But you take the good with the bad. When things calmed down, we had a cloudless sky, and we saw a full moon reflecting off the Caspian Sea and what I am sure were Bedouin fires in Azerbijan. Just breathtaking. There is a magic about travelling. I'm glad I don't do it all the time, otherwise you lose the magic.
We landed in FRA at 6 am and the beginning of aiport peak hour- queues of planes landing for miles. Killing some time in the airport (the hire car was not vailable until noon) we met Sam, a US soldier on leave from Iraq, on his way to Ireland for two weeks. He told us horror stories and sounded like a guy who needed to get stuff off his chest. We swapped emails, I hope we speak again sometime.
First sights...Frankfurt am Main
So we stashed our backpacks and jumped on the S bahn into Frankfurt to kill more time. As we emerged from the tunnel into daylight...wow, we´re in Germany. At last. Frankfurt on a Saturday morning was surprisingly quiet. It was just waking up. Into the historic part of Römerberg, just gorgeous. Even some Roman ruins to boot. Heaps of video and pictures.
Roman ruins, Romerberg, central Frankfurt
Back into the airport, we were greeted by the sight of military police everywhere, stopping access to the terminals to anyone without a boarding pass. Fortunately one soldier spoke english and told us they were dealing with a mass demonstation outside and were trying to stop demonstrators getting in. We explained that we needed to get our bags and our hire car and all was good.
Big city Germany- as big as it gets. Note the interesting building billboard on the left
Now, on the hire car booking I was told it was a Volkswagen Golf, with option to a free upgrade. Since I mistakenly assumed "upgrade" meant "better", I took the option of upgrading to a Renault Megane. From memory, the Megane was an allright kinda car, compact, short wheelbase, buzzy little multivalve engine, perfect for non-threatening but fun laps of the Nurburgring.
After trudging up to the hire carpark in the city that is Frankfurt International airport, I saw, to my abject horror, a Renault Megane "Scenic"- so named because it was so tall you had a scenic view of everything. Since we were too exhausted to hike back to the desk and I was too embarrassed to ask for a "downgrade", we were stuck with the little Reanult Scenic. I grizzled about it for a while but soon got over it.
I won´t go into detail but escaping the airport and finding the A3 to Koblenz was, well, fraught, and invoked many dirty looks from airport staff and other motorists. We even caught a glimpse of the abovementioned demonstration. It looked so well-behaved and orderly.
I hit the autobahn with much zeal. At the risk of sounding cocky, it was a breeze. All the warnings from previous travellers and German friends were a little over-cautious. Any self-respecting revhead should relish the chance to share a high speed road with drivers who actually know what they are doing. I loved it. At one stage, 160kmh from our little Renault and we were still being passed by Audis, Bimmers and Mercs fast enough to suck our eyeballs out.
1 hour later we found the town of Nurburg. Fellow rev-heads, I cannot go into much detail here but the whole complex, with the new circuit and old circuit spliced together, the surrounding countryside...was stunning. This is the most spectacular purpose-built racetrack in the world. The track doesn't interfere with any public roads. It is it's own, self-contained piece of real estate. Yet it goes for miles and miles and miles, and four villages are contained within it. The sound of punters revelling in their beloved cars echoes perpetually.
Our hotel at Nurburg...from atop the castle. Note the traffic heading down the road to the main attraction
We were there on one of the busiest "Tourestfahren" (public driving days) the locals had ever seen. The cars......wowwwwwwwwww. Exotics I have never seen, and more Porsche GT-3´s than you could poke a stick at. Saturday afternoon we explored the track surrounds. Without a map, it's a little hard, but you simply drive around the region in eager anticipation until you spy off to the right or left, or on a bridge overhead, a strip of bitumen seemingly hiding in the bushes, a glimpse of red and white kerbing, then a loud, fast blur of some exotic car being driven as it was designed to be driven. We stopped to rubberneck at a section known as "Flugplatz" (literally, "flight path"), where the cars dropped into a frightening, downhill fast right hander, brushing the armco barely a few feet in front of us. It was 6.30pm, and they were going until the sun disappeared.
