Ruined for Toyota

So, an unexpected perk of our little situation here in Deutschland is that we are now an unofficial automobile test-driver. So far we've had a VW van, a BMW wagon and our current vehicle is a Mercedes wagon. Have to say that the VW was a tank - did NOT enjoy it. The BMW felt very powerful and comfortable - just what you want in a vehicle.
You know, I never really understood the big deal about fancy cars (and I realize that a wagon isn't that fancy, but still, it's a beamer), but now I think I'm catching on. Nice things are nicer.
It was a little tricky to get used to how to work the windshield wipers and the heating, but once I realized that it was more intuitive than I expected, and they kind of did anticipate my every need - there really was a button for that - then we got on much better. One of my favourite buttons is the seat warmer. 3 levels of intensity for your every heating need. Level one for when you run out to the Apotheke to fill a prescription, Level 2 for when you've just walked your child to the kindergarten and are on your way to the gym, and Level 3 after a few hours of wandering around the Weihnachtsmarkt. Gluhwein is all well and good, but it doesn't reach everywhere.
So good news, the Mercedes has all the critical features I enjoyed in the BMW (wonderful GPS lady, large trunk space and of course, the seat warmer). Can I also note that this Mercedes is an automatic which would have been pretty useful back in the beginning when everything was new and tricky. Would have taken some of the pressure off.
Just like now I finally have a debit card which really makes purchases much smoother - also would have been much nicer back in the beginning...but I digress.

A disadvantage of these powerful cars is the ease at which we break speed limits. They purr like kittens at rather high speeds (except for the VW which sounded more like a rhino). The tires on our Mercedes are only rated for 210km/h, which is good. Wouldn't want to go too much over that anyhow. :) Actually the real problem is in town.
We've received our first ticket (I say received because we've seen the flash of the camera several times now, but we've only gotten one ticket in the mail - 20 euros plus a 9 euro processing fee from the rental car company.)
Luckily, Marc got the first ticket. It's better that way, trust me! :) The notice includes a grainy black and white snapshot of the driver, just to remove all doubt and put the blame squarely on the right shoulders. We have a lovely portrait of Marc smiling away enroute to Hattingen.