#ratio kinda lives in my head rent-free

[vampkomori]

Ratio might be a Candelagraphos scholar

*The Candelagraphos is a school of the Intelligentsia Guild. theyre the so-called "printing department" of the guild.

despite having known Ratio for (arguably) a while, we still dont know what he actually does! funny. hes overall mysterious and we dont actually know anything about him, but we might be able to find out what he does at the guild/ or what hes planning to do.

^ emotional support ratio

lets start chronologically, im going to build this up again slowly for context, but also because i want to compile what Ratio actually does, so into the post it goes.

We know that he works with the Technology Department of the IPC as an outsourced science consultant. This is to be expected, because Yabuli, the head of the Technology Department, is also the controller of the Intelligentsia Guild.

- File Repository: Ally — Interastral Peace Corporation Headquarters, at the Seat of Divine Foresight

In the IPC trailer, you can see Ratio's bust in the bottom left corner-ish. The voiceover also says "Join us and team up with the Intelligentsia Guild!" So, its likely that the guild exclusively (or primarily) works with the Technology Department when the IPC requires aid.

Moving on to Ratio's qualifications/his 8 doctorates to establish what kind of fields he works in:

He has 8 doctorates, namely: Medicine, Philosophy, Natural theology, Mathematics, Physics, Computer science, Engineering, and Biology. (7 of his 8 degrees are mentioned in his character story, but his 8th (computer science) is only mentioned in his trailer)

From this we can gather he regularly publishes books and papers, invents machines/medicine, and does regular ol' research.

great job pookie. based on this, lets try figure out which of the guild's schools he would fit into:

Synesthesia School: Mostly known for its Synesthesia Beacon, the tool that lets you understand and speak languages. They mostly seem to focus on communiation-related things, as Herta says their next research focuses on "remote communication technology".

Ratio could probably thrive anywhere but he is not shown to have language-related interests or research, so this ones unlikely.

Astral Ecology School: Focus on Astrology/Cosmology, they study the void song whale, radiant jellyfish, and other organisms of the galaxy.

Highly unlikely. This one has nothing to do with his kind of science.

Armed Archaeologists: Very exploration-heavy. They do galactic exploration and archaeology. On the Interastral Peace Broadcast, its said that they discovered a miniature galaxy and recently unconvered the tomb of Rubert I.

Also highly unlikely. Ratio does science and is also a teacher, he doesnt go out into the universe to explore.

Quantum History School: This school is allegedly a bit of a scam. they used to try and "find the influences of disturbance and patterns of change hidden throughout history", but now they just scam you with calculation-based fortune telling.

No comment.

Candelagraphos:

Ill just add Hertas summary of it and marked the relevant passages.

Author✅ Ratio is a published author of multiple books and papers.

Programmer ✅ He has a doctorate in computer science and works with the Technology Department, so he likely knows how to programm.

Their altruistic philosophy ✅ literally matches Ratio's to a T.

"The science of the guild is gathered here" ✅ Ratio does science.

Naturally its possible that the guild has more schools than just these ones, but. well anyway lets keep going.

In 2.1, Ratios goal in Penacony is specifically to get Stellaron Research Papers from the Family.

"achieved what he desired" (to which he replies, "Thats true.") So, Ratio is doing research on Stellarons. interesting! this is a surprise tool that will help us later.

Anyway, Ratio was invited as a science consultant to Hertas space station, and its possible that it was during the events of Crown of the Mundane and Divine that the IPC allied with Herta

- Interastral Peace Broadcast Radio

Herta is known for a lot of things, but shes also one of the only people whos been able to seal a Stellaron and keep it "dormant", to the point that the Stellaron Hunters specifically used her sealed Stellaron for the Trailblazer.

Although Himeko later says that no one, not even Herta, has found a way to destroy a Stellaron.

Its interesting that Herta is emphasized, likely meaning that shes basically the universe's Foremost Expert On Stellarons. Naturally, the IPC allying with her couldve been for other reasons too, though.

In the same broadcast its said that the IPC has been doing research on Stellarons with the Intellgentsia Guild's support, and currently, their results are promising.

So, the IPC does research on Stellarons, recently allied with Herta who happens to be a bit of a specialist on Stellarons, has the guild's support, and recently Ratio acquired Stellaron Research papers, implying that hes the one doing research on it.

Fun bit: Stellarons are called "Cancer of all worlds" and technically what theyre doing could be considered "trying to cure cancer" which is funny because Ratio's a medical doctor and that absolutely sounds like something hed do.

But what school in the Intellgentsia Guild would do research on Stellarons? None of them seem to really have anything to do with them? how would you even classify Stellarons? biology????

Worry no more, I have the answer:

The Candelagraphos

Theyre requesting data on Stellarons for their experiments. I rest my case (bows)

that was kind of the conclusion. Ratio's department is absolutely the Candelagraphos, hes doing research on Stellarons with the IPC, and it is undoubtedly going to be very very relevant in the plot (soon? ish? eventually).

id love if we got more lore on him once that happens. He absolutely has ties to the Laurel Wreath Galaxy and the Philosophers Union. Maybe that wont be relevant in the Stellaron Chapter but. well, theres ample foreshadowing that Emperor Rubert is going to make a comeback and he was the reason said galaxy and philosophers even perished and Screwllum recently uncovered his tomb alongside a member of the guild? so??? pretty please. thank you 🙏

Ratio stonks will rise

#dr. veritas ratio #honkai star rail #hsr #ratio kinda lives in my head rent-free #theres so many weird things about him. i didnt even go into those. but theres PLENTY #vampy.txt #its also extremely funny to me how minor of a role he had in penacony #casually figures out dormancy. woke up from the dream alone. just keeps chilling afterwards???? #also there was that weird part where he went to the auction for unknown reasons #that guy..... hes a walking chekhovs gun

[wraithinkorporated]

Rating the Ben 10 Aliens Based on Gender Envy vs Attraction

with just the original series because theres,,,,, so many across the mutliple series

spoiler alert its still a lot so i'm putting it under a cut

first up the man, the myth, the legend, heatblast. kinda basic but you can't beat a flame man. 5/10 attraction

wildmutt. the reason i'm making this list. a literal fucking animal. bro can't see he just goes off vibes. (i know he smells sshhhhh) i didn't know what gender envy was when this show was airing but i felt it heavy when this beast was on screen. 10/10 gender envy

diamondhead is a classic but this is a man in a leotard. points for having Points but not all that interesting looking. 3/10 attraction

XCLR-8. annoying twink. 1/10 gender envy

greymatter. annoying twink but little and a smartass. i am already like this. -2/10 gender envy

four arms. gym bro with extra appendages. same issue as diamondhead his name is literally just four arms i never understood why this was alway's ben's go-to. points for being versatile. 4/10 attraction

im sorry i dont want to be a bug. hated this thing when it came on screen. 0/10 both

