Week One: ¡Bienvenidos a España!
As I finally have a few minutes where nobody wants my attention too badly, and I'm awake enough to think, I'll start putting together this update. It's been a week, here. Only a week! I think I've worked enough for it to have been at least two or three. No surprise there - this is the price I pay for not being on call the rest of the time.
Picture intensive, all 400X300, all work-safe.
Flight, Arrival
My flights were long, tired, crowded, and (as I see often) the woman in front of me was determined to wear lots of perfume, reapplying it over and over. But, nothing out of the ordinary, I slept a lot and drugged myself a lot (having started the trip with a cold and higher then normal tendency towards motionsickness).
I arrived and was met by
brian1789 at Barajas. We dealt with rental car paperwork and headed for our hotel. Checked in, unpacked a bit, changed clothes and wandered off to the local mall to find food and attempt to stay awake for a bit. After a tasty bocadillo and some grocery shopping, we returned to the hotel where I crashed (boom!).
Day 2: Adventuring in Madrid
After much sleep, we decided to go to El Rastro - a big flea market in the center of Madrid. It was mostly clothes and such, and jam-packed with people. Fun, all the same. I got a skirt, a shirt, a bag and a set of practice poi. Yay!
El Rastro
After that had entirely exhausted us, and we'd managed to lose bothbrian1789 and TS, hopeforyou and I decided it was time for lunch and drinks. I ordered potatoes (ended up being french fries and eggs, a little odd) and she had pollo. Eventually both of the guys found us and ordered their own lunches. We all enjoyed some Tinto Verano (red wine mixed with lemon-lime soda).
brian1789 enjoying some squid
hopeforyou makes a toast to coffee
After lunch, TS wandered off to see the Prado while the rest of us decided to wander around and see what we could see. We found lots of interesting shops, restaurants, statues and people. Wandered into a church, down some side streets, and eventually back to Plaza Mayor, where we found a restaurant to sit in the shade at, sipping sangria and agua.
Plaza Mayor
Around 2000, TS rejoined us with RG and KB (who had been sleeping off their previous night's adventures). We decided that this was the evening for tapas and churros con chocolate. Mmm, tasty goodness.
KB and TS excitedly wait for their jamon
RG and KB debate the merits of duck via pork jamon
Somewhere in our wanders we also ran into some very interesting local street art- both human-based and non.
Absurd Kitchen Implements
Sculpture?
Day 3: CAB/INTA
On the third day, we created a satellite connection! We also discovered that the satellite modem was flakey. I went back to the hotel around lunch and slept for a while, because I was still very sicky and felt awful.
Day 4: Transit
After an 0830 breakfast meeting, we headed out to RioTinto, in Huelva, where we'll be spending most of this trip. I'm sharing a car withbrian1789, so we tossed a few CD's in and zoomed off. We finally left the hotel around 12:30, and made it to Merida (the 2/3waypoint) around 4, to find lunch. Debated seeing the lovely Roman ruins, but decided to wait till tenacious_snail and karenbynight are with us.
We hit Nerva and came to the bungalows where we're staying, checked in, turned on the AC hoping to reduce the chance of being baked while we sleep and wandered over to the hotel most of the team is staying at. We greeted the owner, Casiano, and various team members. After a bit of time using the net connection, we had dinner with the whole team - ahh, meat and grease!
Day 5: Up and Running
This was Wednesday, when we got our links (satellite and wireless) up and running, andbrian1789 and I headed into Sevilla to get supplies for the team and to make our bungalow more livable (Ikea! Corte Ingles!)
The drillsite is up at the top of the mine, near this Compass Rose
The Satellite Dish and Comms Truck
View from the Borehole
Another View from the Borehole
Around 2240,brian1789, KB, RA and I were still waffling on dinner, so I whipped up pasta with shrimp and spinach. Yum. Not greasy meat!
Day 6: RapidFire Fuss
By Thursday I was exhausted. Not enough sleep, still jetlagged, 42C temperatures. We were all getting cranky. I think I witnessed 4-5 shouting matches over the course of this day. I felt like everyone wanted things from me, all of them RIGHT NOW. Ah, the fun of field work.
We tested all of our links and got a full end-to-end test done. Success! We also found out that some of our team is now on call if they're needed to go back to the US to help out with Disaster Relief.
The Drill Platform
Core Sample Handling System Controllers
KB and TS at the Museo Minero
Day 7: Breaking Point
Friday was the last day for some members of our team, so there was some juggling of making sure everything was configured, tested, documented and handed off. We now have VoIP capabilities at the borehole. Yay!
