Getting home from SPICE 2018

Morning, group!

We've still got a few more weeks in Germany of course (and you've got a major course deadline for COM416, as the final draft of all of your blogs is due on Monday 30 July).

For our departure, you need to make plans with SPICE (by emailing the organization at spice@uni-erfurt.de) so that they know when you're planning to turn in your keys and (hopefully) receive your deposit back. You should plan to do this on Monday 6 August, and you will need to be at the Erfurt Hauptbahnhof no later than 11:30 am to make our train to Frankfurt. Our train details:

• ICE 1650, leaving Erfurt at 12:17 and arriving at Frankfurt(Main)Hbf at 14:36. We have seat reservations in Car 23, seats 51-55, 57-58 (where Dr. Banks and I will be sitting), and 61-68. 

Once we get to Frankfurt, we'll make our way over to Ibis Styles Frankfurt City, where I have reserved six rooms, already paid for by WVU. The names on those keys are Baldus, Dutka, Lafitaga, Reel, Skidmore, and Wagner. You can decide amongst yourselves who will room with whom (two per room), but those will be the names responsible for any fees or damages in the rooms. The hotel address is Moselstrasse 12, and is centrally located. 

As for that night, you'll be completely on your own to explore the town. Don't quote me on this, but there should be the "Main Festival" that is wrapping up on that day on the riverfront, with a massive carnival and food truck area, live music, fireworks ... all sorts of insanity. The SPICE group has hung out over there in years past and we've always had a good time; this group is a bit more independent so I'm not going to organize anything for you, but I would check it out. The Main River (which is why the city is named "Frankfurt, on the Main") is an incredibly important part of the city's history and as a result, the Main Festival is a pretty good time. =) 

Finally, a few of you had asked about transportation back to the airport (Frankfurt Flughafen) on Tuesday 7 August. First and foremost, it is your responsibility to make your return flight back to the US and likewise, your specific flight details can be found in your email (we are all flying United Airlines). I would strongly recommend that you plan to be back at the airport at least three hours prior to your departure time, to be sure that there are no complications (for example, DeutscheBahn has been experiencing some delays this week, possibly due to the heat). For those students hoping to go back with myself and Dr. Banks, we will probably plan to be at Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof by 07:30, so that we can snag a train to the airport and arrive by 08:00. If students wish to join us, we will be at the Starbucks inside the main station until 07:30. If you miss your flight for any reason, you will need to handle this directly at the airport, with airport officials. Most of us (myself included) will be on flights ourselves and thus, will not be able to help you.