# ED Trip Report: Munich to Paris & Back



## panzer948 (Sep 8, 2006)

Hi, folks still in the middle of our trip, but wanted to post what we have expricened thus far. Didn't make the 12-hour rule, but had trouble with internet access. Hopefully not too long 

Day 1:
Day1 was smooth and uneventful as we started our overnight flight from Charlotte, NC to Munich, Germany. Left just before 8PM. Lufthansa was definitely a step up from the US carriers we have flown. Hot meals (similar to what the US carriers use to give) and complimentary alcoholic beverages, which I have never seen before in coach class. The flight was very smooth, but it’s still hard for me to sleep sitting upright.

Day 2:
Nice smooth landing and on time, not bad for an 8-hour flight. We met Rolf just after 10AM (now Munich time) with his BMW sign right where he said he would be. I was a little unsure as we were getting our luggage where in the process we would see his described location. But after finding him, I immediately realized there is no other way to go with your luggage. For those of you meeting him in the future, just remember that it’s after luggage pickup and through another set of doors on the same side as the massive BMW grill. 

What can I say about Rolf that hasn’t been said before. He really made a great start in the experience and after an all night journey, he made it easy for us to get to our hotel. With luggage cart waiting, he took us to his private car just outside the terminal. Great tour guide during the drive and gave us several nice tips. Upon arriving to our hotel, Rolf, even went inside with us and set down in the lobby to give us more sightseeing suggestions and ED tips. Must have spent another 20 minutes with us in the lobby. If there is anyone on the fence trying to decide to use his services, just do it as you want regret it.

Our hotel, the Arabella Sheraton Westpark, was very nice and modern with a U-Bahn station a few feet from the front door. The hotel staff was very friendly and accommodating. After our all night journey, we had massive jet lag and against most travel advice, decided to take a nap. We had planned to only take about an hour, but it ended up being 3 hours. Decided to go for an early German dinner and walk around Marienplatz area. A nice ice skating ring was setup nearby and they had a stage with some famous German actors being interviewed/photographed. The German public transportation system (U-Bahn) worked great to get around the city. Didn’t stay out to long as we wanted an early start tomorrow.

Pics: 
Picture 1: Meeting Rolf at the airport
Picture 2: Ice Skating at Marienplatz Square


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Great to hear the report. 

Keep those photos coming.


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## dencoop (Aug 17, 2005)

More pics please, I need more input and Congrats


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## mullman (Jan 5, 2006)

panzer948-

Congrats on the new car and what sounds like a great trip thus far.
Life is good!

I see you are from Charlotte, in a few months I'll keep an eye out for a Black Sapphire 335 w/ ED plates around town :thumbup:


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## panzer948 (Sep 8, 2006)

Okay, here some more from our trip. Day 3 was rather long, so I separated it between our excellent ED delivery and our later journey to Paris.


Day 3:
We decided to take the U-Bahn to the European Delivery Center. We checked out of our hotel and transported all our luggage to avoid having to drive back into Munich just for luggage pickup. This worked out fine, as the train wasn’t that crowded and the walk to the ED center not far. Of course our larger bags have wheels. If you have to carry your bags, take a taxi or get Rolf to transport you. 

It was so exciting arriving at the ED Center. Although it was also somewhat familiar thanks to the posters here. We posed in front of the gate and doors for pics just as others have done. Although I can’t recall her name, a young blonde women greeted us at the gate and showed us inside as I have seen in other trip reports here. She explained it would be an hour wait. Wasn’t that surprised, since we slept in a little longer than I would have liked. I think we arrived sometime after 10AM, so there were already a few folks in front of us. They said they had 12 deliveries that day. Waited in the café and was served a few refreshments as we eagerly waited.

A ED rep, Ernst, finally called us to get our new car. Very nice and professional. Gave us the paperwork before we went inside the garage to pickup our car. Was such a cool moment to walk through the doors and see it for the first time after the long wait. More beautiful than we imagined and we were very pleased with our options. Ernst took many of the photos for us with our cameras as we went over the car for the first time, and then went over most of the car functions. Even programmed three of our destinations in the Navigation unit. Before we left, we grabbed a couple of sandwiches at the ED café for our long drive to Paris. They were very generous!

