Should people be allowed to drive? At this moment, we can see cars that can park by their own, but completely autonomous self-driving cars are on their way to the market. When I googled self driving cars, I was blown away by the amount of videos posted on the net. To my astonishment I have watched people brushing their teeth, reading a book or working with their tablets as their cars took them to their destination. Some American States have legalized self-driving cars and many countries are going to follow soon. But my question is not “Will self-driving cars be legal?”, but will they be mandatory? A computer is a better driver than a human. It doesn’t get distracted, it can keep a steady speed, it never has one more drink and it can interpret GPS data (and all kind of data) much better then a human. Working in the city centre, I’m concerned by the parking nightmare. I cannot help but smile when I imagine myself arriving to work and setting the car to search for a parking place. It hasn’t to be very close because, when I finish my workday I will only have to make a phone call to the car to make it come and fetch me. It will just be a matter of setting the GPS properly. If all cars were driven accurately, as only computers can do, roads could be narrower, we will need less traffic regulations and we will save a lot of money on highways and parking lots, and more importantly, on human lives. As intelligent cars can share and transmit data among them, the traffic death toll would be dramatically reduced. As a Silicon Valley scientist said, “Relying on human drivers will be too risky” The typewriter, the vapour train and other technologies disappeared leaving only a little nostalgic feeling. Driving cars it’s not the same, the relation between cars and the people who drive them is a love emotion. And I’m afraid this is the only argument I can find for allowing people to drive.

Romance in the 21st century “One evening in Paris”, as it has been titled in English is the new novel by Nicolas Barreau. This French author, who has always been interested in classic films, brings us here the story of Alain Bonnard, a young man who runs a small cinema inherited from his uncle. He is not a brilliant businessman; instead, he is very interested in his few customers and their lives and often invents stories about them. He pays special attention to a girl with a red coat that always sits in row 17. A cinema with no popcorns nor giant coca-colas, where you can’t watch the last blockbusters, but a series of old classic films is certainly a place for dreams to be born. This description can also apply to Barreau’s book, a classic old fashioned romantic novel where everything can happen. The most tender love story mixes with a frenetic search for a mysterious girl or the sudden appearance of the famous American director Allan Wood (Woody Allen?) and his sexy favourite actress. Like other books by this author, it is full of stereotypes, but it’s also funny, intelligent and captivating. The misunderstandings and turns in the novel make the reader turn the pages as if it was a thriller. There are a lot of references to classic films that will delight cinema fans and there is also a helpful list of film references at the end. A love story set in Paris, and full of magical moments? You could think it is another cheesy reading for teenage dreamers. Not at all, but be careful when you read it, you could go back to the time when you believed that anything could happen, no matter how surrealistic or magical it was.

A trip ruined by bad weather Can bad weather (cold or hot) ruin a trip? I don’t think so. Certainly not, if you follow some simple rules. Take warm clothing if you are going to a cold place, make sure the hotel has a swimming pool if you expect hot weather, and unless you feel in a challenging mood, never travel by motorbike if it’s going to be very cold or very hot, better use a car with an appropriate air conditioning. This would have been my answer had you asked the question last year, but now I’m not so sure. Last summer we took a motorbike tour of the Basque country and the Pyrenees. I can’t really say the trip was ruined, but it certainly was very uncomfortable. We had not expected the heat weave that swept the north of the country. Every time we made a stop and took off our jackets, we could feel our shirts were completely wet with sweat. Nevertheless, it seems very funny when you remember it. So, do I still think bad weather can’t ruin a nice trip? Well, only if you don’t have enough sense of humour.

St. Nicholas Square in Granada (Spain) On the hill opposite the Alhambra is the Albaicin, the old Moorish quarter of Granada. There is a saying that there are only two directions in the Albaicin: up and down. Well, if you always go up, you will end up in St. Nicholas Square. As a child, I used to go there with my brothers and parents to see the Alhambra under the rays of the setting sun. It’s funny because it’s the only sunset I know where people stay back to the sun. There are bars and restaurants near the place and some of them have balconies with a stunning view. But St. Nicholas is more than a beautiful sight of the Alhambra. It’s the place where all kind of people gather. In the 60’s it was full of hippies, some of them still remaining, but now you can find students, artists and tourists from all over the world (especially from Japan, I don’t know why) and, of course, some locals playing guitar. St. Nicholas is a place for imagination. Just notice the names of the Alhambra towers you can see, the Captive’s Tower, the Three Princesses’ Tower, the Water Tower … or lose yourself in the labyrinth of narrow streets with gardens hidden behind white walls. Although I'm old enough for wild imagination, St. Nicholas still makes me remember stories of kings, princesses, hidden treasures and magic spells.

Buying a country house Some years ago my wife decided to buy a country house. I didn't like the idea, because a second house involved a lot of work. Our children, who could possibly enjoy it, were not children any more and I was sure they wouldn't go there very often. Anyway, I saw an advertisement in the local newspaper, I phoned and I was told to go and visit the house the next day. The house had been newly painted. The garden was beautiful and there was a well-kept orchard behind the house. Before I knocked at the door I could see that the owner had taken good care of the place and had done all the work it required. The man who opened the door was very kind, but he didn't praise the house as you would expect. He said there were mice and the walls could collapse at any moment. Nevertheless, he asked for an exorbitant price. Soon I realized he didn't want to sell the house so I told him the truth, I didn't want to buy a country house, but my wife had insisted. He started to laugh and confessed that he would never sell his beautiful cottage, but his wife insisted so he had to put the damn ad.