# Rationality Retreat in Cologne Area, Germany, Spring 2019

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APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

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I am excited to announce that I am hosting a rationality retreat near Cologne, Germany this spring. This is an opportunity for up to 20 people to meet up, share their thoughts and have a wonderful time together.

Most important information in brief, details below:

*   Date: From 30.05.2019, ~17:00h to 02.06.2019, ~11:00h
*   Location: Private house near Cologne, Germany
*   Cost: 25€ - 50€ (Food and accommodation included)
*   Format: Somewhere between an [unconference](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconference) and a group of friends just spending a vacation together
*   Limited to 20 participants. Apply here: [https://goo.gl/forms/5fs4HLL9wAaTtDRh2](https://goo.gl/forms/5fs4HLL9wAaTtDRh2)

### When

Thursday, May 30th (Ascension, public holiday in many countries) - Sunday, June 2nd

### Cost

50€ full price, 25€ reduced price. Meals, snacks, drinks and sleeping accommodations are included in the ticket.

### Who

Anyone who wants to spend a few days in the company of other aspiring rationalists is welcome.

### Format

The retreat will be a participant-driven event for up to 20 people. It will begin with an opening session on Thursday afternoon but beyond that it is ultimately up to the participants to decide on how to use the time. What I imagine would work well is having two dedicated time slots on Friday and Saturday each for presentations / workshops with the remaining time being free for unstructured activities such as socializing, swimming, playing games etc. Departure will be Sunday after breakfast.

### Location

My parents have generously offered to let us use their house for the weekend. The house is in the countryside, reachable within 1 - 1.5 hours from Cologne central station or Cologne/Bonn airport with public transit or half an hour by car from Cologne central station. Because this is my parents' private home I will not post the exact location publicly.

My parents' house has a large garden with a pool and a campfire site. It is located in the beautiful [Bergisches Land](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergisches_Land) with opportunities for hikes right outside the door. Two cuddly cats also live in the house.

Sleeping accommodations will be a mix of beds, mattresses, and air mattresses, with two to six people per room. We can also pitch a tent in the garden.

### Food

All food (except for the cat food) will be vegan. We will cook meals ourselves.

### Organizer

I'm Johannes, also called Joe. I was a co-organizer of the local EA group in Magdeburg for over a year and am now assisting for the second time to organize the European LessWrong Community Weekend. At the Community Weekend in 2017 there was a session on "What to do if you don't live in a rationality hub" and I got the idea that organizing a small retreat is something I could do mostly on my own and since the event lasts several days it's worth it to travel a few hours.

### Application

As I am expecting the number of people interested to be higher than the number of available slots the slots will be allocated based on an application. Fill out the form [here](https://goo.gl/forms/5fs4HLL9wAaTtDRh2) to apply. Application will be open until March 3rd. I might schedule a short call with you. Confirmations will be sent out after March 3rd, at the latest on March 31st.

  
Feel free to share with anyone who might be interested in attending. Any questions? Leave them below or contact me at johannesgaetjen ⟨at⟩ gmail ⟨dot⟩ com.