# Brian R's ED Trip Report September / October 2015



## Brian R. (Sep 5, 2002)

Hohenschwangau / Triberg:

We got up early to hit up the castle tours in order to get on the road after lunch for the drive to Triberg:

Rise and shine:

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https://flic.kr/p/yC2kJ8

We took the "shortcut" to Neuschwanstein, which was a pretty steep walk up stairs and paths. It was shorter, but definitely a workout. When we got to the drop off area outside the fog in the lowlands was still there:


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The view from the castle was pretty spectacular:

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We then started to work our way to Castle Hohenschwangau after some parting shots:

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For the terrain they found ways to put some gardens in:

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Before we left Villa Luwdwig for our travels I noticed another EDer in the parking garage:


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There was a lot of people around the spot(s), so this is the best I could get for my castle photo:


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We stopped at the nearby gas station from the spot that had a self serve spray wash in the back. The only downside after I started was that the soap for the station I was at ran out, so all it got was a glorified rinse. The upside was that I was approached by a German soldier from a group washing their vehicle in the bay next to us. He started up a conversation with "Schones Auto!" Needless to say I was pretty excited for the compliment! He then tried to ask about performance specs in German, which I was woefully unprepared for. I tried to explain in English, so hopefully he got the gist of what's new with the 340.

We then made the trek to Triberg. There's a lot of elevation change within the town, which took us by pleasant surprise:


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https://flic.kr/p/zi3Dqa

We then grabbed dinner and then rested up for another busy day ahead.


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## Brian R. (Sep 5, 2002)

Triberg / Nurburgring Day Part 1:

Another day, another early start. Triberg is famous for Cuckoo Clocks, Germany's tallest waterfall, and Black Forest delicacies like Black Forest Cake.

We started at a higher part of the waterfall parking area and walked around, then went to the bottom and took some pictures going up. It's not one big fall like Niagara, but a large series of waterfalls. Either way it was a nice place to walk / hike around and enjoy:


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We then went back into town and visited some of the shops:


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## Brian R. (Sep 5, 2002)

Triberg / Nurburgring Part 2:

This is two parts because I hit the photo post limit of 35. Oops! :bigpimp:

We then worked our way up to Nurburg. On the way we found some interesting prototype MINIs on the road, and then saw them in the rest area:


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We got to Nurburg, checked into our hotel, then went over to the parking area / ticket office. They were finishing up a track day before touristfahren, so there was a TON of cars there. We parked in the overflow across the street and walked up to the ticket office and toll gates:


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The amount of car types we saw in the tollbooth line and in the parking area was really impressive. At the same time it was sobering seeing the 3 wreckers bringing in cars wrecked on the track before opening for the public. The GP Circuit was also open that day (last tourist day for the season) so a lot of drivers were taking in 1 lap early then heading over there. We waited for about 30 minutes after open until hitting the Nordschliefe:


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There was repair work on the guardrails going on, so of course a local yellow there while they were working:


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Then we were back to it:


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There are professional and semi-professional photographers at pretty much every Touristfahren session taking pictures of the cars and then offering those for sale digitally later.

Martin at Tourifotos.de does some great work. Tip: Email him ahead of time when you're going and the description of your car and he'll keep an eye out and take extra photos where possible. He charges per photo or a flat rate for all.


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https://flic.kr/p/AwgjfN


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Racetracker.de also aggregates photos from various photographers, and the fees are per photo. Good thing is they're usually at different spots, so you get some different angles. Bad news is they're private license only.

After our lap we watched some others at various spots around the track and found a decent photo area:


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We then tried to find a way to watch the Touristfahren on the GP Circuit and couldn't find a way to the grandstand:


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With nightfall approaching it was time to head to the hotel for the night:


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## Brian R. (Sep 5, 2002)

Nurburgring / Rothenburg ob der Tauber:

We woke up and drove through the Manufacturer's Row before saying Auf Widersehen to the 'ring:


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We decided to take a slight detour on our way to Rothenburg and stopped at Berg Eltz. It's more of a "true" castle, as you can see the various pieces that were added on over time vs. the preplanned execution of Ludwig's castles:


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We then continued on to Rothenburg. We passed an interesting chapel along the way:


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We also stopped for gas at a rest area. The autobahn has frequent rest areas, something that was welcomed in our travels. We're used to the PA Turnpike where the rest areas are 40+ miles apart, and not every 10-15 like Germany. As I was filling up I ended up talking to a truck driver who came up to the car and said "Schones Auto!" I couldn't believe it happened again, and I still was woefully unprepared for what questions he asked, and he spoke little English. I thanked him for the compliments and wished him safe travels as we continued on.