Before leaving for Paris, we immediately drove to the Munich Drop Off point (Harms) to fill out the shipping papers in advance. This worked out great, since our flight back is scheduled the following Monday, giving us two more days to keep the car (since they are closed over the weekend). The drive to the drop off center is very easy, however, once you get to the road the center is on, be sure to drive to the dead end and make a left up the ramp. This didn’t seem well indicated.

Pic 1: Carrying our luggage to the ED center gate!
Pic 2: Awaiting for car at ED Center cafe
Pic 3: ED Center garage and our car in background
Pic 4: Exploring
Pic 5: Wife at the wheel
Pic 6: Odometer


More to post later.


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## Contact Patch (Nov 11, 2005)

Congrats! Looking forward to reading your wirte-up on the rest of the trip.


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## Snareman (Nov 24, 2006)

Your car is gorgeous!! :yikes: I absolutely love it in black and would get the black if I though I could keep it that clean. I can't wait to read more about your trip. Let us know how the weather is there driving in the winter.


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## mdsbuc (Mar 17, 2005)

Your description of walking out into the garage and seeing the car for the first time is a memory you will never forget. Congrats and best wishes with your new bimmer! :thumbup:


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## mason (Jun 8, 2006)

I thought for a moment Rolf switched job to E*Trade.


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## Bill-SD (Feb 18, 2002)

Now I really can't wait to go!!!

Great pictures and great looking car :thumbup:


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## jeffnin (Jun 30, 2003)

Car looks incredible! Happy and safe driving.


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## jcatral14 (Aug 4, 2003)

That's a very nice ride :thumbup: Your pictures bring back fond memories of my own trip  I love pic 3 with the "panzer" in the background :bigpimp:
Have fun and drive safe. Post more pics too.


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

more, more pictures.  :angel:


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## panzer948 (Sep 8, 2006)

Thanks for all the comments. The weather is fine this week. But we are lucky as this is not the norm. Calling for rain some this week, but the temps are in the low 40s! 

More of our ED trip of Day 3 (a little long):

A little ambitious, but our plan was to drive to Paris the first day so we could have more time to see the sights driving back to Munich. Our late start didn’t help, but with reservations already in place, we really had no choice. I was excited about the Autobahn, but started out conservative on our speed and performance as I got use to the roads and car features. Was also a little worried about break-in. I regret this now, as our best weather was around Munich and the electronic speed signs were allowing some short stretches of no speed zones. I did get to drive some stretches of 105 to 110 mph and it felt like I was going 55mph! I couldn’t believe how well the car handles. It’s definitely made for the German autobahn, it just want be the same in the states. Anyway, as we traveled north toward Stuttgart, fog started to increase and the well engineered and controlled autobahn was only allowing speeds of 120 km/hour. The Germans really have their speed limits down to a science with their electronic signs. You have to really pay attention to the various speed changes. Also, the German trucks generally stay to the far right lane and all travel the same speed with no sudden lane changes (unlike here). And there are no left lane road hogs in Germany. Slower traffic keeps to the right! The I-drive Navigation was wonderful too and made our journey so much easier, as I didn’t have to open a map the entire time on our journey and the German (and French) road names aren’t the easiest for us to understand. No need to worry about that with Navigation.

I was looking forward to comparing the German Autobahn to the French A highways. I have to say that I was also impressed with the French system. Very smooth and the roads we traveled on had less traffic. The French approach traffic control a little differently than the Germans. They generally use a dual maximum speed limit sign that states 130 km/hr in good weather and 100 or 90 km/hr in bad weather, with much fewer limit changes than in Germany. Since the weather was good, we still made excellent time with 130 km/hr speed zones (around 80 mph). I like the way the BMW cruise works with the choice of 5 mph increments or 1 mph increments. Very precise. I well say the car feels right at home at 80 mph and you don’t realize you are traveling that fast. Good in France and Germany J, but not in the USA L. Another thing worth noting is I didn’t get tired the entire 8-hour drive, which I was very surprised. The sport seats are very adjustable and quite comfortable for extended periods.

