"The flowers along the way are no longer flowers,

but colourful spots,

or rather, red or white stripes;

there is no more point,

everything turns into stripes;

cornfields turn into long, yellow streaks;

the fields of clover appear like long, green braids;

the towns, the church towers and the trees

perform a dance,

and mingle with the horizon in a crazy way..."

Victor Hugo, 1837