Chaos'n'Coffee » cities http://chaosncoffee.com/blog Sparkles of caffeinated nonsense Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:07:54 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ A lazy day in hometown http://chaosncoffee.com/blog/2007/10/29/a-lazy-day-in-hometown/ http://chaosncoffee.com/blog/2007/10/29/a-lazy-day-in-hometown/#comments Mon, 29 Oct 2007 23:19:27 +0000 bru http://chaosncoffee.com/blog/2007/10/29/a-lazy-day-in-hometown/ Finally managed to take a break from the City, jumped on an easyjet and safely landed this side of the Alps.
Spent the first day with the family, and the second essentially sleeping and “decompressing” (which means that I’ve been in constant touch with London but not taking any commitment): I just can’t take a sudden break, I know only too well.
While I was there, I took the chance to have a few walks around town to progressively get in touch with the old (most) and the new (very little).
I also took note of the different perceptions, main one being related to amplitude vs. definition: London is bigger, faster, louder than here; colours, sounds, smells… they travel fast and are all-encompassing, while at the same time blending and mixing in a multidimensional smoothie. And leaving gaps behind, gaps much wider than those you can find on the shores of river Po, for instance: there’s a discontinuous thread that connects the social, cultural and architectural fabric and if you look carefully enough you’ll be able to see the difference in texture.
In the modest perfection of the elders dressed up for their monday walk through the village.
In the forsaken ground floor windows of ex shops on the south of the Thames.
In the orange rusty spots of a worn out corkscrew laid on the counter of the loco winery, permeated by the smell of laugh and salt and the regular ticks of a large, round wall clock.
Even in the

crowd assembled outside of a pub, consuming the after work pint.

Then you can start speculating on what can cause or be caused by this different texture. Suit yourself.

Me? I’ll be walking through Milan tomorrow. I have an exhibition to see and a few friends to meet. If you want to have a drink or coffee together, drop me an email, tweet, pidgeon by tomorrow morning.

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