All posts tagged: Charms

‘We are not like the rest of Andalucía’: the rugged charms of Almería, Spain’s desert city | Andalucia holidays

‘We are not like the rest of Andalucía’: the rugged charms of Almería, Spain’s desert city | Andalucia holidays

Published by Sam Flores

Perched high on the battlements of Almería’s 10th-century Alcazaba, looking over the mosaic of flat roofs tumbling down to the sea, I’m reminded of author Gerald Brenan’s travel classic South from Granada, and his impression upon arriving in Almería in 1920: “Certainly, it seemed that the sea was doubly Mediterranean here, and the city … contained within it echoes of distant civilisations.” A British adventurer, Hispanist and fringe member of the Bloomsbury group, Brenan had walked to Almería from where he was living near Granada, apparently to buy extra furniture in preparation for a visit from Virginia Woolf and friends. A century later, my journey here in a 30-year-old van from London is somewhat less notable, but as I marvel at the almost surreal incandescence of the Med, and the maze of ancient streets below me, I too am aware of a sensation of time travel. Illustration: Graphics/Guardian Graphics Brenan would have been a novelty visitor back then. And even today, unlike Málaga, just a couple of hours down the coast, Almería is little visited …

Project Hail Mary review: Ryan Gosling charms in sci-fi blockbuster with a reassuring soul

Project Hail Mary review: Ryan Gosling charms in sci-fi blockbuster with a reassuring soul

Published by Daniella Wilson

Project Hail Mary is in cinemas now. Add it to your watchlist The last time Ryan Gosling blasted off into space was in the guise of Neil Armstrong heading for the moon in 2018’s First Man, making it home again before the milk in his fridge had gone off. Project Hail Mary is a considerably longer voyage into the unknown that sees Gosling’s mild-mannered science teacher Dr Ryland Grace on a fictional mission with significantly greater stakes than the one embarked upon by NASA’s real-life history maker. Exactly how long it’s been thus far when Ryland awakens on a spaceship isn’t immediately clear, certainly not to the hippy-haired, shaggy-bearded doc himself who’s suffering from amnesia; the most he can surmise is that he’s “several light years from my apartment” and all his fellow crew members have died. The bewildered traveller’s temporary memory loss is a tidy device, setting up a succession of patchy recollections to serve as flashbacks explaining how he got where he is and what’s happening back on Earth to have made the …

9 Best Blind Boxes—Bag Charms, Plush Pendants, and More (2026)

9 Best Blind Boxes—Bag Charms, Plush Pendants, and More (2026)

Published by skeptic

A few weeks ago, if you had told me I would be excited to open a box with “Hacipupu” emblazoned on the front of it, I would have called you a liar. But this figure is, for better or for worse, right up my alley. The box contains a blind bag, and the bag contains your bear. I got Blueberry. It’s soft, it’s not too big or too small, its facial expression is adorable, and it smells like blueberries. The smell does dissipate quickly, but it made the unboxing experience even more fun than it would have been otherwise. There’s a high-quality keychain loop built in, and the stitching and painted details are solid, too. If you want a bag pendant that isn’t a Labubu, this is a good option. Available Versions 6 (plus one secret) Height 5 inches Materials PVC, polyester, TPE Secret Edition Ratio 1:72 Additional Features Figures are scented and have a keychain loop. Includes a character card. Source link

Visalia, California’s ‘gateway to the Sequoias,’ offers unexpected charms

Visalia, California’s ‘gateway to the Sequoias,’ offers unexpected charms

Published by Sam Flores

Even though Visalia holds the title of being the oldest city in the San Joaquin Valley, it’s more likely a place you’ve passed through on your way to visit General Sherman or the infamous carved Tunnel Log. Many Angelenos don’t even know how to properly pronounce its name. But Visalia (say it: vai-SAY-lee-uh) — a place long known as “the gateway to the Sequoias” for its proximity to Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks — is becoming a destination in its own right. The 151-year-old Central Valley city has been working hard to shed its bucolic stereotypes and reinvent itself as a cosmopolitan oasis with hip boutiques, craft breweries and a revamped downtown. Changes started happening about five years ago when the Darling Hotel opened in the bones of the former 1930s Tulare County Courthouse annex. The Art Deco boutique hotel offers chic accommodations, catering to design-savvy travelers. Nowadays, downtown’s East Main Street, which plays host to tchotchke-laden antique stores and patio dining, is a vibrant, walkable hub. At First Friday Downtown Art Walks, people …