fh_trips | Castello di Casole [Wednesday, October 16, 2013, evening]

Good evening, Fandomites! Are your feet killing you? Are you refusing to leave your suite or the rooms for the night? Well, there's room service, wifi, free minibar, and premium movies, so we can't really blame you.

[OOC: Your room assignments are over here, dirty stuff goes to personal journals, yada yada.]

Pilates had been a bad idea. Trying to impress uber flexible girls had been a bad idea. Jim was currently in bed, trying to ignore the pain his muscles were in.

No one would ever know about this. No one.

Looking for a romantic meal with nice wine? Ristorante Tosca has you covered!

If you want something a little more casual, Pazzia has pizzas, pastas and paninis.

If you were outside at the bar to enjoy the sunset, it's only fair to say "eh, screw it" and just stay for dinner, right? Right. Of course, you can also show up a little later and grab a few cocktails with friends, too. It's not like they're carding.

Theo hadn't ever had alcohol but...there was a first time for everything, right? Right. Except he'd just been staring at the drink he'd ordered for awhile now while Ange and Dev railed about the decision in his head.

Cecil had been having fun today. Right up until a few too many people holding hands and acting snuggly made him really, really Carlos-sick.

Fortunately, this bar really didn't seem to care that he was sort of fourteen, so he was sitting at a table by the window sipping something really sweet and fruity and alcoholic and feeding little bits of fish and shrimp to Foucault.

Originally the estate’s wine cellar, the spa offers a serene setting within one of the most dramatic spaces on the property. A full treatment menu is available along with European spa and wellness experts who offer an extensive collection of traditional and modern therapies. Pools, steam rooms and comfortable spaces allow for ample relaxation: there are seven treatment rooms, secluded men’s and women’s areas, a spectacular couple’s treatment suite with deep soaking tub and shower, and luxurious private outdoor gardens.

While the estate itself is ideal for hiking, jogging, biking or horseback riding, if you're in the mood for a more modern workout, the estate offers plenty of other opportunities for fitness and wellness. There are pools and steam rooms for warm-up or cool-down; state-of-the-art exercise equipment from TechnoGym; and personal trainers and group classes in yoga, Pilates and more. It’s the perfect way to refresh and revitalize during your vacation.

Didn't get enough walking yet today? Well, the Fitness Center is open for your obsessive training needs even at night.

A heated pool at night? Sounds good to us too. Whether you want to swim, soak or splash, the is a fun place to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful sights of Tuscany. Also, snacks!

Go horseback riding through the olive groves or hiking among the grapes. Since it's harvest time, you can help the estate in picking either olives or grapes, though that might sound like work. There are a half dozen villages in easy distance of a bike ride or a long walk: great for exploring, shopping, and eating at local restaurants.

Kitty had spent part of her day doing a lot of walking, after a couple days of a lot of walking, so now she was sitting. When she got back to the estate she found a seat outside for a little while.

People were welcome to sit with her, especially if they brought her a drink.

After the truffle-hunt earlier and a very nice massage, Hannibal came back to the bar, which really did have lovely sunsets.

He had a drink in hand and nodded pleasantly to Kitty as he sat nearby. "Good evening."

He didn't have a drink for her yet, but he could probably be persuaded.

"So far, yes," she said with a smile, and explained, "Inside is all the way over there and that's not happening right now."

"Is inside your goal, then?" Hannibal asked, amused. "Outside is rather agreeable, after all."

"Outside is endgame," Kitty nodded. "Being as how bed is there. So what brings you out?"

"The sunset," Hannibal answered, "the smell of the outdoors." He smiled wryly. "The fact that there are students inside at the bar."

"As the person who runs the bar that doesn't card, I can say that it gets easier with practice to ignore them when they're doing something dumb," Kitty told him.

"Perhaps," Hannibal allowed. "But at the moment they were making this vacation much less restful. You teach as well as run a bar?"

"Yep. Busy, busy, busy," she said, sounding okay with that. "I'm Kitty, by the way."

"Doctor Hannibal Lecter," he introduced himself, "a fellow busy person. It's a pleasure to meet you. What is it you teach?"

"Modern American History," Kitty answered. "One decade a week from the 1900's on. What about you?"

"Beginning Gourmet Cooking," Hannibal answered. "We began with boiling water and have worked our way so far to cutting meat."

"That's further than a lot of people get," Kitty said, totally seriously.

"As I am becoming aware." Hannibal shook his head. "But some of them are learning very well. Despite the occasional assistance from the island. Teenage hormones and knives were not the best combination," he confided.

