Day 4 started off with a hearty breakfast at the hotel with made to order eggs and buttery croissants. Once we finished our breakfast, we were on the road headed to Nurburgring, the home of one of the hardest race tracks in the world. The hubster was booked for a road rally tour and 4 laps at the infamous "Green Hell". This has been on the hubster's bucket list and once we bought the airplane tickets for this trip, we made sure we would visit Germany for this particular reason. Nurburgring is 1.5 hours away and we needed to be there by 10 am.
When we arrived, we found out we were the only ones signed up for a portion of the tour. One of the exciting parts was that the hubster got to drive a Lotus Exige.
Garage at the vendor
Prior to the departure
The cars we would be driving
Our tour guide teaching the hubster how to get into the car
No joke, you really did need lessons on getting in and out of the car if you are a normal sized human being. Since I am somewhat petite, I was able to jump in and out of the car. Since the hubster is 6'2", he needed the lesson. I even videoed him getting in and out a few times.
After the lesson, we hopped into the car and headed to the Nurburgring museum. We got a private tour of the facility and watched a few movies. In the back of the museum, there is an interactive section. The hubster and I raced changing tires on a Formula 1 car. It was difficult since I've never changed a tire before. Those tires are extremely light!
Museum
Inside the 4D theater
Racing center (essentially a video game where you race the Nurburgring in semi-trucks!)
The hubster inside the Exige. He really wants one now.
Now defunct roller coaster at the museum
We learned from our tour guide that they dumped some serious cash to build the museum and info center including this roller coaster. It's been non-functional for quite some time. I guess the ring is bankrupt because of this and the tour guide complained that they don't do enough to advertise. It's true. I never heard of this place. True petrolheads are aware of its existence, but they really do need to advertise more.
Part of the ring
Me with map of the original ring
One of the things that we learned on the tour the ring was built in the 1920's under Hitler's direction. It was used as a program to help with the unemployment in the area. The ring is made up of two loops. One loop was discontinued and incorporated into the local roads.
One of the tour stops
The hubster with a pair of Porsches in the backgroun
Lexus LFA
I just liked there was a town called boos
Inside the Exige
Porsche 918 prototype outside the Porsche test center
The hubster and I headed to the loop for his second lap
The hubster had 4 laps around the loop. Since I get motion sick, I only lasted two laps. I videoed the second one even though it's technically not allowed. I have to admit it was pretty fun. If I knew how to drive a manual transmission, I would have driven a lap. I also have never seen the hubster drive so cautiously. I should have been glad because I did not want to pay for any damages to the car or the track.
After we were done racing around for the day, we stopped to have dinner at a local restaurant recommended by our tour guide. It was apparently a hangout for all the race car drivers. There was a lot of memorabilia on the walls. This restaurants specialty was "steak on stone" which is what the hubster ordered. I ordered the scampi on stone. This is what we got.
Mine
Hubster
I was kinda expecting it, but you should have seen the look on the hubster's face when his dinner came out still mooing. Once the initial shock was over, we cooked our dinner. The hubster wanted to butterfly his steak, but I told him to just unroll it. It was the tail end of a filet cut. It turned out to be a fantastic dinner. The hubster got to cook his steak to his liking and I got to each salad and shrimp. I also got an amazing beer.
No clue what kind it is, I'm assuming it's what on the glass. Anyway, it was unlike anything I had ever tasted. It was sweet, but not really. I really enjoyed it. Once we finished dinner, we got back into the rental car and headed towards Stuttgart, 3.5 hours away.
The car ride was fine. Since it's the autobahn, we hauled ass. We stopped to fill up along the way and I finally learned how truly expensive it was to own a car in Europe. The cost for half a tank of gas was €45!!! I also bought some bags of Haribo since the outlet was a bust. In total, I spent €70 at the gas station and still had to pay to use the restroom. WTF!!!!!
We got in around 11 after getting a ticket (supposedly, we got our picture taken on the off ramp of the autobahn). We ended up driving around to find parking since we didn't want to pay €15 a night for hotel parking. We found a spot, got to our room and passed out.
We had a big day in Stuttgart, another hubster stop. Porsche and Mercedes on the menu for Day 5.
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