#gallery piece is a bit spicy. but I wanted it in anyway

[multishipper-baby]

Anyway, the oweddy playlist is here! Just nine songs for now, but I might add more later if I find any that fit the vibes I like.

Full tracklist under the cut.

Gallery Piece by Of MonTreal.

My Freeze Ray by Neil Patrick Harris.

I Can't Decide by Scissor Sisters.

Scary Love by The Neighborhood.

Obsessed With You by The Orion Experience.

Therefore you and me by si-o.

Tongues and Teeth by The Crane Wives.

enemy by Charli XCX.

Problems by Mother Mother.

[bubblyhoney]

Feel free to ignore this if it’s not specific enough or if you don’t know what to write for it but bestie I have been on a George kick for the last two or three weeks now and I think I’ve read every GNF fanfic there is to read 😭 I need awkward yet wholesome Gog content pls <3

first date

warnings: a singular kiss and some pretty awk flirting

words: 1634

tags: georgenotfound x gn!reader

A/N: anon... you read my mind. thank you sm for the request and musings.. i have also been on a bit of a gnf kick fucking Obviously bc ive posted two gnf fics this week—anyways. hope you enjoy and it's everything you've ever dreamed of ;]

requests/inbox status: open

-

“That one looks like my Aunt Theresa.” Your voice rings out through the stale air of the gallery. You’re pointing at an almost grotesque depiction of a woman with half of a mangled pool noodle balanced on her head. George purses his lips, keeping in what he knows will be an explosive laugh. Better to not disturb the gallery monitors with similarly sized pool noodles shoved up their asses, evidenced by their eagle-like judgmental gaze.

“No, that’s Sloth from the Goonies,” he adds, and plops down onto the cushions of a bench parallel to the exhibit. You just shake your head, huffing out a laugh, and fall down next to him.

“I think after this we should go get tamales. I don’t want to go home yet.” You shift the small paper bag from the gift shop in your hands, tugging at the tag’s string. A glance up at him yields a fleeting yet cute view of his blushing face.

“Uh—yeah. That sounds great.” One hand reaches up to nervously tug at his curly locks as the other drops down onto the bench. You imperceptibly shift and stare down at it.

He really does have pretty hands. Long, pale fingers give way to slender and clean fingernails. They shift, lightning fast, and you glance up to his face like you hadn’t just been ogling his hands.

You’ve been caught.

Turning away, you focus your wide eyes and pink cheeks on a particularly colorful exhibit. He’s silent. You can tell he’d like to say something. You waste three more minutes staring around at the art pieces before he says something.

“Uh, tamales?” His voice is gentle, almost reassuring. Nearly apologetic.

“Yeah!” You exclaim, shooting up from your seat like a jack rabbit. He blinks but follows. “It’s just down the street—three minute walk, tops.”

“Cool.”

The whole walk to the tamale shop is blissfully full of chatter and niceties. You compliment his shoes, he returns the gesture with a nudge to your shoulder and a witty comment when he sees two birds fighting for a breadstick. You laugh your perfect laugh and his chest puffs big like a gorilla, proud that he’d coaxed not one but two of those laughs out of you. (The other was from when he made a “that’s what she said” joke in the gift shop; that was a sympathy laugh, maybe, but he didn’t dismiss it.)

“You ever been here before?” You ask, polite and courteous as you hold open the door for him. He shakes his head and steps forward in the moderately-long line, head tilted back to listen to you. “I always get the spicy beef. Never fails.”

“Mmm,” he hums in agreement, and scans the menu. Pork with green sauce sounds delicious right about now— then again, chipotle chicken.

“We can share a pineapple raisin one,” you chirp, sidling up next to him. He nods and tries to ignore how his fingers tingle when they’re so close to yours. “I can order first to give you more time if you’d like,” you add just as the line surges forward and there’s only one customer between you and the cash register. He nods again. The customer before you leaves for their table and then you’re ordering your food, hands pressed to the counter and leaning over to speak to the register attendant.

He orders quick, desperate to get the meal after his stomach rumbles crassly, and steps to the side after paying.

“George!” comes from the drink station and he turns with his eyebrows raised. It’s you, filling a cup with cherry Coke. “Can we eat outside?”

“Sure,” he shrugs, lips tilted in a smile, and thanks the person handing him his food before following you through the entrance again with the characteristic jingle of the bell. You park yourself on a bench right next to a fountain and he sits down beside you, careful to not crowd you too much.

You scoot an inch closer anyways.

You two eat wordlessly for a few minutes, hums and grunts of approval filling the silence as you drain your cherry Coke and he his regular Coke.

“That was so good,” he moans, taking a final sip from his straw before setting it down next to him. You made a noise of agreement.

“Here.” You’re holding up a forkful of the pineapple raisin tamale to him, hand underneath to catch any crumbs. He glances at your face nervously twice before taking the bite and starting to chew. It’s incredibly sweet and soft on his tongue and his face practically melts. You giggle, swiping a thumb across his scruffy chin to catch a masa grain and lick it off the pad of your finger. His stomach jumps at the touch.

“I—uh,” he trails off, staring at your moistened lips. “Thanks.”

You gaze right back, eyes flitting to every feature on his face. It’s like you can’t decide on what to look at.

“Sure,” you say simply, and the moment passes as you look down at your feet. A smile tugs at your mouth and he can barely see it climb over your lips. His eyes drift to watching the sway of the “open” flag at the neighboring book store, a couple leaning over a group of books in the window catching his gaze. They smile at each other fondly, hands locked together.

The sunset casts a glow over his bowed head. The slight evening breeze lifts his dark locks up off his forehead, jostling them playfully. The color of his sweater makes him glow warm, buttery orange against black jeans and periwinkle sneakers.

He really is a work of art.

It’s then that he turns, catching your eye with pink glowing cheeks and twinkling eyes.

“What?” He asks, sheepish grin splitting his lips.

“Nothing.” You shrug, eyes squinted, hiding a secret that’s obvious. “Just—admiring.”

Getting to his feet in a sudden bout of confidence, he tosses his trash into the bin nearby and stretches out a hand for you to take. “Can I walk you home?”

You just look for a second, but stand and take it like it’s the easiest decision in the world.

“I’d like nothing more, Georgie,” you shoot back. The pet name feels right on your tongue.

He shakes his head at it but tugs you right along. It’s west to your flat, so you walk in the light of the setting sun for a while.

His hand in yours is cool yet comfortable, skin smooth like silk. You can just barely smell his cologne; it’s something musky and sweet. But you can’t lean in and take a deep sniff— he probably wouldn’t see you again after that.

“I had a really nice time tonight,” you offer, hoping he’ll agree. Couples and friends say their goodbyes at stairways and restaurant doorways ahead of you two. You watch them, head full and hopeful.

“Me too.” He’s still overcome with that initial confidence and gives your hand a soft squeeze. “I of course only came for the tamales, but—.” He jostles your shoulder with a smile. You roll your eyes and shove right back.

“Of course,” you continue, nodding. “Wouldn’t expect that you’d want any of my lively company. Course not. Never.”

“Never,” he agrees, but the tone of his voice gives him away.

The stoop of your flat approaches quickly. You eye it warily, not wanting to part so quickly, but sigh heavily when you stop right at the familiar jagged sidewalk and scuffed gold paint of the door trim.

“So.” You turn towards him, letting go of his hand.

“So,” he replies back, lips pressed together tightly.

