what can i say. argentina was great.

back in genève. this is my home, it's right next to rue de la servette. it's formerly owned by a russian jewelry business my family worked with in minsk and we bought it from them after the war. in the 70's it was used to house russian UN associates but in the 90's it was the americans who used the place.

i have had the top 2 floors for many years now. i sublet the bottom floors to mostly family-related people and at the moment a french couple with a little boy, both are working at the theater, live here on a longer contract. i enjoy their company. it's nice to have people look after the building when i'm away. and i like the fact that there is a lot of living going on around me. in fact, there was a childrens party the other day, where kids from the international school all came over to celebrate a little claudes 9th. birthday. the house was buzzing and the indoorpool was an obvious hit.

well, things are normal again after the holidays. in february i'll be going to argentina and chile. it will be my first trip to the southamerica mainland, i have actually sailed to the galapagos islands two times so i know the seas but... well, i'm getting the vaccine tomorrow.

oh yes, i bought a new car! an audi tt that my friend amanda recommended. i needed to get rid of the range rover anyhow. i was always too big and clumpsy for the streets of genève.

okay, i'm off again. ciao from lukasz

i get so moved. this is the besovec mountainridge that lead home east to skopje. it means i'm just one hour away from our family estate. this ridge always marks the end of a journey for me. and the beginning of my return to my homeland - the republic of macedonia. what is the saying? in order to return you have to go away. well, that's me.

okay. next picture is our mainhouse, taken on the only sunny day in skopje in december, i think. luckily the indoor pool was done and ready.

next picture is nadime, amanda from trieste and also irina slutskaya a local friend not to be confused with the famous iceskating ballerina, of course. we are at the skylight lounge, the owner calls it that, because the roof will fold back at the push of a button. nadime is sending a big toast to amanda whose dealer called to say her paintings at the exibition in rome had all sold out! a fantastic achievement.

yes. the holiday went fine, it was great to hear stories from all corners of europe. the danes were here with their northern wits, morten and jakob had bought 'presents' in liege that we were fortunate to try out because uncle goran is head of a militarybase south of the city.

the romanians were there also - anton, grigore and ionel - acting accordingly in their gypsy ways with their instruments. and the americans and russians, especially timmons and georgio, two old embassy lions - well, they got in on as always with cold war jokes to everyones amusements.

now tomorrow, at the embassy back in geneve, i'll have 1.000 mails to roam through before catching a late flight to strasbourg for what's next for european culture in the 2010's.

a happy new years to all!

lukasz