The Big Bang

So this is where the wheels fell off. Almost literally. The plan was to hop into our Sixt hire car and drive to Lippstadt – where the ancient Rose family spent their days before scurrying off to Australia in search of wealth in the early 1850s.

At about the halfway mark we decided to take a break at Bad Hersfeld. Good, sensible plan. The road into the town was narrow and possessed a hard-edged curb into which I stupidly drove the vehicle. Up and over a tree guard that protruded way too far into the road – especially for a left hand side driver such as my good self. BANG! A good few moments later we stopped the car and inspected the damage.

 

What to do? First across the road to a Tyre fix man. “Nope can’t help you, but you should go to another Tyre fix man (Type B see below) across town.” DJ and I started to walk, but a mother (son named Ishmael) who lived nearby offered (and we accepted) to drive us. 

[Now here are two types of person to be encountered when in trouble in a foreign land: 

1. Helpful people eg mother identified above. Type A.

2. Ignorant unhelpful pricks who don’t want to spend any more time than necessary with foreigners. Type B]

So here we are at Tyre Repair 2. Type A young chap behind the counter phones Sixt and facilitates flatbed truck and driver (TypeA) to take vehicle to Tyre Repair 3. Here we find two employees (each Type A/B) who let me use their phone (my international minutes having expired), but only up to closing time. The Sixt guy on the phone had put me on hold, but I had to hang up. RATS! I could goon with the detail, but here is a précis:

• Unscheduled overnight stay in Bad Hersfeld

• Taxi to nearby town to collect replacement car

• Type B hire guy says we must return the car to Bamberg(!) until phone call to Sixt tells him otherwise.

• Same chap refuses to give address of drop off place in Düsseldorf.

• Next day we get to Lippstadt and start having fun. One day late.

 

So here are the takeaways from this experience:

1.        Always be kind to foreigners- especially when they need help

2.       Always be a Type A person

3.       Never run out of prepaid international minutes on your phone

4.       Keep persisting with the Next Step in all your problem-solving exploits.

5.       Always carry a rubbish bag in your car. If it gets full, you can simply chuck it out the window.

Toodles