card.

Of course, that sounds stupid and I wouldn’t even dare consider it now. It was my copy!

I don’t know why, but I did. I think my reasoning was that I already had it on my 3DS at the time, and he was my good friend.

I think it’s one of the things I regret to this day, because I got legit scammed! The eShop card was used and it was only like $25?! My friend got a whole game and I got legit nothing!

To make matters worse, I didn’t even have internet at the time!

My mum got mad at me, and for good reason. I didn’t think I did anything bad, which probably made things worse. My brother was upset because he couldn’t play Mario Kart anymore.

Needless to say, I shouldn’t have done that. I remember regretting it after a while.

We got another physical copy at the end since my brother wouldn’t stop crying about it, but I learnt the hard way not to be so naive.

But anyway, back to the point.

I am an absolute beast at this game. I always beat my family when playing it. I love all the tracks, and pretty much everything about the game!

Rainbow Road is probably my favourite track, the 3DS version is so good! It is so big and immersive!

Sonic Generations

I remember getting this because I loved Sonic. I vividly remember playing it and showing my dad how fun it was.

It was one of the ways I could play Sonic, and it was also one of the reasons why I got a Sonic the Hedgehog emulator on my old laptop thanks to my dad.

I know this the console versions are better but I've never played the console version before. I think this version is not that bad as people claim it to be.

It holds up. The online on the other hand doesn’t, I’ll admit lol

I think I prefer the final boss here, I remember it gave me so much trouble as a kid (and even now when I replayed it some time ago aha).

The levels here are so good. Sonic legit has to outrun a killer whale, what more do you want? I used to replay them all the time!

Fast forward to now, and I just learned that one of the stages is from Sonic Rush that has the banger music. I didn’t know as a kid that Generations featured other game’s levels.

Pokémon Moon

I love Alola so much.

This game I got relatively late actually, during 2019! Why didn't I get Ultra Moon when it was right there?

I wanted to play the original before jumping into the sequel. I think I'm glad I did that, because I like Moon over Ultra Moon lol

This game is special, because it was the first game I ever completed the Pokédex on! My high school friend was the one who encouraged me to do it, and that I did!

I remember recording a video of when I did, seeing that 100% and getting that shiny charm felt so cool. This is one of the games that I still have to this day, luckily.

I always like to come back from time to time and see all my Pokemon, look at my beautiful party.

This game is also where I got my first shiny! I did the Masuda Method with the shiny charm and I managed to get Shiny Buneary in 64 eggs! I remember freaking the heck out!

I then tried to do the same for a Shiny Ralts, as I love how Shiny Mega Gardenvior looks like. That was an absolute failure and I was left with like 6 boxes of Ralts lmao

So I traded them all away using Wonder Trade! I wonder if anyone reading this got one, ehe.

New Super Mario Bros. 2

This was the version I played the most out of them all. I really like this one for how fun it is and the whole coin idea!

My brother and I used to play this one together, alternating levels and having our own saves. Honestly, one of the reasons I was able to beat Bowser at the end is because of this:

The Gold Super Leaf, making you practically invincible. Mario would turn into a white raccoon and no enemies could kill you. You still can die to lava or if you fall, but otherwise...

Cheating but not really cheating. Perfect if you suck at the game.

This would appear if you kept failing a level over and over, and I used to use it without a second thought. I would like to try to beat the game again without the use of this one day!

Super Pokemon Rumble

I loved this game so much as a kid. It was probably one of the first spinoffs for Pokemon I played!

I remember getting to the very end of the game, but never beating the final level???? I think I didn't have strong enough Pokémon for it, or I just didn't get around to it. If I ever do find my old copy, I'd like to finish the game.

The music is really good, I really like Toy Town and Axle Town! They're really nostalgic to me, I remember running around in them and healing up my Pokémon at the Dewdrop Fountain that was in the middle of each town.

The Toy Shop was objectively the best part of it all. It was where people from Streetpass would come to your shop and buy some toys. If enough people bought toys, then something special would happen in game. I believe it was that special Pokémon would appear and could be collected.

We need a remake of this Game Freak, i beg you

Pokémon Rumble World

This is more of a recent game I played, but I absolutely enjoyed it.

You go on these air balloons to various places to collect all the Pokémon! I remember downloading it because i enjoyed the original and this one had even more Pokémon to befriend!

This one unfortunately uses gems as a currency for in game purchases. It’s not needed to play the game, but certain things are locked behind them that help you catch Pokémon.

For example, there’s a stop mechanic that costs two gems to use. It's real useful.

This allows you to stop at the place you want—otherwise it’s random chance. At first, it was hard getting to the right place. You had to pray that it would miraculously land there.

And there was no way in hell I was going to pay for gems just for this one game I played from time to time. The eshop was going to close anyway, so there was no point.

I have a modded 2DS and I found a cheat that gave me max diamonds…you can guess what I did. For legal reasons, this is a joke and I would never do such a thing no wayyyyyyy....

With that, I was able to catch every single Pokemon available in game! It’s my greatest achievement probably, and one that I will flex on you all right now:

You can't get any more than 719 Pokémon. Try to beat that LOL

Probably my greatest achievement ever.

Nintendogs + Cats

I loved the original Nintendogs, so I had to get the sequel as a kid as soon as I found out it existed. I still prefer the original, but this one is still pretty fun.

I had a very cute dog that I took perfect care of. The walks were the highlight of the game, in my opinion. It was sort of an upgrade from the original, although the original always clears.

