Inverse xenophobia

Getting a little annoyed today. I use accelerator sources in quite a few countries (Switzerland, Japan, Grenoble in France) and my colleagues use them in Paris and Hamburg. Without fail, they are easy to get to and have efficient, streamlined systems to deal with paperwork, safety and logistics.

Later in the week I'm off to the British one near Oxford. Its a complete contrast - horribly bureaucratic, confusing booking systems, dodgy website etc. Comically, having purpose built a huge 300 million quid lab on a fresh site and knowing the number of scientists who would be coming (mainly by car), they don't have enough parking. If you arrive by train, they expect you to take the bus.