We asked Max to tell us about his journey to the Azores island of Terceira and here is his story.
It was a beautiful sunny December day when Bilitis and me landed on Lajes airfield.
I was totally surprised how warm it was. We had 21 and on one day even 24 degrees which I think is a bit unusual for winter in the Azores. I was very eager to see the island and especially the coast part where David Hamilton had shot some of his iconic pictures.
We first took a ride to our little house that I had rented for our stay and left the luggage there.
The view from the house was phenomenal. Green meadows with horses and stone walls up to the point where the horizon met the Atlantic ocean.
The style of the buildings look like a town in Portugal or even Mexico and the landscape is a perfect copy of south England. Very exciting!
We where overwhelmed by the beauty of the island and made a walk from the house to the cliffs before went to Angra do Heroismo, the capital of the island, to take a dinner at a restaurant.
Maria was still working with the horses and we met her later that night. She lived in a small house not far from us and we where so happy to see her again after more then 3 months. We decided to meet again at the farm the next day.
From then on it was all about making beautiful photos and you could hear the shutter of my camera all day long.
What I liked most about the island was the naturally and the slow and relaxed life the people lived. It is also a very tidy place with a beautiful fauna and flora.
All kind of birds where singing in the sky and the animals where very tame and friendly.
As always the time was much too short to see everything we wanted to see. Maybe this is a reason to go to Terceira again one day? We will see.
One of the most exciting moments occurred when Bilitis met some deer in a forest. The beautiful animals followed her to a glade at the top of a hill and I was able to take a photo of her lending a hand to one of the deers that had surrounded her. A truly magic moment!
I hope you enjoy the pictures and the short video with the wonderful music of Stelvio Cipriani as much as I enjoyed our stay and the time we spent with Maria.
Olivier Mathieu sent me one of his poems from his book “Les jeunes filles ont l’âge de mon exil” which he thinks goes well together with the pictures.
He dedicates it to Maria and Bilitis.
Les filles ont l’épaule lisse,
Blonde et douce, les filles ont.
Et j’aimai que leur peau frémisse
Et leurs cheveux fleurant très bon,
Quand leur parfum est comme un baume.
Jeux de Gentils, les Jeux des Paumes.
Aux seins leurs robes suspendues
Glissent, bon Maître,
Quand d’un doigt habile on décroche
L’agrafe qui les laisse nues.
C’est hier que l’on aurait pu,
Qui sait ce qu’il aurait fallu?
Innombrable est la clé des cages
En leurs serrures, d’âge en âge.
Les filles ont la chair polie
Comme à mes jeux d’enfant, les billes.
Ah! qu’il fut de filles jolies:
Et que Villon les déshabille!
Olivier Mathieu
From
“Les jeunes filles ont l’âge de mon exil”
Editions des Petits Bonheurs (Nantes, France). First edition 2010; second edition 2016, third edition 2018. Pages 38 and 39.
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