Planes, trains & automobiles
Eddy Fischer

It seems like no time at all since I wrote my last story about our trip to Europe and the MBCCCI conference, but a year has past and we have once again made the annual pilgrimage to the Fatherland, this time via San Francisco and returning through Los Angeles, which made very interesting traveling due to the security measures.

Preparations for this trip once again involved working all hours to ensure we could shut our business down for a fortnight – the joys of being self employed. With a car/s, house and pet sitter firmly acclimatized we left Palmerston North for Auckland in order to catch a nighttime flight to San Francisco on an upgraded Boeing 777.

There are two things I have learnt on this last trip – use Air New Zealand if going to or from the States and always get a nighttime long-haul flights, they are so much easier on the system.

These new Air New Zealand planes that fly across the Pacific to the States and back are great, even in cattle class. We noticed more legroom and even personal TV screens for ‘on demand’ movies. The seats and service were very good.

This was our first time in San Francisco and from the great time we had there, it certainly won’t be the last. I had been watching the world weather on Teletex to see what it would be like in the different countries. In San Francisco it should be about 17oC, usually windy with fog on the Bay. But on existing the Terminal building it was about 23oC, calm with clear blue sky. Even the locals where surprised by this weather, which stayed with us for our two day visit.

The first day was spent just walking around and getting a ‘feel’ for the place, then we took a

‘red bus’ tour to see the sights. I strongly recommend you use these tours if available as you can hop off them where ever and hop back on when it suits. When we got to Fisherman’s wharf we got off the double-decker bus to explore and have lunch. It is a fascinating place, but as with all tourist attractions – it is over commercialised, with shops trying to sell you all sorts of rubbish everywhere.

 Alcatraz – ‘The Rock’

Having a restaurant meal in the States is a whole new experience. Firstly you have to wait at the door or by a desk until you are seated, you don’t just go and grab a seat. Then when you want your bill, you have to ask for the ‘cheque’ (seems the wrong way around to me).

Then you not only pay for the meal but also must add or leave a 15 – 20% tip on top of that. Plus the advertised price gets about 8% in taxes added to it. Plus if you have a group of 6 or more you pay an extra 20% (from memory) on top again, but no tax on drinks. We saw one group of people come in and ask for two tables of four in order not to pay this. The money is all the same colour – all in all very very confusing. We learnt all this from the restaurant owner, a very kind man who was only too happy to answer all our questions. We finished walking around Fisherman’s wharf, which is basically restaurants (mainly seafood) and shops selling souvenirs. From the wharf we looked out to the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz prison in the fog free Bay. I now see why they call it the ‘rock’ cause that is all it is – a huge rock with some big buildings on it.

Cable car turn around point – Fisherman’s Wharf

Once again we boarded the red bus to finish the city tour. We had dinner in a Bloomindales department store food court, which was huge, this proved far easier than the restaurant.

The next day was more sightseeing plus a trip on the world-famous cable car. The gradient these things go up and down is breath-taking and a lot of faith must be put into those cables is all I can say. They go from centre city (Union Square) to Fisherman’s Wharf and back for $10US. This trip is a must if you visit here.

We had another full day in SF as the plane didn’t leave until late at night, so more exploring and shopping took place before catching our transfer van to the airport, this time flying with Lufthansa into Munich. As we have come to expect with this airline – no personal TV’s and average service.

The flight was uneventful and Munich airport seemed a lot newer and better than the infamous Frankfurt, though we only had enough time to get through the very strict immigration system

 and walk straight on to the next flight - a 737 jet to Stuttgart. This took about 30 minutes and we were longer taxiing on the two runways than in the air.

We have become very used to Stuttgart, its airport and its friendly people, one of which was there once again to meet us – Rolf Wanner. Rolf and Evelyn Wanner have become very good friends and we look forward to meeting and spending time with them each year. Rolf took us to the hotel for some much needed sleep.

The next day was a free one; as you cannot fly to the other side of the world then give 100% at a conference the next day in a jet-lagged state. We spent it sleeping in and walking the beautiful pedestrian mall in the centre of Stuttgart. The mall is flanked at one end by the railway station, which has a revolving Mercedes-Benz star on the apex of its tower block and has a beautiful castle, park and ancient church near the other end.

 Stuttgart pedestrian mall

That evening we had dinner at a local restaurant with all the Club Presidents from the different Australian State Clubs, plus Rolf and Evelyn also joined us, which helped greatly with language difficulties.  The highlight of this dinner apart from the great conversation was a back massage by a team of ‘mobile masseuses’, several of us took advantage of this for approx $10. I was most grateful, as I had put my shoulder out from sleeping on strange hotel beds and after the massage – no pain whatsoever!

