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I'm still in Germany enjoying the hell out of my new M235. I've been blogging the trip for friends and family, as well as to document the little things that I'm enjoying so much.

Thought I would share, hope you enjoy! I will update every day or so.

M235i Euro Delivery

BMW M235i European Delivery: Day 1

BMW M235i European Delivery: Day 1

February 18, 2015

Guten Tag!

I am writing from Der Bodensee on the morning of Day 3, watching the sunrise over the picturesque lake town of Langenargen. More on that tomorrow. Where to begin? The past two days have been action packed with barely a moment to slow down and smell the roses. Good thing they’re all dead anyway; everything here is in full-on winter lockdown mode.

Let’s start with our flight from RIC to PHL. Bad news before the trip even started: Thundersnow Neptune!! We had a flight delay of 86 minutes, which was about 10 minutes too much. We missed our flight to München. The US Airways rep in Richmond did realize this was likely to happen and preemptively booked us on a flight from PHL to London and then from London to München. The change cost us about 6 hours. I was never worried that BMW wouldn’t accommodate me, but concerned that we would miss most of the “magic”. Also, since it was night in Germany when we left the US, I couldn’t do more than just send an email in hopes they would get it. Overall, the replacement flights were smooth and uneventful.

Arriving in Heathrow, we were forced to go through a second round of security. The shuffle around Heathrow was somewhat annoying, but the architecture of this airport is breathtaking, so it evens out. Security was very thorough and asked a lot of questions. It was also during this part of the trip that I realized years of watching Top Gear on repeat taught me how to understand British accents! Thank you Jeremy Clarkson (whom I was disappointed not to find signing autographs at the airport).





Of course, what better to do then have tea and crumpets in London at 11AM? Delicious. I can see what these Brits are on about. I may have just decided to start drinking tea more. And crumpets! The texture and flavor reminded me of a McGriddle, but way better. The accompanying jam was flavorful and fresh.





London to München was on a British Airways flight, which was very good. The seats were brand new and very comfortable. Coach was comparable in comfort to First Class on any airline in America. Brunch was also served, on a 1.5 hour flight!! Airlines in America need to get on this level. We saw some pretty amazing sights from up high. All of Germany was very foggy, but you could see the top of the Alps peeking out over the clouds. One of the most amazing sights that I have ever seen from a plane, but the pictures I took were rubbish.

We arrived in München and quickly grabbed our bags and headed out to the awaiting BMW “Limousine”, which was a long wheelbase 7 series. True luxury, a very nice touch. The driver was pleasant enough to simplify his German so we could speak about the country. Immediately I could see my favorite thing about the Germans: they are extremely practical and efficient. The Autobahn toward the BMW Welt was smooth and the ride in the 7 series dreamy.



We arrived at the Welt and checked-in.





The staff hadn’t received my email and were calling everyone involved to find us! They were very understanding and slotted me for a 5PM delivery, meaning we had plenty of time to sample the free goodies (das Bier!) while we waited.





I could see my beautiful blue M235i from the Premium Lounge.



Finally, it was time to receive my car. My BMW Specialist talked with me about my car and told me how he, and his colleagues, think this is one of the best BMW has ever made. He said he would choose this over any other BMW right now. He was genuinely passionate about this car. He also told me he thinks the auto is fantastic (it is) and better than the manual! He also told me a neat story: In German, “das Gerät”, means “thing” and it is used to refer to, well, things. Apparently, recently, there was a famous Turkish man on TV in Germany that kept saying “dar Gerät”, which ish the wrong form of the word. It became an inside joke and, when used in context, this “der Gerät” now means something so good it’s better than any other “thing”. This is how he and his colleagues refer to the M235i.

So, allow me to introduce to you: der Gerät.






Now it was time to park the car (safely in the underground garage at the Welt) and go about exploring München. It was cold, but not as cold as it had been in Virginia. Anyone that knows me knows that I love subways, metros, and trains. In Germany, this is called the U-Bahn (the U is pronounced like the “oo” in “Pooh”). Remember that famous German efficiency? Definitely applies here. Stations were immaculately clean, trains were always exactly on time and they are fast. 60MPH+, all underground.








We stayed at an aparthotel (micro apartments) just off Am Oberwiesenfeld (one of my favorite German words to say) and we hopped around nearby stops looking for something interesting. We wound up at Marienplatz, which is the center of the city. When we walked out of the U-Bahn we discovered some beautiful, but foggy, architecture. Below is the Rathaus, which is like a capitol building.










