No flights to the US from Copenhagen?

This is what I would do if needing to arrove from america:

US-Hamburg, plane
Hamburg-Kiel, rail or car/Autobahn
Kiel - Kopenhagen via rail (more relaxed travelling than with car)
Kopenhagen-US.

Since I do not like cars, I would do it all by rail. Via the eastern route (Fehmarn ferry), it seems you do not win or lose much time when using car or railway, but for a group it is the more relaxd way to travel)

An alternative for some Europeans may be to land at Lübeck, a smaller regional airport with flights schedules to Dublin, London Stanssted, Mailand, Frankfurt Hahnau (that is at Frankfurt but is not Frankfurt International!!!), and at least in the past: Barcelona and Alicante (I think that was cancleed some time ago, I'm not sure). From Lübeck via train to kopenhagen, meeting the visitors from Laboe returning to Denmark in Lübeck when they have to switch trains in Lübeck anyway, or going from Lübeck to Laboe and meeting the group there. - The idea is that interested people go early and have some time in Lübeck/Old Town, one day or so. One would hate to miss that place. It's the most beautiful city in all Germany's north. Plus the world's capital for marcipane production. :)

Train sucks - and if you are more relaxed in it much depends on your own personality.

I took enough trains to be cured for the rest of my life. I prefer a car with music and air conditioning. The ride from Hamburg to Copenhagen via train takes about 8 hours - good night then. I calculate 7 hours from Wilhelmhaven to Kopenhagen with a car ... and this is double the distance Hamburg-Copenhagen.

With a train you also still have a problem to reach Laboe, so additional costs for taxi or bus. Then you also have to go back to Kiel to board the train again. Now, if you want to visit Laboe before the meet in Kopenhagen, then taking the train makes no sense to me. You may consider the train going back to Hamburg though - after the meeting.

If you fill all places in a car it is also cheaper than train and the Autobahnen in the north aren't so crowded anyway if you manage to get past Hamburg ...

Visiting Lübeck is an option on the way back but i personally would prefer to miss it and take the long way through Denmark instead across the Belt Bridges to see more of its countryside ...

No that is Toledo!!! :wah:

The main problem I see is landing in Hamburg or Lübeck as you say. To do that I need to take one or even two extra flights, and that also means a lot of time conmuting, waiting, etc. Plus I hate to have to conmute between planes, as it would not be the first time I miss the second flight :damn:

I still believe that the best option at least for me will be to arrive at Copenhagen the 15th and then departy early the 16th to Laboe using the shortest way, preferably renting a car and sharing it with some other guys to make the trip more enjoyable.

I'm coming too

My trip will be easy
take my car to Trelleborg, park it there. take the TT-line to Travemünde and from there the bus to Kiel and U 995

The ferry will not cost me anything. My neighbour is working on of those boats

Or I may take the train from Cph to Rodby and from there the ferry to Puttgarden.

Markus

Let'S not exaggerate.

Hamburg - Kopenhagen: 4:46

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/que...h%3C%2FSPAN%3E


Hamburg-Kiel: 1:16

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/que...h%3C%2FSPAN%3E


Kiel - Kopenhagen 5:08, 5:27

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/que...h%3C%2FSPAN%3E


Lübeck - Kiel 1:12

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/que...h%3C%2FSPAN%3E


Lübeck - Kopenhagen 4:05

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/que...h%3C%2FSPAN%3E


Hamburg - Lübeck 0:40

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/que...h%3C%2FSPAN%3E

2) by train, also over Rødby-Puttgarten There is a train that takes the direct route across the Fehmarn bay?? Are you sure?

I'm beginning to think that is the simplest idea for Americans, too. We can arrive Copenhagen on the morning of the 16th, hook up with you and other people who want to come 1 day early and drive to Laboe. There we can meet our German comrades, visit U-995 and the museum, pay our respects to the fallen U-bootmenn, and then all journey back to Copenhagen to being the meeting on the 17th. :hmmm:

Train or car, I prefer car, but either is fine. We could use the ferry and save a bit of time over the train, right?

