Germany 2018

Parkeringsplats Rönnby. — 2018-09-02Suitcases ready to be loaded into the car. Photo: Hans Sundgren.

Departure from Västerås

2018-09-02Hans leaves Rönnby early Sunday morning.

There is heavy fog on the way to Arlanda.

Hans has planned the trip by ordering all tickets from his home computer. This is the iternery:

2018-09-02 Sunday: Västerås to Kassel
Time	Task
06:45‑08:15	Car from Västerås to Stockholm Arlanda, Benstocken long time parking.
08:30‑08:45	Bus from Benstocken long time parking to terminal 5.
09:10	Baggage drop off.
10:10‑12:20	Airplane from Arlanda (ARN) to Frankfurt/Main International Airport (FRA).
14:09‑15:49	Train ICE1196 from Frankfurt/Main International Airport to Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe.
16:15‑16:30	Taxi from Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe to hotel Best Western Plus, Spohrstrasse 4.

2018-09-07 Friday: Kassel to Västerås
Time	Task
15:30	Car from Bombardier to Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe.
17:37‑19:17	Train ICE771 from Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe to Frankfurt/Main International Airport.
20:00	Baggage drop off.
21:35‑23:35	Airplane from Frankfurt/Main International Airport (FRA) to Arlanda (ARN).
24:00‑00:15	Bus from terminal 5 to Benstocken long time parking.
00:20‑01:30	Car from Benstocken long time parking to Västerås.

The total trip: Västerås – Arlanda – Frankfurt – Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe – Hotel.

2018-09-02 Västerås to Kassel: GPX file | Garmin data

Map. — Route from Västerås to Benstocken long time parking.

Car to Benstocken

2018-09-02Hans drives to Benstockens long time parking. From there he is brought to terminal 5 by Benstocken bus.

Benstocken booking details and parking ticket. The cost is 540 SEK for 6 days.

2018-09-02 Västerås to Arlanda: GPX file | Garmin data

Map. — Route from Stockholm to Frankfurt.

Flight from Stockholm [ARN] to Frankfurt [FRA]

2018-09-02Flight LH801.

Booking details.

The departure track from Arlanda and arrival tracks in Frankfurt.

The digital baggage receipt issued at Arlanda and the luggage tag.

Approaching Frankfurt am Main, south of the final destination Kassel [Google app on iPhone].

SOUND-CLIP ARLANDA ATIS FROM AIR-BAND RECEIVER 121.625 MHz: "Arlanda departure XXX ECHO. Time 0720. Runway 191. Arrival runway 26 CPM. xxx unserviceable xxx. Met report wind variable 3 knots. CAVOK. Temperature 15. Dewpoint 14. QNH 1438 hPa. Arlanda departure xxx Echo. ” ” | Remark: CAVOK means "Ceiling and Visibility are OK.

2018-09-02 Arlanda to Frankfurt: GPX file | Garmin data

Safety card. — Safety card in seat pocket.

Airbus A321

2018-09-02The aircraft D-AIRU is an Airbus A321-131 operated by Lufthansa.

Flight	LH801
Operator	Lufthansa
Airplane	Airbus A321-131
Registration	D-AIRU
Airplane age	21 years

The airplane flight LH800 from Frankfurt arrives to Arlanda Gate xx with passengers from Fran.

Maintenance personnel enters the airplane after landing in Frankfurt.

View from train. — Train leaving Frankfurt.

Train to Kassel

2018-09-02After a fairly long walk to the Frankfurt am Main Flughafen Fernbahnhof, Hans embarks the ICE 1196 train to Kassel Wilhelmshöhe Bahnhof.

2018-08-24Booking details from the booking made to "Only Train" on August 24.

The train car configuration is displayed on the platform.

Inside the train the GPS signal is very weak so the GPS-clock does not record any track.

SOUND-CLIP FROM TRAIN: "Ladies and gentlemen, next stop Frankfurt South.”

Train tickets: Frankfurt – Kassel | Kassel – Frankfurt

Arrival in Kassel

2018-09-02After the train trip from Frankfurt to Kassel Wilhelmshöhe Hans takes a taxi to the hotel.

2018-09-02 Kassel Wilhelmshöhe Bahnhof to hotel Best Western Plus: GPX file | Garmin data

Hotel Best Western Plus

2018-09-02The hotel is conveniently located in central Kassel just some hundred meters from the Königs Platz.

All members of the international team stay at the hotel and has breakfast together in the morning.

Only one mains power socket to be shared by all devices.

The internet access for computer and iPhone is provided by an activation code valid for 7 days.

The minibar bill. Wine is inexpensive, nuts are expensive.

Hans has a small air band scanner, but no signals are heard.

Sound-clip: Arriving to the breakfast restaurant.

Transcription "Arriving to the Breakfast restaurant"

Waiter	Hans
Guten Morgen.	Morgen, drei-hundert-zwei-und-dreißig.
Wie ist der Name?	Sundgren.
Super. Danke schön.	OK.

Telephone fees

2018-09-02Since June 2017 there are no roaming fees when making telephone calls from Germany to Sweden. The fee is the same as when making calls within Sweden.

The welcome SMS from the telecom operators Telia and Tre.

Swimming

2018-09-02Hans usually swims 1000 m every Sunday in Västerås. He has brought his swim trousers and swim glasses to Kassel and walks to the swimming arena Auebad immediately after checked in to the hotel.

The locker room mechanism is clever. The plastic coin is used for 1) entry, 2) locker and 3) exit.

Receipt for Aktion Tag Erwachsene, only 4 Euro.

Working day

2018-09-03Hans is part of an international team that stays at the hotel. Every morning at 08:00 they go by car from the hotel to the Bombardier locomotives production site at Holländische Straße 195.