Okay, now for some negative experiences. Upon exiting the first French toll (which they toll you to death, unlike Germany), a French customs agent approached us on foot and told us to pull over. I think he singled us out because of our red-labeled German tags, which I know aren’t standard, even in Germany. Three agents started questioning us, but only one could speak English. He asked us where we were going, our business, if this was our car, if we had drugs, etc! I tried to explain the ED process to him and he just couldn’t understand. He then wanted to search our car. I said fine as I didn’t have anything to hide. He also mistook us for British (which we seem to get often in Europe) and seemed a little friendlier when he realized we were American. He then wanted to know how much we paid for the car and what I did back in the states! After he realized we were legit and had a better understanding of the ED process, he and his two colleagues were friendly and jovial. Still don’t know why custom agents were at a toll station, but as I said, it was the first station after crossing the border, but probably 80 km in. 

The A roads remained nice, but that’s where it ended, as soon as we got to the Paris city streets, it was mayhem. Keep in mind this is 10PM traffic. At least the A-roads get you within 10 miles of the city (very little urban sprawl was evident). A comparable U.S. city would have had an hour of urban congestion before entering the city.

Back to Paris, I couldn’t help think of my old friend Greg’s advice of not driving into Paris. All I could say was I should have listened to Greg. Our hotel’s address was in the I-Drive Navigation unit and was just north of the River Seine. This is where the navigation unit really shined, as all I had to do was focus on the vehicles around us. Because of traffic congestion, I wasn’t able to make every left or right turn, but the Nav unit quickly reestimated a new route along one way streets without input from us. It’s almost like the car new we were in trouble! And you can forget about reading the French road signs. They were much to small to see while driving and were only mounted on buildings (I had a hard time seeing them on foot too). Once again, Nav made this not a big deal. Okay, maybe I’m just not use to it, but driving on city streets with intersections in all directions and turnabouts with no marked lanes and traffic signals is not my idea of fun. Unlike Germany and the French A-roads, there just seemed to be no rules! I got the impression that many of the drivers there with their Peugeots and Citroens didn’t care about their car as much as we did! I will never drive to Paris again in my new BMW or a cheap rental and don’t recommend it for a newbie either. Another warning, if one books a hotel in Paris (and probably in most any large city) double check where there promised parking is. I had reserved covered secure parking at our hotel, only to discover the entrance was on another road that was difficult to get to due to the one-way streets. Even though parking was one block over, it still took us 10 minutes to drive there in no mans land. 

Day 4
Day 4 was spent on foot with our car safely in the secure garage. Seemed so weird leaving it there after spending the entire day with it on the first day of ownership! My wife and I spent the entire day walking and seeing the sights in Paris. Unlike driving a car, Paris is very pedestrian friendly and we were able to walk from our hotel to visit Notre Dame, Musee du Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, etc. But hard to cover Paris in one day. One day we want to return and spend 2 or 3 days in here.

Pic#1: Crossing the border into France
Pic#2: Our hotel in Paris in background
Pic#3: Notre Dame
Pic#4: Musee du Louvre (art museum where DaVinci Code was filmed)
Pic#5: Arc de Triomphe
Pic#6: Eiffel Tower

More to post later as we are planning on leaving for Belgium and Luxemburg before reentering Germany….


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## Kanuck (Feb 18, 2003)

Thanks for the pics. It sounds like a great trip, but a bit rushed. The one at the Charles de Gaulle - Etoile (where the Arc de Triomphe is) reminds me of my 2003 ED. I dropped the car in Paris and, at the time, the Harms office was on Avenue Foch a very short distance from the famous roundabout at the Etoile. I was not looking forward to navigating around that in new bimmer and managed to get to it from the other direction.

If I am not mistaken (any Paris drivers here?) that particular roundabout has different "rules" from other ones, where the traffic in the circle has to sometimes give way to traffic entering, but I never did figure it out. You can get a good view of the whole thing from the top of the Arc.


