I will be back in Motovun in two or three weeks at the latest. The winter, if this is what it actually is, is on its hind legs already. Another bout of snow is still possible, but it is not likely to last longer than a few days. At any rate, the hilltown is popping up in my mind ever more often. Am I eager to return? Far from it, but I feel a bit better about it than the previous years. The new mayor makes a huge difference to me. Although I will bump into the old mayor and his stooges every now and then, they are history by now. Or so it seems. No matter what happens, I cannot imagine them wielding the sort of power they used to wield ever again. The Istrian Democratic Assembly is still in power on the peninsula, but its heyday is long past. This will be reflected in Motovun itself. Luckily, the party’s most ardent supporters will be ever fewer and farther between. All in all, I look forward to seeing old friends and watching the passing show from my table at Marko’s on the lower square. The tourist season will start in earnest rather late this year on account of the late Easter, but there will be tourists around by the end of March or beginning of April. It will be fun to watch them milling around, as ever. And laugh my head off.