Early Friday morning, we load our luggage on the Bosch fellows' bus (to take us to Torino for ESOF later in the evening), and board a boat for a day trip to Mainau, an island on Lake Constance known for its beautiful gardens. I’ve been on boat trips before—most recently on a half-day cruise in the Baltimore Inner Harbor. Since I don’t know how to swim, I am generally disinterested in water-related activities…that is, until I saw the Sonnenkonigin, the “Sun Queen.” Holy cow, you call this a boat? This futuristic space-age looking massive 5-floor “boat” barely fits in the Lindau harbor. The exterior is so shiny and clean that you can see the waterfront hotel in its reflection.
As I board, I begin singing “I’m on a boat!” excitedly. Alas, I am met with blank stares. Really? NO ONE knows about this T-Pain phenomenon? Maybe I do spend too much time on youtube.
From the top deck, the view of Lindau is beautiful as ever. Everything about it is so dreamlike. I’m really going to miss this charming little town.
Inside the boat, I am even more impressed. Four immaculately clean floors are elegantly decorated. Each floor boasts its own buffet table and open bar (just water and juice for breakfast; because if you need an eye-opener, it would be a problem). We sit and eat and I enjoy the free wifi for a while. There is an MC, a live band, and later, a magician to entertain us. Wow, really? You already had me at “buffet,” all these are just icing on the cake, appreciated but not necessary.
After breakfast, it’s time to explore. I go outside, up and down, from the front to the back to fully soak in the sun from every angle—under sunscreen protection, of course. The view afar is a bit hazy due to the morning fog. The sky and water melt into each other, endlessly blue. The mirror exterior of the boat is even more fascinating up close, mostly because I can’t believe how clean it is. Spotless! At this point I start going camera-happy. Yes, even more so than usual.
We arrive at Mainau a couple of hours later. Before getting off, I snap a picture with the mascots, a griffin and a deer. I believe they are mascots of the Baden-Wurttemberg state. I’m not sure why a state would need mascots, but I like it. Maybe we should adopt the idea in the US, so I can be an Oregon Tree Hugger, or a Maryland Crab Eater (Think these are awful? Allow me to introduce you to my high school mascot—the Fighting Fisherman/Fisherlady; and one of our rivals—the Tillamook Cheesemaker…oy…).
The Sun Queen docking at the Mainau Harbor is an unbelievably beautiful sight. “Paradise Lost” comes to mind—just the title, not the story. Again, I feel like I accidentally walked into a postcard.
Our only organized activity for the day is an “Energy and Sustainability” panel discussion with laureates and distinguished guests. Environment conservation and energy sustainability have been a hot topic in the media in recent years and at this meeting—rightfully so. It’s encouraging to see top notch scientists actively researching this topic and advocating for our planet. The panelists present largely the same opinion, that we as a human race are heading toward a perilous direction, and our current rate of energy consumption is selfishly high and unsustainable. Within the scientific community, most agree with this notion. However, it remains a challenge to fully convince citizens globally that environmental issues are real and are of dire consequences, and that we must take responsibility and try to solve this problem.
One interesting question comes from a student in the audience: “with distortion of the truth from some journalists, such as ‘Snow storm in Houston proves that global warming does not exist,’ how do we persuade the public that global warming is indeed a real phenomenon?” Certain journalists, the panelists explain, sometimes bend the truth to sell their product. We must do our part and present the overwhelming data that point to an unmistakable trend. And one panelist brings up an interesting analogy: for those who believe that an increase in temperature by a few degrees is inconsequential, think of the human body: homeostasis is of utmost importance—an increase by a few degrees causes fever, and a few more degrees, death! Planet Earth is much the same. Although we might not feel the immediate effect of “a few degrees,” the ecological system has already seen a big change. When the ice caps melt, we will lose cities, countries, our whole existence.
And the solution? Well, for such a complex problem, there is not one simple answer. We must thinking of many new ways to reach energy sustainability. Be it creating novel methods of obtaining alternative energy, or implementing existing environmentally-friendly systems (for example: wind energy), we must act fast and do it now. Of course, everyone should also take part in conservation. Now, this perfectly aligns with my “3 R” philosophy: reduce, reuse, recycle—in that order. Dr. Yuan Tseh Lee suggests that we all cut back, because happiness comes not from materialistic possessions but from interpersonal relationships. Very zen, right? I agree with what he says, but even as environmentally conscious as I am, it would be very difficult for me to give up my car. The infrastructure in Baltimore is just not developed enough for me to get to school/grocery stores/anywhere safely via public transportation/bike/walking. I think this is where the government needs to step in and learn from Europe—public transportation there is so convenient, you barely need a car at all. Better public transportation would make America even more awesome!
