July 9th - ED 650i X drive (first ED!) - Munich, Switzerland, Como, Florence, Nice

Hey guys - sorry I'm past the 12 hr rule, things have been crazy over here. What an amazing experience!!! We're 4 days into our trip and I might not want to ever leave Lauterbrunnen! I'll send more pictures and a DETAILED review of the whole trip when I have time. In the mean time, here's a fews pics to hold you over. Cheers!

PS these are factory only, more car pics along the trip will come.....

Wow, that 6er is SHARP!

Congratulation!
Car looks amazing! Thanks for sharing!!!!

Originally Posted by gehmjc21

Hey guys - sorry I'm past the 12 hr rule, things have been crazy over here. What an amazing experience!!! We're 4 days into our trip and I might not want to ever leave Lauterbrunnen! I'll send more pictures and a DETAILED review of the whole trip when I have time. In the mean time, here's a fews pics to hold you over. Cheers!

PS these are factory only, more car pics along the trip will come.....

Beautiful! Love the 6er body style.

Pretty car!

Where did you end up? Wasn't today going to be your TdF day?

I want one!

Please post some video at 155 MPH!

Okay guys, well I'm back home! What an amazing trip and thank you to everyone for their suggestions. Beth, we ended up skipping the TDF and stayed in Lauterbrunnen. It was by fair my favorite place on the trip! Thank you....here's a little bit of what I wrote over on the 6er site. I'll upload some of my pics later ( I think I snapped over 4000 in 16 days!)

From 6er site..... Tough coming home, even more tough going to work today, but the worst part was leaving the car behind! I finally have some time to give a high level review of the car. I'll upload some pictures later when I'm back home. Please feel free to give me some tips - as I didn't have much time to learn the ins and outs of the car, as we usually got in and hit the road and then parked.....

Overall the Welt experience was simply awesome. We arrived at 830am for our 1030am delivery. Hung out at the lounge and had breakfast and relaxed before our BMW virtual tutorial. Of course I asked about the upgraded engine in the 2013s and the gentleman had a half-a$$ed response that the engine was not ready in 2012 and I didn't really get into it with him. At that point I really didn't care, sorry As they drove the car around the delivery showroom I was amazed, it was the first time I've seen an M sport or carbon black in person! Wow. We walked down the stairs and I quickly realized why you guys are in love with the shadow line trim, I'm so glad I opted for that! As I sat in the car I anticipated the first start up.....the exhaust note from a cold start was absolutely intoxicating. I wish my wife got a picture of my face, I couldn't believe the sound!

Our German autobahn experience was limited and the traffic kept me around 100 mph - 110 mph max. Italy believe it or not I found faster drivers, but they were German funny enough. As I posted before, I lead a 640d for quite a while, and a short sprint with a Porsche Carrera. I hit 138 mph at one point and it had a lot more to give, but I had to slow down for traffic a head.

City driving in Munich and Florence were incredibly stressful. Narrow roads, crazy drivers and driving the 6er v. my S4 was night and day. I wasn't totally comfortable yet. My wife's blood pressure was awful high those days.

We had two close calls, both made me realize how well these cars are made.....first we were in traffic driving to Lake Como. As traffic started to break up, I was driving around 80 mph and the freeway had a left curve to it, the traffic was completely stopped and I had to fully slam the breaks from 80 and luckily I turned the hazards on at the same time. The car behind me stopped immediately but the MBenz behind him had to cut over three lanes to avoid hitting us....I almost sh*t myself, and well my wife might have! But I was amazed how such a heavy car handled that situation. The other incident....I saw a tractor trailer up a head driving in the right lane and a camper merging from the on ramp. I took the cruise off as I approached the truck at 95mph and glided around 75 when I was going to pass him....he didn't see us and came into our lane. Again I slammed the breaks and pulled off to the shoulder at about 25-35 mph. luckily there was no one behind us. But he waved at me after and apologized. At that point my wife was ready to get the hell out of the car and onto the beach - with a large drink of course! Needless to say I was very impressed with the stopping/handling ability at high speeds.

Hotel/City Review -

Munich - stayed at Motel One Muenchen-Sendlinger Tor

We paid about 85 euros a night. Location was great, close to Marienplatz and there was a U bahn stop about 50 yards away. The room was extremely small! The bed was very comfortable and the bathroom was small but worked. Service was pretty decent there, but they have limited parking. They won't reserve a spot and had run out of space the one night we had the car. I had to park about 200 yards away in a garage. I was a little nervous but the lot was filled with other bmws, audis etc. Plenty of security cameras. I think we paid 24 euro for the night.

