map and thesis (part 3)

3 weeks down, 3 to go. I can not make up my mind on whether it has gone quickly or slowly but it has been a steady routine of waking up, driving there (I am getting much better at driving), climbing up steep paths to map and then heading back home. We normally have to finish for around 2.30pm as it becomes too hot to work beyond that point.

I was asked a question about what I get up to in my daily life here as I have not said much about it. In all fairness there is a reason, my day is pretty boring. The main effort is all about finding out the rock types and where they change from one to another (this creates the map), then we have to describe what we see, sketch it and using our (very limited) geological knowledge, interpret what we think is going on. On the evenings I tidy up my notes, colour in my map where needed, browse youtube, and attempt to start typing up my thesis notes in order to save some time later in the year.

Week 3 included some cultural visits. The first was to the Castillo de Loarre, a medieval castle complex built between the 11th and 12th centuries and basically unused since the 15th century. It was one of the final bastions against Moorish rule and acted as a staging ground for the Kings of Aragon to start taking back land from the Moors. A thoroughly enjoyable visit for just €4 and a chance to see something that we rarely see in the UK. The views from this castle are stunning and I have more photos in my Google Photo gallery.

The second cultural visit was to Zaragoza, the capital city for the Autonomous Community of Aragon and 5th largest city in Spain. Another beautiful city to add to my growing list of explored places, Zaragoza has been around since Roman times and indeed shows very well preserved Roman ruins, Moorish buildings from its time under a Muslim kingdom after the downfall of the Caliphate of Cordoba and the medieval Spanish architecture when the Aragonese controlled it through to modern times. Photos are again available in my gallery. Whenever I travel to a new city, I normally make a visit to the cathedral or basilica priority. Zaragoza was no different and visiting the Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar (Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar) was an amazing experience albeit suffering my usual levels of annoyance at disrespectful tourists. The day culminated in some great tapas and of course, a night out. We decided to stay in a hostel so that we could enjoy a few drinks without having to worry about driving. I quite enjoy staying in hostels as they usually have a friendly atmosphere and sometimes, bar crawls can develop in the hostel bar. Alas, that did not happen this time as the bar was closed till 10 but the place did not even seem to be that busy. An ideal location for us either way and an enjoyable visit. 

In other news, I lost my job due to poor performance over the exam period and have no way to appeal as it was a 0 hour contract. Ah well, I now have more time to play the Elder Scrolls or some other game (and do uni work of course). The next few days will be the same as usual but we will be having a visit from our supervisor. If my next blog post is sad in its feel then it is because he has shredded my work to bits and I have to do it again (insert crying emoji).

We shall see. Until then.... :)