We endured chilling storms at sea and three times I had to be tied to the mast to keep me from falling overboard. But as we travelled south and then east, the air became hotter, the sky an unrelenting blue. I have to say the heat was good. But it’s not all been good. We were seized as soon as we landed. And here I am, flat on my face, arms spread, on a marble floor as big as a tennis court. The marble’s not as cold as you’d think; rather it’s kind of warm and soapy. Being so much further east, Nicomedia is much hotter than Good Fortune – the air, the bright plastered walls and the stones beneath your feet have the ambient warmth of storage heaters switched up high. During those long days heaving up and down at sea I had time to think about this Imperial capital. I imagined buildings of grey stone like Durham Cathedral or the Houses of Parliament; I envisaged that sandy stone you generally associate with ancient ruins. But this place is all coloured marble, bright painted walls and gold flourishes on fluted stone pediments that flaunt statues in solid gold.
What do You think about Englishwoman In France (2012)?
