# 12 hour post



## podge8 (Mar 18, 2002)

Just took delivery. I will write a much more detailed post tonight at the hotel. Thanks to everyone here for all of the advice!


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## masti99 (Feb 14, 2011)

Congrats, enjoy your trip!


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## Wine-O (Feb 17, 2010)

Looks good. Love the Blue w/Oyster & Black. Congrats & enjoy your drive thru Europe.


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## SD ///M4 (Jan 24, 2011)

Nice! Love the Le Mans Blue! Enjoy your trip!


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## 3ismagic# (Mar 17, 2011)

Have fun.


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## jsciv (Oct 5, 2010)

Have a great trip! The Welt is a stylish way to start, huh?


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## podge8 (Mar 18, 2002)

I'm still a bit jet-lagged, so sorry if I ramble or don't make sense! We arrive on Sunday night, did the usual stuff, Augustiner Keller, Marienplatz, Englischer Garten, etc. etc. etc. 

We stayed at the Leonardo Royal Hotel in Munich, just one U-Bahn stop north of the Welt. It was very convenient, and just a block from the Oberwiesenfeld U-Bahn station! The restaurant was also good, and the lounge and bar seemed to be hopping every night! The decor is very modern, and there were lots of businessmen there, so that explains why it's much cheaper on the weekends. Rooms were comfortable and large for European standards, and the shower was especially nice! Two huge shower heads. Wifi is not free, and costs something like 6 Euros an hour, or 17 Euros a day, or more if you want faster speeds and more data. Sucky. But there were about 7 computers in the lobby you could use.

Tuesday, we spent all day doing BMW, staring with the premium lounge. We asked for museum tickets and got access to the lounge as well, and did the factory tour as well. If you're at the Welt a day before or after your delivery, definitely ask for access to the lounge. Free food!

The Museum is CLOSED! They had bad storms last week in Munich and there was water damage. So there are fans everywhere drying the place out, so we were really bummed. The only exhibit open was the art car exhibit. They said they are hoping to open by the end of the week. We will be back to do another ED, though, so I guess all is not lost.

The assembly part of the factory tour is also closed, and they just show you a video about that part. We did see some interesting things, though. During the body frame assembly part, we saw some wagon bodies that were definitely not E91s, (our other car is an E91). The guy said they were testing the machines in this room. They certainly were testing something, but not the machines! They were testing the welding of the new F31 frames, and the computer even said in bright red letters, F31. Interesting!

We were then treated to a private tour of the BMW Classic center, and saw cars and motorcylcles dating back to the 1930s, and were even chauffeured there in a 1960s 2000. Very unique and amazing experience! We even saw the M3 that recently ran the 24 Hour Nurburgring race, with all of the dirt and bugs still on it! On the way out, I spied the new F30 through a fence in the development center next door, or at least what I thought was the new F30. Looked like a mini-F10. No pics, though, they were forbidden outside.

I don't have to get into how great the Welt is, or how great the delivery is, since you guys know already! After delivery, we made our way down to Neuschwanstein through Kloster Andechs, Oberammergau, and along the Plansee in Austria (absolutely goregous color!). I LOVE German drivers. I HATE Austrian drivers (tailgaters!!!). Funny about the vignette in Austria, I thought it was only required on the Autobahns. But when we got on a minor highway, I saw a sign that said something about "mit Vignette" and a picture of the sticker, and I freaked out! (I tried to buy one near the border in Germany, BTW, but they didn't have any.) I don't know much German, so I freaked out and made my husband pull over at a rest stop and I found the nearest gas station on the navigation. We had to get back on the highway, though, and I was freaking out the whole time, afraid of the polizei! We did get to a gas station and bought a Vignette, and made it back to Germany and Schwangau. We have beautiful mountains and lakes here in California, but driving through the Alps is something else! Especially in your new BMW!

Anyways, thanks again to everyone for all of your sage advice. It has made our experience that much better. Tomorrow, we are off to Switzerland after seeing the castles!

Roger

Below are some pics I thought you guys would like from the Classic Center, and one in front of the Welt with the reflection in the double cone. A stern German security lady on a Segway soon came rolling through and motioned for us to move on.


