A couple of weeks ago I went to a pre concert talk about Beethoven and his association with Vienna. More of that in another post, later. I’ve never thought of Vienna as a location for a book, but of course now I am, and Mary Stewart used it in Airs Above the Ground. There are threads of a treasure hunt involving a lost manuscript floating about in the brain, but it is really going to have to wait its turn.
All this made me think of the way a place can become a shorthand for a mood. I had fun with a short list. In all of them, romance is a given.
Paris – sophistication, food, a lot of emphasis on scent and luxury
Vienna – much cooler, maybe an older couple or second time around romance. Music.
London – famous landmarks, speed, hustle, weather!
Greece – heat, beaches, laid back lifestyle
The French Riviera – one of my specialities. I always get a first image of a 1950 type movie, with sports car speeding along the Corniche. Which just about says it all.
New York. This is darker, noisy, more edgy
Anywhere in Italy – food again. Architecture, art, Icecream
And of course, Wales. I’m planning a lot of my romantic suspense to be set here, capitalising on the scenery and the Celtic heritage. Myths and mists.
I am sure you’d have a few to add.