Porsche museum

Today Jim met with my grandparents and I at the Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof. We caught the S-bahn out to the Porsche Museum.









There were, of course, lots of Porches, of every era.




The bit that Jim really liked was the car that they cut apart right down its length.


Porsche was pretty thorough with this specimen, going as far as cutting the band-aids in emergency kit in the trunk (at the front of the car) in half, along with the user's manual, and a keyboard they had installed onto the glove box for testing purposes.




I also came across an '87 944, which Jim's sister might find interesting (More likely: Appalling) since she currently owns this model of car.



























The V-Rod engine was developed with Porsche













Loading a new car into the display.





Overall this little trip was mostly for my grandpa because he's always dreamed of owning a Porsche and in a small way he was able to visit this place and see them where they were made.








The dealership just across the street.

Berlin

I'll start first with the trip Northeast to Berlin with Jim and my Grandparents. We met up with Richard (my exchange sister's father), who kindly let us stay in his apartment. That night, we got to go out to dinner to a Turkish Restaurant called Hasir with Maien, and got to see the famous mall KaDeWe. I think together, had we pooled all our money, we might have been able to purchase a pair of socks. It made the Champs-Elysee look downright affordable. We didn't have much time to stroll around; it was nearly closing time.

After dinner, Maien, Jim and I stole off to a birthday party for one of Maien's friends, where we met a bunch of Australians and New Zealanders. As the party drew to a close, we had to run between patches of yellow glow emanating from the lights lining the streets of nighttime Berlin so that we might make it to the next subway train in time. We caught the subway with a few minutes to spare, and surfaced later at Alexanderplatz, devoid of all the commotion it's normally filled with during the day.

We waited for a tram, only to come to the conclusion that it was delayed indefinitely. Waiting at the corner of the square was a taxi, which we proceeded to place into our employ; the middle finger earmuffs of the driver not seeming to impede conversation. The driver of the silver Mercedes stowed her ultrabook in its case as we climbed into the plush leather seats, and with a push of the button, our fare began to roll up in the rear view mirror. The car weaved through the maze of streets to the beat of what I can only assume to be Juno Reactor, bringing us ever closer to our destination. The awesome music combined with the propensity of the driver to stop no longer than absolutely necessary made it feel like a chase scene from an action movie.

After we left the taxi, it speed backwards down the street for half a block before peeling off for a place to collect its next fare.


In the morning, we were treated to a big breakfast by Richard and Andrea. The next day we boarded the Hop-on, Hop-off tour bus to at Alexanderplatz to grab a whirlwind trip through Berlin.









The Weltuhr and Fernseherturm at Alexanderplatz (Alex to the Berliners).







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The Rotes Rathaus (Red Town Hall)










"More Walls to Tear Down" just past checkpoint Charlie.










(Blurry) Curry at the Wall










The Boxers










An Obligatory Picture of the Brandenburg Gate


I would have liked to make a more thorough investigation of the city, but Jim and I have class schedules that really only allow for weekend trips, and when it came time to leave, we hopped off at the enormous Berlin Hauptbahnhof and boarded our ICE for the 6 hour return trip.

Neuschwanstein

We went to Neuschwanstein today. It took four hours to get to Fussen, because it's a little town in the middle of nowhere. In fact, most of the trains I have ridden in Germany are powered by overhead power lines, but the train to Fussen had a diesel locomotive (or at least a diesel generator to make electricity).

We arrived and got in line to get tickets, when we were told that the Neuschwanstein tour was sold out. I guess that they had a lot of unexpected demand that day. I think it was because the weather warmed up a bit, and it ended up being a pretty nice weekend. In a twin set of tragedies, the castle was also under repair, and so the whole west wall was covered in scaffolding.

While we were in Hohenschwangau (the little village below the castles) we had a Bavarian Bratwurst and a pretzel. The bratwurst tasted like an oversize hotdog to me, but I guess that is what you get in a tourist town.
We took an overfilled Mercedes bus up the mountain to Marienbrucke, where there was an awesome view of the castle.












Even though we weren't able to get a tour of the interior, the courtyard was wide open for pictures.









We did see the Hohenschwangau Castle, but didn't make the hike over to walk around it.

More place's I've been

Heidelberg


Jim and I went to Heidelberg the first weekend he was here in Germany, as part of an excursion he had to do and I met up with him there. It was fun to see his reaction to the old city and I like how at home there is a University that has the same name.










































Dachau

The pretty little town of Dachau belies the history of the concentration camp located here.
















Stuttgart Volksfest

Pretty much a combination of a country fair and Oktoberfest. There are rollercoasters, vendors hawking roasted nuts and dart games promising enormous stuffed animals in exchange for a demonstration of your skill (and a wad of your cash). And of course, beer tents, although they seem to be much smaller than in Munich.

This event seems to be frequented more by locals than tourists as there wasn't much english spoken around us as we sat and enjoyed our beer.

















If you do ever come to Germany during Oktoberfest season I suggest going to one because it is an experience like no other. As well as almost everyone is in Durndls and Lederhosen. As well is it is what Germany is known for and for a good reason.