excursion to Segesta

The conference has been wonderful, as usual.

This afternoon was the excursion, to Segesta, where we went four years ago.  This time I was not recovering from Covid, so managed the various walks without needing to stop to catch my breath.

Everything was as impressive as last time.  

We didn't get to go inside last time.  The people certainly give a sense of the sheer scale.

trying for a fancy shot

After the temple, we hopped on the shuttle bus up to the amphitheatre.  We did the tour the other way round last time, but the main difference between the visits was due to the time of year: a parched October in 2022, and a glorious spring April now.

wild flowers: vibrant, pervasive, and glorious

On the walk back up to the Erice venue from where the tour bus dropped us at the car park by the walls, I was saying that I found the town map very unhelpful, and kept getting lost.  One of the other conference goers pointed out the reason: the town is triangular in plan, and there are two different maps in two different orientations.

this one, sensibly, has north at the top

this one is rotated 120 degrees

Aargh! I hadn't noticed this, so whenever I looked at a map (copies of which are scattered helpfully throughout the town), I had been assuming a consistent orientation, and hence was getting hopelessly confused.

If "the man who published a book without an index ought to be damned ten miles beyond Hell, where the Devil could not get for stinging nettles", then whoever decided to rotate one of the maps should join them.

Anyway, we found the very nice gelatto shop (as opposed to the merely nice gelatto shop), so that was a bonus.

Last day of the conference tomorrow (yes, it is scheduled over the weekend!)

view from an Erice accomodation window

I flew to Palermo this afternoon, for the third workshop on unconventional computing (the previous ones were in 2022 and 2024).  I drove to Stansted airport, to what my SatNav called the "Stansted short. Stay green car park"

The weather while queuing to get on the plane was significantly better than the last time I flew, in February.

The plane right next to the one I am boarding, with another plane in flight behind it, all against a lovely blue sky

It was dark by the time I got to Palermo, where I was fingerprinted and flash photographed at passport control for the EU's new EES (Entry/Exit system).

It was even darker by the time I got to Erice (although it was nowhere near as late as the first time I came here!), but the view from my room window was all the more beautiful for that.

The workshop starts tomorrow.

Erice back streets

Today was the workshop excursion.  It has been hot here all week so far up high in Erice, so I was not looking forward to an even hotter time down at sea level.  Then there was an Italian Severe Weather Warning alert.  Hmm.  So colleagues and I decided to spend the time talking shop in a nice café instead.  It was the right decision: apparently, a temperature of 42 degrees was recorded by the excursion bus!

Later, some of us went wandering to find a different restaurant for our evening meal, and ended exploring some of the picturesque backstreets.

narrow, and hot

steep and narrow, and hot

The workshop has been just as good as last time.  Final day tomorrow, with more great talks and discussions scheduled.

And a third one is planned for 2026.

view from conference accommodation window

I'm back in Erice for the second Workshop on Unconventional computing; the first was in 2022.  I'm staying in a different building this time, with a lovely view over a courtyard.

Last time I was here it was October, and nice weather.  Now it is July.  And a lot hotter: due to be 30 degrees plus all week.  But the buildings are designed for it: very thick stone walls.

There's a welcome reception this evening, then the workshop starts at 9am tomorrow (Sunday!)  At least I should get more sleep than last time, having arrived mid-afternoon rather than at 3am.

all good things come to an end

The final day and a half of the Erice Unconventional Computing workshop were also good, but without photos.

The Tuesday was also scheduled 9am to 7:10pm, but due to some unfortunate cancellations, we had “free” time from noon until 5pm.  A small group of us took the opportunity (moving leisurely from the gelato shop, to a Pizza restaurant, to the conference refreshment room) to sketch out a 20 year research vision, and a shorter term research plan, based on our previous work plus what we had learned at the workhop itself.  Next we have to consolidate the ideas, and write some research proposals (oh, and do the research if we win the funding, of course).

Tuesday evening was the workshop dinner, in the posher of the various restaurants we have been exploring, and not the standard set menu either.

