The men in grey
I am back at work. I usually go very casual. Some proper pants, maybe a jeans, then a shirt and some moderately colorful pullover over it. Banana Republic style. It usually works. Occasionally though I have to go in full fledged uniform. ‘Costume/cravatte’, as we say in French. The sight has become so rare that […] Read More
Encounters
…and just when I was hitting a bit of a low point, and thought I’d spend another evening locked in, despite the sunshine, I got a message… Georgios from Chicago, whom I had met a few times in Hong Kong over beers, texted me that he was in town. He was heading to Paris, to […] Read More
Processing
Three weeks ago my plane took off from Buenos Aires, and I was on my way back to Europe, back to my old life, a new apartment, old friends, a (nearly) new job… I was functioning pretty much on autopilot, without thinking too much, without even being too melancholic. Last week was my first nearly […] Read More
Baby steps
It has been a couple of days that I am back home. I haven’t found anything like stability so far, but I didn’t expect to find it so soon. Of course the first few days were spent unpacking, then I went to London for the weekend, and had one final day in Brussels before going […] Read More
Epilogue
Back in Brussels, I have spent the first few days carrying boxes around. Bringing stuff up from the basement, bringing stuff down to the basement, going through all boxes, checking what I would need and what could potentially stay in the basement for another couple of months…. Brussels weather was at it’s best for such […] Read More
Arrived
I spent two hours in the Lufthansa lounge, getting breakfast, then a soup, and, above all, taking a shower after the long flight. Together with the business class check-in, there are the best perks of being a Frequent Traveller. And of course, using the miles for the Round-the-world-ticket! The last flight to Brussels was really […] Read More
Final flights
This is it, I am about to board my last final flights, from Buenos Aires to Frankfurt and on to Brussels. Due to the strike, my departure is delayed by two hours, but I’m glad they could re-schedule the flight with only this minimal delay. I will miss my initial flight into Brussels, but have already […] Read More
Looking forward to…
… thé a la mente and the veggie lasagna in Café Fontainas … my 1h45m signature massage with Tom at Jari Menari … the handmade Chinese noodles at Au bon bol … a sunday morning at Café Belga with my newspaper … a summer night with beers outside of Belgica … lunch breaks with friends … […] Read More
Meanwhile, in Brussels…
… Sven has arranged for my move! It happened today, and my 48 boxes, suitcases, kitchen table, CD racks, pictures and frames were moved quietly out of his garage and into my new apartment in rue de Londres. When I arrive on Monday, I’ll get the keys, and my things will be in my new […] Read More
Ready or not?
As every day, I read Spiegel Online, my main source of information and connection to home. One article talked about yet another round of strikes at Lufthansa, Germany’s biggest carrier, and, incidentally, my ticket home. The pilots’ union announced another strike day for Saturday, 21st, concerning all long-haul flights. Uff, I though, thank God, not […] Read More