2008 Fall TREFFEN Report
by Susan Davis
Wednesday, 24 September & Thursday, 25 September
We departed Huntsville, AL, on time at 13:10 CDT for the short hop to Atlanta. We
arrived without issue and made our way to the international terminal (E). Our non-stop
flight Delta 116 to Stuttgart boarded on time, but we were slightly delayed on take-off
because a bag was on its way. The pilot had to shut off the engine on the side the
baggage was to be loaded. After that, we were number three for take-off and did so
without trouble soon afterward and were airborne about 18:00 EDT.
The flight was about 8-1/2 hours, and was trouble free. We both had our iPhones and
had downloaded movies to keep us entertained, along with books and music on the
iPod portion of the iPhone. We had a typical airline meal and then settled in for the
remainder of the flight.
About 12AM CDT (07:00 Stuttgart time), we saw light on the horizon. Soon after the
flight attendants switched on the lights and began serving a light breakfast. As we got
closer to Stuttgart, we became concerned that no landing cards were distributed for us
to complete. I had never flown internationally.
Germany doesn’t require the extensive
paperwork we put our visitors through. We
landed slightly ahead of time. The jet bridge for
our gate was under repair so down we went
stairs (from a 767!). They drove us to German
Customs which went smoothly. We were the
only international flight at that time, so it was
very easy to get through. If one plans to come
to Germany, Stuttgart might be a good place to
fly to/from. We were met at the airport with a
Fast Lane Travel, Inc. sign – very comforting. It is small and uncrowded. The day was
overcast and cool, but not cold. One thing we discovered quickly is that while it may
be cool (and not unpleasant) outside, the buildings are uncomfortably heated or not
temperature controlled at all. Stuffy and warm. Ugh!
The first part of our trip was the
Porsche Club of American
Treffen, which was completely
arranged for us, from picking us
up at the airport to hotel
reservations, meals, tours and
the all important Porsche rental
for our two days on the
Autobahn. We were collected at
the baggage claim, which
amazingly was inside the secure
area, and driven to our hotel,
where check-in was a
breeze. We had about and hour
and a half to ourselves before
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lunch, so we went exploring through the local pedestrian mall and found ourselves at
Schlossplatz, the local palace. Everything looks – and this is really true – so
German! The architecture is unique, and one truly feels like this is Germany, and of
course it is!
Peter, the Treffen Meister had arranged lunch for us at
the hotel. It was typical Schwabian fare. Ken had
meatloaf, which looked like Spam but apparently tasted
like pork, with a fried egg on it. I had ravioli stuffed with
pork and spinach, a local favorite. It was quite fine.
After lunch we boarded a bus for the Mercedes
Museum. This is a very large facility with perhaps
hundreds of Mercedes cars through time. The museum
starts at the top and works its way down five floors and
across the years to today. There is a good sequence of
what was happening in history as Mercedes cars
progressed. Very interesting.
By this time it was about 16:00, which is 09:00 CDT. We
had both napped about 3-4 hours on the plane, but we
were very tired. Once back at the hotel, we had about 11/2 hours until dinner, so we took a quick half hour
nap. It made all the difference! After freshening up, we
were set for dinner, which was a short walk through Schlossplatz to the Ratskeller
restaurant at city hall (Rathaus). Ken
had venison with cherry sauce and I
had pork with potato pancakes. Both
were good, but as one might soon
discover in Germany, German food is,
well, German food. Not bad, but not
much to write home about – a far cry
from our time in Paris and Italy! Still,
we had a lovely meal with the group,
and the socializing made dinner fly. By
22:00, we were exhausted and headed
back to the hotel for a real night’s sleep.
Friday, September 26, 2008
We woke up about 07:30 having slept well throughout the night. Even though 07:30 is
00:30 in Huntsville, we were refreshed and ready to hit the day. After a wonderful
shower – the best I’ve ever had in Europe – we headed down to breakfast, which was,
of course, continental. European breakfasts suit me well, as they are heavy on cheese,
meats and breads (and fantastic bread at that!). Real (100%) juice (from my
experience, rare in Europe) and acceptable coffee. A good way to start the day.
At 08:45 sharp, we boarded the bus for the Porsche Marketing Headquarters in
Ludwigsburg to fill out the paper work for our rental Porsche which Ken would drive
Saturday and Sunday. They had a small shop of Porsche items (all at great cost), so
while we waited for our turn to do the paper work, we picked up a few items. Well…
when would we ever be back???