We decided on Schneider Weisse Bräuhaus. In Germany, dining out is a social experience. Long tables are shared; fine by me. I wish I was more conversational with my German, because there were some interesting people nearby. I had the veal with a potato cake and savory gravy. It reminded me of a similar dish my mom used to make (with roast beef, of course. Save the baby lambs!). Vicky had a concoction of pork belly and sauerkraut. Very good stuff!

This is when we first discovered that the next day was a German holiday: Faschingsdienstag. In America, this is known as “Fat Tuesday”. Lots of people wondering around in costumes and partying their faces off. We were treated to a random rhythm band playing some classic Faschings tunes in the U-Bahn station. It was definitely unexpected and really freaking cool.





That’s all for Day 1. What an incredible introduction to a brilliant country. Day 2, we travel the Deutsche-alpenstraße (German Alpine Road) and ascend the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany.

BMW M235i European Delivery: Day 2

BMW M235i European Delivery: Day 2

February 19, 2015

Guten Morgen!

I think I have a problem. A big problem. No, it isn’t that die Polizei pulled me over today. Nor is it that I pissed off a German so hard he cursed at me in both German and English. It isn’t even that our AirBNB apartment in Berlin was cancelled last minute.

I have a bigger problem than that.

I’m addicted to German driving culture. The roads are immaculately maintained (think 2 feet of snow on both sides of the road, perfectly sculpted to form a boundary, yet not a drop on the road itself). I’m addicted to the well-placed and thoughtful signage that clearly tells you what to do and where to go. To the traffic circles that efficiently distribute traffic. To the ONE stop sign that I’ve encountered in this country so far. Finally, I’m addicted to the Autobahn.

Oh, the Autobahn. This is the perfect balance in government regulatory oversight. First, the basics. Not all of the Autobahn lacks a speed limit. Near the cities it is about 60 mph. At significant interchanges, it is about 80 mph. But the rest is gloriously unrestricted. Driving is different here. To Germans, it’s a bit like an honor code system. You follow the speed limit when there is one (every single driver has, so far), and then drive as fast as you can when there isn’t. You DO NOT drive in the left lane, unless you are passing someone. Always drive in the right lane. Driving culture.

Needless to say, it was time to see what der Gerät is capable of. Speed is restricted electronically to 155 mph on the car. And on my first day in the Autobahn, after some thoughtful time learning the car, the roads, and properly analyzing the weather conditions, I followed an Audi RS5 toward the Zugspitze. The car accelerates so quickly that I was doing 120 mph before I even noticed. Trust me, however, when I say that you notice right at 120. It is the precise moment when I realized I was driving a real machine. It’s also the moment unparalleled angst crept into my mind. Not angst over a potential crash. Definitely not angst over a poor driver (they don’t seem to exist here). Angst over being pulled over and ticketed. My American brain cannot comprehend that it is legal to drive so fast, even though it felt incredibly safe the entire time. I reached 135 but constantly had to slow down for slower traffic. I followed the Audi until it was nearly our exit, and then scaled it back as we neared the Austrian border.

During this part of the road, we found some amazing sights. In the background lie the Alps, which are some of the tallest and most beautiful mountains in the world. Also nearby are the amazing alpine lakes that glisten with turquoise blue water. Lakes here (See, in German) are just gorgeous.




I noticed a really sharp 7 series BMW parked on the side of the road, and commented that it looked really nice. A few moments later, it pulled out behind me and then i saw the LED sign in my rear view mirror: “die Polizei”. I pulled off to the side of the road, rolled down my window, and waited. The officer approached and politely asked me if I spoke German, to which I responded that I did speak a little. Nonetheless, he switched to English and asked for our documentation and the cars. After some very thorough checks with his colleague in their car, and a very, very thorough check of the car’s engine bay, doors, mirrors, etc, our documents were returned and we were wished a safe trip. The officer even told me I had a very nice car!! The car has tourist license plates, so it seemed to be a very routine stop to ensure all was good.



A little more driving into the Austrian border and we arrived at the Zugspitze, the highest mountain peak in all of Germany. We rode a cable car to the top (2,963 meters – 9,721 feet or about 32 football fields high). Our ears popped on the way. I wish I could put into words how breathtaking the views were, but I cannot, so I will share pictures instead. From the top you can see the alps in four countries: Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. You could even notice the curvature of the earth from here. Unbelievable.




