Dear All,
The deadline passed on Wednesday – an exciting moment in the lifespan of an upcoming conference because it grants us the first glimpse of what to expect… Thus, imagine us busy reading abstracts and starting to imagine the days in June. We will soon share any further news with you.
If you, on the other hand, start to think about your trip to Cologne, please take a look at our website, where you will find a list of possible accommodations. We are updating the list regularly but it’s worth thinking early about where to stay. It might also be a good idea to check the various websites for hotels – sometimes they offer rates that are not available to us as organizers.
My colleague Mathilde Frank is sharing some insights about the urban structure of Cologne as a city combining a medieval layout with post-1945 reconstruction – it might help you get a sense of the distances and ways around the city. The theatre collection’s (TWS) librarian Charlene Fündgens is presenting our Fool of the Week.
FOW: This week's FOW is a real jumping jack that is almost impossible to capture in photos. Despite being enclosed in glass, the tiny Harlequin still finds enough room for its capers: It flails its arms and legs when shaken. Today, however, the toy should only be allowed to dance with the caution appropriate to its distinguished age.
CC: Reconstructed as an automotive city after the Second World War, Cologne is criss-crossed by major roads. As if that wasn't complicated enough for visitors, Cologne’s public transport also has a special feature: the city's locations are connected by suburban trains (S-Bahn) as well as by trains that function as both underground and streetcars – in the sense that they run both above and below ground. Many of these, along with numerous buses, will take you to the university's main campus, where the IFTR will take place. All stops that have “Universität” in their name are just a short walk from the campus, as is Cologne South station (“Köln Süd”). Take a look at the map on our website (Location IFTR) and the KVB website, where you can conveniently enter the address of a possible accommodation.
Alaaf – meaning as much as au fou de partout, to fools everywhere, we greet you!
Peter W. Marx
for the Cologne Team