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.

 

Until then, we want to thank the Stadlers for their hospitatility and wish them both many more happy birthdays.

Join us for another memorable moment.

Louise & Ray in Bad Salzhausen, Germany.

We returned from Salzburg to another of Astrid’s typical Bavarian meals. I guess that’s true if spinach quiche is really Bavarian. Never got a picture because we ate it all.

On the following day she surprised us again with another typically Bavarian dish based on potatoes. We asked the name she said, “It’s Astrid’s Special Kitchen Secret,” but also typically Bavarian.  Astrid’s son, Ludwig, said, “It’s true.  Only she knows what goes in it.”

Another surprise was a brief drop-in visit by Oliver Rudolph, Alex’s brother. We last saw him many years ago in Los Angeles when he was helping Audi introduce their new concept model, the TT.

Oliver is a professional driver for Audi and on his way to Italy to join customers for a custom tour of Alpine country in Audi R8’s. He was driving a brand new Spyder model and demonstrated how the automatic top cleverly folds away. He stopped by to say he’d alerted the staff at the Audi Driving Experience of our impending arrival. “You’ll have a great time,”he promised.

The 1 1/2 hour drive gave us more road time in our Q5 and the loaner Garmin GPS led us right to the Audi Driving Experience center which is only 16 miles from the factory but right in the middle of nowhere.

This facility was constructed explicitly for Audi customers who want to know more about how to get the most out of their new cars…safely. It is barely a year old and contains not only a road course but a very large skid pad to hone handling skills in slippery conditions. I know, I know…who needs that in Southern California? I learned that skid conditions on wet or dry cement are the same but it’s the speed you’re traveling that makes them equal.

No detail has been overlooked in the design and construction of this center. Audi is very much into design and it shows in the exterior and interior. All the previous paperwork was validated when they called me by name and handed over the lanyard with my ID.

Louise made friends with the staff very quickly (surprise, surprise) and asked all the questions that usually get by me.

The location of the food and drink center is one of those. It’s vacant now because all the customers were on the track putting cars through their paces. By lunchtime these tables would be full. In the meantime the room was ours for a coke, latte or whatever.

I was slated for the afternoon session and my group met in one of the classrooms. It was quickly evident that I was the only English speaker enrolled today. Audi was prepared and I was quickly escorted from the room for individual instruction.

My instructor was a South African named Mark Allison. Audi sends him to all parts of the globe where they have driving instruction centers. “I’ve traveled the world for Audi and can’t imagine a better job,” he said. We asked if he’d ever been to Southern California. “Oh, yes,” He replied. “Even lived there for a while.” We expected it would be Orange County or one of the beach cities but asked where anyway. “I lived in Woodland Hills,” he said. “Used to sell time shares there in the ’80’s.”

What a small world is this! Can you imagine our surprise? Oliver Rudolph told me he’d alerted the Driving Center but I didn’t think he’d gone into such detail to make sure I was taken care of.

We were escorted to a fleet of Audi A5 4 door sedans on the apron…a model not sold in the U.S. The car bears great resemblance to the Audi A7 sedan which is sold in the states. This was to be my “mule.” I shared the cockpit with a German national named Dirk Zumioh from Cologne. Fortunately his English was better than my Coffee-Break German so it was our language of choice.

Our instructor’s car led us to the skid pad, shared with a class of R8’s where we would spend the entire afternoon. We gathered around head instructor, Ludwig, as he described our first exercise, in German, for about three minutes. Then Mark repeated it to me in English. Took about 30 seconds.

All the cars had been rigged with a light system just above the steering wheel on the dashboard. When a red light appeared on the right side you swerved left to avoid an imaginary truck. When the light appeared on the left side you swerved right. Sounds easy, right? For the next 3 hours we practiced accident avoidance with pedal-to-the-floor acceleration followed by a swerve left or right followed by a correction to avoid spinning out followed by a hard slam on the brakes to a full stop. This was all timed. They recorded your speed at the time the light came on; your reaction time from red light to turning the wheel and the time it took to a complete stop.

This was followed by a brief critique from the instructor before lining up to do it again. After a switch of drivers you got to feel the panic when a guy you barely know floored the accelerator, twisted the wheel and then mashed the brakes to a stop…or spun out. Most embarrassing was stopping the car to fish out the stuck pylon you had run over…especially after a spin out.