I have a story with this game as well, also concerning my old childhood best friend. I know, you're wondering how did so many things happen to me lol

Back then, I used to bring my 3DS to my cousin's birthday parties so I could play with said friend. We would sit on the couch right next to each other and get lost in our own world.

One time, it seemed that I dropped my copy of this game during one of these parties and my friend picked it up. He told me that he had it and that he’ll give it back to me at primary school.

That never happened and its been years since then. WHERE IS MY GAME DUDE?! I WANT IT BACK

So I got scammed and my game stolen by the same friend...maybe if we ever meet again, I'll demand for it back. Get some retribution for all the sins they've committed against me.

I hold grudges man and I HOLD THEM HARD

Animal Crossing Happy Home Academy

I actually got the set that came with the Amiibo reader since I didn’t have one. I still have it somewhere, but I don’t think I ever used it.

This was dubbed my brother’s game, and so he got to play it first.

I remember being upset because my brother chose the boy avatar, because I didn't want to be a boy when I would play.

I was smart and simply dressed up his character as a girl.

I put on a wig and a skirt, and boom! Girl character! It was the easiest way instead of nuking the whole save file. When my brother would play, he would make his character look like a boy again.

This game is pretty simple, but it’s a lot of fun! It’s no wonder they did it again for ACNH with the Happy Home Paradise DLC. I still think I prefer this one over the DLC.

Decorating houses for the villagers, especially the ones you like the most is the best part. I remember spending so long trying to get everything looking perfect and beautiful.

I managed to finish all the buildings you could make in the game, I was so happy to see Digby and Isabelle here!

Super Smash Bros For Nintendo 3DS

My brother got this game as well, but of course I played it way more than he ever did.

It was my first introduction to the series! I absolutely loved it, fighting as characters I love! I am a huge fan of fighting games in general, so this was right up my alley.

My mains were Rosalina and Luma, Zero Suit Samus, Zelda and Peach from memory, I became really proficient at using them all. My favourite stage was the Tomodachi Life one, since the Mii's you had in your Mii Maker would appear inside the apartments.

The 3DS version had Smash Run, one of the best modes ever if I do say so myself. You had to collect items to improve your stats so you can beat the final boss at the end! It was timed and honestly harder than you would expect.

It was a multiplayer mode but I used to always play by myself since I had no friends to play with aha

I remember always getting the same kind of stats and wondering how all the COMs were able to get such amazing ones—cheating I say!

Skylanders Giants

I remember vividly buying the game at Target. It came in a large box since it had the portal and three figures, as you can see above!!

I wish I could play this again, you need to have the portal and figures, and the portal I had is gone ;;

I remember being really invested in this game, playing through it and admiring how cool it looked! The story was pretty captivating.

My favourite Skylander is Chill, always loved her design! I actually broke the figure by accident, the ice spear she held fell out of her hand aha

I have a story to tell that is somewhat related to this game.

One time, I lied to a friend of mine that there was going to be a new Skylanders game after Swap Force that allowed you to use the figures on any game, particularly on Spyro’s Adventure.

My friend was stuck on the final boss in Spyro’s Adventure and I was a terrible person to make up such a story. I don’t even know why I did that, I think I got too excited making it up….

The worse thing was that they believed me completely and even told someone else about it because I told them to….

I’m sorry…..

Cars 2

You’re probably wondering, why did I play this? Well, my brother got it since he was a huge fan of the Cars franchise, but he barely played it.

And guess who did? ME BECAUSE HEY A GAME AND I LOVED CARS 2 AS A KID

It was pretty fun! There are many modes in this game, but I mostly played the Mission Mode as you could choose from any level you wanted (of course, warranting you played it in the main story).

Holly was the person who greeted you in this mode, and she was my favourite car back then. I always tried to play as her if I could since she was the only girl car playable in the game.

My favourite levels was the ones at the party in Japan, where you first play as Finn McMissle and sneak through the party without being caught by cameras or by Lemons. It was such a thrill, I became a pro at it!

Then you would play as Mater, rushing to the fountain before he overheated after trying Wasabi for the first time. That one was way harder than it seemed, the meter went down way too quickly so if you weren't fast enough, you fail.

They were the best levels, alongside the ones at the Oil Rig. Anything with Finn McMissle was a banger. He is a super cool spy car after all!

New Style Boutique Fashion Concert Demo

I never had internet when I was a kid or much money to buy many games, so I used to download demos. You never say no to free things.

One in particular is this one here!

There were two demos you could download for the game, the Fashion Contest and the Shopping Experience but I always preferred the thrill of being in a contest over simply dressing up your character.

I would like to introduce you to this one guy named MC Mode who is the contest official you see every time you play!

I loved this guy as a kid, not because of how he looked or anything. I liked this one specific dialogue he would say.

GO BE FREE MY BEAUTIES

It's not even that funny but it always amused me for some reason. I would even voice the line with a low voice. Every time I loaded up the demo, I always hoped I would get this.

You could tell by the opening lines of his speech, if he doesn't ask for the audience to turn it up a notch, then it would be the other dialogue that was in my opinion, boring as hell.

I have specific outfits I use for every single theme that always gets me to 1st place in most cases. That’s how much I used to play it.

I remember playing this demo with my cousin quite a bit because she liked dressing up games and this was the closest I had that looked appealing to her.

We used to get mad at the demo when it gave us the same theme over and over. The themes are randomised every time the demo starts, and can’t be influenced too much.

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance Demo

Probably my favourite demo of all time. I remember downloading this when I scrolled through all the available demos to download.

