~ written by Nick Bowman
Leaving the US
You should all have electronic copies of your train tickets with the flight numbers and airlines listed. You'll want to compare these, as many of you will be flying on the same jets. You'll also need to contact your airline in advance to select seats, check baggage fees, and other travel-related information (you can do this online, with the reservation numbers in your e-mail). You'll also need to arrange your own transportation to your airports of choice, and for international flights I would plan on being at the airport a minimum of two hours prior to departure.
Arriving in Germany
As you can from the flight schedules (e-mailed out on April 26), you'll be arriving in three waves of students between 9:20 am and 11:00 am - so long as there's no delays. Everyone arrives on Monday June 13. When you get to the airport (map below), your main tasks will be:
- Claim your bags (all signs are in English and you can simply follow the masses, but you'll be going to the "Gepackausgabe").
- Clear customs, where they will ask you a few questions about your stay and then stamp your passport. Remember, we're in Germany for less than 90 days, so if you are a US citizen then you do not need a student visa (they might ask for one - don't get nervous). Also keep in mind that with enhanced security, be prepared to answer several questions about yourself, your classmates, and your recent travel to other countries. Don't be nervous ... often times, the way you answer a question is more important than the answers themselves.
- Make your way to the "Airport City Mall" - part of Terminal 1 (in the basement, actually - or Level 0 in German) where you'll find restaurants and shopping, some German bakeries and even a *HUGE* McDonalds. You'll also find ATMs here, for taking out Euros as needed.
- Validate your Eurail passes. This can be done in the DB Travel Center (the Deutsche Bahn ReiseZentrum), which is located near the middle of the Airport City Mall. When you get there, you'll want to present the clerk with your official passport as well as your train ticket. Ask them to help you fill it out (so you do it correctly), and they should "activate" the pass by putting a rubber stamp on it. You'll have to get this stamp before you can continue your journey.
- After you've validated the passes, I'd prefer that the students who arrive earlier wait for the later students to come in. The City Mall is rather comfortable, and there are several places to sit and relax - across from the McDonalds for example are a series of large white benches and tables. You'll also have free wireless at the airport, so you can check up with family and even chat with students incoming. I would expect everyone to have their passes validated and be ready to head to the long distance train station "Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof" by around noon.
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A map of the Frankfurt Airport. Most flights should arrive in Terminal 1, although a few might arrive in Terminal 2. Your task? Get to Level 0 ("Ebene 0") of Terminal 1. You see the red "DB" on the map at Level 0? That's the logo for Deutsche-Bahn, and the DB Travel Center (the Deutsche Bahn ReiseZentrum) - where you validate your train pass.
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Getting to the Trains, and Getting to Erfurt
- So, everyone has their train tickets validated and the group of 11 students are together and/or accounted for. Awesome! Your next task is to get to the train station, the "Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof." Good news? It's attached to the airport. In fact, you can see on the above map (sort of): the "Fernbahnhof" is at the very bottom of the map, and it's attached by a walkway (called Skywalk) to the airport complex. Basically, from Airport City Mall, you'll need to make your way up and around to the Skywalk, and then proceed to the Fernbahnhof (NOTE: Fern = long distance, bahnhof = train station, fernbahnhof = long distance train station).
- The train station is gorgeous, and your view on arrival (after walking across the Skywalk) will look something like this:
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| The main arrival of Frankfurt Fernbahnhof, when walking in from the Skywalk. Notice the center-right of the screen, where train arrival and departure times are listed. You can also notice another "DB Reisezentrum" (DB Travel Center) just below them, the dual silver-roofed buildings. You can ask the clerks here for any train assitance - they will often have English-language staff. |
- You'll be on the third floor, and the trains are down on the first floor. Depending on when you arrive, and how much time you want to spend at the train station (I'd suggest getting to Erfurt - you'll have plenty of time at the train station later in your semester), you have two options for train travel to Erfurt (last check, 27 April 2016):
Train 1 - ICE 1651, Leaving 13:02 (1:02PM)
Your first train option is pictured below. This train is ICE 1651 (very important, always know your train number), and it leaves the Fernbahnhof at 13:02 from Platform 4, and arrives at Erfurt Main Station ("Hauptbahnhof") at 15:37 (3:37 PM) on Platform 10. It has four stops in between. It is an ICE train (Inter-City Express), one of the highest-class trains in Germany. If you can make it (based on timing at the airport, going through baggage claim and train ticket validation, etc.) I would prefer you take this train to Erfurt as it will get you to town quicker.
