Here comes the sun

"Finally, summer has arrived," my classmate, Jana, declared as we waited for our class meeting to begin, bathing under the sun in the artsy platform just outside our faculty building. I couldn't agree more, especially so with our horrible weather since last week until early yesterday. It has been wet, downcast, and depressing.

I could hear the cash registers of cafes and gelatterias as tourists and locals stop on their tracks, think twice of the calories, shrug it off and buy a scoop or two of ice cream or gelatto. What better way to spend the long and warm afternoon other than reading on policy analysis and agenda-setting? One classmate invited me to take a dip in one of the public pools in the city. I suggested to buy a six-pack, kick-back and relax along the Dreisam river. A colleague and I ended up sitting in a cafe and slurping on our cup of ice cream and caught up on our readings. Or at least tried to do so.