I LOVE going to LEGO fan events.  I loved going to the 3 Brickfests I went to in Arlington.  I loved going to the 3 Brickworlds in Chicago that have happened so far, and plan on going to them far into the future.  I loved going to Brickfair for the first time this past summer out in Virginia.  As much as I'd love to see some kind of AFOL event/gathering somewhere really close, like Indianapolis, I still think any of the events I mentioned are worth the moderately long to very long drive (12+ hours) to get there.

Even though some of the LEGO fan events I've been to may seem to be far away from each other, they are all in the United States of America.  I'm sure you're aware of the many other LEGO festivals that go on overseas.  The vast majority of AFOL LEGO events that happen outside the U.S.A. are located in Europe.  In fact, there's an event called "Skærbæk" LEGO Fan Weekend that's coming up at the end of this month (September 25-27).  Skærbæk is a town in southern Denmark.  The LEGO Fan Weekend event is sometimes reffered to as "Skærbæk" since that's where they have it.

If you've never seen any photo galleries from a European LEGO convention, you really need to go find some to peruse.  (Those of you who already know how sweet European AFOL MOC layouts can be are probably going to take a quick look at a European LEGO convention gallery anyway after reading this.)  Since Skærbæk is in Denmark, and Denmark is the home of LEGO, you would expect this event to have a little extra zing or some kind of heightened atmosphere that sets it apart from other events.  LEGO Community Development and Byggepladen (the Danish LEGO fan group) will be working together on the event, so I imagine that it will be a sight to behold.

I don't plan on attending Skærbæk, but out of curiosity I took a look at the site's link on prices.  I didn't know if the "Prices" link would have information on registration fees, hotel costs or both.  It turns out that the pricing information on the site was all about hotel costs—and what a list it was!

The cottages that they have set up for people to stay at in Skærbæk sound quite nice.  (Each cottage has it's own kitchen.)  However, it worried me just a little when I saw that the hotel price "includes electricity."  I guess I never thought of a separate bill for the electricity you use while staying in a hotel room or cottage.  Fortunately for those staying in Skærbæk, the electricity is included.

The break in flat rate, streamlined charges doesn't stop there though.  Right under the nightly cottage rate it says, "Cleaning - If you do not wish to clean the cottage yourself - it can be bought for kr. 375,-"
Wow...   leaving these cottages is like leaving an apartment that you're not going to rent anymore.

The extra charges keep going.  Immediately after the cleaning fee, it says, "If you want to rent linen and towels, it is possible for kr. 75,- per. package."    Who brings their own towels to a hotel or cottage?!  Europeans do, it seems.  At least you can take your rented towel to the pool for free, since swimming in the pool is included in the price of the cottage.

I suppose I should now sit back and think of how grateful I should be for the economic simplicity of staying in a hotel in the U.S.A.  I should think about how I take for granted all those clean towels, toilet paper in the bathrooms, sheets that the housekeeping ladies wash for no extra fee, and hot water that I can take a shower with for the same price as if I'd used the cold water.  ...but I'm not.  The hotels in which I stay still make a profit when I stay there and use all the amenities.  If anyone reading this is a Danish hotel or cottage owner (Hey—it could happen!), then I urge you to consider using the charging methods of American hotels.  Include everything you have to offer, besides free alcohol, and just charge a flat nightly fee for it.  Sure, you may have to increase your rates to cover the costs of those perks, but your customers will appreciate the simplicity of an easy-to-calculate rate and the peace of mind that comes from not having to pack your own towels.  Trust me...it will work.

I have to admit though; the people in Skærbæk look like they'll be eating like kings.