Rear elevation

This is one of those things that I really like about Europe.



The people on the top floor have their own veranda. There's little trees, nice tile, the washing is drying in the sun. They've got it made. Look underneath there. You see that pair of white plastic chairs just waiting there in the shade. You could see that and think, "Might be nice, but it's small and only gets a couple hours of sun in the morning." You'd be wrong. I think I'd rather have that flat. It's got more space to lie out. (Hint: it's red.) Now look at the left. See the giant glassed in space? I'd really like to live there. For one thing all the windows and light, but for another climb out the window and voila! there you are with a huge space for sun bathing, barbecuing, drying mud bricks, and what have you.

Not only that, but maybe you could introduce yourself to the other people who live in the place with the white plastic chairs. Maybe you'd be buddies. You could just nip across your back 40 there and borrow a cup of sugar or show up with two beers and BS about your favorite football team. Could be grand. You'd probably never meet these people as neighbors any other way. It's not like there's a tenant's association for the block or anything. You might never know them to have a connection, even though they're just a short distance from you. But here they are.

This kind of stuff crops up all the time over here. Things are old. Most buildings built in the way-back-when are used for something or in a way their builders never envisioned. Things are added and deleted over decades, it's haphazard. There's not an army of lawyers around to litigate you into a building code/safety inspection straitjacket. It just kinda happens. I like that.