“Will you go on a date with me again?” You ask, all sweet and curious, and he tries not to let his heart thump too loudly out of his chest.

“I— Yeah. Yes. Of course.”

“Glad we’re on the same page,” you say through your smile. “Oh!” You lift the forgotten paper bag up and brandish it. “I actually got this for you. I saw you eyeing it at the gift shop, so.”

He takes the bag from you, eyebrows furrowed, and peers into it. A small green ceramic frog with a pale blue butterfly on the tip of its nose stares right back.

“That’s—wow. Thank you so much.”

“Yup.”

A beat of silence passes and your shoulder turns, in what he thinks is goodbye, so he grabs your forearm.

“Hey—”

“Yeah?” You know exactly what he’s thinking. Your voice is hopeful.

“Can I—Can I kiss you?” His voice breaks slightly at the end, and he swallows the nervousness.

“Yes,” you breathe and your head tilts up subconsciously. He scans your face, hand sliding down from your elbow to grasp your wrist.

God. You’re so cute.

And so he leans forward, cups your cheek with one hand, and presses a firm yet gentle kiss to your lips. You’re sweet, gentle, and you smell like lavender soap and flowers. You breathe him in, lips moving against his, and feel like you’re floating.

When you two break apart, he hovers just slightly apart from your face. His hand has slipped from its place on your cheek to your jaw, thumb pressed to the bone and rubbing slowly.

You observe the details of his face. How his nose slopes just slightly to the left, how he’s got a freckle on his eyelid, how the scruff on his jaw melts into the dark of his hair; has he always been this handsome?

He steps away, swallowing, and drops his hands to his pockets.

“Okay.”

“Alright,” you exhale, trying to not scream or cry or throw up in the same breath. “See you—…when I see you.” He nods quickly, cheekbones blushed red. “Hopefully soon.”

“Yeah. Soon.”

He calls you the next day.

Definitely more than soon.

-

A/N: ask or send me some stuff!! requests, rants, anything. :D let me know what you think in the comments!

[ofjunkrcts]

OKAY HI u guys have no idea how pumped i am for this!!!!!! i almost NEVER pick up second characters so u know that means i gotta whole lot of love in my heart for this girl :’) let’s jump right in i’m so excited!!!!!!!!!

part one: the backstory!!!!

what the fuck is up im coming at u HOT with another Hot Fucking Mess say hello to my mfn BABYGIRL frankie rivera

yes frankie is a nickname no u probably don’t know what her full name is bc undersharing is the name of the game baby

born on the wrong side of the tracks…… literally! technically the trailer park she grew up in wasn’t Actually an ashmont mailing address bc heaven forbid 100% of ashmont residents aren’t stupid rich! but thanks to the wonder that is school of choice, frankie still went to ashmont high school w the gang way back when!

(sex work tw) she was raised by her single mother who was a community college dropout when a random ass hookup ended up in her being pregnant! her mom has worked two jobs all of frankie’s life to afford the basics, being a waitress at a bar by day and also a stripper by night to make that money and provide for her daughter! and even though they barely BARELY ever had enough to make ends meet, frankie’s momma is her whole HERO so watch ur mouth

because she didn’t really have much growing up and because her mom’s demanding work schedule left her with very little supervision, she resorted to petty theft at a pretty young age. sometimes it was to get things that she or her mom needed, like medicine from the gas station down the street. sometimes it was to get things that she wanted, like if she wanted fresh fruit for breakfast. and, eventually, she ended up stealing because it was what everyone expected from someone “like her”

by the time that high school came around, frankie’s tendency for theft had surpassed means of survival and had, instead, had turned into something that she couldn’t stop herself from doing. she stole clothes, makeup, accessories, art supplies, anything and everything that the world of rich kids around her made her believe that she needed but couldn’t afford on her own and she quickly found that she couldn’t stop herself

the idea that she was constantly being judged by people who looked down on her, constantly believing that there were a set of expectations she would always be held to, constantly being seen as nothing and constantly having to prove that she wasn’t worthless — all became recurring themes in her life

the first person frankie met who changed her life was a man named mel carson, the owner of carson’s automotive shop. when she was fifteen, frankie got caught attempting to shoplift from the pharmacy of the convenience store and, really, she’d just been lucky that mel had been there and convinced the owner of the store to let her go with a warning, paying for what she’d been trying to steal. and then he’d really saved her life by offering her a job at the shop

the second person frankie met who changed her life was her art teacher, junior year. coincidentally, it was another instance where she thought that she was going to end up in trouble with the law. she’d developed a love for art at a young age, but it had always seemed untouchable until the day that she began to express herself through graffiti. it was her art teacher who found her spray painting one of the back walls of the school and, instead, of reporting her to the school or to the ashmont pd for vandalism, he looked at her and saw the talent and the passion with which her work was carefully completed. he convinced her to start taking classes, gave her a place and supplies to work in his classroom, fostered her interests and encouraged her to stick with it

she did and, by some miracle, she ended up at st e’s on a scholarship for her art after spending a year at community college, which she never thought would have happened to someone like her. opening her college acceptance letter, with her mom looking on and beaming with pride, was the first time in her life that frankie truly felt like she might be able to amount to something

now she’s out here at st e’s chilling, working at the art gallery, also running a “technically illegal because you don’t have any certification” underground auto shop in the junkyard just chilling !!!!!!! 

PART 2: PERSONALITY

as far as her personality goes, frankie can probably best be described as being single minded to the point of recklessness. she has been held accountable for very few things in her life, never really had a lot of responsibilities, was never held to a very high standard, often got away with things she shouldn’t have without seeing repercussions, etc. because of that she’s always been a bit flighty and had a difficult time seeing the full extent of the consequences of her actions 

this probably..... best displays itself in her tendency to be...... overly flirtatious with uhhh everyone all the time she is so TERRIBLE about it she is so so flirty n so so ........ Like That. i dont mean 2 be that person but like........ female danny/female noah. thats her ladies!! ready n willing to sleep w anyone at almost any moment in time 

but shes super gay so jot that down xoxo

ANYWAY. it isnt that she’s not empathetic bc she IS. she gets Way Too Attached to people and then backs out before she can fully commit bc..................

she’s also a BIG TIME commitment-phobe, terrified of letting people in and seeing the parts of her that she keeps tucked away under a cool, icy, collected exterior which mostly stems from the fact that she has a lot of repressed contempt towards people who have always viewed her as lesser because of her status, social standing, etc

i might be biased but??? i love her and think she’s a good person still??? like deep down she’s such a sweetheart she really is, she likes to just hang out in the junkyard and and go through trash that people threw away and pick out pieces of things that can be built into something new and beautiful

she’s super sentimental deep down but will throw punches if anyone tries to say that, she doesn’t give a SHIT if she’s only like 5 ft tall she will fight

she’s a baby and strongly identifies in the “junk” of the junkyard n wants someone to put effort into her to make her beautiful the way that she does to everything else and that’s on that 

OKAY. PLOTS

basically i have some in my brain already but im gonna do the tldr version of them rn so that i can POST THIS. 

first of all, GIVE HER SPICY CONNECTIONS PLS kiki is the loml n my girl but shes 2 sad 2 b spicy ever in her life so LET ME HAVE A SPICY GIRL PLS

FRIENDS!!!!! she would live and die for her friends SO VERY MUCH give her some sweet wholesome plots esp someone who was perhaps her friend back in the day 

“EXES” and i put it in quotations bc its... highly unlikely that frankie was ever 1000000% committed and in a serious relationship (OR maybe she was maybe ur character was the 1 exception that broke her heart) BUT THERE R SO MANY POSSIBILITIES FOR THIS TO GO MESSY

also she needs ROOMMATES. WHO WANTS A ROOMMATE!!!!!!!!!!!

um????? hateship?????????? didnt get along??????????// still dont get along??????????? 

