Conference center

The Messilä Manor House is a beautiful conference and resort area, with skiing in the winter and golf and boating in the summer. What a lovely setting for a conference.

This is the great view we had of the lake district from the central conference area.

This historic building in the center of the complex is my favorite. I was told it is classic Finnish architectural design. During the winter it serves as a restaurant, but it is closed up in the summer.

These little red buildings, also traditional Finnish design, are scattered all over the complex. Some serve as meeting rooms, while many others provide housing.

The complex also has a modern hotel building, where I stayed, with satellite television and wifi internet. Some graduate students attending the conference opted for rustic "camping" facilities, but I am way past the age of finding that an attractive option.

A riding complex was also on the property and seemed to be getting a lot of use.

We had meals together at the clubhouse for the golf course higher up the hill. The opportunity to talk at length with other conference participants outside the formal sessions was a great benefit to all of us in discussing our shared interests in aesthetics.

The entire conference was conducted in English (whew). The Finns typically are fluent in Swedish and English, and many also have some competency in French and German. As usual, the Europeans put us to shame in their language skills.

NOTE: Click on any image in this blog to see it full-size.