We had a very German lunch at the highest Biergarten in all of Germany: Weißbier, weißeurst and a pretzel with sweet mustard. After a little more bewilderment over the sights, we came back down the Zugspitzbahn. But first, we grabbed a momento: A small chunk of rock from the Zugspitze that we found in the museum. Please don’t tell the Germans!!

After we left, we returned to Germany and into Füssen to see the famous castles of Bavarian King Ludwig II: Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. We had no interest in exploring the interior, so we just snapped a few pictures of the exterior as we weaved through the many, many, many tourists literally walking in the street. We tried to get closer to Neuschwanstein but were politely told that we were trespassing on a private street. Oops.

It was then on to Langenargen, a beautiful little town on the Bodensee (Lake Constanz) that borders Swirzerland, Austria and Germany. To get there, we took a beautiful road known as the Deutsche-alpenstraße (German Alpine Road). Lots of twists and turns with the Alps just to the left. Unfortunately, much of this road came at night, after both dark and fog had descended. I took a few videos on the GoPro and hope to share them sometime. The last section of the road is an incredible Driver’s road. Perhaps not as beautiful as the Romantischestraße, but definitely a more engaging drive. Upon arrival, we strolled through the town but it was virtually deserted. We stumbled upon a delicious Italian bistro and had a marvelous pizza with a bottle of red wine.





Tomorrow, it’s off to Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber via the Romantischestraße, where we will teach Herman the German what “Haters gonna hate” means and I piss off a German Tankstelle attendant.
Tschüss!

BMW M235i European Delivery: Days 3 & 4

BMW M235i European Delivery: Days 3 & 4

February 20, 2015

One of the best things about traveling to new places is experiencing different food. I’m sure that, when you think of German food, you imagine the pretzel and bratwurst that you had at the Oktobefest at your local German Catholic Church. While you may not be far from the truth, at least in Bayern (Bavaria, a state in southern Germany), the best meal of the day here is Frühstück. You may know it as breakfast. Nearly every hotel/B&B/pension/guesthouse serves Frühstück on your way out. Meat, cheese, and bread are a common sight. Delicious jams and yogurt.




In Langenargen, we stayed at very small B&B (really, it was just someone’s spare room) and she was not able to serve breakfast (no matter, it was super cheap). We did, however, discover the most wonderful thing about small towns. The bakeries. So many delicious foodstuffs for breakfast and it is cheaper than Starbucks. Have a look for yourself and then please wipe the drool from your keyboard. I have since seen them all over the place.







Have I mentioned the McDonalds? They are everywhere. Like one in every Landkreis (county), at least. Not much else in terms of American fast food’ but the Germans must love them some Hamburgler. And no, we did not go. Even if I did, I would not tell you.

On our way out, after Frühstück, we walked to the lake. It’s winter and this resort town is not very busy, but we did make a friend in this giant swan. The lake is so beautiful in its wintery state; I can only imagine what it looks like during summer. Directly across the lake lies Switzerland. Here they have boat races during the summer. Langenargen is a great stopping point on the Bodensee, especially when we had the town to ourselves.








The Romantischestraße is a theme road that joins several roads from Füssen in Lower Bavaria up to Würzburg in the Franconian region. Lots of small towns are linked together along a very fun road to drive. This is mainly a summer-tourist trail, so we were very lucky to have the roads and many of the sights all to ourselves. We joined the Romantischestraße in Landsberg Am Lech and stopped in Friedberg. where we walked around the picturesque town. For lunch, we had döner kabobs, which are more or less Turkish gyros. They were delicious. The young Turkish guy serving us was extremely nice and conversed with us in English. He even gave us some tea “zum mitnehmen” (to go), which seems to be a very uncommon thing in Europe. I believe the Germans would rather be focused on what they are doing instead of multi-tasking. This is the point where we could have a long conversation about work vs. personal life and how the Germans keep them separated, unlike Americans, but I digress.










It was very interesting to see the landscape change from snowy Alpine to green farmland. It’s a bit like going from Colorado to Iowa, or so I imagine, since I have been to neither. I wish we had stopped at more of the interesting places, but we just didn’t have enough time. We attempted to stop at least once every hour or two and find something interesting.








A short stop in Augsburg to see the famous St. Ulrich Kirche and its spectacular architectural design.