Near the end of the day our treat was to drive through a slalom course as fast as you could using all the techniques you had learned. We were all eager and tired…not a good combination for accuracy and precision.

We all ended up in the same room for some goodbye jokes and awarding of certificates for top speed, avoidance handling, reaction time and the most spin outs. I didn’t expect, or receive, any of these awards…even for coming the longest distance.

Mark Allison must have felt I deserved some sort of recognition so announced my one distinction. “The fastest 80 year-old on the track today,” was the verbal declaration. I can’t wear it around my neck but memories of the moment will last a long time.

We left the group and pointed our Audi toward Nidda, Germany. We’d been invited to a party and were going to be late.

Stay with us for the ride.

Louise and Ray

 

The first view of Salzburg is an impressive one since the city is bordered by huge mountains that seem to spring from the ground and soar skyward. No foothills here.

Using Rick Steve’s handy “Germany” travel book, we checked into the Bergland Hotel, a modest, family owned hotel that features 18 recently modernized rooms and free parking off the street.

 

Each morning the owner selects classical music to meet his mood and plays it at the front desk. On good days he takes requests and allowed me to choose some Mozart selections for our breakfast.

His mood is often affected by the construction of an apartment building across the street. To smooth any complaints about noise and dust he has offered guests free breakfasts. Works for us.

 

With our car safely behind a steel gate, we took his suggestion to use local transportation and the #4 trackless trolley delivered us to the Old Town district in just a few minutes.

 

 

Salzburg’s Old Town is cleaved by the Salz (Salt) River. It is not so named because it is salty but because it was the main route for delivery of salt mined upriver. At one time salt had about the same value as gold and very important to the economy.

The wire fencing on this foot bridge is covered with small, colorful padlocks. We understand the locks are placed by lovers who vow their love will last forever.

 If so, this should make Salzburg the love capital of eastern Europe.

 

We fell into being regular tourists quite easily by wandering through the narrow streets of Old Town and peeking into small shops and restaurants.

 One thing was hard to miss.  Mozart was everywhere!

When the salt trade went south, there was Mozart to pick up the slack. Salzburg seems to know a good thing when they see it and the local boy is still a big attraction.

All tourists worth their salt head to Mozartplatz and stand in line to have their picture taken at the base of the Mozart statue. Lots of handing over cameras to get a shot of couples. Often results in pictures with heads or feet cut off so it’s best to give a quick check afterward.

Facing the camera at the Mozart statue gives you a look at the Salzburg skyline and it is filled with steeples.

I must say that my eagerness to shoot every steeple in sight quickly waned because they are everywhere.

Same thing with statutes and fountains. This one usually had tourists waiting in line for photos. At times the wind would change giving everyone a quick shower. Watching them scramble was fun.

Our goal was to reach the fortress overlooking Salzburg. On the way we passed the main cathedral of the city and Mozart’s home church. It is built of the local limestone and is impressive in every way.

What’s inside is even more impressive. Five organs for starters, all bathed in light from an overhead dome. What sets it apart from other churches is that Mozart’s first musical efforts were heard by audiences seated in these very pews.

They were not the first audience however. That pleasure belonged to the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, Mozart’s boss who commissioned many of the works we hear today.

The Prince-Archbishop also was responsible for the construction of the fortress that looms over the city. At one time there was a tussle between the Roman Catholic church and local royalty.

To make a point, the church constructed a fortress intended to impress the royals and to squelch any ideas they had of taking over by force.

It must have worked because there never was a shot fired in anger by any of the canons had in place.

 

Today the fortress is available to the public and the only anger expressed is by wives who declare, “I will not climb that tower just to see what’s up there.” That was the situation in our first crude attempt of a picture with our GoPro camera on a selfie stick.

 

I did climb the tower, and by golly she was right…there’s not much to see unless you’re interested in medieval defense construction methods.

 

“That’s more like it,” Louise said when I suggested we have something to eat and drink at the little restaurant that occupies the best location to photograph the Untersberg, a most impressive mountain range that towers over the city. We asked a young German couple to take this shot. We returned the favor, of course.

