Wandern in den Alpen (Hiking in the Alps)

The short week went by fast because I was finally getting into more work. Work is finally getting more interesting since Armin has more time to spend with me now that his obligations for the conference are over. I got a tour of the IPP's fusion reactor. The whole thing is pretty overwhelming; there's so much technology in there. You can find a picture of the IPP's fusion reactor (ASDEX Upgrade) at Garching here. I didn't get to go in the reactor like in the picture (for some reason I didn't have clearance???) but I did walk around it and see all of the contributing parts, which you don't see in the picture. Basically, the IPP conducts fundamental research for a future fusion power plant. Fusion, the fusing of two light nuclei to form one larger nucleus, is the process that powers the stars (including our Sun) and physicists have long dreamed of harnessing its power. Unfortunately, the process only happens at extremely high temperatures (millions of degrees). To sustain such a high temperature fusion reactors employ magnetic fields to control the super hot plasma. Currently, the world's largest fusion reactor is being built in France (as a combined international effort). The reactor, known as ITER, is the focus of a lot of the research being done at the IPP. Just to let you know...


Just a normal 2-day weekend this time.

On Saturday I took the train to Tegernsee. It's an hour ride from Munich, with a round trip costing only 15 Euros. I spent the day hiking in the mountains around the lake. It was the best hiking I've ever done (Stupidly I wore pants because I thought it was supposed to be colder and a cotton t-shirt...needless to say I was drenched in sweat after trekking all day). I think the pictures do a better job of explaining than I could by writing anything.










Sunday was a pretty lazy day for me. I didn't really do much. I slept in until 11 then spent a few hours watching the news, catching up on sports and eating. I ended up biking into Munich and found out and wondering around the Englischer Garten for a while until I got to a lake. It was really pretty...too bad I forgot my camera. I decide to go to the train station to ask them about a German Rail Pass and found out that I could buy a Eurail pass there. So I think I'm going back tomorrow to buy one, I just need to figure out the best way to maximize my money. On the way to the train station I came across a quintet playing a variety of classical music just outside the Marienplatz. They were really good so I stopped and listened for a half hour. On the way home I stopped in the Englischer Garten at a small vendor and got a Weißbier (wheat beer), possibly my favorite and enjoyed that while I sat next to the lake under a tree.

That's all for now.

PS Birthday shout out today for Ms. Michaela Ails!!!! The big 2-0!