“Let's just look for a little while,” Colombine suggested. “Without talking.” Lu Cia nodded. So did I, although I already had two questions. It was a lovely plan: three women, a vast landscape and a little silence. Nobody had yet said which of us would be in charge of keeping it.
An imagined story inspired by original Travel2City photographs. The four scenes bring together separate stops, rather than a one-day itinerary. Characters, conversations and lighting are an artistic interpretation.
Two small islands rested on the water before Perast. One had dark cypresses, the other a pale dome. Colombine closed her notebook as though bringing our entire meeting to an end. “Starting now.” For a little while, all three of us looked very diligently. Then I drew breath. “What if one of us sees something beautiful?” Lu Cia turned to me. “Mea, that's what we're looking at.” Colombine raised an eyebrow without a word. Our first attempt ended on a technicality: the rules clearly needed an amendment. The islands remained peacefully where they were. They had considerably more practice.
On Lovćen, we sat facing mountains that faded away one behind another. This might work. Hands on laps, notebook closed, mouths too. We managed long enough for me to begin feeling suspiciously well behaved. Colombine leaned a little towards me. “Just imagine how many comments we're not making.” I pressed my lips together. Lu Cia tried to look stern, but the corner of her mouth gave her away. All three of us laughed at once. We recorded the second attempt as successful shared mountain observation with a brief audio supplement.
“That wasn't a comment. Just an audio supplement.”
By Lake Skadar, we spread out a blanket and let our eyes travel over bands of water plants towards the mountains. At last, being quiet came naturally. No tightly pressed lips, no secret counting. Then came a soft but very determined rumble. Lu Cia looked at us and said calmly, “That wasn't me. My stomach didn't sign the rules.” Colombine opened a paper bag of bread rolls. She handed me one, and I accepted it as an official exemption. We suspended the third attempt for refreshments. The view kept our place in the meantime.
Beside the bridge over the Tara, I already knew the fourth attempt wouldn't survive the first glance. Arches stretched above the wooded depths, and each of us noticed something different. Colombine saw the rhythm of the bridge. Lu Cia saw the colours of the slopes. I noticed how good it felt to be between them. “One more try?” Colombine asked, without even opening her notebook. “I'd rather you told me what you can see,” I suggested. They both answered at once. Laughter jumped from one of us to the next, and the contest ended without a winner. We saved the silence for the journey back, in case we happened to need it.
“The landscape had the view. We had each other.”
From notebook to book
The Map with No Last Page
The world of Travel2City continues between the covers of a book. Discover The Map with No Last Page and more illustrated journeys.
