Köln - Madrid and other stories

Hacía tiempo que no pasaba la navidad en el pueblo.

Ahí van unas imágenes.

Une chose frustrante quand on est expatrié, c’est qu’on ne peut plus partager de mauvais jeux de mots tirés par les cheveux dans sa langue natale. Alors voilà, je viens me défouler ici, il y en a au moins un à qui ça plaira, n’est-ce pas, Oncle? 

Commençons par deux éditions spécial Noël:

Mr et Mme ENFANT ont 2 filles
Hélène et Ludivine

Mr et Mme DUZIEL ont 5 filles
Betty, Baba, Noëlle, Candide et Sandra

Mr et Mme OUKOI ont 2 fils
Ted et Bill

Mr et Mme SONNE ont 2 fils
Pépito, Nicolas

Mr et Mme WOWOWO ont 4 filles
Leslie, Irène, Dufarde, Aleeeexandrie

Mr et Mme FORME ont 3 fils
Jésus, Hans, Hubert

M. Et Mme MEMPAFROID ont 7 enfants
Eva, Aude, Anne, Marc, Samson, Bob et Ella.

Et enfin, deux célébrités Lady Di et David Bowie ont deux fils (peu de gens le savent)
Alain et Ken …. Ben oui, Bowie Ken et Alain Di ! 

En 1986, à la fin du premier hiver des Restos du Cœur, Coluche remettait à l’abbé Pierre, un chèque avec la somme qui avait été envoyée à son association et qui n’avait pas été dépensée.

Les Restos du Cœur, c’est ici: http://www.restosducoeur.org/

Et Emmaüs, c’est là: http://www.emmaus-france.org/

So, what happened in the past four weeks, then…

I had a great 5 days in Athens about three weeks ago, the Greeks are ever so lovely. It reminded me of Spain in so many ways. Here are a few:

They have this weird inferiority complex, thinking the other countries are doig better than them and that they are still very much behind. “Look at our buildings, how old and dingy they are” they would keep telling me. “Yes, well, so?”

When they say Europe, they mean Germany and France, and by this, they think “Europe” is ignoring the rest of them.

Also, their accent, the way they talk is very similar to that of a Spaniard to me. This got me confused a couple of times. In Germany I can spot a Spanish speaker from a mile whereas I will not immediately distinguish, say, a French one for instance. In Athens, it would be the other way around.

Where the comparison stops, is in this new area called Gazi (short for gas works), once an industrial area whose central point was a gas factory which was then left abandoned, turning this part of the city into a rather rough one, only to be reborn as one of the nicest and most happening points in Athens, filled with new bars, restaurants, clubs, art galleries, exhibitions (see the biennal), and unbelievably expensive penthouses, that the younger Greeks just crave.

As it happens, I hardly got to see much of the city and I did not take any picture till I was on my way back, in the 7 am flight. So, this is where I fell asleep…

… And this is where I woke up, just past Austria, in Munich

And now, when I should have gone back to Russia, Russia sort of came to me, which meant I stayed in Cologne, getting slightly euphoric drinking Glühwein at the ever so famous Christmas markets that are plaguing the centre of the city,

With its crazy people sat on a terrace in the middle of winter

… and enjoying, today, the first day of sunshine and frost of the year.