In June I went to Italy. It was splendid although I went there not for holiday but for a conference. Montecatini Terme was a site of the 12th International conference on Smart Materials and Structures organized by CIMTEC. It was my first so BIG multiculti scientific gathering. I regard it as a highly interesting exercise. It was most definitely a valuable experience to see what other people in your field are up to and to struck up one or two or more, if you’re lucky, acquaintances. I presented a poster during the poster session and even got some questions, which I was able answer. What a success!