more packing, laundry info

So, after a few conversations with Eisleben natives, it seems that there is no laundromat available here. We are still working on checking the availability of the washing facilities in the place we will be staying, but I'm willing to bet they won't let us use them willy-nilly. Please, don't bank on finding a place to do laundry.
However, I will encourage you yet again to pack light! I walked from my apartment (which is in the middle of the city) to the train station the other day, without luggage, and it took me almost 20 minutes. The place you will be staying is a little further on the other end of town. This means, when you get off the train, and you are tired, you will still have a 30-minute walk ahead of you, if you move somewhat quickly, WITH your baggage. Yes, there are certain things you need. But, if you're really honest with yourself, there are many things you will want to pack that you will not need (I know I brought waaaaaay too much stuff with me). Keep that haul in mind as you pack a second suitcase.

On the up side, the weather here is much nicer than I, personally, had anticipated. Most days, I have been fine in jeans, a long sleeved tee, and winter jacket. It does tend to be kinda wet, though--not really rainy, but just soggy pants-legs (but, then again, I wear my jeans far too long) and a damp cold. So, you know, that means you'll fewer jackets and such.

Doing Laundry - Sheets and Towels

I was asked about doing laundry during the trip. We are checking to see if there is a laundry service in Eisleben. I will post that information if we find something. I do laundry in the sink. Generally (I haven't been to this particular hostel) there is a sink for such use at the hostels.

There will be sheets and towels provided. But, I do carry with me a super-dry backpacking towel and facecloth. I find the towel to be handy; not all places provide a facecloth. You can come with nothing and you would be fine. If you have an old towel and/or facecloth you want to toss in, you could.

re: packing and bags

I just had one brief comment about PC's earlier post. Although you might think a larger backpack style bag that you COULD (albeit somewhat uncomfortably) carry-on would be a good deal, anyone with inter-europe connecting flights will be quite unhappy with that decision. I took one with me, and it was by no means the largest I saw, even on my flight from Charlotte to Frankfurt. However, I got a lot of dirty looks from people on my flight to Berlin, had difficulty finding a space for it even though the flight was barely half full, and eventually got blessed out by a German flight attendant. In the end, it's also not worth it to have that much stuff with you in the airport. trying to lug that thing around made me even more tired than I would've been otherwise. Unless you can fit everything you want in a backpack you would carry to class, check bags.

Plugging in Electrical appliances

If you plan to use electricity while you are in Germany, you will need a converter. These are easy to find a rather cheap. You only need the standard "European" converter.

You can recharge batteries with no problem, or power up a laptop. One thing that doesn't work so well is hairdryers. They require more amps than typically can be supplied with an over-the-counter converter. Many American hairdryers burn out quickly. In the past, our groups have simply gotten there and purchased a dryer there. You can get one for around 17 euros and share it with the group.

Address for your Luggage Tag

Okay - something no one wants to think about - lost luggage on the trip over. In the event that this should happen, you need to have an address, in Eisleben, where you luggage can be delivered.

Here is that address:

Sts Peter and Paul Church
Petrikirchplatz 22
06295 Lutherstadt Eisleben
Germany

Make sure all your friends and traveling companions have it.