Munich to Berlin

Heading towards 130 MPH/220KPH on the Autobahn


Dachau and High Speed on the Autobahn

We spent the morning relaxing at the hotel and waiting for the best time to avoid rain along our route. By the early afternoon we were on the road again and making our way up the spine of Germany to the north from Munich to Berlin. My longest stretch so far on the autobahn, we had a five hour drive ahead.

Our first stop upon leaving Munich was a very sobering and reflective one: Dachau. The name itself has become as infamous as Auschwitz in Poland. To be in a place of such incredible cruelty and one of the greatest examples of man's inhumanity towards man, Dachau was unforgettable. At the site there is a plaque that simply reads: Never Again.

Prisoner entrance with the infamous inscription "Work Sets You Free"

The Gatehouse where all victims entered the concentration camp.

For the sake of a better world may we never forget what happened there.

Back on the road we made our way up the freeway and gave in to the lure of a burger and fries at Burger King after I pulled in to fuel the car. High speeds don't do fuel economy any favors...

I also had my first run-in with the police while parked at Burger King. They blocked my car and asked to see "my papers". They had noticed the odd license plate and being a small town of course, decided that they had better check things out. No problems and they were courteous. Thanks to Jennifer I have a photo of the police trying to figure out all that U.S. paperwork.


"Ihre Papiere bitte" German Police try to make sense of the California Car


Long freeway drives and fast food just seem to go hand-in-hand.


The rest of the day was spent on the road enjoying the scenery of Bavaria, Thuringia, and Brandenburg. We crossed a bridge on the autobahn that served as the former border of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic (Communist East Germany). The A9 Autobahn did not serve as a major conduit between the two nations so the former border caught me by surprise and we weren't able to snap pictures in time. Perhaps the more famous east/west autobahn crossing we'll be able to capture later on our way back to the Netherlands.

We finally made it to Berlin Mitte late in the evening.

Munich, Germany

Yesterday we made our way down part of the Romantische Strasse to the Neuschwanstein castle and then on into Munich. I failed to mention earlier that the "service engine soon" light has been off since we left Salzburg. I think that the extreme heat (40 degrees C!) of southern Europe caused the light to go on even though the diagnostic check showed no issues. Cooler temps appears to have resolved the problem.

Today, the sun was shining so we took advantage of the good weather to get out before the rain came down again. Our first stop: MINI Muenchen located right next to BMW Worldwide headquarters.

Parked in front of MINI Munich

I chatted with Maria, the attractive and knowledgeable MINI representative...

looked around the showroom...

and then drove to the famous 4 cylinder BMW headquarters for a picture.

BMW and Beer

Later in the day we took a guided tour around central Munich to catch a glimpse of sights we would otherwise miss and then Jennifer and I left the keys to the MINI at the hotel and had a fun evening out at the Hofbraeu. See the video to get a flavor of the good times there.

Savoring the Hofbraeu specialty...

Salzburg to Munich

In the Mozartplatz by the statue to Mozart. I hope that the car meets with his approval!

Impression of Salzburg

We began the day by taking a morning drive around Salzburg. We then had Viennese coffee and apfelstrudel at the Cafe Tomaselli, a konditerei that was already open during Mozart's lifetime. A brief shopping expedition along the famous Getreidegasse street (Mozart's birthplace is located here) and then time for one more lunch at the Stiegl Keller.

View from the Stiegl Keller of old town Salzburg


"Mad" King Ludwig's Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps.
This castle is the inspiration for and was the basis of the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland

We left the Sheraton Salzburg and headed into Bavaria. Our checkpoint would be Neuschwanstein Castle, the model for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. From there and motoring through some pretty foul rain and hail we made our way to the metropolis of Munich, home of Oktoberfest and more importantly for this car guy: BMW.