2005 Germany Tour

By Jim Harris ( Orange Coast Region )

I want to tell you about one of the most memorable times of our (my wife Patti and I) lives...our  trip to   Germany last year.  Why do I want to tell you?...... because it was the best vacation of my life  (my  wife  said   it was tied for best with a romantic transatlantic crossing on the QE II). We spent  2  weeks in a   beautiful   country on a tour with 20 other great people seeing some  awesome  sights  and  driving a great car. The   stars of the trip.........13 new Porsche 997 Carrera  S.   The story goes something like this.

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to drive on the Autobahn. As a teenager, the type of car  didn’t   matter.  Later, after owning my own Porsche, driving a Porsche on the Autobahn was  preferred. Late one   evening, while reading the Pandemonium newsletter, I saw an ad for  Autobahn  Adventures. I started ranting   and raving to my wife (asleep on the couch in front of  the  TV as it  was 12:30 am) “I finally found the trip to   Europe I want to take”. The thought of  visiting  Europe to look at old buildings and old churches and old   buildings and old  churches...didn’t  exactly thrill me,  but a chance to drive a Porsche on the Autobahn   without speed limits, that was a trip I could   deal   with, including the old buildings. We contacted Mark and   Tina Trewartha  (www.autobahn-adventures.com)  and we were all set to go.

On the first morning of the tour (we took delivery of the cars the night before) we, along with our new   acquaintances, John and Joanie, set off on our first drive. The goal was to drive to   Saabruchen, walk   across  the border and step into France, tour the area (looking at just a couple   of  old buildings) and drive   to our new hotel in Nurburg. The driving was incredible. The roads  are  engineering marvels. As a practicing   Civil Engineer, I can attest to the fact that the German  highway system (Autobahn) is superior to most of   our  freeways in the States. They are smooth   and  designed for high-speed travel. Patti was a little nervous   at first about the higher speeds but   she soon got used to them. In general, speeds of around 170 to 200   kilometers per hour (100 to   120 mph) can be maintained for significant periods of time. Much higher speeds   are possible for  a  limited duration.  The Germans spend a lot of effort maintaining their roads. The real nice   part,  you’re never looking for the flashing red lights behind you as it is all legal. In between our rides  on  the   Autobahn (e-ticket for those that know what the saying means), we took tours of the Stuttgart   (Zuffenhausen) and Leipzig Porsche factories to watch them build the cars we love so much, visited   wonderful (in spite of being old) castles and churches , shopped at interesting  stores and   boutiques   (according to Patti) and of course drove. 

Another highlight of the trip was the laps in the Carrera GT at the Porsche test track in Leipzig.  Those of   you without a spare $450,000 this is a once in a lifetime experience I will not  forget. Lunch in the dining   facilities at both factories was absolutely fantastic, especially  in  Leipzig  where you overlook the track and   can watch the Carrera GT being put to the test while you eat.

Although the itinerary included suggestions as to the sites to see and events to attend, the trip is set up to be   as structured or as flexible as you like. There were lots of activities for all. If you  choose, however, you can   drive to other places during the day and then meet with everyone at the hotel for dinner. Driving around   Germany was easy with the full navigation systems provided with the cars. At the end of each day, simply   punch in the hotel and you were there. All of the hotels, food and activities were truly first class.

On two of our free days, we drove through the countryside looking for the brown signs (tourist   attractions)   indicating interesting places to see. We would then input the names into the   navigation  system in the car,   which led us directly the point of interest. One of the many locations we visited, King Ludwig’s    Neuschwanstein Castle was absolutely stunning.

Probably the best thing about this trip was spending a lot of time with Patti doing things that we both   enjoyed. At the end of everyday, we would gather at dinner to fellowship and share our experiences (war   stories) of the day. The food and the company were great. This was one of my   favorite times on the trip, in   spite of not being a “group” or “tour” kind of guy. A wonderful time   was  had by one and all.  

As I said before, our trip to Germany was the  best vacation of my life.  We saw and did too many  things to   discuss in a short article. The country and people are great, there is no language barrier, the   activities/touring are wonderful  and the Porsche driving was truly outstanding. Mark and Tina do a great job   setting up the trip  and taking care of everyone. We did not encounter a single problem. WE JUST HAD A   BLAST!  For anyone who likes to drive fast and enjoy  adventures, this trip is for you. We enjoyed the trip   so  much, we are going back this September.  For more information call Mark & Tina at  ( 714 ) 964-0280   You won't regret it.