Category: Reviews

Bellefleurs – click any image for full size

Bellefleurs is an Elizabethan-styled grand manor house, the grounds of which occupy an entire homestead region. It is a location I’ve visited on several occasions in the past, but it was its recent re-appearance in the Editors Picks section of the Destination Guide that prompted me to suggest to Caitlyn we pay it a further visit.

The house is the design of Indy (India Canning); it is both the seat of the Canning family and home to the Duchess(es) of Ominum. There is an architectural beauty to the house that puts me in mind of Montacute House, the fabulous Elizabethan Renaissance house in Somerset, England, now operated by the National Trust. I gather from speaking to Indy and Lynn Mimistrobell – who is also involved in the region’s operation – this is intentional; Montacute having been one of several places Indy drew on for inspiration.

Bellefleurs

The house – and the Canning family – is the subject of a richly detailed backstory which is a simply marvellous read, and speaks to deeper elements associated with the region I shan’t go into here. Suffice it to say, never have I come across such a piece for a Second Life location that is so richly interwoven with real events from England’s history. So much so that the text reads not merely as a scene-setting piece of information, but a scholarly review of the genuine history of a noble family, one  – as so often was the way at the time – in which intrigue, politics and religion are deeply interwoven. Such the the quality of the writing, I’ll go so far as to say that a visit to Bellefleurs is incomplete without the time taken to read it either via the website or via the book presented in the entrance hall of the house – particularly if you have a knowledge / fondness / love of Elizabethan history.

Whilst Elizabethan in origin, Bellefleurs incorporates elements from other periods – notably the Victorian. This reflects the natural means by which family seats acquire elements and furnishings through the ages, and the Victorian influences mix easily with Elizabethan. There are also more modern influences to be found in both the house and the grounds, none of which are in any way out-of-place.

Within the grounds of the house are formal gardens to the north and south, with a grand water feature pointing to the west from the rear of the house. Broad paths guide visitors through the grounds to places such as the En Garde fencing area, an outdoor dance area and a walk overlooking the western coastline of the region.

Bellefleurs

To the south of the house, beyond the gardens, sits a mausoleum containing the “tomb” of India Canning. Not that she has passed or anything; it was originally a piece for a Halloween party. But in remaining in place, it offers a hint to some of the deeper aspects of the region and its backstory. However, what these may be is perhaps down to your imagination, how you look upon the portraits of Duchesses (are their likenesses purely down to familial resemblance?) or how you look upon classical / romantic themes around love, loss, life and death. I’ll say no more here, but leave you to your own ruminations;  if only for the fact one of the quotes on the capstone of the tomb had me barking completely up the wrong tree, although Lynn and Indy quickly corrected me on that score! 🙂 .

Sharing the region with Bellefleurs is the House Sakura Companion Guild, which also has its own backstory.  Located in the sky over the house, it encompasses the more adult aspects of the region – with an emphasis on refined elegance.

It is based upon an amalgamation of the Firefly Companion Guild concept, the Venetian cortigiani oneste and the Parisian demi-monde, House of Sakura is located in the sky over Bellefleurs, where more adult encounters might be had – at the discretion of the Companions of the House (who refer to themselves as Blossoms).

House of Sakura

Both Bellefleurs and House Sakura host a number of open social events people are welcome to attend:

• Sunday –  19:30 SLT: Classical Music Salon at Bellefleurs, followed at approximately 20:30 by the After Salon Party at House of Sakura – cocktail attire requested for this event.
• Alternate Tuesdays 19:00 SLT: Toxie Darkmatter sings live at the House of Sakura – cocktail attire requested for this event.
• Thursday 19:00 or 20:00 SLT:  the Thursday Dance at Bellefleurs –  alternating weeks DJ Dee (19:00) or DJ Maddie (20:00); semi-formal attire requested.
• Friday 13::00 SLT: the Friday dance with DJ Ellie  at House of Sakura – casual attire.
• Saturday 14:00-16:00 SLT: DJ Dee’s time hopping weekly party – details via the in-world group; parties are come dressed for the period / theme or as you are.

