My Italian is coming on at the rate of one word a day. I now agree a one word summary of current weather conditions with the ladies in the Italian deli when I arrive for my coffee. Today: freddo. Chilly.

Went to my ruthlessly inefficient German bank again today. Still no sign of a bankcard, nearly four weeks after opening the account, but she assured me it's unterwegs and should arrive tomorrow or Friday. Whether I'll have been paid by then is another question. Signed another 4 random pieces of paper for the university this morning - the amount of paperwork really is absurd.

Yesterday evening, outside the organic supermarket of all places, I was handed a sheet of what turned out to be thinly disguised right-wing propaganda. No, not a copy of the Daily Telegraph, worse than that: a leaflet claiming that Karlsruhe was a stronghold of the extreme left, and that Nationalisten also had a right to march through the city centre, and to prevent them doing so was a violation of human rights. Hmm. I'm sure this is is the view of the smallest possible minority, but it still left me feeling quite uncomfortable.