Trip Summary of Greg and Glenda's European Delivery

The new Benz at the Delivery Center. It is a Smoke Silver model C230 Kompressor.

Arrival in Stuttgart - Sunday, April 18th, 1999

We decided that Taxi voucher would be better used from the hotel to the factory tomorrow (longer distance). So after changing some money at the airport, we took the subway to the main railroad station in town. From there it is only a few minutes by walking to the Intercontintental hotel thru a beautiful park. This was a fine idea, except it started raining by the time we reached the hotel. HINT: You can take a subway from the train station to the hotel, just one stop.

The hotel was nice and not very crowded, especially since it was a Sunday. We used our DM50 credit for dinner and ate at the hotel restaurant. The food was excellent and we highly recommend it. Lots of good bavarian food and German beer. We were really excited when we went to bed since we would be getting our new car tomorrow.

When we returned from the tour, we decided it would be better to sign the paperwork, but use our DM100 voucher for lunch before taking delivery of the car. Well, it is a challenge to eat DM100 worth for two persons. The food is excellent and in large quantities. I suggest sitting at the back of the eating area where you can watch the garage door slide up every 30-60 seconds and see a new Mercedes Benz being driven off by new owners. Just think you will be driving out that door soon. If you can not eat all DM100, the waiteress will bring you chocolates in change!

At the check out desk, they assign you a bus number to take you to a delivery center. MB delivers cars at the factory to 500 persons a day. Our MB representative was very helpful and nice. She spent about 30 minutes showing us the car. We then drove to the garage door and loaded up our luggage, then out the door we went. Immediately we had to turn on the wipers since it was raining. The first stop is the E.H. Harms export company. Even though it looked simple on the map, I missed the last turn since the street was so small. One person in front of us when leaving the factory did not show up for 20 minutes after getting lost. My wife was determined to keep the floor mats clean, so while I was signing the papers at the export company, she was getting paper towels from the rest room and layering the front floorboard with them. Well, it did work.

Finally off on the tour! We got our European brochure out and followed the directions. Before I knew it, we were going 110 MPH to keep up with the traffic. Later we read where the car should not go above 80 in the first 500 miles. We only went that speed for a short distance, then slowed down. Watch that first exit off of the autobahn, the turn radius was much smaller than the US, so I had to brake very hard while turning. That slowed me, along with a lecture from my wife. The rest of the first day's trip was easy going, but the European brochure does not identify every turn. Most of the time you have to rely on the name of the next town to keep you on track. The first stop for us was Freudenstadt. We wanted to see the marktplatz (largest in Germany) and try parking the car in a public garage. No problem, just take your ticket with you and when you return, put the ticket in the machine near the stairs or exit and pay the amount shown. Then get in your car and put the ticket in the exit gate. Along the Schwarzwaldhochstrasse was plenty of snow, but none on the roads. The Black Forest was beautiful with snow falling from the trees at every turn. We stopped at the Mummelsee lake right at 5 pm, but the store was closing. This was true our whole trip, so you must plan to be somewhere that you want to shop by 5 pm. The lake was still frozen and made a lovely picture.

We went on to the hotel Buhlerhohe. This is a very special place. The room was huge (largest on our trip) with separate entryway and bath. Our room was at the very end of the hotel and looked out with a baloney over the Rhine valley and Baden-Baden. There were very few persons at the hotel this time of year, probably 10 guests. We went down and enjoyed the wonderful swimming pool and spa, and watched a short snowfall. For dinner, we checked out the hotel restaurant, but there were only two tables occupied. Besides they had limited the meal selection to one set meal and it was more than we really wanted to spend. Since we wanted to drive the car some more, we drove towards Baden-Baden. After 15 minutes and before the town, we went thru a small village and spotted many cars at the Auerhahn gasthaus and restaurant. We went in and joined the local population in what turned out to be our most memorable meal on the trip. The locals helped us with the menu (great prices) and were so helpful. We spotted another couple from the hotel and they also were on the European delivery, but were going towards Paris on their own route. They joined us and we had a huge meal together. Note: We heard that one month later the hotel was packed and so was the restaurant, even after 10pm. You might want to make reservations for dinner before you arrive if you want to eat at the hotel.

Day 2 of tour - Tuesday - April 20th:

Just before Triberg is the Shop of 1000 clocks. We made it with 10 minutes to spare. This is where we purchased most of our souvenoirs; don't forget your tax free paperwork to turn in when you leave the country. The same cuckoo clock here was almost half the price of one later in Munich. In Triberg you can stop and see the famous waterfall. It was still open (till 6:00) and was a nice stretch of the legs. From here the road becomes very small and goes thru the mountains. Unfortunately if you get behind a slow car, it is tough to pass. But the scenery is breathtaking.

We finally reached Hinterzarten and the Park Hotel Adler. We were one of just three guests in all the hotel. Since dinner was included with the stay, we were worried that the restaurant would be empty which turned out to be true. Only one other group was there, but the meal was very good and the waiter very entertaining. Our room was right over the main entrance and had a nice balconey. The experience of the elevator was really something. Although the room was nice and big, we felt that this hotel was the least bargain of the trip and probably will not return. The swimming pool and spa was closed for repairs. I would recommend staying at the Buhlerhohe for two nights instead of this one if you are on your own. If you are on the rally though, you have little choice but to stay here.

