Tony Divey : German Threewheeler Rallye 2000 ........ Reisebericht in Englisch.......

Some 240 miles from Hook van Holland, at about 11 am on Firday. September the 3rd. Anita and I descended a steep and winding road into the outskirts of Altena in Germany. A kilometre or so further saw us crossing the River Lenne and finding a sign which suggested that Burg Altena. (Altena Castle) where the rallye was based,  was not too far away, somewhere beyond a Parkplatz on
our right. As the roads leading into this older part of  the town looked rather tortuous. It seemed a good idea to park there and find the way to the castle and our hotel on foot. Before we had sorted ourselves out into walking mode we had seen a JZR go past, and a few minutes later a white TRIKING  with Axel and Monika Scheuten on board turned into the car park to join us. After renewing our acquaintance, we set off for our healthy walk !
Altena is in the Sauerland, a very picturesque area to the south-east oft the great industrial area ot the Ruhr and we had plenty of time to consider that the Sauerland is also known as the Land of the Thousand Hills before we staggered breathlessly on aching
legs into the Castle courtyard. The distance from the car park was not so far, but the fact that the Castle is some 5 or 600 feet above the river, and also about 400 feet above our hotel.(which had no parking place) had a big effect on our fitness during the
weekend.
We arrived exactly  at noon to be greeted by the organisers of this year`s event Rolf Prange, Jürgen Weigle und Karl-Friedrich 
Aster. Already ther were quite a few Tripods of various makes and their crews there, including Alan Layzell an Teresa with the
Supercharged TRIKING. They had left Marlingford while we were sleeping in Holland, crossed the Channel on the Dover-Calais 
ferry in the very early hours of the morning. Despite the delays due to French pickets, stopped a couple of times for a rest and food, and on reaching Altena had driven up to the Castle by a particularly tortuous route. Karl- F. Asters TRIKING looked superb
after its respray in green and silver, which was a 50th Birthday present to him, from Family, friends and workmates !
Karl also looks in good condition for a 1949 model. Other Trikings present included the second one made, which has emigrated from Norway to Germany, and looked good following its  recent refurbishment at the hands of its new owner, Professor Hans-Dieter Reusch. Armin Hommel had come in the first GERMAN TRIKING, which he still owns despite last year new Lotus Elise
threatening its garage space, though Armin has now sold the Elise ! ,While Hans Grendlemeir`s which carried him from Switzerland, is the eldest version in his country. Achim Beisiegel and Marina,who had organised the last few Rallies at Strom-berg, had their TRIKING looking as good as ever. He really copes very well considering he has to use a hand clutch. Dave Wo-
mack and young son Ralph arrived mid afternoon, having made an early morning start from Colchester, in Dave`s fifth TRIKING 
(He likes building as well as driving them)
Burg Altena is in itself a major tourist attraction, which allowed our partners, and on occasions some of us, to escape from a surfeit of petroltalk to look down and around at the scenery and / or study the Castle.  It`s museum and the world´s very first Youth Hostel, which is still much as it was when opened in 1909, and remained so until its closure in the 1950s, when the present Hostel was opened in a different part of the Castle. Being extremely well equipped in the food and drink line. The afternoon  and
the rest of the evening passed most enjoyably. The evening dinner started in the old Rittersaal. 
Saturday morning´s event started  with a communal breakfast in the Castle restaurant. The weather was damp and drizzly enough to possibly limit the number of visitors who had come to look at the relatively strange three-wheelers. Prior to the vehicles setting out on the trip that was organised. There was quite a lot of Press interviews, which seemed to involve yours truly.
What do they say about a Prophet in his own country ?