Munich was nice. Surprisingly very quite in the streets, incredibly clean and the buildings are beautiful. We only stayed 2 nights and that was enough for me. We took the U bahn to the Welt and it was seamless, about 30 minutes door to door. I would recommend our hotel, but leave Munich the day of delivery so it eliminates the worry of city parking!

We left Munich and stopped in the Fussen region to visit the castles. Well worth the trip! Neuschwanstein was under construction so we opted for Hohenschwangau which was amazing. From there we hit the road for Lauterbrunnen. We left Munich Tuesday morning at 9am and arrived in Fussen around 11am. Stayed there until 2pm and then drove to Switzerland.

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland - Hotel Silberhorn 190-200 euro a night

I think I said this a few times now, my favorite part of the trip And quite honestly I didn't even know about the place. The hotel was fantastic. We checked in and Beat ("bay-ott") showed us to our room which was in the second building, second floor, room 60. We had a private balcony and a very decent sized room. The view was heavenly. We slept with the windows open each night and listened to the waterfalls, amazing! Breakfast was included and I have to say it was very good. Parking was free and safe - right behind the building.

We did the Jungfraubahn our first day and we lucked out with clear weather. It was quite expensive, 170 euro per person for the round trip from Lauterbrunnen station which was about 100 yards from the hotel. The trip up the mountain was mind-blowing, something out of a movie. On the way down we stopped at the base camp, can't remember the name, and then Wengen for a few beers. This is a must do trip IMHO.

The next day we walked up to Stauubach falls and walked all the way down to Trümmelbach falls. That was 10 euro per person to enter but it was pretty cool to see the power of the water rushing through the mountain. As we walked back we witnessed a few base jumpers take the leap, crazy stuff!

Last we drove down to Interlaken and walked around. Nothing to write home about, a few good bars and restaurants but I'd prefer staying in Lauterbrunnen (for a hotel) away from the backpackers and college kids.

Overall I would say this area is a must see and the drive from Munich to Lauterbrunnen was the most scenic we experienced! We'll be back again.

Left Lauterbrunnen and drove to Lake Como - 150 miles and 5hrs! We had to drive up the mountain and back down so it took awhile. The views were worth the drive! Then we hit traffic once we got on the autobahn, but the end prize was worth it.

Lake Como - Albergo Lenno 160-180 euro a night

Lake Como was fantastic, and Jack/Luca/Alberto were such great hosts. Jack is the brother of Alberto, the owner. He was great from the moment we pulled into the lot. They reserved us an underground spot for 10 euro a night. The hotel is perfectly situated next to the Lenno ferry stop. And luckily it has a beautiful pool which we needed with the summer heat.

We spent one day exploring Bellagio - beautiful and I would go back. The next day with did lunch at Isola Comacina. This was the most incredible eating experience in my life. An 8 course meal and the food was out of this world! Google this and make a reservation. It was 65 euro per person.

Last day we relaxed at the pool and rented a boat for a few hours. We explored the lake and of course looked at Clooney's mansion (my wife's doing). He was actually in town with his family.

Lenno has some great restaurants right on the water. I can't remember the name of the place we ate, but it's right next to Sport Bar. Phenomenal homemade pasta! About 200 yards from the hotel.

We'll be back to Como and Lauterbrunnen for sure, and definitely Albergo Lenno.

Hit the road for Florence Tuesday morning. And the stress begins!!!

Driving in Florence is not recommended by me. Those damn vespas!!!! I've never seen so many senseless and stupid drivers in my life. Our hotel was in the ZTL zone and it was a pain getting there.

Hotel - Il Guelfo Bianco 85 euro a night, no parking.

The hotel was actually great, perfect location considering everything. No parking, I had to leave the keys at the front desk and a neighboring garage attendant came and got the car which really made me uneasy. The second day we walked to get the car and I should have just had them drive it to the hotel. It was parked three deep and I don't know how they got it into that space without hitting anything!

Anyways we drove to Tuscany and did some wine tasting in Chianti. Simply amazing! We stopped in Panzano and meet Dario Cecchini, the famous butcher. Eat lunch at his restaurant, Dario Doc, and then drank wine and sipped grappa with him. A truly awesome experience.

