Mexico so far

So a few pics of my friend Adriana and I in a pic nic in my garden. She was just off the plane from London and I wanted to keep my Lugano style tan so we decided to get some food and a bottle(s) of wine and sunbathe in the garden. We took several pictures but most of them came out to look a bit inapropriate, so here are the ones that look okay.

our food

Cheers

with my friend Berlin in a bar

One last beer

A few pics from our last time at Oops. They are all red, it's "experimental" photography...

Re-entry

Well so I am back “home” and it feels very strange but good. The jet lag combined with the excitement and some stress about life manifested in three days of insomnia! I guess you all know me well enough to know that I never had trouble sleeping before. For the first days I just wasn’t able to sleep more than 4 or 5 straight hours at night or day, and couldn’t take naps either!

It many ways I feel a lot different than last summer when I came on vacations, of course now that I see it as where I’ll stay forever makes it a lot more dramatic… or as much as it’s possible with my so-called flat emotions…

I’ve been out in town twice already, once on Friday and then again on Saturday. On Friday I went out with a friend from my job, I had a few rum and cokes, we just cached up nothing special or too wild. On Saturday I met with my friend Adriana (the one who lives in London) who arrived on Thursday and three friends of hers. We first met in the same bar I was the day before and that I like, but then we went to another places suggested by one of her friends and we both hated it. It was just awful and the worst part was that I had to pay $120 entrance (about CHF 11), it was absolutely not worth it and you guys know I don’t like paying for nothing. I’d describe it as a bad Mexican antro. Anyhow we managed to have some fun, making fun of other people and having a couple of drinks. It’s so cool to have her here at least for the first two weeks to make the re-entry a little easier.

So this is it for now, I have to start working on the thesis today even if it’s just a little bit.

Please comment and drop by in here so I am encouraged to keep it going this time. I promise I’ll try to post on a regular basis at least for a while, as a means to keep in touch.

Ciao ragazzi

PS: Next I'll post a few pics from the last day at oops.

Lago di Como and Sorroundings

decision changing

It looks like I will stay in Switzerland for another week. I haven't changed the flight yet but I will do it soon if everything goes as expected. This country isn't leting me go!

Lugano: A Long Way from Hell

Mountains that block the sun

Yesterday I stumbled upon Patricia Highsmith story as an expatriate in Switzerland on Swiss info. She is most known by her novels Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley from which I love the movie adaptation but never read the book. It turns out she lived in Ticino for many years, and actually died in Locarno in 1995.

She only wrote one short-story set in Ticino under request from Le Monde. It was called "A Long Way from Hell". It is discribed in the Swissinfo aritcle as:

...tells the tragic story of a peasant excommunicated by the village priest over a property dispute. He sets off on foot for the long journey to the city to see the bishop. The story also paints a vivid portrait of life in rural Ticino: "The story of Luigi's walk to Lugano and back became known as Luigi's pilgrimage to the bishop of Lugano. Then and to the end of his days, Luigi was not only the sole man in Riato to have seen Lugano; the fact that he had done it on foot elevated his adventure to the supernatural.

Now I am curious to read it. Perhaps I should start with Mr Ripley. Probably I'll have time now that I'll be in Mexico writing the thesis, I can't do that 24x7.

pros and cons

This is what I love about Lugano. I can never get enough of the awesome landscape, sunny, with clouds, foggy, it always looks very impressive. Especially after being away a few days somewhere without a constant scenery.

This is what I don't like about Lugano. Empty streets all the time! This was on a Saturday afternoon, I still don't get why Swiss cities simply seem empty all the time, they just don't have any people! and of course forget about finding anything open.