Along the way, I stopped at a gas station to fill up. I had a little miscommunication with the attendant and he wound up charging me for the OTHER blue car’s gas. Of course, I used my credit card, which complicated the matter. I also discovered that, in Germany, you pump first then pay. He was so angry with me that he yelled “sheiße” at me over and over until, realizing I’m American, he just started yelling “shit”. Eventually he gave me a refund in Euros and I pumped the €9,27 he charged me and left. It was actually kinda funny.

Finally, we reached Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber. I’ve been reading about this place for months as I planned the trip and couldn’t wait to see it. It’s the town that Walt Disney based Pinocchio on and is one of, if not the, best preserved medieval European towns. The town features a full and complete wall, along with defense towers to guard. Some of the wall was destroyed during WW2 but was quickly rebuilt after. Donors from all over the world helped to rebuild the city’s wall – you can find the donor’s names in stone along the wall. We found one from a couple in Fairfax, VA.

It was dark when we arrived again, so we checked into the Altfrankische Weinstube (Old Franconian Wine Bar), a really beautiful small B&B that I had found online. This place was charming and inexpensive and I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance. We went downstairs to the Stube to have dinner where we met Herman the German. I had Spätzle for dinner, which is mac and cheese, more or less.








Every Wednesday, Herman and his friends come to the Weinstube for the English Conversation Club, where they speak only English and get to know as many of the tourists as they can. They were so wonderful and friendly and told us many things about the town we may have never known. Herman’s family has lived in Rothenburg for over 3 generations. He showed us old newspapers from the war and some articles where travel guy Rick Steves has talked about his club. We had a blast with them and they taught us that, in Bavaria, when one didn’t hear what another said, they say “Ehhh?”, which is more like a grunt. My sister and father known this sound well, because it is the sound that my mother, my uncle and their father always make when they say something and want a response from you. Maybe I am German after all! In return, we taught them “Haters gonna hate” and “They hate us cause they ain’t us”, which we all found amusing. We even wrote it in their guestbook to remind them!

We walked a portion of the wall at night and the town was completely deserted at that point.





The next morning,we enjoyed a very delicious, very German Frühstück before heading out to explore the town.






Rothenburg is amazingly beautiful. I cannot express how fantastic the architecture really is. I found myself taking hundreds of photos. Although the town is very touristy, it’s easy to overlook the dozens of bar shops and Christmas stores and get to what really makes the town great. We found a small antique store with fresh stock and I bought an old spice tin and a coffee mill from the 1930s for my new place back home.














The most picturesque part of the city is inside the walls. You literally drive through a narrow gate to get into it. It was surreal driving my brand new car inside gates that have kept our enemies for centuries and facilitated part of the German surrender during WW2. The wall is completely intact and mostly original, save for what was repaired following the war. We even found the soldier’s crapper.





If you are ever in Germany, for any reason, do not miss this place. It should honestly be the 8th wonder of the world for being so well preserved.








After spending the day in Rothenburg ODT, we got back on the Romantischestraße and headed north to Würzburg. Along the way, we stopped for lunch at the Hot Wok in Weikersheim, a really cool Thai place where the owner was super friendly and chatted with me in German. The food was top notch as well.

After that, we walked around the corner to see the Weikersheim palace, a breathtaking private residence with some of the best gardens in all of Germany. What happened next was a bit surprising. During this trip we have done a lot of wandering about in places where you normally wouldn’t find tourists. It’s brought us some interesting stories thus far, but this one may be the best.

We rounded the corner to the back side of the palace to see what we could see and were about to leave, when an older lady came out of her house. She spoke English and refused to speak German with me, insisting that she is an American and we could speak as Americans. Fair enough. She gave us a piece of candy and invited us inside, as it was very cold. Turns out, she is a Princess and is married to an Austrian prince whose family owns the palace. Her house is a 400+ year old house adjacent to the palace. She told us some very, very interesting stories about her life and then walked us around the palace and through the gardens. We got the extra super secret tour, no doubt about it. I could go on and on about her life and the conversations that we had, but that’s for another time.














We capped the day in Würzburg with a walk around the Marienburg fortress before returning to Rothenburg, where we enjoyed our stay so much we extended it an extra night.










Tomorrow, we head to Berlin and party in a Color TV sales shop and I spend a lot of time getting to know Der Gerät.

BMW M235i European Delivery: Days 5, 6 & 7

BMW M235i European Delivery: Days 5, 6 & 7

February 22, 2015

From a small town famous for retaining walls to a city famous for destroying them; Rothenburg ODT to Berlin. Talk about culture shock! While Rothenburg is quintessential old German, Berlin is the heartbeat of the neue Deutschland. So many interesting things to see and do, I wish we had another week just here in this beautiful, hip, spastic city.

