DAY 3 - Munich I

Friday, 22 April 2005

Germany/Deutschland
Al is having a harder time adjusting to the time change than I am. He was wide awake at 4am local time while I managed to stay in bed until 6:15am. The local restaurant we went to last night, Lenz, was quite good. The one thing I wasn't prepared for was all the smoke! A group of young Germans laughed at me as they exited having seen me sniff the air with dissatisfaction as I walked in. I had to laugh as well. Another thing to get used to is people bringing dogs into the restaurants. The dogs are very well-behaved.

This morning I got a look at the local German television programming. Alf in German and the "Groovy Granny". CNN is about the only show in English. We pick up Al's car today and then we're off to the Autobahn heading for the German-Austrian border.

Did we forget to mention: our primary purpose in Europe is for a European Delivery of Al's new car – a 2005 BMW 325i!

Al's inspiration and dream...
When I lived in Frankfurt, Germany many years back, a co-worker bought a new BMW and requested that I drive with him to pick it up at the BMW Factory in Munich. Upon delivery, he handed me keys to his NEW car for the drive home. I was astonished, but he instructed me to keep up...which I did! After a 5-hour drive on the autobahn, I knew right there that I had to get a bimmer – and pick it up in Germany to fully realize the experience. It took 18 long years, but that dream I had as a young adult was finally realized today. :)

Picking up the car
Got to the BMW Delivery Center on Friday morning and picked up the car. It's a manual, titanium silver baby bimmer – the last one produced for the US market for the E46 generation. The new E90 model already started selling here as all the other customers were picking up the 2006 version. Unfortunately, Locke cannot drive a stick, so I will be doing 100% of the driving for our trip. After glowing for a few minutes, we head off for downtown Munich and the start of our European vacation. Woohoo – I finally got my dream car, with a European vacation to boot!

Car Mileage: 4 miles @ Munich, Germany

Residence/Residenz
This is the former residence of the Wittenbach family, long time rulers of Bavaria until the early 20th century. The antiquarium and golden hallway are the highlights along with the Skatzkammer, which is the crown and affiliated royal accessories.

Old town Munich/Altstadt Munchen
We then look for the world-famous Hofbrauhaus, the largest beer house in the world. Much to our disappointment, the establishment is undergoing a renovation and lunch is for a private party only. Thus, with a beautiful spring day, we choose to eat lunch across the alley at an open bierhaus/cafe and enjoy the scenery of downtown Munich. After our stroll, we head for the BMW main headquarters for the prerequisite picture. This is not an easy task, as there is no "designated spot". But we get the shot for the picture album and then head for Garmisch-Partinkirchen in the Bavarian Alps.

The German Autobahn
Once on the A95 Autobahn, I finally get a chance to open up the car. Though it is advertised with a governor (speed limiter) of 128 mph/206 kph, I chase after 2 Porche Carreras in the left lane and max out at 133 mph/214 kph. Wow, things are now going DAMN fast! Okay, with our goal achieved and the gas mileage dropping to 10 mpg (as indicated by a gauge) we drop back to a respectable 90-100 mph cruising range and head for the beautiful Bavarian Alps towards Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

-- Locke & Al