RIPJAW. LETS FUCKING GOOOO ARE YOU SEEING THIS SCALED FUCKING FREAK???? DUDE IS WEARING A LOINCLOTH. THRIVES IN THE DARK. HAS CLAWS AND WEBBED FINGERS THATS WHAT I LIKE TO SEE. points docked for no tail BUT OTHER THAN THAT PEAK PERFORMANCE AND THAT'S WHAT I STRIVE FOR. 15/10 GENDER ENVY

Upgrade. when i hear that one song from Be More Chill all i see is this thing. it lives in my head rent free and i always thought it had the coolest ability. if i didn't want to be a ravenous beast so bad i'd settle for an forever-adapting amorphous blob. but alas. 9/10 gender envy

ghostfreak. this thing used to keep me up at night. not because i was scared i started making theories in my head from a young age. creepypasta material. i like the mystery and threateningly chill aura. 6/10 attraction

idk why but i found this fucker annoying. after ben discovered him he came around wayy too much. other than that i love a good Orb. 3/10 attraction

wildvine. gives old gay vibes. there's nothing i enjoy about this design. for a plant thing it looks dehydrated. i respect it i just don't wish to partake. 1/10 attraction

oh god there's so many more aliens in the original series than i thought but heres,,,,,,, spitter???? vaguely remember it but it was probably only in like 1 or 2 episodes. irrelevant therefore not worth rating. only here for us to point and laugh.

buzzshock looks like dexter if he drank sulfuric acid and lithium hydroxide. also irrelevant but gets rating because he's funny to look at. 2/10 gender envy

arctiguana. somehow managed to be more irrelevant than spitter but more aquatic looking so automatically has more going for it. why it arm so long though. 3/10 gender envy

is the ben 10 wiki lying to me because i don't remember "blitzwolfer" either, and i would've remember a wolf furry. has pieces that i like but should be fluffier looking. 5/10 attraction

upchuck. i remember this bastard. i remember wanting to punt him into the nearest goalpost. -1/10

okkkkk we're getting back to the dudes i remember, although i would not have thought its name would be,,,, "snare-oh." but i love a scrungly looking mummy. 7/10 attraction

"Frankenstrike" was this a halloween special? i bet this was a halloween special. however i do love a good frankenstin inspo and points for the tesla towers on his back. looks like an absolute unit. 6/10 attraction

"eye guy" yeah he sure is. i'm trying not to bash on these names because these fellas were named by a 10 year old but i can't stand this one. anyway i love a freak covered in eyes but i have a pet peeve against character's with a 60:1 shoulder to waist ratio. 2/10 attraction

hey we're almost to the end are you excited? there's only one more after this one. "way big." this is actually the Ultimate Alien design because I remember it the best. i used to have gender envy for it but I have no desire to be however large this thing was. 6/10 gender envy

this is the final alien that was introduced in the original series: "ditto." i used to REALLY like this one, i'd go as far as to say my favorite out of them all. not anymore but i still kinda dig its design, which i didn't expect. just a little guy that duplicates into more little guys. 4/10 gender envy

#holy shit that was so many aliens #i thought just going by the original series would only give me 10 aliens i'd have to rate #but then i opened the wiki and realized how wrong i was #ben 10 aliens #ben 10 original series #very specific audience for this but i hope i reach them lol #gender envy #thinktank.txt

[wrymbloods]

content creator appreciation: list five favourite sets you've made and send this ask to five other content creators! 💗💗💗💗 (if you haven't already)

1. neon genesis evangelion episode 5

evangelion is a very hard series to gif, because of the aspect ratio of the show and gif size i use, alot of the image gets cut off and i can't always use the scene i want to, plus alot of the scene colours contast eachother and don't go all that well together, so the fact i was able to use all the scenes i wanted and the colours all fit well with eachother made me very happy making and uploading it

2. ianeira + astarion - i'll be your mirror

i dont have as much to say about this one, i just think the colours look very pretty and this is such a cute scene, i can't get over the way he says 'what you see', these two just live in my head rent free

3. alex + ryan - lifting the lantern

i just think this is pretty uwu and the way ryan looks at alex will always get me im so starved for affection yall

4. liking a male character like...

this is just really funny and when i saw that people were making gif sets for that post, i knew i had to do it for dimitri ,, also im happy that all the gifs work well together despite them being from different scenes with different lighting and whatnot, and even with the last two kinda contrasting the rest i still think they look nice

5. valerie + garrus moments

i absolutely love these two so much, of course i had to include this one uwu ,, i just love how their relationship develops and all the moments they have together, plus i just really love the pinks and blues bouncing off eachother i think its very pretty

#aka if a gif set has pretty colours its probably my fave #tysm for sending this ophelia !!! this was very fun to do #asks. #avallachs

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #199

“mama, just killed a man; put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he’s dead.”

