Souvenirs: Deauville meets Deauville

Clemens has written a small report on the DMD 2023 in Masserberg, which also reports from the point of view of our organising team. Have fun reading it !

Preparations:

Since 2021 it is clear that the meeting 2023 will take place in Masserberg.

So we, the Orga-Team with Sylvia, Andreas, Clemens, Peter and Steffen have enough time to make the event a great experience for everyone. First contacts with the selected hotel "Rennsteig" in Masserberg are positive. The offer, facilities and prices fit into our usual framework and creative solutions can be found for our participants who are camping or travelling by camper van. Final preparations will take place on site in Masserberg during the last few days, and so nothing stands in the way of a nice meeting.

The Journey itself offers already interesting aspects.

We expect a little over 100 friends, who are now on a very colourful spectrum of motorbikes. From the exotic Indian Chief with infinite sound and capacity, a few Italian bikes to a wide range of different BMWs and Hondas to fourteen well-maintained Deavilles, giving the impression that the 650s are much more durable than the later-built 700s.

So the anticipation of the organising team grows and from Sunday onwards the first participants arrive at the hotel, while hourly status reports of further participants arrive from Strasbourg, Budapest or the endless expanse of Spanish country roads. First participants change to vehicles typical for the country.

Unfortunately, two Spaniards have an accident on the way to Masserberg. But the French hospital gives the all-clear. Their journey is over, but fortunately no serious injuries.

From Tuesday onwards, the hotel service staff's pulse rises, as they have to cater for the incredibly hungry and thirsty DMD members.

Wednesday, 07.06.23:

The team starts

The tour overviews are hung up, the tour routes are covered again and the keys for the rooms are ready.

As the friendly people at the reception cannot speak all languages, we have helpers ready to solve problems at the check-in. From 1 p.m. the registration takes place, the meeting documents are handed over and there is the possibility to sign up for one of the four tours for the next days.

It starts:

Long-time friends who only see each other once a year are in each other's arms, newcomers are welcomed and a short time later they are sitting among Belgians, French, British, Hungarians and whatever else there is in Europe, as if they had always belonged there. The mood is excellent.

It stays that way even after a Hungarian participant puts his 1300 Pan European on its side while parking. The two scratches will remind him of the DMD for a long time. But unlike a Spanish participant, he doesn't need an Ikea mirror to be able to continue.

At 7 p.m. the official welcome by us with music and a singer who makes the emotions boil. Our "Norbert" inspires the masses and at the refrain of the Rennsteig song there is no stopping them. The Rehbachtaler Musikanten give everything and so a great evening starts. The sun is shining and will hardly leave us for the next few days.

Thursday, 08.06.23

First tours

A "German-German round to Mödlerreuth", "Thuringia intensive" or rather a "Bratwurst tour" to the Thuringian and Franconian sausages? Weimar? "Let's do better on Saturday, a great finish". This or something similar has been sounding since yesterday in front of the boards where the different tour guides and departure times are available for selection. A total of eight tour guides are available. German, Spanish, French, English ? It doesn't matter, we can handle it all.

At 8.30 a.m. the first bikers set off on the German-German round to the Saale cascade, the Bock rock, the mill ferry and to Mödlareuth. 280 km in the best weather guarantee a long and very impressive day.

It is simply beautiful and for many the first encounter with the German-German past. A short stop in Pottiga above the Saale valley.

But we also experience that Thuringian gastronomy is not very widespread. Not an open pub or bratwurst stand for around 100 km. The Catholic holiday Corpus Christi saves us in Bavaria where we find a community festival with Franconian bratwurst, non-alcoholic beer and brass band music. Very nice, fun and with very nice people.

In the evening there is a first vote for us as the Orga-Team. Everything goes well. Occasionally a small accident or a Deauville that has broken down due to a defective battery. Fortunately, the hotel has a solution at hand - cheap rent from the hotel's motorbike pool consisting of five brand new mopeds.

The dinner is excellent and the conversations revolve around first impressions and the exchange of particularly worthwhile tours. There is one problem - all of them have only experienced one and are convinced that they have found the most beautiful one.

Friday, 09.06.23

Attention sausage

Today, too, the first tour starts at 8.30 am in the direction of Mödlareuth. The dress code at breakfast changes. Whereas civilian clothes were the order of the day, now more come directly in their motorbike suits. After all, the extensive breakfast buffet and the nice conversations take time and the tour guides don't wait. Around 9.30 a.m. all 75 motorbikes are on the road, some non-motorcyclists go hiking, chill out or drive with car and trailer to pick up their broken-down motorbike in Sonneberg.

Turmbaude and Werraquelle are not far from the hotel and are worthwhile hiking destinations that also offer new views of the rest of the Thuringian Forest due to the massive forest damage.

I'm on a bratwurst tour today.