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## podge8 (Mar 18, 2002)

Oh, and I almost forgot! The obligatory Neuschwanstein photo. This was taken around 7:15PM, and the light was great!


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## SD ///M4 (Jan 24, 2011)

So that's what it looks like on a sunny day! Great pics!


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## jsciv (Oct 5, 2010)

SD 335is said:


> So that's what it looks like on a sunny day! Great pics!


Haha! I was thinking the exact same thing! That'll teach me to do my ED in March. They get light at 7:15pm, sun, and warm enough weather to put the top down. What was I thinking?

Oh yeah, I have it HERE for the summer.


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## boothguy (Feb 1, 2007)

Congrtulations on your discerning color choice. Sorry I didn't have the presence of mind to "see" the photo op in front of Welt - that's a keeper for sure. Keep us posted on your travels.


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## podge8 (Mar 18, 2002)

*Munich, we have a problem!*

So we made it to Lauterbrunnen from Neuschwanstein. Great mountain passes, scenery beyond imagination, yada yada yada. (It really was an incredible day, but all I can think about now is what is wrong with the car.) When we arrived at the hotel in Lauterbrunnen after some pretty nasty thunderstorms, we went to gather our things, and noticed the shoulder bag we had placed in the front passenger footwell was wet! It was placed on the right side of the passenger seat footwell, resting on the left side next to the shifter, basically where the transmission is (auto). We felt the carpet, and it was all wet. The floor was dry, but the side up to the plastic on the center console was wet in that area. Then I checked the other side in the drivers footwell. Wet in the same place. So I'm thinking water must be leaking in from the floor somewhere, and it smelled kind of oily or chemically. The car still drives fine. It is about 10:30 local time here in Switzerland, and the nearest BMW dealer seems to be in Bern, Luzern, or Geneva (maybe Laussane)? We are supposed to be headed to Lake Geneva next, so that would probably be ideal. Should I call Munich? Anyways, I'm not so much concerned about the car, I know that BMW will do their best to make it right (I hope!). I just worry about the months of planning we did going down the drain! We have tickets to the Montreux Jazz Festival (non-refundable of course!) this Saturday, something we've wanted to do forever! Oh, well. C'est la vie! (BTW, I can't wait to get to francophone territory. I don't know German and it's not the prettiest of languages!) I'll be calling roadside assistance soon and keep you guys updated.

Boothguy, if only I was in Chur and had your service guy from a few years ago! I have loved your updates and will try to emulate your trip reports. My husband and I are huge wine fans (he is in the wine industry) and loved your reports from Italy!

And I complied with the 12 hour rule, too, so what new curse is this?


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## 3ismagic# (Mar 17, 2011)

Can you check the fluid levels either manually or via idrive? transmission/brake/coolant. Is anything leaking on the ground under the car?


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## jsciv (Oct 5, 2010)

Ouch! Here's hoping that everything works out okay!


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## SANguru (Jun 14, 2009)

Podge8,

your PM is turned off so I couldn't send it to you. The water is coming from the top. Open the hood and check that the long rubber seal that goes all the way around near the back of the firewall is tight. If it is not or if there is debris catching the drainage in that area it will start overflowing, water will get into the HVAC pipes going through the firewall and get in the footwell carpet area. This happened in my 335i.

the JB4 install video gives you a pretty good idea of what I am talking about.

http://burgertuning.com/support.html

Good luck and enjoy your trip.


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## podge8 (Mar 18, 2002)

Thanks guys, you are the BEST! I did check the fluids and everything is ok, and the firewall thing seems to be what is happening, as it is the most logical explanation considering the periods of torrential rain we drove through. I couldn't really see much in the dark but will check in the morning for a better look. So I won't call roadside assistance in a panic tonight, but will wait until I check things out in the morning. It is supposed to rain even more tomorrow, so I hope we can fix the problem, or at least get it fixed in Lausanne or in France. Doesn't seem like a huge issue, I hope!

In the meantime, to report on today's trip:

Started at Neuschwantein in the morning. Too beautiful for words.

