One thing I forgot last time was to give you all my first impression of the Golden Tulip Motel. It was on par with a Hampton Inn as I have already said. Only in Europe they like saunas and very hot swimming pools instead of a Jacuzzi and regular swimming pool. And the pool is not all that big. It is more of a "wading" pool I would say. And plus, people go in the sauna with just towels and no more. Men and women together. 
Let me say I am glad I learned this first (hubby checked it out first) before trying it out our first night there! I don't know about the rest of you, but I did not enjoy showers in gymn class as a high school student with those itty bitty postage stamp sized towels. I prefer a little modesty. Nor do I like a swimming pool hot enough to qualify almost as a jacuzzi.
The entry way of the main door of this motel leads you right into several tables (I estimate a couple dozen) each with a ashtray in the middle and 3 chairs a piece. (not very big tables). Now I know Germany is famous for smoking products but this really surprised me! I was so glad it was not filled with smokers but later it was............not healthy. But it is a cultural fact that Germans are big time smokers. Resturants are all smoke filled. 
Now back to the story. The first morning of my first full day in Germany dawns sunny and promising. Unfortuately as you know I mess up big time with breakfast as already told you in Part 2 of this story. So now as we leave in our rental car (Peugot I think it was spelled in case you want to know what kind of car), well I don't feel so hot. The traffic is awful of course and I cannot wait to get out of the city and out into the country as we begin our journey to Switzerland. We notice how small all the cars are to conserve gas. And for the record both Germany and Switzerland drive on the same side of the car and road as America does.
Soon we learn German driving is even worse in the country then in the cities. They love to go fast ! Think Zooooom !!!! Later we find out why. Adolf Hitler is responsible for this. Turns out when he was in power with his Third Reich, he wanted a fast way to put out his troops, tanks, trucks etc for battle and enforcement. So he had the Audbon road built which had no speed limit whatsoever on it. And he did move his men fast on them which is one of many reasons why he conquered as fast as he did in the beginning of the war. Well that Audobon road remains and as you all probably have heard, you can go as fast as you wish to on it. And Germans do. The bad part is this has translated into all highway and freeway roads. All of it is treated like the Audobon now. I can never again complain about the bad driving in Minneapolis or other big cities. So as you can see Hitler left fast dangerous driving as a part of his legacy for Germany. I don't fault the German people. This is just their way after all these years and they don't think twice about it. Just real glad we don't have that way of life here in the USA . But later you will see there are some good things also in Europe that would be nice to copy. 
Anyway it is 4 lanes most of the way to Switzerland. The right lane is 55 mph and left lane is anywheres from 100 to 200 mph. It seems it must be the infamous Audobon road we are on we decide ! The 2 lanes in between are varying speeds as needed. We try staying in the right lane and soon are stuck behind lots of trucks and busses and end up going even slower. Well this is not great as gas costs even more in Germany and not making good time at all........
So pretty soon we move into the next lane and go a little faster now but still getting trapped behind slower moving vehicles. So we take the 3rd lane now which is next to the crrrazy fast drivers. And many of them have fast car models like corvettes etc and act like they are in a Nascar race or the Indy 500 ! But now we are going a more normal pace at last.
Except now and then someone from one of the other lanes we left comes over in front of us and begins slowing everyone down. You know how that is..............argh. So this means some of the time we must move into the fast lane to get around them. Each time my husband would look in his side mirror window on left and if he saw no car then he would go into the fast lane and quickly pass the person ahead of us to get back into our safer lane.
As I watched and listened to him, this seem to be always a strategic decision when exactly to make his move. He explains it this way, when you think you can pass, don't ! They are on your tail just like that! And it is scary. But he did not want of course to wait till no one was in his view as we could wait a loooong time for that! So he would have to each and every time determine how far back on the horizon they were and then go for it! 
Okay friends, think about it! Here I am with a extremely upset stomach from the foolish combo of indulging to much on German sausages one of which I find out (too late) is blood sausage ~thus making me "mentally" ill as well as physicly sick, in addition to the West Indian spicey supper from the night before and now I am in this horrible situation of crazy fast drivers and we have to share the road with them!
And every so often (to often) I needed a restroom real bad as that upset stomach was demonstrating itself also with ummm.....not a nice bathroom issue. 
Let's just say that I spent all day miserably ill and very slowly ( by inches mind you) getting better by the time we arrive in Switzerland where we stay in Breggins (not sure how spelled but pronounced "brag-ins". By the way Customs in Switzerland was simple as they took one look and saw we had German rental plates and just waved us thru.
I do recall in spite of my illness that Germany had beautiful countryside and much of it reminded me of the Coulee region which is Amish country in Wisconsin around the LaCrosse and surrounding areas. Gorgeous valleys, beautiful bluffs and villages more then cities or towns as you drove along. Always gorgeous churchs tall and with steeple reaching up into the sky you felt.
Germans are known for their wines (not just their beer we learned) and we wonder at how they grow it. For the rows and rows of Grape plants grow vertical on hills wherever there is a piece of land for it. And we wonder what about erosion ? But we figure there must be a reason for planting like this and the grapes need it this way. We don't see erosion but would seem there must be. Does anyone know why ? The other thing we notice is all the roses! Wow! Roses everywhere! Down the middle of the highway and alongside the hills. They grow wild everywhere. And they are not the wild roses commonly seen in America but big blooming roses like in a bouquet you would pay dearly to buy! The air is fragrant with their perfume which is my most favorite by the way. So I appreciate it alot this welcoming odor while I am ill. 
