germany

Customs
Non-EC citizens may import the following free of duty: 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco, 1 liter of spirits consisting of greater than 22 percent alcohol by volume or 2 liters of spirits consisting of less than 22 percent alcohol by volume, 2 liters of still wine, 50 grams of perfume, 0.25 liters of toilet water, and other goods to a value of EUR60. You may import 10 liters of spare fuel free of duty if your vehicle is registered in an EU country.

License
Generally foreign drivers licenses are valid for one year. Technically a German translation of the license is required, but it's not likely you'll be asked for one. You can if necessary buy one from the German ADAC motoring club for some EUR40. Alternatively you can buy an Internaional Driving Permit from your country's national auto club for a lot less before you go abroad. Tourists only need bring their good old domestic license. However, if staying beyond a year and not an armed forces member, you may need to get a German license (Fhrerschein). Prerequisites are a valid license from your country and residence in Germany for more than six months but not more than three years. However, citizens of certain countries enjoy what's known as Pruuml;fungsfreiheit, which means they are not subject ot either written or road tests to get their licenses transferred. These countries include all EU member states, Andorra, the Channel Islands, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, South Korea, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, New Caledonia, Norway, French Polynesia, San Marino, Slovenia, and Switzerland&151;each outstanding, as everyone knows, for their ambiance of excellent drivers. (But even citizens of these so-favored nations will have to pay a fee of EUR35 to transfer their licenses if they are sticking around beyond the one-year limit.) Some US states do enjoy such full reciprocity. A local German driver's license office (Fuuml;hrerscheinstelle) can inform you of your particular responsibilities. In Frankfurt, this office is at Mainzerlandstrsse 321 and is open Monday and Wednesday from 7 am to 1 pm, Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 am to 1 pm; tel. 069 212 42 334. There's a special test called Prfung for new residents. It's difficult. The first portion, administered at the local traffic office (Verkehrsamt), covers rules, signs, vocab and energy conservation. If you pass, you can move on to a driving school (Fahrschule) to take the hour-long on-the-road driving portion. Pass and your license is good forever. Driving schools conduct preparatory courses. Go for the short rules and signs class for new residents rather than the full driving course, which very expensive and extensive. If a school doesn't offer the special short course for new residents, find one that does.

Equipment
You must carry a warning triangle (Warndreick) in your vehicle; though this does not apply to motorcyclists. All vehicles must be equipped with a first-aid kit

(Verbandkasten) and spare bulbs are required. Helmets are compulsory for motorcyclists and their passengers.

Concessions for Hostellers

Scandinavian Seaways offers discounts on its ferry service between Hamburg, Germany, and Harwich or New Castle, England, for groups of 10 or more, members being under 26 years of age. Stena Sealink Line offers a 10 percent discount on its ferry service between Gteborg, Sweden, and Kiel, Germany; but tickets are obtainable only at Terra Nova Travel Sections in Sweden and are valid for Monday through Thursday travel from June through August. The ferry service between Luxhaven, Germany, and Helgoland (a Danish Island) is discounted for groups of 6 or more, members being under 23 years of age.

Non-toll Mountain Passes

B307/B181's Aachen Pass, Tegernsee to Jenbach, Austria. 941 meters; usually open in winter; maximum grade is 14.3 percent; minimum width is 5.9 meters (19 ft.); especially scenic; not recommended for caravans.

Fuel
In general major credit cards are accepted. Stations, though, are not half as prolific as in the USA. And don't expect to find any conveniently situated near airport rental locations. Leaded super gasoline has an octane rating of 98. Unleaded gasoline is called bleifrei normal or bleifrei super. Regular unleaded gasoline has an octane rating of 91; the octane rating of super is 95 or 98. Diesel is, in fact, called diesel. LPG is called autogas.

