First Night at CERN

Wow! What a flight. My laptop is telling me it is now 3.30am in Perth. I have been up since 7.30am Saturday 27th June, with a few naps on the plane trip from Singapore to Zurich.

So about 30 hours after I left home I have arrived in Geneva. On my trip I had so many incidents that related to Physics! Of course the plane, but that funny stomach feeling when your normal force is less than your weight force and even the amazing architecture in Zurich Airport.

I arrived at CERN around lunch time. CERN is set between the picturesque Alps to the south, a vineyard to the west and the Jura Mountains to the north. Walking through the halls of the buildings you can't help but think of all the amazing people who have walked that same stretch and all the amazing things they have accomplished in a 50 year period.

On my way to CERN I met a Norwegian PhD student, who was going to CERN for 1 week. His research project was on quantum optics, so we had a great chat, even with my lack of Norwegian, thankfully he could speak English. That's what a I love about Europeans, they can speak, usually, more than one language! There are also a lot of summer school students, and we will be sharing some of their lectures also.

After a very enjoyable meet and greet with about 30 of the 40 people here for the High School Teacher Program and a great dinner, I am unbelievably ready for some sleep and I really can't wait to let all of you know about my time with the 'atom smashers', as one of my fellow physics teachers, at CERN, put it.

Bonne nuit :)