Words from Afterdark

My last post wasn’t very inspired, sorry. I was quite tired after my first week settling down here, and also, as you have guessed, the post was just an excuse to show you some pictures of this place. Being tired, I decided I would use Sunday to sleep as much as possible –after all, everything is closed here on Sunday, so there’s nothing to do, right? Right? Well, at 09:00 Sunday an enormous noise woke me up. Church bells tolling everywhere! I didn’t expect this to happen here. But since I had gone to sleep so late, it wasn’t time to wake up yet. So back to sleep, after five minutes of bells. Then, at 12:00, there come the bells again! This can’t be, I thought Switzerland was the country of peace and quiet. Can’t you have a good day’s rest on a Sunday? Well, too bad, time to wake up. Then… I noticed we were having a wonderful weather! So there was something to do this Sunday after all. I went to the lake, and spent a lot of time sunbathing and reading. The weather was as good as at home! I hope we’ll have such a clear sky next weekend.

I’m there! Finally! After much preparation and some wonderful holidays in Barcelona, I arrived at Zürich last Tuesday. Since I won’t start working until June, I have a few weeks of vacation, which I’m using to get to know the city, find a flat, and do some paperwork. I’ve finally found the time to update my blog and so let all my friends know about the beginning of my Swiss life. First things first: this is the first picture I took: A swan enjoying the good weather in Zürich lake. Read the rest of this entry »

Per fi! A partir d’ara podreu accedir a la meva web també per l’adreça http://www.rogerts.cat. Bona navegació!

At last! You can from now on reach my web site also through the dot-cat domain http://www.rogerts.cat. Happy surfing!

Even after people have done their best to tame (enslave?) their environment, life manages nonetheless to pop up in the most unsuspected places. I found this poor little plant growing in a concrete underpass near Barcelona’s container port.

My first post since I got back to Barcelona. I am a true tourist now. On holiday, visiting this city for the first time in some months, and here only temporarily. I spend my mornings doing paperwork and other “non-leisure” activities, and the afternoons walking around and taking pictures. But I need to hurry and rediscover this city quickly, for I will soon leave for yet somewhere else!

This is my last post from Paris! Tomorrow I’ll pack and ship my computer, and I don’t think I’ll be going to an internet café just to update my blog. Today I went to watch “Ice Age 2″, but I arrived to late and there were no seats left. So I had a walk instead. Quartier Montorgueil, Palais Royal, Pont des Arts, Rue de la Seine, Jardin du Luxembourg. Then I realised it had taken me only one hour. I must have walked really fast! This picture is from a Japanese café Iku and I went to last weekend. Tasty mixture of matcha and hot chocolate.

Today I got rid of most of my furniture. Julia’s father took that which belonged to her daughter. The neighbour downstairs got a fridge and a bookshelf —we came across her on the stairs and cold-asked her if she wanted it. Some friends will take the remaining stuff on Monday. My living room is full of boxes, and my sleeping room is so empty it makes me sad. No picture of that, it’s too ugly. Instead, feel the moment of utter leisure that this man is enjoying.

Now that I’ve finished my PhD, I will soon be leaving Paris, the city where I’ve lived for the last four years, and go back home to Barcelona —although the journey won’t end there. These final days I will be revisiting my old favourite places, drowning in paperwork, having good-bye parties with friends, and posting some “Paris-themed” entries here. Look! The prettiest pigeon in Paris and the ugliest pigeon in Paris have fallen in love!

El part fou llarg, i tots els presents afirmen que el nen té un pes molt superior a la mitjana. Divendres passat vaig llegir la tesi! Més info aquí.

L’accouchement fût long, et tous les présents affirment que l’enfant dépassait largement le poids moyen. La thèse est soutenue!

Yes, it’s true — I’ve finally defended my thesis! More info here. Thanks to all that came to the defence. And now it’s time for some vacation. Clear horizons.

Iku cooked mochi yesterday. Mochi are wonderful whitish, very hard, brick-shaped objects. You might be tempted to use them as construction toys, or maybe as doorstops. However, their magic happens when they are heated in an oven or grill. Then they swell and become soft and mushy, and very sticky. You can top them with cheese, nori, soy sauce or whatever, and eat them. Amazing! Also, they taste great. そか そか そか…