Road Signs
Abblendlicht Abstand halten Alle Richtungen Altstadt Anfang An geraden Tagen An ungeraden Tagen An Sonn- und Feiertagen Anleiger Frei Anschlu Anwohner Frei Auf dem Seitenstreifen Ausfahrt Autobahndreieck Autobahnkreuz Bauarbeiten Baustelle Dipped headlights Maintain distance All directions Oldtown Start, beginning On even days (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) On odd days (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) On Sundays and holidays Certain permits void this restriction Junction Residents are free of this restriction On the shoulder Exit Autobahn "T" junction Autobahn junction Roadworks Roadworks

Baustellenfahrzeuge frei Baustofflagerung Bei Nsse Belegt Besetzt Bitte Sauberhalten Bis Centrum Dauer Durchfahrt verboten Einbahnstrae Einfahrt Einordnen Einsatzfahrzeuge frei Ende Fahrbahnwechsel Fahrtrichtung Frei Freiefahrt Frostchden Fugnger Eigen Gasse Gefahr/gefhrlich Gesamte Glatteisgefahr Grenze Grenze Kontrolle Halt Haltestelle Keine, Kein Keine einfahrt Keine mofas Kfz. Kraftfahrzeugwerkstatt Krankenfahrzeuge frei Kreuzung Land- und forstwirtschaftlicher Verker frei Landschafts Schutzgebiet Langsam fahren Licht einschalten Lieferverkehr frei Linienverkehr frei Links einbiegen Lsen Lkw. Mittwoche Nur Nur mit Parkschein Parkhaus Parkplatz Parkscheibe Parkschein Parkscheinautomat Parkuhr Pkw. Polizei Radweg kreutz Raststtte

Construction vehicles only Roadwork equipment During wet conditions Full Full Please keep this a clean place Until City Center Duration No through traffic One-way street Entrance Enter the lane, merge Operations vehicles only End Change lanes Direction of travel Free, permitted Road is clear Frost damage Pedestrian Own Lane Danger, risk Entire Icy road Border Customs inspection Stop Bus/tram stop No No entry No mopeds Motor vehicle Motor vehicle repair shop Ambulances only Intersection Agricultural and forestry vehicles only No parking Drive slowly Turn on lights Delivery vehicles only Scheduled transit vehicles only Turn left Take Heavy trucks Wednesdays Only Only with a parking permit ticket Parking garage Parking lot Parking disc Parking permit ticket Parking permit ticket machine Parking meter Private/passenger vehicles Police Bicycle-path crossing Service area

Rechts einbiegen Rechts fahren Rollsplitt Sackgasse Schlechte Wegstrecke Schulbus Schlerlotse Seitenstreifen nicht befahrbar Sperrgebeit Sperrung Spur Stadtzcentrum Stadmitte Stau Strae Straenbahn Straenschden Streugut Stunde(n) Tankstelle berholen berholen verboten Umleitung Unfall Verboten Verengte Fahrbahn Verkehr Verkehrshelfer Verschmutzte Fahrbahn Vorfahrt Vorfahrt beachten Vorfahrtstrae Vorrang Vorsicht Weg Werktags Wochentage Wohnwagen Zentrum Zufahrt frei

Turn right Keep right Loose Material Dead end, cul-de-sac Bad section of road School bus School crossing guard Do not use shoulder Restricted area Closure Traffic lane Town center Town center Slow traffic;drive with care Street Streetcar Road damage Road salt/sand Hour(s) Fuel station Passing No passing Detour Accident; drive with care Prohibited Road narrows Traffic School crossing guard Dirt on the road Priority (right of way) Yield Priority road Priority (right of way) Be careful Way, lane Workdays Weekdays Caravan, motorhome, RV Town center Access permitted

The word bahnhof, whether alone or incorporated in another word, indicates a train station. International sections of the Autobahn are signified by green rectangles bearing an E; while the letter A is used to signify intranational sections of the Autobahn. National roads are marked by black numbers on a yellow background. Unlike in the USA, there are few roadside signs which indicate the road number. Exit numbers are signed on the 300-meters-to-exit sign, which is depicted below. A U on a blue sign is sometimes used to indicate a detour. If two numbers are given where you would expect to see a speed limit, these numbers represent the speed range. "SO" or Sonntag = Sunday; "MO" or Montag = Monday; "DI" or Dienstag = Tuesday; "MI" or Mittwoch = Wednesday; Werktage or Mittwoche = workdays or weekdays; "DO" or Donnerstag = Thursday; "FR" or Freitag = Friday; "SA" or Samstag or Sonnabend = Saturday. The hierarchy of the roads is well established. Forest and field ways (Wldwege and Feldwege) are one-lane paved or unpaved (sealed or unsealed) roads a rung above a footpath. Access to a Waldweg is often restricted by a barrier. City