Who is the nicest person you’ve ever met? I dunno, I've truly met so many. How about the meanest? Literally my former best friend, all things considered. I too often ignored her overwhelming ratio of bad versus positive traits. She was an absolute witch when entirely unnecessary to most she met, and even to those she did like, she could be extremely rude and just. Yeah, mean. Do you prefer sugar cookies or peanut butter cookies? Hmmm, probably sugar. Chocolate chip cookies or Oreos? Chocolate chip. What is on your mouse pad? I don't have one. Who was the last person to yell at you? Mom. Why did they yell at you? I don't recall, I just know it was her. What was the last thing you spoke to your mom about? I can't remember. It was as she was leaving for work and nothing major. Where was the last place you took a train to? Never been on a train. What is your favorite sleeping position? What about sitting? Sitting, idk. But I sleep like, kinda on my stomach but twist to my side with my arms positioned up like a fetus' or something. My legs are just kinda just splayed out or bent a bit beside each other. When is the last time you felt appreciated for something you did? Had to be something with Sara when she needed some comfort. Do you ever call friends just to have a casual conversation with them? I don't willingly call anyone. I've texted/messaged friends at random though. Are you the type of person who gets straight to the point? Not really. Do you enjoy playing board games? No. Are there any movies you are wanting to see? The new How To Train Your Dragon, ahhhh! Probably gonna see it with Sara when she comes. Who was the last contact you stored into your cell phone, if you have one? Probably VR. What was the last song you sang along to? Uhhh something by Powerwolf in the shower. Are you a fan of the band Taking Back Sunday? Never heard 'em. Nachos or tacos? I hate tacos, but nachos are literally the best. Do you think Kurt Cobain was assassinated? This is a conspiracy I'm not really educated on. *shrugs* I barely ever rule shit out now after going down the conspiracy theories rabbit hole. Do you feel uncomfortable when people you hardly know confide in you? Not at all. Does it annoy you when people wish away their lives? I'm guessing you mean just wish for things instead of taking action towards achieving them? Yes, it does. Wishing isn't gonna do a damn thing for you. Have you ever lived with somebody with truly repulsive habits? No. Do you tend to say things because they’re appropriate not because you mean them? No. I've probably done it, but not enough to recall an occasion. What was the last thing to perplex you? Some conspiracy theory in Shane Dawson's new series I thought was pretty far-fetched. I've already forgotten it. What was the last thing to fascinate you? Another theory in the same series mentioned above lol. It was about the fires in California. Do you ever have really good dreams, and then the whole next day, you’re in a really good mood because of that really good dream? No. What’s the last thing you bought at the mall? A book. What are you listening to? "Fire & Forgive" by Powerwolf. Have you ever wanted to go to the moon? Not really. Is your favorite author the author of your favorite book? No. What are you looking forward to the most? Settling down comfortably with Sara with nice jobs, pets we love, a house we feel is perfect for us, and just. Yeah, all of that. ;v; What’s the last CD you bought? I haven't bought one since Hollywood Undead's "Swan Songs." Is that your favorite cd by that artist? I'm not too familiar with their albums, but I think? What food do you eat the most of? Idk, really. Meats? Some form of bread? What food do you not eat enough of? Vegetables. If you HAD to look like someone else, but could choose who, who would you choose? Probably Suzy Hanson. I'm gay as all fuck hell for that sweetheart. What’s something you’re proud of yourself for? DEDICATING TO THE PROCESS OF RECOVERY. Think of your favorite band… if you got to talk to ONE person from that band, who would it be, and why them? Ozzy because he is my granddad, savior, and most importantly, spirit animal. Have you ever seen someone get a tattoo done? If so, what was it? Did they cry or were they in a lot of pain? Yeah; it was a watercolor feather with "ohana" written on it. She didn't cry, nor was it excruciating. What do you like on hot dogs? Ketchup and mustard. Favorite sport team? I'm biased towards the Carolina Hurricanes because of Dad. Do you live somewhere where it’s completely safe to walk alone at night? No. Have you ever lived with someone who was a total slob? Yup. Have you ever interviewed a job applicant at your workplace? N/A Have you ever gone over 3 months without shaving/waxing your legs? Yeah, or close to it. Would you ever consider being a foster parent? No. What’s your opinion on lottery tickets? Waste of money, or no? A waste and a risk for addiction. What are some things that make others cry, that don’t make you cry at all? Well, this is hard. I cry at pretty much anything moving. Have you ever swam in a saltwater pool? No. Can you run in heels? I highly doubt that. My balance is bad as it is. Do you think anyone has given up on you? I'm sure Colleen has. When did you last swallow your beliefs to avoid an argument or confrontation? Today, but literally most days on FB anyway with my stepmother and abortion. Do you pay your own cellphone bill, or do your parents pay it for you? Dad pays it. Have you seen every Harry Potter movie in theaters? No. Have you ever been pregnant? No. Would you ever drive a hearse for your car? Fuck yeah I would if I could decorate it some. What snacks do you usually take to the beach with you? I haven't gone to the beach consistently enough to known. Do you like to eat tomato soup along with your grilled cheese? No. Have you ever watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer? No. Do you have thick or thin hair? Thick as all fuck. If you have thick hair, do you get it thinned when you get it cut? I get it like, tapered so the ends aren't so abrupt. If you have thin hair, do you wish it were thick? N/A What kind of shoes do you normally purchase? Converse or Vans. Did you like Pokemon or Digimon when you were younger? Pokemon was and still is everything. Do you sleep with your hair up or down? It's too short to go up, but I didn't when it was long. When you go swimming, do you put your hair up or down? ^ Do you do any special workouts to stay in shape? I've started doing some yoga exercises and push-ups everyday to try to get IN shape. If you’re a girl, do you have big hips? Too big? I'd say they're fine. Is there a day you’d just like to forget? Which one? The day I ODed. Girls, do you think you look good in dresses or not? I haven't worn a dress since my sister's wedding three years ago... and I looked awful. Have you ever taken a pottery class before? No. What is the one stereotype people label you as most? Don't really hear those nowadays. Who makes you the most angry in your life right now? My last fucking school. How many times have you seen Star Wars? Be honest. Literally once, and I hated it. It was incredibly uninteresting. Do you like flowers? What’s your favorite kind? YEAH. I love orchids and dahlias. How many grades have you failed in your life? None. Do you own a car? Who provides your insurance if so? No. Are you someone who can easily keep a secret? Yup. When was the last time you painted something? December, a painting for Sara. Who was the last female you hung out with? My mom. When is the next time you’re going on vacation? Hell if I know. Are you currently renting out your own apartment? No. Have you taken anyone’s virginity? No. Have you ever had anyone drop off animals at your house and what kind? No. Have you ever made your boy/girlfriend choose between you and someone else? No. Do you remember when some of the Walmarts had a McDonald’s in them? Our neighboring town still has one. When was the last time you were somewhere that offered free Wi-Fi? I dunno. What color are your curtains and are you satisfied with this color? Maroon, and yes. When was the last time you were stung by a bee and what kind was it? Last year by a bumblebee. Do you know anyone personally who had their house burn down before? Yes. What’s your favorite kind of potato chip and are they cheap to buy? Hm. Maybe classic... or cool ranch. Who was the last male you hung out with? My dad. Are you self-conscious? You have no idea. Do you tend to get sick more often in the wintertime? If not, is there a certain season that you get sick more often in besides winter? No. I rarely ever get sick. Do you find yourself being more of a germaphobe when you’re in public? Uh, duh. What is the worst thing you’ve seen in a public restroom? Blood under the seat. And I mean quite a bit. I usually check under them now after that event with Colleen. Nerdy question time. If you were in a more medieval time period, would you prefer to excel in might, magic, or finesse? MAGIC. Do you have an friends from foreign countries? Are they online friends or foreign exchange students? Or perhaps you have some from both? Online friends. Have you ever studied how your last name originated? Yeah. What is one recipe that you would like to learn how to make? Hell, a lot. I need to know how to cook period. How many hours can you go after a meal before you are hungry again? Does the time