# 12 Hour Compliance (more or less)



## stn (May 24, 2012)

We picked up our new 328i today. It's been more than 12 hours since we took delivery but less than 12 since we left the Welt (but who's counting?). The car is even more beautiful than we remembered - and more loaded too! 

We left our hotel at 7:30 this morning, checked in at 8:00 am, took delivery at 9:00am. Then we toured the museum and the factory and at 2:00 pm decided to run down to Fussen for a nice little 4 hour round trip to put our new baby through her paces. 

WE LOVE THE AUTOBAHN! 

Tomorrow we head out to Baden-Baden to start our whirlwind lap-o-the-alps!
1. Our beautiful new car (it even goes to 11) :rofl:
2. Not going nearly as fast as this looks on the victory lap
3. Official BImmerfest castle picture with scaffolding
4. The site of our first fill-up
5. The first bug on our license plate


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## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

Congratulations! I've moved your thread over to the ED forum.

Tim


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## stn (May 24, 2012)

Thanks! I'm even more jet-lagged than I realized! :dunno:


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## Vanos4:12PM (Apr 20, 2007)

Congrats!! Enjoy your trip!!


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## AlphaForceX (Jul 5, 2003)

stn said:


> Thanks! I'm even more jet-lagged than I realized! :dunno:


I am afraid of that so I gave myself several days to adjust


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## 640GC (Mar 22, 2012)

stn said:


> 3. Official BImmerfest castle picture with scaffolding


Where is this road? We'll be heading there next week, want to make sure I get the official castle shot.


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## stn (May 24, 2012)

I found vague directions and GPS coordinates in a post titled something like Official Bimmerfest Castle Pictures. Basically the road is on the left as you drive down the main road to the castles. It has a sign saying it is a private road but no one seems to mind. Lots of other people are stopped up and down the main road taking pictures of the castle, so I assume the locals are quite used to it.


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## stn (May 24, 2012)

I thought I would post a few more pictures from our trip. We spent most of Tuesday driving from Munich to Baden-Baden. It was a long drive (200+ miles) and took about an hour longer than the Nav system thought it would since we encountered more traffic on the highway than anticipated. However we did manage to hit triple digits a few times on the A8 Autobahn with our top speed around 108 mph! Also got the chance to REALLY appreciate the upgraded stereo and we agree it was money well spent. We couldn't believe the people flying by us as if we were standing still when we were doing 85. :yikes:

Baden-Baden is fantastic. We arrived late afternoon Wednesday and spent this morning enjoying the Caracalla Spa and the afternoon wandering around town enjoying the sights. If you go to Baden-Baden you MUST go to the spa!

After the spa we visited the car in the parking garage and she seemed to be happy to rest up for our drive to Lake Como tomorrow. I know we needed a day off from driving! But tomorrow we drive through Switzerland and we are very excited to see more of the Alps!

I cannot say enough about how impressed we are with Baden-Baden. The weather is sunny and cool and our hotel, the Aqua Aurelia is FANTASTIC. We are in a suite with a balcony that overlooks the Caracalla Spa. We are also just a few minutes walk from shopping and cafes and a casino and theater. We originally thought we might do a day trip into France today, but decided to stay and enjoy Baden-Baden because it is so lovely. We are already talking about coming back for a longer visit sometime soon.

Pictures:
1- Our new ride below Hohenschwangau on Tuesday
2- First rest stop between Munich and Baden-Baden
3- The beer needed upon arrival from crazy Autobahn driving day
4- Where else would they come from? :rofl:
5- Baden-Baden cafes and shops
6- The Oos river through Lichetentaller Allee in lovely Baden-Baden


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## jpt (May 5, 2003)

*The best beer in the world*



stn said:


> 3- The beer needed upon arrival from crazy Autobahn driving day


The best beer in the world is the one you have right after taking your new ED BMW for a nice long Autobahn drive!!

I enjoyed a few myself - OK maybe more than a few 










Great pics, post more please and enjoy the rest of your trip!


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## akaramali (Aug 12, 2012)

Congratulations and great pictures!


