# Little Lara´s First ED!! 170 pics!(or how to convince her this is better than Disney)



## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

Little Lara's First ED

If I'm lucky, this is post #800!! So, sometimes if you are lucky, you get what you wish for . . .



kashrahman said:


> LondonBlue said:
> 
> 
> > Every picture is amazing! Every one certainly looks top notch and very professional. The premium lounge areas are beautiful. Love the decor, layout, furniture and food presentation!
> ...


http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3947776

Believe me, I had no idea when I posted that during my E93 European Delivery 2 years ago that we would actually be coming back so soon!! 
Who knew that in two short years the wife would go from her beloved 04 530i (http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=373727) 
to an awesome cpo 06 750Li (http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=374101) to our newest addition to the family, an 11 535xi GT??!!
As an added bonus, this is Lara's first ED!!! So exciting!!! This will be our longest trip yet, and I'll try to update each day! But first a little background story . .


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

well we actually have 24 hours before we pick up our latest addition! It is sunday morning; pickup is tomorrow am. I foolishly thought I would use the hotel lobby computer like last time, but it has been replaced with some internet kiosk. Takes forever to load pics and I can only run one webpage at a time. Bear with me, I will likely load most pics after I come back. But so far, so good!! LondonBlue and Lara left friday afternoon (they are combining this with another trip); I left friday night. United\Lufthansa on the wayover. Everyone is very friendly. and thin compared to the midwest!! Rolf picked me up right on time, sitting in his usual spot. He gave suggestions for what to do until the family comes later tonight; sadly I just went out for a bit and then crashed in bed! Half tempted to go out and buy a laptop . . . . (mine is an older, heavy 17" apple, so I thought I was being smart leaving it at home! )


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

Getting there . . .
First made sure there was space at home for the new baby! Sadly doing Euro delivery means that LondonBlue had to return her 7 a few weeks ago. If someone can tell me how to upload video, I have a nice clip of her saying goodbye to the 7. But after getting all packed, I was on my way!! (and sadly no, that is not superdark Becks -- its a diet coke. nor was that my airline seat -- I was a few rows ahead). Rolf met me at the Munich aiport, where there was a kids event going on -- teaching kids about fire safety, etc.


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

friendly faces


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

made a quick pilgrimage, I mean visit, to the Welt!!!


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

21 hours to go!!! I walked around downtown Munich this morning. Thought it would be nice to take pictures from the top of St. Peters church. If i had known it was 300 steps up a narrow stairway, I might have reconsidered!! Also this weekend they are celebrating Christopher Day, a gay pride celebration. Lots of people, food, beer and music!!

Neusrathaus -- New town hall


















Residenz









Bayerische Staatskazlei Does anyone know what this is? Has a statue of Otto von Wickelsbach (sp?) in front




























Dianas temple in the Hofgarten


















Theatine Church


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

Christopher Day














































various shops





































Beer gardens!!!


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

Hofbrauhaus!!!!





































view from top of St. Peters church


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

more friendly faces. The orange haired girl's voice was a little deep -- must be the German accent!


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## bimmer335is (Nov 27, 2010)

I can feel the excitement just reading your posts. Look forward more pix after the delivery. I can see once you had one ed with bmw, you are hooked for life. Lol, Have a great time in there.


Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Bimmer App


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## alex md (Nov 21, 2005)

super pics i was in Munich 2 weeks ago your pics bring great memories


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

kashrahman said:


> ...
> 
> Bayerische Staatskazlei Does anyone know what this is? Has a statue of Otto von Wickelsbach (sp?) in front


A couple of translations:

"Bayerische Staatskanzlei" is the Bavarian State Chancellery. This is the government of the "land", the federal state of Bavaria. It is headed by Horst Seehofer, the "Ministerpräsident" (Minister-president) or more colloquially the Prime Minister of Bavaria.

