Fairytales at 144 mph

This weekend was maybe the most fun I've had since I've been out here, and definatley the fastest I've ever driven in my life. Allen and I rented a 2007 Audi TT on saturday and set out on th autobahn towards the German/Austrian border. Our destination was the small town of Fussen, Germany. Resting above the town are two castles buit by a king and his son in the 1800s. The castles provided a great reason to drive a car insanely fast, so we picked up the TT and jumped on the autobahn.
German's don't buy white cars, so we stuck out like...well...like two Americans, but it's OK because the TT is at it's best when dressed in white, just pure and simple, graphic. And being an autobahn virgin, the color suited me well. Allen drove first cause he did the leg work to secure the car, and we were off. 220 km to get to Fussen from Munich, lets see how long this takes.
The autobahn began just like any other freeway. Instantly I was transported back to LA. It's been over a month since I've been in a car I thought. The trip was off to a good start and I riding in the passenger seat of a brand new Audi TT, snapping photos and flipping through the poor German radio stations. Until a Porsche Carrera 4s ripped past us and the mood in the car changed. Up until then we had been unsure how to tell when the speed limit dissolves and the road is opened. The radio went down as fast as Allens foot and we were off. I'll just say that you cover a lot of ground really fast when you don't have speedlimits...before we knew it we needed to exit the freeway and see some castles.

The two castles in Fussen are quite the tourist attraction. The first king built his home there, a modest castle overlooking his people in the town below, then when he died, his son built a second home adjacent. The son was infamous King Ludwig II who somehow earned the reputation of being crazy, which eventually led to his "mysterious" death in a lake near by...probably cause he was dilusional and built a rediculous castle in the 19th century for his "knights" other medieval fairytale dreams. But while the castle is stunning from the outside, the interior remained unfinished after the king's death. I've heared that this castle is the inspiration for Cinderella's castle in Disneyland, which makes perfect sense.
We wrapped up at the castles and headed back to the car. It was my turn to drive. I eased out of the parking lot and we casually made our way back to the autobahn, taking in many of the small towns that are nestled at the edge of the Apls, along the way.
The TT was still asking for more, so I naturally gave it some. The interesting thing about the auto bahn is that because you can drive as fast as your can go without any reprecussions from the local Polizei, your attention is entirely focused on the road ahead...not looking out for cops like in America. And although driving at 240 kmph (~150 mph) is not really the safest way to oporate a motor vehicle, it sure as hell feels good. Around 160 kmph your going really fast...100 mph fast. The Autobahn is built for this though. German efficiency shines on the autobahn. Hitler had certain criteria for the construction of the highway sytem in Germany which allow for the highest rate of speeds.
Can you see it in my eyes? Pulling past 220 kmph, the autobahn welcomes my foot through the floorboard, the turbo charged 2.0 liter engine of the TT screaming for me to release the pressure, but I was unwilling. I dropped into 6th gear to ease his pain for a few seconds while the RPM's pulled ever higher. At 230 kmph, the vision of the autobahn is realized...the car never has to slow down for the road. 235, 236, 237. I held the pedal down, eagerly awaiting every new number. The car had pushed to just below 240 kmph before a speedlimit warning showed it's face up ahead. The bright red circle showed 120 as the marked limit for the area, and I released the throttle and cruised to speed.

Yeah, so we saw some castles and whatever. The lasting memory will be the bright red needle of the speedometer forced clockwise beyond all reason.