We’ve done quite a bit of walking in Düsseldorf, and our rental car has remained parked. One of the things that has struck me is the number of driving schools in the nearby vicinity to our hotel – why are there so many?
After some checking around on the internet, I now know why: the German driver’s license (Führerschein) is a BIG deal here. Pay 1500 euros ($2,155 with today’s exchange rate) and get yourself educated by going to one of these Fahrschüle for 25-45 hours of professional instruction. Not only is practical driving technique covered, but first aid, mechanics and theory (12 hours of theory!) is also required! Costs for the license itself are approximately 550 euros. Driving is a privilege here!
The rewards, though, for German drivers to go through all of the training? Plenty of fast, well-made cars to drive on the Autobahn.
I suddenly feel much better driving on the Autobahn knowing that most of the other drivers are well trained (and they are most definitely NOT on their cell phones). The Autobahn refers to the system of roads in Germany, not a single road. As the roads approach populated areas, there are speed limits, but as you leave those areas, there are no signs, and the GPS indicator for the speed limit in the area goes blank! If you are in our car, Justin starts saying, “Whee!” and our fuel economy indicator that we’ve worked so hard to maximize, suddenly starts plummeting (it’s relative – our diesel VW Touran which got us to Germany at a mpg in the high 40’s might drop to about 40). We’ll be able to confirm because we’ve decided to take a different route back to Madrid this weekend that allows us to see more of Germany…
lifetería 
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