Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03
TOURS IN GERMANY
!. PROVE EXPENSIVE
But Trips by Motor Car
Through Historical Coun-
try Are Delightful.
BIT EDGAR ANsEL MowRER.

~ Gable T. The Star and ,Chcaso Daily
News. CopyEtght, 1929.
BERLIN, Germany, February "A
motor tour through Germany is a rare
to the contrary it Is an expensive de-
light.
Some of the JOY Is human One meets
q good-natured, healthy, essentially
friendly and hospitable people whose
manner of life is probably more like
that of America than any other Euro
pean nation. Accommodation Is good
and plentiful. ana on the whole hotel
keepers, garage owners and policemen
attempt to please. English is generally
spoken.
Some Of the pleasure is historical.
Medieval buildings stand side by side
with the most up-to-date factories and
modern architecture of an astonishing
ly modern type-far more revolutionary
than anything that exists at home.
There are fewer first-class antiquities
than in France or Italy, but there are
enough to satisfy any one. And mod
ern Germany is far more substantially
interesting in modernity than either Of
the two other countries.
Country Is Impressive.
There are great opportunities for es-
@etic pleasure. East Germany is rather
nat and nonotonous only dotted with
pleasant cities and occasional old mon
uments. But the south and west are
not only historically more impressive.
but geographically more varied and
beautiful than the rest of the country.
The Rhineland and parts of Franconia
and Bavaria, not to speak of the SOUTH
west corner OF Germany, are extremely
fine.
Nearly everything possible has been
done to make American motorists COM
Portable and a great many forrnalities
have been sifnplified. The roads, while
not exceptional, are all tolerable and
being rapidly improved. There are no
national motor highways blowing a bee
line across the country. But who wants
such roads for vacation trip? 1t Is
far more interesting to wind back and
forth and turn sharp corners around
the stone walls and farmhouses, built
when Columbus was young, with troop
Of traditional German geese ambling
across the road at the cries of bare
footed goose girl.
The wise motorist obtains an inter-
national "triptyque" from the A. G. A.
or the A. A. A. before he leaves America
With 1t he can enter Germany and
leave it again at any point as often as
he chooses without paying anything. If
he forgets he can write and obtain one
from the Allegemein Deutsche Automo-
bile Club for $12.50. Otherwise he will
have to denosit the customs duties on
his car at the place of entry. but can
recover the sum when he leaves. Up to
so days foreign cars are taxed only ]
mark GA cents) per day.
License Valid in Germany.
An American drivers license Is valid
tn Germany if stamped by q German
consulate and the German steamship
companies and tourist agencies will do
this service gratis. Maps can be had
can be obtained by writing to the
Verkehrsbureau Of the German Auto
mobile Club, Leirsiger Platz, 16, Ber-
lin. The continental handbook is
wonderful help and can be bought in
the first German town.
Information concerning hotels and
prices can be had in Baedecker, and
other guide books along with world Of
other information. ,-~ -~---
Garage space Is rather small, but
sufficient. Most German mechanics
have become familiar with American
cars from experience with those owned
by Germans.
Notable for those interested in testing
their cars on the hardest motor course
"A the world is the Burburgring in the
Rhineland. This strange knot of road
offers in its Is miles no less than 172
curves, and has rising grades of ~ per
cent and descents of IA per cent. There
IS said to be no equal In the world. In
9 single trip car climbs about 1900
feet.
According to the Germans, the finest
trip starts at Bremen and goes to Ber-
lin, where modernity reigns supreme.
Then from the capital back across the
country to Cologne via the sHarz
Mountains, with their charming old
cities. Then the Rhjneland southwark
to Frankfort, the birthplace of Goethe
and of Rothschild (the two poles of
German culture): Then Heidelberg and,
bending eastward, through the pleasant
Neckar Valley to Heilbronn and pic
turesque Nuremberg, thence to the
totally medieval village of Rothenburg
and Dinkelsbuehl, which is Just cele-
brating its 1,000th year of existence.
Then Munich, Friedrichshafen, on Lake
Constance, the home of all ZeppelinS, by
way of Ulm. and then back to Strasburg
through the Black Forest. The traveller
who sees this knows Germany as well
rs one can without staying consider
able time.
DeIghtfuI-But Not Cheap.
German prices are high. German no.
teis rate themselves class higher than
Americans would rate them. A first
class German hotel is fair, a fine ho-
tel is extra class" Fine things are
expensive. The quoted price is gener-
ally reasonable, but it does not include
any number of things Americans expect,
which are classed as extras For ex-
ample, a table d'hote dinner does not
include bread or coffee and there is
usually charge for "tablecloth." In
some hotels the obligatory compensation
for the abolished tips is as high as is
and 20 per cent of the billiard not all
this money goes to the employees. Auto
repairs are expensive. Generally there
is tendency to believe that Americans
can pay anything" and those who re-
sent this are not always well treated.
On the whole, however, the condi-
tons are good. For one who can re-
member that he is visiting a country
which has been impoverished by lost
var and is still smarting under foreign
financial pressure a motor trip to Ger
&c &..E.ea