Left for Liechtenstein, yes, Liechtenstein. We were warned when signing the papers against going there (the lady made us tell her all the countries we were planning to go to and checked them off the list, and warned us that they might not recongize the plates in Liechtenstein and make us post bail or something on the vehicle to make sure that it leaves the country, so she heard). She didn't say insurance wouldn't cover us, because I think it's been covered here before that it would. So it's more of an issue with the Liechtenstein authorities, I guess. But we made it in and out without issue, and they have free parking for an hour! We got our passport stamps, and stamps for my father-in-law the stamp collector. Beautiful little country. We're rogues, I tell ya!

Then off to Klausen Pass. Beautiful! (I can't get over the color of the Alpine lakes!) But that is where the rain started. (It didn't get torrential until outside of Luzern and to Interlaken.) We had to take it slow because the roads were wet, and because of all the dam cows! And yes, they ALL had bells on! They didn't give a damn that a car was trying to get past. We saw some motorcyclists almost get pushed over by one! They just don't care! It was too funny. We had planned on getting in one or two more passes, but there were a lot of signals and one way parts because of construction. I think SD335is mentioned this as well, it takes a lot longer to do the passes than you plan for! So we arrived in Lauterbrunnen close to 8:00PM. (Our hotel gave us a room with a view of the waterfall!) So give yourself plenty of time, and unless there is no construction and the weather is perfect, and there are no cows, it will take you longer than you expect. But it's a hell of a lot of fun, and the scenery is simply stunning!

So four countries in one day (through the Bregenz tunnel in Austria as well, and YES, I had my vignette!!!). Our car has now been to more countries than most Americans. But not you guys, of course!

Oh, and speaking of Vignettes, we had to find a gas station in Switzerland to buy one since the border crossings from Austria are now closed after it joined the Schengen Area. So you can't buy one at the border anymore, or at least where we crossed from Austria. I made sure we didn't get on the highways without one this time.


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## podge8 (Mar 18, 2002)

What a jam packed few days! We have not driven through any more thunderstorms, so the water issue hasn't come up again. (Knock on wood--Bamboo Anthracite Wood Trim, to be exact!)

On Friday, we were deciding between the Junfraujoch or the Schilthorn, and decided on the Schilthorn because the Junfrau was shrouded in clouds. I think we made the right choice since the view was spectacular! Our hotel had the views from all of the mountains on the TV, so we could check from our room! We strolled around Murren and had lunch there with a view of the Eiger. We also got to see a traditional Swiss club ringing their cow bells through Lauterbrunnen in the evening, which was neat. We also went inside Trummelbach Falls.

Saturday was a long day, and we decided to take the LONG way to Lausanne from Lauterbrunnen by going southeast to the Grimsel Pass, then halfway up the Furka Pass to the Rhone glacier. The ice cave was pretty cool, and it was interesting that they had a sign of where the glacier used to be in 1996, and then you had to look way down and up the mountain to see where the glacier had receded today. I'm glad we got to see it before it melts completely! The passes were of course amazing, except for the busloads of tourists! We did get some very spirited driving in, as it was pretty easy to pass the tour buses and slower cars on the straight parts. So amazing to be able to drive our car on the roads it was meant to be driven on!

Then we went through Valais one of the main wine growing regions. There were vineyards everywhere! I am surprised that very little of the wine is exported, as we have enjoyed drinking them while we are here. Then up to Montreux to see the Chateau de Chillon. We took in a concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival, which was interesting because having done the Montreal Jazz Festival, it was quite different. Families and couples strolling by the lake by day, and drunken college kids by night. Crazy! So we hightailed it out of there on one of the last trains back to Lausanne, and to our fabulous hotel, the Hotel Angleterre et Residence.


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## Kanuck (Feb 18, 2003)

Great reports! Keep them coming.


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## 2011535i (May 30, 2011)

Really enjoying your reports and pics. It sounds like we may be doing a very similar trip as you . Munich-Luzern-Laussanne-Geneva). So I'll be happy to listen to your suggestions.


