Easter greetings from Middle Earth!

All it took was a polite, "May I?" and the elves lined up in front of the fountain at the Maritim Hotel in Bonn for a picture. These particular elves were waiting to get to the dance floor...

"It's almost like family to be with them all again," says twirling elf Lucille, who drove to Bonn from northern France for Hobbitcon. "Think about it. This is Easter Sunday. And I'm not at home. I'm here with these people dancing. That's how important it is to me."

Never forget the business. This elated fan paid 75 euros to get into the "autograph room" and then another 20 euros for Stephen Hunter (aka Dwarf Bombur) to sign his book. For Luke Evans' signature, that is to say, Bard the Bowman's John Hancock, it would have been another 85 euros on top. When asked why it cost so much for just a signature, the organizers laughed: "They're famous!"

And indeed, neither the price nor the seemingly excruciating wait was enough to deter the fans. A mom with her daughter, intent on getting Luke Evans to pose with her and sign her book, said they would wait "until the bitter end" to get what they came for. In temporal terms, that meant a good three hours.

Photo shootings with the stars took place simultaneous to the autograph sessions. They were far more expensive - 150 euros - but that didn't stop the fans from taking part. I couldn't help feel just a bit sorry for them at this point, I must be honest...

Money wasn't being made only by the stars, however. In one of the many rooms of the Maritim, private stands were set up for Hobbit vendors. Want a picture of Gandalf? You'll find it here. Want a Gandalf refrigerator magnet? That too, you'll get here. Want Gandalf underwear? Yeah, don't worry, you'll get that here too.