vary off how big of a meal it was? Depends on what I ate. Can be like... 4-5 hours or I can fast and go beyond 16. Really varies. What was your favorite Backstreet Boys song? HUNNY don't DO THIS. Oh Lord. I really don't think I can pick. I know back then it was "The Call," though. Favorite *N Sync song? Probably "Bye Bye Bye." Which of those two bands did you like best? Backstreet Boys. *heart eyes drool emoji* Do you learn choreography easily? I was okay back in dance, but I doubt it now. My memory and focus have declined. What is the theme of this year’s wall calendar? Idk, Mom hasn't changed it yet. Do you believe that Jesus will come back in your lifetime? I don't believe that concept. Do you still have your favorite toy from when you were kid? Apparently no; asked Mom recently outta curiosity, and I was VERY surprised. I don't know how I ever could've gotten rid of him. Which do you do more: read books, spend time online, or watch television? Guess. What do you do the most when you’re online? Listen to/watch YouTube. Is your 2019 off to a good start? Eh, I suppose. What color is your winter coat? I don't have one. What’s your favorite candy to receive on Halloween? Reese's. Do you think you’re too old to go trick-or-treating? Well, according to society. Do you have a bobblehead? If yes, what does your bobblehead look like? No. Were you afraid of heights as a child? No. What’s the strangest thing you’ve wrapped a present in? Nothing odd? Can you read in the car? I don't know if I've ever done that? Have you ever had a lead role in a play? No. Would you ever take a solo road trip? Nah. What is the most fascinating part of nature? Shit dude, idk. There's so much. Evolution, maybe. When did you last go to the library? What book(s) did you check out? Couldn't tell ya. Have you ever gotten in trouble for running up your phone bill? Nope. When is the next time you’ll change your hairstyle? Will you color it? I don't plan to any time soon. Do people normally say you’re a fast typer, or are you rather slow? Very fast. Do you believe in the concept of global warming? It's 2019. "Concept" my ass. Have you ever worked in retail? Never again. Are you even a little bit racist? No. Were you more fond of swings, monkey bars, or seesaws as a child? Swings. Do you believe in a near-future apocalyptic event? We can't predict that. A meteor could fuck us tonight, or the supervolcano in Yellowstone could erupt the next time I blink. May not be for thousands of years. Do you have a chandelier in your home? No. Do you have a bar with stools? No. Don’t you love American Horror Story: Asylum? I didn't watch it. When’s the last time you blew some bubbles? No clue. Are you self conscious about your nails? Not too much. Which pair of pants that you own are your favorites? Why do you like them? Pretty much all I have are yoga pants and leggings that all look the same... Now if I can include pj pants, the soft, black, white, and lilac Jack Skellington ones I have. They're comfy. Have you ever had any kind of dangerous addiction? What’s this addiction? No. Are your parents still married, divorced, or split up? Like this decision? Divorced. And I mean, any person would wish their parents were together ideally, but just with how mine always fought and just constantly seemed angry at each other, I'm glad they are. Are you a Jeffree Star fan? Or no? Do you think he’s awesome/dumb? I love that alien. His personality is so bubbly, he cracks me the hell up, and he's gone through so much growth. Are any of your favorite shows too dirty for television? Which ones? No. Are there any colorful quilts in your room? Which ones are colorful? No. Do you own a guitar? Specify. Which brand of guitar do you own? I do, but I don't recall the brand; I don't play it anymore. I just know it's black and white. Are you a monogamous person? Or do you hate commitment? Monogamous. Who was the last person who was rude to you? Idk, probably Mom. Have you ever met someone in person that you first met online? Yeah. Have you ever taken a test to see if you are colorblind? No. Who do you know who is dyslexic? Idk. Describe your dream wedding in five words. Small, memorable, gothic, emotional, and sincere are a few words I can think of. Is weed legal in your state? No. Have you ever thrown up in class? In kindergarten, I believe. What is something that you used to be ashamed of, but now you’re not? Mmmmm I dunno. OH ACTUALLY, for quite a while I was embarrassed of liking Pokemon for yeeeaaars because at that time it was seen as "weird," but now like. Give me everything Pokemon. Have you ever held a newborn baby? No. Are a ton of your Facebook friends getting married and having kids now? Yes. I sometimes forget we're at that age where it's kinda normal. What’s the last supernatural thing that happened to you? Idk. If you’re a Christian, how long have you known the Lord? N/A Do you live in an apartment, condo, dorm, or house? A house. Do you have a sibling with the same first initial as you? Well, it's his nickname. Do you ever eat kids’ food (as in, meals made for kids)? Hell yeah, give me that fuckin nachos Lunchable. Do you remember pre-school? I have vague memories. How old were you when you made your first friend? Two. What is the movie that you have waited the longest for/which film do you remember anticipating the most/are still anticipating? The Incredibles 2, probably. What is something that an interested guy/girl could comment about you, that would make you instantly open to them (e.g., “That book you’re reading is from my favorite author”)? It's game over if you recognize my Markiplier tattoo lmao. Do you refer to yourself by any sort of fan nickname (Belieber, Little Monster, etc.)? I will always be a GMM mythical beast, fucking fight me. What sort of situations make you feel most self-conscious or inadequate? Are there any people or places that just make you want to crawl into a hole? If you can’t think of anything specific, can you remember the last time (or any time) you felt this way? When I'm in a position where it's my responsibility to be knowledgeable, hence why I've struggled so immensely with work. Out of all your usernames for websites, which one is your favorite? Do you use it for more than one site? I use Ozzkat like, everywhere, and it's my fave. Are there any cities near you that you’re afraid to go to because of the crime rate or its other bad reputations? Yes. Have you ever spent the whole day (or multiple days) just looking up one thing on the internet (e.g., videos of your favorite band, how-to videos, quizzes, etc.)? Ha, yeah. Can you remember the last thing you thought and subsequently thought, “wow, I really shouldn’t be thinking that”? PTSD and OCD alike give me intrusive thoughts occasionally, so. How long does it take you in the morning to fix your hair? It takes just a few seconds to wet my hand(s) and go over the back where it usually sticks up like crazy. My hair is otherwise short enough where I have to do like... nothing. Have you ever been in a situation where you had to be around your ex everyday? No. Do you prefer kisses on the nose, cheek or forehead? Cheek. Have you seen someone recently you used to talk to, but don’t anymore? No. Do you prefer a lot of ice in your drinks or just a little bit of ice? None. I don't like it to water down my drink, and even with water, I worry about one/some small ones going down my throat. Well, in margaritas it's obviously fine, just because it's so fine. Which condiment (ketchup, mustard, etc.) do you use the most of? Ketchup or honey mustard. Would you ever flirt with somebody in front of your parents? With my s/o, sure, just not if it's even mildly sexual. Have your parents ever questioned your virginity? Yeah. Have you ever spent over $100.00 on an article of clothing? What was it? FUCK no. Do you think your parents know things about you that you don’t want them to? Mom might. I doubt Dad does. How many of your friends play World of Warcraft? I think Sam still does, maybe Alex, and then I have a number of acquaintances exclusive to the game. Actually Girt might too... maybe. I just know he keeps up with the lore. Are caterpillars more cute or disgusting? CUTE. Would you rather receive roses or sunflowers? I'd appreciate either, but I prefer roses as flowers. Is your dad bald? No. Surprised honestly; he's in his mid-50s, and while it's gray, there's no less of it than there's always been. Who is the most boring or dullest person that you know of? Uhhhhhhhh I dunno. How long do you have until your birthday? Three days y e e t Do you know anyone who has been arrested? Yes. Do you remember the name of the first bar you ever went to? Never been to one. Were you of age? N/A When was the last time you wanted to do something, but couldn’t? With how Sara's been such a flirt lately, I deadass wanna pin her to a wall and go ham. Is there a certain song you like to headbang to? I don't for the sake of avoiding a headache and getting dizzy. Anything you might be giving up on soon? In the back of my mind, every once in a while lately, my hope's dimmed for photography, but I just refuse to give up. Have you ever made any kind of video? Yeah. Have you ever taken someone back after they’ve cheated? Hell no. How many living grandparents do you still have? One. Is there a garage or carport attached to your house? No. Have you ever stayed in a hotel without your parents or older relatives? No.

