So we ended up in Stuttgard for the night & checked out what you can do. Mercedes Benz Museum jumped out at Nick! Below is our breakfast of champions...coffee, a nutty scrolly thing for Andrew & 2 pretzels for Nick & me.
I'm sure the lady at the campsite gave us the right directions...it's just that we are not so good at German. Somehow we got to the Museum, but we had to climb this 3 metre fence. Again the boys didn't think I could do it, but I was the best tree climber as a kid...shoes off, monkey grip toes working & big bum up & over the fence. We did get some strange looks from the taxi drivers sitting outside the fence.
The sign says it all & it is a beautifully designed building too.
Now I'm not a mechanic, or really very good with cars at best...but this was a brilliant museum. You pay $6 each & can spend as little or as long as you want wandering around.
It's the design that sets it apart. Your ticket then gets you an audio tour headset in your language of choice. Then they direct you to a lift which takes you to the top of the building.
It has a large open oval plan & then winds down like a large spiral ramp, so you know which way to go & it's so easy...it's all downhill. The audio is comprehensive...you just point the set at the item & you get the information. They start with the inventors, Benz & Daimler...how they were on the same path, but separately. Patents & the struggles of getting the projects off the ground.
1889 Paris & the World Trade Show where both men displayed their vehicles. Sorry about the quality, but this is an original photo.
I had to put this photo in...the boys & me spent a week in Paris travelling on the Metro trains & here is a phot showing that they haven't really changed since 1900.
All the vehicles are original & in beautiful condition. A lot of thought & planning has gone into all the displays & you don't even have to like cars to appreciate this Museum.
The first production lines where all the workers had a skill...metal workers, tools, forgers, carpenters, painters, leather workers, all under the same roof working on the assembly line.
Benz was the creator, but it was when he created a car to race that he used his daughters name for the vehicle...Mercedes.
This is only a sample of the displays you can see...just incredible.
The first super-charged cars & they so look the part.
Are you getting the idea of how impressive everything is?
One of the gull-wing cars that became so popular with the jet-set.
I'm running out of things to say.
Check out how small the doors are.
See the boys at the bottom right...all these cars & trucks are real.
Oops..a selfie...Santa, can I have this for Christmas?
On one of the levels you can drive the remote vehicles, while on another level you can try out the simulator to feel what it's like in today's racing vehicles...wow! This Museum was very worthwhile & that's coming from a girl who gets in a car, turns it on & expects it to do everything...including clean itself.
After a good 3 hours in the Museum, we headed to our next destination...can u guess?
A 5 hour drive & we are in The Swiss Alps.
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