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## Gran Turismo (Aug 7, 2006)

panzer948 said:


> Still don't know why custom agents were at a toll station, but as I said, it was the first station after crossing the border, but probably 80 km in.


You've almost answered it yourself: Since the border checkpoints have been removed within the EU according to the Schengen Agreement, the customs patrols are now obviously making their random checks at the first opportunity where vehicles need to slow down anyway. This avoids unnecessary traffic congestions caused by setting up their own checkpoint closer to the border.


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## Speedbird (Apr 21, 2005)

Kanuck said:


> If I am not mistaken (any Paris drivers here?) that particular roundabout has different "rules" from other ones, where the traffic in the circle has to sometimes give way to traffic entering, but I never did figure it out. You can get a good view of the whole thing from the top of the Arc.


if Europe unless otherwise stated you must always give way to traffic coming from the right, most roundabouts have priority, meaning the cars inside the roundabout have priority over cars coming into it, the old way of roundabouts is like Place de L'etoiles, the problem is that the roundabout is so big that it becomes chaos the farther inside you are, there are lines painted on the ground and flashing yellow lights on the side indicating at what point you must give way

another interesting rule in Paris, on the Peripherique (ring highway) traffic entering from the onramp has the right of way, so the right lane is the worse lane to be in, if there is 50 cars coming in from the onramp, you have to give way to all of em, unless you can beat them...and that's driving in Paris, second in my book after Rome as the worst place to be behind the wheel!


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## panzer948 (Sep 8, 2006)

Yes, and I had to learn the hardway on the Paris roundabouts! But all is good now as we have traveled east to Belgium. Ate lunch at a French rest stop. There rest stops usually have gas, food, and even restaurants. This one had a covered bridge to allow both sides of the highway access to the restaurant. Food actually wasn’t bad.

Tonight we are in Bastogne and looking forward to seeing some of the war memorials. Belgium appears to have really dedicated some nice memorials and museums to many of the WWII battles that took place here (Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of the Ardennes). 

Its nice being in a smaller town too and learning a new culture. Weather was actually over 50 degrees in some parts today, but getting a little more wet and windy.

Car is handling great and I am still learning new features. Today I used the I-drive to locate the Bastogne visitor center and hotels while still a couple of hours away. Can't get any better than that! Especially when driving in a new country and city for the first time.

Here's a couple more pics.

Pic#1: Belgium border (blue sign)
Pic#2: Visitor Center in Bastogne
Pic#3: French rest stop with connecting bridge for both sides to use restaurant.


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## bailey544 (Sep 8, 2006)

I did the Munich to Paris (no return) in Dec and dropped off the car before venturing into Parisian traffic. You've got cajones taking your new baby into the city. 

I agree that the French A roads are excellent and low traffic. Reallly a great way to get to know the new BMW.

Thanks for the updates and keep them coming


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## gabo2k (Jul 13, 2006)

Excellent posting of your trip. I will be doing almost the exact same trip in April.

Please keep us posted as often as you can. This detail will benefit us all...

Are you traveling with a laptop? Are you having any problems connecting with wifi?

I plan on taking my laptop and digital camera in order to have a similar thread about my trip.

Great work, enjoy the rest of your trip, and be safe.:thumbup: 

Gabo2k


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## panzer948 (Sep 8, 2006)

Hi, I will try and keep you posted as much as possible, as I am traveling with a laptop. I have had no problem with wi-fi, although everywhere I have been (except Bastogne) I have had to pay for it. The biggest problem I have had are the adapters. I have a power converter (220 to 110 volt), but it doesnt fit in all the plugs in the various hotels I have been to. For example, here in Bastogne, I have had to use battery power and I am down to 8%! I would get one of those multipack adapters I have seen. That way you guys will be covered as you enter the various contries.


