I’m pleased to report that website for the 14th International Congress of Speleology is ready to accept your registration for the upcoming meeting, which will be held in Athens, Greece, from 21-28 August 2005. Some of you have noted that there were delays in this information getting posted to the website, but everything is working now and the congress is shaping up to be a fine event. If you visited the website in previous months and have been put off by the deadlines, please take another look. The deadlines have been reset and should now be feasible for nearly everyone. The website is located at: http://www.14ics-athens2005.gr/english.php
One deadline is approaching at the end of this month, which is the first price break in registration. Until the end of January, registration is 160 Euros, then it goes up 40 Euros ($52 at the current exchange rate) until the end of April. From May until July the price will be 220 Euros and then 250 Euros in August, so register now while the price is 90 Euros ($130) below the cost at the door.
I have just registered and have the following information and comments:
1) You can pay by credit card or bank transfer. Credit card is much easier and much cheaper.
2) You will be asked for your phone number’s international code. Enter “01” if you’re in the USA (some countries use “1” or “001” depending on the protocols of their phone system).
3) You must register before you can sign up for accommodations.
4) Maps of the venue and Athens are not yet posted on the website. The venue will be at the Zografou Campus of the School of the Philosophy of the National and Capodistrian University of Athens. The campus is located in east-central Athens. Few hotels are available in that area. With a couple of exceptions, most of the hotels are located in central Athens. Go to the “Accommodations Alternatives” link before visiting the “Accommodations Reservations” link. This gives you the geographic areas in which the hotels are located to help you decide. Until they post the maps, you’ll need to do a web search for a map of Athens if you want to see where the hotels are located relative to the Acropolis and other notable sites in the city. Do not expect to easily find a map that shows the location of the campus (I have a 300-page map book of Athens that provided me the location). Most maps will cover the central tourist area. In general, hotels in the Syntagma area will offer the most direct access to the campus by bus, car, or bike. They are also near a major subway station, but the subway doesn’t extend to the campus. Access from any of the central Athens hotels to the tourist sites is about the same since there are many sites to see and no one location is convenient to all. The “Accommodations Alternatives” also provides a list of youth hostels and camping sites. Most camping is far from the campus.
5) I don’t know this for a fact, but based on recent travels in Athens I believe the Congress has arranged discounted rates for the hotels. The prices are lower than what I generally found on my own or through travel agents.
6) The registration cost above does not include the cost of pre or post-Congress field trips. On-line registration for the trips is not yet available. Some of the information is not yet clear, such as costs listed as “Euro 200 plus,” which suggests some unspecified costs may be added. I expect this will be fixed soon and reservations will soon be possible.
7) If you want to present a paper, the deadline for abstracts is 28 February 2005 and they can be submitted on line.
If you have questions, contact the Congress organizers listed on the website. I’ll also be glad to do what I can to answer your questions, but keep in mind that I’m not on the Organizing Committee.
Notizia di George Veni