streets (Straen) are next up and of course run the gamut. County roads (Kreisstraen) consist of two lanes running between smaller towns. Although officially denoted by a "K" preceding a number, this designation is not posted on signs. State roads (Landestraen) are similar but connect larger towns. Likewise denoted by an "L" preceding a number, again unposted. Federal roads (Bundestraen) are bigger and denoted by a "B" number, in this case posted. These are usually two lanes but can swell to four or six, at which point they are considered expressways (Kraftfahrstrae, otherwise known as Autobahnhnlich or "Autobahn-similar" roads) and are marked by a square blue sign bearing a white head-on view of a car. Motor vehicles only may travel these Autobahnsimilar expressways. Emergency phones are in place at 5 to 7 km intervals along the Bundestraen. I detail the king of roadsthe Autobahnbelow. It is signified by an "A" prefix (non-posted) followed a one, two or three digit number, the third being employed for metropolitan spurs only. Unlike the USA's system of numbering North-South routes with odd numbers and East-West routes with even, the numbering follows no plan. Moreover the cardinal directions are not used as indicators. Instead city names serve this purpose.

Autobahn 48

National Road 35

Exit

Autobahn junction

Danger: Sudden fog

Traffic info radio

Tourist attraction

One-way street

Bus or tram Traffic stop calming zone

Driving
The minimum age of a driver is 17 years. Children must be at least 12 years of age to sit in the front seat (unless the seat is equipped with a child restraint). Children under 12 years of age and seated in the rear of the vehicle must be in a child seat if such a seat is fitted; the fine for violating this is EUR22. The use of seat belts is compulsory for front- and rear-seat passengers. The legal blood alcohol limit is 0.05 percent. Speed limits are as follows: 50 km/h (30 mph) in built-up areas; 30 km/h (18 mph) in built-up areas when you see painted on the road white triangles pointing at you or when you see the new "30-Zone" sign; 100 km/h (62 mph) or 130 km/h (81 mph) outside built-up areas; a recommended 130 km/h (81 mph) on the Autobahn (there being no speed limit on most stretches of the Autobahn; though on the more congested, urban, or curvy stretches variable limits of 90 km/h to 120 km/h (54 to 72 mph)

depending on present traffic congestion are to be expected, and the limit may reach as low as 60 km/h (36 mph) in construction zones); and 80 km/h (50 mph) for cars with caravans or trailers traveling outside built-up areas or on expressways. Trucks and buses are usually limited to 80 km/h or 100 km/h on expressways; so if the high speeds are not for you, you can slide in with the big boys and go with their slower flow. When the visibility is below 50 meters, speeds are limited to 50 km/h. In many places numbers are painted on lanes to indicate speed limits; this is especially the case where a rather sudden slowdown is required. Automatic cameras are used extensively to catch violators. These cameras may be permanently rigged or in unmarked police cars parked on the shoulder. The ticket will be posted a few days later to the address on the registration. Car rental companies will forward such tickets to the offending client. Don't expect the photo to accompany the ticket: police ceased including these photos as such a few years ago after the photos in several cases exposed spousal infidelities. You'll have to go to the station to see the photo. Fines are as follows. Driving 21 to 25 km/h over the speed limit can result in a EUR52 fine; 26 to 30 will cost you EUR62; 31 to 40 over equals EUR104 and loss of license for a month; 41 to 50 costs EUR130 and loss of license for a month. Going thru a red light is fineable at EUR210. Passing on the right (illegal!) can cost you EUR52. You will lose your license immediately for one month if upon your first offense of the 0.05 percent blood alcohol limit the breathalyzer shows you are above the 0.08 percent level. On second and third offenses the loss period increases to three months. Blood alcohol levels between 0.05 percent and 0.109 percent are punishable by EUR260, EUR515 and EUR775 fines for first, second and third offenses, respectively. All the fines listed above have "points" associated, from one to four, depending on the severity of the offense. Your accumulaiton of points is filed and when it reaches a certain number, your license is revoked, or you may be forced to attend driving classes. Enough said about speed limits. Traffic police are chiefly concerned with tailgaiting. They use lines on the road and the aformentioned cameras to enforce the law in this respect. Fines for tailgaiting depend on the wealth of the offender. An extremely wealthly offender was recently fined about EUR20,000 for tailgaitng. Remember the old 2-second rule; and keep and eye out for said lines, especially before overpasses. Roads in the former West Germany epitomize good civil engineering and maintenance, the Autobahn being the exemplar. You'll have more luck spotting a zit on a supermodel than a pothole in a German road. And the response to emergencies and snow and such is planned, concerted, practiced and remarkably expeditious. Meanwhile the roads in the former East are methodically and quickly being brought up to Western standards but remain considerably antiquated. In 1928 the first Autobahnalso the first official expressway in Europewas opened between Cologne and Bonn. But the early Autobahn left a lot to be

