Very annoying...

...how Spanish people drive. The permanent traffic jams and parked cars in the middle lane are not the problem. The big problem is the attitude towards the cars. I do not want to relaunch the discussion whether cars are merely objects dedicated to transport or if they might arouse an emotion to some of us, BUT: In the end you at least try not to damage autos, that are awaiting silently their owner; a car keen on the next ride, looking incredibly beautiful in its parking spot...
And then some moron tries to park and fucks up. The third time while I am here. So sad, so annoying. Sorry my friends, but this time it really affected my feelings... and the substance of Golfinchen ;-) (Xabi, Camo, Andreinha y Fran - ya lo saben, verdad!?)

Caffé, Espresso, Latte Macchiato...

Parlando del Caffé: Mi sembra che ci sia una confusione in tutto il mondo su questo soggetto! In Italia un caffé è un caffé corto - in Spagna invece, un caffé è un caffé lungo. Se si vuole bere un caffé si deve ordinare un espresso. Mi fa paura. E cosa c'è se ordino un cappuccio romano? Cosí, a partire da adesso, bevo solamente cioccolata calda - pero attenzione: Qua si chiama "Colacao"... Auguri.
Ci sono direttive della uniona europea per tutto - amici, abbiamo bisogno di una in più :-)

Biblioteca...

...es kam wie es kommen musste. Nachdem ich in Deutschland einen nicht unwesentlichen Anteil der UniBib mitfinanziert hatte, war ich begeistert von der hiesigen Regelung, dass man 2 Bücher nur 3 Tage lang ausleihen darf - da kann mans wenigstens nicht vergessen! Das Wochenende zählt nicht mit, sodass ich eine DVD und ein Buch am Mittwoch ausgeliehen hatte und dementsprechend Montag wieder zurückbringen musste. Einfach, strukturiert, gut. DENKSTE!
Ich hatte etwas missverstanden: Es waren nicht 2 Bücher für 3 Tage, sondern 3 Bücher für 2 Tage. Mist. Also hätte ich den Kram schon am Freitag zurückbringen müssen. "Achja," sagte mir der Mann am Rückgabeschalter, "wenn die Medien zu spät zurückgegeben werden, dann zählt das Wochenende mit." Also waren die Sachen nicht einen, sondern drei Tage zu spät?? "Ja genau, das sind dann 2 Medien mal 3 Tage, macht sechs." - Wie sechs? - "Das macht dann 6 Wochen, die Sie keine Bücher entleihen können." - AAAAAAAAAAAAhhhh! - Das, ich, äh, moment. Das wusste ich nicht! "Lo siento mucho." so die beruhigende Antwort des Bibliothekars - YO TAMBIEN, yo lo siento muchisimo!!!!!
Also: 3 Medien für 2 Tage. Ansonsten Stalingrad. Gracias.

P.S.: Wie soll ich bitte ein Buch an zwei Tagen durchlesen?? Angenommen, ich würde zwischendurch auch noch essen und schlafen wollen? Naja, die Sorge muss ich ja jetzt nicht mehr haben - wenn ich jetzt etwas lesen möchte, muss ich dies ja sowieso in der Bib tun, Ausleihen is ja vorerst nich mehr!!

Babylon

I decided to keep up the general information in English - but I will also provide information in "European"... Hopefully this will not cause too much confusion.

15/10/06 - Euskadi

Every year a college organizes a party in the north of Navarra to gain money for their programs supporting EUSKERA, the basque language. This year, approximately 120.000 people where there!
It was a huge party that attracted everyone in favour of the basque country, its' language and culture. Thus, almost everybody was speaking in Euskera and also the flyers you got were incomprehensible to me. Euskera is the language of the basque people, spoken in the Basque Country and parts of Navarra. Just like Finnish and Hungarian, Euskera can not be traced back to any language family - so trying to understand it without never having studied it is impossible.

One typical sport in Euskadi (the Basque Country) is a shepherd trying to guide sheep around fences with his dog - great stuff!

12/10/06 - Zaragoza

Every spanish city has its "fiesta" or annual party. In Zaragoza they call it "Fiesta del Pilar". We got on the bus in Pamplona on Thursday morning and stayed there all day and night until we got back to Pamplona at 9:30 the next morning...and it definitely was worth it! We met up with many other international students from Pamplona. Concerts in the streets, samba rhythms, good wheather and I guess also some alcohol made us pass a very funny time there...
"J'ai faim, j'ai faim, je vais manger..." :-)

07/10/2006 - Navarra

Pamplona is the capital of Navarra, a region between País Vasco and Aragón. We made an excursion to see the major sights of the region of Navarra... Two buses of International students and some tutors... NICE - what I liked best? The Lunch at Yamaguchi Hotel ;-)

30/09/2006 - Bilbao

Spontaneously I went to Bilbao, one of the major cities of the Basque Country (País Vasco / Euskadi). Seba, Mauro, Adrien and Filippo went with me by car. Our major target was the "Guggenheim Museum", but we got some glances of the city center, too. Bilbao changed in the last decade from a industrial center to a vibrant and modern city. The architecture of the Guggenheim Museum is overwhelming! Sadly, just one of the three floors of expositions was opened that day. On October 12 a new Africa exposition is starting - might go there one more time then...

26/09/06 - San Sebastiàn

Since the wheather was awesome I went to San Sebastiàn to enjoy the last hot days of the year on the beach. It definitely is a the place to be in these days. I literally advanced to be a tour guide in San Sebastiàn for the other Erasmus Students, as it is my umpteath time to be here!

Pamplona...

I was very lucky because I found an apartment within my first day in Pamplona!!! It was a coincidence: I was taking part in the guided tour of the university and all and there I met a Spanish girl that was still looking for two flatmates. Knowing that residents mostly have better knowledge of the city and the housing and all I went for it! Now I am living with two Spanish girls and an Italian... So far Filippo (from Milano) and I are talking in Italian which has to stop because after all I am in Spain and want to learn Spanish!!

The apartment is located perfectly between the university campus and the city center - both are more or less in a walking distance of 10 minutes...

OK, I know, these descriptions are like in a travel book, but I am sure that, sooner or later, I will amuse you with extraordinary happenings... :-)

El viaje...

According to my duty and, by now, my desire to study for my German state exam of law in March I had to carry a considerable weight of books and material to Spain. Thus, flying was out of question and sending by mail would have cost a furtune. So I drove to Pamplona by car passing the Netherlands, Belgium and France.

On the first day I drove from Enschede to Paris. At the airport Charles de Gaulle in Paris I picked up my friend Elisa that just returned from a trip to Italy and together we drove to her house where I spent very nice hours in the circle of her family.

The next day I passed on to San Sebastiàn. I spent the weekend at the house of my friend Xabier. Esta fin de semana estuvo cojonudo, tio!!! Since it is just one hour away from Pamplona I will return every now and then to enjoy the flair of my FAVORITE city in the world!