“I awoke wrapped in a vast, sweet silence. There was a station, perfectly still and clean swept, with small white roses climbing the walls, and more roses in clumps in the garden, where blooming mimosa flowers gave off their scent. A pale young man in a honey-colored coat bent his cane on the ground as he watched the train pensively. Overhead shone the deep rich and soft blue sky in which my eyes were bathed.”

Eça de Queiros