By. Amber Lynae
Lady Lamp post outside of the Paris Opera House
"Landscapes exercise a strange power over you.
As if each of us has an internal landscape, embedded in us during childhood
and which lies in wait until the point of recognition.
Ah, there it is, you think.
Or rather, there I am."
- Lucy Wadham The Secret Life of France
I agree completely with Lucy's thoughts. I felt this way as I walked through various parts of France. I think we all have a place, whether we have been there or not, that we know is our own little heaven. There is not one place on earth that I would be completely happy, because I would always long for the closeness of all my friends and family.
I grew up in the foothills of West Virginia. The turning of the trees in the fall boasts colors that artists would struggle to capture. It is breathtaking. Those landscapes will always be a part of me.
Yet there is a connection for me to Paris. With her (Paris is nothing if not feminine) intricate ironwork, casual cafes, grandiose statues, cobblestone streets, and the glorious gardens, she beckons me. This is my internal landscape. The aromas, the sounds, and sights leave you longing for more around every corner. You are seduced into a relationship. While you eat your pastries or culinary art, roam through the leafy boulevards, or hunt bargains at the weekly markets; you are charmed by her arrogance and coquette manner. She all but demands you love her; and you helplessly obey.
Yet there is a connection for me to Paris. With her (Paris is nothing if not feminine) intricate ironwork, casual cafes, grandiose statues, cobblestone streets, and the glorious gardens, she beckons me. This is my internal landscape. The aromas, the sounds, and sights leave you longing for more around every corner. You are seduced into a relationship. While you eat your pastries or culinary art, roam through the leafy boulevards, or hunt bargains at the weekly markets; you are charmed by her arrogance and coquette manner. She all but demands you love her; and you helplessly obey.
Do you write your internal landscapes into your novels?
Describe to me your internal landscape and why you love it so much.
Describe to me your internal landscape and why you love it so much.
What a moving post. It is hard for me to choose just one 'landscape' that comes to mind. One is of the street I lived on as a child, I'd walk home from school every day and soon the cracks in the sidewalk became familiar to me. Another is of the Art Musuem where I worked summers. The art was great, but the situated in the woods on a lake and the views were gorgeous. If there was one place I could go for lunch, for a day - to write, to walk or sit - it would be there.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting that you'd post about internal landscapes, Amber!
ReplyDeleteThe ones that hardly escape me are the ones that take place in caves. I love caves and everything about them. They are mysterious, dark, beautiful and full of danger and adventure. I believe that just about every one of my stories has a cave in it.
LOL, I guess when I get 'em published my readers will notice the theme! ;)
Another is rain-scented earth. *Sigh*
And the night