My interests and job both include: Architecture

So I left you all last time without a discussion of my job here, as it was still the first few days and things were getting started. But I've had enough now where I can talk about it.

First off, our office is super nice and super close to the residence. So, I can leave breakfast at like 8:25 and still make it on time for my 8:30 start time even with a minute or two to spare. It took me the whole week to actually get an access card into the building, so I kept on having to ask the guy at the front desk to let me in, which I'm sure he found annoying after a while.

Anyways, I can't talk about any of the specifics of what I'm actually doing because I'm working on a military project and therefore am under an NDA, but I can get the gist across. In NA270 (Introduction to platform and vessel design), our final project for the year was to do the GA, general arrangement, for a ship. This meant showing where all the rooms were in the ship, to be concerned with accesses to said rooms, and to show where important items were located within the rooms. We did this with a system called AutoCAD in 270, and the program we use for this is functionally and visually identical to AutoCAD, so there was no learning curve for me. We do get to also use the 3D model of the boat, which is updated every few hours. It's in this new program called NavisWorks and I haven't quite gotten the hang of navigating it yet, but I have only the "viewer" installed, which means that I can't make changes to these important files even if I wanted to, so I'm not too worried. Basically my unfamiliarity with the software is only hurting myself.

So, for now, I'm working on arranging a room that contains firefighting and medical equipment, along with equipment used to fix things (like hammers, drills, extra planks of wood, etc). What's difficult is that the requirements about what size storage lockers, what equipment exactly is in the room, and other things changes very often, so while I'm just working at moving things around, they're also adding or taking away things from my plate. It's quite fast paced, and I'm getting pretty quick at using this software now.

I work from about 8:30 to 2:15, at which point we take lunch. The Spanish take meals very late... So I usually bring a few snacks with me to work so that I don't starve before lunch. But lunch is fun, we walk over to a prepared foods store (which isn't the best) and get some things, then sit outside the office and talk for a half an hour or so. Since my hours are 8:30 to 3, I just usually leave after lunch. Maybe later I'll start going in for an hour after lunch, but for now, I haven't gotten in trouble yet. Anyways, I'm enjoying the job much more than I thought I would.

My coworkers are all really nice, and the reception team, who are mostly younger, speak better English than the rest, and have their desks near mine have been really good about incorporating me into their conversations and activities. We actually spent all of Friday together, but more on that later. The only problem is that they actually work quite late into the day Monday through Thursday, so I really can only see them on Fridays and weekends outside of the office.

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Now onto the part about being in Spain!

Wednesday afternoon I headed downtown and quickly visited the Tore del Oro, where the Spanish empire used to store the gold from the colonies. Now, Seville was actually the launching off point for Cristóbal Colón, AKA Christopher Columbus, so clearly the city has a very important place in the colonial history of Spain. The museum is quaint, it has a few replicas of ships, and you can go up to the top and look out over Seville. The view wasn't spectacular since it was kind of rainy, so I didn't get that good of photos.

Next I got myself some chocos, squid tapas before heading out to see a little more. In terms of squid tapas, I think calamares (basically just calamari) are better than chocos. The chocos were really salty, and even the lemon didn't distract from that.

I am glad I got it, but probably wouldn't order them again. I wandered myself over to the Setas de Sevilla, the "Mushrooms of Seville," also known as the Metropol Parasol. The structure, only finished in 2011, is made of wood that is coated in such a way that it seems like metal up close. It provides shade for this central square of the city, as it is surrounded by big shopping streets on all sides. There's a museum at its base, showcasing some archeological things, but I didn't get to that this week. I'm sure I'll get there eventually though. Instead, I went up to the top, where you can walk around and see panoramic views of the whole city. Again, the weather didn't make for the best photos... There's this modern, winding walking path that goes around the top, and it really helps emphasize the contemporary nature of the structure it's on. There's also a show which is said to showcase the best that Seville has to offer, but you can tell immediately that it's actually animated. These wonderful panoramas with beautiful lighting they claim to have are completely fake. I was surprised, since these are all just things that would be easily captured with a drone, and instead they had buildings that would momentarily pop out of existence and people that looked uncannily realistic. Not too much of a fan of the show, unfortunately.

I wandered my way home, stopping by some interesting buildings on the way. At this point, I'm starting to get a handle on the layout of the city, and I can get to and from most places in downtown without a map now. When I'm more than about 5 minutes north of the Setas I will need a map, since I'm not too familiar with that area yet.

I actually met a ton of people at the residence that night, but I haven't seen any of them since. I'm going to try to go down and meet some of them for dinner tonight, though.

The next day I was exhausted from all the walking I did earlier, so I mostly stayed in my room after work. I did go back out to the flamenco, the same place as before, with a friend that I had met in the residence. We had a nice time there, but we just went into town for the show and right back after—no evening made of it. It was different performers from the last time, and obviously different music. But I still liked it just as much, and now I'm glad to know that if I go back, the performance will likely not be the same.

Friday was fun though! We all worked until 3, then went out for tapas. They'd been talking all week about how they wanted me to try caracoles—snails. I had plenty of escargot in France, so I wasn't grossed out by it, but what I didn't realize is that caracoles are small. You get a bowl of like a hundred snails, to which I was confused as to where one could find so many snails. Is there a farm somewhere? Caracoles were a 10/10 and would totally get them again.

We had plenty of other tapas as well...

• Croquettas—fried balls of a mix of meats and cheese. Imagine it like a fish stick but with meat instead of cheese, and in the shape of a ball. 6/10. Kinda weird texture and taste, but I feel like they're classic Spanish. I had them years ago in Galicia too, so clearly not unique to Andalucía.