The statue says Otto is the "Herzog von Bayern" or the Duke of Bavaria. I used to be able to explain why some of the Wittelsbachs were dukes, some princes, and some kings, but I doubt I could get it all straight at this point.


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

thanks b-y!! I tried doing some research before I came so I wouldnt seem like a total idiot, but didnt come across that one. Well, only 12 hours to go!!! LondonBlue is trying to get Lara to sleep (she usually falls asleep around 11pm, which is 5am munich time!)

This afternoon Rolf picked me up and we went together to get LondonBlue and Lara from the airport. They were both happily surprised. The safety\economy\efficiency\i amnot sure what event is still going on at the airport. I did a 1 minute stationary bike ride and they measured how much energy I burned. Turns out amongst all American men, I had the best results!! But amongst all men, I had the lowest result!! The girl running the demonstration still gave me a nice carryon bag as a prize, since we decided I was still the best American! I also checked out the A7 at the airport Audi store . We had not seen it in person, but it was as I expected. Looks gorgeous, but not impressive back seat space. I fit with just an inch or two to spare.

LondonBlue, Lara and I headed downtown (and then back to hotel for dinner and then back downtown) where we met fellow bimmerfesters who are picking up their 5 GT tomorrow morning!!! We all enjoyed good company and dessert before finally heading back to the hotel. Only 11 hours fourty five minutes to go!!!!


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

now 11 hours 30 minutes . . . hmm, maybe I should sleep a little before hand . . . . I wonder if I can get a sleeping bag and sleep by the Welt?


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

Very nice - photos and report! :thumbup:
What the plan - where you driving after Welt?


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## SailinSand (Aug 24, 2007)

10 bucks says you London and Little Lara get absolutely NO sleep....how exciting, and BIG congrats to your girls on their new wheels! ...have fun, and looking forward to the next update!!!


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## ProRail (May 31, 2006)

kashrahman said:


> Getting there . . .
> First made sure there was space at home for the new baby! Sadly doing Euro delivery means that LondonBlue had to return her 7 a few weeks ago. If someone can tell me how to upload video, I have a nice clip of her saying goodbye to the 7. But after getting all packed, I was on my way!! (and sadly no, that is not superdark Becks -- its a diet coke. nor was that my airline seat -- I was a few rows ahead). Rolf met me at the Munich aiport, where there was a kids event going on -- teaching kids about fire safety, etc.


Sorry if I missed this, but why not keep the 7 until the new car arrives? Being without a car for 2 months is a big reason why I don't do ED.


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

The pix of you and the family are amazing. You look like the happiest people on Earth! Have a great trip with the new car. :thumbup:


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

we got her!!! gorgeous black on black 535 GT!!! will post pics soon. sitting in the premium lounge now. quick bite to eat, tour the welt and then hopefullz post some pics!

we got here at 8am, hours before we were due. I was hoping to do the welt and museum tours first, but no museum on monday and no welt tour when the factorz tour is offered. we've done the factory tour before and it didn't start until 11am, so we skipped that. we checked in, and they surprised us by letting us move our pickup time to 9am!! had time for a quick breakfast, then did the orientation and then spent over an hour on the actual delivery!! Our guy was great -- very patient and hooked up bluetooth, explained features several times, let me take lots of pics!! We did our victory lap and then valet parked. now for some lunch!! we are so excited!! also saw our fellow bimmerfesters, Thad and Susan, get their 535 GT at the same time!!!! pics soon!


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## Wine-O (Feb 17, 2010)

I remember the feeling quite well. Enjoy the rest of your ED, the Welt, and of course, the new wheels.


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## AggieKnight (Dec 26, 2008)

You're killing me man! I'm so jealous! Can't wait for my next one!

Great pics. Sounds like you are having a fantastic trip. I look forward to the updates.


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

SailinSand said:


> 10 bucks says you London and Little Lara get absolutely NO sleep....how exciting, and BIG congrats to your girls on their new wheels! ...have fun, and looking forward to the next update!!!





