Sunday 27 August 2017

Puglia

L'estate sta finendo, cantavano i Righeira. Quest'anno la mia estate finisce in Puglia, a Polignano a Mare.

Bella, struggente e ipnotica come una canzone d'altri tempi, magari proprio del suo cittadino più famoso, ma remixata da un DJ che la sa fin troppo lunga su come vendere milioni di copie.

Estremamente affollata e rumorosa del passeggio di migliaia di persone il sabato sera, tra la cena di pesce alle Antiche Mura, la passeggiata per farsi un selfie di fronte a Cala Porto, il dopocena alla Casa del mojito.

Quasi deserta e decisamente silenziosa la domenica mattina presto, a parte le campane che segnano, con profusione di rintocchi, ogni quarto d'ora, oltre a qualche signora in villeggiatura alla ricerca della messa del primo mattino e un paio di americani alle prese col fuso e con quella minuscola quantità di liquido nero bollente che da queste parti chiamiamo caffè.

E calda, caldissima, nonostante sia quasi settembre. Splendente di sole e profumata di mare, panifici e fichi freschi. Ma se l'estate sta finendo, vuol dire che un altro anno se ne va. Vado via anch'io ma, come dicevano loro, no, proprio non mi va.

Tuesday 15 August 2017

Cypriot lessons


Cyprus became my destination a bit by coincidence: someone mentioning the island on a rainy April day, me buying a ticket for August.
And a guide book.
Which I lost on day 2, just as I was going to start digging into it.
Limassol-Paphos-Larnaca-Nicosia-Kyrenia and a few small places in between. 








Loads of sun, Orthodox icons, spicy sheftalia and fresh Xynisteri. 
Plenty of Brits and Russians on beaches and promenades. 
Historical sites, tiny churches and imposing monasteries to choose amongst. 

And even without the guide, good instinct for cool open air bars ad cafes: La Isla on the beach in Limassol, Dstrkt in the centre of Larnaca, Pieto just off Ledras in Nicosia.

But also border crossings, buffer zones, abandoned buildings and some reckoning on divisions and solutions, as a reminder that this is not just another Greek island.

At the end of 10 days, after driving some 850 km and walking about 78 km (according to the iPhone's probably overgenerous counting) also some life lessons:
- driving on the left is odd but doable, also by night, but it helps if you find out how to turn the lights on before taking the highway;

- if the car in front of you at a border crossing has stopped, most likely it is not just another form of creative parking which allows you to overtake;

- this summer nothing can stop Despacito everywhere, but Greek pop will not go down without serious fighting;


- when visiting excavation areas at noon and with some 40 degrees, only one thing matters:


Friday 11 August 2017

The day before


It has always rained in Brussels the day before holidays.
It feels like a kind of tradition after so many years.

The sky is grey. The feet are wet. The heating is on. Steve McCurry's exhibition will close soon.

You still need to finish way too many things at work before going home packing and sleeping a couple of hours.

And then you go.

Thursday 3 August 2017

Countdown

It is August again
I am in Brussels again.

That time when the perspective of holidays coming up is what keeps you going.

But also walking through the park, several times a day, and smiling at the ever changing sight of a familiar view.
 It is also getting darker earlier, but the reverse Magritte effect can still take place 

In the meantime, the stone lady at the Schumann entrance of the park hints at the kind of summer I am soon quitting the city for.