Auto and Technik Museum - Sinsheim, Germany

First off - I find it quite unusual that we seem to have picked all the "S" spots in Germany to visit - either that or there just happens to be a lot of "S" named places here. Today (Saturday, January 12) we headed to Sinsheim to do something a bit different. We went to the Auto and Technik Museum (no castles or cathedrals there)! We thought the kids (and ourselves) would enjoy seeing planes, trains, and automobiles - as well as motorcylces, bicycles, tanks, and trucks. We saw our share - that is for sure! We got to climb in a real Concorde jet - suspended above the museum. As well as several other aircraft. Seeing inside the cockpit of these planes and realizing all the buttons, levers and controls used to pilot them - we have a great appreciation for those pilots who fly us back and forth over the ocean!

We also saw car after car after car - all makes and models - both American and European. Apparently the museum holds over 300! And thats just cars!

We didn't even begin to take pictures of them - but I (Kimber) did find one to be quite interesting. Apparently the one behind me (in picture) was made especially for Hitler.

A very special feature at the museum is the record breaking vehicle "The Blue Flame", the fastest rocket-propelled land vehicle of all times. It is a cross between a car and a rocket and it set a world-record with an average speed of 1001.671 km/h back in 1970.

One section of the museum is dedicated to military vehicles. We saw tanks, trucks, guns, shells, planes, as well as WWI and WWII documentation, newspaper articles (in German) I would have like to have read in English. So much history there right in front of us! One plane was a wreckage pulled from the ocean. Just knowing someone died in there - fighting the war - wow! Outside they had tanks. On one they had sections removed so you could see how thick the metal was. Very interesting.

Shane liked these rockets!

We also saw some unique vehicles....definately one of a kind!

A one wheeled vehicle - you ride inside the wheel! And a car turned snowmobile - that one looked like fun! You just hooked the skis right onto the wheels.

Shane also liked this plane with the sharp teeth painted on it! I suppose to scare the birds?!?

Taking a break (Silas was sleeping - can you tell?)

We had a good time and there is another Technik museum in Speyer. The one is Speyer has a Boeing 747, U-boat, 2 floor carousel built in 1850, and much more. We will surely check that museum out sometime too!