Berlin Reunion 2010 Tips And Information

The hotel will provide coffee at no charge each day.  It will be available at 1000 on Sunday, Monday and Saturday.  The remaining days it will begin at 1300.

Smoking is allowed only in designated areas.  (This is in accordance with German law)

There are several Protestant and Catholic churches in the area.

Dress will be casual.  You are encouraged to wear your BUSMVA shirts.  The weather can vary, so prepare for hot, cold, dry and wet.

Electricity - German voltage is 240.  Make sure your chargers, hair driers, curling irons, etc will operate on that voltage.  Most cell phone and laptop chargers are dual voltage and will be OK.  Just look on the charger for 120-240 volts.  Dual voltage curling irons and blow driers are available at many Wal Mart, Target and Walgreen stores. In all cases, you will need an adapter plug so your device will plug into the German wall outlet.

Currency Exchange - Do NOT take travelers checks.  They are almost useless because few places will honor them.  The most cost effective way to obtain Euros is from the ATM machines found in abundance.  You will need a debit card for your checking account to use in the ATM machines and you will need to notify the issuer that you will be traveling to Germany.  Exchanging American dollars will cost you high fees.  American money is no good there, so don't take large amounts of it.

Credit Cards - VISA and Mastercard are accepted in hotels and larger stores.  American Express is not widely accepted.  Discover Card is virtually useless there.

Passports - You must have a valid passport and it must be valid for at least six months beyond the time you will return to the United States.

Time Difference - Remember that there is a six-hour time difference from the east coast.

There is a grocery store and a bakery on the same block as the hotel.  A shopping center is across the street, and many other stores and restaurants are nearby.

Transportation - U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations are with easy walking distance, and bus stops are directly in front of the hotel.