Anyone attending the Germany 2011 Midwifery Today conference? (x-posted in Birth Professionals)

[BirthIsAwesome]

I'm planning on attending the Germany 2011 Midwifery Today conference and am on the search for hotel roommates :) I will be flying (or driving if I can find a local driving buddy with a car) from northern Italy with my son, who will be 1yo a week after the conference.

[Terrilein]

You can also look into a youth hostel as a very cheap alternative to a hotel. Don't know about co-sleeping in a twin sized bed though . . . Where is the conference taking place?

[BirthIsAwesome]

oh, great tip, thank you! The conference is in Bad Wildbad.

[Terrilein]

I was just thinking you might not find enough information just googling for youth hostels in Englisch - youth hostel is "Jugendherberg" in German. I googled for youth hostels around your location since there doesn't seem to be one in Bad Wildand directly and these are what google came up with:

http://maps.google.de/maps?nfpr=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=bad+wildbad%22+jugendherberge&fb=1&gl=de&hq=jugendherberge&hnear=Bad+Wildbad&ei=1o-sTZymH8iUswbWltWeCA&sa=X&oi=local_group&ct=image&resnum=5&ved=0CAQQtgMwBA

I imagine that you won't have problems phoning and getting someone to speak English for you - most younger Germans speak a fair amount of English. So good luck and I hope you get a baby friendly spot!

[BirthIsAwesome]

Thanks! I really appreciate that info :) How would you recommend I get from the airport to the hostel to the conference? I imagine public transport is excellent in Germany like it is in Italy. Also, which German airport is closest to Bad Wildbad? I'm also looking into the possibility of taking a train---would InterRail be the cheapest option for that?

Edited by BirthIsAwesome - 4/18/11 at 10:25pm

[Terrilein]

Public transportation really is good in Germany. Depending on which youth hostel you take, you could fly in to FKB - Karlsruhe/Baden Airport - or Stuttgart. But I think FKB is going to be closer. Then take the train to Baden Baden and change trains/bus there to get to your youth hostel. If your really lucky and get into the youth hostel in Baden you could reduce a lot of travel time. I would ask when booking your room how to get to Bad Wildbad. I hope it's a pretty fast and straightforward affair for you.

Good luck and have fun, mama!

ETA: And do keep in mind that you'll most likely be sharing your room with a few other people so don't pack any valuables you could otherwise live without should they go missing. I'd hate for you to show up and be at a total loss of what to do with your stuff. Maybe they've got lockers available in the rooms. That would be something to ask about, too.

[Plaid Leopard]

Hi! I used to live in Germany, and I lived in Italy for 3 months too! I would highly recommend taking the train over flying, so that you don't have to worry about limiting your carry-on and snack items, checking in early, going through security etc. The good thing about train stations are that they are usually in or very near town centers so it is much easier to get to where you want to go.

Also, you might consider taking a night train, so you an sleep through the journey and arrive in the morning.  If you are only doing a round trip from Italy to Germany then you can simply purchase a regular ticket, no need for an Inter-rail. You can usually get some really good advance purchase fares.

Have fun at the conference. I went to one in Paris a few years ago and had an amazing time!