Germany is in the Central European Time Zone. Central European Standard Time (CET) is 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+1). Like most states in Europe, Summer (Daylight-Saving) Time is observed in Germany, where the time is shifted forward by 1 hour; 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+2).

GSM networks are available. The country code for Germany is ++49. If you dial to any foreign country, you first dial the country code followed by the local number. The first two digits of the country code are always "00". For example, the country code for the US is 001, for France 0033 etc.

It's not usually too hard to find a taxi in Berlin's inner districts. The cabs are painted beige and have a characteristic taxi sign on the roof. You can hail one on the street, hop into any car at a rank, or phone one of the companies. A surcharge of € 1 is charged for booking a taxi. Worth keeping in mind is the short trip fare (Ask the driver for a "Kurzstrecke"). On this deal you can travel up to 2km for just € 3. Note, however, that this fare is available only if you hail a cab and not if you order or pick one up at a rank.

Berlin as the capital of Germany has three different airports: Tegel airport, Schönefeld airport and Tempelhof airport. While the first two are the most frequently used ones, Tempelhof is mainly used for local national flights and a few international ones. Most likely you will arrive at Tegel Airport (especially when coming from overseas via Frankfurt) or at Schönefeld Airport when arriving from Eastern European countries. Unfortunately there are no non stop flights from the US to Berlin. You have to connect through Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Brussels or other European cities. Some of the airline offices are: Air France, Tegel Airport (01805 830830); British Airways, Tegel Airport (01805 266522); KLM, Tegel Airport (01805 214201); Lufthansa, Kurfürstendamm 220 (030 887588).

All three airports are very well connected to the public transportation System of Berlin (bus and/or subway). Below you shall find more information how to get from each of the three airports to the city center and to Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. You can use the taxi, but as a real alternative we highly recommend to use the S-Bahn (quick train) and the U-Bahn (subway). One ticket is usually sufficient independent which alternative (and combination thereof) you use.

There are many restaurants around the conference place. Along the boulevard Unter den Linden you find several restaurants. Walking toward the Gendarmenmarkt (about 500 m from the main university building) you also find good restaurants such as the restaurant Borchardt (Französischestrasse 47, Tel: 2039 7117- high priced), or the Französischer Hof (Jägerstr. 56, Tel: 2043570 - medium priced). For more information we refer to the web site http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-785932-berlin_eating-i. Leaving the back entrance of the main university building you can walk to the old Jewish quarter (Stable Quarter - 600 m) where you also find various excellent restaurants offering non-German food.

After reunification the number of shopping areas has increased dramatically. Still one of the famous areas is around the Kurfürstendamm is a 3.5 kilometer (2 miles) boulevard filled with hotels, fashionable restaurants, cafés and boutiques. Close to the Kurfürstendamm is KaDeWe ("Kaufhaus des Westens" - located next to the U-Bahn station Wittenbergplatz), the premier shopping place in Berlin. Close to the conference place and in walking distance you find the Friedrichstraße, the shopping street that symbolizes the "New Berlin". The shopping area runs from the S-Bahn station Friedrichstraße down to the Leipziger Straße. Friedrichstraße crosses the boulevard "Unter den Linden" about 400 m west of the conference place. The Potsdamer Platz and the Sony Center (S-Bahn station Potsdamer Platz) is a new shopping and entertainment area (movie theaters, gambling place, bars, etc.) that was build from scratch after reunification at a place that was divided by the Wall for more than 25 years. More details can be found at http://www.vldb.informatik.hu-berlin.de/shopping.html.

During September, Berlin is a comfortable place to stay. Usually you can expect dry and sunny weather with moderate temperatures. The high average monthly temperature is 18 C (64 F). The low average monthly temperature is 10 C (50 F). The average monthly precipitation is 78 mm (3.06 inches).