After the discussion, we have some free time to explore the island. The entire island of Mainau is one giant garden, with a castle in the center.
Even more impressive is a row of hot new black Audis parked in front of the castle. Nobel laureates travel in style, apparently. This is quite a scene, very baller.
By noon, the sun is scorching. Benyam and I find a restaurant for a quick lunch. After a week of man food (meat, beer, more meat), I am starting to miss my old days of 80% vegetarianism, so I order a salad for lunch. This turns out to be a mistake. I get a plate with a large pile of stuff, composed of little piles of different vegetables. Why they are not mixed, I don’t know. And there is popcorn in the salad. Maybe I should stick to meat in Germany.
On our way back to the castle, we run into the mascots. Poor mascots, I am uncomfortably hot in a skirt, I can’t even imagine how they are feeling inside those furry suits. And this scene immediately makes me fall to the ground laughing, or ROFLMAO, if you will: it is so difficult to walk and see in these costumes, that they each require a guide. So there they are, walking with a funny gait similar to bilateral foot drop with compensation, and holding hands with their guide ladies. Mad props for being such troopers, it certainly isn’t a job that I would sign up for.
The closing ceremony promptly begins at 3p in front of the castle. Several VIPs make speeches about why science and technology are important for our society. And then, Countess Bettina bids us farewell. The 60th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting is over—sad, does that mean I have to go back to reality? The media group comes to hand out a 6-page newsletter—literarily hot off the press—summarizing events from the week. It is complete with thoughtfully written articles and many photos, including one from this morning’s boat ride on the cover. Wow, they really set a new standard for efficiency. When you want something done quickly, leave it to the Germans!
We have a bit more time to hang out on Mainau. The afternoon heat is getting to me. Instead of exploring the island on foot, I pick a spot in the shade and just simply enjoy the moment. Then, look who comes to join me. OH HAI PEACOCK!
I get an ice cream and am delighted to find that on the nutritional facts label, the units are listed both in kcal and kJ! In the US food labels use Cal for energy units. One Calorie is really 1000 calories, or 1kcal. Of course if you want to go all SI about it, you would use joules, or in this case, kJ. Since I am a total nerd, I am going to share this photo with you. How cool is that!!
On the boat ride back to Lindau, the fun continues. I meet several new friends, including Akshat, who infamously wrote a parody of my blog entry about packing. Upon learning that I study breast cancer, Akshat poses an interesting and controversial question: since funding for science is limited, and cancer research has already made much progress, should we temporarily reduce or stop funding cancer research and instead, spend the money on finding alternative energy and fuels? Tough question. Undoubtedly, both are important fields of research. But what is more important? Ensuring future survival or ending current suffering? I don’t think I can choose. While it is true that cancer research has come a long way, we are still far from fully understanding the various diseases that fall into this monstrous category, and finding cures. So no, I say, we absolutely cannot stop funding scientific research in this area. At the same time, we should also allocate more money to alternative energy research. Science is important for all of humanity—I can only hope that those in power recognize this fact and provide more money and resources for research, because in the end, it benefits us all.
After getting off the boat, the 50 Robert Bosch Stiftung Fellows board a bus to go to Torino for the ESOF2010 conference. But first, I stop by a bar at the harbor one more time. Since it is my last German beer for a while, I work up the courage to ask the bartender if I could pour my own beer. He actually agrees to my ridiculous request! So here it is , one more drink for the road. Nine hour bus ride to Torino—piece of cake.
Farewell Mainau, Lindau, and Germany, I sure hope to visit you again soon!
Love your way of writing and really enjoyed the post. Thanks for posting the controversial question I asked. :)
ReplyDeleteDon't listen to Akshat, cancer research is important. Thanks for the lovely post.
ReplyDelete@Akshat, it was great to finally meet you! Very interesting question, I've never even thought about it! Hope all is well on your side of the ocean :)
ReplyDelete@Martin, thank you for your kind words. Don't worry, I still firmly believe in the importance of cancer research. By the way, I need a groundbreaking idea on how to cure breast cancer by July 20. Got any suggestions?