#survey #quiz #questions #random

[acrossthemar]

Europe 2019

5 countries, 6 cities, 18 days, 3 planes, 2 trains, and 1 rental car later, our European adventure is over.  This blog is mostly for my personal documentation of our trip, but I hope that it might also serve as a somewhat enjoyable read for anyone who might be interested in our travel! 

First Stop: Lake Como, Italy 

Day 1: An overnight flight from NYC to Milan, followed by an almost two hour car drive to Lake Como, we were quite tired when we arrived at our inn around 4pm. But our first mission was to beat the jet lag––absolutely no going to bed before 9pm despite our exhaustion. Our inn, Villa La Rosa B&B, was absolutely lovely, a beautiful family run property overlooking Lake Como and the surrounding mountains. We walked into the village, a short walk down a cobblestone alley, and quickly familiarized ourselves with the area. We then came back to our inn to sit by the pool for a bottle of champagne and a meat and cheese platter. (This would soon become a theme of the trip––18 days later and I think our ending ratio was 1 meat and cheese platter per every 2 days). We came back inside around 7 and both accidentally fell asleep––we woke up again at 8 and forced ourselves to head to the village for gelato. It was still light out and we were firm about our 9pm bed time. Eating gelato while half asleep was an experience I’m not sure I’d recommend.

Day 2: We started the day with a three mile run through the village. I love how this kills two birds with one stone, fitting in a workout on vacation and seeing areas you otherwise wouldn’t get to on foot. More thoughts on exercise and vacation below (a). After our run we spent the morning by the pool to read and have breakfast...and then very soon after have lunch at an Italian sandwich shop. When in Italy right? We hopped on a ferry to the nearby town of Veranna––spent the afternoon walking around, exploring, and kayaking. Came back to the inn and played cards over a bottle of champagne. Dinner that night was at La Punta, a lovely restaurant on the water. Favorite dish was the Salmon Pasta! (Cheese & meat plate #2 was also ordered.)

Day 3: This day was hard for me, I was absolutely exhausted. The jet lag plan didn’t work, and I was up more than half the night. Really jealous of those who can sleep on planes and aren’t affected by jet lag. Anyway, we took it easy that day. Spent some time reading by the pool and then we found an amazing pizza spot (Antico Pozzo) in town for a very late lunch. Such. good. pizza. (below). We were so full that dinner ended up being a combination of a beer tasting, cheese and meat plate (#3), and gelato.

Day 4: We then spent the morning reading by the pool and got another meat and cheese platter (#4) before we headed back to Milan to catch our flight to Munich. Quick note about the drive from Lake Como to Milan Airport––the streets were SO narrow and clearly built for only one car but they were all two way streets! Very scary! (see below)

Overall: LOVED Lake Como. Quaint city, stunning views in all directions, Italian food, cobblestone streets, the list goes on. It was far less touristy and crowded than we predicted, and the beauty felt natural. I think in my head I was picturing a similar feel to Santorini, which don’t get me wrong I loved, but Santorini is SO touristy and so manicured that it almost doesn’t feel real. I would DEFINITELY come back here.

Second Stop: Munich, Germany

Day 1: We successfully navigated public transit from the Airport to our hotel despite there being 1) no one to ask for help 2) no information desk 3) not speaking a word of German. Our hotel (Hotel Excelsior) was in a perfect central location. More on this below (b). We had a DELICIOUS dinner our first night in Munich at Munchner Stubn. Highlights included sausage, meatloaf, pretzel, potato salad, and absolutely massive beers. My gosh I felt so full after. Quick note about the sausage––the dish came with two sausages, one was really tasty and the other truly tasted exactly like a Yankee Stadium hot dog. I left that one on my plate.

Day 2: Still very jet lagged. For the first week or so of the trip I wasn’t falling asleep until at least 2 and couldn’t wake up until 10 (very different from my normal 11pm-7am). We found a local gym in Munich––unfortunately we paid 20 euros each for the gym and right after we paid a kind man came up to us and let us know about a gym with a free trial right down the street. I had a VERY weird experience in the sauna at this 20 euro gym. After my work out, I hopped in the sauna to sit and attempt some planks. A *completely* naked middle aged German lady started SCREAMING at me (I know I tend to exaggerate a lot but really this time I am not exaggerating, she was screaming) saying that I was not allowed to be in the sauna unless I was naked. What???? Big language barrier here, but she knew enough English to convey that I had to be nude if I wanted to stay. Anyway, she proceeded to tell me that if I had a towel it would be okay so I went to the front desk and asked for a towel, came back to the sauna to sit on the towel and she then yelled at me again and escorted me out. Never got my planks in that day. Anyway, post work out we had a great lunch at Hofbrauhaus Beer Hall. Delicious Spatzle and a cheese and meat platter (#5). I also found a beer that I LOVED called a Radler that I really wish was more prevalent in the states. I’ve really converted into a beer drinking person this summer, and finding a beer that tastes mostly like lemonade and not at all like beer was instrumental in moving this along. This beer hall felt very touristy but there seemed to be a ton of locals there so we couldn’t quite figure out how touristy it actually was. There was live music (on a Monday at 2pm) and a woman carrying a pretzel box selling pretzels. Yankee Stadium or Beer Hall in Germany am I right? We then did a ton of exploring by foot––Victual’s Farmers Market, the Jewish Quarter, the Munich Residenz, and finally rented Lime Scooters to head to the English Garden. Loved the English Garden! Super beautiful and serene. There was a really heavy current in the stream and people were surfing!  I’ve said this 8 million times before but scooters really change the transit game and I wish that NYC was more scooter-compatible. We then walked to Marienplatz Square and went up the tower for city views. After this we were exhausted and went home to read. I finally finished Educated! We then went to an Italian restaurant for dinner which we found *ironic*.

Day 3: We took the kind stranger’s advice and found the gym with the free trial. Although I forgot the conversion of Kilometers to Miles so I accidentally ran a VERY slow 3 miles on a treadmill. I remember thinking “wow, this feels so easy I have so much energy today!” Nope Mara you were really just running at 6 MPH pace and so it actually was easy. We found a funky lunch spot called Marais which doubled as an antique store, and then took public transit to Dachau Concentration Camp. Public transit in Munich is so weird! First, no one checks your ticket––it’s total honor code. Apparently they occasionally check tickets and if you’re caught without one it’s a big fine, but 9 times out of 10 no one is checking. We did buy a day pass and I kinda wish we instead beat the system and didn’t pay haha! The second wild thing is that trains SPLIT in half and go in different directions, so you have to pay super close attention to which car you get on. So an 8 car train will go together for the first 5 stops, and then at stop 6 it will physically split in half and the first 4 cars go one direction and the other 4 go another! I feel like I never have a good sense of which car I’m on in a train so this sounds stressful. And while I’m naming funny Munich transit things––this one might be the most bizarre. Absolutely NO ONE in Munich crosses the street until it says ‘walk’, even when there are literally no cars coming in any direction. We were the ONLY people to cross the street, even after carefully checking that it was clear in all directions. They don’t even think to LOOK to see if it’s safe, they just sit there and passively wait. Am I really that much of a rushed and brainwashed New Yorker or is this totally bizarre? I really think it’s the latter! Moving on, Dachau Concentration Camp was really powerful and definitely worth the trip. I liked how it offered both a museum and preserved + reproduced areas of the concentration camp. We thought it was powerful how Dachau managed to simultaneously portray the Holocaust as part of our. history while still providing emotional, personal, and humanizing stories.  After this, we headed back for a final round of German beer and then dinner in Marienplatz Square. On our last morning it down-poured, see below (c), so we fit in a quick work out at the free gym and headed to the train station.