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## Loganradio (May 7, 2012)

Nice pics! Glad to hear that Baden-Baden is so charming. My daughter placed it on our itinerary. Good move!


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## stn (May 24, 2012)

*What Google maps DOESN'T tell you...*

Buongiorno!

Yesterday we drove from Baden-Baden to Lake Como via Switzerland. Google maps said this was a 296 mile drive that should take around 5 hours. Our plan was to drive to Lucerne for lunch and then get to Lake Como around dinnertime. When it took almost 4 hours to get to Lucerne we decided it was probably not a good idea to stop, so we ended up stopping at a highway rest area for a snack and then drive through. Ultimately the drive took just over 8 hours, so we were pretty tired when we arrived.

But the scenery was gorgeous. SW Germany has lots of farms and while we were driving through the farmland we saw a hot air balloon and a blimp. There was more construction, so the driving was hairy (what's with the half size left lanes in construction zones?). But when it was clear, we did manage to hit 103 before crossing into Switzerland. The scenery changed immediately to mountains at the border. It was kind of hazy and the clouds looked like they were floating just above our heads. Driving through Lucerne was beautiful. The lakes were pretty and the roads were fine. After lunch at a rest stop we drove THROUGH several mountains. One tunnel was 17 km long! (No that's not a typo 1-7, no decimal). They narrow the highway to 1 lane each way in the tunnel, so we spent a lot of time in traffic, but driving in the tunnel was fine. I tried not to think about how deep into the earth we were because I am slightly claustrophobic and I was a little freaked out about the tunnel. Suddenly the alpine passes didn't sound so scary.

Once we were through the long tunnel, all the signs were in Italian and after about an hour we got to the road around Lago di Como. I had read many posts about driving in Italy, and I echo everything we had read. These people are freaking crazy drivers!

We are staying at Albergo Lenno which is about as different from Aqua Aurelia as 2 hotels can be, but just as nice in its own way. We can see the lake from our balcony and the light in italy really does have a different quality to it. We had a nice dinner right on the lake and stumbled home for some yummy Italian beer and much needed sleep.

Pictures:
1- Balloon over cornfields in Germany
2- Our slightly dirty car at Swiss rest area
3- Drove THROUGH mountains rather than over
4- Albergo Lenno
5- Our favorite European activity is al fresco chilllaxing, here is the view from the terrace at our hotel
6- Lenno


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## Popoemt (Aug 9, 2012)

Beautiful, love the pics!!


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## stn (May 24, 2012)

*Good Italy Bad Italy*

Yesterday was a wonderful day on Lake Como. We spent the morning visiting Villa Balbianello which is just beautiful. The walk from Albergo Lenno to the villa is not too long, but very steep! We took the tour and wandered in the garden for a few hours and then took the boat back to Lenno so we wouldn't have to climb the hill again and so we could get a picture of the villa from the lake. It was really spectacular and fun.

After a short nap we took the little tourist train from Lenno to Menaggio for dinner. Our dinner at Ristorante di Paolo was incredible. We took the train back and fell into bed exhausted but happy. It was a perfect vacation day. Lake Como is everything we had heard it was and more. The staff at Albergo Lenno is so friendly and helpful and the location and scenery can't be beat. Just a wonderful place! 

We left early this morning for Trieste and the drive past Milan and Venice was relatively smooth. It really helps that trucks are restricted from driving much on Sundays. We even managed to get into Trieste in only about 6 hours with several rest stops. For once GPS was close. The road over the mountain and along the Adriatic into Trieste was not too scary. It was slightly wider than the road around Lake Como and there was little traffic. We thought we were home free...

Unfortunately the nav system didn't accept the street address of the Grand Hotel Duchi D'Aosta but just the name of the square it is on. The trouble with squares is that you can't just pull up to the front of the hotel. We ended up on a magical mystery tour of downtown Trieste on several narrow one way streets. We finally found the hotel in the nav system under points of interest but it took several tries to get where she was telling us to go. During our 40 minute harrowing tour of the twists and turns of Trieste, we did a lap around the castle/fort thing at the top of the hill and somewhere in the alleys leading up there we got our first ding!  There was a chain hanging beside the NARROW road and we ended up hitting it with the passenger side mirror! It's only about 1/4 of an inch, but it looks so sad!  Then when we finally arrived the hotel only had valet parking or we could go back out and find a garage. We reluctantly paid the 23 euros for valet and we are just hoping some Italian bell hop doesn't take our new baby for a joy ride!

