Germany with a car and time to kill....
 

So this semester abroad is almost over (how the f did that happen!?)
I have three weeks of built in independent travel at the end before I head back to SC. For the first week I've rented a 1 series in Germany and plan to do some touring. I just got word from ALL the BMW factories that they're out of space. Any advice on what to do in Germany? I just sent in a request to Porsche Leipzig, and their Pilot Experiences might be making my portefeuille cry.

TIA!

In München:

• Deutsches Museum: so much technical stuff there, including stuff about engines. They even talk about direct injection, go figure.
• Englischer Garten: Try running that. Bigger than Central Park.
• Enjoy lunch (Mittagsessen) at a Biergarten, at your leisurely pace.
• BMW Welt- self-explanatory.

muenchen.de - Munich Germany Bavaria bavarian german
For more info. English can be selected at top left hand corner.

In Berlin:

• Brandenburger Tor and Friedrichstraße- Lot of history related to these two.
• Checkpoint Charlie- it was just the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
• Reichstag- The German equivalent of Congress.
• Make note of the differences between former East and West Germany. They're still there (such as the pedestrian signals, or Ampelmännchen)

Berlin is a more bustling metropolis and a more "hip" place to be, but it also has a lot of history especially of that within relatively modern times. I like München better but that's a personal preference. A lot of Berliners find München to be too stuffy and haughty; there's the saying: "Berlin: Arm aber sexy" (poor but sexy)

I know you aren't going to listen to me, but I'd avoid driving in the urban centres whenever possible. Petrol and parking are pricey, and Germans don't like lost drivers. No right turn on red!

Wichtig! (Important) If you drive your rental into central Berlin or München, you must have an Emissions sticker on the windshield for the Umweltzone (environmental zone). It's likely that your car will have it, but it's cool to make sure.

http://tollerblog.files.wordpress.co...umweltzone.jpghttp://www.qtl.co.il/img/copy.pnghttp://www.google.com/favicon.icohttp://www.babylon.com/favicon.ico

nurburgring....

Black Forest twisties :thumbup: whilst on your way to "Enjoy lunch (Mittagsessen) at a Biergarten, at your leisurely pace". Have a good time matey.

S- I missed the last day for the Nurburgring by a week. Thinking about making up for it at Porsche, they have a GT3 Taxi at Leipzig (I'd be happy with a boxter or Cayenne, checking availablity, and if they'll let a 19 year old with 3 accident free years drive the pilot experiences)

X- Weather Permitting, yes. Biergarten, if theres a hotel nearby. Twisties and being a lightweight don't go together well

M- Good to know. Theres no "right on red" in France, either, they just don't have stop signs instead (Whoever is coming from the right has right of way, even if it is onto a departmental thoroughfare. I have the GPS, and if they run out, I'll get one at FNAC before I leave France, complete with the locations of all the radars.
I'll be sure to turn off the automatic start-stop when I get into that zone. :nanana:

M/D: "lightwieght"?! I would have thought that all that 2 lane road
time north & northwest of FU, would have gotten you over that
flatlander syndrome?! :D

Bet you had a great semester; where are all the pics of you cuddling
the French ladies? ;)

Germany for me: great roads, castles, Beethoven's birthplace, alt
bier and pork sammiches. :thumbup:

Have a good vacay and trip home!
GL, mD

The car isn't the problem with that one! I am planning now on coming back for an internship! And who has time for pics.

Looking forward to it, and I'll back up all my pics this time (Already bought a 4 gb Memory Stick!)

Or just leave the clutch down.......I think most of us manual drivers do this anyway at most lights unless they're long.

On your way back from Berlin, stop by the city of Regensburg. It's got great architecture that was largely undamaged by WWII.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...sburgclock.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...urgstreets.jpg

It's a pity that you're going during the winter and can't drive the Alpine passes (they're closed). Otherwise they're unbelievably scenic and phenomenal to drive.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...oglockner1.jpg

FYI: Rental cars aren't permitted on the Nurbürgring anyway. But you could stop by Audi Forum in Ingolstadt and check out some of the latest models, perhaps get a tour (It's the equivalent of BMW Welt). And steal an A3 2.0 TDI for me.
http://www.qtl.co.il/img/copy.pnghttp://www.google.com/favicon.icohttp://www.babylon.com/favicon.ico

You can buy one here but its gearbox is made from sauerkraut (only a step up from the cheese used in those of french cars)

I'm thinking Leipzig is a good spot on the way back, so I can take a Factory tour (granted it will be in german) but I figure I can look...