Miles Driven: 255
Time in Car: 4 hours
Borders Crossed: 2
The drive out of Brussels started early and we bid farewell to the EU Capitol. Our sights were on Germany, specifically Marburg - the picturesque, cobblestoned college town known for its regional German dishes, towering Castle in the city center, and being the inspiration setting to many of Brothers Grimm folktales, like Rapunzel.
About an hour and a half into our drive out of Brussels, we met our first surprise of the day: The Netherlands. There would have been no way of knowing we even passed through the country if it weren’t for the fact that we needed gas. Stopping at a highway Shell station, we stupidly tried to read the Dutch fuel pump instructions before the station attendant walked outside and showed us what to do. After topping off, we were out of Netherlands in about 30 seconds. In total, we were in out of Holland in under a half hour. See ya next time, I guess.
Out of Netherlands, we met the perfectly paved, speed limit free highway - the Autobahn. Tanner had Stevie’s tiny engine purring and spinning on all cylinders. We were clocking out at 85 mph in some stretches. Of course we drove in the right lane to make way for Audi’s and Porsche’s whizzing by at triple figure speeds, but it was nice to let all of Stevie’s 1.2 L engine grip it and rip it down the German speedway. After passing by Cologne and making quick work of the Western German autobahn, we eventually caught sight of a far-off a castle on the hill rising above the green surrounding forests - Marburg.
Marburger Schloss
Marburg is a college town surrounding a towering castle upon a hill that is lined with cobblestone alleyways, dimly-lit bars, and a wonderful city square. Luckily for Joe and Mike, Tanner studied in Marburg in 2013 and knew enough German to not look like a fool when someone asked what beer they wanted. Tanner assumed the role of tour guide and rudimentary translator and he played it well. Tanner showed us all the main spots - the Marburger Schloss, the botanical gardens, and Oberstadt (“Old Town”). While his in-depth knowledge of Marburg’s town history proved his worth as a tour guide, his direction on where to eat earned his keep. We lunched on classic schnitzel dishes but the real winner was dinner and the auflauf. Calorically dense, this meal served as a great recovery meal after walking the hills of Marburg all afternoon. Before the night was done, Tanner showed Mike and Tanner all the go-to bars that he frequented as a college student. Most were darkly lit, some beneath ground. One had foosball - turns out Joe, in all of his athletic splendor, is ridiculously good at foosball. Tomorrow we head to Baden-Baden, or “Bath-Bath”, a small resort spa town on the foot of the Black Forest.
Oh, and in car news, we finally figured out how to remove our Skoda factory radio. Turns out, a hammer and enough applied force does the job just as good as any key. Until next time - FWY
When in doubt use a hammer