We tried to suck up and recover. Trieste itself is a great city with both Italian and Austrian influenced architecture. Our room overlooks the Piazza Unita d'Italia and a glimpse of the Adriatic. The hotel is very old but meticulously maintained. Our room is tiny, but very nicely appointed with a leather topped desk and gilded mirrors and a nice marble bathroom with a jacuzzi tub. The spa and pool look wonderful too. We spent about an hour looking around the immediate area and tried to find an early supper, but NOWHERE serves food between 4:00 pm and 7:30 pm. After trying two places, we gave up and are back in our room eating stale pretzels left over from our flight.

Pictures
1- Villa Balbianello from the lake
2- Dining al fresco in Menaggio
3- Leaving Albergo Lenno
4- We saw lots of vineyards today - even at the rest stop
5- Piazza Unita d'Italia from the water
6- Piazza Unita d'Italia (the awning is our hotel restaurant which our room overlooks)


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## stn (May 24, 2012)

*Good day when they didn't arrest us*

So yesterday did not have an auspicious beginning, but once we got the hang of Slovenia, it was really quite nice. We had breakfast in Trieste, Italy; lunch in Celja, Slovenia and dinner in Vienna, Austria. Not bad for a couple of bumpkins from New Hampshire.

The trouble began when we didn't buy our vignette before the first Slovenia tolls. We hadn't bought them in Switzerland until the toll plaza and in Italy we just paid cash, so we figured we would buy a vignette (vinjeta in Slovenian) at the toll plaza. Bad move. The border/traffic people flagged us to pull over and they asked for our passports, car papers and drivers license. Then they told us we were supposed to purchase the vignette at the gas station before or after the border. Finally they told my husband to get out of the car and come with them. At first I didn't think anything of it, but then I turned around to watch and I saw them walking him towards a Police van! At this point visions of gulags were going through my mind and I was a little nervous, but they were just making him pay 1/2 the fine (paid 150 euos plus 15 more for the vignette). Apparently they had a credit card machine in the van! When he got back in the car the other border guy asked if the car was new. When we said yes, he said "Nice car!" and we were on our way.

We stopped at the next rest area and when we got our breath back we couldn't stop laughing! The rest of the day was actually quite nice. Slovenia is beautiful with rolling hills, mountains, farms and several modern cities. The traffic was light and the roads were great, so it was the first day where the driving was more like we anticipated and we made good time except that we stopped for pictures and a longer sit down lunch.

In the afternoon we crossed into Austria and didn't encounter any significant traffic until Vienna. Driving in Vienna was typical for a city and we are happy to park the car in the garage for a few days for some sight seeing in the city. The Vienna Marriott is right on the park and close to many historic sites and shopping. Today we'll do a city tour and look for the Beethoven statue and tomorrow we are going to a concert.

Pictures
1- Slovenian toll booth (not OUR toll booth, hope they're not waiting for their other 150 euros) :rofl:
2- Beautiful Slovenian countryside
3- Lunch in Celja
4- Car at Slovenian rest area
5- Vienna Marriott lobby
6- View of the park from our room


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## boothguy (Feb 1, 2007)

Congratulations on your new ride. I'm enjoying your trip report, but left wondering why no pictures of the "New Hampshire bumpkins" themselves? That would be far more interesting and appropriate than some bug corpses flattened against your Zoll plate, no?


