If you would like to enjoy an ice cream by hopefully good weather in Münster, I can really recommend Raphaels Eismanufaktur. It is not directly located in the core of the city center. However, it is not far away only a few minutes by foot from the Prinzipalmarkt. Raphael Eismanufaktur scores with different compositions of ice creams. Milk and fruits are regional products and come from nearby farms. That makes a difference you can taste. In addition to classic ice creams, they offer some special ones like chocolate-ginger, Ahoy-Brause, caramel with fleur de sel, chocolate-cherry-brownie or asparagus sorbet.

https://de-de.facebook.com/EismanufakturMuenster

After a walk around the Aasee or a trip with a pedal boat (http://www.ecis2015.eu/tow/2015-01-29) I can advise the cafe Schöngemacht. Schöngemacht is a small and cozy café near to the Aasee. It is a perfect place to stop for coffee, cake and/or ice cream. They always offer a wide variety of self-made cakes to choose from. All cakes are extraordinary tasty. Besides the standard cakes, they also have gluten-free cakes. Especially, for the persons who have special dietary needs this is good to know. My favorite gluten-free cake is the Italian Chocolate Cake. Furthermore, they also offer vegan ice cream.

http://www.schoengemacht.de/

If you are a friend of cozy pubs, friendly conversations with friends and strangers (friends you just haven’t met yet) alike, and if you are a fan of British real ales, local Münsteraner microbrews (like www.gruthaus.de) and craft beers from around the world, you owe it to yourself to spend an evening here! Food (sandwiches and soups) is basic but tasty - but the real treasures lie in the convivial atmosphere – helped along by 7 different beers on tap, at least thirty types of whisky and a huge selection of wine, bottled ciders and beers.

Guests and staff are more than happy to speak English and help you relax in a classic Yorkshire atmosphere!

http://www.thejames.de

PS: Martin is former member of the Department, Head of Consulting at the Department's spin-off and ERCIS Advisory Board Member "PICTURE GmbH", and a "regular" at the James.

Researchers – like you and I – sometimes seem to live a bit in the future, always imaging new things, having great visions. However, now and then it’s healthy to look back and discover the past. Münster offers great opportunities to discover and experience its versatile history. Simply take some time, grab a bike, and - as you are in Münster - cycle through the historic city center. I’m sure you’ll discover some well known places, like the Prinzipalmarkt or the cathedral (Münster has no Münster), but also less known, like the statue of Bernhard Overberg. You’ll definitely find some spots you enjoy. If your German is not too bad, watch out for the sings and you additionally will learn something new.

Afterwards you might consider also visiting another, less known, historical site: The roughly 115 years old cavalry barrack “Von-Einem-Kaserne”. Today known as Leonardo-Campus and the home of the local IS researchers. We would be pleased to welcome you.

When I first came to Münster to study, I used to live in a shared student apartment at the beautiful Aasee lake. I was surrounded by great people from all over the world. One of them was Lucas N. If there is something like a true Italian, it would be him. He was a manifestation of all Italian stereotypes you have ever heard of. Beside all the other skills (I do not want to go into the details here), he was a great cook and a keeper of many precious recipes from his homeland. Accordingly, his expectations when it came to food, and especially Italian food, were high. So high, they were quite impossible for him to meet during his stay in the City of Münster. So he never went to a restaurant… except one.

Mocca d'or is an Italian food restaurant where you can get the best pizza in town. The one that even my Italian friend was more than satisfied with: thin, wide, colorful and extraordinary tasty. The restaurant is located in the heart of the city center and only few hundred meters away from the conference locations.  

One more thing. The place is so authentic, there are even rumors that it is owned and run by Italian Mafia. But do not be scared. There are no smoking guns there, only big smoking stone ovens firing delicious pizzas that will make your conference day a perfect one!

The Prütt-Café was founded in 1986 and is a pioneered restaurant for vegetarian and vegan food in Münster. All dishes are freshly-prepared from organic food without any additives – mainly from Fair Trade and regional products.

Enjoy the variety of wholemeal pizza such as pizza Mafia, pizza Diavola or Provende as well as pancakes, soufflés, salads and desserts for reasonable prices. 

You will find the Prütt easily behind the railway station in the Bremer Strasse 32. For reservations call: +49 251 66 35 77.