Overall: Munich was a series of oversized beers, lots of walking and exploring, and really good but filling food. We liked Munich a lot, but we both actually rated is as our least favorite stop on the trip if we had to rank. It’s a very modern city, which at least to me makes it feel less exciting, and almost as if I could be anywhere?

Third Stop: Prague, Czech Republic

Day 1: We took a 6 hour train from Munich to Prague and had an entire cabin to ourselves! The train split in half mid way through the ride, so we were grateful to have been in the right car! It was a long trip, but overall painless. We were able to walk directly from the train station to our hotel. Quick shout out to train travel, isn’t it awesome? You don’t have to show up early, you don’t have to check luggage, train stations tend to be more centrally located than airports so it’s an easy trek to your final destination (Hotel Innside Prague in this case), and you don’t have to worry that you’ll die in a plane crash! Shout out to all my anxious flyers. Anyone? Anyway, we started the night at Lokal Beer Hall for beer (shocker) and Bread and Potato Dumplings with Goulash sauce. This is a local food that truly looks like poop but tasted so good! We then went to Kolkovna restaurant for more traditional Czech cuisine––Smazeny Syr (fried cheese balls, yum) and more goulash sauce and meat.

Day 2: Our hotel had a gym which I’m going to rename as a “fitness room” as it consisted of one treadmill and one semi working elliptical. But hey it got the job done. I’m sad to say that neither Munich nor Prague had nice river paths to run on (this was a major perk of our Portugal trip a few years ago, both Porto and Lisbon have beautiful running paths on the water). This hotel had a very nice buffet breakfast (see footnote on breakfast struggles below) so we made sure to get there in time. Read: one minute before it closed. We started the day with a walk to Old Town and a trip to the top of the Astronomical Clock Tower for city views. We were the only people in our group to opt for the stairs/ramp to the top…everyone else took the elevator. Isn’t half the fun of getting to the top the hard work you put in making the trek? Or maybe I really do like stairs more than I give myself credit for! Next stop was the Prague Sex Machines Museum, which was unexpectedly really interesting? Think rooms full of preserved ancient sex toys and machines. We then walked to the Jewish Quarter, saw a few Synagogues and got Trdelnik (bread with cinnamon). We then walked to the Vltava River all the way up to the Zofin Gardens where we rented a paddle boat. Sounds fun right? What was even MORE fun was when we found a “drive through” bar where we got beers for the “road.” This was a fun activity and we got a great feel for both sides of the river. After that we went to Wenceslas Square and stopped at the Vytopna Railway Restaurant: think train tracks at every table and the train delivers your drink! I feel like if we opened up one of these in NYC it would be a hit. Anyone want to be my business partner on this? Next stop was IcePub Prague (an ice bar, where everything even the glasses and chairs are made fully of ice). It was FRIGID. We were only allotted 20 minutes and I lasted just 15 of them. Last stop was dinner at Noi Thai Restaurant across the river. We walked along the Charles Bridge to get there which was really lovely and is one of the most beautiful bridges in Europe! We hit 29,500 steps this day according to my FitBit and then I *cried* when it hit midnight and I realized we were so close to 30k but just. not. quite.

Day 3: Morning started in the same way––buffet breakfast in the hotel. This has been the summer of only dairy/carbs so I really had to capitalize on the fresh fruit at the buffet. Today was also LAUNDRY DAY. Yes, the less glamorous parts of an 18 day trip, especially when you like to work out so have a bag of sweaty gym clothes to lug around.  The laundry was so damn expensive, it cost us $70 to do a day of drop off. Even in NYC this would be like $20 so I’m confused because Prague is otherwise SO CHEAP. Like so cheap-–two beers, an appetizer, and two entrees and we’d walk away with a $30 bill. Uh can I keep my job at Schoology and work remotely from Prague and pocket all the extra cash? Yes please! After dropping off our laundry we went to the John Lennon Wall––we liked this but it felt more like “here’s this thing in Prague you have to see to check off your list.” We then walked to Petrin Hill which ended up being a VERY STEEP HIKE that we did not expect but ended up going through with. I was very sweaty.  We finally got to the top and went up a very high tower for extraordinary views. The wind was shaking the top of the tower and I definitely spent a few minutes worrying for my life. I think I’ve become more risk averse with age and I’m not sure how to process the shift. The bathrooms at the top of Petrin Hill were 2 euros each so I decided to hold in my pee because #principles. see footnote (d). We then went to the Church of St. Nicholas which was really beautiful, and then the Castle District. We mostly just walked around here, decided not to pay the steep price to go inside. Next stop was Letna Park for the Letna Beer Garden. This was our first 30,000 step day (wahoo) so we very much needed the beer and Smazeny Syr (cheese balls). Dinner that night was at Cafe Mistral––Eric loved his burger if you’d like a recommendation. We then stumbled upon a jazz concert in the old town square, stayed for a bit and then headed back to the hotel to play Cribbage!

Overall: We loved Prague! Prague is a city that I wished I’d visited back in the day when I studied abroad, so I was super excited to check it out. It has the old European feel, and there’s a ton to do AND yummy food.

Fourth Stop: Vienna, Austria 

Day 1: We took an easy four hour train to Vienna and checked into our hotel (Hotel Capricorno) by 5pm. There was champagne and a fruit platter (grapes!) waiting in our hotel room! We started with a walk to the Hundertwasser House and accompanying street––basically funky artwork and paintings on a pedestrian only street. The building is an actual apartment building and it was the first in Vienna to allow residents to decorate the outside of their windows. And THEN!!!! I found my NAME on a souvenir license plate at a souvenir shop. Why am I so excited, you might ask? This is a huge deal. I have spent almost three decades stopping at every single name-souvenir shop to check if they had Mara. They have NEVER HAD MARA. My name does not exist in any of the name banks. Anywhere! But it existed HERE!! I only bought one and I’m now regretting that choice and wishing I bought a few more to go around! After my excitement died down and I could breathe again, we walked to Prater Park and went up the massive Ferris wheel for city views. We then found some apple strudel (a staple in Vienna) for some pre dinner dessert, and then walked almost two miles to Said the Butcher to the Cow––a great restaurant that specializes in burgers and gin!

