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Page last updated on: 31 August, 2005.

 ISSI Workshop on "Geology and Habitability of Terrestrial Planets"
5 - 9 September 2005
ISSI, Bern, Switzerland

LOGISTICS


CONTENTS:
Hotel
Travel (Getting to Bern)
Food Per Diem
Social Activities and Tourist Info
Swiss power outlets
Exchange rates

IMPORTANT!
If you have not yet sent in your arrival and departure information (as of 30 August), we cannot guarantee a room reservation in Bern.


HOTEL
Our secretary at ISSI, Ms. Fasler, will be handling travel and lodging logistics.  She plans to book a block of rooms, paid by ISSI, at a nearby hotel within walking distance of ISSI and the main train station.  These rooms will have private shower/toilet, phone, and TV.  If you wish to make your own hotel arrangements, ISSI will reimburse you up to 130 CHF per night during the workshop, but only by wire transfer, not by check.  In order to ensure a room reservation, please send your arrival/departure dates/times to Ms. Fasler by 22 August 2005.  Once you send this information, Ms. Fasler will provide you with all of the information needed to get to your hotel, to get to ISSI from your hotel, and to be reimbursed for food. 

You may still send in your arrival/departure dates to Brigitte after 30 August, and she will try to book a room for you.  Please let Brigitte know if you are booking your own room.


TRAVEL
ISSI will not cover any transportation costs, but for your information . . .

Flying to Bern
The closest airport is the Bern/Belp airport (BRN), but unless there is a sale, it is quite expensive to fly into Bern.  Only Lufthansa flies into Bern and only from Munich (MUC) 5 times per day, until 17:00.  There is a shuttle which leaves about 20-30 min after each arriving flight (giving you plenty of time to go through customs and get your bags) from directly in front of this small airport and travels directly to the main Bern train station.  The cost is about 17 CHF one-way and must be paid in cash. 

Flying to Geneve and taking the train to Bern
Taking the train in Swizterland is easy.  The Geneve (GVA) airport is only about 1.5 hours by train from Bern.  The train station (bahnhof) is at the Geneve airport; after you have gone through Customs, just follow the signs for the train station which are usually in English (in German: RailBahn,  , sometimes a picture of a train).  It is a short walk within the airport.  The direct trains to the main Bern train station leave every hour at xx:36 until 22:36.   You can buy tickets either from automatic machines at the airport train station (you can use these in English and they take most ATM cards and most credit cards if you have a password for your card) or from a person at a ticket window.  If the ticket window is closed, and you can't use the machine, you can buy your ticket on the train for an extra fee.  The tracks are easy to find and well-labelled.  While the train will make a few stops, you do NOT need to change trains.  On the train, stops are announced in French and German and sometimes in English, but you can always ask someone on the train if you are worried about missing the Bern stop.  The train will certainly stop long enough for you to get your baggage and get off the train.  There are bathrooms on the train and usually there is a snack cart and cafe car.  There are no assigned seats.

Flying to Zuerich and taking the train to Bern
Taking the train in Swizterland is easy.  The Zürich (ZRH) airport is only about 1h15m by train from Bern.  The train station (bahnhof) is at the Zürich airport; after you have gone through Customs, just follow the signs for the train station which are usually in English (in German: RailBahn,  , sometimes a picture of a train).  It is a short walk within the airport.  The direct trains to the main Bern train station leave every hour at xx:13 and xx:39 until 22:39.  You can buy tickets either from automatic machines at the airport train station (you can use these in English and they take most ATM cards and most credit cards if you have a password for your card) or from a person at a ticket window.  If the ticket window is closed, and you can't use the machine, you can buy your ticket on the train for an extra fee.  The tracks are easy to find and well-labelled.  While the train will make a few stops, you do NOT need to change trains.  On the train, stops are announced in French and German and sometimes in English, but you can always ask someone on the train if you are worried about missing the Bern stop.  The train will certainly stop long enough for you to get your baggage and get off the train.  There are bathrooms on the train and usually there is a snack cart and cafe car.  There are no assigned seats.


FOOD
As indicated in your invitation letter, ISSI will reimburse you for food through a per diem of up to 70 CHF per day (with catered lunches and the workshop dinner subtracted from that).  Again, you will be reimbursed only by wire transfer, not by check.


SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
Workshop dinner:  We will have a workshop dinner on Wednesday night at a hotel just outside of Grindelwald.  Please see the 2nd circular >> for more information.

Tourist excursion:  We will have an organized touristic excursion to Grindelwald on Wednesday afternoon.  Please see the 2nd circular >> for more information.

During your free time:  In case you plan some free time into your travel to Switzerland, there's of course plenty to do.  The city of Bern has a great tourist website >> with information about the city and excursions within the canton of Bern.

?????? QUESTIONS (Including Visa Issues)?
If you have any questions concerning travel, hotel arrangements, or visa issues please contact ISSI secretary, Ms. Brigitte Fasler (fasler @ issi.unibe.ch, +41 31 631 48 96).



SWISS POWER OUTLETS
 230V, 50 Hz, will accomodate the same type of plug as mainland Europe


EXCHANGE RATES (25.08.05)
 1 € = 1.55 CHF
1 CHF = 0.64 €

1 RUB = 0.04 CHF
1 CHF = 22.5 RUB

1 £ = 2.28 CHF
1 CHF = 0.44 £

$1 US = 1.27 CHF
1 CHF = 0.79 $US


TALK and SESSION CHAIR PREPARATION, FACILITIES, ETC.
 Please see the 1st circular >>.


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