It was my first introduction to the Kingdom Hearts series, although I didn’t get into it until way later in 2019.

I loved flying around as Sora! The controls are a lot of fun, and you get to explore most of Transverse Town and beat the boss there! It was a giant monkey that was kind of a pain to beat.

I remember I used to always procrastinate actually beating the demo in favour for exploring. The controls were so interesting and I really liked how Sora could summon his little Dream Eater friends to help him out while battling.

With that, Part 1 is complete! I've played more games than this, but these are the main ones that I've made fond and not so fond memories with that I wanted to share!

I hope it was an interesting read! This took me forever to write. I feel like you can learn a lot about me.

Part 2 and Part 3 will go through more of the inbuilt software! I hope to see you over there too!

#3ds #nintendo 3ds #retrospective #i love the 3ds wehhhhh #don't go #waaaa #part 1

[fallenangelontheceiling]

Leverage 1x07

I’m starting to buy the tension between Eliot and Hardison. Eliot just learned basic photoshop lol. Love Hardison's attempts at awkward bonding, I buy that way more than they straight up dislike each other.

I’m sad we don’t get to hear Gina Bellman do a Jersey Mafia Wife accent.

Aww Sophie has a friend!

Yeah, why is Hardison being so down on himself??

At first I was like, I hope they let the daughter be a Mafia Princess Bitch. The cynic in me just does not have a lot of hope for sociopathic families. But the minute she was like, “Uh, Mom… I think releasing the doves is a bit much…” - “Shut up, Maria,” all my Say Yes To The Dress instincts perked up. Screw Mom! This is YOUR wedding! Seat your college friends wherever you want!

Parker telling the bridesmaid that yes, the dress does make her look fat, and not even picking up the social queues after the fact, is the first real Awkward Social Situation I’ve bought from her. Most of the stuff prior could be read as charming (I’m not like other girls I don’t like shoes, haha I taught this kid how to pick a lock). I absolutely see how Parker could become isolated.

Also REALLY buying the Parker/Hardison tension in the bridesmaids’ dress. “You really think I look good?” “You look perfect.” Stawp.

Side note that’s only relevant to me: I’m a little fascinated by the mob wife. I think she’s so picky because she doesn’t really know what she wants or what’s “high quality,” she just knows there’s a nebulous, upper class ideal she’s desperately aiming for. Explains why she would marry into money, despite the cheating and general immorality. (And sorry not sorry, I legit know so many women from Long Island that are like this.)

“I didn’t do anything wrong for her [my high school sweetheart] to dump me. I liberated Croatia.” “Do you think the Butcher of Kiev will recognize you?” Ooh, I’m suddenly very invested in Eliot’s backstory this episode! Fun B movie vibes 🥰☠️

“And that bride - what’s her name? - I’m not gonna let her down either!” I’m dying 😂

Between that, the incompetent FBI, and Eliot’s cooking, this is the funniest episode.

Omg of course the step mom is wearing white to this wedding. I kinda like the 80s prom look for the bridesmaid dresses tho ngl.

I hope this marriage is still legit despite the fake priest officiating lol. (Pretty sure all that matter is the certificate).

Nate/Sophie - I love mess 🥰 They're just projecting their own issues all over this damn wedding. Real Parent Energy. I love that for them.

“A wedding’s just a big con, huh?” “I never said there was anything wrong with that.” The ROMANCE this episode, istg!

#leverage #leverage lb #leverage 1x07

[cardicoven]

🌿Rosemary Devotional - Day 2: Native Habitat.

Rosemary is native to the dry scrubland of the Mediterranean region (southern Europe, Asia Minor, and North Africa) but is also reasonably hardy in cooler climates (where it is grown as an annual). Rosemary flowers in the summer but can be in constant bloom in warm climates, and in some climates, can live as long as 30 years. Native to: Albania, Algeria, Baleares, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Corse, Croatia, Cyprus, East Aegean Islands, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Portugal, Sardinia, Serbia, Sicily, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey Introduced to: Azores, Bermuda, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Cap e Verde, Crimea, Great Britain, Kriti, Madeira, Mexico Central, Mexico Southwest, Texas, Trinidad-Tobago

Sources: The McCormick Science institute : Map from Kew Gardens

#🌿 Plant Spirit Devotion #🌿 Rosemary Devotional #herbal magick #plant spirit #plant ally #herbal ally #paganism #pagan #paganblr #green witch #witchcraft #witchblr

[mariacallous]

Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic announced on Sunday that he will start a series of meetings with representatives of relevant institutions and victims’ associations to discuss adopting a new law on compensation for the former inmates of the Yugoslavia’s Goli Otok political prison camp.

“Goli Otok represents a black spot in our history and a symbol of suffering for thousands of citizens and their families,” Milatovic wrote on X.

He said that he supports the long-running campaign by civil society activists and the Montenegrin Goli Otok Association, which represents the victims’ cause, to get the Podgorica authorities to resolve the compensation issue, as Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia have already done.

After Yugoslavia broke ties with Stalin’s Soviet Union in 1948, the Yugoslav state under President Josip Broz Tito jailed people suspected of still supporting the Soviet leader.

The Goli Otok political prison was located on an abandoned island in Croatia and held some 16,500 people, 413 of whom died there. They were either killed, died due to the grim conditions, or committed suicide.

According to data from the Montenegrin Goli Otok Association, 3,390 Montenegrins were held in the prison camp.  Since 1992, representatives of the Association have unsuccessfully tried to convince the Podgorica authorities to adopt a law on compensation for the victims of Goli Otok.

