A few weeks ago, Rob & Fritz from the Home computer Museum Frankfurt contacted me via Instagram. They wrote that they were organizing a meeting where all retro fans could come and present their machines.

I took a look at their website and saw many, many C* machines. I also saw a lonely portfolio and I saw that these people really like their hobby. They like old machines and taking pictures of them. Fritz is a professional photographer and his pictures are great.

They asked me if I would like to come around with some Atari as they do not have many to show. They said it was the 2nd edition of the event, but last year it was on the same day that Eintracht Frankfurt was in the cup final, so not so many people came.

I had a chat with DeanJimmy, and we agreed to do a stand together. DeanJimmy wanted to show his 2600+ with a nice selection of his modules, and I wanted to show my Atari ST with Gotek & SD Adapter.

Both machines are examples of avantgarde gaming, combining old and new parts to enjoy great games with modern comforts like Bluetooth controllers or modern small and sharp TFT’s.

One week before the meeting, my club SVW Wiesbaden somehow managed (or rather the other teams failed) to avoid relegation from the 2.Bundesliga to the 3.Bundesliga. This meant that the first match against SSV Jahn Regensburg took place on the Friday before the home computer event but in Regensburg.

I drove 3–4 hours to Regensburg, watched the game, and drove 3–4 hours back. It was worth the trip, we scored 2 goals and I screamed a lot, even though we ended up playing 2-2.

I got home at 2am and woke up at 7am. I put the Atari Mega ST and all the other stuff in the car and drove to Bad Homburg, the location of the home computer event. It was only a fifteen minute drive, so easy.

I was the first of the exhibitors to arrive and had a free choice of where to set up.

The location is a former carpentry shop owned by Fritz’s grandfather. It’s being renovated and it was a very cool atmosphere. Old rooms with old computers, a perfect match!

After the first coffee was ready, I started to wake up (still suffering from the journey to the football match).

A few minutes later, DeanJimmey arrived. We set up our machines and waited for the visitors.

Over the next few hours, many people came by, and we had some great conversations about Atari and the rest of the world.

Some people even brought their kids. I showed a lot of Stario Land because it’s a Mario Land clone and the kids got it right away. Speedball was also easy for them to master.

Boris & Dejan also had a stand and showed some Game Boys, some Spectrums, and a Jaguar.

Rob showed a lot of C* machines and the Portfolio.

Fritz showed his photos.

All this happened in a cool and comfortable atmosphere, and we had a great time. As the VSTmt#14 took place after the meeting, we did not have time to stay for a barbecue, but maybe next year.

DeanJimmy and I already have many ideas for next year’s event.

Thank you, Rob & Fritz. It was a pleasure to be your guest.