IDK. MY BRAIN IS SO SCATTERED BC I AM SO EXCITED N FEELING CRAZY BUT!!!!!!!!!!! ILY

[yoshi4sushi]

(purupurupuru) (purupurupuru) (gocha!) (coo!) (coo!)

 Happy Monday, minna-san! I hope everyone had a good weekend. As for us, we are bracing for the typhoon that’s passing by Japan so we are making sure we stay safe and healthy. Hope it won’t last the whole day. However, it won’t stop us announcing our news and all so you know the drill. First off, last week’s chapter was just confusing and shocking. We first start off seeing Tama enjoying a very good meal in a while. Luffy asks Speed to take her back home so hopefully she’ll have the heart to not tell on them. In the Flower capital, a beastly lady is teaching horrible things about the Kozuki clan, and that they are responsible for the downfall of Wano kingdom, and that Orochi Kurozumi, the current shogun, brought peace to the country. We then move to a money exchange shop where we meet some hustler name Kishiro Inemuri. Robin is on undercover as a geisha to get the intel of Wano kingdom. So she overhears from Kishiro about the deaths of Kozuki clan. He goes saying that the 9 fallen samurai that protected the Kozuki clan will curse anyone at night since they all perished inside the castle 20 years ago believing it was the only way to rid the curse. So Luffy and the others finally made it to the ruins of Oden castle. He sees the graves of Oden, Kinemon, Raizou, Momo, and Kanjuro. He couldn’t believe what he saw, and demanded Law to explain the situation. So he says that everyone is in hiding. Then Kinemon appears, but in pain from a case of diarrhea. Could be from the poison water. O-kiku frolics and hugs Kinemon, happy to see him again after a while. Momo also appears and happy to see Luffy and Nami and the others finally showed up. They were at bay lost and looking for him. At the end, they all went inside an old shed to talk in secret, and Kinemon confessed to everyone about an unbelievable truth about them. He says that he, Raizou, Kanjuro, Momo, & O-kiku hail from the past exactly 20 years ago. That there is very confusing. They’re from the past, and yet how did they travel from the future? What more secrets does the Kozuki clan have? Guess we’ll see this week. Don’t miss it! Next, this past weekend’s episode is turning more violent. Luffy is hanging on as much as he can to defeat Katakuri, and yet he’s getting more aggravated by Luffy dodging his blows. Both fighters are feeling the frustration. Meanwhile, back at the castle, Mont’Dor is making sure that their plan to rid of the gang goes swell with the help of their critter hiding underwater. We then see Capone fending off Custard, the 6th daughter, and he sure is keeping them away with his strong ship. At the end, Katakuri unleashes his awakening to finish Luffy by suffocating him with loads of mochi. Next time, Katakuri attends to his so-called “snack-ritual” that no one is allowed to see. Will Luffy free himself? Don’t miss it! Now on with the goods. Due to the aftermath typhoon, our friend Tongari-san stayed at home, but he sent us a telegram. So he says that the tower is getting lively with more fun Halloween events. Remember if you visit the tower wearing a cosplay, you’ll be given a free sticker of any of the Straw Hats. Also, guests for the Halloween costume contest have been announced. Oct. 13th & 20th, voice actors of Brook and Franky, aka Cho-san and Yao-san, will be judging. Oct.27th, the children’s contest, will be judge once again by the lovely voice actress of Nami, Akemi-san.  Bring your “A” game! Neat prizes will be given away to runner ups and winners. Next, the tower finally reveals Marco’s birthday button and acrylic keychain. Cheerful with a pineapple. Totally him. It will be available on Oct.5th. Also, if you buy goods over 3000 yen, you’ll be given free birthday poster of Marco and Law. You can only choose one. Moreover, the 5th Log Gallery theme has been revealed. This time, its titled, “Smile.” Details of released date will be announced later. Next, the café also reveals the birthday meals they’ll serve. For Law’s dish, they’ll serve “We are the Heart pirates captain hat” spicy jambalaya omelet.” It’s wrapped in egg whites with some spices. For Marco’s dish, they’ll serve his blue flame healing noodles. It has some flower petals with a bit of shred purple cabbage with the Whitebeard jolly roger made from dry seaweed served with some warm soup. If you order either dishes, you’ll be given a free birthday card. Scrumptious! Boys! Can the drool! Next, Figurines! New ones! First, this new POP bikini figurine of Jewelry Bonney. It will come with her hat. A bit sensual, but it’s all good. Anyway, Megahobby will take reservation orders this week. Check your local Straw Hat stores to see if they will take reservation as well. She will be released in February. Next, this POP Neo DX figurine of Akainu will be available in March. Website should also have that available I think. Moving on, Megahobby will also be accepting reservations for these special straps of Luffy. Each one is partnered with Law, Sanji, Zoro, Ace, and ASL bros. Reservations start Oct.4th. To purchase, you must have an account so when you reserve it, you’ll be instructed to make an account. Next, new straps! This time, kids! It will have Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Ussop, Nami, Hancock, Law, Ace, Sabo, and Shirahoshi. The Straw Hat store will have a special strap of Luffy, Jump Shops will have a special strap of Ace, and Chara Ani website will have special strap of Sabo. They will be released in December. Next, Jump Shops, Straw Hat stores, and the Tower are selling these button set of the Vinsmoke family. Next, another new birthday of Law will be in stock this Saturday. This lovely tote bag. Good for groceries or personal goods. Next, stores are selling these shiny rhinestone jolly roger straps of Luffy, Shanks, and Law. Next, all Straw Hat stores will be selling original goods from the Hello! One Piece exhibition. They’ll sell shirts, button set, small ticket folders, clear files, and acrylic straps of the gang. Only thing not sold are the mugs. Tokyo Tower also has it in stock. Next, this awesome folder and long towel of various characters are in stock as well. Next, Jump shops will stock these limited ed. goods from the Jump exhibition such as this towel, water bottle, ticket folder, art coasters, mini acrylic stand, pouches, and much more. Next, stores will be selling these OP Waffle cookies of “Our Memories.” It will have special cards of different characters. All colorful and wonderful. Next, China will be holding Hello! One Piece exhibition as well. It will start from Nov.3rd to Jan.15th. It will be held at Shenzen. I’ll leave a link for anyone interested of going. All in Chinese. No English I guess. Moving on, here’s the new cover of vol.4 of the OP magazine. It will include a wanted poster of Law and will have his novel story as well. It will be in stock on Oct.19th. Next, here is a sneak peek of the new DVD cover of the special episode of Skypiea. If you order this from Amazon, you’ll get a free original projection pen. It will be released on Nov.23rd. Last, but not least, it has been announced last week that the lucky group to perform the 21st opening of OP will be long-time idol group, V6. They are known for their songs of Inuyasha such as Change the World & Brand New World. Title of the song is “Super Powers!” They commented that they are thrilled to be able to provide song of their fave anime. It will premiere this Saturday. POWER UP! Phew! I think we covered everything. That’s all we got for now, tune in next week for more news and goods. Boys! Let’s call it quits. Well done.