Some former Yugoslav states regulated the issue of compensation for the victims more than 20 years ago. Serbia awarded victims seven euros for each day spent in prison, as did Croatia.

In Slovenia, victims of Goli Otok were awarded ten euros for each day they were held at the prison camp.

After 1956, Goli Otok became a prison for ordinary criminals and teenage delinquents and was finally closed in 1988.

The issue remained a taboo topic in Tito’s Yugoslavia until the 1980s.

[scotianostra]

On 11th March 1911, Sir Fitzroy MacLean, the Scottish soldier, diplomat, politician and author was born.

A controversial figure to classify as a Scot as he was neither born nor died in the country, but MacLean had Scots blood proudly running through his body, his father a member of the Scottish landed gentry serving in Egypt with the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders when Fitzroy was born. The family are descended from the MacLeans of Ardgour, a Sept of the Clan Maclean, whose chiefs have as their historic seat Duart Castle on Mull.

His hero was Bonnie Prince Charlie and he often expressed regret that the most important part of his life was compressed into an 18 month period, when he was sent to Yugoslavia during World War 2 to liaise with Partisan in the country fighting the Nazis.

Before the war MacLean was a diplomat and one of his postings was in the former USSR, it was here through contacts he made, that he is said to have found out about the likelihood of a Nazi-Soviet pact.

In 1939 he was posted back to London but was frustrated that his status as a diplomat ruled him out of fighting in the war he resigned from the Diplomatic Service, to “go into politics” but after tendering his resignation he immediately took a taxi to the nearest recruiting office and enlisted as a Private in the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders. He was soon promoted to lance corporal and was commissioned in 1941. He is one of only two privates to make it all the way to the rank of Brigadier during WW2.

Picking up wee snippets of the man from interviews and newspaper articles on him, I like his quote

“To some people, my life might seem one long adventure holiday,” he said in an interview, “blowing up forts in the desert, clandestinely parachuting into guerrilla wars, penetrating forbidden cities deep behind closed frontiers”  Well to some it was a big adventure, the author Ian Fleming is said to have taken inspiration for James Bond from the stories of Fitzroy MacLean, his physical description does somewhat lend itself to the famous character of so many films and books, he was a tall, handsome, broad-browed, imposing, energetic figure.

His daring exploits behind enemy lines were with a fellow Scot, and leader of the newly formed SAS, David Stirling, another anecdote from an article, shows the audacity of what they were doing, this is the stuff of fiction, you would think, but these men were there doing this.

On one occasion, while trying to mine Benghazi harbour, Maclean posed as an Italian officer and, in fluent Italian, roundly berated the sentries for inattention while mounting sentry duty. Seemingly a man oblivious to danger and with nine lives, Maclean had his only near brush with death after a car crash resulting from Stirling’s reckless style at the wheel. He was unconscious for four days after the crash and later remarked: “David Stirling’s driving was the most dangerous thing in World War Two!”

Friendly critics dubbed Maclean “the Balkan brigadier”, “the Scarlet Pimpernel” and even (from his penchant for Highland dress) “Lothario in a kilt”.

After the war war and away from politics he ran his own hotel, “The Creggans”, on the shore of Loch Fyne at Strachur. Maclean was a patron of Strachur and District Shinty Club. He collected an extensive library, including a full set of early editions of James Bond novels, which sold in September 2008 for £26,000. In the later years of Sir Fitzroy’s life, his work included making television documentaries, writing, and commenting on Soviet history. In addition, he and his wife made one of the first mercy missions into the war-torn former Yugoslavia, taking a truck with medical supplies through Bosnia to the island of Korcula, ,with a substantial contribution from the people of Rothesay and Bute. For that Maclean was posthumously awarded the Order of Prince Branimir for the humanitarian aid to Croatia, as well as contributing to international affirmation of Croatia.

For his wartime services he was awarded the French Croix de Guerre, the Soviet Order of Kutuzov, and the Yugoslavian Order of the Partisan Star.

There will be those among you who have your own opinions of whether MacLean should be included as a Scot, for me there is no doubt about it, I may not agree with the mans politics, he was a Tory MP for years, but his pride for Scotland and the Jacobites, and his years spent in Scotland, where he is fondly remembered around Argyll and Bute, his home for 40 years.

Finally just to show the mettle of the man, Maclean died while he was visiting friends in the English village of Hertford having just completed a swim at the age of 85!!!, he was stricken by a heart attack and died instantly, I think he would rather have gone that way rather than faded away. . He was returned to the location of the family home in the village of Strachur, Argyll County and was interred in the cemetery of historic Parish Church.

#scotland #scottish #soldier #diplomat #spy #history

[sincerelyyoursg]

golden days - you can tell me whatever you want to tell me! share some memories with me, and i'll share some with you. for this event, you can tell me to post it privately if you don't want others to see it <3

i have this particular childhood memory, where i was sitting the kitchen island at night, eating biscuits, while my mum was preparing tea for us. and at that time, i knew my mum was a good seamstress (she used to sew a lot). back in the scene, i dropped one biscuit on the ground and it broke, so i just laughed and said, “np!! mummy would sew this too” and my mum just laughed like- yea she’s so dumb💀

it’s ok if u answer this publicly lol <3 everyone here knows how dumb i am 🤡

hana that's actually such a nice memory!! thank you for sharing it with me :)

So this was few months back, when I visited Turkey as an exchange student. We stayed there for a week, and my host family I already met when they visited us in Croatia.