Best spot for photos (and bratwurst)...Pflantzgarten II. Nice little clubby
A good nights sleep and Sunday dawned- perfect weather. My early start was foiled by some track testing going on, so I couldn't enjoy any track solitude- by the time I could go out it was 10am and the carpark was chockers. 3 laps throughout the day...the little Renault was surprisingly adept on handling and brakes, but NOTHING prepares you for this amazing circuit. The undulations are astonishing, steep up and down. I thought I knew some of this track, but in the flesh it looks so different, my brain was scrambled and I forgot everything I knew. Which wasn´t much in the first place.
At the risk of offending insular, Aussie V8 Supercar devotees- it makes Bathurst look like a go-kart track.
Now kiddies, don´t try this at home. I am a trained lunatic. But I wasn´t stupid. My first lap I used Sharon as a talking rear-vision mirror, so I could look ahead, size up the corners, go as fast as possible (for a Renault Scenic...actually, with 40 pounds in the tyres it wasn´t so bad) so as not to baulk people too much, and Sharon could warn me what was coming behind..."Porsche coming...headlights on...coming up FAST...MOVE OVER....NOW!!!" and so on. The trick is to practice the protocol of turning on the right indicator to show that you´ve seen them, keep right and hold your breath. Also, to remember to NOT have your indicator on if you intend helping yourself to the racing line on the next corner, in case they think you´ve seen them. The bikers were particularly difficult, their approach and exit speed was incredible.
Attitude!
The other trick, being a left hand drive (or, as Sharon calls it "driving a back-to-front car on back-to-front roads") is to make sure you turn on the INDICATORS and not the WINDSCREEN WIPERS.
But, all in all, the other track users all acted like they´d done it before. I did two more laps (solo, no talking rear view mirror) and managed okay. Saw two accidents, nothing serious, and nothing to do with me, I think.
The speeds of the cars and bikes passing us were full racing speeds, no question. Some Porsches carved me up, diving for the apexes in front of me on the frightening downhill left-right-left- rollercoaster past the Fuchsröhe. I was trying so hard to keep right I was climbing all over the kerb, and they missed my front left corner by inches. But it was all part of the rush. The sound of a black BMW M6 accelerating past us out of the little chicane at Adenauer Forst, I will never forget. He outbraked me into the deceptively tight left hander, then opened up that glorious V10 and disapperared. There were too many experiences to list here.
Oh, and later- the ´Ring Weekend was made complete; I met Sabine, the Ring addicts' auntie. Sabine Schmitz drives one of the famous "Ring Taxis". A 400hp BMW M5, costing 120 Euros per lap, booking required several months in advance. She set the lap record around the 'Ring at the age of 19, in a Ford Sierra Cosworth, and races in the two big yearly 'Ring races, the VLN 4-hour and the ADAC 24 Hr. For some footage of her driving a very potent Porsche 997 in the 2005 4-hour, run the week after we returned home (in the wet,), go to
You have to be lucky to meet the drivers of the RingTaxis. They circulate all day, come in, drop off, pick up, and go. Fortunately there was a track closure so I went up to her and blubbered like an idiot until she talked to me. Auntie Sabine!
Of course I did get to see her a couple of other times... blasting past me on track like I was going backwards. I've been overtaken by Sabine Schmitz. Don't touch me.
Even at this rev head utopia, we still had a castle to visit. Poor Castle Nurburg...it only costs a couple of Euros to get in, but nobody comes to this region to visit the castle...
Bits of Nurburg castle
Our hotellier, Stefan, told me that if the liability issues ever get too much and they cease the Touristfahren days, he may as well shut down his hotel and bar. Stefan is building a car or two for the 24 hour (yes, they race on the OLD circuit AND the new one). He is even considering building some "Ring tools"- cars that can be hired by guests for the ´Ring. I presume, he is talking about something more potent that a Renault Scenic, and perhaps a little lower to the ground. I believe one of them may be a Clubman.
So, I suggest to like-minded motorsport nuts, perhaps you should think about getting over here soon and just DOING IT. It may not be around forever. Providing you are sensible you will leave with a big smile. But if you are hiring from (****) don't, repeat DON'T take the UPGRADE, free or not!!
On the morning of Monday 19th, I performed the ritual of removing the evidence from the hire car. Nothing says "Hey (****) I destroyed your tyres and brakes" quite like a ´Ring circuit access sticker.