 Exhibition: http://hello-onepiece.cn/

Figurines & straps: https://t.co/vi4blcnwiA

[esthersnippe]

In Brussels? Here are my top picks on what to do, see, drink, and eat

I am not going to claim to be an expert, but this winter I will be celebrating my 7th year in Europe’s Captial City—and I adore this city. 

I have gone to hundreds of cities, I believe there is nothing quite like Brussels. 

But it took me years to get here, and many tourists don’t immediately find it charming. And that’s ok. Because Brussels is small and too many tourists is not super good...and I am only partially joking. 

It is a secret city. Non-obvious and full of delights.

Over the years, I have learned one or two things about Brussels, and today I present you with my list of top things to do, see, drink and eat. You can do all of this in 24hours. 

My 10 favourite things to do in Brussels

Here we go! 

1. Eat a waffle in the Grand Place. 

It is best to see the Grand Place at night first, then in the day after.

For my vegan friends: Go to The Sister’s Cafe for vegan waffles WITH vegan ice cream.

For my non-vegan friends: Go to Maison Dandoy—they are simply the best waffles in the city. There are two kinds Brussels (light and airy) and Leige (thick and cakey) so if you are with someone else, get one of each, and if you are alone, choose wisely! 

Once, Victor Hugo, who wrote Les Miserables, lived in an apartment in the place. He said it is “a dazzling fantasy dreamed up by a poet, and realized by an architect.”.  There is so much history I would love to share with you about it, but I’ll save that for another time. Just go an enjoy it. It is truly spectacular. 

2. Walk from Park Royal to Park Cinquantenaire. The whole walk takes about 35 minutes, and you will see three beautiful parks: Park Royal, Park Leopold, and Park Cinquantenaire, as well as the Royal Palace, the European Parliament, and the Triumphal Arch.

Its a much better way to spend your time than going to the Atomium—which will take 2-3 hours minimum and is ok, but really rather touristy. 

3. Go and see the Palace of Justice at sunset Or any time, but it is the best at sunset. You can go to the grocery store and buy some drinks and snacks and sit up there to watch the sunset, it is chill and has a great view of the city skyline.

4. Eat chocolate at the Grand Sablon: My top picks are

Frederic Blondeel

Wittamer

Pierre Marcolini

How it works: you buy the chocolate by weight, so choose 2-3 different pieces from each place. 3-4 chocolates should cost between €4-€7.  Usually, the people behind the counter are not very helpful, but I still ask for personal favourites and recommendations anyway. Either way, you should always try the “Grand Cru”, this is the best the chocolatier thinks they can do. Yum is usually the result. Plant-based buddies: most of the dark chocolate is vegan! But make sure you double check, because some of the other ingredients might not be, like caramel being made with butter, etc.

5. Go to the European History Museum in Park Leopold 

It is free. And amazing. One of the best and most interactive museums I have been to: it has great tech, tons of ways to get involved with the exhibits, and tells a fascinating story. 

6. Go see our national monument, the Manneken Pis Also... the Manneken Pis Museum. It is just up the street and guaranteed a right giggle.

7. Sit at the top of Mont des Art. Best in the early evening. then walk through the garden. There is always a lot of animation and things going on, but it is also very relaxed. 

Make sure you check out the architecture on Rue Montagne de la Cour, like the Musical Instruments Museum and the Old English Pharmacy. 

8. Do some unique shopping/browsing. I am not personally big on buying loads of stuff, but these little streets are jammed packed with the unique and wonderful. Here are my top picks:

Rue de Rollerbeek

Rue du Haute

the Royal Galleries (Actually, I have never bought anything here, but the buildings are amazing.)  

9. Eat some fries.

I might be plant-based but I make an exception for the occasional frites treats, because they are the best in the world. There is no contest.

For the sauce: you can go:

Traditional with a dollop of Mayonnaise

Spicy with the Pili-pili (less spicy) or my favourite Samurai (more spicy).

Not spicy, but with a burst of flavour go with the Andalouse (which is kind of mayonnaise with tomato and basil) or Curry Ketchup (which is exactly what it sounds like.) 

Aioli is another very popular sauce, but I find it too garlicky (but if you are into garlic, try it out. Just don’t try and kiss me after.)

Vegans + vegetarians: the frites definitely contain animal fat.

My top picks

Fritland right by the Grand Place

Friterie Saint-Josse

Frit Flagey

Which brings me to number 10! They are related. 

In Brussels, there is a local phrase which goes “faire du gras” which translates to something like “lay down the fat” and means “eat something heavy”—and is good advice before you start drinking in Brussels. 2 strong beers on an empty stomach is almost a guarantee you will end up tripping on one of our many uneven, cobblestone roads. 

10. Drink beer. 

Also—the best in the world (Yes Germany, I have tried your beers, and I am sticking to what I said.) God, this needs a whole other post. But you are only here for a short time, so let’s get into it.

First: where to drink.

These are my favourite watering holes and their locations.

Le Coq in front of Beurs: Classic Belgian pub, and very fairly priced. (ie. cheap) 

Zebra in St.Gery: This old island is the best spot to drink and people watch after work and on the weekend. 

Bar Llanes or Café Charbon on Marche du Charbon in front of the Notre-Dame de Bon Secours. They are beside each other. 

Monks in Saint Catharine: a bit overpriced, but great selection and cool ambience. 

The Brussels Beer Project Brewery by the canal: They are constantly creating new brews, and you can test out the new flavours, then vote on them, which is fun. 

Le Barboteur Bierothèque in St.Josse: Amazing selection and very unpretentious. (But only good if you are in the neighbourhood, because it is pretty far from the city centre.)

Le Verschueren in St.Gilles: Sit with the cool, Belgian artists. Great people and good prices, but also only good if you are in the neighbourhood.) 

Café Belga and L'Amère à Boire in Place Flagey: Really different atmospheres, but both are fun, although a little hipstery. Don’t make a special trip out to see them, but if you are in Flagey, they are great. 

If you want to see some breathtaking architecture from the turn of the century and drink some rather overpriced beer, visit:

Le Cirio

Cafe Metropole

Mort Subite

There are 1150 Belgian beers, which is an overwhelming number. Even if I had drank a new beer every other day since arriving, I still wouldn’t have tried them all. So don’t feel bad if you don’t know where to start. Here is a quick and dirty guide to some of my favourites. For something heavy that will get you drunk almost immediately, try the Trappist beers. There are only 6 breweries in the world, and the beer is brewed in the traditional style by monks! (Note: Proceed with caution) 

Rochefort 10: Hold on to your hats, you are heading to drunk town on a smooth chocolate river.

Westmalle Tripel: This is a very good, bitter, mega strong beer.

Chimay Bleu: A sweet, dark, internationally-known bestseller! Stop at one though, it gives a vicious hangover after you’ve had 3. 

For something unique only to Belgium, and is stupidly delicious, like a refreshing beer-lemonade, try the gueuze:

Gueuze Boon: This is my all time favourite drink in Belgium. Possibly the world.

Oud Beersel: Also a hella delicious gueuze, but brewed in the old style, without wheat. 

Mort Subite Kriek: a gueuze sweetened with cherries. I can only have one of these at a time because they are intense, but a good occasional treat.

If you are not even sure you like beer, but are in Brussels so what the hell:

Faro Lambic: light and sweet and way too drinkable. Like juice.

