This is real life!

So um...CERN is a pretty cool place, it's like real life. We left yesterday morning (yesterday as I'm writing this, for reading it was Wednesday morning). That day we got to go down in the tunnel and visit one of the detectors ATLAS. ATLAS is the only detector Americans are allowed to work on because it's the only one America pitched in funding for, so if I become cool someday and get a job at CERN that's what I'll be working on! 

Due to my laziness and how awesome visiting CERN was I don't know if I can write about it and do the experience justice, but I'll try.

First off arriving in Geneva was a HUGE relief as I could understand people around me and read all the signs for the first time in a month. I felt so much less of a lost puppy being able to understand everything (well most of it at least). It was really good for my French speaking and I realized I'm a lot better than I thought. Real life.

Sorry sidetracked myself. CERN. We were only allowed 12 people in the tunnel at a time so the first group that went down were the physics students. 100. Meters underground!!! It's kind of freaky to think about when you're down there, so much Earth above your head. The detector was giant! Think of how big you think it would be then triple that size (or double at the least). I am so glad I got an introduction to particle physics before going because I got to appreciate it so much more because I knew how it worked and what it was doing. It's really cool stuff guys. There were some museums there too that we looked in while the meteorology group went down. There wasn't much there that we hadn't learned in class in the past month but it was still pretty cool. They did have the oldest cyclotron there on display. It is roughly the same diameter as a coffee cup and only cost about $25 USD to make, which I thought was neat. They also had a cosmic ray detector second l look at. 

Geneva is a beautiful city, I am definitely going back some day. That nit we went to an American restaurant with one of Zanolin's friends that works at CERN. Best burger of my life and I also had a glass of hard cider for the first time and Holy Cow! it was scrumptatious. We walked around a little bit last night and then sat on the pier where there is this giant geyser type fountain. I guess it's kind of a l and mark of Geneva since I saw it on a bunch of postcards, but gorgeous gorgeous place. 

This morning we went back to CERN to get a tour from Dr. Zanolin. Everyone went to breakfast while we were waiting for him to arrive and when he got there it was just me and one of the other guys so we got special visitor passes to go into the CERN complex with him so he could drop off some stuff in his friend's office. I felt pretty special not going to lie. The offices weren't as cool as the accelerator. It kind of looked like the halls at MIT, smelled like a meat shop and felt sciencey.....I don't know what that means but that's how it felt. Just like in AC-1 most of the office doors had comics and posters on them. After our Zanolin tour we got to roam around the grounds before we went to see the proton baby making machine. Outside of one of the conference buildings there was a statue of this God who is the creator of the cosmic universe and king of dancers from the Hindu faith. I found inquire fitting at CERN. By this point I was super crunched on time because I had to catch a train this afternoon, but there was no way I was going to miss seeing the proton baby making machine. I can't remember the actual name for it, but it makes protons. It makes protons!!!!! Like how cool is that?! And I got to see it! Which is so much cooler! Our guide for this was the coolest old man ever. He was 80 and still spry and high on physics, I want to be him when I grow up. Anyway he wouldn't let us leave for the train until we say the machine. I want to work on fun stuff like this after grad school. It was great being able to visit this lab I can't put into words how amazing it was. Also learned about Dr. Smith's old boss for when he was discovering particles and stuff. We have really cool professors I realized after learning more about Dr. Smith and spending time with Zanolin. 

My French did come I handy today at the train station. I was a little late getting to the station so I was a little flustered and the billboard for the train I was supposed to get on said so,etching else and I thought I missed the train. The guy I asked only spoke French and I figured it out and fund my train, because I'm a boss like that. So I'm on my way first to St. Gallen and then to Munich for the weekend to visit Christina!!!!!!! Beyond excited.

ATLAS

SPs Represent!

And we're going to Munich awww yeah

Will upload pictures when I get back to Locarno on Sunday.

Now that I've completely traversed Switzerland by train the last thing I want to say is Switzerland is an absolutely beautiful country.

Now that I've found my way to Munich I thought I'd add a little bit. A) Germany is beautiful. B) I don't speak any German c)met some really fun people on the train.