I am honored to be featured in The Sunlight Press today!
The Allure of Gray
Susan Pohlman
The manager of the Hotel Astor eyed me with suspicion as I walked through the lobby buttoning my coat. I nodded and smiled, knowing he must wonder where I could possibly be headed at 4:45 a.m. on a misty February morning. A combination of excitement and jet lag made sleep impossible, so I decided to watch the sun rise on the Mediterranean, for old time’s sake.
Nervi, Italy is famous for the winding and breathtaking Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi, a wide brick walkway that hugs the rocky coastline. It had been an intimate part of my life when I lived here—a safe place to wander, wonder, and while away many an afternoon. I knew that the sloping path at the end of the street was an entrance to it.
The wind bit my nose and cheeks as I stepped onto the passeggiata and shuffled across the red brick to claim a weathered blue bench beneath the dim glow of a gas lamp. I folded my arms against the ocean spray, my face frozen into a grimace, but despite the temperature, I was warm with memory. I missed my life here in Nervi, the surge and crash of waves and the briny scent of the air. I thought of the countless times I strolled here with my family and swam in the shallows that revealed themselves at low tide.
To enjoy the rest of this essay, please go to The Sunlight Press!
Advertisements Share this:- Share