MB330 said:


> Very nice - photos and report! :thumbup:
> What the plan - where you driving after Welt?





ProRail said:


> Sorry if I missed this, but why not keep the 7 until the new car arrives? Being without a car for 2 months is a big reason why I don't do ED.


Thanks everyone!!! We are having an awesome time and are very happy!!

Sandy, London and I did finally get to sleep last night. Lets just say being on vacation is apparently an aphrodisiac . . .

MB -- I had the plan all set, schedule and everything. and of course we have barely followed it!! We were suppose to do the olympia tower restaurant last night, but didnt (started raining heavily, then stopped so we ended up going downtown and meeting fellow festers Thad and Susan). plan is to rest at hotel, go to seaworld and then do the olympia tower restaurant (restaurant 181 is the name) tonight. tomorrow are all the castle tours!! and then wed I fly back (LondonBlue and Lara make a pit stop in London and return a few days later)

ProRail -- apparently if we leased the old one and new one, it wouldnt make a difference and we would keep the old one until the new one gets here. since we are buying and trading in, they needed the old one as tradein so we could do the financing set (which you have to do before euro delivery). we could have kept the old car and traded in later, but would have been stuck with the higher (ie, full price) payments on the new car. I felt the dealer gave us an excellent tradein price -- kbb tradein value for excellent condition; carmax offered 6K less!!!

ok, finished showing LondonBlue and Lara the welt. sadly no welt tour so they had to make do with my vague recollections. Freshen up and then off to see the fishes!!! pics tonight!!


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## eNautics (Jul 11, 2011)

Awesome stuff! 

We just returned from out ED on July 21st. My 2011 550i xdrive is near Panama. Port Hueneme ETA, July 21st. 

However, I will be waiting longer than normal for my reunion because I have a little rim rash that needs to be fixed and BMW will check the car for possible damage as a result of the Munich polizei towing the car. (I didn't notice the sign, and parked in a spot for disabled people.)

I believe the police used a crane to pick the car up and put it on a flat bed. But we don't know which method they used for sure. I didn't think to ask, at the time. 

Imagine my complete mental melted down when I returned to get in my car and a black Mercedes was parked where my car was suppose to be. I thought my car was stolen. Then I asked a street vendor if he saw what happened to my car. He filled me in, explained what I did wrong and told me it is a VERY expensive fine. 

So, I'm having the car inspected to be safe. 

ED is the way to go. Pay attention to the signs, when you park it.  Planning the next ED now. Any dealers out there who can provide European invoice?


Sent from my iPhone using BimmerApp


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

*Pics!!!!!!!!!!*

Getting there . . .





































any second now . . .










group shot with Thad and Susan


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## chrischeung (Sep 1, 2002)

This may be different for your daughter, but my 2 young sons almost invariably do not share the enthusiasm for things that I currently like - surprise, surprise. So dragging them along to see adult orientated things like museums is not just a waste, but quite tiring. On a recent trip to So Cal, we focussed on age specific activities, that we would also enjoy participating in, or seeing them enjoy. This included most restaurants. We had a blast - best vacation ever. We plan on following a similar track next year in Europe - so we may be going to Euro Disney instead of the Eiffel Tower.

Keep the pics coming!


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

orientation . . .























































could it be???????????


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

SHE'S HERE!!!!!


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

odometer 1.6 miles??? I thought it was suppose to be 0.0? Who cares! She's here!!!


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

touing the Welt on our own. (no tours when they have a factory tour apparently)


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## boothguy (Feb 1, 2007)

Congratulations! Your excitement is infectuous. Hope to see and hear more.


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

LondonBlue went to get her keychain engraved so I graciously offered to babysit Lara for a few minutes. I am not very good at babysitting, but fortunately I quickly found some help . . .