Tripel Karmeliet: a delicious, well-balanced crowd pleaser

Chouffe: very light tasting, but watch out! Strong in effect. 

Saison Dupont: a very popular, classic Belgian beer. 

You are not a fan of stong or heavy beers, and really want a pils (once again Germans, I am looking at you.) we have three very popular pilsner brands that you’ll be able to get just about anywhere. 

Jupiler: mildly sweet, and the most popular beer in Belgium (especially with sports fans). 

Maes: a little closer to a lager than a pils, but if I am going to drink a pils, I choose this one. 

Stella Artois: This is Belgian, not Italian beer! It is a pretty easy drinking beer and also available just about everywhere....including the country you are coming from.

Like Stella Artois, I have a tendency to tell guests to avoid Duvel and Leffe—while they are fine beer brands, they are available around the world, and you will probably be able to find them in your home country, although perhaps for a much higher price. 

There is a lot more I could say about Brussels, but I hope this is enough to get you started! See you soon. 

Want to read stuff I’ve written about Belgium? 

Here are a few other posts about life in Europe’s Capital. 

21 Reasons to love Belgium

20 Canadian/British Habits I Lost When I Moved To Brussels

An Adult Tour of the Beaux Art Museum Part 1: The history of Belgium Part 2: Because art is awesome

I am safe: A post about what it felt like to be in Brussels after the Brussels Attacks. 

[bitletsanddrabbles]

Lady in the Wardrobe

This is a short piece that was originally done to go in my Lord of Brancaster AU, where Peter Pelham does not die and Thomas winds up working for him. I wanted something with Lady Mary learning a secret and this was all I could think of to make it work and....well, at first I simply thought to switch the PoV to match the rest of the works-in-progress, but the more I look at it, the more I realize that it simply doesn’t work. There are too many things I failed to take into account and there’s no real way to adjust for them without losing the good points of the piece.

I’d rather come up with something else.

That said, I still like it rather a lot. It was fun to write and fun to read, so rather than post it to Ao3, I will stick it here for posterity sake. If you ever need a laugh, it will be here.

Fandom: Downton Abbey - AU, Canon Divergence

Relationships: Thomas Barrow/Peter Pelham

Characters: Lady Mary, Thomas Barrow, Peter Pelham, Original Maids

Warnings: Fluff, Nose Cola, No Socially Redeeming Value, Thomas’s Humor, Some Suggestive Bits

Lady Mary Talbot was lost.  

She was not very lost, mind. There were only so many ways one could be lost in the gallery of a castle, especially if one was an aristocrat who had grown up in such buildings.  She'd even been to Brancaster before, so she had a very good idea how to get any number of places from where she stood. She knew how to get to her room, for instance, and also the library and the salon. She could probably find her way to the kitchen without too much difficulty.

No, she was not very lost. However, she couldn't for the life of her remember which of the many doors led to the nursery. The last time she had come her son had stayed at home, and now, having been in the castle for less than a full day, she found she didn't have the location as firmly in her mind as she thought she had. A maid could have told her easily enough, of course, but the staff all seemed to be occupied elsewhere. She was almost tempted to hunt down Barrow, even if it meant seeing that too-polite smile that said he was privately laughing at her.

Then again, that seemed like so much work, especially at seven months pregnant, and she wouldn't be able to look the valet in the eye for the rest of the visit without him smirking. As much as she rather missed the man at Downton, he really was insufferable sometimes.

With her memory failing her and no other guide, she was relegated to knocking on random doors, peeking in when there was no answer, and hoping that she would either get lucky, or one of the children would start crying.

She was beginning to suspect she had gotten turned around somehow and was in the wrong wing entirely when she opened a door into what first seemed to be another world, but turned out to only be a bedroom. It had to be Lord Hexham's bedroom. No other room in the house would feel so absolutely foreign.

Momentarily forgetting that she was trying to find her son, she stepped, somewhat awe struck, into the room.

Everything in the room was lavish and covered with delicate, geometric designs. The carpet, the bed spread, the tapestry on the wall, even the wardrobe were a riot of colours that left Mary's decidedly English sensibilities reeling. It even smelled different, everything scented with a rich, almost spicy tone. Of course, pregnancy had made her nose sensitive, but it wouldn't surprise her to discover that Lord Hexham burned incense. He was certainly hedonistic enough for it, although he was perfectly proper at the dinner table.  

She briefly wondered if he'd bought all of the furnishings at once, or if every item was a souvenir from a different trip. They were undoubtedly all from Tangiers, if nothing else.

She was standing in front of the tapestry, trying to trace all of the minute designs, when voices in the hallway brought her to herself. There were the maids, now she could ask where the nursery was. Of course, if she did that they would see her stepping out of Lord Hexham's bedroom and that would be awkward.

She sighed and decided it would be better to let them pass, then continue her search. Maybe she'd even be able to catch up to them in a proper looking manner. Of course, if they came into the bedroom, that would be a problem. To be caught standing in the middle of her now-cousin's private chamber would be even more awkward than to be seen leaving it. Frowning, she looked around the room and did the first thing that popped into her mind.

She opened the wardrobe and climbed inside, pulling the door shut behind her.

She immediately regretted the decision. While her stomach was small enough and the wardrobe large enough that it wasn't insufferably cramped, it was filled with Peter's clothes and therefore smelled distinctly of whatever spiced oil Lord Hexham continually wore. Her overly sensitive nose did not approve.

She was berating herself for being an idiot and reaching for the wardrobe door when the sound of the bedroom door opening and female voices entering stopped her. Of course the maids would come in now. She crossed her arms over the bulge in her stomach and glared into the darkness. While the smell was not pleasing, and she was even willing to admit to herself that she'd been foolish to get herself into the predicament to start with, there was no way on earth she was explaining to a pair of maids what she was doing in Peter's wardrobe.

"You're certain you forgot it in here?" one voice asked.

"Yes, just set it down for a minute, then I got called out when Nettie needed help with the fire in the other room," the second voice answered. "See? It's right here, next to chest of drawers."

"Good then, let's get on. Mrs. Burns will have our hides if we don't get the laundry washed and pressed before supper."

"Can't we wait just a moment? I do so love this room. I wish he'd decorate the rest of the house like this."

"What, like we lived in Tangiers?" the first voice scoffed. "Really, Gladys, can you imagine what all of the visiting lords and ladies would think? His lordship might prefer that country to his own, but most of the aristocracy thinks the sun always shines on England, forget the rest of the Empire."

"I don't," Gladys sighed. "I envy Mr. Barrow, you know, being able to look forward to going with his Lordship the next time he leaves.  Golly, I envy him for being able to spend the night in this room!"

"Gladys!"

In the wardrobe, Mary choked back a laugh. The maid's forwardness might have surprised her a little, but the knowledge that Thomas Barrow had been known to spend the night in Lord Hexham's room did not.

"Oh come on, Martha, everyone knows. And for my part as long as I get my wage, I don't care. Let the politicians and the priests fuss about it. It's not as if he'd marry me anyway."

Apparently Martha was a bit more concerned than all of that. "It's still not proper to talk about! And not everyone knows. No one knows for sure. Really, no one suspected such things of old Mr. Adams."

"Old Mr. Adams were old, weren't he?" Gladys retorted. "And mousey and married. Mr. Barrow is young and good looking and you can't deny he's a bit delicate."

