I think it was the scent of freshly made hot chocolate coupled with the warm yet grey and (strangely hauntingly) atmospheric, hint-of-thunder-to-come, weather but as I crossed the car park this morning I was for a moment instantly transported back to the car park at Dettifoss in the midst of the wilds of Iceland.
And yet a car park on an a modern business park in the east end of Oxford is literally, and metaphorically different from the side of Europe’s most powerful waterfall?
It seems a strange (and yet strangely wonderful thing) that I sights and smells seem to be able to conjure such striking images in my mind, and are able to transport me so completely into that situation (the mood of my whole day has been affected by this experience). Does anyone get this? Does it happen to other people in the same way? I’d be very interested to know…?
Sometimes the air smells like the Middle East at night…
Smells definitely affect me and conjure up vivid imagery.
Yes
Most definately. Scents really rewind my brain in a way no other incidence can, although in combination with others the effect can be even stronger.
I think scent and fragrance are more tantalising to us since we have no electronic or mechanical way of recording them. I imagine if someone invents an olfactory tape recorder then I’ll be recording all sorts of weird things. No idea what the equivalent of headphones would be like though, or whether you could play things back “loud” or “quiet” etc…