Münster is the recognized bicycle capital of Germany: according to statistics, there are almost twice as many bicycles as residents, namely 500,000! I have done a lot of travelling, but never experienced such an excellent infrastructure for bicycle drivers - more than 300 km of bicycle lanes permeate the city. You should try it, really! Experience shows that moving by bike in Münster is faster than by car or any public transport – no wonder that almost 40% of all journeys in the city are made by bicycle. The Promenade around Münster city center (known as the ‘bicycle highway’) is probably the easiest way to get around the city.

Right beside Münster central train station (‘Hauptbahnhof’) you will find the biggest Bicycle Station in Germany with 3,500 parking lots for bicycles (called ‘Radstation’) – you just cannot and you should not miss it! :) It is opened every day until 11pm and there you can rent a bike for 8 Euro per day (it gets cheaper if rented for a longer time or by a large group of people). You can even book your bike online! Enjoy Münster and bicycle riding!

P.S. In case you decide to stay a pedestrian in Münster, please be careful and NEVER cross red bicycle lanes :)

If you spend time with the kids, I would recommend you take a stroll along the Promenade and visit some beautiful playgrounds. One of them is  the oldest playground in Münster, on the corner of Breul and Kanalstrasse, which is remained forever young. It is equipped with a variety of activities for all kids ages. These include various game combination, depending on a nest and double swing and a sand pit. All this is in large areas of sand. The children's favorite is a constructed specifically for this aircraft playground for all travelers dream. One more interesting thing here is the pacifier tree especially for small kids who give up their baby pacifier and donate them to the tree.

After that you can stroll through the picturesque streets along the small river Aa and enjoy fine cuisine in the Cafe Lazzaretti opposite the Ueberwasserkirche (Spiekerhof 26,48143 Münster). For children, they offer delicious pizza, delicious desserts and more. If left power, we suggest you to visit the Muenster Zoo.

The Zoo has a special attraction for horse-lovers, the Westphalian Horse Museum, and the Dolphinarium, your kids can enjoy pony ride and to see the dolphin show.

My ECIS-day starts at Münster’s harbor district. Choose any restaurant on Hafenweg, or bring your own treats from the nearby “Bäcker Krimphove” on Hansaring 46-48. Seat yourself near the water, have breakfast and enjoy watching the world go by.

http://goo.gl/jEc4TB

Afterwards, switch into your running gear and enjoy Münster at a quick pace by jogging the Promenade like a true Münsteraner.

http://www.fitforfun.de/sport/laufen/laufstrecken-guide/muenster/asphalt...

The Promenade runs all around the city center, as it originates from Münster’s old fortification ring. Nowadays, it has become Münster’s main bicycle and jogger highway. If you fancy your ECIS-day less sporty, simply have your breakfast on a bench near the Schloss and watch city life literally run past.

Finish your day in one of the many pubs on Kreuzstrasse and help yourself to a so-called “Höllentrunk” at “Himmel & Hölle” [ECIS committee assumes no liability].

https://www.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Kreuzstrasse

If the weather is nice, the Aasee is a nice place to spend your free time. Grab a boat and some beers and relax in the sun. But wait, don’t just grab any boat! If you can, get the white swan-shaped pedal boat. A few years ago, the Aasee was home to Petra, a wild black swan who became a minor celebrity after she had fallen head-over-heels with the swan-shaped boat. Not matter what was tried, Petra followed it along for the entire summer and was heartbroken when it had to be removed from the lake for the winter. The odd relationship lasted two years where the boat was even relocated to the nearby zoo so Petra had it around during the winter. Even though Petra now lives elsewhere and has found a real partner, keep a look out. You never now, she might return to her old love!

Read more about it @spiegel: http://goo.gl/lgGkRO

For those of you who like to eat spicy food, I would suggest trying out FeuerFrei, a fastfood bar in the beautiful district of Gievenbeck. Dirk, the owner of the fastfood bar, and his colleagues offer spicy Currywurst to customers who want it to be hot – very hot! Not only Currywurst, no, you can also get burgers, Schnitzel, fries, and a lot of other stuff there.

You don’t like your Currywurst to be hot as hell? No problem! Dirk’s food is only spicy on demand, but also very tasty anyhow. Really! For the cracks of you: You also want your fries, burgers, and other shit on your plate to be hot as hell as well? Not a problem at all, just tell them and they throw a fistful of Hot Indian powder on your fries or put some dots of hot-as-hell sauce on your burger or whatever.