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## boothguy (Feb 1, 2007)

podge8 said:


> The floor was dry, but the side up to the plastic on the center console was wet in that area. Should I call Munich? Anyways, I'm not so much concerned about the car, I know that BMW will do their best to make it right (I hope!). I just worry about the months of planning we did going down the drain! I'll be calling roadside assistance soon and keep you guys updated.
> 
> Boothguy, if only I was in Chur and had your service guy from a few years ago! I have loved your updates and will try to emulate your trip reports. My husband and I are huge wine fans (he is in the wine industry) and loved your reports from Italy!
> 
> And I complied with the 12 hour rule, too, so what new curse is this?


I had guessed it was water draining fron the windshield area into the hood drains as well, but it sounds as though SANguru nailed the cause. Clearly your 12-Hour Rule compliance has actualy SAVED you from a much worse, trip-delaying problem.

Sounds as though you've figured out the right solution: as long as you're not driving in heavy rain every day, you're fine - so no need to try to get this all explained to Roadside Assistance, and then waste time at a dealer's. OTOH, if you are encountering a lot of rain and it starts to be a problem, my guess is that it would be a pretty quick fix at the dealer's. Probably just a mis-aligned or torn seal.

Thanks for the kind words - keep the pictures and descriptions coming. And don't forget to sample the local wines!


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## podge8 (Mar 18, 2002)

Thanks for all the compliments, guys! I could not have planned such an amazing trip without all of your help! 

So far so good on the water issue, so I think unless it comes up again, we'll just wait until it arrives back home. We leave for France today, and being a national holiday on Thursday, I doubt I could get in and get something fixed that fast. It's been pretty hard getting things planned for this week because it seems that everyone in France takes the whole week of July 14th off, and not just that day!

Yesterday we spend the day around Lake Geneva. It rained all morning, so we spend it in the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, right next to our hotel. Pretty cool if you like sports or the history of the Olympics. We then drove along the lake towards Montreux, and went to the Lavaux Vinorama, which showcases, sells, and tastes the wines of the region. It is built into the wine terraces and was very cool. We tried a whole variety of wines, and they were great! Very different than those we get in the states, and very little Swiss wine is exported, and I don't know of any that are sent to the US. They are definitely terroir driven, and are very distinct. They have some varietals like the white Chasselas and red Plant Robert that are very good, and native to the region. And the prices aren't bad at all! Switzerland is VERY expensive ($38 for a salad?!?) but the wines are reasonable and good, and the gas is cheaper than Germany! The terraces around Lake Geneva are very old and are a UNESCO World Heritage site. The grapes seem to be planted everywhere along the lake that there is room, as far as the eye can see! They must produce a lot of wine here, so we are curious as to why few of it is exported. Perhaps the Swiss are big drinkers! A co-worker of my husband's said that it is because Swiss wines have much less structure, and we did notice that. No cabs and few chardonnays, but more along the lines of pinot, gamay, viognier, etc.

Anyways, we ended the day in the old part of Lausanne on the hill, and figured out why there was such a shortage of hotel rooms. We thought it was for the Montreux Jazz Festival, but actually it was for the 14th World Gymnaestrada, some kind of gymnastics convention, with 40,000 people descending on the city! Phew! But Lausanne is a great base for exploring Lake Geneva, as you can drive or take the train, or even a boat anywhere along the lake relatively quickly. And it's a beautiful city! BTW, almost everything is closed on Sundays, including restaurants, so plan accordingly.

This afternoon we drive to Beaune, Burgundy. More wine!


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## mason (Jun 8, 2006)

Did the national holiday make French highway emptier?


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## suica (May 15, 2007)

Fantastic write up! Great pix too


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## rmorin49 (Jan 7, 2007)

Great report, thanks.


Sent from my iPhone using BimmerApp


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## podge8 (Mar 18, 2002)

On Monday, the drive from Lausanne to Beaune was pretty uneventful. No traffic anywhere, except for one bad accident on the Autoroute de Soleil going south (we were going North). I'll let you know how bad (or good) traffic is getting closer to the 14th. We drive to Paris tomorrow.