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## Popoemt (Aug 9, 2012)

stn said:


> So yesterday did not have an auspicious beginning, but once we got the hang of Slovenia, it was really quite nice. We had breakfast in Trieste, Italy; lunch in Celja, Slovenia and dinner in Vienna, Austria. Not bad for a couple of bumpkins from New Hampshire.
> 
> The trouble began when we didn't buy our vignette before the first Slovenia tolls. We hadn't bought them in Switzerland until the toll plaza and in Italy we just paid cash, so we figured we would buy a vignette (vinjeta in Slovenian) at the toll plaza. Bad move. The border/traffic people flagged us to pull over and they asked for our passports, car papers and drivers license. Then they told us we were supposed to purchase the vignette at the gas station before or after the border. Finally they told my husband to get out of the car and come with them. At first I didn't think anything of it, but then I turned around to watch and I saw them walking him towards a Police van! At this point visions of gulags were going through my mind and I was a little nervous, but they were just making him pay 1/2 the fine (paid 150 euos plus 15 more for the vignette). Apparently they had a credit card machine in the van! When he got back in the car the other border guy asked if the car was new. When we said yes, he said "Nice car!" and we were on our way.
> 
> ...


Sorry to hear about the troubles! Question for you, did you take cash (Euros) with you and if so how much did you take, I am trying to figure out how much I should have on hand for details like this that could happen.... Outside of my silly question, i am glad to see the pics, keep em coming and good luck with the rest of the trip! V/r, Tim


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## stn (May 24, 2012)

*Popoemt* we took 300 euros out at the bank machine at the airport and have gone to the cash machine twice since then for 300 more and 200 more. We have been able to charge the most expensive things but the other night we let ourselves get down to about 20 euros which was uncomfortable, so my husband went looking for a bank machine at 10 at night. (The machine in the Marriott didn't accept our Visa bank card) There was a Bank of Austria 3 blocks away that was happy to give us money. I'm sure the fees are killing us on our credit card, but we will worry about that on our way home. We haven't bought a lot of souvenirs (other than the one BIG one at the Welit) so you may want more cash on hand. We could not have paid our ticket in cash if the Slovenians didn't take credit cards, but all is well that ends well.

*boothguy* since we're one step ahead of the Slovenian authorities, we prefer not to put our personal pictures on the internets. You sound like our family!  Silly in these days of FaceBook (which we aren't on either) I know, but c'est la vie... Posting here isn't something I would have usually done, but in gratitude for all the help this site has been, we're trying to pay it forward.

We had a fun day in Vienna yesterday taking a bus tour in the morning and then walking around the city center in the afternoon. The scale is so grand here and the city is awash in art and culture. We are walking around with our mouths hanging open in awe...

Pictures
1-Schonbrunn Summer Palace of Maria Theresia
2- Hofberg
3- Statue of the guy who beat Napolean
4- Yet another meal al fresco. We've hardly eaten a single meal inside!
5- Beethoven statue at the Beethovenplatz (Does anyone know why this town is so Mozart and Strauss crazy but Beethoven is all but ignored?)
6- Tunnel into the sewers a la _The Third Man_


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## Popoemt (Aug 9, 2012)

stn said:


> *Popoemt* we took 300 euros out at the bank machine at the airport and have gone to the cash machine twice since then for 300 more and 200 more. We have been able to charge the most expensive things but the other night we let ourselves get down to about 20 euros which was uncomfortable, so my husband went looking for a bank machine at 10 at night. (The machine in the Marriott didn't accept our Visa bank card) There was a Bank of Austria 3 blocks away that was happy to give us money. I'm sure the fees are killing us on our credit card, but we will worry about that on our way home. We haven't bought a lot of souvenirs (other than the one BIG one at the Welit) so you may want more cash on hand. We could not have paid our ticket in cash if the Slovenians didn't take credit cards, but all is well that ends well.
> 
> Hi! Thanks for the quick response and great info and pics, V/r, Tim


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## boothguy (Feb 1, 2007)

stn: we _are_ your family. Your Bimmerfest ED family. Granted I tend to nag about this particular thing, but I feel that without a picture of the poster, the trip report seems disembodied. And besides, the traditional "I can't believe this is really happening" shot from Welt never fails to bring me back to those moments in my own ED history, and I'm sure a lot of others here too.

Your choice, obviously. Enjoy.