Next day walked around Florence. The city is beautiful but I truly wasn't impressed. I mean the David is great but after that it all seemed the same. There were too many tourists for me! The food was out of this world but honestly I don't know if I'd go back, especially on an ED. Maybe if we didn't have a car.

Left Florence for Nice, France. Checked into our hotel, Palais de la Méditerranée. Absolutely beautiful, I wanted to splurge a little for our last stop. We unloaded the car and brought our stuff to the room and then headed to the Nice drop off point. What a PITA finding this damn car wash – American Car Wash. It was decent but a hassle. Ended up dropping the car off and taking a taxi to the hotel – 30 euro.
We decided to do this instead of hotel parking at 40 euro a night.

Palais de la Méditerranée – paid 300 euro a night.

The hotel is first class top to bottom. The location is fantastic, right across from the beach and about 5 minutes from old town. First night we were tired so I ran and got some sandwiches. We got up the next morning and went to breakfast, it was 22 euro a person, way over priced IMHO. Then hung at the pool for the day. The concierge told us it's 25 euro a person per day to use the beach. Then I noticed the public beach was free we opted to try that for a few hours. The beach is pure rock and pebbles. The water is beautiful but quite tricky getting into the ocean, the rocks + drop-off equals difficultly walking. We stayed there for a few hours and then headed back to the pool. One night we ate at Le Demode in old town. Authentic French food and made for the locals. I was able to get by with my French and the meal was delish. It was 50 euro for two with a bottle of wine. Since the British open was going on we needed to find a sports bar. Stumbled upon Ma Nolan's in Old town and it was probably one of the best Irish bars I've been to and this is coming from someone who lives in an Irish dominated city. The food at Ma Nolan's was too good to be true. We got a few sandwiches and they were out of this world! Beers we delish and reasonable. It was really fun watching golf on one tv and Irish rugby on the next. The bar was filled with Irish people cheering on the match. I would highly recommend this for a few beers and/or dinner.

We took the train to Monaco the next day and that was a debacle. We had to wait in line to buy a ticket because the kiosks were so difficult to use. Round trip for two people was 14 euros I believe. The train was pretty dirty and smelled fresh but it was a quicker option then taking the bus (2hrs).
Monaco/Monte Carlo is absolutely ridiculous. I mean the money that is there is like nothing I've seen before. I stood in front of the old casino and snapped pictures of the cars for 30 minutes, I was in heaven. However besides that there's not that much to do. I think this is a must see if you're in the area.

We flew out of Nice Tuesday morning and made our way back to the States. This was our honeymoon and first European delivery and what an experience it was. I look forward to doing this again someday, hopefully soon! And thank you guys again for all the info. Cheers

Originally Posted by gehmjc21

This was our honeymoon and first European delivery and what an experience it was. I look forward to doing this again someday, hopefully soon! And thank you guys again for all the info. Cheers

Nice, another honeymooning couple! Sounds like a wonderful trip, and the car looks awesome. Lauterbrunnen sounds great and a quick Google search shows how beautiful it is. I also hit up Lake Como on my trip and it's such a great place to go relax.

"Enjoy" the wait for your car!

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland - Hotel Silberhorn 190-200 euro a night

I think I said this a few times now, my favorite part of the trip And quite honestly I didn't even know about the place. The hotel was fantastic. We checked in and Beat ("bay-ott") showed us to our room which was in the second building, second floor, room 60. We had a private balcony and a very decent sized room. The view was heavenly. We slept with the windows open each night and listened to the waterfalls, amazing! Breakfast was included and I have to say it was very good. Parking was free and safe - right behind the building.

We did the Jungfraubahn our first day and we lucked out with clear weather. It was quite expensive, 170 euro per person for the round trip from Lauterbrunnen station which was about 100 yards from the hotel. The trip up the mountain was mind-blowing, something out of a movie. On the way down we stopped at the base camp, can't remember the name, and then Wengen for a few beers. This is a must do trip IMHO.

The next day we walked up to Stauubach falls and walked all the way down to Trümmelbach falls. That was 10 euro per person to enter but it was pretty cool to see the power of the water rushing through the mountain. As we walked back we witnessed a few base jumpers take the leap, crazy stuff!

