I am just now through with the ED trip and wanted to post some comments for others who are in the planning stages. We made some good choices (right for us maybe not for everyone) but nonetheless wanted to pass on what I learned. I get over to Europe about once every year or two for a meeting but I had never before visited Bavaria.

First, I should make a comment on the Lufthansa two for one deal. They require you purchase a Y class ticket and if you do they will give you a freebie for the second traveler. The Y class ticket from DC for us was still better than buying two at the going Econ rate (K class) but only by about $200. If you travel as we did during off season (now) you might do better to shop around. Also, we (my wife and I) are both United Premier but could not upgrade to better seats on Lufthansa (even though it is a United partner). This all sort of a minor issue but some of you may wonder the same things.

Munich is a great city with a first rate public transport system. If you have any interest in cities and what they can offer you will want to spend a few days here enjoying it - great museums, public and historical spaces. So if you are going to do that why not fly in a day early and just take the subway S-8 from airport to get downtown (Flughafen Munchen to Hauptbahnhof) for example? This works well if you are staying (as we did) in the Kings First Class Hotel that BMW was suggesting in their materials sent a couple months ago (obviously any downtown hotel with parking would suit you but at about 95 Euro for two this is a pretty good price to be in the thick of things). The hotel is 2 blocks from the main station and an easy roll for you and your luggage. Cool your heels and catch up on your sleep and start the day fresh tomorrow for your blessed event at ED delivery. The hotel is a typically small and elegant European style hotel with breakfast and the location will put you near the center of action for enjoying things in the old town area. (If you have your laptop, Internet access via either network/RJ45 connector or wireless available for $25 Euro per day – I used wireless, the speed is decent – if no laptop there is an internet café across the street that some else reported on a week or so back, and if you get by with modem speeds, the telephone system allows for a phone connector).

Regarding transport, we decided to purchase a Munich Welcome Card at the airport service center that is good for 3 days with unlimited public transport. The tour books said the price was 23 Euro for up to five adults whereas we found it was 43 Euro (big difference). But we used the hell out of it so it was still a good value and great convenience. Just have it with you and it saves having to figure out the intricacies of the ticket purchasing and stamping system whenever you want to go somewhere. The trains, electric trams, buses etc all run with German efficiency – don’t dally when getting on or off – the schedule is precise, the doors powerful!

If you do as I suggest (take a day before going to get your car) then you will need to get to the ED center next day for your Bimmer. We walked over from the hotel to Marienplatz (you could as easily take the S-8 back 2 stops to that station on the same train you used from the airport). But whether you walk of ride to Marienplatz – from there take the U-6 subway north to Freimann station. I had my handheld GPS (Garmin 60CS with European Street Select) with the pickup location marked so once off the train it took us right there (Lilienthalallee26), but here is what you do if you do not have a GPS. Get off the train and walk west for about 3-4 blocks – west is the side of the train you exit (you will wade through a sea of BMWs parked in front of local residences) – at Lilienthalallee (the first significant N-S street) turn left and walk south several blocks until the street curves around – soon you will see a gated entry with guard that says European Delivery (this is the first sign you will see before you get there). The walk from the Freimann station is about 15 minutes or longer if you amble. At that point you have reached the promised land and the guard will tell you where to go – inside it all works very well and very efficiently.

After you get your car – if you planned ahead and called a month or so earlier to schedule a visit to the BMW tour you will not be disappointed (3 series production). We loved this. At the end you are amazed that these cars don’t cost twice what they do (or at least as much as they do). Do it you will love it, esp. if you bought a 3. If you get the nav system (and you have a borrowed copy of the Euro DVD) in your car just enter the address to the factory tour on Dostlerstrasse. And when you get to the tour gate (first gate end of road) – they will advise DO NOT leave your car parked on the street. One guy did and while we were in the tour his car was towed (a brand new 6 series convertible). They can advise you where the parking garage is located. And yes, for all us who are linguistically challenged North Americans they generally do speak English. By the way, as others have said on Bimmerfest, the BMW plant at Dingolfing (sp?) is even more interesting apparently due to the use of more robots. Disappointing part of the tour is no engine assembly - just the marriage of engine to chassis.

The Kings Hotel has excellent staff, very courteous and all seem to speak English. However, the materials you received will note that they have underground parking but the spaces are few, the corridor is narrow, and that is after you enter into an auto elevator to go down a level. Then you have to maneuver into one of about 5 or 6 grilled cribs (the grills are actually hydraulic lifts that can be elevated to send you new precious parcel skyward so someone could park beneath you – although that never happened while we were there – but it was a new one for me). Outside the garage in the gated parking pad there are only 3 or 4 hotel parking spots – first come first served. If you do use the parking garage you will want to know which button on the armrest rotates your sideview mirrors inward – nice feature – you will want to use it.

I know others have spoken well of Rolf and others from ED who can whisk you from the airport and into the ED center for pickup. That makes sense if you do not plan to get to know Munich before driving away. I have heard that the cost of taxi to downtown is quite high whereas the subway is around 9 Euro if you buy a one way ticket (the Munich visitor card works on a cost basis only if you will spend some time here and use the public transport).

Oh, and one other thing. You may want to check the local holiday schedule at your dropoff point before making your flight reservations. We were not affected but we ran into a couple who were flying out on Wednesday and so had to drop off on a Friday since the Harms centers (nor much else) is not open on weekends, and the Monday Tuesday this week were German holidays) – so maybe check a holiday calendar to be sure you have a little cushion time around you.

We could not believe our luck with the weather from 10.27.05 to 11.03.05 only one day was rainy and the rest were warm and sunny (high temps in the upper 60s). We had a great drive from Munich to F***369;ssen (that is an umlaut u in Fussen – if you are using your Nav don’t forget – otherwise it will plot you a route up to the North Sea town of Fussen, no umlaut u). Then we drove up the Romantic Road for a ways, the Alpen Road for a while, over to Bad Tolz (more umlauts) and to Prien at Chimsee. Munich, Fussen, Chimsee is the Ludwig II castle circuit (or at least some of it) where you can experience a 19th century version of gaudy excess by a kid with way too much money (he trust fund problem on steroids). We bailed on Salzburg due to rain and went back to Munich.

PS: Fill up on green vegetables before leaving home; you won’t see any while you are here. Better to just embrace your carnivore nature for the week or so and do a lot of walking around town, or whatever your favorite exercise may be.

The dropoff at Harms was a breeze, Gerd Behrends (think I spelled that right) was a good guy who makes it almost easy to walk away from your car.