We got into Rothenburg before dinner, which we then walked around a bit and shopped at the Kathe Wohlfahrt store before the Night Watchman tour:


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The store was massive. They had multiple levels of all Christmas items and decor, from the traditional to the unique. They also had a moving diorama inside:


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It was nightfall which meant it was time for the Night Watchman tour. It was definitely worth it, and we had a good time. He also makes a mint. In our tour there were probably over 200 people, and the donation requested at 14 Euros a piece it's a good way to make a living. Our hotel concierge recommended a few places that were open late because they cater to those that want a bite to eat after the tour, so we chose one of those and then went back to the hotel for the night.


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## Ninong (May 20, 2014)

Great photos, Brian! :thumbup:


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## Vanhills (Oct 26, 2015)

Great photos again! You have knack for photography. Which hotel did you stay at in Rothenburg? Would you recommend it? Keep posting! Thanks.


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## Brian R. (Sep 5, 2002)

Vanhills said:


> Great photos again! You have knack for photography. Which hotel did you stay at in Rothenburg? Would you recommend it? Keep posting! Thanks.


Thanks! We stayed at the Villa Mittermeier Hotel & Restaurant. It's literally outside the wall by about 100 feet. It makes it real easy to just park and walk without any trouble. We were able to park directly out front, however there also is parking in the back. The rooms were good, breakfast was good, the front desk / concierge was fantastic with ideas and post Night Watchman tour restaurant choices.

The rooms are small however. Not sure square footage, but they were the smallest on the trip. Nicely decorated and modern, plus we were out on the town and just needed a place to sleep. We'd stay there again.


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## Brian R. (Sep 5, 2002)

Rothenburg ob der Tauber / Munich / Home:

Just in time for our redelivery at the PCD next week, here's our last full day of our trip, plus flying home the next morning.

We woke up and couldn't leave Rothenburg without walking the ramparts and the streets some more:


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In order to rebuild the portion that was destroyed in WWII, they asked for donations and in turn offered honorary citizenship to Rothenburg as well as their name on the section they donated.

It was pretty amazing how far and wide donors were :


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The ramparts also give you some interesting angles to look at the houses inside of the city walls:


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There are also defenses at key positions of the wall, like this cannon:


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And of course one of the entrances from the ground:


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We then walked along the streets, which are definitely part of the charm of the town:


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We then left Rothenburg and drove back to Munich. We had a 1:30 Appointment at Loginout, so we hit up the Agip for a spray wash and checked in at the Hilton across the street. We had just enough time to take the bags to the room, take a picture of the key and German registration documents (that they stapled backwards, got me and the poor woman at Loginout):


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We then headed over to Loginout to say "Until We Meet Again":


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It did have a lot of good company for the trip:


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All in all 2264 kilometers of vacation isn't a bad way to get acquanted with your new car:


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We then hit up the Munich Airport supermarket to see what we could find to go with our pretzel from the Rothenburg bakery that has been in business for hundreds of years:


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And all we found was this:


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The only thing left on our travels was to say Auf Wiedersehen to Germany and head home:


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Thanks everyone for taking the time to look and comment, I appreciate it! :thumbup:


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## CE750Jockey (Nov 8, 2011)

Great pics, Brian R. Congrats, only a few more days wait. I got mine the day before Thanksgiving, then broke every speed limit from GSP to Ohio to get home in time for Turkey Day. We had a houseful and the wife was doing all the work in my absence...yeah, she's a keeper! :rofl: Post up some pics of your PCD. :thumb: No wisecracks, Sportstick if you see this post.


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## blecop (Jan 25, 2016)

Brian, how much did you tip the sixt driver?


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