Conference, day 5: Survival of the social

Finally, social events day. A beer history tour, local food tour, dinner at some great and famous place. What a pleasure.

Or not.

No beer on the beer tour.

Overeating on local delicacies.

For the dinner, I joined my colleagues in uncomfortable silence punctuated by skittish attempts at small talk. Science was mentioned several times, enlivening the debate. But no-one brought their data to discuss, so the talk always degraded to nervous conversations about home countries.

I fell on the bed, completely exhausted. Social events to unwind, my arse. Give me a hard lecture about disputed topic any day...