This month we have two evening meet-ups and also a morning session with the Saturday Coffee Club on the menu…… The first event coming up is the Coffee Club this coming Saturday (7th November) at 11.30am onwards, at Cafe Collodium, Vordere Metzgergasse (http://collodium.verwirklicht.com/page/willkommen.html). Saturday is the opening day of the annual Lindauer Jahrmarkt – where for four days market stalls fill the main streets of the town and the funfair is, for the first time ever, also in the heart of the old town – stretching from the railway station right along the harbour to the back of the Altes Rathaus. Natalie is your hostess for this event and she has booked a table for all those of us who need a little break from the jostling and crowd-packed streets.
Please DO NOT think of coming to Lindau by car over the next few days! There are very few parking spots to be had and it’s far less stressful if you can take the options of feet, bikes, buses, ferries or trains! There are special ferries operating from Bregenz, for all of you in Vorarlberg, on Saturday and Sunday. The times and prices are as follows:
ab Hafen Bregenz 11.00 / 12.30 / 14.00 / 15.30 / 17.00 – an Hafen Lindau: 11.20 / 12.50 / 14.20 / 15.50 / 17.20
ab Hafen Lindau: 11.40 / 13.10 / 14.40 / 16.10 / 17.40 – an Hafen Bregenz 12.00 / 13.30 / 15.00 / 16.30 / 18.00
Pauschalpreis inkl. Schifffahrt, An-/Abreise mit den VVV (Hafen Bregenz).Hin- und Retour: Erwachsene: € 8,80 Gruppen: € 8,00 Kinder: € 4,40

Later in the month we have our evening get-togethers. The first one is the Aeschacher Adventstreff on Friday, 20th November, from 4pm onwards. Those of you who have been part of the group for a while will know that for the last couple of years I have publicised this early festive meet-up, as they have a great bagpipe band – The First Leiblach Valley Pipes and Drums – playing every year (from around 7 – 7.30pm) and also something that sets it apart from the usual Weihnachtsmärkte around here: the spit-roasted pork – which sells out notoriously quickly. The Adventstreff takes place in the middle of Aeschach, by the two roundabouts, outside the Löwen Apotheke and Mode Butz. There are parking spaces available near the Sparkasse/Edeka and also in the public car-park in the Lärchengasse. Obviously, with lots of Glühwein and Glühmost on offer, public transport is probably the best option, with the ZUP only being a couple of minutes walk away. I will not suggest a particular meet-up time or place, but I will be there at some point, so hope to see some of you there. The whole thing winds up at about 11pm.

The second night-out, and our regular monthly get-together, will be a week later, on Friday, 27th November, from 6pm onwards. Since 2009 we have been meeting at the Lindauer Hafenweihnacht on it’s opening night (always the last Friday in November), at the Glühwein stand belonging to Hotel-Eiscafe Schreier. This year will be the last time that the Schreier family will be hosting their stand there (the cafe is being leased to new managers as from the New Year) and so it will be good to go there one more time and get in the Christmas spirit. Loni Schreier has kindly offered us the use of the cafe lounge itself, for anyone who needs a bit of a sit-down during the evening, and drinks and snacks will be served inside, as well as outside on the stand. I have suggested an early start time, as the Hafenweihnacht closes at 9pm, so it means we get ample time to enjoy the atmosphere, and it is also convenient for those of you who want to bring your children, or those coming straight from work. The suggestions for public transport (see above) also apply to these Advent weekends in the run-up to Christmas! Special ferries won’t be running from Bregenz on the Friday night, but WILL be running on Saturdays and Sundays. Obviously the trains are the best choice for those of you living outside Lindau, as you’ll be delivered to the ‘doorstep’ of the market 

Please contact me by email, if you’d like to find out more about the club or would like anything publishing on our site: lindauexpats@gmail.com

Hope to see you soon! All native (or fluent!) English-speakers, plus family and friends are welcome.
Amanda