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

X6 hybrid battery










BMW Individual area -- 760LI





































Signing the bimmerfest book!!! We also signed Das Buch


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

more of the Welt!!! Sorry theres no write up to the pics yet. LondonBlue has crashed in bed, so I'm quickly just uploading pics on the hotel computer. we are suppose to be at seaworld now and Lara is getting very bored. havent told Lara yet that seaworld closes in 45 minutes!!!

and the drive simulator that LondonBlue is on?? she went offroad 13 times!!


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

motorcycle demo!! He drove up and down the stairs of the Welt!!!


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## masti99 (Feb 14, 2011)

Congrats!


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

after LondonBlue recovered from her jetlag (which gave me time to upload pics), we all headed back downtown for dinner and ice cream. We walked around to Temple of Diana, wandered over to Marienplatz and then had an excellent dinner at Asado Steak. Tasty peppercorn steak, mashed potatoes, wonderful outdoor weather and authentic Germans playing wonderful German music on accordians!!


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

ok, so trip comments so far.

1) Lara has more energy than both of us!! One of us is always dragging while Lara is going nonstop AND wants to do only kid activities.
2) BMW Welt -- awesome!! Everyone was super friendly, helpful, bend over backwards over every little thing!! Example:
a) Christian, our client advisor (I forget his exact title), spent over an HOUR with LondonBlue explaining features on the car. 
I saw people in the car next to us start their orientation, finish, do their victory lap, the NEXT car showed up, and the next couple finished! 
and we hadn't even started the car yet!!
b) Christian gave Lara a BMW teddy bear as a gift -- how cute!
c) one of the guys in the premium lounge noticed LondonBlue couldnt find much to eat that she liked, so he came out with special
chicken parmeasan sandwiches and fruit dessert (like custard, but made with fruit)!
d) the valet lady offered to keep the car overnight and tomorrow morning I will pick her up. (turns out sheraton now charges 8 euro\night for parking)
e) we came across several Welt people as we walked around -- all of them stopped to talk to us and answer questions, as well as chat in general.
f) same premium lounge guy gave us several juice bottles to go. we picked up snacks with out 15 euro credit. we have plenty of food!!! 


3) side note: LondonBlue sat in most of the showroom cars in the Welt, and then asked me how come I didn't recommend the X3! Roughly simliar size,
AWD, decent mpg, and cheaper! Told her next time she can get that! (along with there are some features available on the GT that you can't get on the X3,
and the rear seat is more comfortable\spacious in the GT)

4) We spent 8 hours total, at a fairly leisurely pace, doing the car orientation\pickup (which they did at 9am for us instead of the scheduled 1pm), along with
several breaks, walking around the welt and eating lunch in the premium lounge. Did not do the official welt tour, the museum tour or the factory tour. 
Having Lara did cost us a little time, but we would have still spent 6-7 hours if we had come without her, and it is so much fun watching her through this whole experience!!
(If anything slowed us down, it was LondonBlue or I getting tired, not anything to do with Lara!)

5) Dont forget -- you cant keep the front plate. I did print out the instructions to leave the plate with the car. (its here on the fest, search for plate in this forum)

6) Hotel -- Four Pointes Sheraton. Overall I am extremely happy. LondonBlue worked out the final room price; it was something like buy two, get one night free and one
night with points. I should have brought my laptop, but otherwise wouldnt change anything. subway station is 1 block away; Welt is right next to that. Not a large room,
but enough for our needs. Extremely friendly staff, very helpful, made\changed hotel reservations, gave directions, helped with internet, etc, etc. Extremely friendly and pleasant.
there is no ac, but we left the windows open and we were fine -- and I do NOT like things too warm!

7) and the car!! I need to check her to make sure all the options are there, but from what i could tell they were. (I was busy taking pics while LondonBlue did orientation).
HUD looks beautiful, cant wait to try out night vision, nav looks great, rear seats very comfortable. She does feel like a fairly large car (to be expected; I'm use to my 3)
but I am sure I will get used to that. more driving impressions tomorrow after our castle tour trip.

stay tuned for our continuing adventures!!! time to grab some shut eye -- in 7 hours we head south!


