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Travelling silhouettes...

As I sit here watching clumps of clouds and the Alps pass by below, I'm awestruck by life. When Fraulein Maria leaves the abbey in The Sound of Music, she says, 'When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window'... and a window He did fling open for me. I was left literally gasping at the views while silently saying a prayer for all the doors that slammed shut in my face. Quite a memorable trip this has been, more than made up for all those times I was left clutching to my sanity by a frayed piece of my mind. All the places I've been and all the faces I've seen have left an indelible mark on my psyche. 
The breathtaking Alps... 

From Geneva, to Brienz, To New Jersey and New York, to Washington, to Niagara, to Boston, to Salzburg and back again to Geneva... images flash through my mind as I write this...
Walking through the fields in Geneva...
 The pristine cool waters of Lake Brienz reflecting the wonders of the world above,
 The murky waters of the Hudson glinting and sparkling as you draw nearer to New York...
Getting drenched in the mist of the Niagara falls,
Soaking in the high intellect of Harvard Square,
Discovering Yvoire and 
Annecy all over again,
And falling irrevocably in love with the enchanting city of Salzburg.

Salzburg hit me hard with her traditional charm, friendly nature and her ingrained love for Mozart. Every corner you turn, you hear the pealing of church bells or the favourite son of the city, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart playing somewhere. This is the start of something wondrous, the spell is already cast and before you know it, you're in love.
This poem by Tyler Knott Gregson is spot on (except the part about not washing your hair)... you cannot read his poems and not fall in love with the guy. He's pretty amazing, his typewriter brand of poems are incredible, I hope I get to meet him someday...
Wrote this (and a lot more) in the plane yesterday... this travel series will continue in the next post. 

Comments

Haddock said…
Like that neatly typed poem by Tyler Knott, and of course Salzburg, will be there probably next summer.
Ganesh Puttu said…
ahhh Salzburg....those pictures tell the entire story, dont they?
BTW...welcome back home itinerant traveller
Karen Xavier said…
Yeah Haddock, Tyler can draw you in with his words... and enjoy charming Salzburg.

Doc, thanks... how are things?
Beth Niquette said…
What a wonderfully talented writer you are. Your photography is spectacular, too.
Karen Xavier said…
Ah Beth, thank you...
Jane Hamilton said…
Lovely pictures Karen! Makes one long to travel. You make that silhouette work, girl! I love the Salzburg one, with the sunlight peeping in from near your arm, and the trees... the water... just breathtaking. This should be turned into a painting! And that poem... Agh... it's just too much... you're right, he seems to be pulling the thoughts out of our very hearts and putting it on paper... my hope in this world is restored - we have at least one person who still writes beautiful poetry... not the eclectic crap that people put out nowadays that is so morbid, and dark, and really really gross...

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