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

I've just gleaned all information given on this thread re arrivals and Departures.

Arrivals:

Toybox - arriving by car around 14.30

Stunningfrenchie - by train from Paris 11.01 (Do you have a mobile phone - please mail me the number jacky42 at gee emm ex dot net. If you don't have a phone, I shall wear my h2g2 teeshirt (blue) and e-mail you a photo!

Gnomon and Zendevil land at 10 in Frankfurt. Should arrive in Mannheim around 12 by train. Possibly with B'El, MMF, and Wandrin Star.

Sho arrives by train around 11.

MMF lands at ???

Wandrin Star will hopefully join B'El or Gnomon at Frankfurt.

B'El leads the way on the train from Frankfurt to Mannheim.



Departures:

Toybox leaves by car Sunday morning.

Stunning Frenchie's train goes at 17.42

Sho's train leaves at 4 pm

Gnomon's flight leaves at 8 pm (possibly zendevil is on the same flight). This requires leaving Mannheim between 5 and 6pm

MMF - leaving on Saturday evening with B'El?

B'El - presumably going back home to Frankfurt on the Saturday night

Wandrin Star - we'll make sure she's OK

zendevil's alternative programme is to take a local train to her mother in law's on the Sunday evening.


Anyone deciding to join us at short notice can e-mail me to exchange mobile numbers or join us at Zapatto's in the station between 12 and 2 on Saturday lunchtime.

Re : depositing bags - may I refer you to post 158.

I shall be arriving at Frankfurt on Friday at 13.20, and shall travel with Bel on Saturday so, as she knows German transport far better than I do, and has the advantage of speaking German, I am leaving myself in her more than capable hands.

And the boarding pass is printed, travel times calculated, Euros purchased, and planes flying, so all systems go.



MMF

Yay, MMF!

it's all starting to sound like a plan!

sorry.

TC, that's looking fine. MMF and I will go to the airport on Saturday to meet Zendevil, Gnomon, and WS. We'll all go to Mannheim together.

I'll text you once we're on the train to Mannheim.

MMF and I will go back to Frankfurt on Saturday evening.

I am in the process of working things out around lambs etc and fear of volcanos, MiL etc, panicking like mad, but on balance will go for it.

lawd help Mannheim and Zapatto's when us lot descend.

P is now telling me about meeting places at Frankfurt airport. He suggests in front of the ticket office in the train station ("Fernbahnhof", not "Regionalbahnhof"), unless someone knows a better place. 'Meeting points' or the like would be too crowded in Frankfurt airport.
WHat about holding up a cardboard sign saying 'h2g2'?

Gnomon, did you get my email with the landline number here? I don't have a mobile phone, P does, but needs to keep it here for wOrK stuff.

zdt

Zendevil, I know B'Elana, MMF, and Wand'rin Star and they all know me, so as long as you stick to me, you won't need a sign.

#Applies glue immediately #



zdt

I got your phone number, zdt.

I don't know anyone!!! Honest.

I'm just a figleaf of 2leg's imagination! You'll see!!!

MMF

I think enough of us know enough of the other ones to make it relatively easy though.

15 minutes to departure. Just throwing a down my neck, then off. My neighbour has kindly offered to drive me to the airport as well... A good start to the weekend!!!





MMF

You´ve done a great job, TC!
I´ll be on the train from Köln (...could the "EC 115" on my ticket be the train number?).
I´m going to email you my mobile number
(I´ll have a biggish bag, but I gather that´s all right.)

Really getting excited now!!!

Don't forget your toothbrush!

Oh. He's gone.


Anyway, the best laid plans ...

I just checked the telephone number of Zapatto's and discovered it's CLOSED on Saturdays. Weird!

Nevertheless, there is no shortage of eating places around there. We'll just have to lug the bags a little way or leave them in the car for the time being, as we would have done anyway.

A phone call to the Tourist Office confirms this. So I shall change the venue to the vegetarian restaurant which is only slightly further away from the station, but, as I said, the tables are small and there are loads of kids running about. However, they have a patio where we should be able to push the tables together and sit in reasonable comfort. As the first of us can be there before 12, we can reserve space for the whole group.



This restaurant is also easily found from the station. For lurkers and latecomers, here are the instructions.

You leave the station and head straight ahead towards the water tower and the city centre. To avoid having to negotiate crossing tramlines, and later on, traffic, take the left-hand side of the road. You will pass the Kurpfalzstuben (a pretty yellow house) along this route. Quite a way up the second block - (now in view of the Water Tower, if my memory serves me right), is Heller's Restaurant. You enter through the buffet area, choose your salads or soups or any of a large variety of hot dishes and pass through the check-out to the very pleasant and summer-housey style restaurant.

If your German is good enough, you can choose from the menu here in advance:

http://www.hellers-restaurant.de/index.php/restaurant

Gotcha - Stunningfrenchie. Must get off to work now, so will check e-mails this afternoon.

SF - that looks like a train number to me, but I'm not an expert.

TC - thanks again for all your efforts. Strange that a restaurant at a main station would close on a Saturday: welcome to Germany!

I love the idea of a vegetarian restaurant - children running around don't bother me that much, if children are loud I can be louder, if they're bugging me unreasonably I have no problem to make that politely clear to them and/or their parents.

I agree with you here, Sho, I can make the running-around children pass for mere amateurs anytime!

... Bob help Mannheim!