4 minute read
REINE, WEIN UND WASSERFALL
After all members had successfully crossed the English Channel by various routes, our first rendezvous site on the Northern Counties Germany rally was Remagen, on the banks of the River Rhine, where the meteorological gods were extremely kind to us. After the necessary “house keeping” rendezvous we concentrated our efforts on getting to know everyone, and the sampling of some German refreshments helped! The adjacent swimming pool was a great attraction, with ralliers returning with glowing reports, particularly as the early morning dip attracted a huge discount on the entry fee!
The museum at the remains of the Bridge at Remagen was also visited and found to be very informative of its history. The customary “Northern Counties ramble”, with promises of ice cream and a little surprise, had folk crossing the Rhine by ferry to the picturesque town of Linz.
Our second site was on the banks of the Lahn with excellent facilities and a lovely on-site restaurant. The sun splitting the sky saw the emergence of the infamous paddle boards. Some viewed this sporting vision with delight while others had a feeling of ensuing trepidation. Those more experienced paddlers called the virgin paddlers' bluff, and not to be upstaged they took to the paddle boards like fish up a tree, followed by an impending splash in the river. However, all admitted it was great entertainment and just had to be repeated before we left.
Visits to the nearby spa town of Bad Ems (1km away) were undertaken with everyone enthusing the beauty of the town. That evening the new ralliers were initiated into the intricacies of a “Chinese Raffle”, havoc prevailed with the laughter monitors going off the Richter Scale! The following morning a “short”cycle ride was organised and a large turnout of cyclists appeared and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of cycling so close to the river bank. I was starting to realise that this rallying lark was hard work as the following afternoon a wine tasting event was held. Thanks to all who helped explain the various wines to an enthusiastic audience.
For those who still had an interest in assessing their levels of exhaustion, a walk to the railway station saw them enjoying a 30 minute train journey to Koblenz. Everyone seemed to enjoy the sights of the city and for those passing up the chance to visit the metropolis a day on the paddle boards ensued. The paddle boarders who had practised the art of swimming earlier in the week managed the finer intricacies of staying upright and dry!
Our third rally site was Rudesheim on the banks of the Rhine. A boat trip to the pretty town of Bacharach had been arranged and all met somewhat bleary eyed at the jetty at 08:30am! After a gentle cruise, the boat decanted us all onto dry land, with the disappointment of many shops in the town being closed in the morning. For those shopaholics, all was not lost as, on their return to Rudesheim, all shops suddenly enjoyed a brisk trade. A bratwurst BBQ was enjoyed the next evening with a €10 ball game, bought by a member in the local supermarket. This turned out to be very competitive but also great fun for all with the winner duly parading his beer stein trophy! The game proved so popular that several made the early morning trip to the store to discover that it was sold out!
A cable car ride to Berg und Talfahrt (a big hill and monument above Rudesheim) was enjoyed by all those who had a head for heights. Others took the ferry to Bingen, some took to the sights and shops in Rudesheim, some to restaurants serving lunch and others to ice cream shops. In late afternoon, for those men who still had the stamina, a visit to a getränke (off-licence) was on the itinerary. The site at Rudesheim also benefitted from a swimming pool (this time an early evening visit by some attracted the anticipated continued on p13 continued from p11 discount). Our last full day there saw some intrepid souls disappear into the horizon for a cycle ride along the river bank. Again all returned safely fortified by ice cream and a refreshing beer.
The final stop on the rally was at Saarburg, a lovely town near Trier. Unfortunately our good weather decided to abandon our motley crew. That Thursday afternoon will be remembered by many who quickly jumped into action to rescue canopies from the strong wind and torrential rain! Thanks to all who saved the day!
Visitations to the charming local town were rewarded by the delights of the town’s wasserfall, the chairlift and numerous bars and restaurants; all of which provided excellent fare. The high speed toboggan run was the thrill of the day for those adventurous souls, with one member receiving her marching orders from management for going too fast on the children’s run!
Our Scottish contingent had organised an event to celebrate the life of William Topaz McGonagall, who we all now know is the world’s worst poet. The supper commenced with the vote of thanks and concluded with the grace. A few sore heads were denied the next morning but all knew that the Scottish event had been a resounding success and “will be remembered for a very, very long time”.
The next evening saw the customary farewell gathering, a genteel quiz and a drawing game ensued to the relief of many following the exertions of the previous night!
Our final day saw us enjoy a traditional MCC coffee morning. Everyone was sad to be leaving the group the following day to either make their way back to the UK or extend their adventures further into Europe. In the true spirit of the MCC, lots of new friendships were well and truly cemented during this rally with many vowing to keep in touch with everyone.
This rally would not have been such a memorable success without the pre-planning and organisational skills of Neil and Jo Huggon with the valued and much appreciated assistance of Bill and Ellen Hanby. Well done again and sincere thanks for all their efforts. Finally, thanks to all the ralliers who made the trip such a memorable occasion, the German rally of 2023 will “be remembered for a very, very long time”.
