Tue 26 May 2009

And on the Fourth Day, Rain

As predicted, it's raining today. It started off pretty mild, but this morning there were many people walking around with umbrellas. The prediction is for more rain the rest of the week. When I first walked through the city, I was surprised at the all the rivers. Now, I know where all the water comes from.

Fortunately, it's a short walk to the Observatory.

When I approached the Observatory today, it looked very different from yesterday. With clouds in the sky, it was sort of dark and looming. I took another picture of it, to compare.

One interesting feature of the building are the immense front doors. Today, I stood on the steps inside, and waited for the next person to walk in; Tom McGlynn obliged shortly afterward. Tom is not short, but these doors make him look tiny. And the doors are not just tall, they're heavy. When you let go of one, it slams close with a boom that echoes through the building.

I ate lunch today sitting by the pond in the Strasbourg University Botanical Garden, in between bouts of rain. The garden is very nice, and I plan touring it again tomorrow afternoon. While we sat there, I saw a moorhen walking through the grass nearby. It was followed by a chick that was shorter than the grass. Every so often, the moorhen would pick up something from the ground and feed it to the chick.

Dinner tonight is the meeting banquet, at L’Osthof . I'm sure it will be nice, and I've always enjoyed the social interaction at the banquets.

The meeting today was very good. I think my presentation yesterday, and taking the time to listen to people, helped make that happen. I'm enjoying my trip, but I miss everyone at home, and I hope they are having good days.

PS: Forgotten item #4 hasn't been discovered (yet).

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