Travel Plans

[have-you-been-here]

Brihadeeswara Temple, Thanjavur, India

Have you been here?

I have been here

I have not been here

Voting ended onApr 12

[have-you-been-here]

Mysore Palace, Mysore, India

Have you been here?

I have been here

I have not been here

Voting ended onApr 10

[fuckyeahchinesefashion]

A slide inside a karst cave, Xingwen Stone Sea, Xingwen County, Yibin City, Sichuan Province (cr E朵朵)

[vintagegermany]

Kriebstein Castle, Germany 1913

[allthingseurope]

Meissen, Germany

[tiktoks-for-dead-pope]

[have-you-been-here]

Shimanami Kaido Cycling Route, Japan

Have you been here?

I have been here

I have not been here

Voting ended onFeb 5

[snekdood]

but have you ever even heard of the fynbos biome ?!!?!?!?!

a biome so unique in south africa that it's earned an entirely new biome classification for itself. so many plants are endemic to this area, and ofc it's under threat of extinction.

[wiley-treehouse-gardens]

It's a wonderful place! I had the privilege of visiting the fynbos last year and it was as amazing as these photos show and more!

[self-love-is-underrated]

Istanbul: Underrated and Overrated Things

Searching for Istanbul, you see a very similar list of food to try and places to see. So are they all worth it? Here is a list of things that I consider overrated or underrated, based on my very personal opinion :)

Simit: Very Overrated

Before going to Istanbul, I could not wait to try out the famous simits. And listen, I only had one, but did I hate it? No, I did not. I am deprived of the feeling of hate while travelling. But while I did not hate it, it truly was the worst thing ever. It was cold, and frankly kinda old.

2. Sultan Ahmet Area: Very Underrated

I am just saying it is underrated based on the fact that it could never be not underrated. I do not know if I make sense. Anyways, it is a place that is close to literally everything, and you can easily tick off most of the major Istanbul attractions within one day by staying here! Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar, and the Egyptian Bazar are all within walking distance.

3. Maiden's Tower: Kinda Overrated

Do not take my word for this one. I did not even go there myself. There was a big line of people waiting, and the ticket was around 20 USD. I did some analysis, and figured that I will basically have the same view on top of there as I had on the very cheap cruise that took me around. So I guessed not worth the wait or the money. But it was absolutely beautiful from the distance, and I got a very good look of it.

4. Manti: Most Underrated Thing Ever

Honestly, honestly, the best food ever! This was really really good, the taste and everything. Manti is basically these dumplings, sometimes filled with ground beef, and usually has red sauce and yoghurt on it. Turkiye is the home for it. Definitely try it if ever there!

5. Cruises!! : Very Underrated

The whole time I was in Istanbul, I was just thinking of one thing. These people can and are taking a cruise to transport within the city very CASUALLY. How must that feel? Do they also realize how beautiful that is? Or is it just me because I am a tourist and so unused to this? These public cruises are so cheap, and very convenient, and honestly the sea is just beautiful. I do not need to tell you to try them out because you will have to if there anywayss.

6. Baklava: Can Never be Overrated

Do not take my word on this one either. I am very biased towards baklava. Baklava is my love language. It is something that I love very very much. But to be honest, Turkiye is its home, so they make it the best. You should definitely have some when there. It is worth it, believe me!!

7. Balat: Most Beautiful Place Ever

If you love color as much as I do, you are gonna love this place, and you are gonna rent a place, and you are gonna end up living here for the rest of your entire life. Ok, I am being slightly dramatic here. But seriously, this place is beautiful and a neighborhood of art.

8. Galata Tower: The Symbol of Istanbul Itself

This area is beautiful, and there are many shops around it that frankly have some very affordable beautiful clothes as well! And when you are around, do not forget to try out the Sebastian Cheesecake. I repeat DO NOT FORGET because I did :( But I will go back for it one day I swear.

[sometiktoksarevalid]

[playwrongs]

In King Ludwig II’s defense, if I had basically infinite discretionary funds, was accountable to absolutely no one, and was king of a country full of picturesque landscapes, you couldn’t stop me from building myself a big gay fairytale castle on a mountaintop either.

[playwrongs]

This post is spreading and I feel bad about it because it contains misinformation, so for the record: Ludwig II did not in fact have infinite discretionary funds. He only acted as if he did. He never dipped into the public coffers for his building projects, but he spent his own fortune extravagantly and borrowed heavily from everyone he could think of. By 1885, the year before his death, he was 14 million marks in debt.

[insomniac-arrest]

~ ✨✨ 14 million marks in debt ✨✨~

[centrally-unplanned]

I always find this inspiring because try to name another prince of a German state. What did the rulers of Hamberg do? The Grand Duchy of Hesse? Gone with the wind, no one knows them anymore. But Mad Lad Ludwig built a top 5 most famous castle in the entire world. Money is fake, castles are real. Go broke and die like a winner.

[the-barefoot-hatter]

EXCUSE ME, this is still wrong. He built 3.

Neuschwanstein, literally the inspo for the castles in Disney's Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella

Hohenschwangau, the practical castle

Linderhof, the final, the smallest, and the MOST fab.

Every room is incredible and the park is beautiful, but shoutout to The Bedroom, the biggest room

The Hall of Mirrors, which he probably wandered by candle light because he was a serious night owl

The Dining Room, with a wishing table that lowers to the kitchen, and rises with a crank, returning magically full of food

The Venus Grotto, constructed for the sole use of Ludwig to larp to his heart's content

A full artificial cave, it features a waterfall, fake stalactites, and a custom-designed swan boat floating on an artificial lake. The first electricity in Bavaria was generated here, to change the colors of the stage lights and to power Ludwig's fountain and wave machine.

Now THAT'S ~ ✨✨ 14 million marks in debt ✨✨~

[marzipanandminutiae]

I love that- and I cannot emphasize this enough -none of this was tax money

the public paid for zero of his fairytale castle hobby

rare European monarch W as far as spending money lavishly goes

[fuckyeahchinesegarden]

baotuquan趵突泉, jinan济南, shandong province in china by 凡不烦

[fuckyeahchinesegarden]

三门海sanmenhai, guangxi province in china

[2seeitall]

Acropolis, Athens (Greece)

[xanaxfarts]

Initiation Well Location: Sintra, Portugal

A pair of wells, called the Initiation Wells, spiral down deep within the earth, like inverted towers. The wells were never used to collect water. Instead, they were part of a mysterious initiation ritual within the Knights of Templar tradition.

[triflingthing]

National Tile Museum in Lisbon. Would recommend.

[sometiktoksarevalid]