Go to FeuerFrei! You’ll love it! I seem like a freak to you? Well, yes! But a very happy freak and I know what I like!

http://www.feuerfrei.eu

If you are in Germany you must try a typical German “Currywurst”. One of the best places to try one is located at the Germania Campus in Münster. In “Currycult” you can choose from a variety of great “Currywurst”-menus. After you enjoyed your Currywurst you can move to the other side of the fountain. Here you can remain for the rest of the evening in the cocktail bar “Tide”. The Tide has a good selection of the mainstream cocktails and furthermore special cocktails depending on the season. It is not only great because of the good cocktails but also because of the lounge atmosphere. Where else can you relax on comfortable sofas or on fatboys and enjoy your cocktail with your friends?

You want to leave the city behind you and spend a day outside, experiencing the beautiful and diversified landscape near Münster and catch a glimpse of the famous Teutoburg Forest? Why not go hiking in Lengerich!

This route called “Canyon Blick” (Canyon View) will set you on an 11 km long round hiking trail. During the about 3^3/4 long trip you can experience several spots with a splendid view and with good luck, you might even see the dome of Osnabrück in the north. The trail takes you through the forest, over meadows and past several farms before you arrive at a recultivated stone pit. Although you will get through about 356 m difference in attitude, you do not need to be equipped with hiking boots or walking sticks. You can stop for a bite to eat in Leeden or Lengerich, which can easily be reached from the trail. However, I can only recommend you to take some cheese, half-smoke and bread from the farmer’s market beside the dome of Münster in the morning and take a break on one of the benches beside the trail during your trip. The trail itself is perfectly signposted so that you do not need to be equipped with a map of trails. You just have to follow the signs labelled as “Canyon Blick”.

For reaching the small graveyard chapel, which is the starting point of the tour, you can take the train from Münster Central Station to Lengerich (takes about 20 minutes). From the station in Lengerich you take the bus R45 towards “Ibbenbüren Busbahnhof” and exit the bus after about 6 minutes at the stop “Feuerwehrhaus” (fire station). Here you follow the signs labelled “Teutoschleife Zuweg” that bring you directly to the round hiking trail (about 15 minutes). As an alternative, you can also directly take the Bus R51, which starts at the bus station platform in front of Münster’s central station and brings you directly to the fire station in Lengerich (last stop) in about 70 minutes. The frequency for both means of travel is once per hour. You should check for the latest returning date when you leave the bus at the fire station in Lengerich.

Further information about the trip (including a printable map and the GPS track) can be found here: http://www.tecklenburger-land-tourismus.de/urlaubsregion/wandern/teutoschleifen/canyon-blick.html (unfortunately only in German; you might want to try google translate).

Explore Münster while Geocaching. No matter if you are walking around the inner city on the famous promenade on „Promenadenmischung Münster“ (http://coord.info/GCR6XC) or if you want to explore the botanical gardens (http://coord.info/GCQ8DD). All over the city dozens of treasures are waiting for you to be found.

You have no idea what geocaching is all about? Watch this video: http://youtu.be/1YTqitVK-Ts

Public toilets are often a place to avoid. From the outside, those at Münster's Domplatz seem to be no different. Have a look at the first picture below this text. Would you go down these stairs voluntarily? Probably not. There is likely a bunch of drug addicts lurking in the dark who call this place home, and god knows what kinds of body liquids they've spilled to mark their territory. However, what looks like an eldritch dungeon long forgotten by the world is actually the most pompous and pretentious public toilet you will ever see. Originally built in the 1950s, it's been renovated in 2007 by the artist Hans-Peter Feldmann as part of the art project "skulptur projekte münster 07". Now, you will find top-notch ceramics, large pictures of beautiful flowers, and a diversified color scheme, all carefully composed to make your stay as pleasant as possible. Hell, there is even a chandelier hanging from the ceiling! Münster's most luxurious latrine opens its doors usually from 8am to 8pm and a friendly lady keeps the place nice and clean for you. "What's the charge?", you might ask. Well, it's for free! Nevertheless, the cleaning lady appreciates a small donation. If you attend ECIS 2015, make sure you don't miss out on this hidden gem of Münster's small but vibrant art scene, even if you don't have to heed nature's call. Find more info here: http://www.skulptur-projekte.de/kuenstler/feldmann/?lang=en