Two representations of wealth in a time we would look back at as poverty. Two representations of grandeur in two different settings. One high atop a hill in a prestigious city, a challenge against the Parisians. The other small, where the priest was probably the only one in the town who knew how to read. Where everyone came together to ...

Today I am grateful for: *my husband who has been trying to keep my fever down and helped me cook… some. *my bunny for always being cute. *loved ones who took time to talk to me and make me feel less isolated. *friends that feel like family. *writing *people that encourage my writing. *brilliant writing and rp buddies that make me feel ...

Anne Boleyn. The name stirs up some kind of meaning in all of us. From thoughts of a deceitful witch scamming on her husband to ideas of her somewhat twisted nature and beguiling abilities. But not with me. I’ve always had a soft spot for people or issues I feel are misunderstood. It was easy, hundreds of years ago, to instill panic in ...

A palace covered in gold, as shiny as the sun the king aligned himself with. Versailles, the seat of the monarchy of France. The stomping grounds of the Three Musketeers, Louis Catorce, Charles V, Joan of Arc, and countless other Dumas stories including The Count of Monte Cristo, The Man in the Iron Mask, and 20 Years Later. The opulence ...

Stalls line the streets. Children are running between the people and screaming. A man hands a block of cheese to a woman who holds it to her face and inhales the sweet aroma. Fresh fruits and vegetables fill crates and alight the streets with color and fragrance. People haggle and shout. Eating straight off the vine and out of the hands. ...

A library filled with books, some older than the United States. The smell of old leather and musty paper fills your nose like an intoxicating aroma. In this room lies thoughts about humanity, what is life, what are feelings, why do we have relationships, what sorts of relationships are worthy of fighting for. All of the questions of our ...

Geneva lies in the shadow of the tallest mountain in Europe, Mt. Blanc. The White Mountain is over 15,000 feet high, is always covered in snow, and the lookout of the Alps. Mountains loom in the distance, surrounding Switzerland like a wall of protection. Stuffing their heads deep into the sand and ignoring the rest of the world as they lie ...

You drive through prairies and farmlands, past wild horses and sheep, around houses that have names, and through overgrown streets with trees reaching out for the people passing beneath them. In the distance stands a speck, what looks almost like a fence, atop a hill. As you get closer the fence grows and looms. Passing boroughs and ancient ...

Around the North end of Lake Geneva, past the huge city of Lausanne, is a castle that once housed the great poet Byron. Not as a resident, or even a guest, but a prisoner, trapped in the musty dungeon where now wine is brewed, the flowery aroma penetrating your nose and making your brain fuzzy from the joy of it. As you make your up rickety ...

A channel runs between two countries, forever separating them with icy cold water. People have gone to great lengths to make their way across, whether it be for war or leisure. Now, a journey taking hours or days, takes but a few minutes as two people worked together to make a tunnel through the earth, under the water, and bringing us just a ...