A side note here -- about all those emergency restrooms stops I had to have. You pay money to use bathrooms in Germany. It costs one Euro in most. I was so surprised as was my hubby. We are so use to America where it is free to use a bathroom wherever you go. You can just imagine how I felt being ill and needing it alot and paying each time. Kind of like paying to be sick. I can remember thinking as I would sit on the pot, that my body waste was a commodity for Germany. They were making money off my .......you know...........It was a weird feeling to think that. My um "stuff" is a cash cow for them. At the same time I realize this is a differant culture so I am not criticizing but figure they have their reasons I guess doing it this way. I will say the bathrooms are very clean and nice elevator music (sounded like Manheim Steamroller stuff) and you get a little coupon that pops out when you put your coin in the machine so the rolling bars move to allow you into the restroom. And the coupon is good for a discount on a treat at the always accomodating little store that goes with these places. LOLLOL Course I was to sick to enjoy it! LOL LOL 
In Breggins we stay at a much smaller and homey type motel. Now we start to learn about how Switzerland since the people live on or next to enormous mountains must always conserve space. Meaning narrow roads very narrow! And the people just walk out into them without looking. You have to look for them! Also lights are differant. The yellow light will blink once to let you know it is going to change. Which my hubby liked alot.
Well this time our room is quite small but not by Swiss standards. The same type bed, bedding and pillows is there so now we know both Germans and Swiss sleep the same. Two beds in one with the separate giant "pillow case" over a goose down comforter one for each of us and down pillows. I soon learn to sleep with the "pillow case" off the comforter again and as a sheet and my robe as a blanket. The comforter is just to hot as the weather is warm. It does cool at night with the mountains but not enough for the goose down comforter. Even hubby has it half on and off of him. Later after the wedding we will be glad to use goose down comforters when it gets REAL COLD !
Our towels are just the same as at the Golden Tulip. Translation you get 2 big towels and 2 small towels and no wash cloths. What to use for face then? Hmmnnn. This time I try asking the lady in charge who bearly speaks English and she is confused as she says she gave us each one big and one little. And I try with words she can't understand and pantomine to show her the big towel is shower and little towel for regular drying and nothing to wash my face ??? Not only do I look and feel foolish doing this, but it doesn't work as can be seen clearly by her very confused face watching my my um........."antics" and probably wondering about this strange American (me) but she gives me another little towel. So I use it as the wash cloth. But decide no use to ask for another towel for my hair. Guessing big towel does double duty like at Golden Tulip. Only Golden Tulip we just asked for more and got them. But this place is two Swiss sisters who cannot hardly speak English.............sigh.............they were sweet though. 
Their hair was the brightest red hair ever. Clearly dyed that way and they were easily in their late 50s or early 60s and tried so hard to please and we tried to. Oh there was one added little thing about the towels. They had a great smell ! You see they were hung out to dry not dried in a dryer. Meaning of course they were rough on the skin. Oh well. They were clean and that is all that matters. I even took time to tell them how nice the towels smelled. Which flattered them and they pointed out the window to the round clothesline in the courtyard of flowers. Now I had thought it odd to have a clothesline there but now I knew why! LOL LOL LOL 
Perhaps the nicest thing about this little motel next to the mountains and overlooking a beautiful lake was the fact that when we went to turn on the news and weather on the TV, it was completely safe to do so! You see back in Germany the Golden Tulip had 3 not very nice channels on the TV along with about 20 some channels all German except CNN which we could get our news and weather on. But it meant rushing thru the channels trying hard NOT to see triple x hardcore porn. I can only say it really left a bad taste in our mouths to be stuck doing this. For no matter how fast you push the remote buttons, you DO SEE some pretty bad stuff. I can't even tell you it is so awful. And the worst thing about porn is this, you NEVER forget what you see. Ugh..........
So we thanked this little motel that they did not have this on their TV. Plus I thanked them for the fact that the bedside table drawer had a Bible in it in 4 differant languages (English being one of them)placed their by the Gideons. What a comfort to a tired traveler so enclined to see this !
That night before bedtime, hubby reminds me that he has to make a quick trip to Munich to pick up his sister Sandy and her 13 yr old daughter Stacey. They had taken a later flight. He says he is leaving at 3AM and will be back at Noon. I decide to stay put and let him go alone which he says is best since I am only just starting to feel well now after a Chinese buffet meal at a resturant nearby (one block walk). The motel resturant was closed. And fortunately even at a Chinese buffet on a recovering tummy upset, there is still good food to eat.
My next installment begins with my "never ending" day all alone just over the border of Swizterland and hubby is still not back and it is now 4 hrs past the time he was due. The knowledge I am all alone in a foreign country and do not speak the language and neither do the motel owners is sinking in deep............... and memories haunting of the fast drivers on the roads and maybe my hubby is in accident ! .................. stay tuned until next time to hear of this scary adventure for me !
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