 

Coming down the mountain we waited for the #4 bus at a most interesting spot. Across the street was an important looking building, but above it was an almost vertical limestone mountain with a huge notch cut out of it. They must be proud of it because the entire cut is lighted at night. We made a note to ask about it at the hotel.

The story is that in the 1600’s the city fathers wanted to gain access to the other side of the Monchsberg so they began to cut it out. Work went on for centuries with little progress until tunneling techniques came into being. They stopped the cut, bored a tunnel and decided to honor the effort of the notch. What else could they do…fill it in? The limestone that was quarried was used to build the main cathedral so that was a plus. The minus is that occasionally the hillside cuts loose killing anyone foolish enough to live at the base.

On our way back to the hotel, bus #4 stops right at the Mozart home…the one they bought when the money started rolling in.

It faces a small, well-cared for park and is open for self-guided tours assisted by audio guides.

“Photos are forbidden,” reads the sign in several languages, but near the end people began sneaking out the cell phones for a quick pic. This one was taken near the end when Louise had run out of steam.

She had enough energy to stand next to a cutout of Mozart. Turns out he was short, pimply with a big nose and an attitude rather difficult to deal with…probably since his father doted on him as a child. Amadeus, we learned, translates to “Beloved by God.” Tells you something, doesn’t it?

On our final day in Salzburg we decided to learn more about the newest replacement for the long-gone salt trade. Locally it’s known as SOM but we know it better as “Sound of Music.” We signed up with Bob’s Special Tours for a close look at all the location sites used in the movie. Our tour guide was Chris.

 

He arrived at our hotel at 8:30 AM sharp and collected the other four tour members at their hotels. We like the idea of a more personal tour rather than the big-bus companies.

 

While the tour was personal, it was fast. In order to get in two tours a day it was his job to get us to every location before the big bus arrived. We gazed across a small lake at the rear location of the von Trapp home. On our way back to the van we brushed against bodies arriving from the rival tour company.

 

And so the day went.  On arrival at the location containing the von Trapp gazebo, we learned that it was moved from its original site because neighbors complained of constant abuse by tourists who insisted on singing, “16 going on 17” at the top of their lungs at midnight.

 

When the previous tour moved on, we slipped in to the gazebo before the next big bus tour.  We took a few quick pix to show we had been here,

and caved in to a demand by Chris that we kiss. Now not only was he a tour guide but a director. We did as we were directed.

On our way out he paused the van long enough for me to grab a shot of the tree-lined roadway where Julie Andrews and the kids skipped along, hung from the trees and sung their hearts out. I had 15 seconds to shoot this so I hope you appreciate it.

Since many of the locations for “The Sound of Music” were not in Salzburg (think Hollywood movie lots), Chris had to stretch to give us value for our money. That included a 1 1/2 hour tour of the countryside while he played selections from the movie soundtrack.  We ended up in a small village with a good sized church. Not cathedral size but big for the locale. For the marriage of Maria and Captain von Trapp, the director, Robert Wise, planned to use the overly large Salzburg Cathedral. The current Archbishop had other ideas and turned down the request.

That started a scurry to find a replacement but nothing nearly that size was anywhere to be found. Wise decided he could use a smaller church and could “fix it in post-production” back in Hollywood. So, they ended up here, much to the delight of the villagers as it started
a small, but consistent, local industry fed by people like us. We had 15 minutes here.

On the ride back, Chris surprised us with audio interviews with director Robert Wise, Richard Rogers and the young starlet who played the part of Liesil. It was a nice filler until we reached our last stop, the Mirabell Gardens where Julie Andrews and the kids sang and danced to “Doe, a deer, a female deer,” around a fountain.

 

The gardens were created in 1730 for the pleasure of the Prince-Archbishop. They have been open to the public since 1850 and are often used by the movie-going public to recreate one of the most popular scenes in The Sound of Music. Today was a quiet day with no one prancing around the perimeter of the fountain but still a beautiful scene on a beautiful day.

Chris had one further surprise for us. He pulled the van to the curb and thanked us for being such good tour-goers. He pointed in the direction of the Mirabell Gardens and announced the end of the tour. We were on our own. “What about the ride back to the hotel?” we asked plaintively. “That’s up to you,” he said. “The tour is over,” and took off to pick up his next clients. We pulled out our TI supplied Salzburg map and began a final search for bus #4 that would take us to our car.

