Today was the first full day in Germany! Many of us left the hostel at 6:45 am: a pretty brutal 11:45 pm for our bodies, in order to make it to the Bonn Zone to register our credentials. We were hoping to beat the crowd and we did! We were among the first to register.
All of us were fortunate to be gifted the credentials to get access to the Bonn Zone through organizations across the world, from the University of Arizona to Refrigerants Natural. Our passes give us access to one of the two sites where climate events and meetings will take place. This space is called the Bonn Zone, where we will be spending our time at presentations and talks, and the other is called the Bula Zone, a more private space for delegates and country representatives meet in private.
The conference is held in Rheinauenpark, a large green open space on the edge of the city of Bonn and on the Rhine river. The start of the Bonn Zone begins with a huge tent, very white and clean looking inside, with lots of meeting rooms, tables, and open-spaces. The Bula Zone is about twenty minutes walk North, with art installations, a giant inflatable Earth, a skewed polar-bear, and a number of other odds and ends.
Because no official events were happening today, we took the opportunity to explore the city of Bonn. We took the train to the University district and explored a small city market, trying some cheeses, pastas, meats, and warm mulled wine!
We are all back in Cologne now, getting ready to see the excitement and attend our first side-events tomorrow back in Bonn!
Auf Wiedersehen,
Sophie