Train 2 - ICE 1641, Leaving 14:11 (2:11PM)
Your second train option is pictured below. This train is ICE1641, and it leaves the Fernbahnhof at 14:11 from Platform 4, and arrives at Erfurt Main Station ("Hauptbahnhof") at 16:37 (4:37 PM) on Platform 10. It has four stops in between. It is also an ICE train (Inter-City Express).
- One you decide which train you want to take (again, I'd strongly suggest the first one), you'll make your way down the escalators to the bottom of the Fernbahnhof, find the proper platform (both of these trains are on "Fern 4" or Platform 4), and wait for the train. To be safe, I'd be on the platform 15 minutes before the train's scheduled arrival. Why? You'll want to make sure that you're boarding the proper train (there will be LED displays with train information) and you'll want to make sure that you're boarding a 2nd Class Car "Wagen" - all of this information will be available on the platform itself. There is a small chance that the train will already be on the platform - this is rare, but awesome. If this is the case, go ahead and board (you can ask for English-language assistance in finding a seat). If not, then you'll need to board when the train arrives.
- For boarding, it's a bit fast and furious. I'd suggest breaking into two small groups of 5 or 6, and helping each other get your bags on-board. You don't have to immediately find a seat on the train (you can walk around once it gets moving), so be sure to secure your bags (either overhead, or in the designated baggage areas - all of this will be labelled for you).
- Stow your bags, and then find an empty and unreserved seat. This can be a bit tricky, so a few things to remember:
- You have a train pass for any open, second-class seat on the train. Make sure that you're not in a first-class car or "wagen" (this will be clearly marked).
- When finding your seat, look above the seat and you'll see some sort of LED display - something like:
- In this example, both of these seats (46, the window seat; 48, the isle seat) have been reserved. They don't list the passenger's name but rather, the arrival and destination (in part, for privacy reasons). If you see something like this displaying above your seat, then you can't sit there.
- Instead, look for a seat with a blank LED display. That is yours. =)
- Last thing? Those train passes. You'll need to fill out some information about the train you're on, and you'll need to have a conductor stamp your train pass. All of this information should be contained in the packet that I gave you, when you first got the passes. If you're confused? Simply ask the conductor for help - they might be frustrated with you, but they'll help if you ask nicely.
- Now? Relax. For either train, you've got about two hours, thirty minutes to collect your thoughts and enjoy the countryside. The trains have a restaurant and bar "Bordrestaurant" so you can get a "hefeweizen" and "Prost!" each other, en route to Erfurt.
- How do you know how far away Erfurt is? In the two images above, you can see important information:
- "Erfurt Hbf - arr" This is the expected time of arrival in Erfurt, as well as the train platform at Erfurt Hauptbahnhof (main train station).
- The cities in between Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbf? Those are the intermediate stops that the train will take. You can use this as a "guide" for preparing to arrive in Erfurt. By preparing, I would suggest that about 10 minutes before the scheduled arrival time, students start getting up, gathering their bags, and making their way to the train doors. This will help you depart the train quickly, because they don't give you more than two or three minutes to get off!
- Now, you're "home" for the Summer! The Erfurt SPICE team will meet you, either up on Platform 10 or down in the main Erfurt train station terminal (it's much smaller than Frankfurt, so there's no way to get lost, really). Best trick? Rock a Flying WV!
- From here, the SPICE folks will take you to your apartments, collect your 200 Euro deposits, give you keys, and ... you can relax. =)
First Social Event
From Monday evening and into Tuesday (June 14), you'll largely be left to yourselves to catch up on sleep, get used to the time shift, and get your bearings in Erfurt. Of course, Dr. Banks and I are more than happy to show you around and get you the "sights and sounds" - but in our experience, the first few hours are really more to rest and relax.
As of now, we've got our first real SPICE social events planned for Wednesday (June 15). That morning (details still to be determined), students from Erfurt will lead a city tour that is highly recommended - it will combine some culture and history as well as a bit of an orientation to the town. Then, that evening will be a reception hosted by Uni Erfurt, with details to be posted later. You'll want to be sure and give us your Wednesday, because this will be your first real chance to meet everyone formally.
Then, the regular class schedule will launch on Friday (June 17), with classes starting at 4pm. We'll have a class schedule out to everyone soon, but classes generally meet on Fridays from 4pm to 8pm, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am until 4pm.