2018-09-03 Working day: GPX file | Garmin data

Shopping groceries

2018-09-03The hotel is close to the shop Tegut in a galleria at Köniugsplatz. White wine BIO Fachwerk costs 5.49 EUR and a plastic bag 0.20 EUR.

One evening Hans has dinner at MacDonald's at Treppenstrasse.

Dinner at Königsplatz

2018-09-05 19:34Wednesday evening the working team has dinner at Restaurant Königskeller at Königsplatz. Very nice place and food.

Only 17.30 Euro for Seelachsfilet with 2 beers Martini - Meister Pilsener.

Non-working day city tour

2018-09-06Hans spend his resting day by walking and going by tram.

Walking to the Brother Grimm museum.
Tram ride to the Kurhessentherme.
Bathing and water slide at the Kurhessentherme.
Tram ride back to the hotel.

Old house seen from Seidenes Strümpfchen.

View to hills at South from Friedrichsplatz. Hans will run an orienteering training in these hills later in the afternoon.

Hans at road Schöne Aussicht near the old Grimm museum.

A fairy princess statue in the garden of the old Brothers Grimm museum.

2018-09-06 Kassel city tour: GPX file | Garmin data

Grimmwelt museum

2018-09-06Before going to Kassel Hans didn't know that the brothers Grimm had written the famous stories:

Town Musicians of Bremen | Stadsmusikanterna från Bremen
Cinderella | Askungen
Sleeping Beauty | Törnrosa
Snow White | Snövit
The Frog Prince | Grodprinsen
Little Red Riding Hood | Rödluvan
Hansel and Gretel | Hans och Greta
Rapunzel | Rapunzel

Know he knows.

Already in 18xx Grimm made a cartoon describing xxxx.

A school poster showing "Little Red Riding Hood", a story that all Swedish children learn..

Tram to Wilhelmshöhe

2018-09-06xxxx.

Hans buys a Kassel-card the tourist office. The card is stamped in the first journey with a tram and is then valid for 24 hours of travel in Kassel.

The timetable at Rathaus - Fünffensterstrasse stop.

SOUND-CLIP: “Nächte haltestelle Wilhelmshöhe. Bitte aufsteigen. Diese fart endet dorch.”

Kurhessen-Therme

2018-09-06Hans has seen on the web that there is a water chute in the Kurhessen-Therme bath. He buys a ticket for 2 hours Thermalbad enabling him to make water chute runs but also relax in the other pools with warm salt water.

SOUND-CLIP FROM THE CACHIER: Hans: “Guten tag, Thermalbad zwie stunden.” | Cachier: “Noch mal. Thermalbad zwie stunden. Hans: “Zwie stunden, ja. | Cachier: “Sechzehn Euro. Danke.”

Torzurreise at Kurhessen-Therme in Kassel.

Hans was alone in the water chute. Most people were relaxing in the large salt water pool.

Orienteering event

2018-09-06When planning the trip to Kassel Hans investigates if there are any orienteering events in the area. He discovers that there is a local orienteering club Orientierungslauf und Ski Club Kassel that has a training event Thursday evening. So, he packs his orienteering gear and a compass in the suitcase.

Hans takes a taxi from the hotel. The sun has shined the whole week but now the sky is dark. After some minutes the heavy rain starts.

At the designated starting point Friedrich (H-18), Hendrik (H-18), and the organizer Paula meet Hans and offer him a ride back to Kassel after the event.

After the event Hans exercise clothes are soaking wet and have to be hanged for drying in the hotel room bathroom.

At the Wilhelmshöhe Bahnhof

2018-09-07Friday afternoon it is time to start the journey home. Hans spend some hours at the train station Wilhelmshöhe Bahnhof waiting for his ICE train to Frankfurt.

The photo is taken at platform 2, by aiming the camera up in the roof where there is a mirror.

Flight from Frankfurt [FRA] to Stockholm [ARN]

2018-09-07Hans has checked in via a webpage and has received the boarding pass in the iPhone Wallet. But when trying to check in the luggage at the airport, the machine refuses to accept this boarding pass. Instead he has to go to a manual check-in counter where he gets the reason. The seat 28A that Hans has checked in to one day before, is now broken and he needs to get an conventional, paper boarding pass with another seat.

2018-09-06 Boarding pass via email.

Flight	LH808
Operator	Lufthansa
Airplane	Airbus A320-211
Registration	D-AIPZ
Airplane age	27 years

At 19:37 the departure gate is changed and Hans is informed by an email.

The self-check-in boarding pass in iPhone with seat 28A and the digital baggage receipt received by email.

The manually issued boarding pass with seat 29A.

Leaving Frakfurt airport Friday evening.

SOUND-CLIP: “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Stockholm Arlanda airport where the local time is 10 minutes to 7 in the evening and the temperature is minus 3 degrees Celsius, 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Please keep your seat belt fastened until the sign has been switched off. Thank you for flying Emirates in partnership with Quantas. We hope you enjoyed your flight and we look forward to see you again soon. | Mina damer och herrar, välkomna till Stockholm Arlanda Flygplats där den lokala tiden börjar närma sig 7 på kvällen och temperaturen är minus 3 grader Celsius. Vänligen sitt kvar med säkerhetsbältet fastspänt tills flygplanet stannat helt och säkerhetsbältslampan har släckts. Den som önskar använda sin telefon kan göra det nu. Vi vill tacka dig för att du har valt att flyga med Emirates. Jag hoppas att du haft en angenäm flygresa och vi ser fram emot att träffa dig i framtiden. Godkväll.”