It will be terrific to see you again, Marcus, you are a veteran of these meetings.

Neal

That is true. The routes I linked all go over that ferry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogelfluglinie

Since German Railway lists this route as default, it is the faster one (faster than going North and over land and then do the island-hopping). Prices for one way ticket vary from 63 to 88 euros, depending on the train(s) you take. 0-3 changes. Ironically, the trip with 3 changes is the fastest (5:08).

There might be another alternative: renting a small bus with driver. Somebody in Denmark would have to check the prices for that. If the group is big enough, and while train tickets already would cost the single person around 140 Euros for moving there and back, it might be an alternative for you.

You really want to jump off the airplane on the 16th, then embark on the Kiel trip the same day, move back to Kopenhagen, again the same day, and then continue with the meeting the next day? Sounds like stress, pure stress, Neal. ;)

Yes, Neal, I'm sure as Skybird also wrote. I used to make a trip to Lübeck once, and I'm pretty sure the train embarked the ferry.

I also think it can be a stress day, but then again how many times does one have the option to go to Laboe as someone living far away. I live relatively close, so I'm not sure I will participate in that one-day trip, but if you really wanna go, then do it.

As Skybird suggested, I have visited the homepage for Avis, a rental office. One of many, I have to say. But just as an example.

3 screencaps below.

You'll see on the map that you have about 163 km between Copenhagen Airport (Kastrup Lufthavn) and Rødbyhavn:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y28...ubsim/krak.jpg

And the prizes for vans:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y28...ubsim/avis.jpg

For the 9 person van, more in detail:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y28...bsim/avis2.jpg

That is 2,122 DKK for the rent and the first 100 km. Extra km is 3.60 DKK. And the route in Denmark is ((163+163)-100) = 226 km * 4.50 DKK = 1017 DKK + 2,122 DKK = 3139 DKK. Then you also have the extra km in Germany. But sofar it's 348,78 DKK per person in the van.

Ohhh yes that is fantastic idea :yeah:

We get rid of the need to meet the exact schedule of the train, and we get full service from the airport or hotel to Laboe and back. Even if it costs as much as the train or more I think that would be really worth it!!!
Plus the people who arrive with jet-lag can have a sleep during the trip if they feel so

Let us list all people who would be interested in that, and then we can see if someone from Danemark can rent the bus for all of us.

Many thanks for the input Skybird :up: :up:

That I will not attend the meeting in Copenhagen does not mean that I could not assist from the distance, where possible.

I looked up the web for offers of bus companies to get an idea of how much it would cost, but they gave no clues on it - somebody in Denmark better files a local company around Copenhagen a request with date and destination, they then will reply with a cost offer. I have no idea what it would be like.

The ferries over the belt go twice an hour, the passage lasts ~50 minutes. That is for cars AND trains, of course. Roadkilometers from ferry to Laboe is ~100km, almost nothing of that is Autobahn, most is Land- and Bundestrasse. You need to orientate yourself, and need to find your way around and in Kiel's north. Depending on traffic, before you can embark on the parking lot at Laboe museum give those 100km 2-3 hours. Third, add the Danish side of the trip, I don'T know what kind of road you can move on from ferry to Kopenhagen. Since the road-distance is even more, also give it let'S say 2 hours minimum. I think you should not expect to make the trip anywhere below 5-5,5 hours minimum if going with car yourself. The shortest train trip is 5:08, the other train options with less changes are around 5,5 to 5,75 hours.

That is 11 hours of riding car or train in Kopenhagen and Kiel, all in one day. Add the arrival time for those just embarking from plane. Add jetlag. Add the time you spend in Laboe.

