Brethren Heritage Tour
Tuesday Evening, July 29
Featuring
Cruising German Roads in a Trabant
(Other pictures and comments on Posting Calender – July 29)
You may wonder what this evening (when three brave souls signed up to drive a Trabi) had to do with our Brethren Heritage.
ABSOLUTLY NOTHING! 
Our adventure began when the taxi driver picked us up at the motel – leaving the other twenty-two people to fend for themselves. We understand that some went for a walk, while others relaxed in the motel lounge or in their room.
We smiled when we saw our three vehicles.
A Trabi joke from the Internet: The sport edition of the Trabant came with a pair of tennis shoes.
We smiled even wider when the owner of Trabi-Abi, Maik (Mike), told the drivers to start their engines.
Other Internet jokes: The Trabant is like a lunch box with the starter motor of a lawn mower engine.
It can accelerate from 0 to sixty-six MPH in the same day!
Cerwin got the station wagon.
The 600-cc, air-cooled, two-cylinder engine was a pre-World War II design. Valve adjustment was never required because the engine had no valves.
Gordon and Maik discussing details
The average Trabi owner waited as long as eighteen years to receive delivery of one of these cars. The price equated to a year’s salary.
The Trabi has a two-stroke, noisy, twenty-six-horespower engine, lubricated by mixing oil with gasoline.
It lacks carpeting, a glove box, or even a fuel gauge (you check the fuel level with a small measuring stick). A Trabant’s sole comfort is a primitive heater, in which a fan blows hot engine air into the interior.
And we’re off – following Nancy and Gordon.
Sam and Anna are close behind us.
When we arrived at Schloss Oranienbaum, our destination of choice, Sam made the quote of the evening…
“Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?”
For that quote, he won the coveted “Candy Bar” prize on the bus the next day!
We had no idea what we would see at this location, but knew that “schloss” meant some kind of castle.
Since it was evening, the museum was closed, so we just enjoyed a leisurely walk around the grounds. Notice that restoration has begun on the building on the right.
This sign told us that Louise Furstin von Anhalt-Dessau (a wealthy princess) lived here.
A narrow moat surrounded the grounds – at least what we could see.
We were surprised when we walked up to the museum door and saw this sign. Notice the small half oval section at the bottom/center of the drawing? That is what we were seeing – just a tiny part of the grounds.
We could peek through a tiny area – between some trees – and noticed that there was a small chapel in back of the castle. It appears that it will eventually be restored to something quite fabulous. The schloss seems to have been known for its beautiful gardens.
Then it was time to head back to Trabi-Abi. This time Gordon took the wheel, and in this photo is getting acquainted with the gear shift. I like the expression on Nancy’s face. I think she is saying to herself, “I told you it is difficult to find first gear!”
The return trip was beautiful – and a bit silly, since Gordon drove much faster than Nancy!
Maik gave each of us our own Trabi model.
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More Trabant Facts
Production of the Trabant began in 1957 and ceased in late 1991. The style and shape for the Trabant was simple, and due to steel shortages in the early 1950s the body was made from a plastic material similar to fibreglass (called Duraplast).
Due to the engine being of a two-stroke variety, exhauts emissions were high in pollutans, had a very distinct smell of burnt oil, and emitted blue smoke.
We visited Maik and his girlfriend at his picnic table until the taxi returned. I like his candle holder. Notice the nails in the bottom. I suppose they were added for weight.
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It was a delightful evening!
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