Last we drove down to Interlaken and walked around. Nothing to write home about, a few good bars and restaurants but I'd prefer staying in Lauterbrunnen (for a hotel) away from the backpackers and college kids.

Overall I would say this area is a must see and the drive from Munich to Lauterbrunnen was the most scenic we experienced! We'll be back again.

Left Lauterbrunnen and drove to Lake Como - 150 miles and 5hrs! We had to drive up the mountain and back down so it took awhile. The views were worth the drive! Then we hit traffic once we got on the autobahn, but the end prize was worth it.

Lake Como - Albergo Lenno 160-180 euro a night

Lake Como was fantastic, and Jack/Luca/Alberto were such great hosts. Jack is the brother of Alberto, the owner. He was great from the moment we pulled into the lot. They reserved us an underground spot for 10 euro a night. The hotel is perfectly situated next to the Lenno ferry stop. And luckily it has a beautiful pool which we needed with the summer heat.

We spent one day exploring Bellagio - beautiful and I would go back. The next day with did lunch at Isola Comacina. This was the most incredible eating experience in my life. An 8 course meal and the food was out of this world! Google this and make a reservation. It was 65 euro per person.

Last day we relaxed at the pool and rented a boat for a few hours. We explored the lake and of course looked at Clooney's mansion (my wife's doing). He was actually in town with his family.

Lenno has some great restaurants right on the water. I can't remember the name of the place we ate, but it's right next to Sport Bar. Phenomenal homemade pasta! About 200 yards from the hotel.

We'll be back to Como and Lauterbrunnen for sure, and definitely Albergo Lenno.

I knew you'd like the Berner Oberland. It's jaw droppingly beautiful. When I grow up, I want to spend a summer as a part-time barista in Lauterbrunnen. I figure it's a great place to meet just about everyone (find hiking companions) and on my time off I'd hike and bike all over. In 2010 I took my parents for a 15 night trip to northern Italy and Switzerland - Berner Oberland primarily. The morning we were waiting for a train to head to Geneva (last night before flying home) I wandered over to the main coffee shop. It was quite early and the coffee shop was not open yet but the barista was inside, singing and prepping for the day. The front door was wide open with a chair in front (signifying - still closed). She saw me loitering and made me a cappuccino anyway. It was such a pretty morning, I was sad to leave so early, and I thought how great it would be to be a barista and have no cares other than to make coffee, meet cool hikers, and spend the rest of my time in the great outdoors...

We stayed in Wengen on that trip. Partway up the mountain and the earliest train gave us probably 20 more minutes of sleep than it did you... the midway where you stopped was Kleine Scheidegg. For the next time, a fabulously beautiful and very easy hike starts in Wengen and ends at Kleine Scheidegg. Well, you take the cable car from Wengen up to Mannlichen, and start there. The walk to KS is very gentle - not much of a slope. And GORGEOUS.

Another "next time": Schynigge Platte. Oh my. You take the train all the way up, and then hike to the overlook over Interlaken and the two lakes.

I knew you'd like Albergo Lenno, too! Love love love love this tiny little village. It's so serene and pretty. The owners are really nice. What did you think of their breakfast - fresh squeezed OJ! The pool and garage are huge pluses. There are many Grand Hotels along the western side but in seeing them up close you don't have a lot of serenity - the main road is just below and you have to cross it in order to be lakeside. Lenno is an oasis.

That's a sharp looking car. Congrats!

Thanks for sharing and if you have more that you want to share, would love to see them...

Originally Posted by AggieKnight

That's a sharp looking car. Congrats!

Thanks for sharing and if you have more that you want to share, would love to see them...

+1

Originally Posted by mdsbuc

+1

Hey guys, here are some pics I put on the 6er site.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=632650

I'll have to get some more up. But there's a lot more over there!

That's a sexy car. I can only imagine trying to squeeze that big girl into those euro parking garages. It was hard enough with my E90.

Originally Posted by gehmjc21

Hey guys, here are some pics I put on the 6er site.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=632650

I'll have to get some more up. But there's a lot more over there!

Perfect!

Originally Posted by 3ismagic#

That's a sexy car. I can only imagine trying to squeeze that big girl into those euro parking garages. It was hard enough with my E90.

It was horrible!

Even worse was giving to someone I didn't know (hotel valet parking attendant) in Florence to park in three blocks away. I didn't sleep that night!