DAY 3- Rhine
I am writing this at Lagler and have to run for a factory tour. This is the first blog-capable computer so I´ll try and post some more later. Sadly, it looks like getting photos on line is going to be difficult but I´ll see how we go.
Believe it or not, the ´Ring is now a distant memory for me- since then, we have seen the Beautiful Rhine, and amazing Heidelberg. It has all been just... "perfect".
Leaving the amazing Nordschleife and legendary surrounds, we drove through some of the most idyllic little villages. Since the trip to Nurburg from FRA was mainly autobahn, this was our first glimpse of country Germany and we spent the whole drive ooh-ing and aaah-ing like kids. Sharon made the mistake of declaring within the first few kilometres "We could live here!!"
In hindsight (this comment added after the trip) it was a miracle we got to our destination without SatNav and with our marriage intact. It was remarkably easy. On the way, we stopped in what seemed to be a quiet, remote area to take a picture of a "deer crossing" sign, the way tourists in Australia take the obligatory "kangaroo crossing" picture. The moment we did, traffic appeared out of nowhere and drove past, staring strangely at us. Yeah, we'll do the same to you one day.
Beautiful Bacharach am Rhine
We drove to the little town of Bacharach (do not try the correct German pronounciation unless you have lots of phlegm to expel) on the beautiful Rhine. It was utterly and totally gorgeous. I wanted to stay all day and wander around. But Sharon for some reason wanted to go for a River Cruise on the Rhine, and see some of the other villages dotting the banks. Oh, and see a castle, naturally.
We cruised up to St Goar and walked up the side of a sheer cliff to visit the old castle. Just spectacular. The conflicting holiday dramas began as I wanted to relax, on account of the fact that I am lazy, and Sharon wanted to see everything, on account of the fact that she is not.
In the Liebfrauenkirche, Oberwesel am Rhine
But we managed without major conflict. Next stop, Oberwesel (big old church and another castle but I was all castled out) then back to Bacharach for a nice pizza. Those cobblestone streets are nice and pretty but very hard on the bunions. I soon realised that my deformed feet were going to be in for some torture over the next four weeks.
So far my internet-sourced accomodation has been great, at least the location. The little guesthouse (gastehaus) or "pension" was smack bang in the middle of the cutest part of the town. The room was small. There was a door that I thought was a wardrobe, but it turned out to be a bathroom and toilet that was as small as a wardrobe.
Downtown Oberwesel
DAY 4 & 5- HEIDELBERG
Okay, things were going way too well. First, we had to get to Heidelberg to meet a) the deadline for dropping off the hire car, and b) the deadline to reach the guesthouse before the guy has the afternoon off so we´re stuck lugging our backpacks around Heidelberg until he returns at 5pm. We gave ourselves 3 hours to do a maximum 2 hour trip. We got to Heidelberg in record time. But we chewed up all that spare time getting lost in the outer ´burbs of Heidelberg trying to find Avis. Okay, we got the hire car back with 5 mins to deadline- very little time for the sad goodbyes (that little car and I...sniff...we´ve been through lot together...sob..). But we missed the guesthouse deadline. So, grumpy as all heck and stuck with heavy backpacks, we then found a tram stop to work out tram numbers, ticketing, etc...
Now, in our family, there is a tradition that when overseas you invariably bump into somebody from Australia who knows someone who knows you. I´ll keep it short; at the tram stop, we met David and Jenny Johnstone from Brisbane. David is a retired Anglican minister who was doing "exchange" locum work in a church in Heidelberg. After chatting for a while we discovered they knew Jonathon Ewer (Matthew´s Godfather, now in the UK). 
Wasting time, lazing on the banks of the Neckar. What a life.
Now looking in the other direction!
Freaky. Anyways, they caught the tram with us, took us to the old city and found our hotel.
Sure, we had a wasted afternoon going nowhere with heavy backpacks. But I don´t call it wasted when you laze on the banks of the River Neckar, with the stunning city of Heidelberg , the Alte Brucke (old bridge) and the massive castle in full view. Once the guesthouse was open, we dumped and ran. More stairs (325 according to Sharon´s count) up to the huuuuge castle, some of it a ruin, and breathtaking views over gorgeous Heidelberg Altstadt. Forgive me if I repeat the words "stunning" and "breathtaking". I may run out of vocab (gasp)
In the Markstrasse (bustling centre of the Altstadt) I had my first bratwurst and Bitburger (beer). Very nice. No heartburn (yet). Although, here we also discovered how we could save money on eating out...buy nothing but German pastries. Yummeee!
