"Oh, What I'd Give For A Moment Or Two..."

The title above is from a song called Sous Les Ponts De Paris (Under The Bridges of Paris). There are some amazing bridges in First Life, including those over the Seine in Paris. I loved this recent article about that beautiful city auctioning off the infamous Love Locks taken from the Ponts des Arts bridge (among others). From grand architectural feats like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco to the wooden covered bridges that span the creeks in my area of Pennsylvania, bridges are often more than just practical ways of getting from one point to another. They inspire songs, movies, and books, where they often show up as meeting places, or symbolize important life transitions.

It's been a long few weeks since my last post, during which First Life has thrown me several unexpected curve-balls that have meant less time available to go inworld, and even less time for blogging. However, throughout the turmoil, the images of bridges kept coming into my head, so I thought I'd do a quick post on some of my Mainland favorites. I hope you enjoy these Second Life marvels as much as I do.

The lovely bridge pictured above is located in Lordshore on the southern continent of Jeogeot. Built by Garden Mole, it is situated adjacent to a scenic overlook and picnic area off of Route 9. 

In stark contrast to the industrial geometry of the Lordshore Bridge is Molly Linden's elegant bridge to the Linden Homes Japanese sims in Hoshigarai, pictured below. The soft red brick is echoed in the walks that run throughout those sims, and ties together the landscape perfectly.

There is a very cool drawbridge (pictured below, both open and closed) on the old continent of Sansara, connecting the Second Life Railroad tracks in Periwinkle to those in Purple. Created by Athos Murphy in 2004, this bridge is the only one featured here that was not created by either a Linden or an LDPW Mole. The LM actually places you at a landing point which is a train station; just follow the tracks East from there and you'll soon reach the drawbridge.

The graceful bridge over Straits of Shermerville, pictured below, was created by Michael Linden. It connects Nova Albion, the urban area next door to Bay City, with the vast suburbia that is Shermerville. 

Over on the old Teen Grid you can spot Xenon Linden's bridge in Nailsworth, pictured below. And on Sansara, in the sim of Hooper, you can find an almost identical bridge by Ben Linden. 

I wrote a post here about Chamonix City and the Global Online Hockey Association (GOHA), but I had never photographed the rather impressive bridge that links the Mainland proper in Braggiani to the community sims that comprise Chamonix City. Built by Abnor Mole, the bridge (pictured below) serves as the entrance to those six sims, and hovers high above an outdoor hockey rink. Halfway across, visitors can board a hot air balloon for a tour of the City.

I'll close with one of my favorite bridges, pictured below, about which I blogged here. The Bridge of Light in Durango, located in the Snowlands of Sansara, was built by Garden Mole, and the more traditional bridge above it was built by Eric Linden. 

Do you know of any interesting bridges on the Mainland? If you do, I'd love it if you'd comment below with a LM so I can check them out. Meanwhile, enjoy the inimitable Ms. Eartha Kitt singing about bridges in Paris while you explore!

Under the Bridges of Paris

My darling why I sing this song
Is easy to explain.
It tells what happens all along
The bridges of the Seine. 

The vagabonds go there at night
To sleep all their troubles away,
But when the moon is shining bright
My heart wants to sing it this way. 

How would you like to be
Down by the Seine with me
Oh what I'd give for a moment or two
Under the bridges of Paris with you.

"Where The Sun Sails And The Moon Walks"

Anyone who disputes the fact that Mainland can be beautiful just needs to visit the Pinkwater sim on the TSL continent, pictured below. The entire sim (and half of the neighboring sim of Bull) has been developed by a J. R. R. Tolkien roleplaying group, and it is an incredibly lovely place to spend an afternoon exploring. Two complementary parcels, Brithombar and Eglarest, evoke the homelands of Tolkien's ethereal Elves.

I spoke to one of the land group owners, Iminwiel Elenissiel (eegeltine resident), who told me, "Brithombar and Eglarest came to be through the very generous sharing of land by sim owners Jolly Lebroski (enelya) and Rob Royal (Aranion Sîrfalas). Most of us in the group had met previously in Elven Tolkien appreciation sims. All of us were interested in role-playing Tolkien style and while we wanted to keep true to the spirit of his writing, we also wanted to avoid the famous character roles and make up our own stories in a Middle Earth-like framework. Because the shape of the sim resembled the Maps of Brithombar and Eglarest with rivers and coastline, we sought to recapture the spirit of those places here as a first age-like Middle Earth Coastal Haven of Teleri Elves and Exilic Noldor Elves."

