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

Which time do I have to get up to be in time?
And which S-Bahn (a regional train, but not called regional train...) will I have to take?

Alarm went off at 7 a.m. and I was under the shower at 7:30 (and coffee machine was starting its work). Woke up my daughter, since she was going to join me.

What do we need?
Something to eat and drink for the way...
Some money
Cigarettes (I know that smoking isn't good for my health...)
Is ist as warm as predicted? I had my doubts, my daughter didn't - so we packed some woolen jackets just in case, and an umbrella).

Then off - and trying to get the right ticket at the station. Tricky, because for more than going within the same city they are a little complicated (but I calculated to stand before this machine for at least 5 minutes, so we didn't miss the train).

After having arrived in Cologne we checked were Trillian's Child would arrive, since we knew time and place of departure - and we acutally found her (couldn't be overseen in her H2G2 T-Shirt ). Then we decided to wait for the others in a café just outside the entrance - and one by one they arrived.

I certainly was curious how everyone was - but not afraid, since I have made the experience that most people in this wide world of Internet are in real life as they are in writing, at least those who do go to meetings (would not make much sense to be different if wanting to meet people, would it?).

So we were sitting and relaxing a little just facing the dome, trying to make a plan of the day, and letting the girls run around, get to know each other and to have fun.

The first impression on our way to the dome were the living statues - it must be exhausting and difficult to stand still for a very long time being stared at and constantly photographed.

Another impressing thing was a chalk painting they did - they only started when we passed there and were almost finished when we came back to the dome at the end of the day. It seems to have been some famous kind of painting, but I don't know which one.

The seemingly endless queue to climb up the Dome actually took away the problem of decision from me - I wasn't sure I wanted to go up there (one reason is I am very very lazy, the other one is that I am afraid of hights).

So we walked along the Rhine to the chocolate museum. Since we all wanted to know how it is made (the , not the museum ) we decided to form a family (Sho being the mum, all three girls her children and Toybox the father) - that way we could save some money (the entry fees are expensive enough anyway).

Now we know everything, from the cocoa plant to the lovely product that at least ruins my body . We even had the chance to try some of it, coming directly from a chocolate-fountain. Then we stormed the museum-shop, but not everyone bought something (for me it was just too much of a choice and I could not decide on what to buy).

Since everyone was starving then, we went off for lunch. I still don't know how we ended up in a Bavarian place, in midst of Cologne - that is a lot of "outlandish business" for me in one day (being from Düsseldorf and all the time fearing that someone could ask me to see my visa ) And with "outlandish" I mean Bavaria and Cologne, not England or France .

After lunch we went on to discover the beauties of Cologne.

But first we went to the English shop, where I felt "at home" (I know England isn't my home, but it always felt like that for me). And I did some shopping there (for sentimental reasons, the food never tastes the same here as it does in England).

Then we went to the famous Glockengasse 4711 (is there anyone who doesn't know 4711 - Echt Kölnisch Wasser *real cologne water*?). Unspectacular for such a famous place, but very nice to look at (I love old buildings). And interesting that the bells do play the Marseillaise (besides some other well known tunes).

To finish off this day we sat down at a beer-festival, where you could buy and drink beer from a lot of countries. But we drank Kölsch (don't tell anyone that I did ).

The day ended at the station, everyone being slightly tired and happy the same time.

Besides all this I can say, it was a good decision to meet the others. They are all really nice, and my daughter says so as well. And she wants more meetings, especially with Sho's daugthers (the girls exchanged their email-adresses, so they must like each other). Btw - I think the girls are nice, and just normal in their behaviour, especially the argues between them, I know that from my boys when they were younger.

What I really enjoyed, besides the company, was that we changed languages constantly, starting something off in English and ending in German (or vice versa). And it was interesting as well, that there were only two Germans - the rest being English, French/German and Tunisian/German).

If anyone wants to have my opinion:

We should make this meeting a regular one (of course everyone who couldn't join us yesterday would be welcome).

Thank you all for a day

Feel yourself and

Tina

P.S.

