Back in Aveiro

Just like last year, Maarten and I (Vincent) drove a minibus packed with equipment for hydrological measurements to Aveiro. Unlike last year, however, we drove a van that had a powerful engine so that the trip went a bit more smooth. No more sweating and praying while we were going uphill with 30 km/hour in the Pyrenees. This time, the trip was a breeze, except for the awful weather conditions in the Netherlands and Belgium (see photograph).

Upon arrival in Aveiro we both felt as if we hadn't been away. Little has changed here and the year has gone by fast. After checking into the hotel we drove around the fieldwork area to get to know the roads again and to check for water. There is more water in the rivers than last year (see the web log of 2005) but it seems that the levels haven't recovered completely after the extreme drought. The picture below shows the difference: on the left you see the students that installed a piezometer in a dry river bed in 2005 and on the right you see the same river bed this year.



Today we took care of some other logistics (unpacking the van, arranging the rental cars, getting haircuts) and are now awaiting the arrival of the students. We'll take them to their appartments in Barra and then we are going to see the football match between The Netherlands and Italy. After that, it's time for the real thing tomorrow.

Vincent