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## Kanuck (Feb 18, 2003)

panzer948 said:


> The biggest problem I have had are the adapters. I have a power converter (220 to 110 volt), but it doesnt fit in all the plugs in the various hotels I have been to. For example, here in Bastogne, I have had to use battery power and I am down to 8%! I would get one of those multipack adapters I have seen.


The power cords on most laptops will take 220V or 110V. You just need the right sized plug. In my experience, the plugs are the same size all over continental Europe (UK is different and I'm not sure about former Eastern bloc countries). But, something like this should work just about anywhere. If all you need is the Europe plug (2 cylindrical prongs) it is a $3 thing at Radio Shack.


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## baloo (Nov 19, 2004)

Kanuck said:


> If I am not mistaken (any Paris drivers here?) that particular roundabout has different "rules" from other ones, where the traffic in the circle has to sometimes give way to traffic entering, but I never did figure it out.


It's quite simple. Whenever the paths of two cars cross, both honk. The one with the louder horn wins the right of way. Sort of like a duel, just more annoying. It's crucial not to make eye-contact with the other driver, though, because acknowledging his presence would mean forfeiting your right of way.


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## woody underwood (Feb 9, 2004)

baloo said:


> It's quite simple. Whenever the paths of two cars cross, both honk. The one with the louder horn wins the right of way. Sort of like a duel, just more annoying. It's crucial not to make eye-contact with the other driver, though, because acknowledging his presence would mean forfeiting your right of way.


You got it right for sure! We stayed at CDG, got rid of the BMW and then took the Air France bus into town which dropped us off at the Arc de Triomph. Got a middle eastern cab driver to take us to the hotel, he made a pass around the Arc and it was so much fun I told him to do it again...which he thought was wierd but did it. Best theme ride I've ever been on!


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## john lance (Oct 15, 2005)

Kanuck said:


> The power cords on most laptops will take 220V or 110V. You just need the right sized plug. In my experience, the plugs are the same size all over continental Europe (UK is different and I'm not sure about former Eastern bloc countries). But, something like this should work just about anywhere. If all you need is the Europe plug (2 cylindrical prongs) it is a $3 thing at Radio Shack.


If you forget to buy it before you go, an adaptor can be bought at most electrical outlets in main European towns and cities as well as at airports and railway stations. Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary have the same two-pinned plug as Western Europe, not sure about Poland but I expect it's the same.

In the UK, a 3-pin plug is used. If you can't get an adaptor and just have the European plug, usually everything works just fine when you take a ballpoint pen and stick it in the top hole before inserting the two pin plug in the lower two - I have never found it to be a problem or got a shock but when I do it I always wonder whether I should be wearing rubber-boots!


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## firstbimmer (May 25, 2006)

Off topic but if you take the high speed trains in france, they have US standard plugs in the bathrooms. That's how I have charged my razor the last couple times there.


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## panzer948 (Sep 8, 2006)

Day 5:

After braving the strong storms that passed through Europe, I am a couple of days behind on the trip updates. But, I can safely say that the car handles admirably in heavy rains. While in Belgium and Luxemburg, we were pummeled with heavy rains and strong winds, but did not hydroplane once. The news here indicated that this was the biggest storm they had in a few years. They are getting really crazy weather here this month. At one time the outside car thermometer said 58 degrees! It’s warmer here than at home in N.C. At least I didn’t have to worry about my summer performance tires in the winter! The worst thing about the storm was the high winds and we did see a couple of cars hit by trees along the highway.

Most of this day was spent visiting the War Memorials concerning the Battle of the Bulge/Ardennes. After Bastogne, we spend some time in the little town of Diekirch, Luxemburg. One of the best museums I have seen on WWII was there, called Musee National D’Histoire Militaire (National Museum of Military History). Because of the storm, the power was off when we arrived and we ended up visiting with the curator/manager of the museum for over 30 minutes. Very nice man and spoke excellent English. He seems to have dedicated his life to the museum, which gets international attention. Was full of life size dioramas.

Later that evening we braved the gusty winds and drove to a hotel in Heidelberg, Germany to start our tour of castles the following day.