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## bimmer335is (Nov 27, 2010)

All I want to say is WOWWWWWWWWW! I want to go back there.


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

well it is tuesday 6.45am. LondonBlue and I finally went to bed at midnight; Lara was still awake though not happy about me disciplining her about being quiet in the hotel room. (she was wide awake and full of energy). LondonBlue is just waking up and Lara is ready to go, excited to see the castles today!!! I think if I had let Lara loose with the schedule, she would have done everything I had planned and then some! Let's see if going up 150 steps through the Neuschwanstein castle wears her out!!


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## Andrews335ic (May 3, 2008)

kashrahman said:


> 3) side note: LondonBlue sat in most of the showroom cars in the Welt, and then asked me how come I didn't recommend the X3! Roughly simliar size,
> AWD, decent mpg, and cheaper! Told her next time she can get that! (along with there are some features available on the GT that you can't get on the X3,
> and the rear seat is more comfortable\spacious in the GT)


... you can't do ED with an X3. 

Great review and Congrats!!! :thumbup:


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

busy day here!!! woke up and got everyone out by 8am-ish. drove past nymphenberg castle (like literally drove right past it)
continued on to Fairyland Forest. think of a small town summer carnival, but with only a few people running the rides.
that's pretty much what this place is like. 32 euros to get in (almost $50). Lara loved it. I kept wondering if the rides 
would fall apart or not! Stopped at McD for lunch, and then hit the autobahn! 

Got off and drove along small country roads for almost an hour before finally getting to Hohenschwangau castle.
This was originally built in the 1200s, destroyed and then years later rebuilt by King Ludwig I in the 1800s, to be used as a summer home.
Great tour guide. The castle itself is very nice, well maintained\preserved, but the tour guide pointed out stuff like
1) secret doors that the king used to get to the queen's bedroom (they had separate rooms)
2) central heat!! how you may ask? there was a wood stove for heat in each room, but it was completely sealed. there were a series of
hidden passages that opened into the wood stoves, so the servants would grab wood from the main floor and walk through the secret passages
and fill the wood stoves, so the king and queen wouldn't have to see them!
we walked to this castle (30 min walk) but took a horse carriage ride to the next castle, Neuschwanstein!!

this is the 'disney' castle, built by castle crazy Ludwig II. Parts are unfinished because he died before it was done. But also wonderful castle,
with each room decorated according to themes from Wagner's operas (ludwig was a big fan). Ludwig was in his early 40s when he 
mysteriously died. he also happened to be 6 million marks (equivalent to dollars) in debt! no one knows to this day.

then we checked into a nice, but very simple hotel next to the castle, showered up (it's 80s here with lots of walking), had a nice dinner with
views from our table of both castles, and then drove 2 hours back to Munich. I didnt realizy the navigation was set to 'direct route' and spent an hour 
driving through tiny little towns in Southern Germany before getting to te autobahn. Scenic, but not what I was planning for at 10pm at night.


Then disaster!! I was trying to park in these tiny spots and scratched the edge of the mirror!!! I am so annoyed!!! You guys understand how
upset I am at myself; LondonBlue probably would have never noticed!! Luckily I think part of the 
whole delivery process is fixing any damage before we get the car back this fall.

and this car is cool!! night vision really works!! heads up display is great -- shows speed, navigation direction. Three different colors. there is a warning sensor 
that vibrates the steering wheel if you drift out of your lane!! and I got up to 120 mph on the autobahn!! only 3Kish rpms in top gear!!
The side cameras really help when you are at an intersection and you can't see too far on the sides (because of landscaping, whatever)


Have to be at the airport in a few hours, so plan is to pack, wash her (thanks bimmerfest search!! will go to the Agip station next to the airport), do some last minute shopping and get going. I will post pics as
soon as I can. apparently I took over 400 yesterday. what a perfect and awesome day!!! at least until I tried to park!


