I talk to... CHARLOTTE

age: 24
nationality: Belgian
type of visitor: occasional
drinking: green tea
eating: a chocolate bar

painting: "C" by Yannis Psychopedis

Charlotte is reading books and taking notes. She works steadily and calmly. Her long hair is piled high over her head, as if it knows it mustn't get in the way of her work. She says she comes here because it's authentic and not too trendy -- plus she can "nearly" see her flat from the window. A student at Edinburgh College of Art, her final-year dissertation concerns the influence of Greek antiquities on contemporary art. She mentions an artist called Yannis Psychopedis.

Later I wikipedia him: "Yannis Psychopedis is one of the main Greek exponents of artistic Critical Realism, an art movement that developed in Europe after the political and social upheavals of 1968."

After leaving the Elephant House I see Charlotte again, outside. She is smoking a cigarette in the freezing cold, and doesn't see me.