Doctored

Another long day, but possibly not quite so exhausting as the previous day as there wasn't quite as much chasing around. We were up not very bright and early to be at the main university building in plenty of time for the conferment ceremony. No pictures of that but there is a stream online (we were told it would be videoed not streamed, but in fact it was streamed and it is still there; so maybe Finnish organisation is not perfect). The conferment of the honorary doctors begins around minute 41 and my moment of glory is around minute 50. I managed not to drop the sword or fall over my face.... From around 2 hours 05 is the beginning of the procession. The men in suits leaving before the procession are the ambassadors (not of the UK...he's in London). The procession was one of the most amazing things about the day (and I don't have any pictures of that since both Mr A and I were in the procession), but we came straight out of the University main building blinking into nearly 30 degree heat in Senate Square. The traffic on the road had been stopped and we processed up the hill towards either the national library (for a secular "event") or the cathedral (for a non secular "event") with literally hundreds of tourists filming and photographing this strange happening out of the nineteenth century. I'm hoping the official photographer will have some pictures of the procession but what I really want are pictures of the tourists photographing these strange black clad creatures. Anyway, I will just have to commit this to memory.

We went to the non secular event which consisted of some music on a Finnish harp and then an interesting presentation about doctoral dissertations in law dating back to the 17th century and a viewing of those rather slim manuscripts in Latin.

We had a bit of time in the afternoon not to wear the formal clothing, before we slid back into our corsets in time for an informal drinks and canapés event on the top floor of a local law firm with great views of the City (see extra). Then a bus to the dinner venue on the western edges of Helsinki for a very long dinner and speeches. We departed around midnight. Enough for us! The music and dancing was just getting going, and carriages were not until 3am. I sat next to the Rector of Helsinki University, and I got a picture of her and the Rector of Vaasa University - the only two female rectors in Finland at present, the rather toxic variant of such in Tampere having been moved on by now.

Well, quite a day. A bit of an N=1 for me. Lots of memories and great to have beautiful sunshine for it.