desired. Narrow medians separated narrow lanes having no shoulders, and cobblestones paved the ramps and reststops. (By the way, this describes quite accurately the East German Autobahn upon reunification is 1989.) Today the Autobahn is characterized by lanes 3.5 to 4 meters wide, a landscaped median some 4 meters wide, roomy shoulders, grades no greater than 4 percent, a minimal frequency of interchanges, freeze-resistant surface, reflector posts every 50 meters, emergency telephones every 2 km, fences and tunnels to keep wildlife off the road, video surveillance and electronic signs to sense and give advanced warning of traffic and road conditions, pre-planned pre-posted and well-signed detour routes to handle road closures, frequent reststops (marked with the international Parking sign; though don't expect a toilet unless you see "WC" as well) and over 700 24-hour service areas every 40 to 60 km or so. As the Autobahn spurs into a metropolitan area it becomes a Stadtautobahn, characterized six to eight lanes, freqeunt diamond exits, overhead signs giving info specific to the city, and a lack of reflector posts and emergency telephones. The safety features have succeeded in that only 6 percent or so of the nations traffic fatalities occur on the Autobahn. Pedestrians, bicycles, mopeds and any vehicle with a max speed rating less than 60 km/h (36 mph) are prohibited from traveling on the Autobahn. Highbeam headlights are a no-no. In case of traffic jams, drivers must position so as to create between the left-most lane and its neighbor a lane for emergency vehicles. It's illegal to stop on shoulders and ramps and it's illegal to run out of fuel. If your vehicle breaks down or collides with another you must if possible report this immediately to the Autobahn Administration via a roadside emergency telephone. Specially designed and posted detours are in place for every stretch of the Autobahn so as to expeditiously handle road closure. The detours are broken up into sequentially numbered segments (odd numbers indicating one direction, even numbers in the other) which terminate at each Autobahn entrance. Carry on until you find an entrance open. These detours also provide a great way to get around congestion. While the Autobahn was built for safety and speed, it was also designed to conform aesthetically to the landscape, like a garden path. (This design had the serendipitous effect of countering the hypnosis of sorts consequent of driving on straight roads such as United States interstate highways for long distances.) But if you use the left lane of the Autobahn don't consider spending any leisurely time there; you'll need to be going over 170 km/ to extend your stay beyond the most utilitarian window, and even then tailgaiting is unfortunately the (illegal) rule, as it were. If you're the one doing the tailgaiting, don't even think about passing on the right, as that is highly illegal on all German raods. There's somewhat of a pecking order amongst svelte cars, in which VWs cede to Audis, which cede to BMWs, which cede to Mercedes, which cede to the kings of the road, Porsches. Ironically, though, slow-downs occur frequently, due to construction, wheather, accident or simple congestion. Major traffic jams are quite common on Fridays, Sundays and holidays (Feiertage). The Autobahn leading to and from Berlin, especially on the A2 between Hannover ad Berlin, is notorious in this respect. And bad queues involving two-hour waits commonly occur on the A12 leading to and from

