A Trip down memory lane - Steem Fest 3 / Krakow

My Memories of the SteemFest 3

Our journey to Krakow began in Paderborn in East Westphalia (Germany). From here we both drove by car to the airport in Dortmund, where we parked the car on a large parking lot. Already during the drive the excitement became bigger and bigger, what would expect us in Krakow.

Arriving at the airport, we were there a little too early and quickly got to our laptops while having coffee. Of course we also took some pictures at the airport.

Departure from Dortmund and arrival in Krakow

The flight didn't even last that long. We arrived quickly in Krakow, it was already dark there. Already while landing and getting out we noticed that it is very foggy here.

The INX Design Hotel and the first Steemian Meeting

From the airport we took a taxi and drove to the INX Design Hotel. We just took off our things and made ourselves fresh. A few streets further on, the first Steemians were already waiting for us and arrived the same day. And then we went to the CoolTurka Bar and met the first great people. Among others @anomadsoul @coruscate @martibis @stoodkev @oroger and @roxane . On this first evening I already thought that this celebration will be a special experience.

The first day before the SteemFest 3 in Krakow

Freshly strengthened with the hotel breakfast we went out to the streets of Krakow to get to know the area better. After a while we met with the developer @stoodkev and walked through the area. We also visited the cathedral. After a while we got hungry and had some huge baguettes :) And these were really huge and cheap. Very tasty.

The night before the storm

More and more Steemians land in Krakow and they met and celebrated again in the CoolTurka Bar or the Alchemia Bar. This evening was really long as we got in contact with more and more Steemians and moved around the houses late at night. Maybe this should have been done later, because the next morning the check-in for the Steem festival started.

Here we go. SteemFest Registration at the Qubus Hotel

The next morning with a good hangover after the night of drinking we made our way to the Qubus Hotel. The lobby was gradually filled with familiar faces from yesterday evening but also many new Steemians appeared. The hell I was happy to see the Steemians like @techslut and @nathanmars. Great Steemians!

Community dinner

Since the German-speaking community at Steem is not really small, some have also travelled to Krakow. We spent the first evening of the Steem Fest together with a very large part of the German-speaking presence on our platform. In a burger restaurant we ate well

Welcome Drinks in the Qubus Hotel

In the evening we had welcome drinks at the Qubus Hotel. The hotel was very well filled with many Steemians. With Steemians like @jeanpi1908, @felixxx, @rivalzzz, @shortcut, @unique.esprit, @twinner @anomadsoul, @fabianklauder and many more we ended up in a bar after the welcome drinks. There were only 2 guests in the bar and so we all went to the cellar bar and ordered beer for the whole crew. Further back in the underground bar was a foosball table. There we also had a lot of fun. This evening was also very long and we were late in bed.

Day 1 of the conferences

The first conferences were held in an event hall. Here one could switch back and forth between the individual parralel running lectures by means of headphones. The lunch and dinner was very tasty. Also here I met @roelandp for the first time, who did a great organization of the SteemFest.

Bear Bowling 2019 / Krakow. Team Germany

In the evening after the first conference day we took a shuttle bus to a remote shopping mall where there was a huge bowling alley. There the Bear Bowling took place, which was a lot of fun. Teams of 4 against 4 played for 15 minutes until a whole game was played in the final. Our team "Team Germany" was allowed to take home the first place. A grandiose performance from us but also the opponents were not to be underestimated. We had special fun against the team of Austria - On the picture below right to see the colleague @theaustrianguy

https://steemit.com/steemfest/@louis88/bear-bowling-at-steemfest-the-trophy-goes-to-team-germany

Conferences Day 2 ... rather late than not at all.

On the second conference day I unfortunately had to sleep a little late and sober up... Maybe we celebrated our victory in bowling a bit too hard... You can read a violent story here at @rivalzzz.

https://steemit.com/steemfest/@rivalzzz/the-dark-side-of-krakow-during-steemfest3

A luck that I was not too drunk and could move my brother together with the other colleagues still in time from the club. A lot has happened here and if you have any questions, maybe you can ask me about it at SteemFest 4.

Be that as it may, it had to be slept in first. Around 12 midday I went to the Convention Center and watched some presentations, talked to Steemians, took a nice group photo and took cool pictures of Krakow and the Convention Center with @unique.esprit of his drone.

Nightly Get together

To end the day with the coolest Steemians, we were invited to the Klub89. There was live music, a DJ and a lot of alcohol :-) Here I took the opportunity to hand over my present to @roelandp personally.

Sightseeing through Krakow

The next day there was nothing more on the plan, so we discovered Krakow together. In the afternoon there was also a cool boat trip across the river. Shippering across the river with cool Steemians was very nice. Before that we did a citytrip through Krakow. I indulged in a huge fat doner kebab.

#BeerSaturday with @detlev

In the evening we took part in the #beersaturday which was founded by @detlev. We didn't try so many different kinds of beer but one of the highlights was the beer barrel that @jeanpi1908 brought from Germany.

@cleanplanet Walk at the SteemFest3

On the last day of the SteemFest3 in Krakow some Steemians did an @cleanplanet Walk. A very interesting action which has shaped me until today and still brings me regularly to the participation today. Only last week I did such a Clean Planet Walk.

Visit to a salt mine

In the evening it's time to say goodbye, so I dressed up for it. But before that we visited the salt mine near Krakow. A huge labyrinth. I have to say, I was really surprised to see something like this underground.

One last dinner at a depth of 300 meters.

The dinner in the salt mine with all the Steemians was one of the most special experiences during the SteemFest. The dinner was very tasty and in this special environment a really special experience which I will never forget. That evening a small auction was started where @rivalzzz auctioned his Steemit Full Cap. The winner of the auction was @therealwolf

The real last get together with the best Steemians

After the visit to the salt mine the guests were invited to the Qubus Hotel to celebrate with the best Steemians. Unfortunately this was the last evening of the year where so many Steem users came together. We laughed, danced, played baseball with a bottle of wine, exchanged drinks and numbers. On this evening we had to say goodbye and review the past days.

A Cap full of Steemians

In the salt mine @therealwolf has bought the full cap of @rivalzzz. On the last evening he took the opportunity to write the names of the Steemians on the cap. @artbunny has drawn a cool SteemFest 3 logo on the cap. A very nice souvenir of a special time in Krakow.

And already it goes back again to Germany

After another short night in Krakow I packed my clothes and quickly signed the guestbook in the hotel lobby. Dear @pharesim brought us to the airport with our bag and baggage. Arriving at the airport, I had a strange feeling about the weight of my suitcase... but luckily the weight of my suitcase was still sufficient.

Relaxed return flight to Germany

After a few exciting and thrilling days full of Steem we arrived back in Germany. I take home a lot of experience, new friends and a lot of joy from this trip and still remember this breathtaking time very much today.

I hope I could show you a little insight into the great time during SteemFest3. If you'd like to read more, here's an article from last year that's even more detailed:

https://steemit.com/steemfest/@louis88/cdlkdmf3

This year the Steem Festival will take place in Bangkok. From Germany this is a long journey. I am very much considering whether I will be able to make a long journey this year. If I fly to Bangkok, then I must plan at least 3 weeks for it. From the costs it will become probably also substantially more expensive this year than in the last year. I'm curious to see how much the tickets cost for the SteemFest and make the total price and the market development of Steem / SBD dependent on whether I participate in SteemFest 4 in Bangkok or not.

I hope to see you all again this year.

Thanks a lot! Your @louis88