Wed 27 May 2009
Day Five - Pictures and Nutella
Posted at 5:28 -0500 (last edited: 27 May 2009, 18:00)
Today was picture day, when all (who remembered to be inside) crowded close to a camera and tried not to blink or talk. There were almost 100 participants at the InterOp this time. That's very good, especially since funding for these projects fluctuates. The picture was taken inside the European Doctoral College, in an open space above the amphitheater.
The InterOp took a break this afternoon, and I finally got a chance to go further into Strasbourg. I walked downtown with Gerard, Jaiwon, and two of the members of the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre. Hanging out with them was fun, and convenient, since one of them speaks French.
We stopped to have a late lunch at a restaurant near the cathedral. After we had been sitting for a bit, one of the people with me saw a giant (5 kg) container of Nutella©, and I had to take a picture of it. While it would be wonderful, I really hope jars this big don't start showing up in the United States.
I've been having a little trouble communicating, which is not surprising (I don't speak French). Nothing bad has happened, and I've tried enjoy the surprises that happen when I make mistakes. But today, I was glad to have people around to share the second lunch I accidentally ordered.
The restaurant had a motorcycle theme, which was clear from the motorcycle mounted to the wall near the front. When I went I upstairs, there were even more.
The meeting was productive again today, and there were some interesting demonstrations. Tomorrow will be a long day, with a lot of discussion with other individuals working on sharing simulation results through the Virtual Observatory.
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