What a disgrace of a towel.

paradise

But the location of the institute as well as the peace are very much of an inspiration. Fortunately I will stay there next week again for quite some days. ... I will sleep in the basement. Quite nice. There are basements which are far more worse than the one in the institute. And this one is near the library which is open 24/7. That thought is almost a religious experience.

This sounds like couchsurfing. Is it smelly in the room?

Belgian institute next door

Hi Arnon,

perhaps cou could ask hospitality in the Belgian Institue next door, where I staid years ago when i started living in Rome. Did you visit it?

Anyway very funny description of the rooms ... indeed even better than the coach surfing experiment

After your reading in Vienna some time ago, I read Tirza (in Dutch) and I was really impressed. I couldn´t stop reading it and this doesn´t happen very often. It is a real masterpiece, great story and written in a precise and mature way. I am convincing my austrian friends to read it as well. Thank you!

Cheers from Vienna and I hope you at least enjoy Rome
Sofie

Hehe. That remembers me of the good old days where I pulled pranks on other people. I didn't have to see or know the outcome, just the thought of it was enough.
Happy sleeping, Mr. Arnon!

Arnon

You seem to be seeing possible messages in small things. I don't think God would leave a message in the form of a toilet brush though. Well if it suddenly bursts into flame and a Jewish voice thunders from above.... perhaps. Otherwise I don't think you should count on it.

Sofie

The Belgians haven't invited me.

Carlos

Why would somebody enter a room in the evening and put a toilet brush in the shower? Should I think of this as pure coincidence?
If the cleaning lady had come in I would have thought: What a clumsy cleaning lady. Or something along those lines.
But the cleaning lady didn't come in last night. And by the way this morning she has not showed up either.

Recently, at a party at someones appartment, I went to the toilet and was also puzzled to see the toilet brush standing in the shower. This happened in Spain. I also think it was to early in the evening for this to be explained by a prank frome some party-goer. Mysteries...

@ Arnon

Tell the belgians you are an asylum seeker. That would make a nice stir.

@Arnon
That is why It's called the couperus room, to make you as depressive as Couperus himself. You have to feel his mood.
How would be the spirit of " Grunberg room" ?

Funny though, my most recent step in sobering up my life, something I started a few years ago, is using a small -smaller than the one in the picture- towel to dry myself after my bath or shower. A small , silly step maybe, but it makes me more aware of my body somehow. Sometimes an ascetic lifestyle gives more fun.

The message is very simple: stop peeing in the shower.

You are the only one who can still make me laught at the moment. This is smth, I can tell you. Stamp! :)) I visualize easily...

Mieke, only sometimes. Lonely Planet says: 'being permanently uncomfortable won't earn you any brownie points in heaven.'

Arnon

Odd events like that can make one feel very uneasy. I've often thought it would be possible to drive someone insane by making continuous small, unexpected and unexplainable changes to their surroundings.

Assuming the change of position of the toilet brush was caused by human action (and discounting momentarily the possibility of divine intervention, the existence of a ghost or a monkey kept as a secret pet) , I can think of two practical reasons to place the toilet brush in the shower: to put it out of the way for some reason or to let it dry after washing it. Admittedly both these explanations throw up further questions, and you are left with the uncomfortable fact that someone has entered the Couperus room for the sole purpose of performing some action requiring the moving or cleaning of the toilet brush. Very odd indeed. Perhaps someone in the building is a closet toilet-brush fetishist.

Carlos

It is very well possible that the people in this institute would like to drive me crazy but I’m afraid they miss the imagination and energy to do this. It’s a pity. It’s a shame.

@ Margot

A decent bed and a hot shower doesn't appear uncomfortable to me, that's luxury. I'm sure Arnon experienced already less comfortable surroundings.