the old lake

If I walk back from school, I choose to walk along the lake, heading toward the fortress. The weather has generally been chilly, but as things warm up I start to see more and more people out along the lake, just lolling or strolling. A week ago it got pretty warm, and I noticed several people who seemed to be out of towners... a few on spiffy touring bikes, wearing sleek outfits, helmets, dark glasses. Others dressed rather formally, as if they were attending some kind of business conference, or taking a break from a funeral.

The couple schmoozing on the bench is de rigueur for just about everywhere. PDA's are the norm. At school it goes on on the benches outside, in the hallways, in the classrooms. In many respects, this is a Southern European country. Domestic architecture reflects this as well... there is no front yard, instead everything is arranged like a roman villa... the heart of the house is the courtyard, which is closed to the outside world.