Short little Check in

Its been a bit since I updated the blog. I'm going to keep you all waiting a little bit longer. I'm currently in Seville, and have been traveling around Andalucia for the past week. I'll be back in Madrid on Sunday and when I get back I'll get you all posted on all that I've seen and get some pictures up for you. In the meantime, I would like to give you a sneak peak at what is in store, and share with you the trips DEFINITIVE photo album. Kindly give it a visit at http://picasaweb.google.com/owen.hassig/DucksOfSevilla
I promise that you will not be disappointed. Without further ado I present to you "THE DUCKS OF SEVILLA!!!" Enjoy, and I will check back in in a couple of days.

Best,
Owen

update

nope... I'm not the walrus. Oh well

Riding Bikes

This is the view from Tambor. Its a little baby 724 meter climb about 25 minutes north of my Apartment. I realize now that this picture would be alot more impressive if it weren't so cloudy. But its pretty steep, and off in the distance you can see the valley that I just climbed out of. I wish I had cooler pictures from this ride to post. But the rest of it wound up being on bike paths as I can't really figure out how to get to the actual MOUNTAINS. Grrrrrrr. Anyways. Longer post coming, but I thought I'd share a picture.

I'm BACK IN ACTION

So, this isn't so much a significant post, other than the fact that this picture of Laundry (which will soon smell like city and be as stiff as a board) was taken with my new CAMERA!!! Thats right, pictures will return to posts now. Get excited. Anyways, thats happening, that laundry is drying in the courtyard space in the middle of the building. It will soon lose its fresh scent and become quite stiff and need some hand softening before you can even THINK about wearing it. I miss dryers.

Ciao
Owen

I met the Egghead...he tried to rob me...twice

For those of you who are familiar with the Beatles tune "I am the Walrus," you have no doubt wondered about John Lennon's reference to the Eggheads. Whether Lennon was indeed an egghead or not, I met one of the eggheads to whom he refers. This is not to judge appearances, but they wind up being pertinent, I promise.
Lets go back in time to a few weekends ago. I am on the metro on the way to the airport to go to Rome. As I sit and sort of glance at my brick of a Europe on a Budget book, the man next to me asks, "Excuse meee do you speek Eenglish?"
I reply that I do, and he continues "I am Sweeeeess (Swiss) and I have lost my wallet and passport. My embassy is closed for the weekend, can you give me 10 Euros." Now being a student, and not really having 15 dollars at the start of a trip to throw at the guy, say no, despite my charitable tendencies. I see some guy give him 10 euros with a promise to mail them back once he gets his things back together (he takes the address).

Now the egghead comes in because this man, is the personification of an Egghead. He is a skinny, well dressed man, with very...egg like (?) features. He's balding in the center of his head, has an oblong shape to his skull, and just generally reminds me of an Egg. The important thing is that I can just remember this guys face perfectly.
Fast forward about a week. I'm standing with my roommate waiting to meet some people in Puerto del Sol, next to the statue of the bear and the strawberry tree. A man approaches us and says "Excuse me I'm Swiss..." you know the rest. Now I understand that you might not remember everyone you try to scam, but this guy got lucky and tried the same guy...TWICE! I just kind of laugh at him. I don't speak to him in English this time, but rather in Spanish and I say (translated) "You realize you tried to pull this exact same scam on me a week ago on the metro." He begins to deny it vehemently, and says that its not possible, he is not scamming me, he's serious. I tell him, "I recognize you, there is not another person in the world who looks like you, run or I'm getting those police officers." He departs rather quickly at this and I'm left with my roommate just laughing hysterically. Of all the people he could pick in Sol that night, it was us.
Anyways, I guess thieves can be anyone, this guy looked pretty clean cut, but what can you do? I'm still with my 10 Euros and wasn't had. But I guess its just a comical look at all the people who will pick pockets, or ask for your money.

So...the egghead is swiss, and he lacks 10 Euros. I know what Lennon was singing about. I might contextualize this with the song and try to determine whether or not this does in fact make ME the Walrus...more on that later.

Ciao,
Owen

NEW STUFF!!!

This is a fairly short, uninformative post. I'm sorry. Just a little housekeeping.

1) Blogger is now available in Persian, Hebrew, and Arabic. I thought I should pass this little tidbit along, if anyone wants to see a language change along with the hotly contested name debate right now, let me know.

2) I've decided that in addition to having some pictures on the blog I should just have some web albums, I'll be picking highlights and sort of letting you peruse them at your leisure. Anyways, the address on that is as follows: http://picasaweb.google.com/owen.hassig

And yes, that I am starting some picture updates means that a new camera is in the works, and I should be seeing it towards the end of the week, just in time to get some great pictures of my trip to Andalucia for 6 days, get ready for lots of white buildings and blue tiles (azulejas...look them up, they're cool).