Bratwurst in Meiningen on the market, in Coburg on the market square ...

... and in between the German / German open-air museum in Behrungen and many sights are on the tour. Today, too, the weather is perfect and the 250 km fly by. In Coburg it is nice at first, then very annoying. We park, at least legally, on a pavement which is a parking space for two-wheelers for all non-locals.

The traffic warden demands a fine of 55 €, at another place 25 € and again other bikers wonder why they didn't get a ticket. Another motorcyclist argues with the enforcement officer, who then threatens to give him another ticket.

Therefore: Don't go to Coburg even if the sausage there is very good and even the drinks on the market square are very cheap.

We are no longer annoyed, leave Bavaria and are back in Masserberg a little later with considerably more weight on the scales.

A short coordination meeting with the organising team: everything is still fine. But the list of our unlucky birds is getting longer. A flat tyre for a tour guide, a small accident while parking, but still nothing serious.

In the evening, a two-and-a-half-hour meeting of the international organising team.

What will happen next?
Where are the next meetings?
Who will organise them?
And how are the finances?

Again, a lot of harmony and a common understanding about ourselves and what we want to do. It's actually lucky to be able to experience something like this.

At 11 pm we went to the bar again. The service staff is happy, the taps are running.

Saturday, 10.06.23

Honda Deauville Night

Today we drive mainly to Weimar and the Oberweißbach mountain railway. Some want to test the bratwursts again and two groups also take the 260 km "Thuringia intensive" under their wheels. I ride with a group to Weimar where we park our motorbikes correctly with a parking ticket.

Weimar is great, the 1 ½ hours are enough for a short impression and a nice break in the artists' garden opposite the Goethe and Schiller monument.

We drive only a little further to later indulge in the hustle and bustle and enjoyment of the Imbiss Hase in Magdala. We are not alone, as always countless people wait patiently for the very good and inexpensive food from the snack bar, which could rather be described as a speciality restaurant.

We wait on shady outdoor seats until we can hand over our chairs to the next group, continue to a very beautiful moated castle and finally onto the Oberweißbach mountain railway.

We are lucky and can immediately take the cable car down and also up again and almost get a DMD private ride on the way back.

A great experience and after a fortifying coffee we head back to Masserberg.

In the meantime, our actual schedule is wastepaper. We postpone the group photo until 8 pm, so that the participants do not have their first evening appointment at 5.30 pm but at 6.30 pm.

The Honda Deauville Night starts with a champagne reception. Almost everyone is there. A few minutes after the champagne reception, we receive the news that four of our French guests have had an accident. A classic rear-end collision at a narrow spot in which another vehicle was involved. But here, too, at least the all-clear is given. Nothing stands in the way of the traditional climax as a celebration.

After an outstanding barbecue buffet, we start with the awarding of individual participants. Who registered the fastest? Who wins the special prize for travelling by Deauville? Who has the dirtiest motorbike and, last but not least, the longest journey with 2,077 km? A special prize was awarded to our singer Norbert and slowly the tension rose for the target 2024. First there was a call for a target proposal for 2026, as this is still being sought.

Huge applause for the kitchen, service and housekeeping of the hotel when we handed over the collected tips. A very proud amount that the staff were visibly happy about.

As in previous years, we have decided to support two local organisations with a donation. As a DMD community, we donated one hundred euros each to an initiative that strives to plant climate-resistant trees in the Thuringian Forest. Another hundred euros will go to the mountain rescue service / DRK in Masserberg, who would also be available to us as first aiders.

When our Spaniard Jose-Ramon steps up to the microphone, it gets quiet. This is followed by a presentation of the DMD 2024, which will take us to Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) from 4 to 8 June.
to Alcalá de Henares (Madrid). More info at deauville-meets-deauville.com/index.php?id=494 .

The enthusiasm was great and so we look forward to seeing the old and hopefully new faces next year in Spain.

The Honda Deauville Night went on for a long time for some. Others quickly headed for their rooms, as some of them had already left early in the morning. After all, temperatures of over 30 ° were forecast for Sunday.

We from the Orga team, unfortunately without Peter who had to represent his company in Budapest during the meeting, also opened a bottle together late in the evening. We were satisfied but also somehow dog-tired. The last week was quite exhausting.

Sunday, 11.06.23

Farewell, bon route, buo viaggio

Shortly after seven o'clock the first engines start. While the last ones have breakfast until 10am, the hotel car park empties. Last hands are pressed, kisses exchanged and tears find their way. Last questions are clarified with the victims and around 12 o'clock the last departures take place.

For us as the organising team, it was a very nice and successful meeting. This was also shown by the very numerous feedbacks from our friends. It was especially nice to welcome new faces again this year. We are now looking forward to 2024 and hope that many people will come to Spain again next year for the DMD.

You are also invited to join us!
Clemens