And if Barrow is delicate, Mary thought to herself, then Peter is downright fragile.

"I can deny anything I like," Martha hissed. "And if anyone asks, I will deny that this wholly inappropriate conversation ever happened. Now come, let's get on before we're missed."

Mary suppressed a sigh of relief as she heard the door open and close, indicating that the two maids were leaving. She waited to the count of three, for safety sake, and pushed the wardrobe door open. It was just far enough for her to see the surrounding room when the main door started to open again. With a muffled squeak, she quickly pulled the door closed again and prayed she hadn't been seen.

Really, what did the maids want now?

"They probably just forgot something," a voice that definitely did not belong to any maid said. "And came back to pick it up. Really, are you always so suspicious?"

That would be Peter Pelham, Marquess of Hexham.

"Not always, m'lord," a smooth, collected voice replied. "Just frequently. A bad habit, I'm afraid, born of years of being up to no good myself."

And Thomas Barrow. Mary suppressed a groan and cursed herself as the world's biggest idiot. She fervently hoped that Peter just wanted to change his cuff-links and the two men would soon be on their way.

"You, up to no good?" Peter chuckled. "I can't imagine such a thing."

"Oh, I was quite the trouble maker, when I was younger," his valet assured him. "I've gotten better on that front now though."

"Meaning you get in trouble less or that you're better at getting into trouble?"

"Both, actually, if you get right down to it."

Despite her situation, Mary couldn't help but smile a little bit at the admittance, and the memory of her last trip to Brancaster. Yes, Barrow was very good at getting into trouble these days, and even better at getting other people into it. She thought she might have to warn Lord Hexham at some point.

"However, your lordship has my sincerest word that I won't cause you any difficulty," the valet promised.

"What if I want you to cause me difficulty?" Peter replied, a low purr that was only a half step away from an invitation. Maybe only a quarter step.

"Well, that would be different, wouldn't it?"

Mary's heart sank. Goodness, Peter, she thought, it's not even dinner time. Do you have to be an impossible flirt right now? Of course, given the number of times she had sneaked off for a mid-day dalliance with her husband, either of them, it was a rather uncharitable thought, but she was starting to feel a bit faint and if she hadn't wanted to explain being in the wardrobe to the maids, she really didn't want to explain to the room's owner.

Or Barrow.

Especially Barrow.

She could imagine the smirks she would get for the rest of the visit.

"I know the dinner gong isn't scheduled to ring for hours yet, but I thought I might take my time getting dressed tonight," Peter suggested, apparently changing the subject, although Mary suspected it wasn't a change at all. "The guests are busy touring the grounds with Bertie anyway."

"I can see how getting dressed might take hours, m'lord," Barrow replied, his tone quite serious. Too serious. Barrow was never that serious, at least not without being angry and he didn't sound angry. "Especially with relatives in the house. Choosing a dinner jacket alone could take an hour."

Mary rolled her eyes and unceremoniously gave up. No two ways around it, she was going to have to announce, and explain, her presence. The question was how to do so with proper decorum. Inadvisable as it was to be in a wardrobe to start with, a lady did not simply get caught doing something questionable in a manner that looked shady.

After a moment’s thought, Lady Mary took a deep breath and carefully, deliberately sneezed as loudly as she could manage.

There was a pause on the other side of the door, a break in whatever was being said (and Mary had stopped paying attention, so she didn't know what that was), and then Peter's voice asked, "Was that in the wardrobe?"

Clearing her throat lightly, Mary answered. "Yes, yes it was." She then composed herself as best she could, pushed the wardrobe doors open, and stepped out with an affected air of indifference, as if there was not a thing strange about an Earl's daughter emerging from a Marquess's wardrobe.

Lord Hexham and his valet stood at the end of the Marquess's bed, Peter leaning against the frame and Barrow standing a bit back from him. They were dressed in the day uniform of their respective stations, which meant they both looked as out of place in their surroundings as Mary felt. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that Barrow's tie was undone and Peter's jacket and waistcoat both unbuttoned, Mary might have thought she'd misinterpreted what they'd been up to.

They both looked suitably confused, which Mary found strangely gratifying.

"Lady Mary?" Barrow asked, as if he doubted his own eyes.

"Yes," Mary smiled primly, giving him a nod by way of greeting. "Hello, Barrow."

Peter's head tipped slowly to the side, as if observing the scene before him at a bit of an angle might make more sense. "Is there a reason you were in my wardrobe?"

"Yes," Mary replied, tone still bright even though she was struggling to keep her composure and rather hoped her cheeks weren't turning red. "A perfectly reasonable one, as it turns out."

The two men exchanged somewhat dubious looks, then turned their attention back to their unexpected guest.

"...you're both all ears, aren't you?" Mary sighed.

She was answered with a chorused, "Yes."

"It's actually quite silly," Mary informed them, as if she could brush off her embarrassment if only they didn't take her seriously. "But I'd forgotten where the nursery was, you see, and while I was looking I found this room. It's quite interesting, Peter. I assume all of the furnishings are from Tangiers?"  She knew perfectly well they were, but she asked anyway, to see if she could derail the conversation.

"Naturally," Peter replied. He did not elaborate.

Barrow was still watching her with an expression that was perfectly ready to be offended, if the situation warranted it.

No, they were not going to be distracted. "I'd thought so," Mary nodded, her smile starting to feel frozen in place. "Anyway, it was so interesting I just had to step in and take a closer look and while I was looking, two maids happened past. It would have looked strange if they found me here, or even if they found me leaving, so..." she shrugged a helpless, exaggerated shrug.

Peter's face cleared, "Ah, so you hid in my wardrobe!" The corners of his blue eyes crinkled, his lips turning up in a brilliant smile.

As predicted, Barrow smirked.

"It seemed perfectly logical at the time," Mary defended her decision. "Of course, once I was in there it was stuffy and my nose is so sensitive that whatever you wear for cologne was absolutely overwhelming and confound it all, Barrow, stop smirking." She glared.

"Sorry, m'lady," Barrow smirked at her. "I don't think that's possible just at present."

"You'd have done the same thing."

Barrow thought about it for a second. "No, actually, the wardrobe is a bit short for me, and people are too likely to look into it. I'd have hidden under the bed."

"Thomas Barrow, you impossible man, I am seven months pregnant. I am not hiding under a bed!" Once more crossing her arms over her stomach, Mary gave him her best glare.

"I never suggested you should, m'lady."

Mary huffed. "At any rate, if you gentlemen would kindly point me the direction of the nursery, I will go see to my son and let you get on with your day."

"To the end of the hall, take a right, three doors down," Barrow pointed, still smirking, damn him.

"Thank you."

Peter, who had settled for looking deeply amused over the whole situation, but who had the good grace to properly smile rather than smirking at his cousin's discomfort, pushed away from the bed and crossed to unlock the door. "I'm sorry to have been neglecting you, Lady Mary," he bowed as he opened the door. "I thought you'd gone with the others. I will, of course, be out shortly."

"Oh," the offer caught Mary off guard and she instinctively looked at the valet. His smirk faded, leaving behind something that was just a hair too poker-faced to be called wounded and just a hair too wounded to be called poker-faced. It made Mary decidedly nervous. "Thank you, Lord Hexham, but there's no need to change your plans. I don't need entertaining, and I think Barrow would murder me in my sleep."