• Fried cheese with raspberry sauce. 10/10. So good. Sweet and savory.

• Some sort of potato tuna pâté. 3/10 Not a big tuna guy, so this is biased.

• Lagartito—meaning "lizard" this is not lizard meat, but a cut of pork. Not quite sure why it's called what it is. 8/10. Kind of salty but still flavorful and tasty.

We then headed out to Triana, on the other side of the river, to go to a few other places to sit, eat, and drink. We basically did that all night, just spending time together outside and enjoying the local cuisine. We got these empanadas late in the night, and they hit the spot...

We took some pictures by the river before heading home, so these are some of my coworkers...

Saturday I checked out Palacio de las Dueñas, which is a palace that is still lived in, a little north of Setas. As for more discovery of the Americas history, this was actually the site of Amerigo Vespucci's marriage (the one whom America is named for). Las Dueñas is so pretty, and the gardens are so well kept.

What I really appreciate about the palace, though, is that it's undertouristed. For its beauty, location, and importance, not enough people come here. When I was there, I was one of maybe ten people there at all. So it made the whole experience really intimate. It gave me room and time to think, and appreciate that this is Andalucía. So some observations, but first, pictures!

First, I love Moorish architecture. It's not a love I've recently discovered; I picked Seville over Ferol mostly because I knew that I'd like the architecture and history in Seville better, but this was the first time it had been abundantly thrown in my face. I strolled through the palace and gardens with the audioguide occasionally giving me information, and in the meantime, Spanish classical playing in one ear, while the birds chirped in the other. It was truthfully beautiful, and for the first time since my first day here, I finally got the feeling that I'm not just in Spain, but that I'm in Andalucía. That this is the mark that the Arabs have left on Europe. That unlike Paris with its grandiose buildings and white, homogenous look, Andalucía has color, vibrance, uniqueness, and diversity in its look. It's something so pretty, so interesting for the eye.

Next would be the flora. Starting not with the flowers, but with the dirt. The Andalucían dirt is so, so cool! I know I get teased about being a massive fan of the mundane (Paris Métro case in point), but seriously you need to be here for yourself to see how awesome this dirt is. Its yellow color is vibrant, just like the buildings and plants around it. It keeps adds to the fact that nothing is uninteresting when it comes to the visual landscape of Andalucía. But against that pop purple, red, and pink flowers. I'm usually more of a cool colors kind of guy, and certainly not a purple or pink guy, but the contrast of the pinks and purples against the yellow dirt is incredibly beautiful in my opinion. And again, really, just something I never have seen and never expected to see when coming here.

Finally there was this cool room where they had taxidermies of bull heads, as well as some artwork done by one of the people that grew up in the palace on display, and some posters for the big festival in Seville the weeks of Easter. If I ever go back, I'll have to plan the trip around Easter (Semana Santa y Feria), because I bet this festival is one you wouldn't wanna miss.

Next architectural marvel: The Alcázar, which I visited today (Sunday)

If the architecture at the Dueñas was amazing, I don't even know how to describe this place. There are enough Moorish Arches to make a man go crazy, and the stone is all so intricately carved with Arabic calligraphy and patterns. The tiles all around show wonderful mosaic patterns, and the gardens are tended to perfection. I wish I could upload 100 pictures of the Alcázar, but I unfortunately have to be mindful of space on the website's server :

I cannot imagine the work, time, and effort that went into making this place. It's frankly amazing.

I don't even have that much to say about it, I'll just let the pictures do the talking. The gardens were cool, though, and there was my favorite (a labyrinth!) Always fun to run through one of those in a garden.

So some comparisons with the Alcázar.

I did not like Versailles when I was there last year. I found it too ornate, too fancy and spoiled. Is the Alcázar any less ornate or spoiled? Not really, but there's a difference, and I can't quite articulate what it is. Maybe it's a feeling of exoticness, maybe it's a feeling that I just literally react better to this type of art than the grandiose nature of Versailles or the Louvre, but I find this so much more visually interesting, so much more intimate and touching, and so much more cultured than some sort of standard European royal palace covered with gold. Much like in Las Dueñas, I got shivers thinking about how this is what people for centuries have been writing poems and music about. I was, naturally, listening to more Andalucían classical, as the audioguide costs 6 euros and I was sure I'd come back and do a tour eventually. I just walked around with this Spanish soundtrack and admired the architecture from a purely aesthetic point of view. What is interesting, though, is that not every room looks Moorish. Instead, many have something that wouldn't be out of place in Versailles. The palace is a fusion of Renaissance, Catholic, and of course Moorish styles. This, more than anything, makes for what you could call "Andalucían" Architecture. I think that these rooms, though I mostly walked right through them, seemed more interesting, as they were diametrically opposed to what you just walked through to get there, and what you'd walk into upon leaving the room.

I don't want to say that I liked Las Dueñas better, as the Alcázar clearly has much more to see, and much more ornate decorations, but the tourism issue is really, really strong at the Alcázar. Whereas I could wander completely alone in Las Dueñas, I could hardly find camera angles without people in them here. And I mean hordes of people. See, the photos I put at the top were carefully shot, and I waited until the perfect moment to snap them. In reality, this is more of what it looked like...

I think that all these people 100% detracted from the experience. There was something so peaceful, personal that I felt at Las Dueñas. Here, I felt like I was constantly having to make room for people's photos, to find the right spot where I could see what I wanted to. Again, not saying that this place isn't amazing, but it's not the intimate experience I was looking and hoping for.

That's about it for now, I'll be back later with some more things!