With a 95% probability, I can have my parents' house from Aug 11 to Aug 25. In one of those two weeks, I'd like to take their offer and come to the sea with them, and my daughter. I am still flexible as to which of the weeks, though. There is room fo plenty of people - five bedrooms and several comfy couches are ours. It is about two hours from Amsterdam airport (there is a direct train route) and one hour from airport Münster/Osnabrück. I know of the latter that I offers cheap flights from GB and back. However, could any of you imagine to be my guests and take part in a Germancon?
No idea yet, It'll depend on how my new job goes starting tomorrow. I won't have many holiday-days this year, the French system is weird...
Can't, I'm sorry to say. This is when mom's 50th birthday is, and I'll be on holiday with my mom, dad and brother.
I can still invite small groups of people to Weimar once we live there... Anytime. Please... relief from my isolation... But Germancon in August has the benefits of free staying, and close range distance to two airports (well, relatively close). Huzzah! I am thinking about borrowing a caravelle from somebody, that would make a group of people more flexible. Oh, did I mention we will have to include my daughter in most of our plans? Well, I have, we're all grown ups and not necessarily tied to each other. She's pretty tough and easy to take along though.
Sorry, we use the brand name for the kind of car... It's a van with nine seats, not too big to drive though. I was not planning on shipping us around on a medieval boat, even though that would have had its merits.
The caravelle is the mini-bus version of the volkswagen camper van Transporter. I love the damn things, so don't get me started on this My parents had one when I was a kid, and it was the best. car. ever.
I'd love to come, and as long as it isn't at the very end of august it shouldn't interfere with uni. Note shouldn't.... And I've only ever been to the southernmost parts of germany, it'd be cool to see more of it.
You and Adele will have to visit me in Weimar next time you are both on European ground. (Weimar is worth a visit.)
Well I'll be in Australia at that time too. maybe i should call Australiancon and catch up with Adele and Coppe. Just to make all you Europeans jealous that you don't live on the opposite side of the world, so nyer.
Cool! Well, wether this will still be on our agenda or not at the time - which I hope - you could also consider that Prague is only about four hours from Weimar away, and the nearest town in Czekia about two hours. Also, Weimar itself has a lot to offer.
I can be. I live 2.5 hours away which in Australian speak is virtually nothing. If your going to be in Sydney let me know and we'll meet up. I used to live there and I miss it so I like any excuse to visit...
I think Weimar would be enough for us. If the offer is still on the table then, we'd definitely love to go. We'll set some money aside! Spiky, we'll be in Sydney July to mid-September.
I was thinking about doing Germany and Sweden this year. I was thinking more in October time. But perhaps I can look at august. There are cheap flights all the time to Frankfurt. I don't know how close that is to you, but I will be traveling anyway. I want to visit Sweden too. And I will have at least 2 weeks to travel and see people. And I have to go to England and see Mum and my sisters. So yeah, Europe will be explored.
I've had kind of a phobia of travel, especially by public transport, over the last few years that I've been working on conquering. I went on a three hour train journey the other day and I'm trying to go further each time. I could well be ready to go as far as Germany again by August.
Well 1-17 September is the uni break so that'd be a good time to catch up if you have nothing better to do.
Now, back to those who are going to visit me in August. (If you really manage an AussieCon, go have your own thread! ) First: Cool! Responses! So far I can fit everybody in who is thinking of coming - if all would come (I know how it goes, i had wanted to come to several Cons before the Dutchcon myself) only one person would sleep on a comfy couch in one room with a bunch of Chinchillas. All the others would have beds. Hurray! Om, Frankfurt is pretty far away. If you want to start with the GermanCon and not put it somewhere down your route, check out Amsterdam, or Münster/Osnabrück. Those are the nearer Airports.
How far is Amsterdam from where you live, Hsing, in hours by train for instance? P.S. I just looked up Münster and discovered it's twinned with York, where we live. That means there's a secret tunnel between the two, right?
Well, as my best mate's dad's grandad used to say - "bloody clever them Germans", so there should be a high speed shuttle through that tunnel by now, otherwise what is the point of being twinned!?
Neeheehee.... Nice imaginary. No tunnel I know of, but the loads of students being exchanged back and forth each year should have made me suspcious... I've got a friend who studied in York for a year, I'll mail her to ask what the cheapest and shortest way to travel York-Münster-York. Her eyperiences might proove helpful for all the others located in GB, too. Amsterdam is about two hours by car from here, about the same by train. There is a direct train from Amsterdam to my parents' hometown. Münster/Osnabrück is half an hour by car.
Cool! At last, someone to visit me Also, Hsing, This germancon sounds great. But after lookign around I realise that none of the cheaper airlines can fly me from here to Münster nor Amsterdam. SAS can, however fly me to Amsterdam and if I book soon it won't be terribly expensive, but I'll have to change flights in Copenhaguen. Why don't they like Germany?
