Autobahn

Oh yes.  I have driven the autobahn!

It’s really not that much different from an American highway.  I had my GPS on so I could tell where I was going, and with that display, they have the speed limit in that area, as well as your speed.  Once I hit the autobahn, that speed limit number just disappeared.

It is true, there is no speed limit on the autobahn, but there is a recommended speed and if you get into an accident and it was found that you were exceeding that recommended speed, you can be put at fault for the accident.  The recommended speed is 130 kph which is roughly 80 mph.  It’s a pretty good clip.  There are even high traffic areas where they DO have a speed limit, and it gets as low as 80 kph (~50 mph).

I got up to 90 mph (140-145 kph ish). Apparently, my tires were not well balanced for anything over that speed.  John speculated that my tires weren’t rated for that speed, but because I have those fancy wheels, I have to get performance tires for my car.  I believe the brand new tires we purchased in Davenport are rated to 140 mph.

However.  The main rule of the autobahn is GET OVER.  No one cruises in the left lane unless they are passing.  It’s illegal to do so.  So, while the autobahn is much like an American highway, I did spend way more time looking in my rearview mirror because there were one or two moments when the area was clear behind me, and then suddenly there was a sleek Mercedes flying down the road.  And I was in it’s path.  One time it was a Ford Fiesta.  The autobahn does not discriminate.

I was a bit scared of driving the autobahn at first.  And then I decided to follow my GPS on the way back from Ikea (there is one in Nürnberg, and we decided that it was a great place for some missing household goods that we needed like lamps and shelving).  It had me exit the autobahn way sooner than necessary to take the shortest route possible back to the house.  I ended up on some cow path (only wide enough for one vehicle) through the forest and ending at a village tinier than ours before I hit a road that looked more like Germany and less like Endor.  (John and I frequently joke that a lot of German forested areas look like Endor.  If you’re not into Star Wars at all, this reference is completely lost on you.  I apologize.)

Ah, GPS adventures.  At one point we traversed back over the autobahn and I’ve never wanted to be driving on it more.  Stupid GPS.

Another thing to look forward to is the staus.  Apparently I have yet to see a real stau.  Stau (pron. shtow) = traffic jam.  If there is a very bad accident, traffic can be backed up for hours.  If there is a big German holiday coming up, especially related to the school year, we are told to prepare for an increase in traffic so great the volume itself will create gridlock.  I am looking forward to riding some trains while we are here.  Especially if we leave the country.  And buses too.  All of the MWR tours are done by bus.  Hopefully we will get on one of those soon too.