What a week! I started the week in Turin and ended it in Rome. And in between, I enjoyed the lovely weather in the Netherlands for a few days. All in all, I dare say it was a rather messy week. It all started in Turin on Monday morning when I overslept so badly (read: I woke up at half past eleven when the alarm should have gone off at nine) that for a brief but panicky moment I thought I had missed my flight to Brussels. The fact I overslept wasn’t so surprising at all after those two weeks of Eurovision. Because while on Saturday night, after the final, we danced until the sun came up, on Sunday we also went to bed around four in the morning. It just almost felt like sleeping was a waste of time. Because for a fortnight, we lived off the music and a lot of fun, driven by pure adrenaline and Lavazza coffees.
The days in the Netherlands then felt like an early summer holiday
But thanks to a taxi driver who knew how to speed up, I was still on time in the plane, on ‘my’ seat 22A. The days in the Netherlands then felt like an early summer holiday. I was spent almost all of my time with my friends, and just having a cup of coffee together spontaneously led to a barbecue on Wednesday and a dinner in my friend’s sunny garden on Thursday. Exactly how I imagined a few relaxing days in the Netherlands.
At a quarter past four, we were already sitting on the plane, to then having to wait on the ground for two and a half hours before we were allowed to take off
The messy character of the week continued throughout the rest of the week. On Friday afternoon, I had my flight back to Rome at 4.30 p.m., but a storm came up that disrupted the entire flight planning for that day. At a quarter past four, we were already sitting on the plane, to then having to wait on the ground for two and a half hours before we were allowed to take off. In the end, I only got home around eleven where I had to conclude that during my three weeks of absence, it had become summer and my duvet was no longer needed.
I zipped up my trousers a little too enthusiastically after using the bathroom and you guessed it: I broke the whole zip
I went to bed late and it would be another short night. The next day, my alarm clock went off at half past seven because I had to be out at half past eight for a very special occasion: the christening of Teodora, the four-month-old daughter of my dear friend. The ceremony took place outside in an absolute dream spot: in the green hills with a view of the beautiful Lake Bolsena. This was followed by a sumptuous lunch at the casale, the family’s country home built from beautiful yellow stone. And here too, not everything went according to plan, much to my girlfriend’s hilarity. I zipped up my trousers a little too enthusiastically after using the bathroom and you guessed it: I broke the whole zip. Thank God the nonna of baby Teodorina had a skirt for me to borrow…
Although I had made up my mind to really have dinner at home this time, I was again unable to resist when he spontaneously invited me
Then, on Sunday, I spent the whole day with a good friend who was in Rome from Cairo for a few days. And although I had made up my mind to really have dinner at home this time, I was again unable to resist when he spontaneously invited me to join him and some of his Italian friends for dinner.
That’s exactly how I like it. Always on the move in a life in which sleeping almost feels like a waste of time
And now it is already Monday, and I still haven’t done my grocery shopping. I will do that in a moment, although I have to be careful not to buy too much. Because tomorrow afternoon, my parents will arrive in Rome and I will be travelling with them for a week. First, we’ll spent four days in Rome, and then we’ll go and seek the peace and quiet of the countryside. This means that we will probably have lunches and dinners everywhere except at home. But hey, that’s exactly how I like it. Always on the move in a life in which sleeping almost feels like a waste of time. After all, there is still so much food to taste, so many new people to meet, and so much new music to discover…