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!