When Sylas and Eleanor embarked on their first trip, Sylas was filled with the thrill of exploring the world. The first country they visited was Italy. Rome's narrow streets, ancient ruins, and dazzling art galleries evoked a feeling he had never experienced before. There was history in every step, a work of art around every corner, and a story within every moment. Sylas wanted to capture the traces of each place in his photographs. His aunt Eleanor, like a seasoned traveler, sometimes preferred to rest in a hotel. She was a woman weary of travel but still had seen a great deal.
Eleanor had traveled for many years, but Sylas's energy always brought her something new. Although they were different, the way they balanced each other's presence was a uniquely harmonious one. While Eleanor sometimes stayed at the hotel for an entire day, enjoying the day's weariness, Sylas continued to wander the city alone, exploring the city. He yearned to capture every nook and cranny of every place he visited, the tiny details that captured his eye. Every street, every old building he walked through held a new photograph or a new discovery.
Sylas often visited old bookstores and carefully selected old manuscripts from the shelves. To him, the books felt more than mere objects, but like traces of the past. The history of each old manuscript stirred a hidden desire for discovery within him. Many of these books were valuable historical texts, while others contained merely old stories, dusted by time. But he longed to keep each one as a memento and display it in his room. He was building a collection, but this collection's meaning was more than just the collection of objects. Each object held historical depth and personal value.
With his interest in history and culture, Sylas particularly enjoyed spending long hours reading about rare works he had purchased from used bookstores. Some books recounted the history of ancient cities, while others, like a journey through time from Rome, offered Sylas the scent of the past, the social structure, and art of the era. He sought out the historical narratives he saw in the books in the places he visited, continuing his exploration of the city by searching for traces of the era in which the book was written.
While Eleanor sometimes preferred to relax at the hotel after her excursions, Sylas continued to wander the city alone. He added a new frame to his camera with each step along Italy's historic streets. Sylas believed that every photograph had a story, capturing each one not only with his eyes but also with his own soul. Although he traveled alone, he always heard his aunt call him "beautiful" when he showed his photographs to Eleanor. This gave him not only a sense of approval but also a sense of discovering a world reflected through his own eyes.
Gradually, as he traveled through different cities in Italy, he visited historical sites and art galleries. But each time, those old shops, those bookstores with their small, darkened shelves, those old antique dealers who held traces of the past, caught Sylas's attention. In a small shop in Rome, he found a prehistoric stone statue. When he gently examined an ancient painting with his hands, Sylas's inner artistic spirit stirred once again. He decided to buy that painting and dedicate a corner of his room to display it. Each object told him a different story.
Sylas's passion for photography grew stronger with each new city. He looked everywhere, every corner, from his own perspective. He constantly took photographs, finding more meaning, more depth in each. But he also connected with traces of the past. With each new photograph, he reflected back to the city what he had learned from those old books, bringing the feeling of the past into the present.
This new journey in Sylas's life was not only a physical discovery but also an inner search. These trips with his Aunt Eleanor didn't just teach him about the world; at the same time, he was re-establishing his connection with the past, art and nature.