'The sunlight dripped over the house like golden paint over an art jar.' F Scott Fitzgerald wrote these honeyed words in 1920- they open The Ice Palace, a tale of a restless Southern belle who strikes north with her new love. As I drove the curved path to the Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, I thought of these words as I rounded the bend. Evening light had coloured everything in pastels. The cedar-shingled house, where F Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald lived for a stint in the early 1930s, was washed with peach sunshine. Out front, a tree stood slick with wisteria and the road glowed amber.
This former residence, now a museum, has two suites that have been available to rent on Airbnb since 2018. It was my home for a few days and the first stop on a literature-themed road trip through the Deep South. My journey would take me from Alabama's capital city to the belly of New Orleans, on the tail of writers such as William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams. But my first rendezvous was with the Fitzgeralds.
Francis Scott (known as Scott) and Zelda are held up as the perfect Jazz Age couple. Their stories - the most famous of which is Scott's The Great Gatsby - glamourise champagne-drenched nights in New York City and sun-baked days on France's Côte d'Azur. And in many ways, the Fitzgeralds' real life was as glittering as those of their protagonists. He had met 18-year-old Zelda Sayre, the daughter of an Alabama Supreme Court Justice, at the Montgomery Country Club. What followed was a whirlwind romance that saw the pair whisk across the world, from Alabama to New York, Paris to Rome.
"Zelda loved her hometown of Montgomery," Máire Martello, guide and board member at the Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald Museum, told me. "But ultimately she wanted to see the world. Scott could offer her that."
この記事は Wanderlust Travel Magazine の June/July 2022 - Issue 221 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は Wanderlust Travel Magazine の June/July 2022 - Issue 221 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Vermont, USA
The Wanderlust team relocated to New England for part of this issue, as we explored a lush state filled with outdoor escapes, historic towns... and lashings of maple syrup
Unique North America
See a side to the USA and Canada beyond the big cities and discover incredible stories and special wildlife with our pick of the trips
The call of the Rockies
From historic ski lodges to rustic backcountry cabins and a mock-Scottish castle, we pick the stays in Canada's Rocky Mountains that make the most of their setting
A new dawn for the Garifuna community
When the Garifuna people settled in Belize, they had to carry their traditions and culture with them; now a new trail is inviting visitors to explore this heritage through local communities
On the edge of history
In south-west Colorado lies the largest archaeological preserve in the USA, a series of vast cliff dwellings whose residents 'vanished' overnight. But was the answer to their disappearance in plain sight?
Tigers burning bright
As India celebrates 50 years of its Project Tiger conservation scheme, we visit the reserves of Madhya Pradesh to see how its success has impacted a tiger population that once looked in danger of disappearing
SEASON'S GREETINGS
From fiery fall foliage to art fairs and harvest festivals, opens up a wealth of across the USA and Canada autumn experiences
Waking a sleeping GIANT
A slow drive along the North Wales Way, from the English border to Anglesey, reveals not only a land of incredible local food and castles, but a region that is slowly reimagining itself
The rebirth of old JEDDAH
As efforts to restore Al-Balad, Jeddah's historical district, take hold, we get an exclusive peek at how art and culture are taking centre stage
Star-studded escapes
Wilderness, history and wildlife combine at some of Britain's most iconic stargazing sites, as more and more travellers are looking to the heavens