But first, a long road trip. The drive was nearly five hours, giving me a lot of time to spend in Der Gerät. First of all, let me say that such a long drive in this cat was wonderful. Besides the expected driving weariness, I was incredibly comfortable. A couple of Comedy Bang Bang episodes helped pass the time. “Would You Rather?” segment is always hilarity inducing. The Tech package in the car makes listening to music/podcasts super easy. I planned the playlist over the last few months and brought a USB drive, which I promptly loaded onto the car’s hard drive.

Navigation is unbelievable! Address entry takes a few seconds and multi-destination trips were unexpectedly smooth. This was very helpful during the Romantischestraße portion. This may be my favorite new feature of the car. I only wish I had the time and materials necessary to code some helpful options firsthand. No matter, it’s pretty great as is.

Let me just reiterate that I’m screwed upon my return to the US. 110-120 mph is the new norm for me, with a few spurts of driving at faster speeds. During this portion I was able to max the car at ~155mph. At 4500 RPMs, the car had some room to grow but both the roads and the “gentleman’s agreement” ensured that 155 was as fast as I could go.



I also realize now that, going this fast for so long, is an absolute gasoline killer. And at the current rate of ~$6/gal, I can’t say I’d sustain these speeds anyway. Kiddos, that’s about $80 for a full tank! But hey, YOLO and what not. Also interesting is that all German gas stations have the same basic design, with very easy to use pumps and the minimum octane rating is 95, with some stations carrying “racing fuel” of 100+. Do I need that? Probably not, but please refer to the previous YOLO.




At long last, we arrived in Berlin. Specifically, we stayed in Kreuzberg, known locally as X-Berg. This neighborhood was the last neighborhood in West Berlin and Die Berliner Mauer (The Berlin Wall) ran between this neighborhood, the river Spree and the Freidricshain neighborhood in East Berlin. It has been a hot spot for nightlife, Turkish culture and plays home to many angsty young Berliners. If you’re afraid of a little diversity and weirdness, this is not the neighborhood for you. Of course, we loved it. Otherwise, you should check out Mitte! All the rich white kids live there.

X-Berg is famous for its street art. It’s quite literally everywhere. Most buildings, both businesses and homes, are covered in graffiti.











We found the AirBNB place we were staying, an innocuous little apartment with a pleasant host. While we waited to check in, we had some pretty delicious pizza and met the really cool owner, a young man from Naples, Italy. He swore by his pizza. He was right. I’d stack this pizza against Grimaldi’s in DUMBO. I swear it was that good. Oh and they had FERNET BRANCA! My day was complete.







We headed for the streets and walked around to find Farbfernseher (lit. Color TV), an old store that sold color TVs that has been converted into a club. We were too early, so we found a local shop and bought a few “Berliners”, which is totally acceptable to drink on the streets here.



We found a table outside to sit and saw a group of about 6 people hanging posters around the neighborhood. Curious if some last minute party was going on, we grabbed a closer look. Surprised it was written in English. It was more confusing than disconcerting, but interesting nonetheless.




Around 10:30, we hit the club. I took no pictures of the inside because this is a bit of an underground spot and that sort of thing is frowned upon in Berlin. Keep secrets secret. But hey one can’t hide from the all-knowing eye of Google, so we found it and, after waking around for 15 minutes determining where the entrance was and whether or not we should just go in, Vicky just pushed the door and bam! We were in. It was about 10:45 but we were definitely the only patrons. A few trickled in but about 12:30 it really picked up. The place was small with a tiny bar up three stairs and a dance floor the size of a small apartment. It filled with people and the DJ, who was fantastic, played house music late into the night. We met a German brother/sister duo and had a good time dancing, drinking and chatting. Wish I could tell you more, but that’s about all I remember. We later discovered that our 20%+ tipping was more than 2x normal German tipping, so our Gin & Tonics were getting stronger each time. Random cell phone searches show we returned home around 4 AM.



I definitely remember the next morning. In one night, Berlin had defeated us. We yielded to the sunlight around 12 and found a great little coffee shop. We had bagels with fresh crime cheese and OJ that was freshly squeezed behind the bar. I’ve never tasted juice like this. Since then we have seen it in most bakeries here. It’s definitely a European thing.