Pic#1: McAuliffe Square in Bastogne, Belgium (named after the American Officer who replied “Nuts” to the German surrender offer
Pic#2: Bastogne Memorial & Historical Center
Pic#3: Crossing the Luxemburg Border
Pic #4: Posing with a WWII Sherman Tank in Diekirch, Luxemburg.


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## '07 335i PA (Dec 10, 2006)

*Congrats!*

Congratulations on your trip! I just picked up my new 335i (sedan) in Munich on January 8th. Drove from Munich through Milan and down to Monte Carlo. I returned the car with 1,107 miles and am anxiously awaiting the redelivery. I wouldn't worry about the break-in once you have a few hundred miles on it. As long as you vary the speeds you should be fine. I had mine up to 150+ mph and a friend of mine was kind enough to snap a picture of it.







Enjoy the car and the rest of your trip. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your writeup.

Cheers,
EML

2007 335i Sedan/Sparkling Graphite/Premium/Sport/Cold Weather/Nav/Satellite


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## rmorin49 (Jan 7, 2007)

Great report. I hope to be doing same in April probably in Italy and Austria.


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## bechego (Feb 1, 2006)

I really wanted to go to Belgium but we did not get a change to. Your pictures are awesome. I wish I could do pictures like you can. Thanks for sharing! And, nice car, of course!


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## slugdriver (Dec 30, 2005)

Terrific write-up and pics! You've brought back great memories. Already planning the next ED. Cheers to the two of you and enjoy your new Bimmer.


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## panzer948 (Sep 8, 2006)

Time for a quick update. Thanks for the comments, having a terriffic time and the front passed through giving us some excellent weather.

Day 6: Heidelberg, Germany and Castle Road

Spent about half the day touring Heidelberg, Germany – both the town and its castle on the hilltop. Our hotel was located right in front of an ancient bridge, built originally during Roman times. We took the English guided tour and were the only ones, so got a lot of one on one time with our knowledgeable guide. Castle has been through many wars and they have only partially restored it. Gives you a sense of both how it was like during Medieval times and the damage it has been through.

We were very glad we stayed in Heidelberg, especially since it was a last minute decision to get accommodations in this town versus other towns along the “Castle Road”. Castle Road is actually a network of roads that passes along the Neckar River Valley through small towns which have ancient fortifications usually perched on top of overlooking hilltops. The route actually starts near Heidelberg, Germany and extends to Prague in the east. Everyone here was very friendly and we had excellent food. So much fun that we stayed here longer than we planned and had to tour a smaller part of Castle Road than planned as we made our way south back to Munich. We got back on the Autobahn near Heilbronn, Germany.

Just a warning for those that may want to drive Castle Road. It’s a great drive but be sure and get a brochure/guidebook, as it is very hard to follow due to the numerous road changes. We made a couple of wrong turns and found ourselves on a dirt road!

Pic#1: Dinner in Heidelberg, Germany (love that German food)
Pic#2: Ancient bridge in Heidelberg (view from our hotel room)
Pic#3: Heidelberg Castle
Pic#4: Hotel in Heidelberg, Germany
Pic#5: Guttenberg Castle (along Castle Road)
Pic#6: Near dusk down Castle Road


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## woody underwood (Feb 9, 2004)

We came into Heidelberg via the Neckar Valley from the east, that's a cool drive that doesn't get mentioned here very much. Our hotel was up the road above the castle...a very nice part of town! Was the funicular running again, it was being rebuilt two years ago?


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## panzer948 (Sep 8, 2006)

Hi, if you mean the cable car. Yes, we rode on it up to the castle versus taking the 25 minute walk. I was very impressed with how modern it was for such a single purpose transport system. My only regret is I didn't go further up the hill (there was another stop up there).


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## panzer948 (Sep 8, 2006)

Day 7: Day trip east down A8 before dropoff at Harms

Because it was our last day with the car and the weather so nice, we decided to take a day trip on A8 towards Salzburg to see a couple of the smaller towns. This was also our last opportunity to drive with an emphasis on performance. By now we had over 1200 miles on the odometer so I wasn’t worried as much about break-in and weather/traffic had hindered this kind of driving on previous days.

