Pictures from ED trip (long post with 31 pics)
 

I just got back from a 21 day drive through Europe with a new S4. The route taken was Ingolstadt, Salzburg (via the Deutsche Alpenstrasse), Finkenberg, Luzern, Gstaad, Provence, St Tropez, Eze/Monaco, drop off in Nice. I thought I'd share some photos of my experience and time on 1,000 miles of twisty alpine roads:

Audi Delivery Center, with cars lined up for delivery.
Most deliveries are to Germans right now, although U.S. deliveries are increasing.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_1.jpg">

Audi Delivery Center, from above.
You can't get to the floor itself until your car is ready and they've checked your documents.
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My S4 in the middle (the one with the bags). Time to go!
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_3.jpg">

A black S5 on the delivery floor.
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Another picture of an S5 and the lucky dogs with the keys.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_5.jpg">

Once you take delivery of the car, you drive out to the Audi Forum, where you can get organized before really driving off. We took a break and ate lunch at the restaurant, which is free and quite good. The Delivery Center is in the background.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_6.jpg">

Another picture of the Audi Forum, facing the museum. The whole place is really quite cool.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_7.jpg">

First stop was the autobahn. No pictures because both hands were on the wheel, but it was a heck of a lot of fun. Topped out at 130 mph, but didn't go faster because of break-in constraints. We headed straight south, past Munich, towards Salzburg Austria via the Deutsche Alpenstrasse (German Alpine Road). The Alpenstrasse is Germany's version of the Big Sur or the Blue Ridge Parkway, a road built for beautiful views, full of twisties and cute towns.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_8.jpg">

Another photo from the Alpenstrasse (Hintersee).
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_9.jpg">

First two nights (after Ingolstadt), we stayed at the Hotel Schloss Fuschl on lake Fuschl.
Highly recommended (but not cheap).
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_10.jpg">

We then drove south through the Salzburg lake district. This is a picture of Hallstatt.
Highly recommended spot for a lunch break.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_11.jpg">

Our Garmin nav system took us on some crazy small roads through alpine passes, on the way to Finkenberg Austria. This is a photo of one of those roads. I just wish I had pulled out the camera to take a picture of the cows on the road around the next corner. Nothing quite like having 20 cows on all sides walking within inches of your brand new S4 (thankfully, they kept their horns to themselves).
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_12.jpg">

After staying in Finkenberg (a small alpine ski/spa village), we drove to Luzern in Switzerland (via Liechtenstein, just to cross off another country). Here's a picture of the S4 in the place of honor at the Park Hotel Weggis where we stayed (highly recommended)...
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_14.jpg">

And the view from the porch at the Hotel Weggis...
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_13.jpg">

We then drove to Gstaad, Switzerland, via Gruyere. This picture (S4 in corner) is from a small cheese making village high in the mountains.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_15.jpg">

Swiss alpine towns seem to range from quaint to incredibly quaint and beautiful. Here's a random spot between Gstaad and Montreux.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_18.jpg">

Photo of the S4 in a village between Gstaad and Montreux.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_16.jpg">

S4 on a random alpine road between Gstaad and Montreux.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_17.jpg">

Another random spot between Gstaad and Montreux, as we drove to Provence, France. After 10 days of driving on beautiful alpine roads, I'm amazed to say, we were ready for a change of scenery. The landscape switches from lush forest to arid dessert very quickly between Switzerland and France. Like jumping from Glacier National Park in Montana to Southern Calinfornia, without driving the 1000 miles in between.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_19.jpg">

A picture of the Bonne Etape hotel in Provence, known for its "gastronomique" restaurant. If you like to eat rabbit and other assorted small creatures, this is your spot.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_20.jpg">

S4 making friends at the Bonne Etape.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_21.jpg">

S4 on a windy road near the Gorges du Verdon. If you've ever seen the Top Gear video of the RS4 vs. the rock climber, this is the road.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_22.jpg">

Also near the Gorges du Verdon.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_23.jpg">

Random spot in Provence
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Random town in Provence
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View from our hotel in Eze (the Chevre d'Or, very highly recommended), between Monaco and Nice.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_26.jpg">

Villefranche-sur-Mer, below Eze, between Monaco and Nice.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_27.jpg">

S4 with some new friends in the "parking lot" (perch on a cliff) of the Chevre d'Or hotel in Eze.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_28.jpg">

The valet returning the S4 at the Chevre d'Or. The S4 is a rather large car for European towns...
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_29.jpg">

The S4 on Cap Ferrat, near Nice.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_30.jpg">

And the drop off location in Nice, TT Car Transit. I know, not much of a place to drop off keys to a new car, but they seemed to know what they were doing. Right down to reminding me to take the DVD out of the Nav system so that U.S. customs didn't flip out. They say the car goes by truck from Nice to Germany. They checked the car VERY carefully for scratches before they accepted it. As a note, I think TT car transit also provides long term car rentals, as they had a fleet of about 40 cars nearby.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_31.jpg">

Overall, the trip was a blast. A few thoughts...