The MBCCCI Conference 2006

Friday - after the first of several world-class breakfasts, the Australian Club Presidents and I had organised a meeting prior to the conference starting. Also in attendance was Rainer Finkbeiner, who has taken over from Karin Baer as the MBCCCI liaison for the ‘overseas’ clubs.

The topics discussed were mainly in regard to future rallies, ours included plus the Silver Star Awards and one Club for Australia, which strangely enough no Australian President will support. I personally think it would be the best thing that could happen to the Aussies Clubs. Just think of the high-class magazine they could produce each month with the numbers they have?

 Castle and park - Stuttgart

After lunch, it was straight on the bus for Unterturkheim – a Mercedes-Benz factory and conference centre. It is also the location of the new museum. There were about 60 club presidents at this conference and DC is active in forming new clubs around the world, speaking of which we heard from the new Brazilian club president who runs a ‘classic only’ club where the applicants are interviewed before being allowed to join – yeah right! That club is bound to be a barrel of joy to belong to.

We were welcomed once again by Dieter Ritter, who outlined the points of discussion. The day’s agenda was all to do with the Internet as it plays such an important role in finding and joining new members. We were told that 88% of club members worldwide had access to the Internet and that 75% of those that enquire through the net – join the club. DC Germany is offering all national clubs a free standardise website format, which they will help set up.  Several clubs already use it.

For someone who is not right up there in computer skills, I found the afternoon a bit tedious, especially as one lengthy presentation turned out to be an entire history of a particular club incorporating self praise at every opportunity, rather than staying with the topic.

Dinner that evening was back at the hotel where I once again caught up with Caroline who had been out shopping with Margaret the partner of the ACT (Aus) president – Lynn Harrison. Apparently they had a great time.

Saturday – After a hurried but amazing breakfast, it was back on the bus at 8:30am to the conference centre. Then came one of the highlights of this conference – a welcoming speech by none other than Dr Dieter Zetsche, the CEO of DaimlerChrysler and at the helm of a company that has 350,000 employees. I found him a very gentle and well-spoken man and I had the pleasure of having a short talk to him at the morning tea break. He said he has heard that New Zealand is very beautiful and would love to visit one day.

He mentioned during his speech the passion that we, the club members have for the marque and how much DC appreciates that. He said that because we drive all ages and models, plus keep them in such good condition that it helps prove the longevity of the marquee. This is why DC is a big supporter of the Clubs and will continue to be so. That was reassuring to hear from the top man himself. He also mentioned the new S Class, which has double the sales figures of any of its competitors.

Other items of interest during the day were: -

There are 68 clubs worldwide, with some 75,000 members. Each European member buys a new car every 41/2 years, 60% are Mercedes-Benz at an average cost of 50,000Euro ($100,000NZ).

The new head of the MB Museum is Michael Bock and as I understand it, the Mercedes-Benz Classic Car Club International (MBCCCI) now comes under the jurisdiction of the Museum.

49 clubs had taken up the new MB Club Card and some 36,000 cards had been printed.

Matthais Schroeder, head of Marketing for DC, gave a presentation on the new CL, which had just been launched and took three and a half years to develop. There will be about 8,000 built per year and the 2007 production has already been pre-sold!

The new C Class will be launched in March 2007.

Sunday – this was the first chance to get to see the new Mercedes-Benz museum that some, myself included, had all seen previously as a carpark and paddock, and then twice during construction, so the finished product was truly appreciated. It is a marvel of architecture and engineering, without a straight wall in the whole complex, everything is curved and is fashioned on the double helix shape - DNA.

Unfortunately the two hours here were far too short and was further frustrated by a totally unnecessary introductory speech before we could take a look. We were soon in the private queue to board the ‘Flash Gordon’ type elevators that took you to the top of the complex so you could descend, easily by foot, down the complex in awe of what you saw around you with each step.

Me at the museum

To say this building was amasing would be an understatement – you have to see it. There are 170 cars on display and they have 100 more that they can use to change the displays

After a very speedy walk through the museum, and a visit to the shop on the basement floor (20% of all goods with the Club Card), it was back on the bus to the hotel.

During lunch, goodbyes where exchanged as the different club Presidents left, some for long journeys homes and other just a few hours on the autobahn.

For us – the adventure was just beginning.

Waiting for us after lunch were Rolf & Evelyn. They were going to take us to their family apartment in a small town in Switzerland. After checking out and loading our entire luggage in the brand new Ford Galaxy wagon (Rolf works in a Ford dealership but loves and owns Mercedes-Benz cars), we were off on a very scenic trip through Germany and Austria to Switzerland.

