You step off the train and the street is already talking. Church bells mark the hour above a square of stepped gable roofs and someone at a corner café moves from one language to another without missing a word. You follow the smell of something sweet and fried, and take a seat by the window.
The weather is mild and maritime, with some rain in every season, so a jacket is part of the plan. Trips work best as loose loops between small cities. A Local Friend opens a door you would not have knocked on, from a family workshop to a neighbourhood bar with its own house rules.
