Bernhard, I don't even know if we would get the 26th, but I could ask. First I need to know if the majority prefers it or not. The price is probably 300 between us for a personal tour (Saturday) or 30 per person for the Sunday general tour, which we will share with other people. The tour shows us the place with a bit of background, gives us a map, and then lets us loose for 4 hours, or a bit more. Last time we more or less all ended up splitting up and exploring on our own, and then we met for a break, and at the end we went for dinner. I would expect something similar this time.
If most people prefer the personal tour, I can ask for a lower price. He did mention that he would cut us a break the next time we came, but I don't know how much that would be.
Put me down for a preference for the 26 as well, even at increased cost. The benefits of having the place to ourselves, like last time, are far from minor IMHO!
I am still talking to the guy about this, and he says that Saturdays at Grabowsee are not usually available. The place is often rented out for movie shoots, music events, and so on. However, there is the possibility for a Saturday 26.11 tour of Beelitz!!! I am trying to get us into this tour, if indeed it happens, so stay tuned.
I got the answer that Beelitz is not yet confirmed by the owners for the 26.11, but he put us on the waiting list for 5 people. The thing is that apparently this tour sells out *very* fast, so this is our only chance to get the right number of people on the list.
I need to know how many people can make it *for sure*, and the number of people on the list will probably be the only number of people who will make it in. So far I am putting myself, Philippe, and Markus on this list. I have also asked two friends in Berlin, and will try to get commitments from them as well.
Please let me know if I should reserve a spot for you (and Philippe: for Pascal as well), so that I can give the right number. This is binding.
Beelitz is a fantastic place, one of the top UrbEx spots on the continent, and it would be a fantastic chance if the tour company gets the permission. Please consider this strongly. Search for images, if you would like to see more.
... and I wish I had been able to join you all. Friendly folks and a day of shooting and chatting at a place seemingly very interesting would have been a lot of fun.
26.11 Beelitz: carstenw, philber, Bobu, alba63, Ulff, and 3 (!) friends of mine who are all committed. Anyone else last minute? I will increase the reservation size. 30 Euro commitment.
27.11 Grabowsee, the backup plan: carstenw, Ulff, Philippe (?), alba63 (?), Bobu (?). No need to pre-book, but it would still be nice to know how many we will be, so please firm up your presence as soon as you can.
The Beelitz tour came through, but the conditions changed a bit. Instead of 4 hours, it is now 5, which is probably good, given the size and attractiveness of the place, but instead of 30 Euro, it is now 40. I guess the owner wanted more this time.
I need to confirm everyone's commitment to the date before telling him so. I and my 3 friends are all still coming. I am trying to reach Bernhard, but didn't succeed yet. I presume that Philippe has no problem with the price, given that he has previously paid even more I need confirmations from Bernhard, Markus and Boris, please. Then I will lock the date down.
Philippe, I'm already looking a little forward to the spring when I'll be able to come along. Yes, I trust Carsten to arrange a series of future meetings!
We have this mysterious friend of ours joining as well, Beelitz, Nov 26. Carsten, check your mail!
26.11 carstenw, philber, Bobu, alba63, Ulff (?), and my three friends, and a bonus participant, Lurker X.
I just need Markus' confirmation now.
27.11 I cannot personally make, because I only get one free day per weekend, not two If anyone wants to meet up with Boris, however, I am happy to help set it up and get the tour booked, if needed.
So, we need to organize cars. Lurker X has a nice roomy van, so given that I drive rarely, and that we now have access to two cars with room for everyone, I prefer to not take mine. I will go with my 3 friends in that car, and Lurker X can take up to 6 in his van. There should be 5, so that fits fine. The main task now is to meet in some places which make the pickup smooth and the exit from Berlin easy.
I will talk to Lurker X and my friends about the two pickup spots, and where we eventually meet, probably in Beelitz somewhere (since we are coming from different parts of Berlin). I need to get the directions from go2know as well.
I will be back with more information. Markus, if you are reading this, please confirm that you will come still. I am currently presuming that you will...
By the way, here are the instructions from the tour company:
Fotokamera (SLR, Kompakt- oder Bridgekamera, Handy)
Videokamer (Alternativ)
Gegebenenfalls Stativ (für die Innenräume)
Gegebenenfalls Blitzgerät (für Blitzfreunde)
Wir empfehlen eine Taschenlampe
Festes Schuhwerk
Kleidung, die etwas Schmutz vertragen kann
in English:
Camera
Tripod
Flash
Flashlight
Strong shoes
Clothes which may get dirty
Neither flash nor tripod are of course necessary, but in the dim conditions, a tripod will certainly help to get better results. I found flash super helpful last time, to add a little light when the foreground was insufficiently lit. Most of my shots had some amount of flash, so it doesn't have to be obvious.
To confirm: I will still come, Carsten. I only need at seat in a car (Lurker X?) to Beelitz from any place I can reach by bus, subway, etc.. I'm located in the south-west of Berlin (Breitenbachplatz).
So is Lurker X, so there should be no problem then. I will choose a meeting point with him and get back to you all here.
Btw, Lurker X is trying to join the forum, but hit an unexpected snag with the length of a field in the forum software, so it might take a little longer.
I need confirmations from Bernhard, Markus and Boris, please. Then I will lock the date down.