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From this facility, we headed to the main Porsche manufacturing facility in
Zuffenhausen. A Porsche executive showed us the “used” Porsche show room, where
cars driven by Porsche executives and other employees for 3-4 month are sold after a
refurbishment. He assured us that these were at a good discount. Yikes! One car
was 97,000 Euros!
We walked down to the current Porsche
museum. It is very small, but has a number of
interesting cars, primarily racing cars. However,
there were two quite old Porsches, from the
1920s/1930s that looked like regular
sedans. One would never expect they were
related to the cars we know today. There was
also a 1950 Volkswagen Beetle. Dr. Porsche
had worked for Volkswagen (and Mercedes)
prior to starting Porsche cars.
Since our group was quite large, they broke us into two groups and took us to see the
new car delivery area and the customization area, where cars are customized per
order. No pictures allowed here, but a whole lot of neat cars! In the design lounge, we
were allowed to take pictures and sit in the cars. They had a Cayman-S the same
color as our Boxster-S, which is the
same as the Cup (racing) cars have
called RS. There was also a Boxster-S
there in Porsche RS racing green – a
rather lime green color that I loved. It
had black leather seats with the same
green stitching. Very cool.
The group headed out to the Porsche
dealer, the Porsche Zentrum, across
from the plant while we waited for the
appointed lunch hour. This show room
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had more Porsches than most Chevy
dealers have Chevys in the
U.S! OK. Maybe not that many, but
more than I had ever seen in one
spot.
Lunch was in the Porsche factory
Kasino (cafeteria). It was simple but
adequate – beef tips in burgundy
mushroom sauce, rice, cauliflower
and broccoli. We skipped dessert
because we ran out of time. There
was also sparkling apple juice, a
German favorite called Apfel Schorle,
and sour cherry juice (excellent!). Beer and wine (and I even saw Champagne!) were
also available. Workers are allowed to partake of alcohol during the day. In fact there
are beer vending machines right next to the Coke machines at the factory. They do
not drink themselves into a stupor, but have a beer with lunch. Not so bad, really.
After lunch we broke into three
groups for the factory tour. Our
guide was Matthias Wacker, a
university student working 1-1/2
days per week as an intern at
Porsche. He was a pleasant
young man and we had a great
tour. First we went to the
leather shop, where all the
leather for the upholstery is
inspected and cut. A worker
examines each prepared hide
(done by an outside vendor) for
flaws of any kind, including
scars from bug bites or abrasions. The yield for a hide is 40-50%, so much does
Porsche desire to have a perfect product. The leather is cut with water. Interesting.
From here we went to the area where the car bodies are assembled. All 911s in the
world are made in this factory, including racing cars and police cars. The shell of the
car comes in from across the street
already painted. The first step is to
remove the doors. From there the
cars move slowly down a moving line
having various parts installed. There
is a robot that installs the
windshields. They have small robotic
cars moving parts around the
facility. Overall very impressive. We
continued on to the area where the
drive train meets the car. Engines are
installed and the cars move to finally
assembly, where seats, consoles and
trim are installed.
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Our last stop was the engine assembly facility, which opened only this past
August. Previously, engines were assembled in a smaller, older building. The new
facility is very modern, with even newer equipment than the car assembly
facility. Robots perform nearly all the steps here and use RF signals to know what
step to do next. Very impressive. Robots are more effective for installing and torquing
bolts since they do not have variation, as a human might (and they do not get bored or
distracted, as a human might). The robot vehicles here are very advanced. They do
not follow lines on the floor, but rather know where they are going. They can stop for a
group in the way. They can even call for an elevator and wait for it to
come. Amazing. They have chambers where the engines are leak checked and final
checked by machines. This is really a state of the art facility. Unfortunately Porsche
does not permit any pictures taken at the factory, except in the Museum.
The day at the Porsche factory was very
enlightening and interesting. We both
enjoyed it thoroughly. A short bus ride to the
hotel and we were free for about 2-1/2
hours. Both of us were beat, having been on
our feet nearly the entire day, and still
perhaps a bit jet lagged. We napped for
about half an hour, freshened up and headed
down for the bus to dinner.
The group was entertained by our Porsche
executive at a restaurant in the old city walls
at Esslingen. It is a lovely place, and looks
typically German. Our meal was, again, fine
German fare (but German!). Both last night
and tonight, we had a wonderful salad before
dinner. We all think it is watercress, and it’s
very good, with a light balsamic dressing and
a spattering of nuts. Good stuff! Dinner was
steak (for a place known for pork, we seem to
be having a lot of beef!) with a small
Schwabian ravioli stuffed with sausage and spinach, a cabbage leaf wrapped around
sauerkraut and some zucchini
and carrots. Dessert, another
local favorite, was odd, at least
to me. It was two apple slices
fried and sprinkled with
cinnamon with a tiny scoop of
ice cream. Not much to my
liking, but Ken ate his.