I was starting to wonder if I could ever tire of these colourful, classic and at times spectacular old towns, with their standard "Altmarkt" squares and obligatory huge cathedrals, cobbled paving and al-fresco dining. I would later learn that it actually gets better.
Well maybe just a little tired
Next day, up early and up to the castle again to see the bits we missed the previous day. Most of the nicest bits were built by King Freidrich V for his 19 yo wife. The things we do for love. As with all German castles, it is atop a high hillside. Great for conquest and ruling peasants, crap for tourists with deformed feet.
From high above the town, in this magnificent castle looking out over the river, red roofs and steeples, Sharon mused "what would it have been like to live in those times!". I assured her that, had we been living in those times, we would not have been up here. More likely we would have been down there, toothless and yelling "bring outcha dead..."
That's quite a keg
No, I couldn't possibly tire of this
1400 hours was time to be collected by our German contact, Karl Lagler. In very typical Germanic style he appeared on the dot of 2pm at our rendezvouz point in his brand spanking new Audi A8, where we became acquainted with SatNav lady for the first time. We then hit the Autobahn (at 200kmh) to head towards his little collection of villages in the Swabian valley near Stuttgart.
On the way we stopped at a museum at Sinsheim, that Karl thought I might like. He thought correctly. Let´s just say they have cars galore, F1 cars including Ayrton Senna´s 1985 JPS Lotus, a collection of massive antique pipe organs, some Hitlermobiles, and a Concorde and Tupolev on the roof. Real ones. Yes, you read correctly. Just Google "Sinsheim" and "Museum" and "Concorde" and you will see what I mean.
Just a tiny piece of Sinsheim Museum, grown from "a small private collection"
So Mum, now WE have been on Concorde too!
A brief stop at a castle built in 930 AD, climbing stairs that looked like they were'nt built much later, then off to our little village and to the cutest, elegant little hotel organised by our friends at Lagler.
Hotel in Gueglingen, Swabian Valley, courtesy of Lagler
DAY 6- LAGLER
Don´t worry, no need for big long stories here. Today I looked at Floorsanding machine manufacture, I´ll save that for work discussions but even as a tourist it is still fascinating to see the investment in German industry. Karl could have sent the whole operation off to the Czech republic for $2 labour, but instead built a brand new multi million dollar factory and kept the same loyal staff. As I write, Sharon and Suzanne Lagler are cruising around the Swabian valley in her Bimmer, looking at old castles. I think, perhaps, I can cope with missing a castle or three...
In fact, they went to Ludwigsburg, just north of Stuttgart. The highlight was the magnificent baroque Residenzschloss, built 1704, with its 450 rooms inspired by Versailles. Definitely prettier than floor sanding machines.
Residenzschloss, Ludwigsburg
Bluehendes Barock (Baroque in Bloom), Ludwigsburg
Fingers crossed we can upload some photos soon. Sorry if that doesn´t work out. And please excuse the occasional "Y" where there should be a "Z". The computer keyboards are back-to front here, like the cars. (note post-trip: obviously sorted!)
On this evening we dined again with the Laglers in this undiscovered German treasure of an area (these towns are 1200 years old). Joining us was Jeff Fairbanks from the US office, along with one of his salesman and a customer.
"You'll notice Karl that at this stage of our journey we like to take lots of photos.."
It´s nice being off the tourist trail. But tommorrow we go back onto it- next stop is undecided. We planned on a little uni town called Tuebingen, south of Stuttgart, but it´s off the public transport route so we may cancel it and go to Stuttgart, as it will be easier to springboard from there to the Blackforest and our next main destination Freiburg. After all, from tommorrow we will be without our elegant bahnstorming Audi taxi and local guide (Karl) and on our own with backpacks, travelling wild and free and pretentiously acting young.
Besides, I am determined to go to a little park in Stuttgart and find a park bench my Uncle Frank told me about, a little place he slept after WW II..