Powered with some Frühstück, we found the U-Bahn and headed toward the Berlin Wall Memorial. The magnitude of what Die Mauer meant to the city is unreal. We read about the death traps meant to ensure the capture or death of anyone who dared cross the wall. We saw the remains and memorials scattered throughout the city. We read about a century d church that the DDR (East Germany) destroyed in 1989 because it was in the way of their death traps – less than 6 months before the wall was torn down. The scale was unreal. It literally surrounded the city and blocked residents in – all this happening less than30 years ago. You owe it to yourself to learn more, as this was a shining example of protests and the power of the people peacefully overcoming an unacceptable social policy. Right on Berlin!















On to the Brandenburg Gate. An overwhelming masterpiece, I’m so glad I had the chance to see it. Despite being overrun with selfie stick tourists, it was breathtaking. It’s HUGE. For centuries (yes, plural) it has served as an icon for Berlin and a literal gate that multiple dictators have marched through to symbolically display their might and power, including Napoleon and Hitler. It was also closed off in between the Berlin Wall, where President Reagan famously said “Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”





Just before the gate was a monument revealing details of the events that led to World War II. It spared no expense in showing how overtly racist the Nazi regime was. Nothing I didn’t know, but symbolically powerful to be displayed right in front of the Gate. Just beyond the gate is the long street and park where Hitler had his 50th birthday celebration, featuring over 50,000 German military personnel marching in grand fashion. Ominous. So much history. Even living in Richmond, this was special.
We rounded the corner to check out the Reichstag and the Bundestag, where the main congressional activities take place. Couldn’t get a good picture, as it was closed on a Saturday.



We also had some overpriced Currywurst near the Gate, and it was delicious.


Checkpoint Charlie was our next destination. This is the infamous border crossing between West and East where many well-covered standoffs occurred. We did the cheesy thing and had our passports stamped with American, French, British, Soviet, DDR and West Germany visas. Whatever, it’s a memento. So sue me.






A quick stop at KaDeWa in Mitte, which is pretty much Germany’s Macy’s. 7 levels of overpriced designer stuff, but the best was the 6th floor: a grocery/liquor/fresh food market that had everything you can imagine. I was too overwhelmed to even take pictures inside, but it was really cool. I did have some green juice that was delicious and nutritious. Also saw a neato Samsung store. When does mine look like this? Also €35,000 for that? We sell it so much cheaper.










For dinner, we hit up Kimchi Princess, where you make your own Korean BBQ at the table. I do love me some kimchi, and this place came highly recommended in the Lomography book left in our apartment. We had the octopus and beef combo. And a delicious bottle of German wine. Of course, it was German social style so we chatted up with the Dutch siblings, their Berliner friend and one of the brother’s Polish wife for a bit. They run a cool upstart organic food enterprise and we exchanged info. Yay new friends!









Exhausted, we called it a day. The next AM we stopped for some simple breakfast “zum mitnehmen” (to go), which is a concept foreign to most Europeans. They seem to prefer to slow down to enjoy eating and drinking as opposed to multitasking. Maybe they are on to something. We headed for the East Side Gallery, which is the longest remaining section of the wall. It has been converted into a massive outdoor art gallery, but it’s constantly evolving as every idiot in the world has decided to sign their name to it. Many of them were here this day, as they stopped to take selfies with the art! Good job! Proud of you for all the effort you put into that selfie, since you obviously painted it and what not! It was obnoxiously touristy but worth it for some perspective.


















Lunch was at White Trash Fast Food. Pretty unique place that captures the DGAF attitude of Berlin. Yes, I did have the “Fuck You Fries” and they were incredible, along with my White Trash Cheeseburger. I also had a radler of Beer and Sprite, which tasted a lot like a beer mixed with Sprite. They had a DJ playing dr lunchtime too, but it was nearly deserted.







Bonus shots of Kreuzburg scenery. Berlin is a dirty city; not NYC dirty, mind you, but at least LA dirty.












We had a quick stop at Pee Pee’s Cat Cafe. If you’re wondering why we stopped here, I will defer you to my travel companion, the Cat Lady of Forrest Hill. Two cats does not a cat cafe make, especially when they are not even friendly and snugly. Thumbs down to this place.