So, my host mom was a teacher and one evening, her daughter, her and me went to another teacher's house. They invited my teachers, and two of them brought their kids with them (one son and one daughter!).

And it was genuinely such a good night! Daughter of the teacher at whose house we were, she taught me how to make real turkish coffee, we had some traditional food and then afterwards we (the girl I was staying with [she's my turkish sister now <3], the daughter of the teacher, and kids from my teachers) played UNO for hours.

We ate cake on the floor, as family cat was playing around us, we laughed so hard that day that my stomach hurt for hours after that! Us girls decided to unite and destroy the only boy who was with us, and every round we did, he had like 43 cards in his hand...

It's one of my favorite memories ever, and one of the top five from Turkey!

I hope this wasn't too long lol

#gabi's letters! #moots <3 #hana 🍰 #gabi's 200 darlings!

[insurrection-if]

What options are there for regions of origin?

Oh, this will be a rather long post, haha! This is honestly an area I have been a bit nervous about due to the, well, tensions that can surround geographic definitions - and the mechanic in the game is based on the United Nations geoscheme. I'll list the breakdown under the cut though I shall warn you it's an eyeful. (；´∀｀) If there are any concerns to be had, then please let me know!

Americas

North America (Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, Greenland, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, United States of America - MC will choose whether they are a native US citizen.)

South America ( Argentina, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bouvet Island, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Suriname, Uruguay, (Bolivarian Republic of) Venezuela

Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama)

Caribbean (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin (French Part), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands)

Europe

Northern Europe (Åland Islands, Channel Islands (Guernsey, Jersey, Sark), Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands, Sweden, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)

Western Europe (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Lichtenstein, Luxemburg, Monaco, Netherlands, Switzerland)

Southern Europe (Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Gibraltar, Greece, Holy See, Italy, Malta, Montenegro, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Republic of North Macedonia)

Eastern Europe (Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Ukraine)

Africa

Northern Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Western Sahara / Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic)

Central / Middle Africa (Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe)

Eastern Africa (British Indian Ocean Territory, Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, French Southern Territories, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Réunion, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe)

Western Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo)

Southern Africa (Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa)

Asia

Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan)

Southern Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, (Islamic Republic of), Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka)

Southeastern Asia (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam)

Eastern Asia (China, Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, Mongolia, Republic of Korea)

Western Asia (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, State of Palestine, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen)

Oceania

Australia & New Zealand (Australia, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, New Zealand, Norfolk Island)

Melanesia (Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu)

Micronesia (Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, United States Minor Outlying Islands - MC can choose if they are native US citizen)

#mc #mechanics #region of origin

[live-the-fangirl-life]

i would love if you'd shared everything that might be in aelin's list in a world away, all the dream places she wants to go or already went 🤧🥺

First of all - I am so sorry it’s taken me so long to answer this ask 😭

Second - this list is in no way complete. I could probably double it if I gave it some more time (and maybe I’ll edit this post and add some later) but I wanted to answer this ask.

Third - some things listed are cities, some are attractions, some are landmarks or monuments…it’s really a mix of everything. And some major landmarks that cover more than one country are only listed once.

A World Away

So, without further ado, please enjoy

Aelin’s Incomplete and Ever-Adapting World Travel List ✈️

Antarctica

Argentina

Iguazú Falls // Patagonia // Rainbow Mountains // Buenos Aires

Australia

Melbourne // Sydney // Gold Coast // Great Barrier Reef // Adelaide

Austria

Vienna // Salzburg // Hallstatt

the Bahamas

Belgium

Bruges // Brussels

Belize

the Great Blue Hole

Bhutan

the Himalayas

Bolivia

Salar de Uyuni

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Stari Most Bridge // Mostar

Brazil

Rio de Janeiro // Christ the Redeemer // Amazon Rainforest // Lençóis Maranhenses National Park // Sao Paolo

Bulgaria

Cambodia

Angkor Wat

Canada

Niagra Falls // Vancouver // Banff // Toronto

Chile

Easter Island // Torres del Paine National Park // Marble Caves

China

Great Wall of China // Beijing // Shanghai // the Summer Palace // Potala Palace // Tianmen Mountain // Reed Flute Caves // Zhanye Danxia

Costa Rica

San Jose

Croatia

Dalmatian Coast // Diocletian's Palace // Krka waterfall park // Plitvice Lakes // Zagreb

Cuba

Havana

Czech Republic

Prague

Denmark

Copenhagan

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Quito // Galapagos Islands

Egypt

Cairo // The Great Pyramids & Sphinx // Nile River // Valley of the Kings // Luxor // Aswan

England

London // Thames River // Stonehenge

Estonia

Tallinn

Fiji

Finland

Helsinki

France

Mont-Saint-Michel // Louvre // Eiffel Tower // Alsace Lorraine // Paris // Notre Dame // Sacre Coeur // Versailles // Nice

French Polynesia

Bora Bora // Tahiti

Germany

Munich // Berlin // Black Forest // Oktoberfest // Neuschwanstein Castle

Greece

Santorini // Athens // Parthenon // Roman Agora // Acropolis // Mykonos // Oia // Fira // Corfu // Meteora

Greenland

Hong Kong

Tsim Sha Tsui

Hungary

Budapest // Capitol Hill // Bath Houses

Iceland

Reykjavik // Northern Lights // Egilsstaðir //Ring Road // Blue Lagoon // Vatnajökull National Park // Kirkjufell // Húsavík // Akureyri // Thingvellir National Park

Italy

Roman Colosseum // Amalfi Coast // Florence Duomo // Venice at Carnival // Piazzale Michelangelo // Cinque Terre // Pisa // Venice // Pompeii // Milan

