Hiatus

The last week and the weekend have been very busy, to the point where there just wasn't enough time for Meet a Stranger a Day, and today won't be different - but I hope to be back at it in a couple of days.

28. Self-portrait

Zurich is actually quite beautiful in the rain, with light and color reflected on the wet tarmac. However, when even the old town is almost completely deserted, it's time to start looking for self-portrait opportunities...

27. S.

I have to assume that you're not coming here to read me complaining about the weather - and yet, there are the days when I just can't help myself, when the leakage of my shoes is so pronounced that I make squelching noises as I walk through the torrential rain. On those days - like today - I wish I had a Beeblebroxian third arm, in absence of which I try to hold on to my umbrella with my chin as I endeavour to get the camera out of its bag, clean the lens or fiddle with the settings, all while trying to keep it reasonably dry. On those days no one in their right mind would ever think of subjecting themselves to the vagaries of weather just to take a couple of photographs, with or without umbrella. But then again - it might have just been the prospect of reaching the train station considerably less drenched that made up S.'s mind today...

When I approached S., she was skirting along the facades in the old town, carefully selecting her path to lead from canopy to awning, elegantly reducing the unsheltered stretches to a minimum. She seemed astounded at my project, and at the same time intrigued by it, and allowed me to accompany her to the station. We had a most interesting chat during the fifteen minutes that followed; her story, her curiosity, her outlook on life and her desire for changes of perspective were amazing and inspiring.

Once we had arrived at the station and were out of the rain, we stopped for the portraits. I took 25 photographs - I've finally learned how to reduce the intensity of my camera's flash and needed to practise. I'm still not happy about the colors of the pictures taken with flash, and so the one I've selected was again taken without. It sums up quite well how I saw S. - open, curious, good-humored, with maybe just a hint of self-irony.

S., thank you so much for your trust and your openness - I wish you all the best and hope that a new horizon will present itself to you whenever you need it.

26. Tex Mex

As you may have deduced from the absence of posts the last few days, Paris was not all too kind to me. But no matter - Meet a Stranger a Day is a learning experience, and even though I would have greatly enjoyed a chat with a Parisian and am disappointed to have missed out, I did learn a lot. First, language is important. Although I had concocted an introduction in French to the best of my abilities, I kept stumbling over the pronunciation; and so, by the time I had arrived at explaining what I was trying to do, my vis-à-vis had usually already lost patience. Also, I believe that it is helpful if I appear somewhat self-confident - which is probably not the first adjective to come to mind when presented with a stuttering, language-mangling tourist. And second, the difficulty of crowds: meeting a stranger is easiest if the density of people on the street is just right; a few passers-by give security to the people I approach - but too many, and the encounter becomes an obstruction. In Paris, where I needed optimal conditions, it appears that at no time and in no place does the crowd disperse.

Back in Zurich, and after a couple of days off, I had no trouble getting back on track. After having taken several long-exposure warm-up pictures in my neighbourhood, I took a short stroll through the old town, and struck gold on my first attempt. I met Tex Mex in front of a cinema, where he had just bought tickets, and invited him to a cup of coffee. Even though his Swiss-German is excellent, we felt most comfortable chatting in English, and the twenty minutes we had until the start of his film went in a flash.

It was too dark in the bar for my camera's auto-focus to work, and so I suggested to take a couple of shots just outside the well-lit cinema, where his friend was already waiting. I took 8 pictures, but I had misjudged the lighting, and most of them turned out to be unsatisfactory. Through sheer luck and careful cropping I was able to salvage one that shows quite well Tex Mex's attentive openness and aplomb.

Tex Mex: thanks for your time and your good wishes - I hope tonight's was another decision not regretted. All the best!

25. Self-portrait

Meeting a stranger is much harder in Paris than it is in Zurich - particularly since I have no idea in which arrondissement I might be most likely to succeed. Today I tried my luck in the Quartier Latin, but there were just too many people. In a crowd, it's nearly impossible to find someone who even looks like they might have some spare time, let alone pluck up the courage to stop them, explain my project in a language I have not mastered nearly as well as I wish, and deal with a response of which I merely understand the operative rejection. Another self-portrait then, and a new rule: after two consecutive self-portraits I may take a couple of days off - after all, Meet a Stranger a Day is supposed to be fun first and foremost.

24. Self-portrait

Paris, here I come! What with traveling and meeting up with my father and brother, I got started really late today. However, it was important to at least approach one stranger, in order to keep the rhythm and remove at least some of the initial fear of talking to people in french. I managed to do just that - and received a very positive and encouraging reaction. I kept looking for a short while, but since it was clear to me that that was the best I would get today, I went back to my hotel to take today's self portrait: in the light of french television.

23. Susan

When I approach a stranger, part of my pitch is a time-estimate; I ask for about 15 minutes of their time, and if they can spare a little less I happily make do. Every once in a while however, if my vis-à-vis and I both have more time and conversation flows easily, 15 minutes become 90 and a chat becomes a dialogue. Tonight's encounter with Susan was one of these cases.

I approached Susan as she was walking towards a nearby cinema; she had spontaneously decided to watch a movie, but her film of choice was sold out and so she had been put on the waiting-list and told to check back shortly before the show. I accompanied her to the entrance, and was delighted when she chose to join me for a glass of wine rather than take the last seat in a packed cinema.

I took 17 pictures; her liveliness and expressiveness, together with the longish exposure due to low lighting, made taking her portrait a challenge. But the last one manages to capture her pensive and gentle side quite well.

Susan: thanks very much for the fascinating and insightful conversation - and may you enjoy the anticipation as much as your actual travels.

22. S.

Today's meeting was prearranged - S. was traveling to Zurich and had asked the local couch-surfers' group if any of us would be around for coffee. I was not sure whether or not to bring up the subject of Meet a Stranger a Day; this blog is a tool to keep me going out and meeting people, and as such it should not interfere with encounters that happen independent of it. As it turned out, S. had already read about this project on my couch-surfer profile, and when I spotted a good backdrop in the snow-storm and asked her if could take her picture, she agreed.

We met for breakfast at a bakery of which I had fond memories - I used to live in the neighborhood a couple of years back, and starting Sunday with croissants from Carredda's had always been an experience reminiscent of holidays in Italy. Later on we walked through the city, and - as I tried showing her the sights in Zurich's former industrial district - discovered places I had never been to before.

On our way back to the city center the snowfall intensified, and I decided to try taking her portrait in those conditions. I wanted to take more pictures in a café in the old town, but there the camera made her nervous; and since I knew I already had captured her lovely smile with the first shot, there was no real need.

S.: thanks for the interesting chat, and your patience with a couch-surfing novice. Have a wonderful holiday!