We're hurtling along the left lane of the autobahn at 140kph and I notice I'm being flashed by car lights from behind.
I pull across to the middle lane to let the driver pass. I know the rules. If you're not going fast enough, get the hell out of the way.
The car that passes us could easily have been doing 200kph, but that's OK, some German autobahn have no speed limits, although many are lobbying for a change to that situation.
But be careful - 130 km/h is the recommended top speed on most autobahn, and unmarked police cars and automated roadside radar/photo devices are ready and waiting to take photos if you go over the speed signs.
Germany has one of the densest road networks in the world, with 12,700km or more of autobahn. There's also scores of minor roads and scenic routes to takes such as the Half-Timbered Houses, Avenues Route and Fairytale, through picturesque villages and landscapes.
I have picked up my rental Mercedes-Benz from Budget in Stuttgart in the south and driven to Frankfurt airport to pick up my niece, who is fluent in German.
Sweat covers the steering wheel after weaving in and out of trucks and other vehicles, but I have made it in reasonable time without the use of the GPS (known as Navi here, which I find even more complicated than autobahns).
Thank God for clever nieces. She has it working in no time and we nickname it Frau, who is pretty good, if not perfect, at suggesting alternative routes to construction delays and traffic jams.
Stuttgart is the city to start a driving tour of Germany, where motorised vehicles were invented more than 125 years ago.
Wonderful museums explain this history, including the Mercedes-Benz Museum and the Porsche Museum, displaying vintage vehicles to racing cars.
Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach developed the first lightweight, fast-running petrol engine in 1885.
Very soon after - in January 1886 - Carl Benz registered a patent for a three-wheeled carriage, calling it a 'vehicle driven by a gas engine'.
At first it was referred to as a 'horseless carriage'. It wasn't until early August 1888 when Benz's wife, Bertha, and her sons took the first long-distance journey by car from Mannheim to Pforzheim, that amazed onlookers began to realise the importance of a self-powered vehicle.
Twelve years later, in 1900, at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in Stuttgart, the first modern automobile was created.
It was named Mercedes after the 10-year-old daughter of businessman Emile Jellinek, who had initiated the development of the car.
The whole story of the company is on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, which doesn't hide its role in Nazism and World War Two, with Hitler fond of being driven around in them.
Germans might think they are the best drivers in the world, but safety is also stressed. And while public transport in Germany, particularly trains, is fabulous there's no alternative to having the freedom to explore in your own car.
Tips for driving on German autobahns:
- Drive like a good German driver, and be alert, and stick to less than 130kph where possible.
- Never overtake on the right. You must move into a left lane to pass (unless in a traffic jam).
- Always check your left side-view mirror and your blind spots before you overtake, and then head straight back to the slower lane.
- Be aware of flashing lights and fast cars coming up behind you. And always use your indicator.
- If there's not much traffic, locals expect you to be in the far right lane, not the middle lane.
- Take regular breaks. The autobahn has rest stops (raststatten) with petrol stations, restaurants, shops, picnic tables and toilets or sometimes just picnic tables and parking.
- Don't forget a good map.
IF YOU GO:
GETTING THERE: Singapore Airlines flies to Frankfurt via Singapore from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and with Silk Air from Darwin. Return economy flights start from $2199 ($2150 return from Perth and $1918 from Darwin) inclusive of taxes/surcharges. Call 131011 or visit: www.singaporeair.com.
STAYING THERE: Some good hotels to stay in while driving in Germany include: in Kassel: Hotel Gude: www.hotel-gude.de; in Bremen: Ringhotel Munte: www.hotel-munte.de and in Berlin: The Hollywood Media Hotel: www.filmhotel.de.
PLAYING THERE: When not driving, Berlin WelcomeCards are a handy way to use public transport. More information: www.visitBerlin.de For more information on Germany visit: www.germany.travel A list of automotive museums in Germany can be found at: www.deutsche-museumsstrasse.de. Mercedes-Benz Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 6pm: www.mercedes-benz-classic.com
* The writer travelled as a guest of Germany Travel, visitBerlin and Singapore Airlines.
