h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

going right back to the €29 train ticket thing. had to go and renew his season ticket, so I asked him to check out the Mannheim situation for me. He asked the girl in the ticket office if €29 tickets would be available. She told him: no they aren't because they are only for local trains, not long-distance.

things like that really really make me worry that no matter what you do, you will never get the best value for train tickets (using the machinees, I am convinced, adds money to every journey)

Anyhoooo I checked online - and of course €29 tickets are available to Mannheim.


(come to think of it - the silly lass was probably thinking of the NRW Schönen Tag ticket - which obviously is only for local trains )

Regarding possible offers of lift I have done before: they must be taken with a pinch of salt, because I will probably need to go to France a few days before (so I'll come to Mannheim from there)

So, have i got this right; it's 24 April in Mannheim? If so, i'll stick it in my diary & bully P into making sure his work trips don't coincide; it would be great to meet up with 'you lot'!

Where are people coming from? No idea if we'd fly or drive there, if we drove, it's a big red mercedse van, could shovel a good few hooters on the mattress in the back & drop them off, see a bit more of Germany.

zdt

Well, if you're going by van I might be hitching a ride from Ireland, who knows

Might be back in Germany by then, though.

I've updated the list so that you can see where people are coming from, Teri. Please all check I've got it right, or let me know if you'd rather I didn't put anything.

Well done, TC.

Why won't we walk in the Louisengarten on Sat?

Who said we won't?

I remember playing with my friends there when we were very small

is there a fountain ??

Lots of them - and a tensegrity for climbing on.

what fun would it be to sprinkle washing powder on a tensegrity

ah no, sorry ..hippo's don't climb which is not the main reason I took the elevator in the tower in Dusseldorf btw

Fine by me - we could go straight to the park from the station and then into town for the later afternoon. We could lunch in the park - there's a restaurant there.

I know that the Bundesgartenschau was in 1974 because I first lived in Mannheim in 1973 and the television tower was only a few metres high. I watched it grow for the year I lived there and sometimes took my charges (I was an au pair) to play on the building site which is now the park.

It also has a petting zoo, an exotic plant house and a terrarium (nothing like Kew but enough for a short visit)

re-post.

I'm a definite. Just working out logistics.

Have to get a flight to Frankfurt (flight to Mannheim, via Berlin, from London is £415.00 ), then train to Mannheim, and a hotel. Shall wait on that until I know if others are staying in a hotel, as my German extends as far as 'Ich bin ein Kartoffelsalat', so I could be getting to Mannheim very slowly, and also be very hungry!!!

Probably fly in to Frankfurt Friday lunchtime and depart Sunday afternoon! Times are flexible and vague at present.



Prost

MMF

There's a train from Frankfurt Airport to Mannheim which takes 25 minutes. But I believe the rest of us won't turn up in Mannheim until Saturday.

Thanks for that Gnomon... I guessed that folks would travel Saturday. It's just that I don't do early mornings well. Mr. Grouch, and being slow on my pins, Friday is easier... Anyway, I'll have all afternoon to get there, in case I get lost.



MMF

I can join you on Friday evening in Mannheim, or you could spend the time with B'Elana (if she's OK with that) and come to Mannheim with her and Gnomon on the Saturday morning.

I am afraid I might not make it. I am visiting the Hull meet, which is a fortnight later and at the moment it doesn't look as if my finances allow the trip to Mannheim as well

i wanted to go to the bristol meet this weekend, but there is neither time nor money

hull? i want to, but...

german meet might collide with other things

london? i dare hardly hope

but on the bright side my told me today that my liver is okay up and running

Sorry, my sister might come to the meet, so I can't definitely offer a place for the night, I'm afraid, and I won't know until very shortly before the date.