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## stn (May 24, 2012)

*Our last full day in Europe*

Today we left Vienna and drove to the Airport Marriott just outside of Munich in Freising. It was the longest drive of the trip (269 miles) but the driving was fantastic. There was little traffic and we got to go on the autobahn one last time. It was gray and drizzly, so not the best for pictures, but on one dry stretch we managed to hit 125 mph! When you drive that fast, the scenery is a blur and you don't really see anything but the road. We LOVED today's drive as it was all we had hoped driving in Europe would be. Even though it was our longest distance other than round trip from Munich to the castles on Welt Day, it was still the earliest we arrived at our destination because we were able to go so fast and we had a big breakfast and so didn't really stop for lunch.

Yesterday was a great day in Vienna. We took the "hop on hop off" bus to the Prater and saw the ferris wheel that was in _The Third Man_ and _Before Sunrise_. It is unbelievably big. Up to 30 people can fit in a car. We rode on the Vienna Airlines sky ride which is a 5D virtual reality tour of the city. It is very short, but we enjoyed it and were a little woozy when we got off. We also went to St. Stephan's cathedral. In the evening we had a quick outdoor supper at Cafe Schwarzenberg which is a place where Freud used to hang out, but it was raining and we got a bit wet even though we were under a canopy. We had tickets to a Mozart concert by the Vienna Philharmonic at the Golden Hall in the Musikverein. The musicians were all in powdered wigs and 18th century costumes. It was kind of touristy, but we enjoyed it. We are still shocked at how much Strauss and Mozart one could see and hear in Vienna compared to how little Beethoven. So we bought a tiny LvB bust and left for Munich. Apparently tourists want all Mozart all the time. So my new retirement plan is to buy a bar in Vienna and have musicians play Beethoven sonatas and quartets.

Pictures
1- The ferris wheel at the amusement park at the Prater
2- Downtown Vienna and the Danube River
3- Inside St. Stephan's Cathedral (most pictures are sideways because it is so huge!)
4- Viener schnitzel and potato soup at Cafe Swarzenberg
5- Outside of the Musikverein
6- The Golden Hall at the Musikverein


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## Popoemt (Aug 9, 2012)

Heyyy, buy that bar, I had a good friend from high school who did the exact same thing and made a fortunnnneeee!!!! (Then he moved to Vegas!), Thanks for the report, great details, V/r, Tim.


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## stn (May 24, 2012)

So on our last day in Europe my husband finally "let" me drive! He says it's not that he thinks I'm a bad driver, but that he is a bad passenger. I agree completely - he IS a bad passenger. Our appointment at Log-in-out was at 12:30 and we still had about a half a tank of gas, so we decided to hit the Autobahn one last time. 

The 92 out of Freising was good to us on Thursday and it didn't disappoint on Friday. We drove to a rest area and I was allowed to take the wheel for a bit. I was up to 115 mph within 5 minutes!  Wow the car likes to move. My husband also reached our top speed of the trip - 126 mph. I'm thinking it's probably good that we have to turn the car in for a few weeks to re-calibrate our internal speedometers. Otherwise we'll be getting weekly speeding tickets for sure.

Around noon we headed for the airport, washed the car and dropped her at Log-in-out. :bawling: Drop off took about half an hour and we then walked over to Terminal 2 to wait for our flight and come home. We arrived in NH around 8:00 pm last night and I was in bed by 9 (3 AM Munich tine and I hadn't slept on the plane).

Pictures:
1- Outside the airport Marriott in Friesing
2- Drop off at Log-in-out
3- Final Trip Stats
4- Final al fresco meal at Munich Airport MacDonald's


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## Popoemt (Aug 9, 2012)

What color is your car? It looks super grey in that 1st pic, then black in the 2nd... I like it! Thanks for all the pics and good journeys home! V/r, Tim.


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## stn (May 24, 2012)

Popoemt said:


> What color is your car? It looks super grey in that 1st pic, then black in the 2nd... I like it! Thanks for all the pics and good journeys home! V/r, Tim.


It's actually the metallic black. The difference is probably that the car wash got 1,649 miles worth of grime off her between pictures...:eeps: It is a great color though. Doesn't show dirt as much as the jet black.


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## 640GC (Mar 22, 2012)

Nice trip report. Would have liked to attend the Opera myself but it's off season.


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## mjadala (Apr 2, 2012)

Nice report, enjoyed reading your write up.


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