Wednesday was only a half day, and mostly a discussion session of what we had learned, and what to do next.  A slot for andother workshop in 2024 has already been booked, so that’s something to look forward to!

The drive back to Palermo airport was in the light, so I could see some of the scenery I missed on arrival.  Since my flight wasn’t scheduled until 9:45pm, I had the oipportunity to experience the airport cuisine.

The flight was delayed. Surprise.  Not as bad as the over 3 hour delay on the way out, but "only" an hour and a half.  This meant I was passing through Stansted at 1:30am, rather than just before midnight as planned.   The drive home was also longer than planned, since the motorway was closed for roadworks, and I had to use the back roads.  So I got home at 3am, rather than the 1am I was hoping for.  Still, at least I didn’t have to get up early this morning to go to a workshop!  Hopefully I’ll be less zombie-like and sleep deprived tomorrow.

All in all, a great workshop, with excellent talks and ideas and conversations, plus gorgeous weather, and delicious gelato.  If only one could be at these places without having to travel.

a walk around the town

Sunday at the Erice workshop is another packed schedule: 9am until 7:10pm (with again the 9pm-11pm poster session).  Despite the long days, we do get scheduled a 2 hour lunch break.  Lunch is available at a selection of the many restaurants, and there is a workshop set lunch: a plate of pasta and sauce, followed by a plate of meat and green salad.  After ordering, it takes a while to arrive, because it is gloriously, freshly cooked.  (Hence the need for 2 hours.) However, today I wanted a look around the town, so skipped the restaurant option, and just had a cheese and salami roll from the local catering, before setting off with a colleague to explore.

Narrow streets led down past a bell tower to a walk around the perimeter, with views of castles and the rest of the town just seemingly growing directly out of the rock.

bell tower glowing in the sunshine

castle growing out of the rock

castle close up

the whole town just growing out of the rock

On our way back up to the venue for the afternoon session, we passed a gelato shop, realised what we had seen, retraced our steps, and went in.  I had the most amazing and darkest chocolate ice cream I’ve ever seen.  I think we’ll be visiting there again.

an old town

Although it is a Saturday, we had a full schedule of talks, timetabled 9am to 7:40pm, then a poster session after dinner!

After getting a full night’s sleep, I have been feeling a lot more alert today.  Apart from when some boiler or fridge rattles for a few minutes, my room is utterly silent: thick stone walls and essentially no traffic contribute to this.

On the way up to breakfast in a different building, I took this photo of the corridor out of the building where my room is:

gorgeous

My room is just around the corner from the main conference venue, which has this magnificent entrance:

The streets are all paved with this form of cobbling.  After hundreds of years of wear, it is somewhat slippery.  That’s not a problem on level surfaces, but most streets in Erice slope dramatically.

This is the street up to the breakfast room, and tonight’s poster session; many streets are much steeper than this.  I picked my way up it carefully, to have a look at the posters, then picked my way back down again even more carefully.

An extremely full day, of wonderful talks and posters.  Off for another good night’s sleep, to get ready for more sessions tomorrow (yes, on Sunday!)

view from a conference accommodation window

I am attending the Unconventional Computing workshop an the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice, Sicily.  I’ve wanted to attend an Erice event for a long time now, as it is a famous location for scientific conferences.  So I was concerned when I caught Covid, but fortunately I recovered in time.  I arrived at the centre about 3am (due to a more than three hour delay in my flight; thanks Ryanair).  The weather forecast is full sun all week, so I was surprised to see this out of my window this morning:

However, the early morning mist had mostly lifted by the first break.  We trooped up a stone sprial staircase from the lecture room to the tearoom, to be greeted by a most fantastic view: the room is open to the scenery:

The photo just doesn’t do justice to the effect.  The light is amazing.  Going closer to the opening (taking care to avoid falling down the unmarked black steps against the black floor on the way) gives a wonderful view over the historic town of Erice:

Look closely at the roofs, and you will see lines of rocks on the tiles.  Why?

And looking further out we see this magnificent view over the Mediterranean:

After this break, it’s my turn to present, on less than five hours sleep and with a bit of a post-Covid cough. Let’s see how it goes!