Feeling the sTrain

I've often wondered about taking the train to an overseas conference rather than flying but it's always seemed a bit inconvenient / expensive. However this year the International Symposium on Earthworm Ecology is in Rennes, France and not only was there not a direct flight from Manchester, the flight I'd have had to get would have involved a 4 a.m. start whereas the train left York at 0858 and I could be there in a day. No contest.

So it was off to the station, leaving home at c. 0830 right on time (this is a GCSE English technique known as foreshadowing) - a nice stress free cycle ride on a balmy Sunday morning

My initial transport - it left on time!

And so to the station - never a good sign the London train before mine was delayed by more than 30 minutes (it was broken) and mine was already 10 minutes late.

10 minutes late and counting.

The earlier train was cancelled and everyone from that train piled into ours which was now going to make additional stops. I'm not sure that's ever happened to me on a plane! 

Luckily I had plenty of time - I was due in to Kings Cross at 1052 and my Eurostar to Paris didn't leave until 1230. I kept on chanting this as my train rolled into Kings Cross at 1130

It didn't take long to get over to St Pancras and by 1145 I was waiting to be allowed to start queuing!

At 1200 we were allowed to start queuing. The queue was rather long.

Somewhere in the distance the queue turns the corner to the check in, we've already made it from the other entrance to here.

Getting closer - just the multiple snakes to go.

To be fair to Eurostar the queue moved like the clappers and I was in departures by 1220 - not that my 1230 train was boarding yet....

First stamp in the new passport.

But we're not going anywhere yet

There was a horrible sense of deja vu - the earlier train still hadn't left and was now over 30 minutes late....

However, it did board and we were soon away as well - only 10 minutes late (again!).

And we're off - next stop Paris.

Out with the train journey reading - what else are long train journeys for?

The train was barely late arriving in Paris and I had an hour and a half for a simple metro journey on Line 4 to get from Gare du Nord to Monparnasse.

Whoops - the metro is closed

Luckily Frank Ashwood had tweeted just before I arrived in Paris that Line 4 was closed - though why the University travel agents, who took over 3 weeks to provide my train tickets couldn't have warned me that on Sunday's Line 4 has been closed for some time is beyond me - very unimpressive. Anyway I was pleased that I'd opted for the longer change over time and got to Monparnasse (via Lines 2 and 6 I think) with 15 minutes to spare.

Just waiting for a platform number.

Soon I was on the train (which left on time) and other than the very loud 3 year old opposite all was well.

Journeys end

And so here I was. I left York at about 0915 and arrived in Rennes for 1909 at about 0.01 rather than 1.29 metric tonnes of C. I'm not good on those sorts of units. According to Google 1.29 metric tonnes of C is equivalent to about the C footprint of a medium sized pig - so I guess I can eat lots of sausages whilst in France with a clear conscience! Perhaps I'll use the homeward journey saving for some steak.

I'd probably do it again, the late running trains were stressy but the St Pancras queue was very efficient and it was generally a fairly relaxed journey. It was avoiding the 4 a.m. start that sold it though.

There must be a reason for the horse and shadow sculpture outside Rennes train station but I'm not sure what message they are trying to give visitors. However finishing with a shadow gives an element of another key English GCSE point scorer.

Opera shocker

 Yesterday EGU seemed more comfortable with the technology or perhaps there were simply fewer remote / recorded talks. Some interesting stuff on microplastic movement on soil surfaces due to rainfall - in simulations most of the microplastic was washed away in less than 5 minutes, also an interesting talk on how biodegradable microplastics add a C source to soils and boost microbial activity.  Final highlight for me was a talk on meta-analyses. A survey of c. 31 meta-analyses on soil carbon concluded that only one had been done properly!

There was another opera tonight - The Puritans. As ever it was all about thwarted love, this time set during the English civil war. But what a shocker (SPOILER ALERT).  Standard stuff in Act one, with the hero and heroine (previously promised in marriage to someone else) falling in love but being on opposite sides of the war. The hero saves a prisoner but has to flee (the jilted lover lets them escape) and the heroine thinks shes been jilted and goes mad. Act 2 was generally arias and mad stuff. But then in Act 3 there's a final battle after which the star crossed lovers are reunited, the heroine regains her sanity and the hero (on the losing side) is pardoned by parliament so they can get married rather than have the hero being executed. Cue much rejoicing but then, in the final minute of the opera, the jilted ex-lover who was inevitably on the other side to the hero in the war stabs him to death and the heroine goes mad. Then the curtain drops. No happy ending after all.

A night at the opera

So day 1 ended. I think it's fair to say that EGU is struggling with the technology - in some ways a surprise given that we've had two years to sort out things like this but the switching between in person talks, remote talks and videos was not entirely smooth today. Hopefully things will improve. Science-wise for me highlights were a bit thin on the ground but there was an interesting talk about a crop growth model that might benefit from an earthworm component and a good presentation about how earthworms impact on plant defence against different insect herbivores.

In better news, as someone who isn't naturally inclined to eat salad and who likes fried potatoes, eggs and sausage, EGU poses a real threat of scurvy! So I was surprised and delighted to find the rolls I bought for lunch contained some carrots - the orange lumps might not look the most appetising but it's good to have a cheeky vegetable to supplement the tomatoes and peppers I ate at breakfast!

Carrot bread

Perhaps the main event was a return to the Vienna State opera. It's a lovely building that makes me happy when ever I walk in. 

My usual pre-opera dinner - Wurstz box and beer!

Tonight's opera was Boris Gudonov by Mussorgsky. Spoiler alert - it's a sad tale of succession to the Tzardom via murder followed by guilt, possibly madness and death. All good stuff and surely an important message for us all! The building is just as much of a highlight as the actual opera of course.

Part of the central stairs

Boxes slowly filling up

Outside balcony

Ceiling details

More ceiling details

The main chandelier

and then some time passed.......

 and so two years later I can report that:

1. the beetle bank samples failed to show any exciting trends. The soils from the banks had a higher carbon content but were less dense so that the total C was the same as the lower C concentration, higher density arable soil.

2. the C sequestration stuff is coming along nicely - more shortly

3. I have finally finished analysing the earthworm-plant-bacteria samples - again, more shortly.

But as we emerge from Covid the exciting news is that in person conferences are back and I am currently in Vienna for EGU2022 after, depending on how you count it two or three years away. Possibly the biggest inconvenience of Covid has been ringing up Austrian Airlines to change my ticket every year, it plays havoc with my blood pressure but at last I've been able to use my plane ticket. Today I spent some time wandering around the town, reaquainting myself with some of my favourite bits of Viennese architecture before the conference proper starts tomorrow.

Karlskirche in all its ridiculous glory

Karlskirche poking out above the trees

The opera house - performances booked Monday and Tuesday

A wonderful plant pot - reminds me of the Disc World

The Secession building - home of the rather weird Beethoven frieze

A new fave - the Hundertwasserhaus

and again

Not a building but I just love the way these road signs remind you that you are truly in central Europe