India

Taj Mahal // Varanasi & Ganges River // Golden Temple // Agra // Mumbai // New Delhi

Indonesia

Bali // Komodo Island // Blue Flames at Ijen Volcano // Jarkarta

Iran

Hall of Diamonds

Ireland & Northern Ireland

Cliffs of Moher // Giants Causeway // Galway // Blarney Stone // Trinity College // O'Neills // Belfast // Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge // Cobh

Isreal

Dead Sea // Jerusalem

Jamaica

Japan

Tokyo // Mount Fuji // Wisteria Gardens // Osaka // Kyoto

Jordan

Petra // Amman

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Maasai Mara National Park // Lake Victoria

Kyrgyzstan

Luxembourg

Madagascar

Avenue of the Baobabs

Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur // Batu Caves

the Maldives

Male

Malta

Valletta

Mexico

Cabo // Teotihuacán // Chichen Itza // Cabo // Yucatan Peninsula // Mexico City

Mongolia

Gobi Desert

Morocco

Casablanca // Hassan II Mosque // Marrakesh // Chefchaouen // Sahara Desert

Myanmar

Bagan's Temples

Namibia

Nepal

Mount Everest // Kathmandu

the Netherlands

Amsterdam // Van Gogh Museum // Tulip Festival

New Zealand

Auckland // Queenstown // Kawarau Suspension Bridge // Milford Sound // Tongariro National Park // Hobbitton // Dark Sky Sanctuary // Waitomo Caves

Nigeria

Lagos

Norway

Oslo

Panama

Panama City

Peru

Machu Picchu & Huayna Picchu // Lima // Aguas Calientes // Andes Mountains // Huacachina

Philippines

Palawan // Manila

Poland

Krakow

Portugal

Lisbon

Romania

Russia

Moscow // St Petersburg

Rwanda

Volcanoes National Park

Saint Lucia

Samoa

Saudi Arabia

Al-Masjid an-Nabawi

Scotland

Edinburgh // Loch Ness // Inverness // Glasgow // Scottish Highlands

Singapore

Marian Bay Sands

Slovenia

Lake Bled

South Africa

Capetown // Johanessburg // Isle of Elephants

South Korea

Seoul // Jeju Island

Spain

Barcelona // Madrid // Sagrada Familia // Mosque of Cordoba

Sweden

Stockholm // Sweddish Lapland

Switzerland

the Alps // Bern // St Moritz

Tanzania

Mount Kilimanjaro // Serengeti

Thailand

Bangkok // the Grand Palace // Phuket

republic of Türkiye 

Cappadocia // Istanbul // Hagia Sophia // Pamukkale

Turkmenistan

Darvaza gas crater

Turks & Caicos

United Arab Emirates

Dubai // Burj Khalifa

United States

Grand Canyon // San Fransisco // Honolulu // Kauai // New Orleans // New York City // Seattle // Portland // Los Angeles // Antelope Canyon // MOMA // Las Vegas

Vanuatu

the Vatican

St. Peter's Basilica // The Vatican Museum // Sistine Chapel

Vietnam

Ha Long Bay // Hoi An // Hanoi

Zambia

Victoria Falls

#a world away #awa #ask #anon #rowaelin

[mutantenfisch]

Jasmine Tea and Iced Cafe Mocha?

Jasmine Tea : If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Ooof there are so many places i would want to visit, it's impossible to choose one. I'd love to go to Dubrovnik in Croatia for example. Not because of Game of Thrones, but because of it's pretty architecture and super interesting history.

I would also love to go to Japan's North because I like the landscape. I would love to go to Sicily to taste all the regional food. I would love to travel the US and Canada to visit all my friends there. I would love to go to Patagonia because it is a long held dream of mine. Same with several of the Indonesian Islands, Thailand and Iceland. Ghana, Nigeria and Gambia also interest me, because I've seen different tv programmes about these countries and they are beautiful and have such beautiful nature and people and traditional food and clothing and I am being totally honest the main reasons for me to travel are to eat good food and buy pretty things directly from the people who make them, mostly crafted things. And to meet different people and learn about their cultures and histories from them instead of from wikipedia/a White European perspective.

Iced Cafe Mocha : Favorite thing to do on rainy days?

Aaaah rainy days my beloved! Depending on the temperature, it's sip some tea play video games and draw or sip some ice tea and chill with a book/draw in the hanging chair on the terrace time :)

Thanks for asking my friend! 💕

#ask game #mutantenfisch answers #café asks #lykegenia

[cacchieressa]

Elegy Just in Case by Richard Jackson 

     The end approaches, but the apocalypse is long lived.        —Jacques Derrida, "Of an Apocalyptic Tone"

The river's down again, the boat piers loom over the mud.                                   An emptiness so vast I can't tell if I am in it or it in me.                             As when I am barred from my own dreams.                                   Most of our lives we live backwards. What I didn't say stalks me. What I neglected waits in the trees with the vultures.

There are chasms in the words I have for this. There is my old heart shuttered with denial.

It is as if the lost names rise now from the mud.

One of them arrives with his hands full of hours. One arrives as a Luna moth at the back door. Another knows his imagination contains his future. Another, the eternity he dreams won't last for long. Yet another, how we once walked on our knuckles.