Gas is definitely cheaper in Switzerland than Germany or France. That's about the only thing that is cheaper! We did save some time by not having to stop for lunch, but instead getting these wonderful baguette sandwiches, freshly baked by the way from the brick oven, at a gas station in Geneva. Yes, there was a boulangerie in the gas station. Gotta love the francophone world! The French autoroutes have tolls, and so we paid a total of 20.90 Euros for going from outside Geneva to Beaune. 

In Beaune (Burgundy), all we have been doing is eating and drinking. The restaurants are world class, as are the wines, of course, and Beaune is a great place to explore Burgundy from, as it is pretty much in the middle. We ate at La Cabotte in Nuits St. Georges (where the waiter apologized to me because they were substituting salmon for lobster...ah, what are you gonna do, life is hard, eh?), and Ma Cuisine and Le Cheval Noir in Beaune, all amazing! We had appointments at Louis Jadot and Faiveley, and barrel tasted at least a few dozen 2010 vintages at Jadot. Just between you and me, it's going to be a great vintage! And cheaper than 2009 because the '09s are what are getting all the press, so the '10 will probably fly under the radar. Burgundy was made for ED! We drove through all of the Grand Cru appellations, and they even have a Route des Grand Crus here, that will take you through all of the small Grand Cru villages (watch those narrow roads!!!) like Vosne-Romanée, Nuits St. Georges, Pommard, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, etc. We drove the Route and it was great seeing the different towns and vineyards. We took a photo of the car in Vosne-Romanée next to the Romanée-Conti vineyards. Wine geeks would understand.

Oh, and just another reminder NOT to always trust your navigation system. I've been pretty proud that neither of us have driven down the wrong way on a one way street yet. And we knew the streets were narrow, but while driving through the vineyards, we got on to this street that just barely fit our car, following the navigation system's directions. We didn't think much of it at first, but then thought, hmmm...is this a road for the vineyard tractors (they are quite narrow and tall)? Then we noticed the yellow dashed line in the middle. Hmmm...we thought about it some more as we were driving, and just as we were about to get on the main highway, two bicyclists came towards us looking at us funny. We drove on probably a few kilometers of bike lanes! Two bike lanes at once, at that! Not only is Burgundy good for cars, it is good for bicyclists, as well, as long as you don't have crazy American BMW drivers hogging them all. 

In Beaune, we were walking past the Hotel Le Cep and saw all these vintage Jaguars in the parking lot. No idea what was going on, but lots of great cars!

We are off to Paris tomorrow, probably in thunderstorms. Hopefully the water issue won't come up again! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!


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## jsciv (Oct 5, 2010)

Our trip was more through Germany than France, but next time (which may be HIS delivery instead of mine, he says) I'll bet that we end up with a stop in French wine country. It was just below other stops (and it was the wrong time of year). So thanks for the recap!!

Our only French navigation problem was that the maps didn't know about the new bypass aroud Reims. 

And enjoy Paris, too. Good luck with the seals and the water!


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## mason (Jun 8, 2006)

podge8 said:


> On Monday, the drive from Lausanne to Beaune was pretty uneventful. No traffic anywhere, except for one bad accident on the Autoroute de Soleil going south (we were going North). I'll let you know how bad (or good) traffic is getting closer to the 14th. We drive to Paris tomorrow.
> 
> Gas is definitely cheaper in Switzerland than Germany or France. That's about the only thing that is cheaper! We did save some time by not having to stop for lunch, but instead getting these wonderful baguette sandwiches, freshly baked by the way from the brick oven, at a gas station in Geneva. Yes, there was a boulangerie in the gas station. Gotta love the francophone world! The French autoroutes have tolls, and so we paid a total of 20.90 Euros for going from outside Geneva to Beaune.
> 
> ...


Our friends in Lausanne and Geneva actually go to France for groceries shopping, that tells you something.


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## podge8 (Mar 18, 2002)

Sadly, we have left Paris, and I sit in a hotel room in Luxembourg, and we head to the Ring tomorrow morning. 