"the company" that is:

in alphabetical order

B'Elana
Sho (with daughters)
Toybox
Trillian's Child

and me, matodemi (with daughter)

Hello Tina,

Your description personally of the meeting yesterday reflects your experiences very detailled.
This gives me the possibility to imagine what I had done if I had been with you altogether. >
Maybe we`ll meet each other at the Rhine drinking some "Kölsch".

Kind regards,

Thomas

Thank you Thomas ,

I would be delighted to meet you for a Kölsch (or an Alt?) - or just coffee (depending on time of day)

or in Berlin for a "Weisse mit Schuß" (that is drank there, isn't it? - and I should visit our capital again anyway, though I am afraid I can't make it this year)

Dear Tina,

I were also delighted to get you for one or two or ... Kölsch.
Don`t be worry, if a visit can`t come off this year.
A "Weiße mit Schuß" between is alright but I prefer genuine beer.
Btw, what`s about your 1,-€ job? Is everything alright?

There were various people dring Berliner Weiße mit Schuss at the beer festival yesterday.

Hi Bel, nice to hear from you. Tastes are different and I prefer real beer. And what about you?

I've never had a real Berliner Weiße mit Schuss. It depends, if it's really hot and I don't want to drink too much alcohol, I may have a Radler, or a Dreckiges or a Diesel. (Radler is beer with withe lemonade, Dreckiges/Diesel is beer with coke).

Thanks Bel, Radler and Diesel are known to me.
With it, I want to say that drinks with sugar only make me thirstier when it`s hot outside. Btw, I like Kölsch very much indeed.
The flavour of a Kölsch newly-tapped !!!!!!!!!!!
The only Problem I got with Kölsch are the tiny jars.

Yes, I think they're only 0.2 - so the three Kölsch I had throughout the day were even less than tow bottles of beer.

Going with TC's and Sho's suggestions, I'll just post a journal - my perspective. Maybe you can then put all our snippets into one report (by cut and paste)? I think that could be novel and interesting. What do the others think?

There is an issue I don`t understand.
Each of you who attended the meeting, experienced the stay of the day individually.
Therefore my question: How could any combine all different experiences in one journal.
Perhaps, Bel could weave TC`s and Sho`s opinion into the journal.

Not in one journal, in an entry for
If we all individually write down what we remember, then Tina can either rewrite it, or just make different sections in her article.

I should be able to combine all the aspects when given hints by the others what I missed out (because I was too blind or just not giving it the same importance or because old age is catching up with me)

I still do prefer Alt, or Guiness, when drinking beer which I rarely do...

oh, and about my 1-Euro-Job, that will still be running till end of october, I have to worry about what will happen after that

I'm just in the proces of writing my journal, then you can just pick up things you think you'd like to mention.

That's great (and I hope the others will either write their journals or add to ours - so by wednesday I should be able to write the entry for the post)

+++

that reminds me - do I have to do it in GuideML, or will someone else edit it?

and what happens if one places an entry (in this case a poem) for the post - but doesn't hear anything? I am not sure though, if I had entried it in time or too late for the last edition, but I had a question as well, with no reply till now (though I think there is a lot of work with the Post - I know papers always make a lot of work, since I had worked on one in my youth)

I`m acquainted with that. Stay cool .
The best way to get over it .
Your report individual should be untouched.
I could imagine that Bel writes a journal combined for all in hootoo.

Usually, you get a reply when you submit something to the Post. Maybe it was too late (It should have been submitted last Sunday at the latest), or maybe it somehow slipped through, because emr, who is our Post editor isn't there at the moment and Skankyrich did her job for thsi edition - haven't you read the editorial? He apologises for any possible msitakes he made.
You don't have to write it in guide ml, but if you want, you can send me your version in an email and I'll do the guide ml and send it back - either to you, or directly to the post with your name on it - whatever you prefer. It certainly would help the post editors if it was in Guide ml.

I thought so, that it was late (though it was Sunday, but I don't remember which time) - and I know that there was a change in editor, so I don't mind.

I would have asked you to look over the report anyway, thanks for offering it Bel.

Paulchen, my journal entry is my personal view, the report for the post will be a combination of all impressions