Our first stop was Neubeuern, Germany, which is supposed to be one of the prettiest towns in the area. Also has a castle to visit. We tried to find a place for lunch, but most were closed (including the castle), so decided to get back on the autobahn and drive further east. Stopped at an even smaller town called Achenmuhle, where we found the best pizzeria. Think the owner himself waited on us. This place is owned by Italians and the pizza was excellent. I don’t think I have ever had pizza this good. Much different than you can get here in the states. I wish I could speak better German or Italian, as communication was difficult. Sometimes the best experiences are the ones you don’t plan.

Okay, the drive back to Munich along A8 is where we really got to have some fun with the car. Traffic finally was light and no more gusty winds. We hit the unlimited speed zones and I put her in sport mode all the way back to the Harms drop-off center in Munich. Cruising with a group of other capable cars at 120mph was normal along several stretches. But, I also got to really open her up for shorter distances, as you can see in the photo below. I have to admit, even though Germans are very disciplined at keeping right, I was still a little nervous about passing cars at those speeds and you really come up on slower traffic quick. Guess it takes getting use to. But the wife and I were never nervous about the way the car handles –superb!

One thing we can’t get over is the slowest speed you typically drive on the autobahn in moderate traffic is still way over the speed limit at home. I’m talking 80 mph here. Never thought that 80mph feels slow, but in this car, it really really does. Going to be tough back home. 

Although there are many great things about the autobahn, it can get very congested at times. This makes it difficult to find those sweat spots where you are all alone. Ironically, our interstate system is better for this. 

This was my first time driving the autobahn and I found it overall very easy to drive. But if you’re the kind of person that doesn’t keep right for faster traffic, don’t use your turn signal and an overall road hog, then you will have problems on the autobahn and may just cause an accident. I just wish more people back in the states drove like they do in Germany.

Pic#1: Visiting Neubeuern, Germany
Pic#2: Pizzeria (in background) in Achenmuhle, Germany
Pic#3: Autobahn A8, going west between A93 & Munich
Pic#4: Final European Destination - the Harms Drop-off Center in Munich


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## Snareman (Nov 24, 2006)

Great write up and pics. The pics on your pbase site are great as well. Looks like you have some great camera quipment. 

Sounds like you had a great time. You didn't make it as far east as Berchtesgaden did you? We're hoping to head out through there on the way to Salzburg. 

I love your car in black! I keep thinking that I like the coupes in darker colors and it makes me question my color choice of white. There is just that little issue of keeping it clean.


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## woody underwood (Feb 9, 2004)

panzer948 said:


> Hi, if you mean the cable car. Yes, we rode on it up to the castle versus taking the 25 minute walk. I was very impressed with how modern it was for such a single purpose transport system. My only regret is I didn't go further up the hill (there was another stop up there).


It's not single purpose, that's how the folks who live above the town get to work! If you take it to the top there's a nice park, restaurant and an observatory which is quite famous I believe. You missed a lot of neat stuff along the road right above the castle...a couple of good restaurants and the Bosch Museum and home (Not the electic guy, his uncle who founded BASF). Some fantastic "summer homes" too.


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## panzer948 (Sep 8, 2006)

Hi guys, no didn't make it as far as Berchtesgaden. Achenmuhle was as far as I got down A8. I also hate I missed that higher cable car stop in Heidelberg. I should have dedicated 2 days to that area at least. Looking back, I should have traded my trip to Paris for more time along Castle Road of Germany (namely the Neckar River Valley (Heidelberg to Heilbronn, Germany. Paris would probably be better flying or traveling directly there by train.


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## mwagner1 (Aug 13, 2004)

What a great report and excellent pictures!!! The car looks superb!!!! :thumbup: :thumbup: 

Cheers,


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## Northcar (Sep 21, 2005)

Thanks for the reporting. Your encounter at the ice rink in Munich reminded me of our visit during winter. Did you get a chance to try the delicious Bratwurst the vendors at the ice rink were selling?


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