Ben - What's up with your web site?

All I know is that his website provider went bankrupt and Ben is scrambling to get back on the air. His site epitomizes the potentials of the WWW and we need to do whatever we can to get him back on line!!

I agree. I miss your site BB.
Marge

Hi folks - never thought I would get caught in the middle of a mess like this. You never think about there being such sorry scoundrels in this world until they show up on your doorstep one day. It doesn't look like I will be getting bavariaben.com back so I have registered bensbauernhof.com just in case. If I can recover my pictures, graphics and pages from Feature Price FTP I will try to put it back together. Right now I can't get anyone to reply to my requests. I have some of the files backed up but not all of them. It was foolish on my part to think they would always be there as long as I kept renewing. If it turns out to be more trouble than it's worth I will just have to find a new hobby. At least I have a trip in September to keep me busy for awhile. If I get it back up and running - I will post a note. Thanks for your concern. Ben

Ben,

Just out of curiosity, did you register the domain bavariaben.com yourself or did the hosting company do that for you? I hate to see hosting companies squat on a chosen domain when they should be in the business of providing hosting. Space/bandwidth and domain registration are two different things.

I just did a whois lookup and the Internic registry reads as:

"This domain is owned by a xxxxxxxx.Com Customer" (x's added by me for discretion)

Seems to me that you paid for that domain and it's still registered. The space - you rent - and it might be tough getting your content back. But the name, legally, you own. You paid for it. If you have a domain registration login somewhere, that's independant of the hosting account control panel login, you should be able to point the old name to a new location/nameserver once you've found a new home.

Sorry for the length, but disreputable hosting outfits are a pet peeve.

Oh, I just realized that the registry says "expired domain". That means that even though you've been paying the bills, they have not been renewing your domain to the "real" registrar.

On the positive side, that means that ownership may well become re-available. I'd suggest camping out at Dotster or GoDaddy and trying to grab that name back as soon as it expires. GoDaddy is just $8.95 per domain name, but Dotster lets you pay up to 10 yrs for a domain name. Either way, register the name yourself and don't let another hosting company do it for you. Then when you get your hosting account, you're in control of where the domain points.

Ben:

That really sucks!! Just like Garmisch, I expect Bavariaben to be there when I need it! I hope you can get it together again SOON. The site showed that it was a labor of love. Will be looking at Fodors for your notice that it is up and running. This might be a long shot but you think FODOR"S has any helpful hints to recovering web information??

Looking forward to seeing you in Germany!
JOHN

what a coincidence! There is a post asking for B&B in Southern Germany and I decided to checked again Ben's site before making a recommendation. Somehow I got bombarded with ads and then kicked out all together. A bit scary.

Ben, keep us posted. It was a great site.

I just did the exact same thing, Maira! Just as bmw posted, I expected the site to be there forever.

Ben, when you get to the point of trying to restore your info, consider putting out a call on the board to Bavaria-loving Fodorites. I'll be happy to resubmit the Freiburg hotel review that was on your site. Maybe others could resubmit their faves too.

You have my sympathy. I'm remaining hopeful that the situation isn't as bad as it seems right now!

For any of you who occasionally stop by Ben's Bauernhof to look for zimmers, read a trip report or just listen to a little polka music - I'm happy to report that the site is back up and running. The only difference is that instead of bavariaben.com - it is now www.bensbauernhof.com. Thanks to those of you who expressed concern. If I can ever be of service to any of you who might be planning a trip or looking for an inexpensive place to stay - it would be my pleasure to assist you. By the same token - if any of you Fodorites or Fodor readers would care to share a trip to Germany or a favorite hotel or pension or B&B in southern Germany or Austria - I would enjoy showcasing it for you on my webpages.

Our Stammtisch group will be meeting at a Gasthaus in a small village in the Black Forest in September. If any of you are planning a fall trip to Germany and would care to join about 40 fellow travelers (who love Germany) for an evening of music and merriment - just drop me a note and I'll tell you where and when. You can read about our first meeting three years ago at - (http://www.bensbauernhof.com/thegreatgatheringplus.html) Ben

I changed the link on the fodorite website page also

Great news Ben! Glad to see you back on the Web.

Ahhhhhh! The world is a better place today! Great News, Ben. Things looked bleak a few days ago, glad you got all the pages/information back

Would love to meet in Germany. Have to get back to full employment first!
JOhn

I wasn't able to access the site.
Marge

I just tried your site and was soooo happy to see it up and running again! Great pictures, wonderful and concise info!!! Welcome Back Ben!!

Why's it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got till it's gone

Really glad to see it back, BB.
Marge

click on bens websight and u will get a million pop up ads and nothing about bavaria.

try the NEW address:

www.bensbauernhof.com

Hello Ben,
I'm new to this website and had not heard of the 'Bavaria Ben' site until recently. But I had already discovered 'bensbauernhof' and was impressed. I will be passing through Black Forest late September and wondered when and in what 'small village' the gathering is being held. Or would you prefer that I revisit 'bensbauernhof' to find out? Thanks, Tony