slivka.com > Trips > 2012 Germany Trip
March 22 - April 1, 2012: Germany Trip

Ben and Nate spent spring break in Germany, driving 1,046 miles from Frankfurt to Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Berlin, Munich, Sindelfingen, Zuffenhausen, Stuttgart, and back to Frankfurt.

By the numbers:
* €1.00 = US$1.33.
* 10,218 air miles, 20.6 hours in flight.
* 1,684 car kilometers (1,046 miles), max speed 205kph (127mph).
* Autobahn speed limits: 80kph in cities, 120kph near cities, and unlimited otherwise.
* Berlin to Munich took exactly 5 hours at 72mph average.
* 24.1 miles per gallon average.
* Premium (95) gasoline was €1.70/litre = $8.42/gallon (vs. $4.49/gallon in Seattle).
* Low temperatures were near 40F, high temperatures were nearly 70F; sunny all but one day.
* 9 videos on Youtube Germany 2012:


Trip highlights: Our Hertz 2012 BMW 116i 5-door, driving 205kph (127mph) on the Autobahn, passing by the huge amazon.de distribution center in Bad Hersfeld, eating our first traditional German meal of Hamburger Schnitzel Kartoffelsalat and Sauerbraten mit Klossen at Truck Stop Quirla, exploring Lutherstadt Wittenberg and learning more about Martin Luther and his 95 Theses, arriving at Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin (our swankiest lodging for the trip), walking down the Unter den Linden, having Ben's best restaurant meal ever at Die Quadriga accompanied by 1990 Egon Muller Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese, 1964 Schloss Schonborn Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Riesling Spatlese, and 1995 Joh. Jos. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese (some of the best German wines Ben has ever tasted), Russian food for lunch at Berlin Moscow Restaurant while we watched the finish of the 2012 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix, visiting the Pergamon Museum and its Ishtar Gate, the Berlin Neues Museum with (yet another cast of) Rodin's Thinker, visiting the Bugatti showroom to oogle the Veyron 16.4, seeing the sites atop the Fernsehturm, visiting the Berliner Rathaus, contemplating the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, marveling at the architecture of and the views from the Dome at the Reichstag, exploring the Soviet War Memorial, dining at Restaurant Vau with 1994 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Valbuena 5, the 362 mile, 5 hour drive to Munich, the Rathaus-Glockenspiel at the Marienplatz New Town Hall, St. Michael's Church Munich and St. Peter's Church Munich, all the science and technology at the Deutsches Museum -- especially the Messerschmitt Me 262, the size and beauty of the Residenz Museum, dinner at Brenner Grill with 2000 Chateau Cos d'Estournel and 2000 Bacchus Trockenbeerenauslese Sommeracher Katzenkopf Weingut Ostreicher Franken, Schloss Nymphenburg, lunch at Cedar Lounge Munich, a walk through the Englischer Garten, a lovely dinner at Bistro Terrine with 2002 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, the C-class assembly line tour at Sindelfingen Mercedes-Benz Factory, 2 hours at the Porsche Museum, 3 hours at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, the Frankfurt Main Tower, and our dinner at Hotel Hessischer Hof with 2000 Chateau Leoville Barton.


Note: There are 3,064 pictures, with 259,028,448 bytes of thumbnails and 7,387,210,939 bytes of full-size pictures.
Thu Mar-22 SEA->FRA
Fri Mar-23 Frankfurt, Gotha, Lutherstadt Wittenberg, In Vino Veritas; 288 miles
Sat Mar-24 Martin Luther, drive to Berlin, Adlon Kempinski Hotel, Die Quadriga
Sun Mar-25 Berlin Moscow Restaurant, Pergamon Museum, Berlin Neues Museum, Gabriele Restaurant
Mon Mar-26 Quarre, Fernsehturm, Berliner Rathaus, Murdered Jews Memorial, Reichstag, Kafer, Soviet War Memorial, Restaurant Vau
Tue Mar-27 Quarre, drive to Munich, The Charles Hotel, Marienplatz, Davvero Restaurant
Wed Mar-28 Kreutzkamm, St. Michael's, St. Peter's, Deutsches Museum, Residenz Museum, Brenner Grill
Thu Mar-29 Schloss Nymphenburg, Cedar Lounge, Englischer Garten, Antikensammlungen, Bistro Terrine
Fri Mar-30 Drive to Sindelfingen, Mercedes-Benz factory tour, Porsche Museum, Marriott Hotel Sindelfingen
Sat Mar-31 Mercedes-Benz Museum, Drive to Frankfurt, Hotel Hessischer Hof, Main Tower
Sun Apr-01 FRA->SEA

Last updated Saturday, September 8th, 2012.
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