Finally, we stopped at Templehof Airport – not for a flight, of course, because this infamous Nazi built airport was closed in 2008. But the X-Burg crowd, in true hipster fashion, have repurposed it into a MASSIVE park. I mean the entire airfield is now a giant park. I wish the pictures captured the scale of it, but they don’t. This park is one of the relatively unknown Berlin sights (outside of the locals, of course) but it’s quite the gem. We saw plenty of people flying kites, grilling in the cold and playing some game where people kick around a ball. I can only imagine what summer here will be like. Also of note is that, the terminal building, remains one of the largest buildings ever built, yet it is almost complete abandoned. Wish we had time for a tour, but Leipzig awaited us.









Berlin and X-Berg were fantastic. If only we had more time, we could’ve had more time to wish we had more time in this amazing city. Wir leben Berlin!

Tomorrow, Leipzig – a former DDR city that began the machinations for democratic revolution in Germany – and its urban zoo, where some monkeys scream at us and we watch a giraffe take a poo.

[todd hollander]

Awesome travelogue, thanks for sharing. Some day I would love to do an ED.

[CE750Jockey]

OP, great post/blog about your ED. One of the best I've seen. Keep it coming. Love the pics. Impressive that you learned German. Congrats. Car looks fantastic, and it's apparent you're making the most of your time there. Enjoy it. It goes waaay too fast. Just wait 'til you get back.....you're gonna HATE the US roads. I did. I felt like, "Are you freakin' kidding me?! I gotta drive this slow here...in this car?! Argh!! God, I miss Germany!" This is what ED is all about.

[gaijin]

Enjoyed the read. Maybe PBS should consider a program covering a European car delivery very much formatted like yours.

All the best with your Der Gerät. Wishing you many miles of smiles and pleasant memories!

[drivethemachine]

Nice blog! I can't wait for my trip in March!

[BMW F22]

Very nice! Enjoy the rest of the trip!

[wjones14]

Interesting read, thanks for posting!

Just curious about your experience on the Autobahn - how many RPMs are you turning at 135 mph? I was wondering about the break-in period, or are you just saying the heck with it?!

I don't blame you one bit if you are ignoring the suggested 4500 rpm limit, because the Autobahn is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us Yanks.

Enjoy the rest of your time abroad.

[1ChrisRuck]

Nice blog. Congratulations on your new car. Enjoy your trip.

[drivethemachine]

I am too wondering about the break in period.
(Right now, my plans are such that the first 1,000 miles will be done through a speed limited area, and will be able to open up after that.)

[Inline_Six]

Awesome post ! Enjoyed reading and seeing the pics.

Glad you had a blast .... in more ways than one

[uberspeed]

Love Germany, looks like you're making the most of the trip. Enjoy!

[Kiwi]

Any scenery or just old buildings?

[Propanelgen]

Sounds like a wonderful trip and experience!
I go for a trip every year through Germany and then into Austria, Italy and Switzerland for some high alpine roads and passes.
I guess this is not possible at this time of year, but that's something everyone should do at least once in their lifetime.

[jbost002]

Days 5, 6 & 7 in Berlin

[hyperzulu]

Rothenburg odT was one of my favorite stops. Enjoy your trip!

[Dackelone]

LOVE your travelogue and pics! Keep 'em coming!

[BrooklynG87]

Great read so far! Looks like such a fun trip. Nice job documenting everything!

[DrivenByE30]

Now this is what i m talking about !!!

Way to go...



For those who like these kind of reads, follow my signature links

[rikwynnpa]

The guy at the Welt who told you the auto was better than the manual must have been the same guy who told me during ED "There's no problem with the high pressure fuel pump in this car". Lol.

Originally Posted by todd hollander

Awesome travelogue, thanks for sharing. Some day I would love to do an ED.

[gaijin]

OP: in your blog you had asked if racing fuel or fuel higher than 95 RON is needed. No. Not unless you are running a modified engine management system. However, I doubt that you have already modified your M235i.

Here a quick brief: RON-Research Octane Number. And MON (Motor Octane Number) (Used in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and RoW).

AKI Anti-Knock Index in the U.S. and Canada. This is the number that is posted on the gas station in the USA as "Octane". It is derived as (RON + MON)/2.

Our fuel is rated approximately four to six octane lower than RoW.

Thoroughly enjoyed and still enjoying your blog updates!

[templarklimek]

Enjoy the Euro-Christian heritage while it still exists, the Turks will see to it that the Church's and any other vestiges of the west are replaced with mosques, minarets, dihimmitude and a jiza tax for Europe....

[VMRWheels]

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing! Love these kind of posts