Ekenäs Herrgård is an old mansion in the south of Sweden, close to the village of Flen and on a one hour drive, with a cute old black train, from the capital Stockholm.

Ekenäs Herrgard

We were so lucky to have a meeting there last week, on arguably the most beautiful spring days the whole of Sweden will have ever experienced (at least to my experience).

The ultimate location for a meeting

I have to admit I felt a bit humble in this old mansion, with its books of more than 300 year old and its furniture for which I do not even dare to take a guess of age and value.

Me, barely a quarter of a century on my count, talking science with the ‘big boys’, in a house that has seen generation after generation of visitors.

The history of the queen of Sweden (with a real report on her international travels), a little book from 1689.

And still, I should not worry too much about my own value. I am a scientist, and I am proud of what we are trying to accomplish. We have an important quest in front of us: understanding the future of mountain ecosystems and taking actions for their conservation.

Old but beautiful

We might make a difference, but we might as well not. Nobody can however argue that we did not try. We had a highly inspiring meeting with a group of enthusiast scientists, all passionated by their subject, and all eager to solve all remaining mysteries.

The mansion seemed to approve of our mission, welcoming us with the best hospitality we could imagine.

Finding inspiration for the future in the beauty of the past

I am sure our hard work will pay off in the end, although it might take some time. And as has always been said (traced back at least to the old Isaak Newton himself): we are standing on the shoulders of giants, adding our small but significant findings to an ever growing mountain of knowledge.

If that is not worth the effort, nothing is.