A few notes about the Porsche
factory: About 130 cars per day
are produced. Each worker
position on the assembly line
has 4 minute 40 seconds to
complete the tasks for that
station. There are over 7,000
applications for the 110
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openings each year. Once hired, new employees enter a three year
apprenticeship. After that, there is a 3-4 month training for whichever job they are
assigned. Seniority is judged by how many positions you can work, not time on the
job. Workers have a five minute break each hour. They have 15 minutes for breakfast
and 30 minutes for lunch. Turnover is low, with a full 95% staying once hired. From
the days of quality problems with Porsche’s, they have pulled themselves up and now
build a very high quality automobile. Very impressive!
And now, it’s 23:28. We must get up early because our bus to our rental Porsches
leaves at 08:30 sharp. Tomorrow will be great fun!!!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
This morning we awoke at 07:00
to get ready for the 08:30 –
sharp – departure to pick up our
cars. We rushed through our
ablutions, packed our overnight
bag and headed down for a very
quick breakfast. We were on the
bus at 0830 for our trip to
Ludwigsburg to pick up our
cars. And there it was, Ken’s
dream of a lifetime, a Porsche
911 Turbo (about $165K if you
bought it – talk about
scary!). She was a black beauty
with an orangish leather interior (perhaps better called brick red) not unlike my Mini
Cooper. Once we got our final briefing on German road laws, we headed out to our
cars to “saddle up!”
We pulled out about 0942 and headed south to Lindau. There were seven of us in the
turbo group (I figure this group represented well over a half a million dollars in
automobiles – could make you choke if you thought too hard about it). Our guide and
leader, Thomas, was in a Carrera 4, as was the tail, Eric and Peter. Just past the
Stuttgart airport, the Autobahn goes to no speed limit. Thomas, called our group the
Eagles. When he wanted us to hit it, he’d say, “OK, Eagles, let’s fly!” When he did,
Ken kicked it in – and my heart
stopped. We had a wonderful day
driving to Lindau on the Autobahn and
small country roads. The German
countryside is lovely (I am not sure Ken
knows this or not, as he was quite
occupied driving at ridiculous speeds –
at one point, he was up to 270 kph, or
167.4 mph – yikes!!)
We found ourselves at the foot of
Neuschwanstein for lunch. It was
fabulous to see this famed castle –
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known locally as the “Disney castle” – after seeing it most of my life in pictures. The
day was slightly cloudy, and the castle was shrouded in clouds, which added to the
mystique. It was beautiful.
Lunch was at a touristy restaurant at the foot of the ascent to Neuschwanstein. I had a
cheese sandwich and some very tasty potato soup. Ken had a bratwurst with mashed
potatoes and sauerkraut (he didn’t eat the side dishes). As with every meal we’ve had
in Germany, not bad, but nothing memorable.
After lunch we continued south to Lindau. The afternoon trip was mostly through the
mountains. This far south, the road took us through both Germany and Austria several
times. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. It was completely Alpine, or Tyrolean,
complete with chalets and geraniums. The countryside was spectacular. The Alps are
ragged and bold, rising steeply from Alpine valleys. While I was sightseeing, Ken was
driving at speeds one should never consider in mountain passes and valleys. He
passed at times I would never have dreamed of, but at the direction of our Turbo group
leader. We made a point of staying as a single Porsche group, but from time to time,
others would nose their way in. At one point, a yellow Fiat was in front of us. Normally
we would pass, but this guy was great. He hung with us all the way on the little
mountain road. After he turned off, our Treffen leader, Peter Sontag, said that he had
considered offering the guy an honorary membership in the Porsche Club of
America. The Fiat driver
was that good! (And Turbo
911s haul ass, so the Fiat
did very well!).
