Category: Exploring Second Life

Soul2Soul Med – click any image for full size

In February 2018, I wrote about a visit we made to two Homestead regions designed by Minnie Blanco (Minnie Atlass): Soul2Soul River and Soul2Soul Bay (see here for more). While I’m somewhat hesitant about blogging regions that are intended for rental purposes, but both Soul2Soul River and Soul2Soul Bay were so beautifully designed and offered sufficient public spaces, I felt comfortable in writing about them.

Since then, Minnie has added a third region to her group, Soul2Soul Med. As the name implies, this homestead region has something of a Mediterranean theme to it. Once again, the region in part offers properties for rent to those looking for a home; although at the time of our visit there were only three such properties on the region, leaving the greater part of it open to public exploration.

Soul2Soul Med – click any image for full size

Visitors arrive on the southern most of the two island the regions has been split into. This points roughly south-west to north-east, a rocky shoulder of land on which is perched a little hamlet sitting above a beach and pier for boat moorings. Gaily painted houses run along the upper street, although the paint on some of them is showing signs of fading under the bright Sun. Cars are parked along the little street, flowers are in full bloom, while the café half-way down the slope to the beach presents a welcome rest-stop from explorations.

A second rocky island crosses the first to the north, forming a “t” to its base. A narrow channel separates the two islands, turning south to run between them to the east, a single bridge spanning it.

Soul2Soul Med – click any image for full size

This northern island is given over to the rental properties.  All three are spread far enough apart to offer those renting them a fair amount of privacy, while roads leading from each of them come together before the bridge, offering a direct connection with the little hamlet on the southern island.

There’s a feeling of life that has been added to the region: boats are moored down on the water; bicycles and vehicles are scattered around, and a couple of maintenance chaps are performing repairs here and there. Meanwhile, and on the edge of town is the ruin of a house where a group of mannequins appear to have set-up home, complete with a bed on the upper floor and a broken-down truck parked out back. It’s a further quirky addition that gives the region additional atmosphere and depth.

Soul2Soul Med – click any image for full size

With its rugged, coastal look, mixed flora, hilltop hamlet and surrounding hills, Soul2Soul Med is delightfully picturesque, and matches both Soul2Soul River and Soul2Soul Bay in the level of detail and styling put into the region. For those looking for somewhere to live, the rental parcels are well placed and offer a lot of room. For those looking for a place to explore – remembering that there are private residences on one of the islands – and take photographs, Soul2Soul Med offers an ideal destination.

SLurl Details

• Soul2Soul Med (Ancient Sea, rated: Moderate)

A Little Bit of Soul – click any image for full size

Update: A Little Bit of Soul is now closed, and SLurl links have been removed from this article.

Occupying one half of a Full region, A Little Bit of Soul is group design offering a huge amount to see and explore.  Running from west to east across the region, it presents what might be seen as a build in three parts, all of which flow together to offer a unifies setting.

At the western end is a built-up area which encloses the landing point. Split into two parts, it encloses the landing point within a plaza-like square surrounded by boutique-style businesses, some of which have town style houses built above them. Footpaths run around the shops on two sides, one of which forms a small road lined with more shop fronts with living spaces over them, while the other offers a way to a waterfront area.

A Little Bit of Soul

This small precinct offers a pristine setting: shop fronts are freshly painted, balconies are lined with potted plants, and trees and hedges are neatly trimmed. A small metal gazebo sits towards the middle of the square, a harpsichord, guitar and drum set forming a curious setting for a trio of musicians. All-in-all, there is a strong European cosmopolitan air within this part of the parcel.

Walk westward across the plaza from the landing point, and you’ll find a narrow set of steps lead up to the second half of this built-up area. This is altogether more run-down in tone – and becomes progressively more so as you explore. It is reached via two pairs of doors at the top of the steps leading up from plaza, which open onto another square surrounded on three sides by what might at first glance appear to be small apartments or perhaps hotel rooms, windows lit. With its hanging ivy, open verandahs in cast iron, and open courtyard, this area has something of an old New Orleans feel to it.