Kitty's eyes went wide. "Oh god. Any casualties?"

"None but the food," Hannibal assured her. "I made some relaxing tea, which helped. But it was not our most productive week." He shared a wry smile.

"Speaking of tea, may I get you a drink? It's not much of a vacation if you have to get your own, is it?"

Because eventually he'd find a way to gracefully work in a response to the meta.

Edited 2013-10-17 04:14 (UTC)

"You and I are friends now," Kitty decided. "Rum and Coke, lots of ice?"

"Anything for a friend." Hannibal chuckled, gave her a little bow, and went to get her drink.

He brought it back and set it down next to her. It was a perfectly normal rum and Coke, but perched among all the ice was a long skewer with numerous garnishes on it. "I think the bartender was bored," Hannibal explained. "That or simply relieved to be serving someone clearly of age."

Well, at least Kitty was of age here. Three months to US legality! "Thank you," she said, of course going for the skewer first. "Gotta say, I appreciate his boredom."

Well, yes, but he'd been serving it to Hannibal. Who hadn't been carded in quite a while.

"I imagine the school livens most any place it goes; he should probably be enjoying it while it lasts."

Forte dei Marmi pretty much rolls up the sidewalks at 7:30 in the evening. Fortunately, there's a much busier beach town for evening activities: Viareggio!

Viareggio is famous for its fish restaurants serving local delights like reef mullet simmered in red wine, risotto with fresh shrimp and filets of fresh sole. It is also, however, an international resort with hotels serving the finest cuisine as well as the smaller local restaurants along the promenade. So whatever your taste you will find something to delight you.

Riley was going to eat some fish tonight. It wasn't something he got often so the first place he found that looked good, Riley was inside and getting himself a table.

No wine tonight. He'd learned his lesson.

The nightlife in Viareggio is exciting and enjoyable. Although it is one of the oldest resorts in Italy, it remains chic and lively and its piano bars are famous up and down the coast. For a quieter time, you can also try the local bars along the promenade and in the town.

Cade wasn't close to being a piano bar guy, so he sought out the loudest, scruffiest place he could find (pretty difficult because this wasn't a scruffy town) and was now drinking a beer on someone else's tab.

He loved vacation.

Isabelle felt like dancing tonight. So, she'd put on a nice dress and found a club packed with pretty people she could dance and flirt with.

Although if in the midst of her dancing she was occasionally scanning the crowd for any suspicious behavior... Some habits were hard to break.

After his successful day, Flick hadn't gone back to his room yet. He was flitting from place to place, not really content to stay in one place tonight.

He still wasn't drinking but he was going through water and other things quickly. Maybe he'd try some alcohol at one of his later stops, hope it didn't leave him drunk and hungover.

That was the worst.

Bay found a piano bar, which was kind of awkward and cheesy at first. But after two or three glasses of wine, she was shouting along with bad pop songs along with everyone else. She couldn't sing, but that didn't seem to matter to anyone there,.

Shopping is a delight in Viareggio. Not just because of the mix of fashionable stores, boutiques and local shops selling traditional handicrafts, but because of the experience itself. Shops are open until late at night along the promenade, which has a wonderfully eclectic mix of architectural styles, from art nouveau to neo-classical.

I wanna go to Italy now.

Castello di Casole [Wednesday, October 16, 2013, evening]

The Estate

Rooms [Evening 10/16]

Room 301

Restaurants and Bars

Ristorante Tosca [Evening 10/16]

Pazzia [Evening 10/16]

Bar Visconti [Evening 10/16]

Re: Bar Visconti [Evening 10/16]

Re: Bar Visconti [Evening 10/16]

Estate Activities

Essere Spa [Evening 10/16]

Fitness & Wellness

Fitness Center [Evening 10/16]

Pool Terrace [Evening 10/16]

Mod Your Own Adventure [Evening 10/16]

Re: Mod Your Own Adventure [Evening 10/16]

Re: Mod Your Own Adventure [Evening 10/16]

Re: Mod Your Own Adventure [Evening 10/16]

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Away from the Estate: Viareggio

Viareggio: Eating [Evening 10/16]

Re: Viareggio: Eating [Evening 10/16]

Viareggio: Carousing [Evening 10/16]

Some Non-Piano Bar, Thank You [Evening 10/16]

A Dance Club [Evening 10/16]

Re: Viareggio: Carousing [Evening 10/16]

Re: Viareggio: Carousing [Evening 10/16]

Viareggio: Shopping [Evening 10/16]

OOC [FB Evening 10/16]