I just erased by mistake a long post telling how, so far, the island seems to be much nicer than I had imagined. Then it went on describing the first impressions, the mix of idyllic music coming from different sources as I entered the maze of little hilly winding streets. How this music becomes more like cheap techno or disco as the night goes on. How the nicest thing is the mix of people and of purposes. That there are quiet corners not far at all from very busy corners.

And how after going up and down and around and around I bumped on a breathtaking sunset at the seaside (really), and how all the absolute white buildings and houses suddenly got less and less white and how orange beams beamed from the little waterfront streets.

Then the city started turning on its lights, again very bright shades of white, but these were placed surprisingly low, so that the first floor of the houses remained darker, above this bright maze.

And since it was now post-sunset the smells were all very subtle and sweet. All the showers and sun creams, barely noticeable but noticeable, mixed with the sea breeze.

And since I had figured out the basics I sat down in a little restaurant, had some light food and read a bit and went back to the place where I am staying tonight. It is 10 minutes walk away from the city core (uphill) and it has a pool. It was just early evening as I swam, but I'll be back for a swim later on.
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The place feels like a mutated library and the crowd is pretty diverse, to say the least, with a majority of kids. I wonder how does it look like at, say, 4.30 in the morning (it's a 24h shop). One brief look and I can see that a full row of users is connected to the same site, chatting. For NLG 2.50 you get to browse for 5 hours (you can interrupt and continue some other day).

Once in a while an orange window pops up at the screen recommending users to keep an eye on their belongings.
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And the surprise was: Arnhem has vertical action! From the station to the academy I actually had to go downhill! There was also a staircase connecting two different streets, something quite familiar since my early childhood (you see this kind of public staircase all over Sumaré, the neighbouhood of Sao Paulo where I lived my first years).

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A similar but more radical solution is being used in Hong Kong since 1993, when escalators took the unusual function of public transport. They bring people up and down between Mid-Levels and the Central District. Fourteen one-way escalators in a row. They go down in the morning and up in the afternoon(appartment buildings are uphill, offices are downhill). Next to the escalators there are regular stairs for the ones with unusual working hours. There's a little interruption or plateau between each escalator (at every street intersection) so you can always step in or out, independent from the level you live in. The use of the escalators is free.

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