The Myth of Speed

Ask any American who's never been to Germany, especially a young male, what one of the coolest features of that country is. Invariably, the no-speed Autobahn will make the Top 10 list. I'm here to tell you that, while there are still some stretches of the famed Autobahn without a speed limit (most sections have a posted 130 km/hr limit, or 80 MPH), you rarely get a chance to cut loose in that rented Lamborghini or Ferrari. Driving back to Belgium from the Frankfurt area on Monday not in either of those two cars!) was a case in point: for about 40 miles of the 175 stretch to the border there was no posted speed limit. Cool! Now the down side: each wide-open stretch lasted no more than 5 or 6 miles and sometimes was just a 2-lane highway. Put about 100 trucks per square foot in the right lane and nearly that many cars in the left, and you can see where I'm headed here. Nowhere fast.

The sad irony is that you can't do the one thing you are allowed to and want to: go real fast. Inevitably, the minute you've put the pedal to the metal you see the infamous road sign telling you that you are approaching a construction zone. There are more of these in Germany than breweries and they're not nearly as much fun to visit. For about an hour on the Autobahn it seemed like we were alternating between 100 MPH and 30 MPH, very often and very quickly. Suffice it to say, driving in Germany is anything but restful. I like to put it this way: driving in Germany is a job, not a pleasure.