More on the Autobahn

After several more hours on the autobahn I have gained more knowledge about it. There are big trucks in the right hand lane and cars pass them and then pull back over between them to make room for those going really fast. Sometimes there are signs prohibiting trucks from passing each other and sometimes they can pass. Well, when they decide to pass they just pull over. I guess they think they are big and the little autotopia cars just have to deal with it. It is kind of unnerving. Driving along at high, high speed and all of a sudden a big truck is moving into your lane! All the little cars scatter like cockroaches in the light and the truck comes on over. It all works out which is pretty amazing. I haven't seen an accident yet!

Another interesting thing they do on the autobahn is construction. Lots of construction going on. They make the lane really narrow so I feel like I am inches from the temporary divider on the left and inches from the enormous, fast moving truck on the right. They do slow the speed. It is about 50 - 60 miles per hour in construction zones on the autobahn. At home it would be about 30 in the same circumstance. But what is really interesting is the way you find out about the construction. There is no warning like, Construction Ahead. You are driving along at warp speed and all of a sudden see a blinking light with an X and an arrow telling you that the lane is ending. Then you have about 30 feet (while at warp speed) to all merge into one lane. I don't know how we did it, but we did. It is definitely an "instant sweat in the pits moment. " After this incredible merging they then slow the speed to about 50-60. It is amazing. One really has to be watching closely. I feel my Mario Andretti skills have been honed from driving on the LA freeways.

There are lots of rest stops on the autobahn. The snow had lightened up some and the surrounding countryside was beautiful and white. There was a little village that was snow covered and looked like a Christmas card. So, I decided to pull into the rest stop to take my coat off and snap a picture or two. A man in a suit was getting out of his car as I drove up and by the time I got out and looked up he was peeing! Right there! He said something to me in German "look I'm peeing! or Take a picture of this" ?? Who knows. I just said, "Sorry, American, I only speak English," and hopped back into the car before he tried his high school English on me. He wasn't an oddity - I saw two more guys peeing as I drove out. There were women there too. The rest stops don't have toilets so they just let go! Well, needless to say it was not the picture opt that I had hoped for.