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European Event of the Year 2007
SPEYER - GERMANY
24th to 28th May 2007
Janice and I had attended
the last two MGCC European Event of the Year gatherings, in Holland and
France, and it seemed that, by default, we would be participating in the
2007 event in Speyer, near Heidelberg, Germany. So it was that, on a
Saturday afternoon, we met up with our travelling companions David & Carol
Copeman and Jack & Barbara Haigh on the dockside in Hull, ready for the
overnight crossing to Zeebrugge in Belgium.
click on image to enlarge
Suitably fortified by the
onboard breakfast, we set off to cross Belgium in our 1977 MGB together with
Jack & Barbara in their 1972 MGB and David & Carol in their 1996 RV8. We
arrived in Vianden, Luxembourg about mid-afternoon and booked into the Hotel
Heintz which, we were to discover, was no stranger to MGs. We stayed for two
nights, exploring the town’s spectacularly situated castle and the general
area.
http://www.castle-vianden.lu/english/index.html
click on image to enlarge
On Tuesday morning
(22nd May) we said goodbye to Jack and Barbara who
unfortunately had to return home due to illness. The remaining two cars then
set off across country following the GPS to Speyer which was to be our base
for the next seven nights. We were staying in the hotel at the Technik
Museum which was the venue for the event and only a short stroll from the
River Rhine.
click on image to enlarge
The next day
(23rd May), Janice and I took the opportunity to
visit the Black Forest as it was only an hour or so away. An unintended
diversion on the way back took us through the industrial town of Karlsruhe
during the rush hour. On returning to base, we registered for the event and
picked up our comprehensive event pack.
click on image to enlarge
On Thursday morning (24th May) we assembled for the drivers’
briefing prior to commencing the Odenwald Tour. This started by crossing
the Rhine and passing along the valley of the Neckar, a tributary of the
Rhine but still a substantial river. The weather was very hot and the lunch
stop at the Hotel Kreidacher Hohe provided a welcome respite. We then
travelled on, passing through Heidelberg and on to the Hockenheim race
circuit. We had booked a few laps of the track and expected to be
circulating with a few dozen other MGBs. We were, therefore, rather
surprised to find ourselves assembling on the track with about two hundred
other MGs of almost every type! As on the previous year in France, we found
that a rubber bumper MGB has major limitations on a race circuit but we
enjoyed ourselves, putting in a few laps before taking pity on the car. We
then returned to Speyer in time for an informal meal in the festival hall –
a huge marquee erected in the museum grounds.
click on image to enlarge
The next morning
(25th May) we set off on the Tour
Neckar/Kraichgau, stopping at various points on the way to our lunch stop at
the Cloister Maulbronn monastery. The afternoon’s scenic drive returned us
to Speyer. The evening featured the first of the slightly more formal event
dinners in the festival hall and another chance to meet friends old and new.
click on image to enlarge
Saturday morning (26th May) gave us the opportunity to take an
informative guided walking tour of the city centre of Speyer followed by a
lunch of regional food. This left us free in the afternoon to visit the
Technick Museum
http://www.technik-museum.de/uk/speyer/ with
a fascinating collection, principally of transport items. That
evening we had the second of the event dinners, with music and dancing. The
evening also brought a thunderstorm which brought an end to the scorching
weather we had endured for the previous couple of days.
click on image to enlarge
On Sunday morning (27th May), after the drivers’ briefing, we set
off on the Tour Weinstrasse (Wine Street) to the west of Speyer. As on the
previous few days, we set off top-down and braved out the first few showers
around mid-morning but made a quick stop to erect the hood just in time for
the seriously organised rain. We saw a few cars with no wet-weather
equipment but with their crews clothed accordingly and continuing through
the deluge. We opted to miss the inclusive lunch and continued on to a
restaurant for a very pleasant meal. This stop on the tour also gave the
opportunity to climb a very steep hill to the spectacularly sited Burg
Trifels and tour the castle. We then travelled on to the afternoon coffee
stop and returned to base. The evening dinner was followed by the awards
ceremony and the end-of-event speeches.
click on image to enlarge
The following day
(28th May) was rather wet again so Janice and I
crossed the Rhine for the 45 minute trip to the Technik Museum Sinsheim
whose extensive collection includes a Concorde and a Concordski. For a
serious transport enthusiast, this is a full day’s visit.
http://www.technik-museum.de/uk/sinsheim/
click on image to enlarge
Next
years event 2008 will be held in Zug Switzerland 8th-14th August 2008
More information should be available from December 2007 on their web site
www.mgcc.ch
29th May
to 1st June
Visiting the Rhine
On Tuesday
(29th May) we checked out of the Museum Hotel and
travelled with David and Carol following the Rhine downstream to the village
of Assmannshausen in the Rhine Gorge. From our rooms we could watch the
Rhine barges, cruise boats and ferries as they struggled to overcome the
local swift currents while travelling upstream or view the castle high on
the opposite bank.
click on image to enlarge
The next day
(30th May) was fine and bright and we cruised
downriver, past numerous castles and the legendary Loreley Rock, to St Goar
where we visited the castle which also offered spectacular views of the
river. After lunch we took the return trip, breaking the journey at the
picturesque town of Bacharach. The ferries we travelled on are a bit like
using a bus or train – all very straightforward. We could also have
travelled by road or train along both sides of the river through the gorge.
click on image to enlarge
On Thursday
(31st May) we toured the area and returned to
Loreley but this time to the top of the rock where we could look down on the
boats navigating the once very hazardous bend in the river.
click on image to enlarge
The next morning (1st June) we started our return home by crossing the
Rhine to Bingen by ferry, travelling on through the ancient city of Trier
and across Luxembourg to our overnight stop on the outskirts of the
riverside town of Dinant in Belgium.
On Saturday morning
(2nd June), having all day to travel about 150
miles, we picked a few towns along the route back to Zeebrugge and let our
GPS do most of the navigating. This resulted in our passing through the
“real” Belgium, not just along the main roads. When we stopped in one town
we were invited to attend a classic car event the next day but had to
decline and journey on to the ferry port.
On Sunday morning we said
goodbye to David and Carol and make our way home along the A63 and M62
remembering “Drive on the Left”.
Our thanks go to MG Car
Club Deutschland for a well organised and enjoyable event.
Review by
Cliff Hobbs
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