Watercolours and Tears on location
Watercolours and Tears on location
Manuel, a young Ecuadorian, sells medicinal herbs in the market and paints watercolors in his spare time. In search of a better life, he emigrates to Port Chester (New York). Elvira, his wife, intends to join him by sea, but she is shipwrecked…..
What happens next and what can you expect from this novel travel wise?
Author José Orlando Castañeda is here to guide you……….
Booktrail the locations on a map
Ecuador
Carmen de la Asuncion Monastery – Cuenca, Ecuador.
Booktrail the locations on a map
Sister Felisa invited Elvira, a high school senior at the time, to visit her convent. As they strolled through the corridors, chapels, fountains and gardens, the host described the interns’ routines and activities. Sister Felisa also showed Elvira a collection of antique books that had been moved from the library to the cellar for years. As she held some volumes in her hands, Elvira fell in love with the textures, bindings and wisdom of their contents. Elvira decided to join in as a novice. However, love crossed her path unexpectedly, and her life took a different turn forever.
City Hall Plaza, Paute, Ecuador
Booktrail the locations on a map
Elvira came to this picturesque town in the heart of the Ecuadorian Andes with his grandfather in search of a medicinal plant for his ailments. They approached an old adobe house surrounded by a fence of blooming lantanas. Elvira pulled aside the flowers and let out a deep sight at what she saw: rows of flowers and medicinal herbs, birds roaming around and, at the center of a patio, a young man painting a watercolor scene. The two talked about school, the convent, the flowers, the birds, until, in a slip of their souls, they began to attract each other. Weeks later, they walked downtown to the City Hall Plaza to watch the floats, clowns and musicians of the Carnival parade.
Port Chester, N. Y – Corner of Westchester Avenue and Soundview St.
Booktrail the locations on a map
Manuel rents a room in a spacious house full of immigrants trying to get ahead in the land of opportunity. The town, located in the intersection of highways and a railroad, flourished with a thriving immigrant community. At the center is Main Street, with many restaurants, stores and professional services for the new arrivals. Neti, Manuel’s landlady, became a motherly figure to each of her tenants. On Sundays she prepared a succulent soup and invited her tenants to gather in the patio. After the meal, they received the evening with drinks and conversation. They talked about their jobs, their friends, and then they delved into the painful subject of their absent relatives. Even Niti ended up crying with them.
What did Main Street, Port Chester look like at the start of the century?
Off to Spain now…and Madrid…Spain’s National Library
Spain’s National Library, Madrid
Booktrail the locations on a map
Elvira tells Maria, her coworker, about Antonio, the father of the children she babysits. He has an antique book collection from which she secretly reads in her spare time. When he discovers that she is reading one of his books, the first Spanish edition of Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice, he places a strip of paper at a paragraph intending for her to read it. After much hesitation, Elvira began to point at phrases in other books for him. One Saturday morning she walked with Maria to the National Library to continue her search. After leisurely sticking their necks into perfumeries, bakeries and fashion stores along the way they arrive at the library. They gather several books with the same titles as Antonio’s collection. In her multiple visits to the library, Elvira kept looking for excerpts from the hearts of the various authors to point to him. Love quickly slips in during their exchanges.
Watercress Park (Parque de los Berros)
Booktrail the locations on a map
Natalia, a Russian girl in her building, has befriended Elvira and seems intent on spending most of her free time with her. One day Natalia suggested that they meet at the park for an important talk. As she looks for the meeting spot Elvira enjoys the idyllic landscape of water fountains, flowers, birds, and even peacocks roaming freely. While they sat near the monument to Alexander Pushkin, Natalia declares her love for Elvira and her desire to be with her forever. Elvira tactfully responds that she has enough trouble with the men in her life already to venture into such unknown territory.
What a trail! Thank you Jose!
The author is not on social media
