plant-herbivore ecology

Last week of my stay in France I participated a small plant-herbivore ecology workshop close to the Alps. The official reason for my stay... A good thing scientifically (interesting discussions about differing ways to do science), socially (nice to meet friends from Tromsø and make friends with French young generation of researchers), for outdooring (a great field excursion to Les Bauges) and gastronomically (four course dinners and lunches, towards the end I started to learn that it is not necessary to eat everything that is put in front of you). Which my doctor should be happy, since he just tested my cholesterol levels to be "slightly elevated". So now I have a good excuse to skip eating all those cakes that the long autumn inspires the Tromsø-people to make!

Cahmois (Rupicapra rupicapra) [eli ihka aito GEMSSI luonnollisessa ympäristössään syödä pupeltamassa] the study animal of our host group from Chambery

Shrub encroachment of the alpine grasslands

Mont Blanc and some amount of inhabited land

Above the clouds

At 2000 meters with cheese, sausage and vine.

Not so bad place to work...

And with a varied landscape...

Short visit to Annecy, on the way to Geneva airport.

And back to Tromsø its dark and cold and slippery. Ja ja - its not easy to argue why that is nice... But its good to be at home :)