2020-02-21 global

Toom in 2006

Location

This globalhash is situated in the Toom-Baumarkt in Raunheim, Anton-Flettner-Straße 11. The Toom is closed, it is questionable at this time if entrance is possible.

Participants

GeorgDerReisende

DODO

Plans

GeorgDerReisende

I will leave Kassel at 8:23 and can arrive around 12:25 in front of the door.

Leidenfrost

~~I will probably arrive at a similar time.~~ I will arrive at 15:29, but will have to go to catch my train at 16:17. A meetup should be achievable.

Update: Due to unforeseen circumstances, I did not manage to make it. I wish all the best to those who managed to go!

π π π

I want to go really really badly, but sadly I do not know if I can actually make it. I have things to do the whole day, of which some are mandatory and one is with friends and cannot happen as planned without my presence, and I have to study for an exam next Tuesday. I will update if I find a way to go regardless.

Update: Sadly I cannot come, what a huge shame. Missed opportunity of my life. Could’ve taken a flight for 120€ since Raunheim borders Frankfurt Airport, but would’ve missed at least two of my appointments. Had the flight costed below 100€, or had the toom still been open, I would definitely have went.

DODO

Hello again. Yesterday I found out, that hashing is back and a global hash that near on the next day is a sign (must be!). Can't be there before 16:30 unfortunatly. And I must go there by car after work, so if there's to much traffic I won't come.

Traffic seems normal, so I'll leave work soon and hope to arrive at 4 pm (or a little later). To late for Leidenfrost, I'm afraid.

Expedition

GeorgDerReisende

The journey took place as planned. I arrived at 12:20. At first I walked around a little bit and looked to the people on the parking area. There were many suspicious looking people around, but I didn't see any confidential looking geohashers. Then I walked around the hall. Then again I looked to the suspicious looking people and again waited for some geohashers. Until 13:30. Then I left the place for some photos in Raunheim. At the end at home I noticed, that there should have been other geohashers around 15:30 and 16:00. I left Raunheim at 16:15!

DODO

The journey took place as planned. I started short past 3 at work. Traffic was dense, but there was no traffic jam, so I arrived in less than an hour (16:09). To late for Georg of course, and even for Leidenfrost (if he could have managed to come).

There was a big parking area (of course, the hash landed in a shopping mall), so I could leave the car just in front of the hash. I searched for some other hashers. There were plenty of people but - strange enough - nobody seems to care for a Global hash. Hey, a global hash so close to you all. I found Georgs chalk mark in front of one of the doors to the closed building. You could watch through the glass doors and see the big empty hall with the hash just in the middle, but you couldn't get any closer.

I decided to stay some more minutes and walk around the building. If I can't reach the hash, I can at least circle it. You could easily walk around the building, but the rear site was even uglier than the front. Even an old car was placed behind the building.

Well, I wont get my first global hash achievement, but - at least - an honorable mention. Good enough to celebrate - isn't it. An ice cream would be fine. So I walked to the shopping center on the other side of the parking area. There were still shops at least but no ice cream. Just an uninspired bakery. So I got a peace of cake and drove home again.

I wonder, why the global hash has chosen such an ugly place for his second visit in Germany. But nevertheless, after ona and a half year, I'm back at geohashing and look forward for new adventures.

Retro expedition 2022-04-24 (π π π)

I could not go to Germany's second globalhash, but 2.5 years later I was travelling to Mainz and needed a place to sleep. All the hostels in Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Frankfurt were fully booked, but a small establishment in Flörsheim am Main, directly opposite Raunheim, still had a relatively cheap bed. I booked it and immediately noticed on the map that the now iconic closed hardware store was less than one kilometre from my hostel – I'd obviously have to pay a visit (I'd wanted to this anyway, but the accommodation made it much more convenient).

After spending the evening is Wiesbaden, I went to the hostel (it was too late to swing by the hash, though there'd be no one there at this time). The next day, 2022-08-24, I set off in the morning and walked almost 4 km to the hash with my bag, mostly along the river Main which blocked the direct route (probably could've saved time by taking the bus for a portion of the way). When I arrived at the store from the north, I immediately saw that there was probably no chance of getting to the coordinates – the entire building was surrounded by a high fence whose links were invariably screwed shut. The space to the front and the sides was overgrown with weeds, clearly absolutely nothing had changed in two and a half years. From the front, I could see that the main entrance stood open, and when I walked to the southeastern side, I was surprised to see a minivan standing inside the fenced area. I walked past and saw that two people were working there, one was going in and out of the former store with cables, and another was sitting outside next to a device which periodically hammered onto the ground, possibly taking seismic measurements. The fourth side of the building was occupied by other stores and therefore inaccessible. How did van get inside the fence? There was no gap whatsoever, they must have unscrewed and then rescrewed two of the metal chain links, I guess.

I walked around the entire complex until I arrived where I started, and then on to where the fence made the closest approach to the hashpoint, 38 m on the northern side. I went on to look for a space that might be wide enough for me to fit under the fence (there was a sizable gap there), and I did find one where one of the concrete bases stood elevated on a kerb. However, this was on the side of the large parking space for the shopping centre (though there were no cars in the immediate vicinity), and three men who had already been there when I came round the first time were still standing near a bus stop at the street, making no move. They would definitely see me if I tried to wriggle under the fence, and there was still the worker with the cables who might see me once I was inside the building. I thought about trying it for a while, but ultimately decided it was too risky. I might've dared to attempt it if either the three men or the workers had not been there, I'm not sure. Disappointed, I took a few more pictures and then walked 1.7 km to Raunheim station, from where I continued on to Mainz.