The first snow down to 1,000 m was forecast in Switzerland for Sunday. It will be cold. But this week I had the good fortune to be working in Barcelona and there for a mid-European there is no autumn to be felt.

Every morning, as soon as it was light, I ran along the shore. It was terrific. The ideal temperature for running, a light breeze, the beach empty. Every morning I saw the man with the metal detector, searching the beach for coins and jewellery. Every morning I saw the homeless, wrapped up in their sleeping bags. And every morning I made an irritating observation, which didn’t fit the idyll, like the well-dressed man, who sorted through the rubbish bins. As soon as he found an empty alcohol bottle, he smashed it on the ground into a thousand pieces with frightening fervour. I was also irritated by the old woman, who all alone and naked had swum far out into the sea.

After my run I also went for a swim, after all it was 20 degrees. But, aware of the risks, I swam only close to the beach and properly dressed.

The only really disturbing experience in Barcelona was the two youths in the room next to mine, who at half past four in the morning, quite drunk, tried to break open the connecting door between our rooms. They didn’t succeed, but, with all the noise, sleep was impossible and, until the hotel security had finally succeeded in talking sense into them, it was almost time to go for a run.

Image source: Wolfang Dirscherl / pixelio.de