When I think about it, I think the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen was the paint factory burning down when I was a boy. We stood in the field and watched 55 gallon drums rocket into the sky, and big orange balls of fire roll up out of black smoke, and listened to the sirens. The second-most impressive thing I’ve ever seen was a grown hippopotamus taking a shit at the zoo.
Anything man-made comes further down the list, unless the fire was arson.
I have no idea what my kids would say. Or my wife. I wonder. I’ll have to ask them. The sunrise was pretty good this morning, too. I got up early and ran down to the Danube. It was foggy and a barge was going past, headed upstream.
What about you?
Our house backed onto my primary school. One night, I was awoken by the sound of the asbestos roof of the boiler room exploding and the site of the flames licking through the roof must come close to a paint factory fire. I could also see the firemen using the biggest set of bolt-cutters that I’ve ever seen to get through the paddlocked gates.
I also revelled in the cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain, Cape Town, despite my host being terrified of heights and refusing to come out of the fetus position in the corner of the cable car.
The city of Fez, seen from the hills and even better, close up, during A
This is such an interesting question and I’m amazed that I have never given any thought to it. I’ve thought about whole experiences and sounds, but not sights. I’m going to think about now. Maybe two of my list from childhood would be the extraordinary size of the whale and the dinosaur skeleton in the Natural History Museum, London. As an adult, I think it would have to be most of the flora and fauna in Tobago. The colours and the light enthralled me totally and made me pick up pencil and brush for the first time in years.
The compulsive chain-smoking ritual of the extremely strung-out-looking woman in the seat in front of us, on the (ostensibly non-smoking but she appeared to be on the edge of homicidal insanity so no way was I going to challenge her) train from Barcelona to Marseilles.
An incredible hoar frost in the Mackenzie Basin. Everything was covered in ice that layered up and layered up. Not your average hoar frost, the powerlines hung low with patterns of crystals. Trees seemed huge and white. The sun bright through everything, but not warm enough to melt it.
Tie: The approach, walking along the Avenue de Paris, to the Ch
one misty winter morning in Kiev. The car in which i was travelling was going a bit slow on the snowy road from kiev to odessa as there were no snow chains on the tires. Suddenly the mist thinned and pale sunlight streamed through, and in the distance like ghosts trees could be discerned. When the sun hit fully it was wondrous to see the trees with a coating of ice on them glittering like crystal trees. Felt like was in a fairy tale. Some freak weather phenomenon when mist combines with -ve temp condesnses vapour and creezes it instantly i was told. Well, whatever it was but i am sure that i had my dose of magic at that moment.
one misty winter morning in Kiev. The car in which i was travelling was going a bit slow on the snowy road from kiev to odessa as there were no snow chains on the tires. Suddenly the mist thinned and pale sunlight streamed through, and in the distance like ghosts trees could be discerned. When the sun hit fully it was wondrous to see the trees with a coating of ice on them glittering like crystal trees. Felt like was in a fairy tale. Some freak weather phenomenon when mist combines with -ve temp condenses vapour and freezes it instantly i was told. Well, whatever it was but i am sure that i had my dose of magic at that moment.
I was once at the zoo and saw a male elephant who was for some reason “extended” at the moment. Wow, that was impressive, like a second trunk coming out of the other end.
I can’t think of anything else really dramatic. Man, I’ve got to get out more…
Wait, wait, I remember now, I saw a chicken running around with its head cut off. Ha, my life is meaningful after all..
the first time i went snorkelling – a whole world i had only known about in my head. real. living. swimming around me – and it had been there all the time, every time i looked at the ocean thinking ‘there’s fish under there’. like walking into your favourite book and being your favourite character.