Peter laughed. Unlike the rest of his appearance, his laugh was perfectly in keeping with the rich, riot of colour around him. "Don't worry, he wouldn't do such a thing. Would you, Barrow?"

"I might have to at least think about it," Barrow replied. His posture, always properly ramrod straight, had gained a particular tension about it, and while it was apparently beneath his dignity to pout, well. His voice pouted, even if his face did not.

"See? I told you," Mary informed her cousin, walking over to kiss him on the cheek.

Both of Peter's eyebrows arched. "Oh dear. Well then, we can't have that," he smiled at Mary, then returned the kiss. "Enjoy your afternoon. I will see you at dinner."

"Absolutely," Mary nodded, unconsciously checking for staff in the hall before exiting the room. "And you enjoy yourself as well." She paused, then added with a smirk, "Both of you."

Head high, determined to put the whole incident behind her, Mary turned and headed toward the nursery.

She made it to the corner before she realized that Barrow was, in fact, going to smirk at her for the rest of the visit.

Oh well. She could simply smirk back. She certainly had plenty of reason.

[brunettefromwallstreet]

Guess what? The weekly EDIT you used to read or should I rather say see on the first page of my blog when I first started blogging a few months ago, is back! And it’s way much better now.

WEEKLY ROUNDUP

I decided to share a roundup every week. And telling you not only what is up and hot on my blog right now, the Chic list with all the things that are a must have right now and how to wear or use them in the real life, but sharing also some of the backstage stories. And, yes the things you are interesting the most, some of the gossip. Moreover, I will be answering to 5 of your questions about my personal life, too.

As it goes where am I going to the next week … well, I’m leaving this for the exclusives only. If we are not exclusive yet, be sure to sign up to my newsletter.

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HOW THE EDIT WORKS

First things first. A little bit on how the EDIT blog post works. I wanted to make your experience on my blog even better, hold your attention, and elevate the what’s coming next factor.

Each week, not sure about the day yet, let’s say Monday from now on, we do like to gossip on Mondays, don’t we? Anyway, Monday or between Thursday and Wednesday, once per week for sure, you will see this new the EDIT cover with some spicy and fun titles. The titles happen to be the current fashion and beauty trends you can find in the categories Fashion memo and Beauty Secrets. So, yes, the titles will be more or less the same for a longer time, while the content of the EDIT will change each week. Together with the cover photo, to make sure you don’t miss the EDIT.

After the EDIT section, there will be space for some gossip and personal insight. As I said, I will be answering some of your questions each week. 5 seems like a good number, don’t you think? I will post the long version of the questions each Sunday in a new blog post from now on. I already posted my the first 5 of my answers yesterday. So check it here in case you missed it. Although I doubt you did. You guys almost crashed down my blog in the first hour. By the way, you can post all of your questions on my Facebook page, in the comments bellow, or send me a message.

FASHION ON THE WALL

So, starting with what’s up on my blog this week. In short, shorts, suits, layers and lots of pink. Oh, and packing. It is time for summer vacations after all.

SUIT UP

There could not be enough blog posts and tips on how to wear suits this season. Either the relaxed, tailored, romantic, feminine, deconstructed or the power suits, suits are all. And you can read all about them and find the best suits of the season in this blog post over here.

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TRAFFIC SIGN: DENIM

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Not a summer staple but super fashionable trend right now. The right way to wear it now? Denim on denim! And for me? Denim with everything! As soon as I get my denim jacket though. Ps. Can you guess wich one of those I just ordered?

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LOOK YOUR LIFE THROUGH THE PINK LENSES

You might have spotted I have been wearing pink quite often on my Instagram lately. The reason? Just one, well actually two. Pink is in fashion. Plus I completely fall in love with those pink round shades I got last week. I mean, aren’t they all.

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  The blog posts featuring this sunglasses are coming up next, in the Fashion Story and Saturday in my picnic post. Meanwhile, get ready for my Saturday’s pink picnic and shop my style from the gallery above.

CANDY CRUSH

As said, I’m wearing pink quite a lot this month. In case you missed, be sure to check my previous pink blog posts now. First one is about my Barbie look, what I wanted to be as a little girl and how to down dress a cocktail dress. The second one is about how to look chic, not childish in pink.

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LAZ(C)Y

Unlike denim, lace is the summer staple. Browse through my favorite lacy items you must have this summer. Seems like lace doesn’t stand only for the lace dress this season. By the way, the outfit blog post about the white lace dress you saw me wearing on my Instagram last weekend, is coming up on Sunday.

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  ART OF LAYERING

I’m taking this game of layering seriously this season. And doing it in the summer, too. Check here to see how to wear layers to work, street and club.

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RED INVESTMENT

If you can get only one thing this week, it should be the red one piece swimsuit.

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  SHIRT HAPPENS

Taking off the pants and buttoning up the shirt dress I wore instead of the jacket and wear it alone. I wore it at the seaside to the coffee date with my uncle. See more here.

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SUNDAY TRIP

Mentioning the seaside, make sure you check my First Sunday Trip over here and discover Slovenia with me.

STOP SIGNS

A little reminder of my Instagram. Be sure to follow me on my Instagram. You certainly don’t want to miss my Insta stories next week. Because what’s coming next is so big.

GOSSIP ON THE STREET AND WHAT’S COMMING NEXT

I know, I said the WHAT’S COMING NEXT is for the exclusives only, but I simply couldn’t resist sharing where I’m heading over the next week. Yes, I’m off to the Paris Haute Couture Week! You can imagine how excited I am.

This will be my first haute couture week. Which, is actually quite a success for a baby blogger. You know, even some, now big blogging divas like Chriselle Lim, had troubles getting an invitation to the fashion week for their first time. Well second, too. So instead of coming to the fashion show with the legit invitation in their hand, they had to sneak into and hope not to get caught. Respect girls! To all of you who got in and didn’t get caught, and all of you how got in and got caught. Yes, dear Chriselle, I’m talking about you.

Let’s be honest, successfully sneaking into the highly secured space and not to get caught and escorted to the exit by the security is fashion goals. You know what I mean. So embarrassing. For everyone else but us, the fashionistas. We simply don’t care.

After all, we are superheroines 24/7. Not only looking good in any kind of situation, time and weather, walking in the heels on the slippery surface, climb over the fences, turn all the heads, or appear and disappear like a ghost when we want.

Anyway, fingers crossed the only plans I will need to make the next week are those about what to wear and not how to get in. With some invitations already in my hand, I think I will be just fine. As it goes for the rest, I will need to open my little black book and start making some calls and writing emails.

Speaking about the little black book, it’s time for me to answer your questions.

YOU SHOULD REALLY ASK ME ONLY FOR THE WAY

Read my full answers and find out more about me here.

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THE EDIT Guess what? The weekly EDIT you used to read or should I rather say see on the first page of my blog when I first started blogging a few months ago, is back!

[alldayieat]

Hey how are ya?

Today it’s a bit overcast and dreary in Southern California.

Feels a bit like winter and we are supposed to get more rain this coming week. Boo.

The cold weather makes me miss the nice warm weather we had on our trip to Mexico.

Anyways, here is the summary of our day trip to Puebla.

I’ve wanted to go to Puebla for many years since it’s famous for mole.

It’s also famous for many other things as I learned while I was there!

Mole is one of my favorite Mexican foods. I like the complex blend of spices and flavors it provides. There’s nothing like it.

I’ve had Oaxacan mole and it was quite good, so was excited to finally try the Puebla-style mole (Poblano).