If I were you, I would add the 15th september to the whole timetable for the operation. Such stunts like planned so far I found inviting when I was at school. I would not like them anymore these days. Guys, some of you travel around half the globe - and then you just want to run around in a stressing hurry, not having one minute to relax, take a breath and come to your senses, seing where you are...? ;) This is not the sprint at the Olympics, but it is your money... Take some more time. ;) ;) ;)

What better mood to enter a 1944 Type VIIC U-Boat? :haha:

Wouldn't amaze me if at the yell of Alaaaaaaaaaaarmmmmm during the visit, all of us instinctively run to the forward compartment leaving the museum guide astonished :har:

Hi Guys,

good to hear that you consider to visit U-995 in Laboe during this years´ SubSim Meeting, really hope that I´ll make it there to meet you.

One of your questions was, what might be interesting in the vicinity of U-995 right? Depending on how much time you can afford, there are several interesting places to go, so that area makes perhaps also sense for a complete future European Subsim Meeting.

POIs I know in that area, but have not visited all of them till now

- Marine Ehrenmal (Navy Cenotaph) with attached Museum - directly vis-á-vis of the U-995, is certainly a must go. Many interesting exhibits e.g. the open "Torpedovorhalterechner" (TDC) of U-995, screw of german cruiser "Prinz Eugen" (glows in the dark by itself ... just kidding!), many flags and historical information, tons of models.

- U-Boot Ehrenmal (U-Boat Memorial) Möltenort - roughly 5km away from U-995. All names of German U-Boat men who died in WW1 and WW2 and also the men who died on U-Hai (former U-2365). Those who´ve played SH3 with GWX expansion know that memorial next to the waterline.

- HDW wharf (Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems) in Kiel - ca. 15km away from U-995, it´s the place where the current german submarines are built. It is possible to get guided tours but we maybe need the support of an organization e.g. like the DMB (Deutscher Marine Bund, German Navy Association) to get the permission for such a visit

- sewer ports Kiel-Holtenau - entrance to Kiel canal - many big ships on travel

and in a bigger circle:

- U-11 (Type 205) in Burgstaaken (Fehmarn) - roughly 80km from Kiel (lies next to the way to Rodby ferry) - open as a museum

- "U-434" (Russian Tango class submarine) in Hamburg - ca. 100km from Kiel

- Marineschule Flensburg-Mürwik (Naval Academy) - ca. 100km from Kiel - museum and library, many historic uniforms, history of the german navy. This academy is still part of german naval officers education and all U-Boot officers went through that school. It was also the seat of government of Adm. Dönitz in the last days of WWII.
Open to public only on Tuesday afternoons and closed due to renovation until June 2009 (doesn´t matter though)

And last but not least there is a very cozy and rural countryside around Kiel with many lakes, good for a short holiday trip e.g. for cycling.
Hamburg also has many more interesting places to go, as you can expect from Germany´s 2nd largest city.

If you have questions or are in need of any support organzing things, don´t hesitate to contact me.

Cheers,
Michael

P.S.:

Many thanks to Neal! For this fabulous Subsim coffe mug, it reached me on Saturday!:rock:

Thanks, Sky, for the details.

Hitman, et all, how does this sound?

Americans leave Monday 14th and fly into Copenhagen on early morning in Tuesday 15th. One day to rest up, see a little of the town, and get plenty of rest that night and solve the jet lag. Then we rise early Weds 16th, take the train OR rent a van to Laboe, across the excellent ferry. See U-995, meet up with German and other western Euro members who are driving in. Then we take the train/van back OR ride back with people who have cars. If there are two or three Euro drivers, we probably will not need the train on the return trip.

We have plenty of time to finalize this, we will have better idea of who is driving in, and we can get exact train schedules. We could rent a car/bus in Cop. and drive to Laboe as a group, but then we will need to return it. If we have enough drivers meeting us at Laboe, it could save money and be more fun to train/driver.

McBeck is our Danish rep.and Carotio can also be our Danish point man. Sounds like Skybird, Gandalf and Lurchie could be excellent German liasons.