Emberto had somewhat expected a building with such a grandiose name as 'The Temple of the Unknowable God' to be impressive, but he couldn't have anticipated what he saw. Gold everywhere, on every available surface. Even the stained glass was tinted to look gold. He wouldn't be surprised to learn that the building had gold toilets somewhere, if those were a common thing in this world.
"Madre mia," he said, "and I thought the cathedral back home was highly decorated." There was quite a difference that he noticed the longer he looked though. While there was certainly an impressive amount of wealth on display, it seemed to lack the artistry and solemnity of the cathedral he'd grown up with. It seemed like decoration for the sake of decoration, everything gilt whether it made sense or not, with the result looking gaudy and faintly absurd rather than regal.
Somehow he doubted that it was this 'Unknowable God' that the priests here really honored.
Market
Though he hadn't had an especially long time to look around the first day, the next day and off and on in the days after, Emberto was eager to explore the market. He'd brought bottled water for his own use and a selection of postcards and other small items of printed material to trade with, plus a few books he'd been meaning to donate to the library in case he found any larger items that he simply had to have. He knew better than to bring unknown fruits and vegetables back through the portal with him, but that didn't stop him from trying all sorts of new foods, both fresh and cooked, and browsing among the various other goods for sale.
He felt oddly at home here in the colorful bustle of the marketplace, wondering if the desert city from his memory was anything like this. If it was, it must have been a fabulous place indeed. But he could never manage to focus on that thought for too long before his gaze was caught by a bolt of delicately embroidered fabric or especially artistic piece of handicraft. Whatever else may be going on in the city, there was very little that could spoil Emberto's enjoyment of his exotic shopping trip.
Palace Gardens
Emberto sighed contentedly as he sat on the stone bench, sheltered from the heat of the day by the shade of a large fruit tree. The scents of exotic flowers drifted on the breeze as he looked out across one of the garden's ponds. The water sparkled in the sunlight, and now and then, colorful ornamental fish could be seen darting about amid the water plants.
The air here wasn't so dry, and he found himself being reminded of his old home in Valencia. Did this land's royal children play in these gardens the way he'd played in his own home's back garden as a boy? Did they toss bits of bread to the fish? Did the little princesses make crowns from the flowers or the princes fight playful duels with sticks or toy swords along the paths?
Who knew? He wasn't even sure if Krajina Božstiev's king even had any children. But it was certainly a lovely day for playing in the garden. Or for relaxing in it.
no subject
Emberto had somewhat expected a building with such a grandiose name as 'The Temple of the Unknowable God' to be impressive, but he couldn't have anticipated what he saw. Gold everywhere, on every available surface. Even the stained glass was tinted to look gold. He wouldn't be surprised to learn that the building had gold toilets somewhere, if those were a common thing in this world.
"Madre mia," he said, "and I thought the cathedral back home was highly decorated." There was quite a difference that he noticed the longer he looked though. While there was certainly an impressive amount of wealth on display, it seemed to lack the artistry and solemnity of the cathedral he'd grown up with. It seemed like decoration for the sake of decoration, everything gilt whether it made sense or not, with the result looking gaudy and faintly absurd rather than regal.
Somehow he doubted that it was this 'Unknowable God' that the priests here really honored.
Market
Though he hadn't had an especially long time to look around the first day, the next day and off and on in the days after, Emberto was eager to explore the market. He'd brought bottled water for his own use and a selection of postcards and other small items of printed material to trade with, plus a few books he'd been meaning to donate to the library in case he found any larger items that he simply had to have. He knew better than to bring unknown fruits and vegetables back through the portal with him, but that didn't stop him from trying all sorts of new foods, both fresh and cooked, and browsing among the various other goods for sale.
He felt oddly at home here in the colorful bustle of the marketplace, wondering if the desert city from his memory was anything like this. If it was, it must have been a fabulous place indeed. But he could never manage to focus on that thought for too long before his gaze was caught by a bolt of delicately embroidered fabric or especially artistic piece of handicraft. Whatever else may be going on in the city, there was very little that could spoil Emberto's enjoyment of his exotic shopping trip.
Palace Gardens
Emberto sighed contentedly as he sat on the stone bench, sheltered from the heat of the day by the shade of a large fruit tree. The scents of exotic flowers drifted on the breeze as he looked out across one of the garden's ponds. The water sparkled in the sunlight, and now and then, colorful ornamental fish could be seen darting about amid the water plants.
The air here wasn't so dry, and he found himself being reminded of his old home in Valencia. Did this land's royal children play in these gardens the way he'd played in his own home's back garden as a boy? Did they toss bits of bread to the fish? Did the little princesses make crowns from the flowers or the princes fight playful duels with sticks or toy swords along the paths?
Who knew? He wasn't even sure if Krajina Božstiev's king even had any children. But it was certainly a lovely day for playing in the garden. Or for relaxing in it.