Photos are located at the bottom

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  Getting to Puebla from TAPO (Terminal de Autobuses de Pasajeros de Oriente) Mexico City 

Our initial plan was to wake up at 6 to get the 7am bus, but we slept in and got the 8am bus instead. (This happens a lot to us when we travel. Does it happen to you?)

Our bus left from the TAPO station which is right near the airport.

I have a few pictures from inside the TAPO bus station below.

It’s pretty unique in appearance. Especially when looking at it from the outside. You wouldn’t expect to see the pretty dome in the center.

Right before we got on the bus we went through the Puebla gate,  that said “Que Chula es Puebla!”. Why don’t we have these little setups before getting on our planes and trains? Wouldn’t it make travel a little more fun?

Maybe it reminds me of Disneyland’s It’s a Small World, which used to be one of my favorite rides. :)

Anyways, we bought our tickets just prior to departure. $18 per person round trip and direct on ADO GL (similar to first class).

There is a bus that leaves every hour basically so no need for advance purchase. If ADO is full, you have alternative companies that run the same route. E.g. Estrella Roja, which also runs direct from the airport, through less frequently.

The total ride was about two hours including traffic and we got there on schedule.

Unfortunately, the bus ride felt a lot longer than two hours since I was forced to watch Terminator.  I was sitting right underneath the speaker. That was the worst part of the trip!! My fault for not bringing my noise canceling headphones.

Once you get out of the station, there are several taxi stands that are located just outside.

Getting to Puebla from the CAPU (Central de Autobuses Puebla) Station

The thing to note is that these taxis have set fares depending on where you want to go. It’s all listed in the window where you get your ticket. No negotiation needed.

Basically you just buy your ticket and you redeem it at the ticket stand next to the taxi queue. Then they give you a little laminated piece of paper which has a number on it and then you give that to your  taxi driver and then off you go into the city!

Note- If you do look like a foreigner, people will probably approach you and ask you if you need a taxi. I’d highly recommend you ignore them and go to the official stand. Also, they do have Uber in Puebla, but it was the same price as the taxi. We ended up taking the taxi since it was right there.

Exploring and Eating in Puebla

So, once we got into the city it reminded me a lot of the other smaller cities we had been to in Mexico (e.g. Merida, Oaxaca).

You have your main square which is generally always pretty busy with street vendors in the square and shops that surround it.

We took a few pictures, walked around a little bit, and then eventually made our way to go get some tacos at Las Ranas for lunch.

Las Ranas is famous for al pastor tacos and tacos arabes (al pastor on a pita-like bread rather than tortilla). We got three different tacos and all were very good and filling, but my favorite was the gringa which came with cheese. After we got our tacos that we did some more walking and made our way to another place that I found on seriouseats.

Cemitas del Carmen is known for their cemitas which are sandwiches with meat and shredded Oaxacan cheese. It was a good 15-minute walk away from downtown in a residential area.

It turned out to be just OK. I don’t know if I’d go there again since I didn’t think it was that special. Bummer.

On the way there and on the way back, though, we did get some ice cream and popsicles.

We got a kiwi popsicle and Chongos Zamoranos ice cream at  Súper Paletería Mary Barragá. The staff were really nice and gave us a bunch of samples without us even asking.

After we got our goods, we sat at the plaza just across the street to take in the scene. The plaza was very quiet while the ice cream shop kept pretty busy.

As we made our way back to the city, we stopped to get potato chips. People were eating these things all over the city. We didn’t want to feel left out anymore and had to try them.

We got ours spicy with fresh squeezed lime. Very tasty!!

After this we got some more popsicles since we wanted something sweet again.

We seem to eat a lot of junk food when we travel don’t we. :D

After our second popsicle stop, we gradually meandered over to the arts district in the South part of the city.

The arts district is pretty nice. It’s relatively quiet and has brightly colored buildings that make you feel like you are in Mexico.

There were also quite a few art galleries with artists working inside. So if you have a lot of time, you can stop by and have a chat or ask them about their work.

All of these galleries are concentrated within one block and right next door to this area was a shopping area, which looked to be mostly touristy stuff like souvenirs etc.

Our last stop before dinner was visiting Calle de los Dulces or sweets street.

The street is famous because there are a bunch of candy shops there. To my surprise, the whole street was actually was filled with candy shops!

I thought there would only be a handful, but the whole street on both sides had only candy shops.

We got a sugar cookie at one of them and then at another we got a small box of camotes (flavored sweet potato bars) to take home.

After visiting the candy shops, we made our way back to the square to hang out before dinner.

We had reservations for El Mural de los Poblanos which seemed to be the most promising restaurant for dinner based on the reviews.

In the end, I thought it was all right. I don’t think I would go there again. Especially since it was kind of expensive for what we got.

Service was good and the clientele was a good mix of Mexican families and foreigners.

After dinner, we just grabbed an Uber to the bus station.

Mayordomo

When we arrived earlier, I spied a Mayodomo in the station.

Mayordomo is a great place to get a Mexican hot chocolate and mole to take home, if you are interested in those kind of things.

I first found out about this place when I was in Oaxaca, where they had locations all over the city. The last time I went there I bought a bunch of different moles and a kilo of Mexican hot chocolate to take home. They blend your hot chocolate mix to your liking (cinnamon, almonds, sugar etc), which is how I got the kilo in case your were wondering.

I ate all the mole, but still have quite a lot of hot chocolate.

This trip, though, I bought some mole, but it got confiscated at airport security when we were going to Guadalajara. I didn’t get to bring any back.

The security said I can bring powdered mole, but not pastes on the plane. So keep that in mind if you aren’t checking your bags and flying domestically in Mexico. I guess it’s the same as it is here. 

So that was our day trip to Puebla!

Puebla was very walkable and overall felt a  lot more relaxed than Mexico City.

Next time I go back, I would definitely stay at least one night in Puebla (two full days) because there is a lot to see and eat.

We were on the fence whether or not to stay a night there since we weren’t sure if we’d like it. But we do and now we know!!

There are also small towns just outside of Puebla which you can visit too, like Cholula.

Didn’t know about that one until I looked at the map. :)

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Outside TAPO Bus station in DF

inside TAPO

Gate to the Bus!

Bus!

The Route

was forced to watched Terminator (speaker right above me)

lots of bread ya?

city art

look at all those balloons!

tacoss

beautiful street

pinatas

kiwi paleta and

potato chip shop

spicy chips

watermelon

city street

another Puebla sign!

street near the arts district

street near the arts district

the seven dwarves

that is a lot of eggs…

edible skulls

sugar cookie

candied sweeet potato (vanilla, lime, strawberry , pineapple, and coconut)

another street

sunset in the main square

another street

walking to dinner

side of rice

complimentary app.

seabass

enchiladas with 3 moles- red, poblano, and green

Puebla bus station

Mayordomo!! the place to get hot chocolate and Mole!

Up next is more Mexico City and then Guadalajara. Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!

If you haven’t already, you can also read my previous trip reports to Mexico below

Mexico Trip December 2016: Part 1 Mexico City

Cozumel, Tulum, Playa del Carmen, BPM Festival Mexico 2016

Merida, Yucatan and Mexico City November 2015 Trip Report

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  Mexico Trip December 2016: Part 2 Puebla Hey how are ya? Today it's a bit overcast and dreary in Southern California. Feels a bit like winter and we are supposed to get more rain this coming week.