Day 2: Today I found the only spin studio (Super Cycle) in Vienna and I went to a class! This was really cool. First of all, I love spin and was having some withdrawal, and it was so cool to see a spin class in another country! It was rhythm based, similar to a studio I frequent in NYC (Ryde). And interestingly enough, even though almost everyone there was Austrian, the class was in English? We then went to tour the Vienna Opera House which we loved! A fun fact from our tour is that the emperor who initially commissioned the opera house actually hated it so he’d sit in the intermission room during shows instead of watching. A lot of the opera house was destroyed in WWII (which is true of a lot of Vienna), so a lot has been rebuilt. We then rented Lime Scooters to head to the Vienna Zoo which is situated in Schonbrunn Park by the castle. Favorite animal by far: elephants! They are just mesmerizing, I think we could have just stared at them for a full hour. We also watched a cheetah chase his/her lunch which was cool because I don’t think I’d ever before seen a cheetah run in real life. After the zoo, we took a steep walk to the castle and then Uber’d home. This is day #3 in a row of 30k steps so my legs were GIVING OUT. At night we went to a Mozart and Strauss Concert at the Kurlason Theatre. We had no idea what to expect but it was phenomenal––a mix of orchestra, dancing, and opera. It was really impressive, a lovely venue, and just overall fun because this is not something we’d normally do back at home. After the opera we just really wanted pizza so we found a pizza shop and chowed down. We then came home and played (maybe 6) games of Rummy. Our hotel had a set and we really took advantage. I beat Eric in all 6 games and thought I was the better player but STAY TUNED for later evidence that we are in fact evenly matched 😞

Day 3: FINALLY, a running path by the river! Very nice path by the Vienna River, we ran 4 miles and I was thrilled. There was a ton of cool wall art and murals surrounding the path. We then walked to NaschMarkt (massive permanent market with way too many lunch options to choose from!). We then went outside of Vienna proper to the Vienna Woods for some hiking! Eric found the hike online and I was pessimistic because sometimes it’s really hard (even in the states) to successfully find the start of a hike and I didn’t want to get lost. But this ended up being a major success. It was roughly a 5 mile hike, and instead of hiking to the top for a great view, the entire hike was filled with small outlooks and scenic areas. Every half mile or so we stumbled upon something beautiful and stopped to take in the scenery. Enter: 30k step day number four!!! We then took the scariest Uber ride home of my entire life, this driver was out of his damn mind, swerving like a maniac. I wrote a complaint to Uber and they refunded the entire trip which was good of them but really this man needs to be off the road. For dinner that night we went to Frattelli’s Italian Restaurant followed by gelato…and then played more Rummy. ��On our last morning it rained (duh, see point (c) below), and Eric tried to check out the Spanish Horse Riding School but the line was too long so we couldn’t get in. We then picked up our rental car for the last two legs of our trip and my gosh it was so expensive. The fee for returning a car in another country is EXORBITANT.

Overall: We liked Vienna a lot. We made amazing food choices on this entire trip and truly didn’t have a single meal that we didn’t like. We really enjoyed our activities in Vienna, they felt unique and really added to the overall variance of our trip.

Fifth Stop: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Day 1: Before I get to Ljubljana, quick note about how we got pulled over at the Austrian-Slovenian border by border control! We were randomly chosen, we didn’t actually do anything wrong, but two border control officers started running and waving their hands for us to pull over. They made us open our trunk and checked our luggage, scanned our rental car agreement and took our passports to some back room. I was relieved when they said we were free to go. Anyway, separate from that minor hiccup, Ljubljana is absolutely amazing. Truth be told, I don’t even think I’d heard of Ljubljana before starting to plan this trip. A few people told us it was a hidden gem in Europe and if possible we should really include it in our itinerary, and they were really right! I LOVED this place. Just everything about it, the culture, the aesthetics, the food, the ADORABLE pedestrian only village. It felt magical. On our first night, we rented bikes from our hotel (Adora Hotel) and biked to Tivoli Park. We then walked into the village and bar hopped for the night. The village is so cute, there are lots of adorable bridges and every restaurant has outdoor seating by the water. At our first stop we got two beers for a total of 4 euros (yay for inexpensive European beer), then we went to Dvorni Bar for a beautiful looking Meat and Cheese Platter (#6) and then to Slovenska Hisa for cocktails served in Smucker’s Jam Jars and ANOTHER meat and cheese platter (#7). My cocktail had vodka and apple juice in it––this might not mean much to you but if you knew how much I loved apple juice it would! My mother gave me apple juice every morning as a kid and it’s her biggest parenting regret because her now adult-aged daughter is still borderline addicted to apple juice.

Day 2: We started the day with a four mile run around the Ljubljana River. Very nice path but very crowded so by the end of our run there was some weaving through people required. We then drove to Smarna Gora (the highest hill in Ljubljana) for a hike. We followed some sketchy Google Maps directions to the bottom of the mountain but it ALL WORKED OUT and it was beautiful! Very steep, passed a lot of cows, and made it to the top very sweaty. The top was really gorgeous––we got some ice cream truck quality ice cream and sat on a bench to cool down. The hike back down was so steep that I almost had to run to give into gravity. We then drove to Bled Lake. We parked in a grocery store parking lot and stopped to buy some snacks (grapes and beer, lol). Aren’t foreign grocery stores fun? We walked about half the perimeter of the lake (it was a range of paths, docks, and swim areas), and then picked a spot to drink our beers and read. At night we went back into Ljubljana’s Village and bought a love lock for the bridge. Right after I put the lock on the bridge (pictured below) I stood up too quickly and absolutely SMASHED my head on the bridge overhang. Hey if you don’t know me I’m a struggling hypochondriac and I DID think I was going to die in a similar fashion to Natasha Richardson (who had no symptoms at first just like me) and I also made Eric wake me up in the middle of the night to make sure I was still alive. (I was). After I decided I was well enough to move again, we had a DELICIOUS dinner at Pop’s Place. I don’t even like burgers and it was the best burger I’ve ever had.

Day 3: Eric and I split up on this day––he wanted to tour the castle and I wanted to check out the craft market in town. We hardly bought any souvenirs on our trip. The craft market in Ljubljana was the only time I bought anything (a few small trinkets and a pair of $10 pants that I’ve now worn for the last three days straight). Oh AND, and this is important, I found a toy store in Ljubljana and bought us a set of Rummy. We were so addicted after playing so many rounds in Vienna that we absolutely needed it for our last stop. We then got really yummy tuna sandwiches (love tuna) and it obviously started to rain right as we were heading to our car to go to Italy. (See (c) below).

Overall: Just going to reiterate how amazing of a city (and country) this is. We had such a nice time and it was the perfect addition to our trip. I would definitely go back and spend more time here.

Sixth Stop: Countryside Retreat near Verona, Italy

Day 1: What a perfect last stop to our trip (Tenuta La Cave). I can’t even explain. A beautiful retreat nestled in the mountains of wine country Italy. It was so gorgeous and just a perfect place to relax and rewind after an adventurous two weeks in Europe. I love Italy so much (ask Eric how many times I’ve said this over the last few days lol he will roll his eyes). Beautiful views, well manicured and simple property, and so high up that you have a view of multiple cities below. We ordered a bottle of champagne and played a few rounds of Rummy before having dinner at the hotel outdoor restaurant. We discovered the best dessert ever (crostini? Basically ricotta cheese with peach and ice cream in a thin crust?) that we proceeded to have all three nights in a row. 