On this starless night even the wind wants to be visible.                 It is their dreams that have dropped anchor in my own.                            As when the boy in Croatia marked the poor stone grave with a simple prayer fingered with the mud at his knees, and whose words trembled with a flash of wind.                                                  My own words are dredging the river bed.                                      The piers reach out towards the trapped skiffs.                                  What they search for is a time where our dreams begin,                                  the river mud giving up its secrets, stumps trying once again to be trees, a pair of boots someone must have lost overboard before the drought, the salamanders emerging, a few glistening stones pretending to be islands,                                            the shadow of the heron sweeping the surface, unable to find a proper ending.

#poetry

[aroundtheworldin214days]

July 4, 2023 - Day 190

Hubbard’s Glacier, Alaska

In the comments section “easyasgoingtothedentist” asked the following question so I thought I would try and answer. My response is probably too long but I wanted to give it a go so here it is.

Question = “It’s hard to believe you have been on this journey for half a year now. With one month remaining, would you reflect on your favorite places and where you would return to? Any comments on the world atmosphere post-Covid which you have experienced? How about any interesting people you have met on the ship? Which ports did they embark? What nationality were they? It has been really fun to read of your escapades. Thank you. Oh- and could you please post a map of the rest of your ports-o-call?”

Thank you for your note. I appreciate that someone is actually looking at this. It is hard to answer your first question because there have been so many but let me give you a few statistics before I try.

On this trip we have visited 44 countries with 117 stops in different cities. I keep track of how far we go each day and the two screenshots below show my mileage markers. To date we have traveled 51,430 miles and have 7,195 miles to go for a total voyage of 58,625 miles. As far as the rest of the voyage we will be visiting Sitka, Ketchikan, Prince Rupert, Victoria, Astoria, San Francisco, Cabo San Lucas, Zihuatanejo, Puerto Quetzal, Puentarenas, Cartagena and Great Stirrup Bay in that order. We weren’t allowed to land in Peru or Myanmar because of political unrest and missed Kodiak Island and Hubbard’s Glacier because of weather. Because of CoVid we were the first cruise ship to return to many of the ports and there were extremely happy to see us. Bands, dancing and big welcome signs were common. Many of these places depend on the tourist business and there were many closed businesses and restaurants that didn’t survive.

The average age of people on the ship is 72, the oldest is 92 and the youngest is 23. Five people have died during the voyage, there was one helicopter evacuation because of a heart attack, there have been 8 people that have broken arms, legs and wrists because of falls and 2 couples have been kicked off the ship because of misbehavior. The ship doesn’t advertise these events so there may have been more but these are the ones I know about.

Three hundred and fifty of the Around The World passengers got on and will get off in San Francisco. Fifty seven got on and off in Miami and NewYork. Half the passengers are from the US, 25 % from Canada and the rest from other countries including Switzerland, Germany, UK, New Zealand, Australia, Holland, Israel, Mexico, Columbia, Turkey and two Ukrainians. The passengers are fairly affluent with representation from all races, colors and nationalities. Most are retired but some still working a little. The professions include medical Doctors, lawyers, engineers, book authors, a retired bus driver, a police detective, a tobacco factory owner, university professors, bed and breakfast owners, medical laboratory technicians, the owner of a Canadian lumber company, the chief architect for Home Depot, high school superintendents, a physiologist and many more that I don’t know.

The crew is even more diverse. The Captain is from Croatia and most of the officers from Eastern Europe. There are only about 8 of the crew that actually work for the cruise line the rest work through a contract company and are mostly Indian, Philippino and Indonesian. The chef and ship manager are French.

As far as places I would like to go back to there are many so let me just pick one or two from each continent. The highlight of the trip was Antartica. Amazing scenery, amazing animals and absolute desolation. In South America it would be Punta de Este, Uruguay followed by Puerto Monty, Chile and Recife, Brazil. In Africa it would be the Seychelles followed by Cape Town, South Africa and Walvus Bay, Namibia. In the Middle East it would be Muscat,Oman. Dubai, of course, is great but it is just a big international city. In South Asia it would be Columbo, Sri Lanka. In the Far East all of Japan was great but if I had to pick it would be Hakodate and Kobe, Japan followed by Ha Long Bay, Vietnam and Singapore.

Politically my biggest surprise was how strong the Chinese influence is in many of the countries especially West Africa. The situation in these countries is very sad. It is to much to discuss here but basically the vast majority of people live in extreme poverty with the few people in power selling off the resources of the country to China to enrich themselves. The Chinese then move their people in to gain land and resources at the expense of the local population.

Another surprise and disappointment was what I saw in San Diego and San Francisco. The downtown streets are lined with tents and cardboard boxes housing the homeless. There were many many more than I saw in even the poorest countries we visited. I am not going to get into the reasons I think this is happening but there is definitely something wrong in these cities and it needs to be fixed.

#around the world #travel

[emily-scstudyabroad]

Weekend in Croatia!

For Easter weekend, I took a trip to Croatia! Emma and I decided to go with Smart Trip, a student tour company. It was the first time we used Smart Trip. For our past trips we booked everything ourselves, so we liked that the transportation and accommodation were booked for us. It was nice not having to plan a trip for once, but I do think it is important to try to book most of them yourself. The trip was fun because it was 70 students studying in Florence!

We left on a bus on Thursday at 9 pm and arrived in Croatia around 12:30 pm on Friday. It was my first time spending the night on a bus, and I was worried I wouldn't be able to sleep. But it wasn't too bad, and I did get some decent sleep.

Our first destination in Croatia was Dubrovnik, and we stayed in Hotel Astarea. It was near the water and had such a beautiful view.

View from our room's balcony!

Emma and I had lunch in Old Town at a restaurant outside and had a nice view of the city and the water.

