The following was a provisional itinerary for my GTI Grand Tour of Interest 1999.
The best-laid plans ... more often than not seem to work out quite well. :-) I found a car, a roof over my head and didn't have too many financial difficulties on the way. I hadn't planned on my previous employer closing its doors a week after I left home.
I covered around 2000 km in England (rented Passat) and a further 8000 km in Germany and Austria with a Golf. All in 10 weeks. I can't complain.
More reports will follow as they are completed.
Dieses war meine geplante Grand Tour of Interest 1999.
Eigentlich hat beinahe alles gut geklappt. Nicht alles so wie gewünscht, aber trotzdem eine tolle Reise.
Ein Auto ist aufgetaucht; Golf GTI 16V :-) Und ich hab auch unterwegs Unterkunft gefunden. Nach ca 2000km in England (gemieteten Passat), und über 8000km in Deutschland und Österreich im Golf, innerhalb von 10 Wochen...
Weitere Berichte folgen bis ich es leid bin!
| When/Wann | Where/Wo | What/Was | Report/Bericht |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5 | London, England | Arrive/Ankunft | BA12 via SIN |
| 4.-5.5. | Plymouth, England | Visiting friends | Passat Drive |
| 7.-8.5 | Coventry, England | Visiting friends | |
| 8.-9.5. | Crowthorne, England | GTI-International |
Report on 1999 Event Report on 1997 Event |
| 10.5. | Fly to Germany
Train to Brunswick (Braunschweig) Schlangen |
Pick up car Then get some sleep |
Driving the 16V |
| 11.-18.5. | Wörthersee, Austria |
18th Int'l GTI-Treffen, etc. Alternative Link |
Treffen in Pictures Comments in Austrian :-) Definitely more details to follow! |
| 18.5. | Schlangen | Visiting family and friends | |
| 21.-27.5. | Herne | Visiting friends | Small Ruhr town getting a second life. Parks and gardens in a former hub of mining and heavy industry. Home of the German Mining Museum. |
| 27.5. | Emden | Factory visit /Werksbesichtigung |
Drive & Factory Visit |
| 28.-30.5. | Geeste (Emsland) | Käfer-Treffen | Beetles and derivatives gathered with owners and admirers. Parties, BBQ's, good vibes and a relaxed, cheerful atmosphere. |
| 30.5. | Schlangen | Visiting family and friends | |
| 5.-6.6. | Altenbeken | Passat Treffen | Passats of all generations! Rainy day(s) with visitors from all around Germany and bordering countries. |
| 7.-13.6. | Halberstadt | Visiting friends and family | Massively reconstructed since 1990. Pleasant natives with an odd sense of humour. Must have inherited it from there. |
| 13.-18.6. | Berlin | Visiting friends and family | Next to the Autobahn, still the biggest construction site in Germany. Charming natives. Worth a 2-year visit. |
| 18.-20.6. | Bad Camberg | VW Veteranen Treffen | Definitive Event. Pictures-a-plenty; but few words Loads of old Beetles and Kombis (thousands!) from Europe and the USA. Unusual custom and production vehicles. |
| 21.6. | Schlangen | Visiting family and friends | |
| 24.6. | Wolfsburg and Salzgitter | AutoMuseum, Wolfsburg Factory Visit and VW-Bus Museum (in German) |
Always worth another visit. Individual reports to follow. |
| 24.6. | Essen | Meet with friend | Long drive, rainy day, good company |
| 26.6. | Castrop-Rauxel | VW Forum | Highly dis-recommended. Long queue, expensive parking and gate fees. Noisy, dirty, crowded. Pushy sales people, annoying commentary on the public address system blasted too loudly into almost every corner. Not fun. |
| 2.7. | Berlin | Time with friends | A long weekend together before the long time apart |
| 7.7. | Brunswick Frankfurt/Main |
Return Flights QF6/QF78 | Was almost late to get to the train in Brunswick after trying to return the GTI to its owner. Who was out of town and had forgotten all about the event! Then had to wrestle my heavy baggage through the city rail system in Frankfurt to get to the Airport. QF was wonderful. Upgraded to Business Class for the leg to Singas. |