In one of the mountain
passes, we stopped near
the top for a short
break. Peter was able to
help out a couple of British
motorcyclists who had
gone astray of the law. In
the mountains, there is a
strict no passing law (well,
sort of). There were two
German cops at the top of
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the pass with binoculars watching
the roads below for law
breakers. The poor Brits
apparently had passed some cars
and were now facing 60 Euro
fines each. Peter stepped in for
them and got the fine lowered to
30 Euros each. But the message
was clear. No passing. So as we
descended the steep mountain to
the valley below, we could not
pass. Our luck was to be behind
a bicyclist. This guy must have
had a death wish. There he is in
the middle of a parade of Turbo
Porsches, speeding down the mountain on a tiny road bike. I would guess he made
40 mph in some stretches. We were behind him all the way down the
mountain. Considering the winding road and steep grade, the cyclist is either very
brave or very stupid. For our part, we just had a somewhat slower drive down the
mountain.
Also along the road in Austria – and I have to believe this is just very Austrian, since it
happened the last time I was in Austria 27 years ago – the farmers were bringing the
cows down from the Alpine pastures. They summer in the high pastures where the
grass is tender, and are driven back down the mountain in late September. Twice we
were held up by cows on the road. At one time we were surrounded by cows! They
had bells around their necks, but unlike 27 years ago, no flowers around their
horns. Neither did the
farmers wear lederhosen
or dirndls, as they did all
those years ago. Times
change, or maybe 27
years ago, it was a local
festival and this time it
was just farmers doing
their work. Regardless,
it gave one a real flavor
of Alpine/Tyrolean life.
While touring through the
German countryside –
albeit at ridiculous
speeds – some things of
note. People here seem
to spend the weekends outside enjoying the fresh air and sun. Everywhere through
the mountains were people out for a walk, a hike or a bike ride. We saw paragliders,
and wind surfers (in the Alpensee). Germans clearly enjoy the outdoors and exercise,
and it shows. Not too many fat Germans.
While I was, for the most part, scared to death, Ken had a wonderful time. He drove
very well. He was number one after the leader for the morning portion, and was very,
very good. While I am not thrilled with the speeds and passing, overall, everyone was
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very good. The cars are
beyond fantastic. They hug the
road. They brake on a
dime. They accelerate like a
jack rabbit. These cars are
amazing machines. In my
stupidity, I am considering
driving tomorrow. We shall see.
We arrived at Lindau at about
1630. Lindau is a lovely old city
on an island in the Bodensee
(or Lake Konstanz). To the east
is Austria. To the south is
Switzerland. We are staying in a
very lovely hotel, the Hotel
Bayerischer Hof. It is on the harbor, which is guarded by a lighthouse from the 13th
century and a lion, the symbol of Lindau. The view from our window is spectacular.
We checked in and wandered through the streets. Lindau is quite small, and one can
easily see most of it in an hour or so. We found St. Stephan’s church on Marktplatz. It
is from the 12th century and is now Lutheran. We then went in search of St. Peters, the
Catholic church, which dates from the mid-12th to 13th century. There they have a
chapel dedicated to the World War I and World War II dead. We were quite moved to
see plaques to those that died with the National Socialists (Nazis). There was even a
name that said the person had died at Auschwitz. Quite moving.
After our wandering, we came back to the hotel and sat outside to have a couple of
beers. The day was beautiful and cool. We saw ferries come in from Austria,
Germany and Switzerland. All in all, quite nice. And now we are about to dress for
dinner. Our Treffen group is having a
cocktail party and dinner. What a great
trip!
It’s 2247 now (that’s 10:47 PM). We just
came back from a lovely cocktail party
and dinner with the Treffen group. We
had champagne as a group. Then we
had venison pate with figs – very
fine. Next came a duck consommé,
again, very tasty. For the main course
Ken had fish (we think pike), which was
very good. I had beef or pork – in
Germany, it’s hard to know. But it was
good. During all of this, they plied us
with wine (Ken) and beer (Susan). For
dessert we had a nice Toblerone
mousse with fruit, and finished with
cappuccino. Over all, a very good evening. We are leaving at 0800, and its 2251,
now. Time to hit the sack. Tomorrow we drive to Rothenberg and then return to
Stuttgart. So far, despite being scared out of my wits, it’s been fun. Perhaps I may
even drive tomorrow!
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Sunday, September 28, 2008
We woke early (0630) in
order to make an 0830 start
time. We had a typical
(good) German breakfast at
the hotel. The hotel staff
started bringing the cars at
0800, and the Turbo group
headed out first. We took off
at 0842 and hit the Autobahn
early. It was foggy out, but
we did have reasonable
visibility, if not ideal. Sunday
morning is the perfect time to
take to the Autobahn for
those with “the need for speed.” Almost immediately upon entering, the testosterone
took over and we were flying up the Autobahn at about 290 kph (that’s 180
mph). Yikes! The Porsches all had fog
lights on the tail lights, which made it easy
to follow the car ahead (rear fog lights are
apparently required in Europe). With little
traffic, the cars could go all out, and they
did. We were headed to Rothenburg ob
der Tauber. I have no idea what the
distance is, but we were there in just about
2 hours, and this after a 15 minute
gas/bathroom stop. (We went through half
a tank of gas in about an hour. At nearly
$10/gallon, one must really want to fly to
indulge that hobby!)
