May 30, 2008 Amsterdam to Berlin

While writing this I realize that I fly out in an hour.  I had just woken up with plans to hit Buckingham Palace and Albemarle and other galleries.  So I head for the airport fully rested for the flight to Amsterdam then six hour drive to Berlin. By coincidence my car rental is for noon. My original arrival time.  I changed it to ensure getting to Berlin by 8:00 since the hotel reception closes then.  I would have had to get up at 4:00am and been very tired driving into Berlin which would be dangerous.  It was dangerous anyway.  The autobahn doesn’t really have a speed limit. Your choices are the right lane with the trucks, which freaks them out since they can’t pass you. The middle lane, with the cars from both other lanes weaving into your lane constantly. The left lane, which I got up to 200km then having to move out of the way of the “Audi division of NASCAR” suddenly showing up in your rearview mirror.

At Midnight I give up getting to the pre-booked hotel.  I am so tired I just get off the autobahn at the first bed logo highway sign. I knew I was close to Berlin. It turned out I was on the South West corner of Berlin. I see a sign stating hotel 11:00-14:00 euros I thought. I am so tired I think the driveway is at the sign. While turning in I hit the curb. It is on a walkway. I drive around the street corner to find the hotel. With a Burger King next door. Yuck! It turned out being 70 euros. The sign was times for an event. Hotel Grunewald is the name and I wonder if this is going to be a National Lampoon trip