On the way we past Lake Constance, a rich playground with hotels by the dozen clinging to its shores. Into Switzerland and the first impressions are awe inspiring, with the huge rugged mountains everywhere. The thing that still amazes me about this place is the engineering skills of these people. They have built roads, railways and whole towns on the edge of mountains everywhere. It is all very much like you see on the postcards.

After four hours of driving, which seemed like minutes due to the scenery you were kept busy admiring, it was time for a coffee stop. The car parks were full and it was more like a mini shopping centre than a café. The service was quick and coffee good and after paying for a pee, (common in Europe) in no time at all we were back on the road.

The village where we stayed was typical of the region, with one narrow main street and a few others off that. It contained all the shops you would need so you did not have to venture further, even a good size hospital. The apartment was on the forth and top floor, incorporating the step sloping roof beams in its ceiling. There was no heating on and it remained very warm and comfortable due to its construction. New Zealand could learn a few things about energy saving from the Swiss.

 We are on the top floor –r/h side    (below) View from the balcony

That night Caroline wanted to sleep with the window open so she could hear the ‘clunking’ of the cowbells in the distance. (Yes the cows still have bells around their necks).

The next morning we boarded the Bernina Express train, which went through the Swiss Alps to Torano in Italy. The carriages were clean and comfortable with huge panoramic window incorporating most of the roof, so you go a good view of everything. Once again the engineering of this track system was incredible and the workers must have endured some very dangerous and inhospitable conditions during construction. At one stage the electric train climbs 1000m in five kilometers, a gradient of 70 in 1000, which is the maximum a train can do using the principle of adhesion. At one stage we are 2.5 klms above sea level amongst glaciers and permanent ski fields. Rolf told us that sadly these glaciers are retreating some 15 – 30m each year and experts said that by the year 2025, there would be no glaciers left in Switzerland.

 Glaciers  - Swiss Alps

We past through the playgrounds of the rich, with names like St Moritz passing us by. On numerous slopes there are ski lifts and cable cars – more amazing engineering. At the top of the Alps are many lakes, all with different colour waters depending on the minerals present.

We pass through the dolomite ranges and the Italian boarder to arrive in the town of Torano at around lunchtime. We had a few problems getting past immigration, as we did not have our passports with us. Normally you can go through Europe without any problems. But after some smooth talking by Rolf and showing them our New Zealand ID, we went through but only to find all the shops closed, as is the custom in Italy. They re-open a few hours later and remain open longer than in NZ. Luckily the restaurants and cafes were open, so we had lunch (pasta of course) and a coffee at a different spot. We only had about an hour and a half here so after a walk around, it was back on the train for the return journey. As you were now sitting on the other side of the train, this gave us new scenery to look at.

View from train – Swiss Alps

It was autumn here and the snow hadn’t arrived yet making it a good time to do this train trip. On the way back we had a short stop at the town of Ponteresina, were got off and stretched our legs.

It wasn’t long before we were back in the warm Swiss apartment having another lovely meal prepared by Evelyn. After much conversation and a few drinks, we went to bed to rest for our next adventure.

After breakfast we packed our bags ready for a car journey through the Alps this time to a Duty Free town in Italy. A strange place, where you could buy duty free goods in every shop. I think you had to be a different nationality to do this as Italian guards were at the exits searching cars for illicit booze etc. Anyway the journey there was once again an adventure in itself, traveling over winding roads that defy gravity and through tunnels several kilometres long. Once again I found myself thinking ‘how did they build this?’

We had a coffee at the duty free town, the name of which escapes me, and noted in the car that the outside temperature was 2.5 degrees, but it was hot enough in the sun to have your coffee on the seats outside the café.

This day would take us to four different countries (Switzerland, Italy, Austria & Germany), something completely foreign to us kiwis. After a few more hours of driving we stopped in Austria at a café outside a lake and castle – very picturesque. During the trip I had been talking about the famous castle that is used in lots of films (especially Disney ones), which I thought was in Lichtenstein, but the next thing you know we were there. Rolf had taken a detour to show us this ‘Fantasyland’ castle built by King Ludwig in the 1800’s. It was beautiful just like the postcards, though as always - very commercialised.

Rolf and Evelyn dropped us off at our new hotel for the night as the plane left early next morning for Frankfurt then Los Angeles. We once again thanked them for their hospitality and looking after us so well.

