Farewell to Gryllus

Kicked out of your house on New Year’s Eve… outrageous? ‘I came to live in Gryllus House six years ago. I was warned then already that I could be kicked out at any moment because the university wanted to sell the land. Now the time has come. It was announced well in advance and I even got good compensation from the landlord. So it’s not outrageous, but it is a pity.’ What memories of Gryllus will stay with you for ever? ‘The fun we had living together. The campfires and the great parties. Sleeping in the garden under the stars. Splashing about in an improvised swimming pool and zooming down a soap slide on the sand heap. The shepherd who popped in for coffee. The great location, walking distance from the Forum, the supermarket and the Bongerd.’ Any bad memories as well? ‘We didn’t take much initiative to invest in the house because we knew it was going to be demolished anyway. When the drain in the sink got blocked we just sawed through the pipe and put a bucket under the sink. And the house was not on the sewage system. About once a year the septic tank was full and the toilet backed up. Then we had to walk to the Forum to poo.’