Driving in Paris is CRAZY! You definitely have to drive offensively, so having driven in Boston was helpful.  We had hoped to get some pics of driving in the Etoile (the roundabout around the Arc de Triomphe) and in front of the Eiffel Tower this morning when it was quiet, but we were running a bit late and had an appointment to make in Reims, so couldn't. We found a parking garage (not to bad for the city at 24 Euros a day) a block from our hotel, with tiny spaces, of course! Every car in Paris, like you guys have said, has serious damage, probably from parking! But we found a space with a wall on one side and a pillar on the other. There were a few huge spaces, even by American standards, but they were all taken by nicer cars as well, like a Z4. Thank goodness we got parktronic, because getting up and down those ramps without hitting the sides would have been impossible without it! I really don't need it at home, but we are very thankful we have it here, and we use it all the time!

Paris is wonderful as usual, and there was no traffic going into the city on Wednesday, the day before the 14th. Going out of the city was jammed, though, and we could tell once we got in. Tourists everywhere, locals got the hell out. Really, the city was nice and quiet, except for the Champs-Elysees and the Eiffel Tower areas, which is where the parade and fireworks are, respectively. Things were open for the most part in those areas, but the rest of the city was very quiet and most things closed. It was actually very nice! I expected it to be much crazier, and it was fun to be in Paris for Bastille Day (yes, I know that's not what they call it!). Something to do once. And our hotel room had a a little terrace, which was a nice surprise! We went out to have glasses of champagne every night!

We of course ate VERY well, at La Regalade St.-Honore, Le Comptoir du Relais, La Casse Noix, and Spring. I'm probably forgetting something, but we tend to plan vacations around food, and of course it did not disappoint! We did all of the touristy things when we were there last, so it was nice to just explore the city and walk around. And eat and drink. And eat and drink some more! I didn't think I would fit back in the car! Reservations were pretty easy to come by because of the holiday.

We were originally going to stay in Reims and then drive to the Ring in the morning, but we decided to cut Champagne short and stay in Luxembourg, which is only about 1 1/2 hours away from Nurburg. Gas is much cheaper here, so much so that the first gas station from the French border is jam packed with hundreds of cars and trucks! I kid you not! We passed it on the highway, and it was huge (maybe two dozen plus pumps?) and was lined with cars and trucks lined up to get gas! There was even a guy directing traffic! I wish we had been able to get a picture! It was about 1.3X Euros per liter rather than the 1.6X Euros per liter in Germany or France, so everyone who lives near the border gets their gas in Luxembourg! Oh, and everyone in Luxembourg drives FAST! They must not give many speeding tickets here. All of the locals were speeding past all of us foreigners, even the Germans!

Anyways, we had appointments in Reims at Ruinart and Veuve Clicquot. Ruinart was fantastic! It was interesting to see the difference between that smaller house and the huge Veuve Clicquot. Clicquot is of course very commercial and very brand conscious, and Ruinart is just much smaller and more personal. Both had miles of caves in the chalk underground going back to Roman times. Very neat to see. The town, however, was dead due to many French taking a long holiday weekend, and most of the town was closed. So I think we made the right choice skipping a night in Reims. Their cathedral, BTW, which is where all of the French Kings were crowned, is amazing. It makes Notre Dame de Paris look like it was put together with a hot glue gun! Next time we'll spend more time in Champagne, visit Epernay and the little villages around the area like Bouzy (great name!), Ay, etc.

jsciv, you were right about the nav being confused in Reims. It did not have the new bypass, like you said, and we took the LONG way around by accident. Also, the new tram has made a lot of the streets through the center no longer open to cars, and many of the streets that used to be two way are now one way, and many turns are prohibited. It took us a LONG time to get around in the city, because the nav told us to go places we couldn't! Oh, and the roundabouts in France are crazy! 

Tomorrow, the Green Hell!


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## podge8 (Mar 18, 2002)

Sunday was Ring day! We had set our alarm for 6 in the morning in order to get there by 8 from Luxembourg. We both got up around 5:30 before the alarm...anticipation was too much, I guess! Turned out to be a good thing! The track opened at 8 all day for the tourist laps, and everyone told us to get their early to avoid the huge crowds. Boy, is that the best advice! We woke up to constant rain, though, and were a little worried because of the weather. Driving to the Ring, it was raining the whole way, and yes, the water issue cropped up again! Oh, well. Car still drives, so we'll just deal with it when it gets back home. I'll let them know at drop-off in Amsterdam about the issue as well.