A Little Bit of Soul

With the exception of a first floor room sitting over an arched entrance leading out of the square, the “rooms” of this hotel / apartment setting are actually false, and demonstrate a clever use of space on the part of the designer here, Megan Prumier. Pass through the archway and take the ramp or steps on its other side, and you’ll find the “rooms” of the hotel / apartment house have become the frontage for run-down stores facing out onto little streets.

This raised area offers a collection of footpaths and open spaces set with tables and chairs, market stalls and other bric-a-brac and general detritus, all set amidst the shells of ruined buildings. The entire area exuding an aged feel, with more shells of ruined buildings sitting off-shore, rising above tall walls to give the parcel an added sense of depth.

A Little Bit of Soul

Travel east from the landing point, under an archway between two stores, and you’ll come to the second element in the parcel’s design. The first part of this area is a small chapel and churchyard, again put together by Megan, caught under a steady downfall of rain. Beyond this, under a further archway, sits a much smaller group of shops, bordered on both sides by woodlands, the southern of which has paths and trails running through it, as well as places to sit – or bathe.

Designed by Xange Madrigal, this area flows seamlessly into the surrounding woodlands and the surrounding rugged countryside. A small body of water can be found here, together with a raised terrace with seating while more paths lead the way to hidden gems of areas, simple wooden bridges crossing the water where necessary to encourage explorers onwards.

A Little Bit of Soul

And still there is more: the eastern end of the region offers more woodland, copses, trails, an outdoor space for weddings or other celebrations, a waterfront  a sauna deck and gazebo looking out over offshore islands which again add further depth to the parcel, and a cabin-style home. These have all been brought together by several more contributors to the region – although I’m not entirely sure if the cabin is intended to be open to the public at large, so please keep this in mind when visiting.

Throughout my visits, A Little Bit of Soul was caught under a twilight sky, and while this works, I would suggest it limits the appreciation of the beauty of the parcel, which far more comes to life under a daylight setting. However, I strongly recommend seeing the setting under both its intended windlight (Bryn Oh’s Mayfly) and a good daylight setting: A Little Bit of Soul is a marvellous setting, well deserving of a visit.

A Little Bit of Soul

With thanks toy Shakespeare (SkinnyNilla).

La Clef des Champs – click any image for full size

La Clef des Champs (literally, “the key fields”, often used to indicate being out in the countryside) is a homestead region designed by Rose Ulrik (Rose Siabonne), which opened in April 2018. Caitlyn and I were able to visit not long after it opened – courtesy of a tip-off from Shakespeare and Max (♥ as always!) – and found it to be a simple, rustic design that is both restful and has what might be for some, a tiny bit of an edge to it.

In keeping with its name, the region presents an open, undulating landscape on to which have been scattered a couple of continental farm houses and outbuildings, giving the suggestion the land might be open-sided fields. Visitors arrive in the north-east corner of the region, backed by cliffs and rocky slopes on three sides, while the fourth inclines gently down to the lands below, cut neatly by a farm track.

La Clef des Champs

This hilltop is home to a modest café, proudly flying the French and Canadian flags and with a motif of the region – a series of large metal keys – hanging from one wall. From the worn patio outside of the café it is possible to look southwards over a small bay watched over by a lighthouse, to where one of the two farmhouses sits, its back to the sea, the track from the hill winding by a short distance away.

However, follow the track down the hill from the café, and before you get to the farmhouse, you’ll find the track forks, one arm continuing south past the little bay and towards the farm mentioned above, the second arm pointing a short finger west to where the second of the farms sits, chickens parading along its patio. Stepping stones offer a way onward, crossing the grass and skirting the house to curve past a little orchard and reaching on towards the farm’s outhouses, the way partially guarded by geese. A little way beyond this farm is a railway track, overlooked by an old warehouse sitting on a slight rise as the land reaches its western seaboard.

