03.09.2012-04.09.2012 - First transportation to Bremerhaven

(Preparation of the cruise ANT-XXIX/3)

03.09.2012 (Monday). I arrive at the RBINS at 7:00, where I meet the driver of the institute (Guy Jaumonet). We drive to Bremerhaven. A small rainshower and after that fine weather. The GPS of the car says "meuhhh" like a cow each time it overreaches the speed limitations. Very bucolic... We arrive in Bremerhaven around 13:30. We first go to the custom office. Just a form to be signed. Then I go to the shed of the logistic department of AWI. They remove all the boxes (including the very heavy one with the pieces of rail) (500 kg) and put them together, very professionally. I give them some documents concerning the packing list and we are gone. Then I go to the scientific builing of AWI (some kilometers farther west). I briefly discuss with Christoph Held and Julian Gutt. Julian told me that he is himself drowned with boring little tasks concerning the cruise. He shows me the huge list of e-mails concerning ANT-XXIX/3 he received so far. Then I pay a visit to my colleague Shobbit Agrawal (a PhD student of Christoph Held). When he has finished his work, we go to a pub close to AWI and we drink a beer on a terrace. We discuss on all and everything. We were facing the cinema of Bremerhaven. When looking at moovie posters, Shobbit told me that, as long as most people are interested in such stupid movies, the world cannot go right; it is symptomatic of the dysfunction of our society. I found his opinions very pertinent. The weather is sunny and it is the first time in my life I see Bremerhaven with a fine weather. I finish the day in an Italian restaurant close to the strange church of Bremerhaven.

Van of the Royal belgian Institute of Natural Science with our boxes.

Our boxes in the van.

Appoaching Bremerhaven

The Custom office of Bremerhaven.

Unloading our boxes.

Unloading the ballast for the traps. The weight of the cage is about 500 kg.

The lander for our baited traps in the shed of the Alfred Wegener institute (AWI).

The main research building of the AWI.

04.09.2012 (Tuesday). We drive back to Belgium. We got some small problems when approaching Maastricht because the GPS map was outdated. So, we get a unique opportunity to admire some very interesting or rather very uninteresting landscapes from both sides of the German/Dutch border. Once in Belgium, I find an e-mail telling me that I have to change once more my packing list of dangerous goods. Indeed the bottles of alcohol did not arrive isolated but were grouped in packages of 6 and 3 bottles (which was highly predictable). I write a new packing list with 3 items, after having written one with 16 items, after having written one with 1 item. Stay zen....

(Cédric)