Help! I need a Porsche! It's an emergency!

So we've known for a long time that the number for emergencies in Europe is not 911, like in the US. Over here you dial 112 if you need help. What I didn't realize until now, is that in Stuttgart "911" is actually the direct extension to call Porsche Headquarters. Hilarious. Can't you just see a confused American with a flesh wound calling 911 for help, only to be talked into buying the new Carrera? I guess in a way a new Porsche would be therapeutic.

London looks cool in sepia tone

So I know that Andy already talked about our trip to London, but I was playing around with the pics and thought I would post them. There are all of these nice artistic shots that we took (mostly he took), that just look that much cooler when you make them sepia tone. Like they belong framed and effortlessly arranged on an antique bookcase. Enjoy. :)

Beer taps at the pub near Sandy's place

Big Ben and a double-decker bus

The Tower Bridge

Wheels of cheese at Neal's Dairy

Gardens at the back of Windsor Castle
(that the Queen's room overlooks)The facade of HarrodsOld pub near Victoria SquareThe London Eye

A conference with cow bells, what's not to like?

As some of you may know, I'm in the middle of a whirlwind of conferences. At the moment, I'm two down with one to go. Just to give you a recap, in the past two weeks I've presented one poster, given two talks, attended upwards of 60 talks, visited 4 poster sessions, met and memorized the names of 30 new networking acquaintances, and eaten 20 restaurant meals. Conference time can be exhausting.

The good news is, that sometimes you get to visit a place that's cool, like Braunwald, Switzerland. This tiny little village is perched some 1300 m (4265 ft) up along the side of a mountain. It's quaint character is increased by the fact that no cars are allowed, and the only transport up there is a cable car from the town of Linthal in the valley below. It was really a beautiful place to be, surrounded by rolling green hills and glistening white mountaintops.

View from the hotel over the Glarus Valley

Cows Grazing

This cow had a particularly loud bell

Riding scooters down the mountain.
A group of us took another cable car 200 meters further up,
then rented these scooters to ride back down. Super fun.
Here I am posing with Dan, a fellow post-doc
who works in Karlsruhe, Germany.

Green hills in contrast with white mountains

I have to say though, one of my favorite things was the cows. As you many know, it's common to tie a cow bell around the neck of each member of your herd, so that you can always locate your flock. Multiply that times dozens of cows spread over dozens of farms, and you've got a continuous little cow bell symphony each day. I took a video to try to demonstrate this effect:

My other favorite things was the fire hydrants, which were painted to look like miniature people:



All in all a very nice conference. I think it's inspired me to look into Switzerland as a weekend getaway option. Either for hiking in the fall, or skiing in the winter. It may be an expensive country, but when you see how pretty it is you really don't mind.

Hidden in Plain Sight: Amsterdam's Daily Life

Amsterdam.

The word alone elicits a varying collection of ideologies (and, ahem, memories), be it clean or cloudy. Before I left I talked to at least 5 people about my upcoming adventure, and every single one of them had a different perspective. After returning I realized what one omitted was highlighted by the next person, which ended up rounding out my own experience. Not to say that Amsterdam is any one thing, let alone five, but, well, it is what it is - and that's what makes it so damn unique. Even their tagline is "I AMsterdam". Pretty much sums it up.

Our initial plans were to tour the city and lands, visiting cheese manufacturers, sniffing out the iconic windmills, and crawling via boats through their many canals. Ended up traveling by foot or tram most of the time, and didn't get out of the city for any of our previously planned activities. Instead we pedded around with friends of ours who we hadn't seen for a while. The weekend was slow-paced and very enjoyable compared to our action-packed adventures which I recently decided to move away from. I do wish the weather had been nicer to warrant bike rentals, though, as it's a great way to experience a new place - especially in a town that has more bikes and boats compared to cars. You can't throw a stone in that town without either hitting a watery canal or a bicycle (and probably a bicyclist to boot).

This, like all other spaces of available earthen
property, was completely consumed by bicycles.

Top activities: The Dutch Resistance Museum, an awesome Brewery next to the token Windmill, improv Comedy at BoomChicago, the Church in the Attic, the Van Gogh Museum, and visiting the House of Anne Frank. I'd like to note that it was nothing like the house I envisioned Anne Frank and her family living in. In fact, I didn't see any of your typical free-standing "houses" in Amsterdam. They're all what you'd recognize as Town Houses or Row Houses. Apparently the Amsterdam gov't imposed a tax on each house depending on its width. The skinnier the house, the lower the taxes. You'd be amazed how long these houses are from front to back, but also how skinny some of them are. The stairwells of many houses visited were freakishly steep, and I imagined plenty of scenes how my life would play out should I go a'rolling down just one flight. freaky steep.

A tiny example of Amsterdam property fronts.
Packed tightly together and along the water-
front, these houses are unique and interesting.

This trip also rejuvinated my fascination with house boats. Seriously, house boats are cool. So cool, in fact, you suddenly have to worry about pirates mucking about your watery property. Unfortunately I didn't see any of them equipped with canons, which would have been the ultimate accessory, but I did see one with a WWII USSR water mine atop it's cabin. Some were plain-Jane while other boaters had their gardens atop their living quarters. That's a pretty efficient use of space, thought I. Aarrgh.

Click to see more detail of the houseboats. This
photo captures all: Bikes, Boats, and Moats. Sorry,
supposed to rhyme. Of course I meant canals.

Apart from these sights we of course saw Amsterdam's infamous Red Light District and Pot/Shroom shops galore. I recall an article (the Economist?) about Amsterdam's "working" population achieving health care benefits for their profession. They are, after all, a business and I believe somewhat regulated by gov't taxes / standards. This profession is not without its group of slackers. I can't count how many windows I walked by observing a majority attached to their mobile phones, texting or chatting their time away to friends or family while they stood (or sat) around in lingerie. Couldn't believe it. Talk about a lack of motivation! I guess Amsterdam proprietors haven't implemented a rewarding Employee of the Month award program just yet.

In the end we didn't get to a cheesehouse in the country, something that appealed to us both. We managed to sneak away with a nice wheel of fresh Gouda and dill, as well as a local cheese recommended to us by our host Barry. We did, however, finally take our first train ride to a vacation destination. An agreeable time of 5 hours to get to Amsterdam, and spent the entire time reading and watching scenery whip past at 100-200 km/h. I look forward to taking more trips this way, as it worked out best for both of us considering the low-to-zero stress when compared to preparing and taking a flight. And whereas you encounter a formidable security checkpoint including chemical sensors, frustrated passengers / workers, and seventeen ID checks, our experience was much easier: one passport check and one ticket check per direction, and one friendly dog visit on the way home. Don't worry, he didn't want our cheese anyway. He was looking for something much more interesting... :)