Sunday, May 11, 2008
Weekend Update
- We had a fairly eventful weekend, starting on Friday, when we were scheduled to pick up our new Mercedes C300 in Stuttgart.
- Curran couldn't go with us because he had his AP European History exam.
- So it was just Carl, me, and Camden --giving us a taste of what it's going to be like in the fall.
- We had train tickets for 8:30. It's about a half hour drive to the train station in Kaiserslautern, so we planned on leaving at 7:30 to allow for morning traffic and give ourselves plenty of time. But while Carl was showering, he heard on the radio that A6 was completely blocked due to an accident. So we hurried up and left at 7:15 to take B40, the back road.
Unfortunately, everybody else had that idea, too, and all the entrances to B40 were backed up for hundreds of meters as well. It was beginning to look like we were going to have to forfeit the $150 train tickets, return home, and drive Moby to Stuttgart later and then drive both cars home. But with nothing left to lose, we tried one last back road to Bann, pulled over and dug out Frances, and let her direct us to the train station.
Unlike B40, this back road was deserted, and we ended up arriving at the train station with 15 minutes to spare. - After the less-than-auspicious beginning, the rest of the trip went smoothly. Of course, we spent more time on the regular, local train than we did on the ICE (Inter-City-Express, not frozen water) train, which was nice and comfortable. From the ICE, we took the S-Bahn (starts out subway then becomes a surface train outside the city) to Böblingen, then a bus from that train station to the Mercedes factory. A little convoluted, but it went like clockwork.
- Once at the factory, we were checked in, then given an appointment 40 minutes hence when our car would be ready. In the meanwhile, we could go upstairs to the lounge overlooking the delivery hall, where they had complimentary coffee, tea, soft drinks, sandwiches and pastries, and watch as the cars came out. The Mercedes European Delivery Program is for people combining a European vacation with picking up their new car, but it was virtually identical, except for dropping off the car to be shipped.
- At our appointment time, we went back downstairs, and a technician demonstrated the car in excruciating detail, including telling us about the extras we get as export customers: a full tank of gas and floor mats. Which was a little overkill, considering that a German customer would have to pay twice as much for the identical car, have to buy their own floor mats, and leave with only 3 liters of gas. Not that we were turning it down, mind you.
- Then we drove the car out to the parking lot and returned to the customer center for the factory tour. We had a little while, so we browsed the shop and bought Camden a hat (which he's wearing in the picture above, though you can't see it clearly) and keychains.
The factory tour was very interesting, though we weren't allowed to take pictures, so you'll have to take my word for it. - After the tour, we set off on our drive home. One thing we hadn't considered was that Friday was the start of a holiday weekend in Germany: Pfingsten, and the traffic was ridiculous. We didn't have any trouble with the recommended varying of speeds with a new car because you could only drive at normal speeds for 5 or 10 minutes at a time before getting into yet another traffic jam. We stopped at McDonald's along the way for a bite to eat, then got to the train station about 8 p.m.
Carl took the BMW from the train station, and I drove the new car, but couldn't really enjoy it as much as I'd have liked, between trying to keep an eye on Carl so I didn't get lost in Kaiserslautern, and then the construction zone once we got out on the Autobahn. But I did get to play with it a little. - We arrived home and Curran had left again (we knew he was planning on it). He'd fed Diva and left us a note to that effect and another note to tell us he'd be back after midnight. We were all pretty tired, but that wasn't the end of the day.
- Because of the aforementioned holiday weekend, our neighbors were having a party. A loud party. With really bad German pop music from the 50s that they were singing along with. Loudly and off-key. Until 1:30 a.m. We were Not Happy. Particularly since even with the windows closed and the fan on, we could still hear them clearly, and it was impossible to sleep.
- Curran did arrive back home at 12:30, as promised. Surprisingly, he'd taken the train into Kaiserslautern and gone to a club with his friends, something he's never done before. One more thing reassuring me about his ability to be on his own this fall.
- For Mother's Day, I got flowers and a jewelry box I'd picked out for myself (I really needed one), and Carl and the boys got me earrings and a bracelet--silver with a variety of semi-precious stones--to help fill it up. Then we went to Carl's mom's to show her the new car and to take her out to dinner.
- Of course Jenny was there, and we took her for as much of a walk as she could (she's overweight, elderly, and has arthritis), then took a walk to feed the goats and the baby kids . It was a gorgeous day: sunny and about 80 degrees.
Categories: WeekendUpdate, AboutMe
Labels: about me, weekend update
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I wish Curran good luck on his AP European History exam! Hmm so are you worry about leaving him on his own when he move in with Dagny? hehe
What a train adventures! I dunno, by the end of the day - after that long day just to get to the train, I be pooped. Congrats on your new car though :)
And I'm glad you had a nice Mother's Day (the boys gave you a perfect gifts *G*) too. Keep us update on you :)
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What a train adventures! I dunno, by the end of the day - after that long day just to get to the train, I be pooped. Congrats on your new car though :)
And I'm glad you had a nice Mother's Day (the boys gave you a perfect gifts *G*) too. Keep us update on you :)
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