When we get off the autobahn to drive north to Nurburg, it stops raining and we see some sun! It was like the heavens were smiling on us and cleared up the weather for our day on the Ring. We actually had quite a bit of trouble finding the entrance to the Nordschleife, and so did a lot of others. The signs stopped after a while, and we just stumbled upon it after following the signs to Nurburg. The Ring Works complex is easy to find, but you need to go around it to find the entrance to the Nordschleife. In fact, we were following a group of Audis from France, and then they pulled over. We continued on exploring the area for the entrance, and they started following us! Where else would two guys in a Le Mans Blue BMW be going at 8 in the morning? Eventually we all found it. It was very quiet in the morning, and in fact, on our second lap I think we only ran into one other car on the track. By 9:30, when we did our last lap of four, there were tons more cars and the parking lot was very full. It was very nice to drive it when it was empty (although it was wet so we took it relatively easy) and much more stressful when Porsches and Aston Martins, not to mention the M3 Ring Taxi, is whizzing by you. Or trying to get around a minivan. We also saw an accident, an old Volvo, which took a turn too fast and crashed. But it was such a blast, and we wish we could have spent all day there driving. You really get to appreciate what a true driving machine the BMW is built to be. This could get addictive!

We then left the Ring around 10:30 after buying some souvenirs and a replacement sticker for a fellow Fester, and headed for Brussels. It is a nice city, beautiful, and lots to eat and drink. Which is great for us, because after driving, that is why we came on this trip! Waffles, chocolate, mussels, fries, and beer as far as the eye can see! Some neat bars, such as the Delirium Bar (as in Delirium Tremens, and actually a collection of many bars, each with a different focus) which has literally thousands of beers available, and dozens on tap, or A La Mort Subite (at the Sudden Death in French), which dates back to 1929 and has the same decor. We sampled about 13 beers in 24 hours, each with its own glass! Gotta love the Belgians! While I think the Bavarians drink more, the Belgians do it in style.

We did make it to the Rene Magritte museum before it closed, and it was a great collection of works from all periods of his life. I'm glad we made it there, as it is closed on Mondays. The Mannekin Pis, the statue of the boy peeing, is everywhere! They aren't kidding when they say it is the symbol of the city! It is interesting as a bilingual city (French and Flemish/Dutch), but also because as the capital of the European Union, you see people from all over Europe speaking different languages.

This morning we drop off the car and head into Amsterdam. So sad! What do you mean I have to wait two months to get it back?!?


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## boothguy (Feb 1, 2007)

Most enjoyable report and pics - thanks for posting. Nice that you got some laps in on the Nordschleife without having to dodge faster and slower traffic on every corner. Too bad it was wet, but then, you weren't out to set any track records, right? Welcome home. Now starts the hard part: waiting.


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## lahbmw (Jul 6, 2011)

sounds like you are having a great trip! I am wondering where you stayed in Beaune. We plan to spend time there in Sept on our ED.


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## podge8 (Mar 18, 2002)

lahbmw said:


> sounds like you are having a great trip! I am wondering where you stayed in Beaune. We plan to spend time there in Sept on our ED.


http://www.jardinsdelois.com/

We stayed at Les Jardins de Lois, which is a family run B&B, and we HIGHLY recommend it! The family is so nice, and they also have their own wine, which they can taste you on and sell you there. There are huge gardens in the back, and it is right on the ring road in Beaune, just across the street from the old walls. Beautiful!


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## podge8 (Mar 18, 2002)

*It's not a real ED experience until you get pulled over for your Zoll plates!*

Well, it was time to bid goodbye to the car! We left Brussels Tuesday morning, and made a quick detour to Kinderdijk to see the windmills. It is one of the largest collection of windmills still left in the Netherlands. We saw many more modern windmills generating electricty!

