Hello Helsinki!

This picture will show you that I am not in Maynooth…

In fact I am in Helsinki. Here is a better picture of the splendid Cathedral behind me in the selfie.

The Cathedral is Lutheran by the way. I’m not sure Luther was into cathedrals, but there you go..

It’s about a three hour direct flight from Dublin to Helsinki via Finnair (and a two hour time difference) but all went according to plan. I also found my accommodation without difficulty: it seems comfortable enough.

I took a long walk around this afternoon because the weather is lovely and I wanted to stretch my legs after the flight. It’s a very pleasant city for a stroll, with lots of public spaces and plenty of places to stop for a coffee or something stronger.

All that done, it’s time for dinner!

The reason for being here, by the way, is the annual Euclid Consortium meeting but enough of that tomorrow..

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Finlandia!

Today marks the 100th anniversary of Finland’s Declaration of Independence from Russia, which took place on 6th December 1917.

To celebrate the occasion here is  Finlandia by Jean Sibelius from this year’s Proms, performed by the BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Chorus and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Finnish conductor Sakari Oramo.

Happy Independence Day to Finns everywhere, and especially to my friends and colleagues in the world of physics and astronomy!

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