Poland at the Frankfurt am Oder border crossing. So generally beware of the extremes! Apart from her famous Autobahn, Germany boasts some eighty theme highways. The most heralded is the 300-km (180-mile) Romantic Road (Romantischestrae) which runs through the the propinquity of Bavarian villages between Wurzburg and Fen. Others include the Fairy Tale Road (Mrchenstrae) between Frankfurt and Hannover, and the Castle Road (Schlostrae) between Heidelberg and Nrnburg. These routes are well marked, with info available at each town along the way. If, by the way, you want to drive a challenging sanctioned course where the highest reasonable speeds are dependent more than elsewhere on physics, try the Nrburgring, a motor-racing track coursing through undulating, wooded countryside near Eifel, situated between Bonn and Trier, very near the renowned Mosel River valley. The track takes its name from the Nrburg ruin which lies inside the 20 km-long (12 mile) old nothern loop. A new loop, completed in 1984, now hosts the prestigious road races. Despite its relatively short 4.5 km (2.8 miles) length the new course includes 14 corners and varies in altitude by as much as 56 meters. Apart from competitions and practice sessions, the loops are open for public use. A lap costs something like 510 Euros. But I doubt your insurance will cover this fling. And know that you'll be sharing the course with every other Franz, Udo and Wolfgang willing to fork over the small sum and say to hell with insurance coverage. Accidents are said to be common. Call the ADAC (see below) to get an objective assessment. Apply at the track's Information Bureau B258; little advance notice is necesssary. The onsite Rennsportmuseum (Motor Racing Museum) may justify a visit even if you don't take to the course. A similar experience can be had at the Hockenheim Ring southwest of Heidelberg. Germans assume their motoring cohorts understand and will follow religiously the rules of the road. The rigourous process of earning a driving license greatly contributes to the general motoring competence. (Though, having earned one, a driver never has to renew.) And a veritable verdure of signals and signs direct this competence. Germans thus drive very precisely if not artfully, which means the incidence of what an American, for instance, would remark as a close call is very high. In fact brinksmanship best describes the ruling spirit on German roads. That this spirit coexists with surprisingly low numbers of motoring casualities is testament to the success of the system. The instructions of police override those of traffic signals, which override signs, and all of these override the default right-side priority. Furthermore the default goes into effect only where two roads of equal status meet; otherwise traffic on the road of higher status gets the nod. Most traffic signals in Germany are turned off at night. A flashing yellow traffic signal or a traffic signal with no lights operating indicate that the sign(s) posted next to the rightmost signal, or in the absence of such sign(s) the priority-road or default right-side priority rules, are in effect. Note: Where the default right-side rule is in effect, it is quite tacitly and blatantly assumed. And sometimes this runs rather counter to a North American's intuition. Take the case of an uncontrolled "T" intersection of

two equal roads. You might think traffic on the through street of the "T" would have priority. But, no, traffic on the right must be yielded to. (Left-turning vehicles, however, should always yield in this situation.) Moreover the proliferation of roadsigns is jarring increasingly on the evolving German sensibility and in turn there is a movement afoot to decrease signage, especially where it encroaches on the aesthetic appeal of a neighborhood. Thus increasingly the onus is on the individual driver to know his priority or lack thereof. When traffic is badly congested all the rules mentioned in this paragraph go out the window and the "zipper" rule (Reiverschlu) comes in to play. As the name suggests, vehicles are expected to take turns proceeding from each direction or lane. Pedestrians have strict priority when crossing the white-banded crosswalks, one of only two circumstances in which they seem to get any respect from motorists. It becomes truly humorous to witness bad-boy Mercedes and such coming to cat-like stops to allow passage of the otherwise damned pedestrian animal. It's a game of sorts, most often punctuated by the driver's audacious gearing-up to continue his intimate relationship with the motoring envelope. Most residential areas, however, are designated traffic calming zones (Verkehrsberuhigungenzone), indicated by the square blue sign depicting an adult and child with ball in the street. In these zones pedestrians may use the entire street. Children, for instance, are allowed to play in the street. Trams always have priority, but otherwise you can drive on their tracks and basically treat them like carsthey'll stop if they have to. Buses have priority when leaving stops. Right turns at a red light are only possible where there's a green arrow simultaneously pointing right (more common in the eastern states), and then only after you've come to a complete stop and checked the traffic. Left turns signaled by a green arrow are protected when the signal is on the left side of the intersection; otherwise the arrow indicates a permitted left turn that nonetheless must yield. On three- and five-lane two-way streets the center lane is for left turns only. In built-up areas horns should only be used in cases of immediate and extreme danger. Outside built-up areas it is no longer acceptable to use the horn to indicate you intend to pass. Likewise it is no longer legal to flash your headlights to warn of your intention to pass. Instead in both cases you should use your indicator lights only. It is illegal to use the center lane of a three- or five-lane two-way street to pass. Oftentimes mirrors posted above the streetside let you see around sharp curves and corners. Trams can be passed along either side on one-way streets; but on two-way streets they should be passed on the right only. Never pass a tram when passengers are boarding or disembarking it. Outside built-up areas you cannot pass a school bus which has stopped and has its red lights flashing.