Day 2: Swam some laps in the pool, played a lot of rummy, read a ton of my book, had lots of yummy Italian food (meat and cheese platter #8 for lunch), what more can you ask for? I also splurged on a massage at the hotel Spa. I got a “Californian Massage” which I assumed (based on the description) was similar to a Swedish Massage which is what I normally get back home. It was similar except that you had to be completely naked, like totally naked with a stranger which felt very weird to me.

Day 3: Similar to yesterday, soaked in the views, read by the pool, lots of Rummy, lots of champagne, lots of pasta, (meat and cheese #9). We then went into Verona (the nearest city) for the evening. We walked around and found the most incredible homemade tortellini shop, truly the best tortellini we’ve ever had in our lives. We took it to go and ate on a bench by the river. It was so good that we went back to get more, but it was CLOSED!!! Isn’t that the worst feeling? We were mentally committed to getting more tortellini and it was CLOSED!! Anyway, if you are ever in Verona go to Trattoria Della Gina and order tortellini! We then came back to our hotel and had champagne and the Crostini desert under the gazebo for our last night. And then played rummy (duh). Eric beat me 5 times in a row so circling back to my earlier point, I lost my rummy-ego and I now believe him that we are *similarly* matched.

Footnotes

(a) On our 18 day trip, I fit in 15 workouts. Some were short, only 20 minutes or so, but some form of exercise on 15 of the 18 days. I love staying active––it’s part of my routine, it makes me happy, and is really a form of therapy for me. I love maintaining this part of my life on vacation––I like feeling active. It gives me both physical and mental energy to carry with me throughout the day. Reflecting on this, I realized that in the past I might have felt embarrassed, and not gone out of my way to admit that I worked out all but 3 days on an 18 day trip. "It’s vacation!" "Why aren’t you relaxing?” “You’re the only person to actually use the hotel gym!” "You’re crazy!” I’ve been told all of these things. Previously I might have believed them and kept my workout habits to myself. As I reflect on this, I’d like to boldly reject all of that. I am proud as hell to have the discipline and motivation to stay active on a 2+ week trip to Europe. I am grateful that I truly like exercise, and I will continue to prioritize this when I travel.

(b) Our last Europe trip together was in 2017 to Portugal and Greece. This time around, with two more working years under our belt, Eric and I decided we could afford a “nicer” trip. Not to say our last trip wasn’t nice, it was wonderful, but our hotel budget was less than $100/night and we stayed at primarily upscale hostels and b&b's. This year we agreed to treat ourselves by upping our budget and letting ourselves splurge a bit on “real" hotels. A few takeaways from this. 1) It’s great to stay in a nice place, but we realized that we value it MUCH more when staying in a remote area (read: Lake Como + Italian Countryside), rather than in a city. Realistically, the purpose of your hotel in a major city is to sleep, and so it felt less important to be in a nice place, as we were mostly out and about anyway. So note to self, splurge more in remote areas, less in big cities. 2) The most important thing is a central location. I have to say, and Eric would attest, we did an AMAZING job finding centrally located hotels for this trip. Every single one of our hotels was in the absolute prime location, and it really made the trip wonderful. All this to say, when in a city, central location is the first most important thing, then comes how nice the hotel is. 3) When planning a trip, I find I’m always enticed by breakfast being included in the rate. Yet every time, I regret this decision. Here’s why: When breakfast is included, I feel an obligation to eat it––we’ve paid for it haven’t we? It feels financially irresponsible to skip the free breakfast and eat elsewhere. BUT a) the breakfast always ends so early that we have to force ourselves up (especially when you account for jet lag) b) we’re usually not even hungry that early c) as someone who likes exercising on vacation, this means I have to not only wake up in time for breakfast but wake up in time for a work out AND be back in time for breakfast. Not happening. d) Eric and I are foodies. Half the reason we travel is to explore new cuisines and try the local food. If we have the hotel breakfast, then we aren’t really hungry for a full lunch, and then we miss out on local cuisine! ALL THIS TO SAY––note to self, stop caring about the free breakfast when booking hotels in the future. That said, not to toot my own horn but I really plan great trips, I believe I am the perfect amount detail oriented to make strong itineraries and I’m considering opening up a side business called “Mara’s Maps” where I sell my itineraries. Do you think this could work? If you have a better name idea please let me know!

(c) We really lucked out with weather on this trip. Oddly enough, it rained on EVERY single travel day of our trip, but never on a full day at any of our stops. Truly, it rained when we traveled from Lake Como to Munich, Munich to Prague, Prague to Vienna, Vienna to Ljubljana, and Ljubljana to Italy. Is this travel fate or what? Separately, we also are so grateful that nothing went actually wrong on this trip. In addition to the weather, every flight and train was more or less on time, our hotels were all great, no major hiccups, overall a very smooth trip (which to be honest, with 6 stops is a pretty impressive win!).

(d) It really is bonkers to me that you have to pay to use the bathroom and pay for water in most European countries. In some ways, Europe feels very progressive compared to the US (think gun laws + health care), but this just feels so backwards to me. Shouldn’t water and bathroom usage be viewed as basic rights? For them to cost money is outlandish to me. Also, just something I noticed, I didn’t spot a single gender neutral bathroom ANYWHERE. Completely unrelated and on a positive note, European bike paths feel much safer than US bike paths (or maybe I shouldn’t generalize and I’ll just say NYC bike paths). There is a separate side walk area just for bikes that’s further removed from the cars so it really feels safer.

This trip was really something special. We are so acutely aware of how lucky we are to have been able to travel like this. We both have salaried jobs with flexible PTO where we don’t have to worry about missing a pay check to travel and I’m just so grateful that this type of vacation was possible. Reflecting over dessert on our last night, we talked about a few of the reasons this trip was really great. First, it was really varied. We had a great mix of cities and activities, so it didn’t feel like a lot of the same thing. This was partially due to the nature of the different cities but also due to strong planning and building diverse itineraries. Eric and I don’t plan our days in advance, we put together a document of bullet pointed recommendations for each city, and each night we talk through our plan for the following day. We love this because it means we’ve done all the heavy research in advance so don’t have to worry about finding a Wifi connection to look something up, but it also leaves room for unexpected or spontaneous ideas and recommendations. Another thing that made this trip great is we found a really great balance of relaxing and ‘go go go’. 18 crazy packed days would have been too much, I don’t have that kind of energy. We never set alarms, we let ourselves have leisurely mornings, and we planned days that had a good mix of activities. This made it so that even after 18 days of travel, we don’t feel burnt out or exhausted. This blog is mostly for my own documentation so I can look back on this trip, and because it makes it easier to give friends recommendations in the future, but if you’ve chosen to read and have made it this far I hope you enjoyed!