Miraculous colours

Friday, January 15th., Hotel d'Italie, Menton.

Hotel d'Italie by Lessieux

 I woke up this morning just before dawn, and there was a red streak of light along the horizon, and the sea smoke-colour, and the lamps and the riding lights of the vessels just beginning to be ghostly. On either side the hills with their bare rocky tops. Then, when I woke up again, the strong sun was shining brilliantly onto my balcony and almost into my face. There must be a fairly strong off-shore wind blowing, but this place is very sheltered and the sea seems quite calm. However, one can hear the wind. The beauty of the landscape and of the old Italianate town to the right, with its red flat-square conical roofs, and the delicate softness of the air, make a deep impression on one.

Menton by Emile Appay

I took my tea and croissant out on the balcony in the 8.30 a.m. sun, wrapped in my largest overcoat, and in the sunshine. It was tremendous after the bed-breakfasts of a Paris flat. 

Night. The beauty of this place even grows on one. The afternoon and dusk were simply miraculous for colour. Before lunch I went for a walk up on the hill and then down again and along the coast. I walked into Italy in about a quarter of an hour. Most of the morning I spent out on the balcony thinking out Chap. V. and before dinner I wrote 700 words.

Also see 'From my balcony', January 9th., -
http://earnoldbennett.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/from-my-balcony.html


Additionally for January 15th., see 'Looking for Elsie' -
http://earnoldbennett.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/looking-for-elsie.html

Yesterday afternoon I suddenly decided that I couldn't proceed with my story about Elsie until I had been up to Clerkenwell again. So at 4.50 I got a taxi and went up Myddleton Square.