As always, the Turbo group was 20 to 30 minutes ahead of the other groups, so we
had extra time to wander around Rothenburg. It is
truly lovely, and really does look like all the
pictures. We got to see the clock in the main square
strike the hour twice. It is a wonderful clock, and so
German. There are two little men on either
side. Little doors open when the hour strikes, and the
one on the right starts lifting a stein of beer, while the
one of the left lifts what looks like a cane. Of course,
this is THE thing to see in Rothenburg (other than the
great medieval architecture). Rothenburg being a
tourist Mecca, the tour busses spew forth mobs of
tourists that are dutifully lead to the square to see the
clock strike the hour.
Of note: when we entered the city, we drove through
one of the arched entries through the town wall. A
line of 7 Porsches, 5 Turbos and 2 Carrera 4s,
always draws attention. Some people even took
pictures Driving through the narrow cobblestone
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streets in these great machines was quite
spectacular.
After our first clock viewing, we wandered down
the street to an art store that Peter had
recommended. The kind lady there poured me
a tiny sherry to greet me. I’ve never been one
for sherry, but it was really quite good. I bought
the scene of Rothenburg that everyone knows,
and the one my mother had on her wall for many
years. I also got an Advent calendar where
December 1 is a scratch off that smells like
ginger bread. Can’t wait for that!
Lunch was quite nice – best yet. Pumpkin soup
(very tasty) and a very good chicken Caesar salad. Germany has a wonderful drink
we’ve come to love. I almost always cut my juice at home with seltzer so it’s about half
juice and half seltzer. Here, they sell an apple spritzer called Apfelschorle. Very
refreshing. We think the Germans like it because it looks like beer. It is not unlike
Martinelli’s sparkling cider. Yummy!
After lunch, the turbo group headed out
along the country roads from Rothenburg
to Langenburg. It was a gorgeous sunny
day, and perfect for touring the back
roads. Our guide really knows how to
find the best roads for scenery and
driving. While the speed limit is 100 kph
(about 62 mph), we were clicking along at
around 140 kph. Lots of turns. Lots of
fun.
Finally, we got on the A 6 Autobahn south
for our last stretch of no speed limit. All the guys had to gun it one last time. Due to
traffic, we couldn’t match the speeds of the morning, but we were dawdling along at
about 250 kph (about 156 mph). We transitioned to the A 81 for the final leg to
Ludwigsburg, where we returned our cars. It was sad to return the car and come back
down to earth, but it sure was a good time. I even found myself being comfortable – or
reasonably so – at 180 mph! I
suppose that’s something.
This evening we headed for the
Cannstatter Volksfest, the
Stuttgart version of
Oktoberfest. It is really a fall fair,
and great fun. The Treffen group
had reserved tables in one of the
tents. As with everything else on
the Treffen, things started arriving
as we got there. First liters of
beer. There were appetizers
already at our tables – pretzels,
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ham, pork, sausages, bread… good stuff. Then came dinner which consisted of plates
of very good roasted chicken, pork shanks or sausages. Everyone shared so we all
had a little of each. Really pretty tasty for a big shebang like the Volksfest. There was
a very good band that played both German and American favorites - even “Sweet
Home Alabama!” Before too long, people were dancing on the tables. It was really
fun. We met a couple from Berlin and their young daughter. She is a PR person for
Porsche. Ken has her card, we may give her a ring when we get to Berlin.
We were at the Volksfest probably 5 hours. Too much food. Too much beer. Too
much fun! We grabbed a cab back to the hotel and fell into bed. Packing and such
would have to wait for the morning. What a really great day!
Monday, September 29, 2008
After another great breakfast at the Graf Zeppelin we are heading to München today for the
continuation of our European Vacation . . . We chose the Treffen Tour because I had a
lifelong burning desire to drive a Porsche in Germany. Also I was fearing that the Greens
may enforce a speed limit on the Autobahn soon. So I decided this was the year. We had a
great time... Kenneth & Susan Davis, Huntsville, AL – [email protected].
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