Toodles,
Owen

Name Change?

So I've been thinking about it, and I can't decide whether Iberian Express is a lame name or not. Another thought that had occured to me is 4 Stops From the Sun. That seems damn arbitrary, I know, but hear me out...A) It is permanently 60 degrees here, not this up and down 70 degrees followed by 30 degrees followed by snow, rain, drought...So I think the climate's character might warrant a name change. B) We live 4 metro stops from Puerto del Sol (the door to the sun) which is the center of the constantly abuzz* city of Madrid. So thoughts, comments, questions, let me know. I'll probably sit on it and never do it, but its worth mulling over, and besides, its siesta time and I'm bored






*Certain conditions may apply. This claim is not valid between the hours of 2 and 5 p.m. at which time most Madrilenos can be found eating...or asleep, not so much buzzing

HOORAY!

Well, I'm rejoicing because somehow the internet SEEMS to have returned to my apartment. Whether this is just a cruel fallacy that is designed to raise my hopes only to have them dashed against the pavement here on Calle Caceres remains to be seen. But in the meantime, here's some lovely Italian photography to keep you entertained

See, I really was there, wearing all of my clothes (though you can't see, thats 4 layers)

Coolio Makes his descent (I think it may be symbolic of that which he took from the brief realms of hip hop stardom...input welcome, if you'd like to start a comment board debate, feel free...not that many people comment on this, but you know, if you were so inclined)

Its been awhile

So Here at long last I am.

After the Italy trip my internet seems to have mysteriously died and I've been spending my little internet time writing emails, and similar things, trying not to fall behind on that. So, here I am, I apologize for my prolonged absence, and promise that I will try to return to you all more frequently.

So what have I been up to. Well I guess I'll tell you a little story of Italy, and see where we go from there. I went to Rome last thursday night, for 2 days, then on to Venice for 2. I love long weekends. Anyways, we arrived in Rome to stay at our 8 Euro a night hostel... $12 for a bed a night, we can't really complain. The Hostel is run by a man from Morocco and the hostel seems to have a faint odor of Marrakesh, as well as some disturbing 40 year old seemingly permanent residents. Its a bit sketchy, and the best part is that I think it might have been colder inside the Hostel than out. I think I slept in 50 degree weather, wearing all of my clothes (t shirt, long sleeve t shirt, sweater, cords, under a blanket, still shivering. I was cold for literally 4 days straight on this trip I think. Anyways first day, go out and see EVERY piece of ancient Rome in the city. It was really magnificient to see all of these amazing buildings that were all nearly 2000 years old, or older!!! Now, I'm sure you're going to want me to insert one of the 100 pictures I took that day right here...well I would if it hadn't been for some kind Roman's need to relieve me of my camera, so some guy has a very nice picture of me at the Palatine to show his kids.

The second day we did the Vatican, where you can't take pictures anyways...so no big loss. Just kidding. The Vatican is really an amazing building. Its just so amazingly large with these windows letting in enough beams of light to give this massive stone place a rather ethereal feel. Its really beyond words. But I think Italy's bigger gem in terms of Cathedrals is St. Marks. When I went to Venice in high school we did not get to go in, but imagine a basilica, completely covered in mosaics, all of a gold background. I walked in and my jaw just dropped. It was simply amazing, and it just gives such a sense of power and is so awe inspiring I don't have enough words to describe it (I clearly need to improve my vocabulary if I am to continue this blog).

A Venice highlight is Carnival. We showed up for the second day of it, and honestly there were more people in St. Mark's square than there are in the middle of the summer. It was kind of suffocating and impressive. But we saw the arrival of the Angel, the modern interpretation of a traditional Carnival event. So, there were letters spelling 'ANGELO' descending a wire from a bell tower to a stage on the ground, and a man clad in white with spiked cornrows, waving to the crowd. And as he descended to the stage to the tune of Gangsta's Paradise, it was clear...we were watching COOLIO!!! Ah to live the life of an american rap icon past his prime, now celebrating ancient European festivals!

So anyways, thats a snapshot of my trip to Italy. I hope you liked it. We did a day trip to El Valle de los Caidos yesterday, a tomb for Franco, and 40,000 soldiers who died in the Spanish civil war, but it was sort of a dissapointing experience. I did get to eat ox though, although I think they had just finished pulling a cart with it 5 minutes before it appeared on my plate, because it was rose red in color, and smelled like a cow farm. Oh well. This week will fly by and I am off to Nottingham to visit Heather on Friday for the weekend!!! A new camera is on the way, and if I can steal some of my roommate's pictures, I'll try to give you a glimpse of Italy.

Best,
Owen