Everyone was entirely exhausted by about 2000, so we stopped for the week, assisted by the CAB folks taking off for the weekend and shutting up most of our equipment and the museum closing.
Dinner with the whole team, cubalibres and eventually sleep. Sleep!
Picture intensive, all 400X300, all work-safe.
Flight, Arrival
My flights were long, tired, crowded, and (as I see often) the woman in front of me was determined to wear lots of perfume, reapplying it over and over. But, nothing out of the ordinary, I slept a lot and drugged myself a lot (having started the trip with a cold and higher then normal tendency towards motionsickness).
I arrived and was met by
brian1789 at Barajas. We dealt with rental car paperwork and headed for our hotel. Checked in, unpacked a bit, changed clothes and wandered off to the local mall to find food and attempt to stay awake for a bit. After a tasty bocadillo and some grocery shopping, we returned to the hotel where I crashed (boom!). Day 2: Adventuring in Madrid
After much sleep, we decided to go to El Rastro - a big flea market in the center of Madrid. It was mostly clothes and such, and jam-packed with people. Fun, all the same. I got a skirt, a shirt, a bag and a set of practice poi. Yay!
El Rastro
After that had entirely exhausted us, and we'd managed to lose both
brian1789 and TS, hopeforyou and I decided it was time for lunch and drinks. I ordered potatoes (ended up being french fries and eggs, a little odd) and she had pollo. Eventually both of the guys found us and ordered their own lunches. We all enjoyed some Tinto Verano (red wine mixed with lemon-lime soda). brian1789 enjoying some squidhopeforyou makes a toast to coffeeAfter lunch, TS wandered off to see the Prado while the rest of us decided to wander around and see what we could see. We found lots of interesting shops, restaurants, statues and people. Wandered into a church, down some side streets, and eventually back to Plaza Mayor, where we found a restaurant to sit in the shade at, sipping sangria and agua.
Plaza Mayor
Around 2000, TS rejoined us with RG and KB (who had been sleeping off their previous night's adventures). We decided that this was the evening for tapas and churros con chocolate. Mmm, tasty goodness.
KB and TS excitedly wait for their jamon
RG and KB debate the merits of duck via pork jamon
Somewhere in our wanders we also ran into some very interesting local street art- both human-based and non.
Absurd Kitchen Implements
Sculpture?
Day 3: CAB/INTA
On the third day, we created a satellite connection! We also discovered that the satellite modem was flakey. I went back to the hotel around lunch and slept for a while, because I was still very sicky and felt awful.
Day 4: Transit
After an 0830 breakfast meeting, we headed out to RioTinto, in Huelva, where we'll be spending most of this trip. I'm sharing a car with
brian1789, so we tossed a few CD's in and zoomed off. We finally left the hotel around 12:30, and made it to Merida (the 2/3waypoint) around 4, to find lunch. Debated seeing the lovely Roman ruins, but decided to wait till tenacious_snail and karenbynight are with us. We hit Nerva and came to the bungalows where we're staying, checked in, turned on the AC hoping to reduce the chance of being baked while we sleep and wandered over to the hotel most of the team is staying at. We greeted the owner, Casiano, and various team members. After a bit of time using the net connection, we had dinner with the whole team - ahh, meat and grease!
Day 5: Up and Running
This was Wednesday, when we got our links (satellite and wireless) up and running, and
brian1789 and I headed into Sevilla to get supplies for the team and to make our bungalow more livable (Ikea! Corte Ingles!)The drillsite is up at the top of the mine, near this Compass Rose
The Satellite Dish and Comms Truck
View from the Borehole
Another View from the Borehole
Around 2240,
brian1789, KB, RA and I were still waffling on dinner, so I whipped up pasta with shrimp and spinach. Yum. Not greasy meat!Day 6: RapidFire Fuss
By Thursday I was exhausted. Not enough sleep, still jetlagged, 42C temperatures. We were all getting cranky. I think I witnessed 4-5 shouting matches over the course of this day. I felt like everyone wanted things from me, all of them RIGHT NOW. Ah, the fun of field work.
We tested all of our links and got a full end-to-end test done. Success! We also found out that some of our team is now on call if they're needed to go back to the US to help out with Disaster Relief.
The Drill Platform
Core Sample Handling System Controllers
KB and TS at the Museo Minero
Day 7: Breaking Point
Friday was the last day for some members of our team, so there was some juggling of making sure everything was configured, tested, documented and handed off. We now have VoIP capabilities at the borehole. Yay!
Everyone was entirely exhausted by about 2000, so we stopped for the week, assisted by the CAB folks taking off for the weekend and shutting up most of our equipment and the museum closing.
Dinner with the whole team, cubalibres and eventually sleep. Sleep!