You may not know this, but the FIFA World Cup will be held here in Germany in 2006. This is all good for the economy, but NOT GOOD FOR US REGULAR FOLKS!!!
The highway system here is awesome~~mostly 2 lanes each way, and the suggested speed limit is 130 km/hr (80.7 mph)~~but you can go as fast as you want, weather permitting (in 7 years, I've never seen an accident on the autobahn).
Is it great planning to begin construction on the autobahn 3 years early?? I'm not too sure!! I'm not talking about small construction, I'm talking about construction so big it caused a stau (traffic jam) last week 4 miles long!!! This is what happens when folks here are stuck in a stau:
- Cars run out of gas while idling (if you must be rescued, there WILL be a heavy fine)
- People get out of their cars and walk around the autobahn (just a meetin' and a greetin')
- People turn off their cars, get out the autolawn chairs (autobahn+lawn) and sit on the autobahn
- If there is a restaurant (McDonald's is EVERYWHERE) within walking distance, I've seen some WALK TO THE RESTAURANT AND EAT, leaving the unattended car on the autobahn
- You see numerous men with their back to the traffic relieving themselves on the side of the road~~it's TOTALLY legal (but don't flash your headlights, flip someone the bird, or blow your horn, because you could go to jail)! This is not something you want to explain to a bored 3 year old (heaven forbid if the Crazy Dog is in the car, too!)
I live in the largest military community outside the US. When I see people in US plated cars do things like this, I want to yell out the window
"YOU WOULDN'T LEAVE THAT NICE MERCEDES ON HWY 70 IN ST. LOUIS WOULD YOU~~NO YOU WOULDN'T! PRETEND YOU ARE AT THE CRIB AND GET BACK IN YOUR DAMN CAR!!!"
They are also working to improve the train to Paris. When completed, the ICE train will go 175mph, which will make the trip to Paris a little less than 2 hours as opposed to 4 hours by hoop d'ville. So when P wants to see the Apple Tower (that's what she calls the Eiffel Tower), we can go and return home in the same day! NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL PLANNING AHEAD!!!!
