Portrait of a Historic Town, Pt. II
(Following Distant Tracks of the Past)
A Place Which Once Was Home
"Wissen Sie, daß ich bereits Jahrestage meiner Empfindungen feiern muß, Gedenktage dessen, was mir einst so lieb war und was in Wirklichkeit niemals existierte, (...) Wissen Sie, daß ich jetzt gern an bestimmten Tagen jene Stellen aufsuche, wo ich einst auf eine eigene Weise glücklich gewesen bin, daß ich meine Gegenwart oft auf das unwiederbringlich Vergangene abstimme und ganz ohne Not und Ziel, traurig und vergrämt durch die Petersburger Straßen und Gassen irre?"
[Dostojewski - Weiße Nächte]
A few weeks ago, I published a little series, a portrait of a certain historic town I always liked a lot. Not long ago, I travelled there again. I was looking forward to witness another sunrise there. Back then, the temperatures were very low, about -10 to -15 °C at night. I remember well arriving at night at a parking lot of the city I once was home in. It was shortly before midnight, and for a moment I stepped out of the car. Coldness surrounded me. The parking lot was deserted, and only a few distant noises from the river nearby and the city were hearable. I stood still, and some slowly falling snowflakes caught my eye. As if they were dancing under the light of a lantern. I was wondering how something simple and beautiful like this cold exist. This moment lasted only a few seconds; but it really meant something between this loneliness. I got in the car and my sleeping bag and wrapped myself under two additional blankets. The next day, I mostly wandered around in coldness at different places I once spent a lot of time. Wandering all on my own. Then, I took a few images during dusk and spent the night in a motel. Matter of fact, due to the restrictions I was the only guest. And to be honest, it must have been my first night in a proper accommodation while traveling in more than ten years. I remember well sitting down on a little desk, writing into my notebook. I was eager to make at least one time of my life some experiences others do. I woke up early, still dark outside, and drove to this old town. In darkness, I stood by the river; sheets of ice were floating by – what a beautiful appearing. Then, I hiked up, watched the sunrise and continued photography a little bit at the river. It was only a simple sunrise, but the coldness made it special. My hands were hurting a lot. I did another hike, following my own tracks of the past. Spending time at places where I felt lonely, and where I even was in love once. It was only a short, but still a nice travel.
Note: I might migrate these images in the mentioned series 'Portrait of a Historic Town' later on.
2021/02/22
(the little blur in comparison to the previous panoramic image is due to snowfalls)