Starting at the Pinkwater Rez Zone, which is a fun dead-end road to visit in and of itself, face the water, turn left, and walk into the realm of Brithombar. Flying is disabled, so you'll need to explore on foot, which will give you an opportunity to spot all of the small details which make these parcels a delight. There is a garden with spots to meditate, places for couples to cuddle or dance, and a community dance circle. Several buildings grace the shoreline: a shipbuilder's workshop, a community hall for storytelling, and a lighthouse overlooking the harbor. Horses graze on a hillside which leads to a concert area (pictured below). Observant explorers may even spot a cavern or two hidden behind the many waterfalls in the area.

Across a small inlet (pictured below) is Eglarest, where you can swim or rez a rowboat to row upstream, further into the sim. Step ashore to dream under an ivy-covered arbor, feed the swans, or relax in the open air bathhouse. A gathering hall with colorful stained-glass windows sits ready for a feast, and a set of three treehouses perches high above the sim in one giant tree. According to Iminwiel, the sim is a work in progress, and the group is constantly adding to the landscaping and the environment.

 

"The roleplay is something we will achieve in the future and at the moment we are concentrating on landscaping and building a roleplay structure," stated Iminwiel. "We have established a story reading group which celebrates fantasy literature in voice which is currently active and to which all are welcome. Whilst we are building you are welcome to come and explore and develop your own story of a society just holding onto peace with its fingernails." Tolkien fan or not, this lovely area is well worth a visit.

“Farewell," they cried, "Wherever you fare till your eyries receive you at the journey's end!" That is the polite thing to say among eagles. "May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks," answered Gandalf, who knew the correct reply.” - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Annotated Hobbit: The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again

Teen Second Life, or "That Sharp Continent"

In February of 2005, a separate Teen Second Life (TSL) was created for SL residents who were ages 13-17. Just prior to opening TSL, the Lab offered amnesty to all underage users if they would agree to beta test the new grid. TSL was completely separate from SL, and no interaction between the two was possible. In January of 2011, the Teen Grid was closed, but the TSL Mainland was imported to the main Second Life grid, and can now be accessed by anyone. Most people I've spoken to don't even know that this land still exists. So, let's put on our explorer's boots and go on a bit of a tour there, shall we?

Above, a beautiful bridge in Nailsworth

I asked Uccello Galway (uccello poultry), who started her Second Life on the Teen Grid, how it much it really differed from the Main Grid (aside from simply the maturity rating). She replied, "So much creativity. Not as much just wandering around aimlessly as was the typical new resident experience on the Main grid." Mainland TSL is a small continent, rather oddly-shaped, with many roads that dead-end and many land forms that seem cut off or half finished. Because of that, it is often referred to as "that sharp continent". It contains all of the types of land that can be found on the Main Grid, including deserts (pictured below), rocky highlands, beaches, cities, and snowlands. One of the best ways to tour the TSL continent is located in the snowlands there, via the Yavascript Pod station in Cascade.

The desert in Oasis Canyon, an area which used to contain a large shopping mall

In addition, TSL Mainland contains a number of duplicate builds. There is a welcome area in Pullman which is a duplicate of the one in Ahern, a copy of the prim mining equipment that can be also found in ANWR, and even a TSL version of Natoma's Ivory Tower (pictured below). The G-rated Bay City regions were once in TSL, and were added to Bay City after the merge. Well-traveled residents will know where to find the Main Grid duplicate of Harry's crash site in TSL, pictured on the far right of the collage below. When visiting the crash site, make sure to pick up your "I love SL" button. Several Linden Bears can be found on this continent, in the abandoned Teen Grid Linden offices at IWorld.

There are a lot of fun things to do while you explore the TSL continent. Take a ride on Michael Linden's gorgeously shimmering Pegasus merry-go-round at IWorld, bundle up and visit Chalet Linden in the snowlands (pick up more bears while you are there!), or wait at the edge of the city sim of Ni to catch a ride on a really fast monorail. You'll discover a go-cart track with rezzable go-carts if you climb over the wall at the Meiji East rez zone, pictured in the middle photo, below. One caveat: there is still an active war-games element to some of the sims here, so on your travels you may find yourself in a damage-enabled combat zone. If you need a place to rest your feet, I own a coffee shop and hangout called World's End, located at the edge of the Grid in Pop. Visit there and see what happens when you try to walk off the edge of the world! You are also welcome to visit my home in TSL, Whiskey River Canyon, which has what I think is one of the best views anywhere.

Whenever I speak to a former Teen Grid resident about this continent, there is a sense of warm nostalgia that comes through in the conversation. Even after passing through the Teen Grid transfer station in the Sea of Fables on the Main Grid (pictured above, far left), TSL residents have retained their fondness for their former home, and many of them have returned and bought land there. While it may be a land of dead ends (one of which is pictured below), it certainly is not a dead land. Visit the TSL continent, and discover a curiously beautiful land of sharp edges that has captured a great many residents' hearts, including mine!