Andre,

The dropoff fee in Milan (picked up in Frankfurt) was hefty (about $300 American if I remember correctly). For 17 days total, our bill was about $900 (ouch). At the time we booked, it was the best fee, beating all others that I checked.

We went through Auto Europe and our rental car was from Europcar. We had no problems, but it was expensive.
((H))

Yeah, that hurts, but you could never have comfortably covered that much ground in such a short time any other way.

Did the rate include CDW?

Thanks for the info.

Andre

MTT--Haus Lipmann and the Mosel River remain two of our most pleasant travel memories. And they had the best homemade macaroons--the night before we left, we bought a dozen to munch on the trip the next day. None survived to see the dawn--it was a midnight macaroon massacre spearheaded by Mrs. Fly. Macaroons go amazingly well with a modest Mosel wine.

For mcmrjm
((H))

I really enjoyed your report, Tom! I'm a little late in getting to read it since I've been away. Glad you had such a great trip.

Why hasn't this been topped lately???

I haven't seen maitaitom in a while......where are ya, Tom?

"I haven't seen maitaitom in a while......where are ya, Tom? "

I'm still getting over my Amarone hangover from Saturday night's So. Cal Get Together!

There you are! Glad to see you again, Tom. Sounds like the get together was a lot of fun!

I cannot believe that I just got around to reading this hilarious trip report. It inspired me to post some amusing musings that are the accumulated wealth of knowledge from European trips on a separate thread.

Some observations that apply to this series of wonderful trip reports:

That Saarbrucken is a very easy town to get into but very difficult to get out of.

That if you take the early train at the reduced price to the top of the Jungfrauhoch you are likely to see absolutely nothing except Japanese tourists taking photos of themselves under the sign that says "top of the world". (Someday I will have to go again when the sun is out--ha!).

That the best macaroons in Riquewihr are found at the place at the top of the hill on the left going uphill, but, in order to make this observation, you must sample the macaroons in all of the shops. After you have done this, forget dinner.

That dueling church bells on each quarter hour all through the night are very common in rural Austria. That you will be faced with a choice of sweating it out or staying up all night if it is a hot night in summer.

That parking at the Haut Konigsburg castle in Alsace in August can take a bit of doing midday (as in waiting for another car to move out and being lucky).

It is storks and not pelicans on the roof tops of Alsace. I saw plenty of them in August.

And the place to buy tablecloths in the Ribeauville area is at the Beauville factory just outside of the town.

"And the place to buy tablecloths in the Ribeauville area is at the Beauville factory just outside of the town."

Now you tell me.
((H))