Since this would be our longest day of traveling and the most sights to see, we got an early start. The breakfast at the hotel was terrible, just a few cereals. We were glad to leave. Today will be a frustrating day for driving since you will be on a main east-west road, but full of large trucks. Most of the road is two lane, so you have to pass a lot. HINT: Plan to make slower time than the previous days. We were down to a quarter tank of gas so we stopped at a rest area on the autobahn and filled up. BIG mistake. Not only did it cost us $48, but we forgot that we were susposed to leave almost no gas in the car when we turn it in at Munich. HINT: I suggest to put no more than a half tank in at a time since the gas is so expensive.

Your first stop will be Birnau church, right on the Bodensee. There is no photography or videotaping allowed inside, so be sure and buy a picture book. Next was the ancient city of Meersburg and well worth the side trip. The parking areas are a good little walk from the historical town. Don't try and park in the little parking area at the post office. You must have a special card. We walked thru the old castle and shopped a while. There are picture opportunities at every turn of the streets. Remember your schedule though, and proceed on to the island city of Lindau. We decided to go straight to the end of the road that dead-ends at the train station and harbour. The parking meter here is only for 30 minutes at a time, but we just returned each 30 minutes to pay again. The town is so small that it is possible to do this. Elsewise you have to park so far away and walk. Again we were lucky that the tourist season had not started. We would have seen only half as much. We heard that one month later the traffic jam to leave Lindau was over two hours.

NOTE: at this point we leave the planned itinerary and proceed on the Fussen near King Ludwig's castle Neunschwanstein. The reason is that in April the hotel in Austria is closed. Other friends who have been to this hotel say it is the best place on the trip. We are going to return in a few years and catch this one.

OK, we were going to miss Austria, but little did we know what awaited us. The hotel Lisl in Schwangau was a jewel of a hotel. Since we had made our reservations so early (in Oct.) they had the best room of the hotel waiting for us. Room #51 looks right out to Neunschwanstein and is like a dream. This is the closest hotel to the castle and is the point where the bus and horses start up the hill to the castle. The room was a suite and when lying in your bed you look right at the castle lit up at night. The area is kind of touristy, but this is worth doing once. We decided to eat at the hotel since they reserved a table for us that let you view the castle while eating. This had been a long day, so we enjoyed the huge bathtub and just relaxed the rest of the evening.

Again another early start since we planned to visit three castles:Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, and Linderhof. After a nice breakfast at the hotel (the only one of the trip that served hot food), we joined the line for the bus up to the top of the hill. The bus lets you off above the castle near the famous bridge, then you walk DOWN to the castle. We were lucky and went right into Neuschwanstein, but had to wait until enough English speaking people showed up for a English tour. The tour is only 45 minutes, but the whole trip took 2 hours. We took a horse carriage back down. Since it was near check-out time, we checked out and then went across the street to Hohenschwangau where Ludwig grew up. This was ok, but I would not wait in line to see it. Then it was off to....McDonald's in Fussen! Yes, we stopped there since this was the only place we could get a diet coke with ICE. We met another couple there doing the European delivery with BMW. They were having as much fun as we were.

Next came the nicest road on our trip. We decided on the advice (and map) from the hotel Lisl staff to take a small road across Austria to Linderhof. The road was not on our map, but it turned out to be a lovely small road that went along side a beautiful lake in the mountains. We were the only people on the road. We stopped and took some pictures of our car next to the lake. Eventually we came to Linderhof. Here we ran into some people who had been on our tour at Neuschwanstein. There is quite of bit of walking involved to visit Ludwig's favorite castle. Be sure and walk up to the Grotte, you can not leave without seeing this.

It was getting late, but we definitely wanted to visit the monastary at Ettal. It is only a few miles away. Best of all: free parking! Here you can take pictures and videos. Be sure and buy a bottle of their famous liquer made from local mountain herbs. We wanted to see Oberangau, but decided to get on to Munich and check in.

This is the time that you need a good navigator to read the European Delivery brochure. Munich traffic was very bad and the streets are a little confusing. The entrance to the parking garage at the hotel was very small. It had to be pointed out to me by the doorman. The hotel location was right in the middle of downtown with a nice room facing the front of the hotel. Since we were staying two nights in Munich, we decided to keep the car an extra day and drive to Dachau. HINT: Considering the traffic the next day and the cost of the garage, I would go ahead and turn the car in when you arrive at the hotel.

For dinner we went to the Hofbrauhaus for German beer and sausage. I know it is kind of touristy, but it was great fun and had a good German band playing. We visited the hotel pool and spa and relaxed the rest of the night.

The next morning we learned how busy and popular this hotel is. Try to avoid the businessman's breakfast hours of 8 - 9 a.m. or you will wind up waiting for a table. The shops open at 9:30 a.m. which was perfect for our needs. We stopped by St. Michael's church and visited the crypt of the Royal family and said hi to old King Ludwig. We ended our shopping at the Marienplatz and went up to the Glockenspiel restaurant to watch the Glockenspiel at 11 a.m. HINT: This is a perfect place to watch the clock and eat either lunch or a small desert. Next it was time to get the car and drive to Dachau. The trip out and back was crowded with cars and we had to watch the map closely but we made it with little problems, but a lot of stress. The visit to the concentration camp took several hours and makes a deep impression on you. We hoped to drive by some other famous landmarks in Munich before returning to the hotel, but the traffic got to us and we wanted to get the car in before 5 pm so the export company would pick it today. It was sad leaving the car and knowing that our trip was near an end. We walked around downtown again, but it started raining, so we headed back to the hotel. I had heard that the hotel restaurant Keller was very good, so we tried it for dinner and were not disappointed.

Overall, this was a fabulous vacation. We hope to buy a second car in two years and come back. In fact, we plan to buy a new European Delivery car every two years (keeping each car about 4 years).

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