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GerM2ny
Table of Contents
Destination: GerM2ny
Short Version
Note: this is the short one-page version of my fantastic Destination: GerM2ny BMW car pickup story. If you want the full version, please go here instead.

As some of you already know, and if you poke around enough on my web page - I'm a motorsports nut in addition to being an outdoors-head. Usually my outdoor activities take precedence over the former, but there are times when I car-geek out. This short one-page mini-report contains a brief summary of what is probably the most car-geeky thing I've ever done: buy a sports car, pick it up from the manufacturer -- in Germany -- and then drive the heck out of it on the very best twisty roads and racetrack I could find. And then have it shipped back to Canada.
courtesy LWard
 Heart of Bavaria
Along the way, I do what I usually do on trips -- take a boatload of pictures and video, and then create an excessively long trip report. However, you may not be interested in reading seventeen pages or watching an hour and a half of video. If that's you, then this page what you want - A quick one-page description of the entire trip.

A trip such as this just can't be experienced alone, and I was fortunate enough to be able to recruit the best possible candidate I know of: my good friend Luke Ward - my motorhead buddy for what has been many decades, all the way back to when we first met in University. We've done cross-country twisty road trips and been in karting clubs, attended F1 races and done many track days at local circuits.
BMW's World
So, on the morning of June 1, 2018 - Luke and I landed in Munich. The next day, we presented ourselves at BMW's world headquarters and I received my new tarmac-tool: a 2018 BMW M2 coupe -- in Long Beach Blue. From there, we began a rambling, free-form, car-enthusiast dream trip - with an easy 2000km of break-in driving, rambling around and seeing some sights and some friends, and then -- after break-in -- on some of the most enjoyable routes through the alps.
Presented on a Dias
Side Excursions
Chur, Switzerland
Thanks to the generosity of my close friends Asmir and Miriam (and Miriam's parents), Luke and I had a wonderful home base for our exploration: a beautiful mountain flat in a small mountainside village in southwestern Switzerland. From there, we headed out to all manner of excellent blacktop - high passes, winding gorges, and vineyard-clad foothills.
Graubunden Region
To the twisties
Laghetto Moesola
Splugen Twisties
Narrow backways
High Alpine Excellence
As is my wont, we captured plenty of content that I will use to build up a more full-featured trip report. Images and video both from no less than five recording devices: my DLSR camera, a borrowed Go-Pro, a drone, and two fairly high-end phone cameras. With things mounted inside, outside, and flying from above, we attempted to capture as much as we could: the cut and thrust of beautifully-sequenced corners, the airy dropoffs at the end of incredibly tight high-altitude hairpins, and the blurred green canopy as we sped along winding paths through forested valleys.
Alpine Symmetry
Documenting... always documenting
Foot travel, too
Our trip was more than just about cars and roads: we stopped and enjoyed wonderful, rustic accommodations in rifugios -- mountain "huts" -- strategically situated at the passes along many of the best roads. I also took Luke on some mountain adventuring in the Dolomites, climbing one of the range's famous Via Ferrata routes.
On a ferrata
Rustic and beautiful accommodations
Interior, Edelweiss hut
And then, after clocking in over 4000 kilometres of mountain twisties, we headed north, back into Germany, along high-speed autobahns, all the way up to the low hills of the Eifel mountains. Situated Northwest of Frankfurt, the Eifel mountains contain one of motorsport's most famous locations: the Nordschliefe of the Nurburgring race complex. It is the longest operating race circuit in the world, and the location of a long string of the world's most notable historic motorsports events.

We, Luke and myself, two humble car guys from New Brunswick, Canada -- were able to spend a full three days exploring the circuit and surroundings, including two full evenings of lapping on the historic circuit. It was... phenomenal... and a grand conclusion to a fantastic trip.
The unrestricted zone
Nurburg
Castle View
courtesy LWard
Approaching ex-Muhle
Inspection by bicycle
In its element
And so concludes this one-page short summary of my and Luke's grand "GerM2ny" car pickup. I apologize in advance for the length of time it is taking to put this report together (The full report is now out. If you are interested, please go here to read it).

Below is a different teaser video (from the one on the main page) - one that I produced during the long wait between the trip finish and the publication of this report. Basically it's a "coming soon" preview of the full-length movie (which is now available on the Movies Page). It was intended at the time as a tiny bit of enticement to get readers to not forget that I had a large trip report in the works. Now it's more of a historical record, but it still a worthwhile watch.

GerM2ny 2018 - The Pickup - Preview Teaser Video



Again, if your appetite is now whetted and you want to read the full, complete story (and maybe even the full-length video), you'll find all of that here.
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