Katja: thanks so much for the info..that makes sense. I really would like to take the walker on board as you always hear horror stories of wheelchairs/scooters/walkers being damaged during transport.

Chemist: sorry to hear of your troubles. But you sound like a tough bird. :-)

I was aware that one can take any kind of mobility device, but really wasn't sure what the best way was to take the walker.

When we are in Germany, we usually rent a scooter that folds up and fits into the back of a rental car..this year we are renting a station-wagon like contraption (forgot the name), last year we had a Ford S-Max. They have cars there that we don't have, so I had to do a bit of research. The most fun part was when we were told by the Hertz employee not to go above 210km/h. !!!!

I found that with a bit of planning (actually a lot) you can prepare quite a bit:
We learned the German traffic signs/rules (well almost all of them!) and were able to obtain a temporary European Parking permit due to a very helpful official at City Hall in a German town. :-)

One thing to keep in mind, the roads are a lot smaller/narrower than here, cars drive and park! really fast. and the parking spaces are smaller too, i found. Hey, and no comment about women driving, eh?

I'm really excited..three weeks from today!!
Anything else I should keep in mind? I just love these forums. has anybody ever read the fantastic trip reports by SFO777 and Eightblack?