It is illegal to drive with your parking lights only; you must use your low beams (or perhaps high beams) or none at all, but during bad weather you must use your low (or high) beams. Motorcyclists must drive with headlights on at all times. Police are empowered to collect fines of up to EUR40 on the spot, but violators may be allowed to pay during the following week. Foreigners, however, are often asked to place a bond or deposit, and face having their vehicle impounded if they refuse. It's serious business to publicly humiliate a person in Germany. If it's proven that you gave a certain other driver the finger (Stinkefinger), you are subject to a EUR1125 fine! Tapping your forehead or passing your hand in front of your eyes is considered just as insulting! And a gesture of thumb and index finger circled together may be the worst, drawing as it does in Germany a simile with the least visible bodily orifice. (Though in France and Italy this gesture signifies excellence. Go figure.) Call an officer or any uniformed state official an idiot (Idioten) and kiss EUR1550 goodbye. There's an official list of such offensive gestures, words and phrases officially called Beleidigungen, "insults" and the corresponding fines, which average about EUR500. And, no, the English or otherwise foreign equivalents are not exempt. Card-operated public phones are prolific but coin-operated versions are quite rare. Consider buying a phonecard to use in case you want to make hotel reservations from the road or in case of emergency. They are sold in postoffices, among other places. It's illegal to wash a vehicle on a public street; this must be done on private property. On a recent trip to Berlin I found driving there particulary easyrather wide, well organized and signed streets and avenues and not much traffic. The other cities seem a bit more tricky but not daunting.

Parking
Don't let your relationship to Germany be mediated by concrete or asphalt constantly. Germans are still essentially forest peoples. Inasmuch as each city sports a stadtwald or city forest, it is perhaps closer to the truth to say rather that each forest boasts a city. Germans are proud of their forests and their forest heritage and as such roughly 40 percent of the country is said to be forested. Extensive networks of foot-, bicycle- and equestrian paths are maintained in most of these forests. So go to the forest, recalling Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood and so on. What you'll discover is the heart of Germany. You are considered parked if you leave your vehicle or if you stop for more than three minutes, unless you are loading or unloading cargo or passengers. Parking is prohibited within 5 meters of a pedestrian crossing or an intersection or a built-up-area level railroad crossing, within 10 meters of a traffic light or

