28-SEP-1996

The Competition

A beautiful crisp and sunny autumn day near Helsinki. A few of the participants from the EU Round-Table meeting and some of the scientists at the Low Temperature Laboratory came together on Saturday to run along the tracks marked on the map.

The aim was to find all the markers positioned in the terrain earlier the same day. It was a truly international competition with participants from China, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Japan, Russia, and of course Finland. The track started (and ended) at the triangle left and was to be traversed in numerical order of the markers.

First maps and compasses were distributed and the the participants were sent off in groups of two or one (some preferred to run alone in a true fighting spirit) George Pickett (white hair) scrutinizes the map and makes a decision to WIN! Right of George is Kaj Nummila. He gives instructions how to read the map and how to use the compass. He had positioned the markers earlier that same day and was checking on all the participants by running back and forth to see that nobody was lost.

George is running past, like an elk in the forest. That day was the first of the hunting season and the animals were a bit nervous.

Gigla Tvalashvili cannot find the marker because he is looking in the wrong direction. Helpful collegues asked him to turn around and "Ah vot" there it was.

And the winner was....

Click here to find out

After that, the competitors could relax with a sauna and beers on the lakeside. The weather was fairly chilly - about 10 C and the water about the same temperature so swimming in the lake really required preheating in the Sauna.

The water made a man to turn "from Arnold Schwartzenegger into Woody Allen in about two swimstrokes" to quote George.

Pictures from the Sauna

WARNING! These pictures show explicit male nudity. If that offends you - don't go there. Turn Back

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The day was completed with a delicious sausage stew "makkaramössö" in the Siikaranta restaurant. Very good after so much exercise.


Peter Berglund
28-SEP-96