FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[David]

Hello!
Who will be visiting Mineralientage 2023?
I am very excited that I will get to attend Mineralientage!
The last edition I"ve attended was in 2011. Hope it is just as good, or even better. For me, it is the closest thing to a minerals paradise!

[James Catmur]

I have never been and doubt I ever will.

[Riccardo Modanesi]

Hi to everybody!
I'm preparing myself to come there, as I usually do every year. I hope I will see as many people as possible!
Greetings from Italy by Riccardo.

[David]

[Roger Warin]

Since 1977, I have visited the Mineralientage about 40 times.
With my small group from Liege, we were even photographed at the entrance, around 8:00 a.m. and this photo appeared in the Mineralogical Record!
It was then in the Center of the City, before the creation of the metro towards the old airfield to the East.
At university I learned some true but tasteless concepts.
In Munich, I learned the passion for Mineralogy in a way that you cannot do elsewhere, even if the more modest minerals are always beautiful.

[alfredo]

My yearly mineralogical pilgrimage. Wouldn't miss it.

[John S. White]

I am very surprised at James's comment. He makes it sound as though he feels it isn't worth going to. How sad. The Munich Show is by far the most extraordinary mineral exposition one can imagine. Anyone who loves minerals should be dying to attend. I can't imagine why James would want to add that sour note to this discussion.

[James Catmur]

John

I have MS so going would be hard. Not impossible but hard. I was not being 'sour' but rather reflecting that illness makes it hard for me to do such things. Travel is much more complicated, and accommodation has to be wheelchair accessible. Travelling when disabled has gotten easier but I have to put a lot of effort into planning and doing the trip.

I love minerals and used to attend shows when I was 'in town' (including Tucson, Hong Kong, Ste Marie, Haywards Heath, Bakewell, Barcelona, Madrid, and some more) but now I need to plan such trips with great care and accept that a single day at a show will leave me exhausted for at least a day. I do try to go but often the effort makes it too hard or I have to take my carer with me.

[John S. White]

Hi James:

Sorry I came down on you hard. I completely misread the tone of your message.

John

[James Catmur]

No worries John, I did write in a hurry and could have said more about why

[Riccardo Modanesi]

Hi David! By the way: I saw you are from Bucharest, then my question is: is there any mineralogical exhibition in Romania? It would be interesting to visit it!
Greetings from Italy by Riccardo.




Well, I'm sure there are some interesting mineral shows in the UK.
I would enjoy them all!
Plus, regional, or local mineral shows can be quite rewarding.
I suppose it is also a matter of convenience and what sort of minerals or region one targets.
Personally, I love Munchen, so it is really two in one for me: a wonderful city, and a great mineral fair! :)[/quote]

[Roger Warin]

Hello John, James, Alfredo and others,

What a great opinion you express John. I share your disappointment James.
I myself am no longer very strong on my back and my wife Marie-Paule walks with great difficulty. But in Munich, we rent 2 wheelchairs for a few Euros deposit.

The thematic exhibitions in Munich are remarkable. This is where we learn mineralogy in all its splendor.
I remember the 1985-2000 exhibitions which exceeded any possible dream.
I have often published photos taken on these occasions on this forum.
And then, it was another time: we can no longer organize an exhibition on gold like the ones I experienced in Munich.
Johannes Keilmann is a genius, for me. He even likes meteorites!
See: Highlights Mineralientage München – Interview Johannes Keilmann – You Tube.
It was in Munich that I met Alfredo, thanks to the great facilitator Jordi! THANKS.

[John S. White]

Well, I must say thank you very much Roger for the photos. I recall meeting you and posing with you. And I love the wonderful photo of Alfredo and Jordi. We will miss Jordi terribly, And, of course, at the age of almost 90 I can no longer make it to Europe..

[David]

[alfredo]

For anyone thinking of going to Munich for the first time, and on a tight budget, I recommend picking a hotel in the center ("downtown" in American terms, near the main train station or "Hauptbahnhof"), where the cheaper hotels and restaurants are. It might look slummy, and all the restaurants will be Turkish, Arab, Greek or Italian, you won't see hardly any Germans around, but I assure you it's perfectly healthy food and safe streets at night, despite looking sketchy. Furthermore, do NOT rent a car. Parking at the Show is not cheap, traffic sucks, and there is a wonderful clean, cheap, and frequent (every 4 minutes or so) subway line running from downtown to the fairgrounds. A car is just an unnecessary expense and a hindrance, unless you have a large amount of luggage. If you plan to go more than one day, do not buy individual subway tickets, it's cheaper and faster to buy a strip of 10 tickets from the machine ("Streifenkarte" in German). You have to cancel (stamp) 2 strips for a trip from downtown to the show, so a 10-strip Streifenkarte is good for 5 trips between downtown and the show. Sounds complicated, but you'll quickly become an expert, and next year will be guiding your friends in Munich ;))

One favorable factor for visitors from North America or Asia is that October-November is the lowest season of the year for intercontinental air travel, so you can usually find much cheaper tickets than in Summer. It costs usually several hundred dollars more for North Americans to fly to the Sainte Marie show, just because it's the high travel summer season.

[John Betts]

Does anyone know a good restaurant in Munich for truffles? It will be the right time of year...

[Fiebre Verde]

[John S. White]

Sorry I can't offer any advice except that the Italian restaurants near the Bonhof are not your best bet. Try Googling Italian restaurants with truffle dishes.

[Riccardo Modanesi]

Hi to everybody!
According to someone's messages: truffles in Munich? I never heard about! If you want to eat good truffles, come to Italy! Piemonte, Umbira, Marche and Abruzzo are the regions where you can enjoy eating the best truffles in the world! But now... I am here to talk aboout minerals, not about truffles! Otherwise Jordi will scold all of us!
Greetings from Italy by Riccardo.
P.S. I will come to Munich and therefore I am looking forward to see all of you!

[Roger Warin]

I think like Riccardo.
I have never seen truffles in Munich in restaurants.
But sometimes the truffles could be on the paper menu but not on the plate!
Don't forget that all German stores are closed every Saturday and Sunday.