Friday, October 17, 2003

Hi Françoise! I totally agree with you that small towns are safer and more friendly. It's one of the distinct advantages they have over big cities. I don't think I'll want to live in a big city when I'm old - people have no patience with old people on public transport, for example. They push and barge their way to the front of the bus. It's very "dog-eat-dog". I remember a summer I spent in a village in the south of Catalonia, and it was easy to meet people, and even if you didn't hitch-hike down the road to the small town, people would still stop to give you a lift. that was the great thing, and the crime rate was zero. It was possible for anyone and everyone to walk around in the middle of the night without any problems. And I was fascinated because I could see the stars! In big cities, there's normally too much light pollution for you to be able to get a good look at the sky at night, but there, I was able to see satellites and shooting stars. I remember that some of us would spend a lot of time lying around on the roof at night, fascinated with the heavens. It sounds like you had a really good time in Caldas - I think it's really good to have a contrast, and to visit, even if you know you won't ever live in a place like that...