Our own game of “Beat The Clock” started when we left the Audi Driving Experience and pointed the nose of the Q5 toward Nidda, Germany. We’d been invited to a birthday party and promised to be there. Fun as it was, the driving instruction ran over and we left at 6:30 PM, The party was to start at 9:00 PM and we were some 4 hours away according to the GPS. Our goal? Beat the clock.
We joined the autobahn at Ingolstadt. Saturday evening traffic was light and the sun had not yet set. I hadn’t intended to put my newly learned driving skills to use so soon but that’s how it worked out. Speeds of 110 MPH, unheard of in the U.S., were common where allowed. The left lane is the passing lane in Germany and it became our home except for when we were passed by cars doing 130 MPH +. Our Audi performed beautifully and seemed at home at these speeds. Then came nightfall, roads under construction and rain, not that any of those slowed us down all that much.
We had not eaten since breakfast so made a quick stop to get coffee, a snack and use the WC. The following is something I’m not necessarily proud of, but it happened. We rejoined the autobahn at speeds not much lessened from the daylight hours while sipping coffee and munching on Chicken McNuggets. That’s right. We’d stopped at a McDonalds. They’re everywhere and feature a menu much similar to the U.S.
We arrived at Nidda at 10 PM on the nose which means we’d beat the clock by some thirty minutes. We were on the lookout for this building. Not much of a problem except we were in a strange town with no building address and it was dark! We drove up a small street with a lot of cars parked along. Suddenly we spotted a familiar silhouette parked in front of this building. “It’s our MG,” I shouted to Louise. “Not any more,” she reminded me. Michael Stadler had parked it out front just in case we had problems finding the party.
Only when we walked in did we remember that the party’s theme was Bavaria’s Oktoberfest.
Many men were wearing lederhosen with the women sporting dirndles…the tight fitting, revealing Bavarian blouse that catches your eye so easily.
The entertainment host for the party was a genuine, well-known Bavarian performer who really earned his money that night. He and his sidekick sang, danced and told jokes all evening.
He also appeared as a woman who knew her way around life and had some fun with host Michael Stadler, the guy who has taken over responsibility for our MG.
and then as Elvis, replete with white suit, poofed up hair and big sunglasses. I was a bit surprised at the amount of American songs in his repertoire and at the amount of guests who knew all the words.
The focus of the party was Evi Stadler, Michael’s wife, and the purpose was to celebrate her 55th birthday. Since she and Michael grew up in the area, it was no surprise that the guest list topped 100 of their closest friends.
We arrived late but not too late to join the fun
and were greeted by our host and hostess like we were long lost friends.
We took part in a Lil’ Abner vs Daisy Mae type of song challenge.
Following that, plates of food appeared from nowhere but most appreciated was a liter of local beer in a frosty glass. It was not to be the last. Louise already appears worried she would have to drive to the hotel we’d not yet checked into…or found yet.
Fortunately our host knows the hotel owner who didn’t seem to mind getting up at 1:30 AM to open the door. We were asleep before we hit the pillow but still got up at 7 AM to answer nature’s call. All that beer y’know. That beautiful 918 Porsche belongs to one of the party guests we met at breakfast. He is President/CEO of a green, thermal energy company. When asked how he justifies a car that uses so much energy when cruising at high speeds, he said, “I also own a Tesla. One kind of cancels the other.”
Not being able to sleep, we scouted our newest temporary home. The Kurhaus Hotel in Bad Salzhausen (next to Nidda) has the feel of a genteel spa; a place you’d go to for a nice, quiet weekend.
All the guests nod and softly say, “Morgen,” when you meet them in the hall. This environment gave us a chance to wind down for a few hours because at 5 PM we were going to have an important reunion.
