Rome to Which All Roads Lead

It was my second visit to Germany and the first drive on one of its famous Autobahn. As I and my colleague left the Frankfurt am Main Flughafen (airport) and were driven on the Autobahn, I saw a road sign that said Ausfahrt. I assumed that it was the name of a city or town to which the road below it led.

A little later, I saw the very same name again. I thought it was another road leading to the same place. Then every time there was a branch off on the Autobahn, there was the very same name on the board above it. As we drove further, it looked as if the very name was on the other side of the Autobahn. Now, how could that be?

I decided, almost in desperation, that Ausfahrt meant Rome. After all, don’t “all roads lead to Rome”? Our driver did not know much English. I gingerly asked him anyway. “What does Ausfahrt mean?”

My pronunciation must have been so bad that he did not understand me. As we were struggling to make him understand that, there was that board again. I frantically pointed at it.

“Ach zo! Auzfagggrt! Sat iss eggzit” he said.

Ach so!!!!

Read this for further enlightenment including a picture of the Ausfahrt