Next we head for the Audi Driving Experience Center where Ray will learn the real meaning of “skid pad.”

Please join us then.

Louise and Ray

On Monday, 7 September 2015, a lifelong dream of mine was fulfilled. On that day Louise and I traveled to Ingolstadt, Germany, to take delivery of our new car from the factory that built it. Some might not understand my craving but it goes back to watching my grandfather peeling the paper from the fenders of his first car…a brand new 1939 Ford. I never saw a man so proud.

Alex Rudolph started our day by pounding on the door of our bachelor pad, saying, “It’s 6 AM. Come on. Let’s go. Los geht’s . We must be there on time and it is a 1 1/2 hour drive.” Louise replied, “Why can’t they wait? I don’t even have my face on yet.”

At 7:05 AM Alex headed the Audi A8 toward the autobahn that would take us to our goal. I felt he could be trusted as he’s gone through this three times at the same factory. Breakfast would have to wait…but it would be on Audi.

 

The presence of the Audi Shop in the delivery area is certainly no accident. They try to mine every ounce of this memorable moment from the new owners to be.

Louise headed right for the store but reappeared quickly, saying, “Do you know what they want for that stuff? We’re spending enough already.” There went my Audi jacket, Audi driving gloves and Audi Rallye moccasins.

 

Our name was called and an Audi rep sat with us to go through the paperwork so carefully prepared by Kristin Huey, Overseas Delivery Manager of The Auto Gallery in Woodland Hills. All was OK and she suggested we might want to enjoy their restaurant on the premises before the tours began. She slipped an Audi bracelet on our wrists and said, “Have anything and as much you want. It’s on us.”

 

 

This was no ordinary company cafeteria. Not only was food of all types available, but it was beautifully arranged and artfully displayed. It was difficult to keep from piling it on.

 

Louise never made it past the first display area and gamely filled her plate to the edges.

 

The dining area is carefully placed so the diners will see almost all the Audi products as they appear from the Customer Delivery building driving  toward the front gate. After a while you wonder. “Will one Audi will really be enough.”

 

Our factory tour wouldn’t begin until 11:30 AM so we passed the time at the Audi Museum…not a bad way to spend some free moments.

 

Alex and I headed right for the racing history part of the displays while Louise struck off in the direction of the cabriolets and sports cars.

Not that many people are aware that Audi has a proud history in racing. In the case of this car, it was high speed records generally set on a closed part of the autobahn. Hitler thought it was a good idea to provide a challenger to Mercedes  …probably to make sure their prices remained competitive. Kind of like Boeing and Airbus today.

 

 

Keeping up the tradition, Audi has won 13 times at the Le Mans 24 Hour race in France and we were there to watch a car similar to this take the checkered flag in 2011.

 

Three floors were more than we could cover in our short time so we made a silent promise to return.  Maybe for the next Audi?

 

 

When it was time for our factory tour we disappeared into this building for almost two hours. Poor Louise had to do another forced march past whirling robots, overhead conveyor belts and robot-like men (mostly) piecing together Audi A3’s and Q5’s at a clip of 2,000 per day.  Lucky for you, Audi forbade the use of cameras on the tour so you won’t have to look at umpteen robots whirling around.

 

All cars intended for factory delivery are driven into this large hangar-like building to await the new owners. Months before, we were given instructions to appear here at exactly 2:00 PM on this day to take delivery of our new Audi.

Sure enough, at precisely 2:00 PM, our name was called to appear at the gate of this land bridge to meet our Customer Representative. We were paraded grandly across the bridge and descended to the floor level. I didn’t hear any grand-march type music, but it wouldn’t have been out of place.

We were guided past car after car until we reached a silver Audi Q5 at the end of the line.

The Customer Rep showed us all through the car, even going so far as to pop the hood. It was a 75 minute orientation with most of the instruction time spent on the GPS and how to hook up the iPhone 5S to the on-board computer. When it did come alive it was playing Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nacht Musik. What could be more appropriate?

Just to show we were paying attention, here are the stix. It’s an Audi Q5 SUV with a 3.0 Liter V-6 engine complete with supercharger. (Don’t confuse that with a Turbo. Not the same thing.) Exterior is light silver, interior is black. Entertainment center is by Bang & Olufsen.  Do I look a little baffled?