La Clef des Champs

The fields between these two farms lie open to wander, a small pond offering a place to sit and, going by the bucket alongside the wooden chairs, plenty of good fishing. It looks south to where a single aged wall stands atop a low hill, the last remnant, it would seem, of a much larger structure that once occupied the hill.

Just beyond the hill with its ruined wall, the landscape is again scooped into a shallow bay, a wooden deck set out over the water to face a small island bearing a windmill. A rowing boat can be obtained from the rezzer on the deck, allowing visitors to cross the water to this little island and explore the windmill and enjoy a little more privacy from the rest of the region.

La Clef des Champs

Deer and horses are to be found scattered around the region, together with numerous places to sit outdoors and enjoy the setting. These range from swings slung beneath the boughs of trees, to simple park benches to blankets waiting with lavish picnics, to the aforementioned decks and chairs – some of which also have food and drink at the ready. A little to the north of the windmill island sits an outdoor stage for music events, gently floating on the water and reached via stepping-stones – although admittedly, I’ve no idea if events are held there.

Elegant in its simplicity, La Clef des Champs makes for a relaxing visit, and rezzing is open for those wishing to use props with their photography – just do please remember to clean up behind you. There’s also a Flickr group for those wishing to submit their finished pictures. And the edge to the region I mentioned at the top of this article? It’s nothing serious for the open-minded; but do keep in mind this is an Adult region in which, although not overt, adult activities can take place.

La Clef des Champs

SLurl Details

• La Clef des Champs (La Clef des Champs, rated Adult)

The Shire – click any image for full size

We were delighted to receive an invitation from Ima Peccable to visit the newly re-opened The Shire, the enchanting Tolkien-themed region designed by Chocolate Aftermath, and which Ima is now helping to run. As it’s been over two-and-a-half years since our last visit, we grabbed the first eagle flight across the waters and dropped in for a visit.

For me, the great attraction with this region has always been the way it blends considered region design with a very Shire-like feel, where hobbits and Big Folk can mix.

The Shire

The new design for the region retains this feel, although the landscape is perhaps further removed from Tolkien’s Shire, being somewhat rugged and suggestive of a coastal region of Middle Earth, complete with multiple small islands lying off the main bulk of the land. There’s also more of an elven feel to the place than perhaps on our last visit, which harkens back to the time of my first visit in March 2015, when the region originally captivated my eye and heart.

I’m not sure whether it is merely a matter of the intervening years playing tricks on me or not, but this new iteration of The Shire seems to have more rental properties on offer than previous iterations. Nevertheless, it still has plenty for the casual visitor to see and appreciate, and the overall design means that it is hard to accidentally transgress into someone’s private space.

The Shire

A good many of the rental parcels are located on the outlying islands or on small headlands extending from the main bulk of the land, with its public upland areas located atop the tall cliffs. It is here that the landing point sits within a pair of tree houses linked by a rope bridge and which is home to the rental map for the region. It shares the plateau with a garden area and a windmill, with different paths leading down from the plateau offer assorted ways to explore the region along its public paths.

The rental properties are a mix of hobbit holes and regular houses, while two towers suitable for wizards overlook the land. There aren’t intended for rent (as far as we could tell at least, but appear to offer high perches from which to look out over the land. Also to be found along the paths and trails leading around the region are elven-like gazebos offering places to sit under crystal domes – and in one case at least, a feast fit for a … hobbit; while out on a tongue of land stretching out into the water sits a larger structure, set for weddings or other celebratory events.

The Shire

These seeking a place to live in Second Life that has its roots in fantasy but without overburdening rules might want to give The Shire a look; the mix of accommodation is rich and – for those wanting a little extra privacy – extends into the sky, where houses float serenely on little airborne islands of their own. Also scattered around the region are little reminders of Tolkien – such as the spider’s webs to be found here and there providing little echoes of a certain journey through Mirkwood, while mushrooms can also be found, offering another reminder of a path trod by a certain group of hobbits.