stop sign or yield sign if you might obstruct the view of the signal or sign, within 15 meters of a bus or tram stop, within 50 meters of a level railroad crossing outside a built-up area, and along a priority road outside a built-up area. No parking zones along streets (for instance, near bus stops) are indicated by a zig-zag white line painted on the street. You must leave a least 3 meters betwen your vehicle and the middle of the street or the nearest lane divider. You may not park or stop in a traffic lane if there is a shoulder or parking lane. Vehicles over 2.8 tons cannot park on the sidewalk. Parking discs (Parkscheibe) are required in Blue Zones or Blaue Zones. You can buy these discs at fuel stations, tourist information centers and tobacconists. In some urban areas a system has been introduced which allows only permit-bearing vehicles of local residents to park between 7 and 10 a.m. and 4 and 7 p.m. These Anwohnerparkzonen, however, were recently declared illegal by a federal court in Berlin. For now the signs warning of these zone remain. Although cities such as Frankfurt have simply instructed parking inspectors to stop issuing the EUR16 violation tickets in regard to the old rule, others plan to continue enforcing these zones. And Cologne's response has been to order 400 new parking meters for residential areas. Residents will be allowed to park free of charge, but visitors will have to pay. Generally, parking is allowed only on the right, except along one-way streets, where both sides do service, and except where rails obstruct the right side. In the residential traffic calming zones described above parking is limited to marked spaces. Touch-parking (maneuvering a car into a parking space by nudging the cars front and back) is illegal. A sign showing an eagle in a green triangle indicates a wild-life reserve and signifies that parking is limited to designated lots. You can spend the night in a vehicle parked on the street, but only one night per parking spot. And you must use leave your parking lights on unless illuminated by an all-night street light. Street lights that do not stay on all night are marked with a white and red band around the post. Illegally parked vehicles may be wheel clamped; in which case the offender should call the police to resolve the situation.

Parkleit sign. The Parkleitsystem is a parking guidance system using a series of electric signs around the central area of a city. These blue-and-white signs indicate the occupancy of various nearby parking garages. Next to the name of the parking

garage is either a number which shows the current number of free spots or the word besetzt (full). A very useful system indeed.

Parking areas in Rothenburg, numbered and designated for cars, buses and/or motorhomes.

One-hour parking with disc from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.

Camping
The former West Germany's campgrounds are top notch, sporting all the amentitiesincluding excellent restaurants; those in the former East are catching up. Generally sites are not reservable. Expect to pay per car, per person, per tent or caravan, and for hot showers and electricity. Free-camping

is allowed for one night at highway rest areas, but it's illegal elsewhere unless you have the permission of, say, the farmer and, technically, the police.

Banks
Generally open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. on Thursday); some banks close from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Shops
Open on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to noon and from 1:00 or 1:30 p.m. to 6:00 or 6:30 p.m. Large stores stay open during lunch hours. Grocery stores say open until 8:00 p.m. now. Open until 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.

BBC Radio Hours and Corresponding Frequencies

In the Northeast: 5:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.: 6195, 9410 and 15575 kHz 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.: 9410, 12095 and 15070 kHz 4:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.: 6195, 9410 and 12095 kHz In the Northwest: 5:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.: 648, 9410 and 15575 kHz 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.: 648, 9750 and 12095 kHz 4:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.: 6195, 9410 and 12095 kHz In the South: 5:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.: 6195, 9410 and 15575 kHz 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.: 12095 and 15070 kHz 4:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.: 6195, 9410 and 12095 kHz

Breakdown, Accident or Emergency

Police, tel. 110; Fire, tel. 112; Ambulance, tel. 110. Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC), FIA and AIT member, Am Westpark 8, 81373 Munich, tel. 089 76760, office hours from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. on weekdays (8:00 a.m. to noon in other main towns) and until noon on Saturday. The ADAC's 24-hour breakdown service or Straenwachthilfe is free of charge to members and non members alike (though of course you will have to pay for parts). In their flagship yellow vehicles the patrols have duly earned the moniker "yellow angels". ADAC also offers a 24-hour information service, tel. 089 22222. Automobil-Club von Deutschland (AVD), FIA member, Lyonerstrae 16, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, tel. 069 66060, office hours from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, also runs an emergency patrol service on major roads. Emergency call boxes (Notrufsulen) can be found at 2 km intervals along the Autobahn. (I.e. you are never more than a kilometer, or six-tenths of a mile, from such a phone) and every 5 to 7 km along Federal Highways (Bundesstraen.) Arrows on the white

