Thread: Real places ?
Did you experienced real places that for any reason evokes you the Legendarium - could be a building or a natural place.
In eastern Washington State there is a solitary hill, Steptoe Butte, that is crowned by a ruin*. I've always thought of this hill as the personification of Weather Top.
* The ruin was merely a burned out hotel, but what can you expect when we've only had two hundred years of history in this section of the country. Since I have been there they have turned it into a state park and added microwave towers and a parking lot on it. The view from it is great as it rises 1000 ft. above the surrounding area.
* The ruin was merely a burned out hotel, but what can you expect when we've only had two hundred years of history in this section of the country. Since I have been there they have turned it into a state park and added microwave towers and a parking lot on it. The view from it is great as it rises 1000 ft. above the surrounding area.
Ok this one is really weird. But there's a section of Route 17 (NY) between the NJ/NY border and Sloatsburg... That stretch of the highway is not lit up at night and there's these big hills to the left and right, the road winds between them. There are no houses or buildings or roads on these hills, so they are completely BLACK and at night it's really eerie, they LOOM over the road. For some reason they always make me think of the barrows near Bombadil's house, even though I know barrow-mounds are much much much smaller...
Quote:
...even though I know barrow-mounds are much much much smaller...
...even though I know barrow-mounds are much much much smaller...
But you are probably much much bigger than a hobbit, so maybe the scale is almost reasonable. What's it like on a foggy day?
While looking for the above picture of Steptoe Butte I found this one of the sunny Barrow Downs also in eastern Washington State.
Not too bad, it just looks like regular foggy hills I guess. Most of the time, if there is fog you can't even see the hilltops anyway. It's only at night (without fog) when it's really eerie -- it's that "looming over the road" thing, the nearly-black sky behind the pitch-black hills, all you see is these huge silhouettes.
BTW, neat pic of those "barrow-downs" -- I'd hate to be THERE in the fog! The hills that I was talking about near me are MUCH bigger, like 150-200 feet tall.
BTW, neat pic of those "barrow-downs" -- I'd hate to be THERE in the fog! The hills that I was talking about near me are MUCH bigger, like 150-200 feet tall.
I've added photo links to my two above posts, in case you missed them earlier.
Thanks, yeah actually I did miss them the first time. (Went back and added a P.S. to my last post about the small "barrow-down" lookin' ones.)
Okay yeah, that big one from your first post, the butte, THAT'S the kinda hills near Route 17. Always freaks me out. One after another after another in the dark, like practically right on top of you as you drive by.
Okay yeah, that big one from your first post, the butte, THAT'S the kinda hills near Route 17. Always freaks me out. One after another after another in the dark, like practically right on top of you as you drive by.
Where I live, they have created a neighborhood community that is based on old English architecture. It is called The Shire. I think they finished it in 2006. I am unfamiliar with posting links, so here is my best try. The Shire
Grondy edited to turn url into link.
Grondy edited to turn url into link.
Interesting thread here.
At my alma mater, one of the dormitory communities was called "Middle Earth" and each dorm building, along with the central cafeteria building & the student center, was named after something in middle earth. Thus it was common among the freshmen (who were all assigned to dorm living) to hear people asking "where do you live?" and the reply was "Rivendell" or "Quenya" or "Hobbiton".
Middle Earth Housing at UC Irvine
The dorms don't look anything like middle earth, though!
However, there is a perfectly round door, hidden somewhere between two houses in the hills where I used to run with my high school cross country team. If ever a hobbit lived in the suburbs of Los Angeles, then it was there!
At my alma mater, one of the dormitory communities was called "Middle Earth" and each dorm building, along with the central cafeteria building & the student center, was named after something in middle earth. Thus it was common among the freshmen (who were all assigned to dorm living) to hear people asking "where do you live?" and the reply was "Rivendell" or "Quenya" or "Hobbiton".
Middle Earth Housing at UC Irvine
The dorms don't look anything like middle earth, though!
However, there is a perfectly round door, hidden somewhere between two houses in the hills where I used to run with my high school cross country team. If ever a hobbit lived in the suburbs of Los Angeles, then it was there!
The wasteland of the old battlefield around Verdun look like Mordor.
And some of the bombed out cities in early post war Germany looked like Osgiliath.
Though the site is quite different than minath Tirith - i.e. flat - the city hall tower from grand place of brussels evokes me the tower of Echtelion
It is really an astounding buildings with many details and very high - and since it has been restored it is very white.
It is really an astounding buildings with many details and very high - and since it has been restored it is very white.
When I lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, there was an industrial area full of train tracks and so forth that we called Mordor. Here in rural Colorado there are small areas that I call 'the Shire' and 'Rohan' and 'Bree'. Some grassed over earth humps left from building the road are my Barrow Downs.
