Dusseldorf was sweltering in a Saharan heat bubble towards the end of June and my hotel room didn't have any air-conditioning. Fortunately, I was four floors up and could open the windows. Lying on top of the bed at night in the sweltering heat, listening to the city below, I felt a bit like Martin Sheen in the opening scenes of Apocalypse Now, except there wasn't a fan whirring above me and I had no inclination to start self-harming, I just made sure I had enough mineral water.
展开▼