BHPian vb-saan recently shared this with other enthusiasts:A Summer Road Trip – France & GermanyI am someone who caught the travel bug a bit late in life – to be precise, from 2019 onwards. I used to travel a lot before that also, but that was all either work-related trips or short holidays mostly around Southeast Asia. A trip to the US west coast in the winter or 2019 was our first long holiday as a family. And that completely changed the way I view travel. I discovered the joy of road trips, impromptu stops, wandering into unknown places, discovering different cuisines and cultures, and above all, it was a journey of discovering yourself. At the end of that trip, we decided that we would go on a long holiday at least once a year. That decision had a validity period of exactly 3 months. As the saying goes – Man plans, God laughs, the world went on a lockdown with Covid-19 pandemic and along with the flights, our travel plans got grounded for the next two years. Around the beginning of 2022 the Corona clouds started clearing off and we decided to start back on the travel plans. And in the summer of 2022, we restarted the holiday travels and from then on, it’s carried out as an annual routine (all documented here in the forum). Every year we look at various options but somehow Europe gets the nod, and this year was no different. In the last three years, the trips had Germany, Italy, Switzerland in focus, and so this year France was decided as the focus country. Not sure if it’s because of the familiarity, I end up planning the trips with entry and exit out of Germany. Singapore Airlines flight to Frankfurt getting readied for boarding. In the past 3 years we took the midnight flight from Singapore (via Middle East) and land in Europe around early afternoon. This time it was a morning flight from Singapore, and we landed in Frankfurt in the evening, around 6:30 pm. Airport passport checks, and baggage clearance was smooth, and we got out in less than 30 minutes. Finding the Sixt rental counter was easy, and since I opted for Priority Service my pickup was from the diamond lounge. The advantage of this EUR 30 add-on is almost no queueing, and the rental car pick-up is literally from the parking lot outside and thus avoiding the long walk / navigation through the multilevel carpark to locate the car (highly recommended option to select). At the Sixt counter, the lady said the car I selected was not available, but she can give a free upgrade, with the options of an X2 M35i, or a VW Touareg. I was not very happy with the choices; I mentioned that my booking was for a guaranteed model (BMW M340i Touring) and I expect the car to be available. Secondly the options provided – the X2 M35i was the car we got last year, and the Touareg was just too big. While she was checking for alternate options, there were a couple of rental returns, and my selected model was also in that. She asked if I could wait for some 15 minutes for them to get the car ready, and I was happy to do so. While waiting I asked her how long she had been with Sixt, and with a beaming smile she said it’s now 27 years. I said I am not sure, but I think she attended to me back in 2022 summer, and I rented the same make/model. And she was like “now I remember, you said you don’t like Audi and insisted on getting a BMW, and I gave you an upgrade”. That was a nice chitchat, and she looked distinctly pleased with her memory. A few minutes her colleague came with the keys, registration was done swiftly, terms and conditions were explained, and she directed us to the car that was parked just outside the terminal building. Checked the car all around and took a walkaround video; it had a few dirt marks outside (probably because it was just returned from the previous rental). Interiors were all cleaned well, and the car was relatively new with only around 16300 kms done. Soon we were on the way to our stop for the night (Heidelberg), maintaining sane speeds on the Autobahn. Initially I had thought of staying around Frankfurt city center, which was like a 20 minutes’ drive from the airport. Another option was to drive out of Frankfurt and stop for the night outside the city limits, and I chose the latter. Heidelberg was the first town we visited during our road trip in 2022, but back then we just drove through the old town and did not really get out and explore. It took less than an hour to get to Heidelberg (~80 km from the airport). Checked in to hotel, and later stepped out for a quick dinner, and closed the night early – much needed after a 13-hour long flight, and one hour drive Summer means the sun is out until almost 10:00 pm The Neckar river after sunset Colmar and the Alsace Region, FranceColmar is said to be one of the most picturesque cities in the Alsace region. The half-timbered houses and the streets have a strong German influence. The region is also said to be an influence for the settings of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”. Morning in Colmar La Lauch – the river that flows through the town. This area around the course of the river is famously known as the La Petite Venise (or Little Venice). The half-timbered buildings and architecture were not too different from the neighboring German towns, but just the colors were a bit more vibrant on the French side. Stopped for coffee and some croissants, and then went back to the apartment Later in the day, we stepped out to visit some of the nearby towns While walking to the carpark, stopped for another coffee at this quaint little cafe After that took the car out, and the first stop was a small town called Ribeauvill, which was around 20 kms from Colmar. Walking to the town center from the car park. It was almost lunchtime and sun was blazing down in full strength. Spent some time walking around there and got into a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch, got back to the car, and the next stop was a nearby castle Chteau du Haut-Koenigsbourg. The castle was closed for renovation, spent some time around the caf there, and after that decided to go back to Colmar. It was getting quite hot, and the dry heat was something we were not really prepared for (more on that later). Walked a bit on the river side in the evening, and closed the night early. 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