Bellefleurs house makes for an intriguing visit, and offers a lot of scope for photography and for contemplation. For those with a sophisticated approach and outlook, House Sakura offers a unique environment for more Adult related activities, although as noted, it and Bellefleurs are also both settings for relaxed social events. For those who enjoy a place that give pause for thought and which offers its own story to tell, Bellefleurs can also be just the ticket.

Bellefleurs

SLurl Details

Twist of Fate is rated Adult.

• Bellefleurs House landing point
• House of Sakura landing point – please read the arrivals notecard

Kekeland – Bardeco – click any image for full size

Update: Kekeland – Bardeco has closed. SLurls have therefore been removed from this article.

It’s been nigh-on a year since our first visit to Kekeland – Bardeco, and while the titular bar served as an inspiration of me to remodel Caitinara Bar, after we visited the in the latter half of 2017,  we hadn’t been aware of any move or make-over in the design – until, that is, Shakespeare dropped a new LM on me. Intrigued, we hopped over to have a look, to discover Kekeland – Bardeco has moved from a Homestead to Full region, and undergone a make-over in the process.

We tried to recreate a quiet, sunny and peaceful fishermen place, inspired by an Italian village. You will find a little harbour and a coloured village, and hillsides of vines, with camping and mountains.

– Dandy Warhlol (terry Fotherington) and Belle des Champs (Bridget Genna)

Kekeland – Bardeco

As recreations go, the “new” design for Kekeland is impressive, and succeeds in imparting the feeling of being within the kind of setting that inspired it; but the success might come at s slight cost to some visitors: this is a place where there is a lot going on, particularly with textures, so some adjustment to viewer settings might be required to compensate.But this should put you off visiting; after all, that’s what graphic presets are for!

The harbour described in the land description sits on the south side of the region, a walk down through the streets of the town surrounding it on two sides. Protected from the sea by a breakwater and watched over by a lighthouse, it is fairly bustling with boats: sailing boats, yachts, motorboats, RHIBs – so much so that the fishing boats tied-up at the wharves must have to fight their way out to the freedom of the sea in order to ply their trade each morning!

Kekeland – Bardeco

These fishing boats are tied-up on the east side of the harbour, which is clearly the “working” side: a busy waterfront road where a lot is going on. Behind it, and climbing the stepped cliffs, tall, modern-looking apartment blocks vie with  an ancient fort that once commanded a strategic view over the bay, to claim the skyline as theirs.

The town continues round to the north where, set back from the harbour is a plaza – surprisingly overgrown and with more tower blocks and houses climbing up the inland slope behind it. Along the plaza the predominant business appears to be entertainment and refreshment. The coffee houses, bars, boutiques and open-air music area, together with the more modern apartment houses up on the cliff-top, suggest why the harbour is so chock-full of boats: once a working coastal village, this place has now become a holiday destination.

Kekeland – Bardeco

A further attraction lies on the west of the harbour. Here, sitting atop a rough table of rock, sits Bardeco. The last time we saw this (also the occasion of our first visit to a region design by Belle and Dandy), it was imaginatively placed at the foot of of the region’s cliffs and built back into them, offering an entirely “covert”, so to speak, setting that was both part of yet separate from the rural setting above. Seeing it out in the open in this “new” location did take a little getting used to, I admit, but it has not lost any of its shabby-chic appeal.

North of Bardeco, beyond the slip of water and beach dividing it from the town, the buildings quickly give way to open, rugged land. Here can be found trails, old ruins and signs that not all the locals have been driven away by the maddening crowd on the waterfront. Goats are being reared and grape vines cultivated on some of the lower northern steps of the island, while old farmhouses hide among the trees or sit aloof from the trails on their own shoulders of rock. There’s also the ruins of a much grander property sitting forlorn and alone, whatever story of times past lying within its broken walls fading slowly as nature takes up a greater and greater residence.

Kekeland – Bardeco

In its Homestead iteration, Kekeland – Bardeco offered a wonderful sense of rural living, complete with its discrete and neatly tucked away bar. With its move to a Full region simulator, it presents a more urban setting, and marries these with some of the feeling on open spaces that made the “original” so appealing. It is very different to the “old” design, but sports a unique look and charm nevertheless.