The final moment came when we were handed the keys and the Customer Rep pointed the way to the door and offered the traditional “Gute Fahrt.” (It means “Have a good trip”…not what you’re thinking.)

The door opened  and we were greeted by Alex and his father, Werner Rudolph, who showed up to man one of the cameras. We didn’t want to miss the moment so took no chances with only one camera present. Unfortunately, we didn’t bother to take Werner’s picture so that will have to wait.

Within minutes we were on the Autobahn at 100 MPH heading back to Schliersee via Munich. To celebrate we turned on the sound system. The first thing we heard was the Alleluia Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. We both said, “What could be more appropriate.” We turned the sound up, joined in and loudly celebrated the fulfillment of another life’s dream. “Hallelujah”

On to Salzburg in our brand new car.

Gute nacht from Louise and Ray

 

 

 

 

Let’s take some time out to tell you something more about our “Bavarian Bachelor Pad.”

 

It’s in the house that Astrid and Alexander call home which is located in Neuhaus, a part of Schliersee, some 50 miles southeast of Munich. Alex describes it as a typical ’50’s home that has undergone a recent makeover bringing it into the century

 

Fortunately the makeover left the most important parts of the home unchanged. We begin and end each day at this table in a comfortable corner that overlooks the extensive back yard. It is here where Astrid displays her skill at preparing delicious meals and setting an attractive table.

 

But this is the heart of the house where she produces those masterpieces. Their kitchen is the result of careful planning and everything is modern, up-to-date and close at hand. Louise slipped by saying, “This almost motivates me to start cooking again.” I wish I had recorded that not-since-repeated statement.

 

• 

Since our arrival we’ve been treated to a leberkase loaf, sauerbraten, a spinach/salmon quiche and this schweinebrauten roast. Doesn’t look like much now but it was delicious and went down well with several good local beers.

Our breakfasts are in the best Bavarian tradition and completely violate the good intentions to lose weight that we made in Los Angles. But then, what the hell. You only live once and who knows when we’ll return.

 

When she’s not performing in the kitchen, Astrid has her own girl cave on the second floor.

 

She works here as a financial manager for Ines Papert, an internationally known professional rock climber who flits from country to country hanging from mountains by her fingertips for money.

 

Alex’s man cave hides two Audi’s…one an A8, the other an R8 so he has his choice of cars for his commute daily to Munich where he has a practice as a maxillofacial surgeon. His preference is the A8 because, as he says, “The R8 does not like to go just the speed limit.”

 

But now on to our hideaway. It is on the second floor of the house on the left hand side. When we walked in we expected a one or two room mother-in-law accommodation and were completely surprised.

 

It is a two story apartment with a living, dining and kitchen area plus a circular stairway that leads to a second floor sleeping loft. It is at the dining table that I crank out this Blog while Louise looks up important information in Rick Steve’s travel guide…mainly correct spelling for German towns and food. The trek to the sleeping loft is the circular stairway that approximates the StairMaster at the Saban Center gym. This insures that Louise gets her daily exercise.

The difficult part is going up and down these stairs to our bed. At night, for those numerous trips to the bathroom, we have a rule: Never use the circular staircase alone at night!

 

Speaking of those nightly trips, here is the destination.

The bathrooms in the house all benefited from the remake and the result is a thoroughly modern place to clean up.  You can even wave at the neighbors if so inclined.

 

The shower is my favorite. It is an open plan with no glass door or curtain to bother with. The ceramic bathroom floor tile continues into the shower with nothing to step or trip over. Notice the absence of a central drain. The metal strip at the end is a sort of device that sucks the water out. Wunderbar.

So that’s the tour. We feel you can understand why we don’t mind spending time in this environment instead of out touring the Bavarian landscape all the time. You might wonder why we refer to this apartment as a Bavarian bachelor pad since Louise and I share it together. When we’re not here, this is the home of Astrid’s son, Ludwig, who sort of volunteered to live in another room of the house during this American invasion.

To Ludwig we say, “Danke schoen.”

Off to Salzburg soon. Louise is already humming, “The hills are alive…”

Louise and Ray