The Adventure Continues...

So, Oktoberfest isn't all beer and pretzels, ya know! There's rides too! To get the full experience, we indulged! First up was the swings like they have at the fair...only these swings could be raised WAY into the air - see my picture. It ended up being a great view of the Munich skyline as the sun set! I'm so proud of Jaime. We also took the giant Ferris wheel, this time with a great view of the fairgrounds. We happened into our cart with some Danes who had had a GREAT time...except that when their buddy passed out in the cart, they took off when the ride was over and left us to remove him (with the German Ferris wheel operator scolding me in German)...oh well.


We walked through the grounds one last time, and headed back for the hotel, totally exhausted.

The next day, we ventured to my automotive Mecca - the BMW museum. If you've known me long enough, you know that I'm a car guy, and a BMW car guy. We started off in the building where BMW shows off it's current cars/technologies, and where customers taking European delivery come to meet their reps and start their factory tour (sigh). As we wandered around, a man on a motorcycle began crisscrossing the room and going up and down the stairs on his motorcycle. Crazy stuff...



After that, and some lusting after a 118D (a diesel 1 series we don't get in the states) we headed over to the museum. This is the part of the story where my jaw drops, and Jaime is forced to wipe drool from it. Seriously, cool car stuff abounds. Engine history, racing history, and a big 'ole exhibit on my car - the 2002 being famous for reinventing BMW as a small car maker known for sportiness, and saving them from bankruptcy. It also sparked their first major entry into the US market, and the rest is history.

(BMW's M12 engine from Formula 1 in the 80s, before turbo charging was banned - this engine was capable of over 1,000hp)

(the 507, BMW's first big post war coupe, and the inspiration for the Z8. Jaime called this car sexy!)

(the 2002 - what more can I say? And in Inka Orange! This particular model was a 2002ti (touring edition) and not available in the States)

(that right there is a purdy front end!)

It was all that I expected, radness all around.

After the museum, we headed back into central Munich for an afternoon of much needed relaxation. Kind of dull, but we had a great time lounging in the sun, enjoying some ice cream, and playing cards. For our final dinner in Munich, and Germany for that matter, we ventured down the street from the hotel to a German Chinese restaurant called Win Wah. I mean, when are you going to get to have German Chinese food again? It was good, too!

(The town of Bacharach, in the Rhine valley)

The next day was a travel day, back to Amsterdam. Driving wasn't too bad (at least in Germany). Midway through the day, we stopped at a beautiful town in the Rhine valley for some lunch and a break. Unfortunately the weather had turned and it rained on us most of the time. As a result, we hit some traffic after our departure. Oh well, some things are universal. We didn't realize it, but our biggest challenge of the entire trip was upon us. It was just before 7pm Friday night, and we were on the outskirts of Amsterdam. We punched the address of the hotel into the GPS, and continued on our way. As we proceeded, the streets started getting narrower and narrower, it was getting darker and darker, and the number of people on bicycles kept increasing exponentially with every kilometer we got closer to the hotel. It was, in one word, COMPLETELY FREAKING NUTS!!!

After a slight detour (a street closed to cars) and navigation around the canals, we made it to the hotel. We felt a small bit of relief, dropped our bags, and then prepared for our trip to the train station to return the rental car. It was bad before, but now it was raining, was totally dark, and the bicycles had multiplied again. Between our hotel and the train station was one of the better nightlife spots in Amsterdam. With Jaime as an awesome spotter (Bike left! Taxi right! PEDESTRIANS - they're not stopping!) We trudged on. After navigating what I'm pretty sure was a 12 way intersection, we arrived at our destination per the GPS. Alas, no Sixt rental agency to be found. ACK! It's night, there's people/bicycles/traffic/TRAMS! circling all around us, and we can't figure out where the fracking rental car place is. So, in desperation, we pull into the train station parking lot to regroup (and head to the surface on foot to find the agency). With the car parked, we make our way to the exit. Then, like a miracle, we head up the stairs one floor, and there it is, a tiny office, tucked into the staircase, for Sixt. Holy crap, we found them! After paying the bill (and vowing NEVER to drive in central Amsterdam EVER AGAIN) we head upstairs and outside into the night. Ah, this is a better pace - walking, knowing where we're headed, no luggage, and not in any hurry. After surviving our trip, we stayed in, got room service, and called it a day...

To be continued...