FOSS4G newsletter week 33 - travel special
Dear FOSS4G followers,
The first attendees are probably already on their way to Bonn.
Therefore this newsletter is mainly about the last part of your journeys; travelling from the airport to Bonn, and in Bonn itself.
Besides that, in this newsletter you can read some info on the conference app,
Pre-Registration
In order to keep the run on our registration on Wednesday morning as small as possible, we offer on-site pre-registration on Sunday/Monday in BasecampBonn for Code Sprinters, on Monday& Tuesday 8-9 and 13-14h in both workshop venues, on the B2B meeting and also a pre-registration in the venue on Tuesday 14-16h. Please note, that due to problems with the layout of the printed version, the programmes will not be available for pre-registration. You can easily grab your program on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday during the day.
Programm-App
We have prepared a programme App (Android only), that always reads the actual programme including all spontaneous changes. Feel free to install that App through the Play Store (search for FOSS4G), or go directly to https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.metadude.android.foss4g.schedule
Our silver sponsors
Travelling to Bonn
Approaching Bonn from ...
Airport Cologne/Bonn
The best way from the Airport to Bonn is the direct Bus service with bus no. "SB60". Please consider, that your Public transport ticket, which was included in your Hotel Booking is not valid for this bus. You have to pay an extra fee (about 6.- Euros).
Find more details here:
http://www.koeln-bonn-airport.de/en/parking-arrival/bus-rail-services.html
The busride is approx. 25 minutes, the trip ends at the bus terminal in the center of Bonn right in front of the main station.
Airport Düsseldorf
The best way to follow the signs to the "Düsseldorf Airport Train Station" (there is another train station called "Düsseldorf Airport Terminal Train Station" - this is not your direction!). There are some regional trains, that might require a change in Duesseldorf or Cologne, but also some direct IC/EC/ICE trains. Please consider your train-type when buying your ticket, as the regional trains are cheaper but the tickets might not be valid for IC/EC/ICE. You can buy tickets at the station either on a counter or at one of the red ticket vending machines.Your destination is "Bonn Hauptbahnhof" (Bonn main station). Announcements at the station and in the trains are normally in German and English.
The train ride will last approx. 1 hour.
Find more details here:
https://www.dus.com/en/arrival-and-departure/bus-and-train/arriving-by-train
Airport Frankfurt
Please ensure, that you follow the signs to "Fernbahnhof", there is another train station for regional trains. If possible buy a ticket to "Bonn Hauptbahnhof" (main station), not to "Bonn/Siegburg". Although the trip to Bonn/Siegburg is quite fast, you have a 25 minute tram ride from this station to Bonn and you need an extra ticket for the tram. Going to Bonn directly is nearly as fast and definitely cheaper (and has magnificent views).
Buy your ticket either at the counter above the platforms or at the ticket vending machine. Both opportunities also will help you with the timetable.
The train ride to Bonn/Siegburg is about 45 Minutes, to Bonn about 75 Minutes. Announcements at the station and in the trains are normally in German and English.
Find more details here:
http://www.frankfurt-airport.com/content/airport-site/en/flights---more/flights.html#toandfromtheairportflights/tab=arrivaldeparture/aggregator=ag_2/ik=ik_2
In case you need further assistance with your travel, please contact: n.warnecke@bonn-region.de or call +49 (0)2 28/ 910 41 33. They will be delighted to help you along.
Moving around in Bonn
Public Transport
Depending on where your Hotel is located, you can walk or take the bus or tube. The official website of Bonn's public transport is:
http://en.swb-busundbahn.de/
Köln/Bonn region:
https://www.vrsinfo.de/fahrplan/fahrplanauskunft.html?L=1
Approaching Workshops and/or the conference venue:
If your Hotel is in the city center, you might take the tube no. 66 in direction "Ramersdorf/Bad Honnef" or 16/63 in direction "Bad Godesberg" and leave ...
...for WCCB and Deutsche Welle at station "Heussallee/Museumsmeile", leave the station to the left in direction of the train and walk approx. 200m, 90 degrees left. You can also take the direct bus no. 610 from the main bus terminal/main station, leave at stop "Bundeshaus/Deutsche Welle" which is directly in front.
... for Gustav Stresemann Institut at station "Max-Löbner-Straße" (not with tube no. 66!), see details here: http://www.gsi-bonn.de/en/contact/location-and-approach.html
... for BaseCamp stop at "Dt. Telekom / Ollenhauerstr." (ATTENTION: On the web-page www.bahn.de the stop is called „Bonn Gronau Ollenhauerstraße“). From the station you walk through the Ollenhauerstraße and pass by the Erich-Ollenhauer-Haus and the Restaurant Vapiano. After 200 meters cross the railways and then we are located on the left side. The hostel is inside a former warehouse, so it is hardly to be overlooked.
