I wanted to share a few tips for first time vistors to Germany -

Car Rental - If you can afford it, choose a nice car. Some stretches of the autobahn have no speed limit - and I mean no speedlimit. My car rental topped out at 135 mph (around 220 - 230km) and I was still being passed by BMW's like I was driving 65 on I-95. Do pay careful attention to the speed limit signs - which have numbers in the middle (i.e. 100km). Speed limit signs are round and have a number in the middle with red around the edges. Some stretches of highway have dynamic speed limits that go up or down based on highway conditions. I strongly encourage you to slow down at construction sites to avoid tickets. now, don't expect smokey to come up behind you. Instead speed checks are done typically from a stationary vehicle on a bridge or side of the road - then a ticket is mailed to you. I almost got in trouble racing to Wildenrath on the side road, but fortunately a truck slowed me down - later down the road there was a stationary speed measuring device. How do you know that you can go as fast as you want, like a bat out of hell? Look for signs that are white with small vertical lines going through it. If no speed limit is posted on that particular stretch of the autobahn you can also assume it is ok to open up. Once you hit a speed limit sign, look again for the white sign with lines through it at which point you can go fast again. Regarding driving - DO NOT stay in the left lane unless you can keep up with the traffic. You can zoom along at 130 mph in the the far left lane and slower cars in front will get out of your way. If you see a car approaching you rapidely from behind, get out of the way. Also flashing headlights or a left blinker is a sign for you to go to right lane. In some parts of the USA this could mean highway war - resist the temptation to slow down or stay in the lane to piss of the other driver - Remember you are not in the USA :-) DO NOT pass on the right - big NO. What makes driving safer is knowing that cars will not pass you on the right!! use your turn signal! Trucks will rarely go into the far left lane and stay typically to the right - they have their own speed limits posted to the back of the truck which are typically quite slow. Signs that are white with a number in the middle (i.e. no red circle) are suggested speed limits - that means you can go faster if you want.

HOTELS - Bed & Breakfast hotels are nice and affordable. Just don't expect a big fancy room - unless you pay for a very expensive room at a US chain (i.e. Hilton or Marriott). They are usually very clean, functional, and comfortable. In the middle of summer take into consideration that air conditioning is rare.

DIRECTIONS & DRIVING - A Navigation system is a must to make the trip the most enjoyable. Print out the address from each FKK, then simply punch it into the system and you are on your way. If you are visting Atlantis in Altenstadt, you might have trouble finding it in your navigations system (I did both times I used the system). Altenstadt is of 45. one city that I could easily find in nav system was a nearby city called Florstadt. This will take you into the direction of Altenstadt. Once you are in the city of Altenstadt, save it in your nav system. For a basis of reference, Altenstadt is about 50km's from the Frankfurt airport.

EXPENSES: Gasoline for the car is a true expense to consider. If you can, get a diesel which is cheaper to fill. To fill up a car will cost you typically around 35-40 Euros, maybe more! Gasoline prices are double then those found in the US! Also keep in mind that prices quoted are liters - not gallons.

LANGUAGE: Most German's speak some English. A lot of the girls in the FKK's are from South America, eastern europe, etc, and most often can't speak good German themselves. I was born as a German and lived there until I was 16 - subsequently I know German fluently, however, sometimes have to resort to English or even my VERY broke Spanish to communicate with the girls.

FOOD: Try some local German food. Germans love meat. Bakery's and small cafes allow for affordable and cheap lunches.

PARKING: Parking can be difficult in most cities. make sure to watch the signs. Most of them limit parking to 2 hours. In your car there should be a card that has a dial with times on it. If a sign says max 2 hours for example, you are expected to place the sign on your dashboard with the dial turned to the time you left the car. If there is paid parking, make sure to get a ticket from the parking pay station. Keep in mind that if you do not pay a ticket (traffic or parking), your car rental company will get charged. They will pass on the ticket to you WITH an adminstrative charge. This can make the ticket quite expensive.
ALSO - learn to parallel park: Straight in parking is rare! Very important skill to know - Get your state driver's license book and look for the instructions. Its simple - Go past the parking spot (make sure you have your turn signal out), turn the wheel sharply and back up into the space, then forward, adjust as necessarty. If you are good, you should be able to park in three turns.

SMOKING: If you do not like smoking or are allergic to smoking - tough! Most everyones smokes. Just get used to it!

Marvin,

I had the same car. Nice ride, although I prefer my beamer in terms of power and handling. As a first time visitor to Germany, I was very impressed with the roads and their driving skills. After returning stateside, I found myself, on more than one occasion, cursing american drivers for not following the same rules of the road.

Good point about the smoking. It doesn't bother me, but at every FKK I visited, smoking was in vogue.

I am almost look forward to driving on the Autobahn as much as going to the FKK :-) (Well,almost) On my first couple of trips, however, took a little while to build up the courage to push the car to its limit....once you pass 120 - 130mph both my hands are on the wheel sweating and my back tenses up. Guess since I don't drive it every day. Then add in a few slight curves (since not all of these unrestricted zones are completely straight) - What a thrill!!

I totally agree with getting a nice car. I got the Mercedes CLK Sports Coupe and that thing could fly. Glad to hear I'm not the only one whose hands get sweaty and back tenses up when hitting 140mph - it really is a thrill, plus you spend a lot of time in the car, so you might as well have something nice.