Burgh!

Guess what! We are in Pittsburgh. Hard to believe and definitely surreal.

We drove down to Heathrow, staying en route in the delightful Hemel Hemstead Holiday Inn ("don't say I never take you anywhere nice" I said to Shaz). My dad came to bid us farewell at the airport and we caught a night flight to Toronto for two days of R and R in a posh spa hotel in Niagara on the Lake. I have decided to retire there! It was fab!

I was hoping for some ammunition to continue my ranting against US immigration procedure but the officer at the border was delightful...refering to me as "doc" and welcoming me as the great hope for US research science. I quickly realized that this was a very astute man and felt reassured that the federal government is recruiting the best talent.

So...we are staying with Mad Rob O'Doherty from Dublin in the villagy Shadyside district of the Burgh. Think Lark Lane without the dog turds. We spent Monday at the Science Centre with the kids. This is a huge publicly funded activity centre designed to turn kids onto science. We took Adam there 12 months ago and true to form he remembered all the coolest exhibits. Today was spent shaking hands with the entire executive staff of the Magee Women's Research Institute (my new employer) and looking for a house to buy/rent.

Will try and get some pics posted soon. Love to all.