reflector posts lining the road indicate the direction to the nearest emergency phone. Lift the phone's microphone cover and wait for the Autobahn Administration (Autobahnmeisterei) dispatcher to answer. The newer phones have an activation button instead of a cover. Most dispatchers speak English. You'll be asked for your locationwhich is designated by a kilometer figure on a label inside the cover or near the speakerand the nature of the incident you are reporting. Where these special emergency phones are not available dial 01308 19211. Police, fire fighters, ambulances, emergency doctors, and if necessary a medical evacuation helicopter will all respond to an Autobahn crash.
Driving Overview General Information Germany was the first country in the world to develop a national system of superhighways, and for many years its Autobahn system was a model for other nations. After unification, Autobahns in the eastern part of the country were significantly upgraded. Today Germany has nearly 6,000mi/9660km of Autobahns and an extremely well developed network of lesser highways. This makes driving a rental car in Germany exceptionally easy and pleasant, and the German network is interconnected with networks in neighboring countries. Germany is about 500mi/805km long (from north to south) and 400mi/644km wide in its longest dimensions. Requirements You must be at least 18 years old (age may vary by car rental category) and have held your license for 1-3 years depending on the rental car category reserved. Drivers age 18-22 must purchase CDW. Drivers under the age of 25 may incur a young driver surcharge. Child safety seats are mandatory for children up to age 12. Seatbelts are mandatory. Speed Limits Speed limits in Germany are as follows: City 31mph/50kph, Open Roads 62mph/100kph and on the highways 81mph/130kph is recommended but most autobahns have no speed limit. Rules of the Road Traffic travels on the right and streetcars do not have the right of way. They should be passed on the right on a two way street and on either side on a one-way street. Avoid the far left lane on the autobahn as speeds can often exceed 100mph/161kph. Gas Most gas stations are open from 8am to 8pm. There are stations open 24 hours in some major cities and on the autobahn. Useful Terms

Detour Umleitun Diesel Diesel Entrance Eingang Exit Ausgang Forbidden Verboten Four Lane Highway Landstrasse Gasoline Benzin Motor oil Motor oel No parking Parken verboten One-way Einbahn Police Polizei

Tolls There are no toll highways in Germany. Parking Parking is allowed only on the right side of the road except on one-way streets where both sides are valid. Parking spaces with meters are usually free of charge at night. Top Insurance Information General Information Car rental insurance varies widely, so please review the information below prior to making your reservation. Regulations of the country where you rent the car will be in effect for the duration of your rental. All our car rental rates include fire and third party liability insurance. Our inclusive rates also provide collision and theft coverage at an advance purchase discount. You may elect to decline collision and theft coverage. If you plan to take advantage of coverage offered by your credit card, please contact your card issuer directly for details. Specific insurance information for your reservation will be printed on your confirmation voucher. The following guidelines apply to rentals commencing in Germany. Required Coverage Fire and third party liability insurance is mandatory and is included in all rentals. Third party liability insurance offers US$6,480,000 in case of injury or death to people outside of the rental car and unlimited coverage for property damage outside the rental car. Fire insurance is also included in the rate. Optional Coverage Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and theft protection are included in our inclusive rates at a discount. CDW, if purchased at the rental counter, costs approximately US$30 US$42 per day. Theft protection, if purchased at the rental counter, costs approximately US$9 - US$14 per day. CDW and theft coverage reduce the deductible (responsibility of the client) to US$425 - US$1,500. Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) is available at the rental counter for approximately US$5 - US$9 per day. Super CDW may be offered locally to reduce the deductible as low as zero. Optional insurance coverage is available with select suppliers only, rates subject to change without notice. Top

Rental Restrictions General Information Most car categories can be driven anywhere in Western Europe without restriction. Due to insurance regulations, there are restrictions on luxury car categories and on travel in certain countries. Auto Europe has special rental programs for driving into Eastern Europe. Please take a minute to ensure that your intended itinerary will be possible with the car you plan to rent. Restricted Countries Cars rented in Germany are allowed into the following countries when arrangements are made in advance with Auto Europe: Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Estonia, Herzegovina, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine and Yugoslavia. Please advise us to which countries you plan to travel. Luxury cars are not allowed into Italy. NOTE: For an additional fee, travel into most or all of these countries can be arranged for specific car categories with advance notice. One-Way Rentals Domestic one ways are generally allowed and available with most suppliers. Some domestic one ways do incur a fee. There are fees for international one-way rentals and not all vehicles are allowed. Top