The public area of the region seems to be a little more limited that in previous iterations, and the outlying islands, while offering those renting them an added level of privacy, do tend to break up the land somewhat – there’s no direct route from them to the public places should residents wish to enjoy them. However, this doesn’t detract from the peaceful beauty of the region nor the opportunity to take photos or simply relax with a visit. Certainly, for those who wish to rent a parcel within The Shire,  the region has a lot to offer by way of finding a Homely House.

The Shire

With thanks to Ima for the invitation.

SLurl Details

• The Shire (The Shire, rated: Moderate)

The Apothecary – click any image for full size

Update: The Apothecary has closed. Because of this, I’ve removed SLurls from this article.

The Apothecary is a new Homestead region design by Harlow Heslop which opened in April 2018. It’s an impressive outdoor design, which immediately puts one in mind of the Great Outdoors of North America, or possibly the wilder reaches of northern Europe or Scandinavia. Buildings are few, the landscape richly wooded with tall redwoods (hence the North American feel to the place) and larch, surrounded by tall mountains.

There is no landing point set within the region, but there is a greeter and welcome sign offering information on the region located on a deck in the north-east. This extends out over the water from the rugged coast of one of the three islands making up the landscape. An old barn sits close by, converted into a cosy lounge space complete with stacks of books and drinks on offer.

The Apothecary

The land rises sharply alongside this, with stone steps climbing the steep slope, passing between the tall trunks of trees to where a wooden bridge watched over by four lanterns floating in the breeze, spans the narrow gorge separating this island from its much larger neighbour, a  folly like building beckoning visitors to cross the bridge to the plateau on which it sits

The drum-like building, complete with a glass-domed roof was once an aquae spadanae, a water spa – although it has been converted from this use. The pool is now a water garden, a large sculpture occupying its centre while around it, old sofas and armchairs offer comfortable places to sit and an upright piano offer an opportunity for music. The building looks to be under repair, given the scaffolding around and over a couple of windows.

The Apothecary

Two paths descend from this plateau, one to a broad step of rock, bounded out its outside by an old path and with another open-air bohemian seating area on its inside, warmed by a fireplace. The second path – marked by stone steps and cobbled paths, offers a route around the rest of the island. Branching at the foot of the hill, one arm of the path leads the way to the Apothecary itself – a grand  old conservatory building, its frame and high roof now without glass, its floors largely overgrown and the bent back of an ancient tree reaching grasping boughs out through its woodwork. A chaise lounge and mossy grand piano sit within, along with the tools of a gallipot’s trade.

The second path leads onward around the island’s curve to another waterfront warehouse and deck. The warehouse is this time sheltering a bar with bar on tap and spirits on the shelves behind it, while the dock appears to be the setting for the occasional DJ events that may be held within the region. It looks out over the water towards the third island in the group.

The Apothecary

This third island, compact and crowned with trees, is given over to a cosy camp site where couples and groups can enjoy quiet and intimate times.  How it is reached other than by flying, is a mystery at present; while a rowing boat is moored alongside the deck on the main island with oars seemingly at the ready, it is for cuddles only rather than being a source of transportation.

While  I opted for daylight when taking my photos, the region lies under a darkening sky rich in horizon haze. This gives the impression of the land sitting in either post-sunset dusk, or a pre-sunrise morning. The introductory notes indicate that The Apothecary will evolve over time, so I suspect it could be a place we return to from time-to-time as it changes. Those wishing to rez props for their photographs, or who wish to keep abreast of changes make to the region or DJ events held there, can join the local group for a modest fee of L$175. Those taking photos are invited to share them through the region’s Flickr pool.

The Apothecary

SLurl Details

• The Apothecary (Havana, rated: Adult)