Ich bin ein Berliner

I can't believe 23 days have passed since I last updated my Blog. I guess that's why the old expression "time flies when you're having fun" came about. It's been over a month since I've been in Europe and I'm really enjoying my time here. Of course, Čelákovice is not my number one travel destination. However, being in the heart of Europe, I've been able to travel quite a bit - Amsterdam, Krakow, Vienna and Berlin.

This past weekend I went to Berlin with a new good friend of mine. His idea was to rent a Porsche 911 Carrera. I'm so glad I decided to go along with him. I had never previously been in such a luxurious car, let alone had driven one. Now I want one. Porsche has a great tag line, "There is no substitute." After you drive one, it really makes you believe it.

Anyway, we took the Autobahn outside of Berlin. I was amazed at how simple an incredibly-well engineered sports car is to drive. Besides the thoughts and pressures of not crashing on your mind, the 911 is really pure driving pleasure. Unlike a car with a V8 engine, the 911 has lower displacement so it doesn't have the deep engine growl, but rather a higher pitched whine. Also, while the power is explosive, it's more like a bullet than a shotgun blast.

The top speed we reached was 252 km/hour or almost 157 mph. This is incredibly fast. But, you know what? The 911 was built for speed. It handles better at 100 mph than other cars do at 60. Who ever coined the term "life in the fast lane" must have been a sports car enthusiast!

Well, back to studying for my accounting final.