The delivery process is really quite well done. The delivery center is beautiful. Museum is fun. You get to fully check out the car. There were actually two tiny problems (the gas cap didn't lock correctly and I noticed a *tiny* scratch on the aluminum piece in the door). I didn't even have to ask. They promptly jumped in the car, wheeled it back into the factory. 10 minutes later... new aluminum piece in the door, gas cap lock fixed. It's the factory, so, you know, they're fast.

Audi provided a high level of service too. Our airline had a near strike before the trip started, we missed our connection, and arrived in Germany 10 hours later than expected. Audi was great about changing the schedule, and getting a driver to Munich at the right time. But we never found our driver because the airline switched the gate/concourse at the last second (because the next flight was late too...). That said, I called Audi, they said "take a cab and we'll reimburse you" (which they did, in cash, the next day). But I had to skip the factory tour because of time constraints (my only regret about the whole trip).

The S4 is a fairly small car for the U.S., but a <b>huge</b> car for southern Europe. Germany and Switzerland have the best roads for a car this size. Austria is fine, but France is very tight. I have to admit, I was bit relieved to drop the car off in Nice with no real damage. 1,400 miles of driving by GPS on twisty roads, narrow passes, tiny parking spots... and just 1 small scratch (on a wheel from touching a curb).

If you only have a few days, I would recommend the Deutsche Alpenstrasse to Salzburg, or maybe to Neuschwanstein (which I skipped this time). I also recommend bringing, renting, or buying a European GPS system. Well worth it.

Perhaps the only downside to ED is that you have this great car, on these great roads, but you have to put 1000 miles on the car to get past the break-in period, before really letting loose. So, if at all possible, I recommend at least a week for an ED trip.

Anyway, I will definitely do ED again with every future car. Now I just have to wait patiently for the S4 to arrive in Boston &lt;sigh&gt;...

Awesome pix!
 

Can't wait for my trip in November. Favorite hotels/towns/restaurants on the Alpenstrasse?

Re: Awesome pix!
 

Thanks! Had a lot of fun with the new camera.

Our route on the Alpenstrasse was (paste this into in google maps)...

from: Ingolstadt, Germany to: Bernau am Chiemsee, to:Reit im Winkl, Germany to:Ruhpolding, Germany to:Inzell, Germany to:Berchtesgaden, Germany to:fuschl am see, austria

Stay on Route 305. Keeps getting prettier as you go. Almost no traffic when I did it. If I remember correctly, Ruhpolding, Inzell, and Berchesgaden were all cool. Hintersee was really beautiful (near Antenbichl, I think, a bit off 305, on the way to Berchtesgaden). You can also go see Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden, although we showed up too late to get in. Here's a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kehlsteinhaus">link in Wiki to the Kehlsteinhaus</a>.

Another pic from the Alpenstrasse...
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_a1.jpg">

Hotel Schloss Fuschl was really a spectacular first destination for us. Here's a <a href="http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1366">link to the hotel</a>. It was <b>really</b> expensive, but it was our honeymoon, so we said what the heck. Hintersee looked like it a had a cool small/old alpine hotel, but it's really in the middle of nowhere (if you want that). Somewhere in the town of Berchtesgaden would also be a good choice. Salzburg is a also a neat small city, located right at the end of the Alpenstrasse.

Another pic of Hintersee (notice the hotel on the right)...
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_a2.jpg">

And the view at night from the deck of the Hotel Schloss Fuschl...
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/121613/photo_a3.jpg">

Where are you thinking about going? How long? (I'm envious, I want to do it again!)

Oh yeah, if possible avoid driving south from Ingolstadt on the autobahn on Fri. Supposedly it turns into a parking lot with weekend vacationers. I went Tuesday during the day, and it was a fun blast.

Also, now that the EU is the EU, driving between Germany and Austria is a none event (like driving across U.S. state borders), so don't worry about where the roads pop from one side to the next.

Nice trip.
 

I know many of these places. Grew up in Switzerland.

They didn't give you a European DVD for the the NAV?

when do they say your S4 will arrive in U.S.?

That looks awesome. Thanks for sharing!

6 to 8 weeks is the standard line. K2, how did yours take?

Re: Nice trip.
 

Apparently the European and U.S. Nav systems run different software, you can't just switch the DVDs.

So... I have a European SD card for a Garmin unit, if anyone wants a good deal. Worked perfectly.

You missed your calling
 

You should have been a tour director. I'm going next May or June for 10 days to pickup an S5. What month did you go? I'm new to Audi's, how long is the break in period? I want at least one experience in my life of going flat out on the Autobaun.

I sent a Volvo S80 to Greece and it took 3 weeks.