Last night, after a long day, I fell asleep without even remembering to write a post. It’s the first day I’ve missed, and it couldn’t have happened at a more perfect time. Earlier that day, I had started to write a post entitled Empty Spaces. And well, I guess I left an empty space yesterday on this blog.
When I travel, these are the places that interest me most. The places that no one writes about, most people ignore and of which no one knows that much. There is something about empty spaces that arouses mystery and the imagination. You can look at the clues… a rusty stool, a boarded up window, an abandoned ladder or maybe a little empty enclave in the wall where something used to be.
Antibes is full of little empty places like this. It is interesting for me, because it’s also such a touristy place. There are spots in the town that are full of people, maintained well and documented about. Then there are dead ends, where people walk by every day and don’t look because they think there is nothing to admire there. These are the places I like to stop and take the time to admire.
Today happens to be a perfect day to stop and admire such things because it’s raining. In fact, the first time I ever visited Antibes it was raining. The sloping streets become like little waterfalls, and the town becomes damp and dull. You need to search for the beauty in these moments, it does not immediately arrive in front of your face. Suddenly instead of a pretty picture, you are presented with a map. A landscape in which you must feel and explore to appreciate, rather than simply look.
That’s much more appealing in my opinion, and I think people are like that too. There is a great deal of attractiveness in everyone, it just needs to be found or awakened. It’s not always obvious. If you are in search of this kind of beauty, the first places to look are the empty spaces. Whether it’s in a town or in a person, empty spaces need only be gently recognised and admired for what they are. The story these spaces tell you will enrich you in ways you couldn’t have expected.
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