BA will probably have some very good deals for both Amsterdam and Munster - but obviously the earlier we can book, the better. So can we narrow down the dates?
British Airways, that is (it was funny the first time, but I don't think the trick will work twice !)
I'll check wether it's a hundred percent sure that I have the house between the given dates one of these days. My parents should have booked their trip by now themselves.
I would love to come, and finally I could scrape up the money to get my ass over there, as opposed to the two Cons before. Now, the grocery store chain Spar has an action selling plane tickets for 99€ to numerous locations, including Amsterdam. They're selling like crazy, and I'd need to know the dates a bit more exact (at least which of the two weeks you are thinking about), so I can book the flight as long as there's still any seats free (there were still 5 available within the given weeks earlier tonight).
Hsing, hope you don't mind this further infringement on your thread. I'm in Sydney until the 10th, probably. We should have plenty of time then. We'll send you a PM once the dates for the trip are final.
Nah. Okeh.:smile: I'll call my parents tomorrow morning, and tie things down. I also persuaded my husband to stay around for the Gemancon.:smile:
The dates will be August 11th (a Saturday) until August 25th (also a Saturday). If enough of you favour the second of those weeks, me and the little one would accompany my parents to Denmark for a few days, because for the first days, my sister is still in town. If there is no possible date from 19th to 25th, though, I will arrange things differently. You are all so invited, you should literally feel dragged towards Germany. Also, note that i am prepared for a few days visit - if you make the effort and fly that far, you should make something of your time there. We will have to drive around a lot to see something - check Google Map where Bentheim is- but its not exactly the midddle of nowhere either. Before I forget it: There is a direct train connection between Amsterdam and Bentheim! Picking you up would be extremely easy. Airport Münster is closer in miles, but there is no train, bus, etc; I would have to drive several times -30 minutes to Greven, 30 minutes back- to pick you up, except you would let me tie you to the roof of the car. ("Silver Surfer! Yaaaaay!") But do pick the connection of your choice - we'll find a way.
OK, duds. Proposed travel dates for a British contingent are 19th-24th August. That's Sunday-Friday in the second week of Hsing's available time period (I don't want to be away on a Saturday if at all possible).
Anyone else know if they are available or not during those dates? And if not, would you be available the week before?
I'll say I'm out for good, even if we have the money to get there, I won't have any holidays for the next year, so nope... I may be able to make a london Katcon sometime, maybe september, but nothing longer than a long weekend. Damn damn damn.
Yay! I was going to start a thread yesterday asking where you were, but then I remembered you said you wouldn't be around for a while - and now here you are again. :smile:
Glad to see you back, Hsing. At the moment, I'm trying to work out if Garner and I can still come. :-/ Everybody please pray hard that Garner will get a new job quickly.
*calling all angels, calling all angels... * Um... should be be praying Garner too ? who do you pray to about a God's welfare ? Ouch, my brain hurts.
Hey all, If this is still taking place at all, I'd have to start some planning.... I know the Garners are in some financial turmoils, and the rest has been in it for the meeting, and not so much for Bentheim's potential sights... My parents invited some relatives of us to come over during their absence, too, and I'd have to take care that either there's enough room, or the guests don't collide time-wise. So, i'm still hoping it's going to take place! But if not, I'll just try to safe enough money to drop by in october...
Oh... darn, I'd forgotten about this. Sorry, I'll have to pull out, my sister is going to be visiting the old country and that week will be the last before she goes off round the world (again).
I still haven't managed to brave the planes yet, and we're trying to save money at the moment too. I am going to the October one though, even if I have to walk there.
Well I want to go to a Terry Pratchett book signing, then there was talk of an army made from plant pots or something.
Hsing, we're still coming if we can! As soon as Garner can find out if he can get the time off work in his new job, we'll try to book tickets. We're hoping to come 19th-24th August, if we can.
Nah, it's still dead for us as far as we can see, unless of course we have moved to Belgium by then... Octobercon is still up and running in it's own little thread :wink:
So, I am looking forward to at least two guests.:smile: Do you have any idea what you would like to do/ see? A flight just to see Bentheim castle, that would be a lot of effort. And above all, is someone else following the invitation? Looks like I will be in Bentheim from next thursday on.
Bad news. Garner can't get the time off work, which puts the kybosh on the trip. Our finances are also still in intensive care. I'm really sorry, Hsing, I'd been so looking forward to coming out there!
That's sad. :sad: Of course now, karma demands that you one day visit me anyway. I'll try to safe some money to be able to come to Octobercon, but it looks really bad, with all the debts and so on. Stupid moving.