In the port area of Amsterdam where USA is (the drop-off point), we thought we would go looking for a self-service car wash. We drove around, told nav to find us gas stations, etc. We must have looked real suspicious, because we got pulled over by the Dutch customs police. They asked us if we were lost, and we told them we were trying to find a car wash. They told us where one was, and then asked for my identification. I got it out of the trunk, and he asked about where we got the car, etc. I overhear the other officer say something about China (referring to my ethnicity/nationality--I'm Korean, BTW), and then the officer with my passport tells him "American". He asks for the registration, which I give him, and I explain all about picking up in Germany, and we were just going to drop it off here to ship to the US. He got it right away. He read the registration in German, checked the dates, etc. He then wanted to explain why he pulled us over. He said as customs police, they want to make sure all the taxes are paid, and that some people buy cars in Germany and don't pay taxes on it in the Netherlands. So he needed to make sure we were either shipping the car somewhere else, or that taxes were paid. Then he let us on our way. So I think that completes your standard ED experience, although, knock on wood, I hope we don't get any speeding tickets in the mail months down the road!

We never did get the car washed, because after getting pulled over, we figured we better get to the USA office before it closed. The USA office in Amsterdam is very nice, and it took them about half an hour to copy our paperwork and give us back the originals. Then we went out and noted the damage on the car (just one, maybe two scratches...pretty good considering some of those narrow roads!). I finally drove the car out back with the other ED cars awaiting shipment. There was a 335d, a 5er, a Z4. Plus a Volvo and a Mercedes. So I hope they'll get shipped out soon! This wait is going to be excruciating! Did I catch one of your guys' cars in the Amsterdam lot?

Amsterdam is a great city! Lots of college kids on summer break backpacking through, stopping in to every coffee shop they find, but we're staying in the Vondelpark area and not surrounded by that stuff. This would definitely have been the hardest city to drive in if we still had the car! Thank goodness we dropped it off. You have to dodge bikes everywhere, even as a pedestrian! We did the Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum, and the Rijksmuseum (which is mostly closed for renovations, and only has a small selection of major works on display, including "The Night Watch," quite a disappointment!). It's a beautiful city and easy to walk around. Most everything is within walking distance! We fly home tomorrow, a bit weary, but so excited we got to experience and see so much! Thank you again everyone for your help in planning this trip! It was the trip of a lifetime! Until the next ED....


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## boothguy (Feb 1, 2007)

Enjoyed the warning sign in the room. One of those "coffee shop" owners is a client of my company. They sell the seeds worldwide via mail-order. 

Nice wrap-up to a very nice trip report. Thanks for posting!


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## jsciv (Oct 5, 2010)

I loved my visit to Amsterdam. If I hadn't wanted to show my partner Paris more (we really only had time for one or the other) we'd have totally gone there instead. Sounds like a great way to end the delivery. Wow, the Rijksmuseum has been under renovation for a while if it's still going!!!

We didn't get a wash before drop off, but there were no issues regarding that, so I'm sure your car will have a safe (if slow) trip over and through the Panama Canal!

The wait will be killer, but I'm sure the trip was worth that even so!


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## 3ismagic# (Mar 17, 2011)

The Rijksmuseum was under renovation in 2005. Sheesh. Probably took less time to build it.


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## watever (Oct 10, 2006)

podge8 said:


> On Friday, we were deciding between the Junfraujoch or the Schilthorn, and decided on the Schilthorn because the Junfrau was shrouded in clouds. I think we made the right choice since the view was spectacular! Our hotel had the views from all of the mountains on the TV, so we could check from our room! We strolled around Murren and had lunch there with a view of the Eiger. We also got to see a traditional Swiss club ringing their cow bells through Lauterbrunnen in the evening, which was neat. We also went inside Trummelbach Falls.
> .


First great report and super pictures. Too bad you didn't get to go up the Junfraujoch. The same thing happened when I visited Switzerland in 1988. When I planned my ED I allowed 3 nights in Lauterbrunnen to make sure we had one nice day to make the trip to the top. We lucked out the first day there was crystal clear. Was spectacular. We also had that same view from our hotel. The Trummelbach Falls were amazing too.

Thanks for bringing back some great memories.


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