Love my Italian food! Most people order seafood in Dubrovnik but we aren't the biggest fans of it.

Next, we walked along the city walls for even more spectacular views!

The water is so blue!

We both bought postcards and some gelato. And we walked around the city exploring!

Then we took the cable car because we wanted to see the view of the city from the top. It was neat to see the walls surrounding the city. I really enjoyed visiting a smaller city for a change!

The island on the left is called Lokrum! Inside the walls is considered Old Town.

On Saturday, thirty of us on the trip went kayaking! That was probably my favorite activity on the trip. Emma and I teamed up in a tandem kayak. We had a guide who told us about the history of Dubrovnik and then took us to a little shore for lunch before kayaking back to the mainland.

I hadn't kayaked since middle school but luckily Emma knew what she was doing.

After kayaking, Emma and I grabbed smoothies before getting tickets to take the ferry to an island called Lokrum. This island is known for having peacocks, so we had to go! The island was also a filming location for Game of Thrones, so many people like to visit.

As soon as we stepped off the ferry we saw peacocks!

The island was so beautiful! We hiked around the island and up to the top of the Path of Paradise.

View from Lokrum.

Before dinner, we went to Buza Bar, a bar built into the cliffs. During the day people can go cliff jumping. It was a very cool experience, people were sitting all over the rocks, and the waves were just below my feet.

Buza Bar! The bar closes before dark for safety reasons.

We had some yummy chicken quesadillas for dinner because we can't get good Mexican food in Florence, and I was craving it.

Dubrovnik at night!

On Sunday, we left at 6:45 am to drive to our next destination in Croatia, a bigger city called Split. We arrived later than planned because we got stopped at the border in Bosnia for an hour and a half. The only way to drive to Split was through Bosnia for ten minutes, even though we were going from one Croatian city to another Croatian city.

Once we made it to Split, we checked into the Design Hostel 101 Dalmatinac and changed for the boat ride! We were on the boat from 2:30 pm until 8:30 pm, and stopped at an island for dinner. We made some new friends and saw the sunset on the boat.

Sunset view!

We had an early night because on Monday we woke up early to drive to Krka National Park to see the waterfall. The waterfall did not disappoint!

In the summer people can go into the water!

After an hour and a half, it was time to board the bus for the rest of the journey back to Florence. The drive took about 12 hours and we arrived around 11 pm.

Overall, I loved my time in Croatia! It was never on my radar as a place to visit initially. But, when Emma and I finished planning our weekend trips, this was the last one open because it was a long weekend. So, we decided to take the last two spots on the Smart Trip. I think the tour guide did a great job, and it was a very stress-free weekend. Dubrovnik was my favorite city; I loved seeing so much nature for a change!

Such beautiful views!

I will say that Croatia was more expensive than I thought it would be, and it surprised me. The food and drinks were good, but definitely overpriced. The cable car ride was 27 euros roundtrip. Walking the city walls was 35 euros. Since I didn't really research for this trip, maybe I could have learned that ahead of time, but I don't regret the trip at all! I had such an amazing time in Croatia and it is one of the top destinations I have visited.

#study abroad #croatia #travel

[stars-and-darkness]

Hi! I noticed you're from Croatia, and I thought I'd ask you: I'm writing a story in which a country is inspired by Croatia, and I was wondering if you knew any resources I could use to make it more accurate and not just a foreigner projecting onto a country?

Hi!

Your question is … very complicated, lol. If there are books out there that offer a comprehensive overview of Croatian culture, I’m not familiar with them, and I don’t think I’m quite up to explaining the entirety of it myself … and even if I could, only a small part of it is mine, because … here’s the thing.

Obviously I don’t know the context of your story, but you should keep in mind that the Croatian culture of today is highly influenced by the historical disjointion of these territories. The Croats first arrived to what was then the former Roman province Illyricum in the 7th century at the earliest (according to De Administrando Imperio) but there is no written evidence of their presence until the 9th century at least. In the early middle ages, there was the Croatian Kingdom which joined up with Hungary in 1112. Then the Anjou family died out and there was a lot of messy war until the Hapsburgs took over, and would you look at that—suddenly, we’re a part of the Holy Roman Empire. Flash forward to the early modern era, and in addition to the Hungarian and Austrian influence, you have the Venetians taking up most of the eastern Adriatic coast, and the Ottomans chomping at the territory from the northeast (Croatia was referred to as Antemurale Christientatis for a reason, lol … it was also referred to as reliquiae reliquiarum olim magni et inclyti regnum Croatiae … also for a reason). My point here is that the culture and language in Croatia of today was massively influenced by the fact that these territories spent a lot longer politically apart than they did together. Again, I don’t know the context of your story, I don’t know if it’s modern-day or historical, I don’t know if your inspired-by country is inspired by the whole country or just a certain part. You can’t separate Croatian culture from Italian, or Turkish, or Hungarian, or general Balkanese, or Austrian/German. And the same goes for language.

This is a tiny country??? How are there so many mutually unintelligible dialects??? But just like with culture, the dialects all bear striking resemblance to the surrounding languages (Italian, Turkish and German are particularly prevalent) because for a very long time … these languages were spoken in administration and government.

If you're simply looking for modern-day sources ... I guess I'd suggest you watch some of our media? But again, pick where, because Zimmer Frei (which takes place on a tiny island) won't give you the same ideas as Naša Mala Klinika (which is in Zagreb).

And I know that’s probably not the answer you were looking for, but it’s the best I got.

#anon #ella answers