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Diana Kot's travel journal. Some pictures www.instagram.com/catidiana Articles www.facebook.com/catidiana Videos https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHI8QPW7XQDwz4hwN2B7z-A
Imagine that after a complicated surgery, you visit 3 different specialists.
The first one, who performed the operation: "Everything will be fine, I've been doing this for 20 years."
The second independent one: "Oh, everything is great with you, don't worry about anything."
The third independent one: "YOU'LL DIE THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW."
I feel pain in my back, I'm too old for this shit.
And I'm not talking about excel.
Want to know when the next transport strike in Italy is - ask me when I plan my vacation. For the second time in a row I'm hitting a strike and because of that I have to change my plans.
Luckily Flixbus took me to Turin and now by 9 pm the strike is over.
When you asked ChatGPT for directions.
When you ignored "bikes only" sign.
When there were big breaks at school, we always ran to the supermarket across the street for buns.
In this photo, this supermarket is after today's shelling of Chernihiv. The windows in the school were knocked out.
I'm in love with Ukrainian memes about the European blackout.
Indeed sitting without electricity when it's +25 outside and the sea is not as bad as it was in winter after shelling.
I just realized something about myself — I'm not a big city person.
No matter how much I love Paris and Vienna, they don't truly inspire me.
The first thought I had when I arrived from Valencia to Madrid was — why is everything four times more upscale?
And I guess you noticed — I have no pictures from Madrid.
Right now, I’m back in Valencia, waiting for my next train to my next destination and drinking coffee. And it feels so cozy here.
In Cuenca I came across figures that look suspiciously like KKK members - but don’t worry, it’s just part of a centuries-old Easter tradition. These outfits come from religious brotherhoods called cofradías, and the whole thing is actually recognized as UNESCO cultural heritage.
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I couldn't stay away from the trend and asked chat gpt to draw how I'll look like at 35. Damn, who is that anyway?
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Finally, the 3-weeks rain in Madrid is over and I went for a day trip to Toledo.
1. I bought a 7-sightseeing pass for 13 euros. It was interesting, but 4 turned out to be just fillers (I'll post photos on Instagram later)
2. The city is incredibly beautiful. Once again, I wonder how people live here, what their standards for beautiful architecture are, do they feel like they're in a fairy tale
3. All the guidebooks says to try the famous Toledo marzipan. They reminded me of how my grandmother and I used to make cookies in our childhood, first using cookie cutters, and then from leftovers whatever came to mind.
McMuffin Bacon without bacon - it's like the title of my autobiography.
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Congratulating women on March 8 with "Women's Day" and "Spring Day" is like congratulating black people on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday with "Black People’s Day" and "Second New Year."
And it would be even clother if, on this day, white coworkers handed black employees a bucket of fried chicken and a card that says, "The chocolate decoration of our team."
Very cool idea. People bring their animals' fur, then birds use it to insulate their nests.
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When you turn 32: "Tee-hee, I'm 2^5."
But when you turn 36, you don't want to play with powers anymore.
Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Europe — if you don’t count the Caucasus Mountains as part of Europe (and let’s be honest, no one seriously considers orcostan European anymore).
On the neighboring peak, Aiguille du Midi, you’ll find the highest cable car station ever built without helicopters — at 3,843 meters.
If we did consider Elbrus part of Europe, then the highest station would be "Mir" on Elbrus — at 3,847 meters.
I just want to compare these two stations since I’ve been to both.
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1. What’s surprising is that there’s no noticeable altitude sickness on Aiguille du Midi.
But on Mir, it hits hard — you feel exhausted, weak, and every step requires serious effort.
2. At Aiguille du Midi, you’ll find:
a museum, several viewing platforms, a café, toilets, a glass skywalk with an elevator — and on average, visitors stay there for about three hours.
At Mir station you’ll find... nothing 🙂
Except for a group of snowmobiles offering (for a big fee) to take you another 800 meters higher.
There’s also a place for a base camp for those attempting to summit Elbrus.
Have you heard about Italian brain-rots?
It's cartoons generated by AI that are viral on tiktok. You've probably seen neuro-cats in your feed.
Another popular one has the main characters ballerina cappuccina, bombardillo crocodillo, bombombini gusini, and all of this is voiced in a language vaguely similar to Italian.
So recently I was at a lecture and it was led by a zoomer. The person constantly made references to tiktok memes, brain-rots, and computer games.
And this was the moment I realized that the time had come to make a choice: between a skeptical old lady who blames today's youth for their stupidity and a rejuvenating old lady who uses memes without understanding what they are about.
Tired of living in the middle of the main world news.
Today in Spain there was a blackout across the country, also affecting Portugal, France and Andorra. Around 1pm the power went out, a couple of hours later mobile connection and water. Just now a mobile connection appeared, there is no water and electricity yet.
It is nice to see that you did not have time to destroy the rest of the world while I was cut off from the news.
You know that for me, religion is barbaric — but for many people, it gives just enough hope to make it through life.
Today, Pope Francis passed away. And honestly, I find it very sad, because in my opinion, he was the best pope we've ever had. Here’s why:
1. He acknowledged the Big Bang theory and evolution.
2. He confirmed that the Earth revolves around the Sun (yes, that still matters).
3. He met with Stephen Hawking and supported scientific dialogue.
4. He said being gay is not a crime.
5. He took a softer stance on divorce and remarriage.
6. He called for urgent action on climate change.
7. He lived in a modest guesthouse instead of the Papal Palace.
8. He was openly critical of capitalism and a fierce defender of the poor.
Not everyone was happy with how liberal Pope Francis was. And I’m a bit worried the next one will be far more conservative.
Lately I have no inspiration for anything and I am not very good at coping with episodes of bulimia. It would be more correct to say that I don't see the daylight when I am bulimic. I don’t remember a time when I liked the way I look. Want to talk about body dysmorphia?
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Cool feature of buses in Madrid: the board shows not only the next stop, but also information about other buses at it for transfers.
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I just realized that I have a serious tea addiction. And I don't know why in Madrid there are no kettles in houses and people don't drink tea. In Valencia we always had tea, but here it's the second house without tea.
Today I asked my neighbor what I should heat water for tea in. He suggested I do it in the microwave. I know how to say "What are you saying, dog" in Spanish, but I decided not to ruin the relationship right away.
My level of antisociality: afraid to go to the gym because they'll laugh at my mistakes.
Also the atmosphere in the gym: A guy with a Coca-Cola instead of water. Level: God.
I paid $20 a month for ChatGPT and then they decided to take $24 from my card.
I'm shocked. It turns out these are VAT. Firstly, this violates EU laws. Secondly, the subscription description doesn't say anything about taxes.
I wrote to support and got the answer "these are VAT. So what are you going to do to us now". Eeeee...
What can we really do?
American idiocracy is starting to creep into every crack. It's time to switch to DeepSeek.
Museo Nacional del Prado ruined my dream to take a picture with Saturn. Honestly first time in my life I visit national museum with "no photos" policy (except some areas like Sistine Chapel in Vatican).
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I am highly confused by this hair conditioner instruction.
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