A spring in your step
Nostalgia
The
first picture was taken on September 16th 2015 at the Place de la Préfecture in
Clermont-Ferrand. It was early afternoon and the sun was
shining. It was also a little windy and we could hear the birds singing. It was
a very peaceful moment.
We had been walking for quite a while looking for interesting places to photograph when we saw these very
narrow stairs made of stone. We thought it was a very nice place with a
pretty view so we decided to immortalise the moment. The leaves contrasting
with the stones added a little something to the place; it was like the
vegetation was “eating” the stairs…
We
were actually very surprised to see this little place in this part of the town,
even though we had passed by here before. We had never really paid
attention to how nice it was; this place smelt like the refreshing, crisp, outside world that seems to be under-appreciated these days. Even though it was
surrounded by buildings, it still remains in a sense pure.
We
felt particularly good, we were curious and happy. It was like discovering a
new place, a new world! We felt free.
The
title we have given this picture is "A spring in your step" because it shows a welcoming and cheerful
place; you want to bounce up the stairs! We have been living in
Clermont-Ferrand for years now and have never really realised how beautiful
this town could be...
The
second picture was taken exactly four months later, on January 16th 2016, at about 4:30 pm. The sky was very cloudy and we could hear the wind
blowing.
We
hadn't expected to return to this place and it was very strange to see how much
it had changed in only four months. The leaves were gone, and there was a real
contrast to the first picture. The only thing which had stayed exactly the same
was the stone stairs.
We
were as surprised as the first time we visited the place. Not for the same
reason, but because everything was different. The landscape, the colours, the
people, our feelings, everything had changed. We felt a little sad thinking
about how beautiful, peaceful and welcoming this place had been. The main
colours had changed drastically to dark colours including greys and dark browns,
the colours mirroring how gloomy we felt about the place. It was like a whirlwind
had blown through the place and stolen every last bit of life it used to have,
leaving only roots and stones behind. The title of this second picture is
"Nostalgia" because we felt
sad that it was no longer as pretty as it had been a few weeks before.
Both
pictures, taken together, tell a story about this place. It's the same place
but at different times. One is colourful, while the other is not. One conveys a
happy feeling and the other a sad one. They show us how Nature can be overwhelming
one day and absent the next, even in the centre of a town.
The seasons still largely determine our sensations of the city…
The seasons still largely determine our sensations of the city…