Caroline in Italy (I made her stand by this sign)    (below) King Ludwig’s ‘fantasyland’ castle

Another castle only about 500m away from the first (Germany)

After an excellent evening meal of Weiner Snitzel and a good night sleep, we ordered a taxi to the airport and once again we boarded a 737 jet to Frankfurt. Because we were going to LA the security was the strictest we have come across. Every person got a full body pat down, front and rear. There was literally ‘no stone unturned’ for the guys. Any non-complying liquids that were not in your main luggage was taken from you. Wine bottles, decorative flasks filled with brandy, lovely presents that contained some liquid or another – all were taken off you. Passengers had plenty of warning before getting to the queue that all liquids in your hand luggage must be less than 150mls and contained in a clear plastic bag and kept separate, so only had themselves to blame.

Once again the Lufthansa flight, which left at 2pm, was devoid of personal entertainment and had average service, with seats that were so hard – they were uncomfortable. Oh to rich and travel business class! The highlight of this flight was flying over Greenland and looking at the rugged ice covered terrain below. Then experiencing the worst turbulence ever, so bad that the stewardesses were yelling at the passengers to sit down and belt up!

We arrived in LA at about 4pm to a very hot day. After some help from airport staff, we found our transfer van and climbed on board for the 15minute ride to our hotel. It is advisable to get hotels nears the airport if having short stays in these busy cities as the traffic could hold you up for hours. We went for a short walk before going to bed early, as our ‘body clocks’ had not adjusted to the time zone change. Because this we were up very early to and after breakfast we had to wait around for shops to open etc. In the meantime we took a taxi to a huge ‘Target’ stores (like K Mart), which was open early. There was the usual junk, though some bargains were procured.

Across the road was an Interior Design complex, which made Caroline’s eyes light up (as she is an Interior Designer). A few hours were spent in here and several ideas gained and items purchased before making our way back to the hotel. That night we dined (if you could call it that) at a Denny’s restaurant (if you could call it that). The people are fat and the food is fast. The amounts dished up are huge and the amount of wastage is huge. All in all, not a pleasant experience.

The next day we took a city tour of LA, taking in places like Venice or Muscle Beach, (Bay Watch) which was once again filled with grubby little shops trying to sell you crap or beggars after your

Typical cars on Rodeo Drive … Mercedes-Benz & Bentley
(below) Tom Cruise’s new house

‘loose change’

’The tour then took us on the freeway along Bundy Drive made famous by O.J Simpson’s Bronco escape chase, to the stark contrast of Rodeo Drive were the Cartier and Channel shops lined the street, where every second car was a Mercedes-Benz or Hummer, then on to Wilshire Boulevard past the hotel where ‘Pretty Woman’ was filmed.

As the driver was running ahead of schedule – he took us to see a few stars homes in Beverly Hills. We pasted the homes of: - Johnny Demp, Jack Nicholson, Ossie Osbourne, Kevin Costner who had a new S Class in his driveway, Dr Phil, Hallie Berry, Tom Cruise, Charlton Hesston, Morgan Freeman,  & Vin Diesel. Then along the wide street lined with palm trees that Jed Clampit and Elle-May drove in the truck with granny on the back in the Beverly Hillbillies.

After a breath-taking view in LA from the Hollywood hills (near the sign), we went to the ‘walk of fame’ and Chinese Theatre. Even the Tour Guide said, “don’t be too disappointed” and I can see why. The ‘walk of fame’ is a grubby footpath badly in need of a water blaster, with embedded names of people – half of whom I had never heard of and as for the Chinese theatre, though the building was impressive there were people everywhere trying to extract money from you in one way or another – commercialism to the utter extreme!

The final port of call was the Farmers Market and in complete contrast, this was pleasant and clean and we would definitely come here again. We had a delicious very late lunch here at one of the huge food courts, as we would get another meal on the plane that night.  Another thing that spoilt the tour was the constant whining from the tour guide about people not leaving him a tip at the end as he tried to explain that that is what he lives on.

The ‘land of the free’ is a strange place, consumerism and wastage to the max, a place where the price on an item is never the real price and everyone is after their pound of flesh from you. That is my opinion of the USA that I have seen.

Our tour bus … Dodge Sprinter (exact copy of a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter)

I think we were both glad to get to the airport, handing out our final tip to the transfer van driver.

LA airport is a strange place in that you walk straight off the footpath into a departure gate system where your bags are checked and you get your boarding pass. We thought this was going to take a long time, so left early. But in 20 minutes we were walking around the shops at the departure gate with 3 hours to spare, as that is how much time they tell you to be at the airport before your flight these days. The time went quick enough after several coffees and talking to different interesting people. Americans on the whole are very friendly people.

 What a joy it was to once again be on an upgraded Air New Zealand aircraft for a relaxed nighttime flight to Auckland. Great seats, service and entertainment.

I end every one of these stories with the same message. Don’t ever moan about living in New Zealand – it is the best country in the world by far. As the song says “we don’t know how lucky we are.”

 Eddy Fischer