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

*NOOOO!!!!!! My baby's first scratch!!!!!!*

I know it seems like a lot of photos --- but I've taken roughly 1200!! Here's just a few from tuesday. I will try to post more when I'm at the airport.

starting our day . . .









the official photos!!!





































almost home . . .









and then disaster!!! this what I get fior doing stuff all day and then driving for 2 hours and trying to park in a tight garage spot at 11pm at night!!! Noooo!!


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## SailinSand (Aug 24, 2007)

kashrahman said:


> Sandy, London and I did finally get to sleep last night. Lets just say being on vacation is apparently an aphrodisiac . . .


LMAO...I remember getting it on with my (ex)husband after he bought me new BMWs... 

LOVE Lara's pink BMW hat, too cute. Looks like you guys are having a GREAT time still! Isn't it amazing the energy that kids have...ugh... Sounds like she's keeping you and London on your toes! What a good looking camily, how exciting for you guys!!! I know what Lara's going to be asking for on her 16th birthday!!!!!!!!!! ha!

A scratch on the new car already? Oh no..... However, it could always be worse.


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## LondonBlue (Feb 26, 2004)

I've moved onto London and now Kashrahman is on the way back to the US. I will post in detail later, but I have to say that Kashrahman gave us an excellent trip. As you can see his enthusiasm in his postings and pictures, imagine how he was all over the Welt!! He was in heaven! He did a wonderful job planning and navigating around Munich and excursions out of the city to visit the castles, enchanted forest for Lara and arranged for a nice place to freshen up and have a nice dinner last night. I'm sure more pictures to come. We haven't even uploaded to our laptops yet to see everything!


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## mason (Jun 8, 2006)

LondonBlue said:


> I've moved onto London and now Kashrahman is on the way back to the US. I will post in detail later, but I have to say that Kashrahman gave us an excellent trip. As you can see his enthusiasm in his postings and pictures, imagine how he was all over the Welt!! He was in heaven! He did a wonderful job planning and navigating around Munich and excursions out of the city to visit the castles, enchanted forest for Lara and arranged for a nice place to freshen up and have a nice dinner last night. I'm sure more pictures to come. We haven't even uploaded to our laptops yet to see everything!


Congrats! Welcome to the GT club. ED is just very addicting. I bring up ED travel plan to my wife every once a while. It is something just doesn't go away.


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

Thanks sandy! Yeah Lara was nonstop energy! Only took one afternoon nap (during the drive to neuschwanstein). But very well behaved, interested in everything, even loved being at the welt!! (and we spent 8 hours at the welt!!)

Mason, we are already thinking about our next ED 3-4 years from now! I could use an X1 in the winter . . . Plus Lara will just need a booster!! No more carrying around a full car seat!!

London and Lara, miss you guys already!! Xoxoxo


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

*Neuschwanstein pics*


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)




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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)




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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

car and nighttime welt pics. checkout the HUD and nightvision!!








































































\


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## kashrahman (May 10, 2004)

time to go home!!! quick goodbye at the Welt, wash the car and drop her off . . . Saw a silver BMW M5 roll out just as we were leaving the Welt -- a test car? and took me a few minutes but I finally figured out how to get the car seat (yes, brought the car seat and not booster) in and out. You pull down a small strip of leather to expose the anchor points. If you stick your hand above that you reach behind the seat and feel all these wires. that's not the right spot!! the leather is velcro-d in place so just pull it off. The drop off center is right next to the airport. there were a few BMWs, a volvo and a mercedes waiting. The guy jokingly apologized for not moving the mercedes and volvo out of sight! He did say BMW has the easiest drop off process. The customer ahead was dropping off the volvo and had to pay!! (don't know how much, but he said something about needing to find an ATM).


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