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Sunday, June 22, 2003

Globalisation and waffles

Except if you're Andreea, you probably don't know that there has been an EU summit going on here in the last few days... or to be accurate, at a (very posh) holiday resort near here. Don't think I blame you - I don't know much about it either, and I learnt most of it in the last few days anyway: when I started wondering why everyone's acting like we're preparing for a bombing or at least a regime change: shop windows were getting covered up in aluminium leaves, people were staying in or even leaving town and there was an average of five policemen on most corners. Quite annoying, especially that last one.

It was also rather interesting - not the policemen really but everything else- and I felt slightly guilty I wasn't more interested in the whole thing. Sometimes I think I'm probably the only blogger in town, which feels like a bit of a responsibility (and it makes me smile). I kept thinking I should go out and take photos and I also kept putting it off. I just couldn't find the time or energy to do it, which is a bit of a shame, cause I could have come up with some rather interesting photos but anyway... That, until Saturday afternoon.

I went walking and took some rather random photos, mostly of people standing, sitting and lying around in the central squares waiting for the protests to start, but also of covered up shop windows and a few random summery things (trees, birds, that sort of thing). I avoided policemen cause they looked rather unfriendly: even though I would like to show you how ridiculous they look with all the clothes they have to wear and things they have to carry, sitting around in places where nothing is happening, I wasn't in the mood for getting told off. At that time, the whole thing felt a little like a party. In a strange way. The town felt like a ghost town and like it was celebrating at the same time. It made me wonder why we need a EU summit to have gigs in squares, picnics in parks and almost traffic-free days.

I walked back -happily in the crazy north wind- before everything started. I stopped at the super-market and the newsagent's on my way back. Once back, I disovered I was home alone. I was in heaven: as people protested I was listening to Waffle Breakfast With The Fermats and bouncing up and down the corridor, and there was no where else I'd rather be. Somehow that seems to be the most significant moment of the day.

If the news I read on various sites are true, the afforementioned super-market, the newsagent's and various things around them (which all are about three minutes away from here) are all burnt down by now. It is a scary thought but mostly it's confusing: there's something I don't understand in this all, something I can't point my finger at.

Posted by Dimitra Daisy

Replies: 4! Woo!