In Bonn - rent a bike
There are two bike rentals close to the main station. In front you can hire a bike via the Deutsche Bahn. Find details here: https://www.callabike-interaktiv.de/
(sorry, we are also surprised, that this website is in German only)
On the backside you can rent a bike from the "Radstation", which is a charitable institution, find details here: http://www.radstationbonn.de/formulare/index.php?form_id=2899
Survive with SIM cards, sockets and souvenirs
Useful shops
SIM-cards
You can buy SIM cards for your mobile nearly everywhere and the prepaid cards could be used in any SIM-unlocked mobile. In the city center there is the Telekom Shop, Friedensplatz 4 53111 Bonn, see OSM-link here:
http://www.openstreetmap.org/node/3213080299#map=19/50.73589/7.09824
Sockets, all kind of electric stuff
Check for your plug first: http://www.power-plugs-sockets.com/germany/
There is a phantastic shop, the shopkeepers are immortal legends in Bonn and if you don't get, what you are looking for, they will braze together anything for you. The shop is called "P&M Elektronik" and located in Budapester Str. 6, 53111 Bonn. If you have some time, don't step in the nearby "Media Market" although you might save some cents here.
OSM link: http://www.openstreetmap.org/node/3738264144
Souvenir Shop
Bonn Souvenirs (http://www.bonnshop.com), Bonngasse 25, 53111 Bonn
OSM link: http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/170941185
Haribo Store Bonn (https://www.haribo.com/deDE/shops/haribo-store-bonn.html), Am Neutor 3, 53113 Bonn
OSM link: http://www.openstreetmap.org/node/2844633196
Our bronze sponsors
Eat and drink
Restaurants
Bonn has restaurants from nearly every cuisine in the world. We won't point you to some single restaurants, find your own. You will find some hints from locals here:
https://www.welovepubs.de/bonn-nightlife-guide/
http://bonngehtessen.de/ (German only)
http://www.bonn-restaurant.de/ (German only)
http://www.opentable.de
Our pubs
If you feel lonely or just like "wannahaveabeer" we've choosen 5 so-called "Official FOSS4G Pubs", which are quite close to each other. The idea is, whenever you want to meet FOSs4G-people, go to one of these pubs, if not, choose another place. The pubs will be marked with a "Official FOSS4G pub"-sign near the main entrance. The locations are:
LUXX - the pub, where LOC met thousand times!
Heerstrasse 1, 53111 Bonn
OSM link: http://www.openstreetmap.org/node/1516349791
Cafe Pawlow - if you want to feel like a "real Bonner".
Heerstrasse 64, 53111 Bonn
OSM link: http://www.openstreetmap.org/node/225642197
Programm-App**
Bierhaus Machold - they brew their own stuff (and you can eat here as well), nice beergarden (closed on monday)
Heerstrasse 52, 53111 Bonn
OSM link: http://www.openstreetmap.org/node/252474810
Tresor - Hardrockers meeting point, but very nice pub-keeper. (closed sunday & monday)
Wolfstrasse 11, 53111 Bonn
OSM link: http://www.openstreetmap.org/node/30755554
Namenlos - Headquarter of FOSS4G 2016 in Bonn, a "must have been there". BTW: The place, where german FOSSGIS conference was founded.
Bornheimer Strasse 20-22, 53113 Bonn
OSM link: http://www.openstreetmap.org/node/1581262116
...or all FOSS4G pubs together here: http://2016.foss4g.org/home.html#map-51 (zoom & click on symbol for more infos about pub)
Geobeer
Very close to the conference center there is a kiosk very suitable for a fast "Geobeer" after the full conference days. Buy a bottle of beer and sit on the riverside and enjoy the forecasted 30°. Find the kiosk here: http://www.openstreetmap.org/node/568265129#map=17/50.71783/7.12979
Please note, that there is no possibility to pass between the UN buildings, find a small path between the buildings of the Deutsche Welle (out of the venue turn left).
Our institutional sponsors
Our favorite colour is green
"As green as possible event"
We try to have an "as green as possible event". For this, we cared, that our caterer does not offer disposable tableware, all soft-drinks are in deposit bottles, we requested the sponsors not to bring too many flyers and to renounce from offering useless plastic gimmicks and so on.
Of course you as an attendee can easily contribute to our idea just by avoiding to buy oneway cans, using public transport and many more. Also we kindly ask every attendee to consider flight compensation via organisations like atmosfair (https://www.atmosfair.de/en/home) or climatecare (http://www.climatecare.org/home.aspx).
Request: Bring your own beer!
Mapyourbeer
Shortly before the beginning of FOSS4G we can announce another special event. geOps will use FOSS4G to launch MAPYOUR.BEER, a worldwide map of beers and breweries.
The large number of participants from all over the world is the ideal starting point for the map because it will only show beers that have been tasted during meetings with the map makers.
So we invite everybody to bring one bottle of a favorite local beer to Bonn.
Take it to the geOps booth on Wednesday at 5:30 pm. If many of you will participate we will not only be able to fill the map but also to interchange and taste lots of international beers at the booth. As a kick-off geOps will have some beers in the fridge already. So also those who can't bring their own beer are invited to come and participate.
Check MAPYOUR.BEER to get a glimpse on the still empty map and read more about the idea behind it.