Cold rain drops bit at my nose as I walked over the empty
bridge. I heard voices behind me—laughter and chatter about the weather. The
sun was setting through the dull clouds lighting them on fire reflecting
orange, pink, and purple in the river below. I stopped in the middle of the
bridge and stared at the invisible sun. The rod-iron fence came up to my waste
and was covered in locks. Small and large all were engraved with names and
dates, lovers and friends. The air seemed to get colder. I tightened my scarf
and turned around to the happy voices lightheartedly making fun of one another,
arms outstretched at the light rain that had suddenly turned into a downpour.
Ahead of me stood an arch that framed the light blue and purple mountains
painted by the reflected clouds. We began to run through the empty streets—everyone
must be at dinner. Laughter that had seemed so distant just seconds ago filled
my chest; I took a deep breath of the foreign air that surrounded me breathing
in a smell unique to this place and this moment. It was warm even in the heart
of winter and felt exciting in my lungs. Fear left my body. Each step on the
slippery cobble stone thought each alley way was new, we didn’t know where we
were going but we couldn’t wait to get there.
Travel is one of the only things, I believe, that you earn more than you spend on it. A trip across the globe could cost thousands of dollars, people think you only have a few trinkets and t-shirts with funny sayings on them to show for it but really you have learned more than you could ever learn from a classroom. Taking the first leap to go anywhere, whether it is the next town over or the next continent over, is the hardest step but once you start, you’ll never stop. I chose this layout and theme to embody the sense of adventure and wanderlust. I wanted my first post to explain the first initial fears of longing for where you once were that often accompany the first moments of travel that only one moment of absolute perfection and contempt can sweep away from your body entirely.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed both reading and viewing this post. The old world map at the top adds a lot to the feel of the page, and gives a bit of insight into the intent behind the writings. My only criticism here would be the quote that you placed over the map (which is a great quote) is hidden due to the color of the text. I had to highlight it to be able to read it. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not, but I think it would work better if it stood out more. I also think the background photo is great because I love old houses and buildings.
ReplyDeleteYou did a really great job of painting a picture with your text here, but you were still vague enough with your setting to make an impact. I can picture everything that you’re describing, but you never mention where any of this can be found, and to me that gives it more meaning. One of the most useful things that I’ve learned while in school here comes from Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud, in which he explains that when drawing a character (or in this case, painting a picture through text) it is sometimes best to leave out certain details so that your audience can place themselves into the shoes of the storyteller. If you give too much away, I just feel like I’m reading a story about you, but this ambiguity puts me into your story and allows me to see it through your eyes.
I forgot to mention that I liked the first line from your comment so much that I actually used that as the link to your blog from mine, rather than quoting the actual post. That takes nothing away from the post itself, it's just that that line seemed to be the best fit for what I was going for.
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