Strasbourg: The Council of Europe Series 1

Ok, it was about time I wrote something from my new temporary place of residence- the so-called 'heart of Europe' i.e. Strasbourg. I have had so much free time on my hands recently and am so getting used to having it that paradoxically I hardly find any will to blog. But this is comprehensible- once one enters into the habit of slacking off, then it is very, very difficult to get out of the pattern.
Strasbourg- love at first sight, but now I come to understand that I actually do not like the city that much, it is the thought of being here and the people I am meeting that so far have made this experience really worthwhile. The city itself is orderly, beautiful, sophisticated, clean and at first sight it has everything you need. However, I think that my affection for Italy is getting serious- I somehow miss the chaotic order of the tiny Italian street, the noisy people having good coffee (and with the risk of sounding like an ever-complaining Italian- coffee here is genuinely BAD!), this desperate feeling of being lost and lonely even when the neighbours are peeking into your window..and then I miss the food. And here I also risk of being convicted of forgetting to say I miss some people, but I think they know it already..so yes, I miss you- Mery, Paolo, Ceca and even Yana!!!
However, I cannot help it- I am having a great time in Strasbourg. I love it that I never felt lonely in this city, even if I am by myself. And for the first time it actually feels OK to spend a hungover Saturday by yourself, sleeping, doing nothing, staying in your pijamas until 6 p.m. without even showing your nose from your room. Which means a couple of things: apartment's great, flatmates can get nasty but for the first time I could not care less, company is great, work is not, and anyways- I am really having a good time. Which once again convinces me that the things you are not looking forward to are actually those that you never regret afterwards. I am extremely happy with my choice and thankful to the people who actually tried for more than a month to convince me that it was actually good for me to come here. So now it is the time to say- you were right, people, and I was wrong (and I very seldom admit to have been wrong)!
And last for today- I am re-discovering the meaning of the abbreviation 'tgif'! I never imagined it was charged with so much meaning!
More to follow!