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2010 Best FEST Article
The 2010 Fall Porsche FEST trip to Germany
and the former Eastern Bloc nations was
clearly the best FEST ever! Dianne Zorn
(a good neighbor friend) and I went on the
2009 Fall Porsche FEST and greatly enjoyed
driving a Porsche Panamera on the Autobahn
and through Italy and the Swiss Alps. This
year’s FEST had the same exhilarating driving
experiences (again in a Panamera) coupled
with visits to some of Europe’s most storied
cities. This was Peter Sontag and his Fast Lane
Travel team’s 35th Anniversary of Treffens
and FESTs to Europe. They clearly have
perfected this exciting vacation experience
for Porsche enthusiasts. Every aspect of this
year’s FEST exceeded our expectations. And
the FEST had a broad range of activities and
breathtaking events that one could never
have planned for or experienced as a private
traveler.
Porsche Facilities & Race Track at Leipzig
We met our Porsche race track driver Kai-
EberhardRiemeratdinnerthenightbeforewe
visited Porsche Leipzig and their race track.
He related some exciting Porsche driving
experiences including his placing second in
a race the previous weekend. Meeting him
up close and personal was great! We then
linked up with him the next day at the track.
His driving expertise and customer friendly
attitude were outstanding. We participated
in two activities at the track – several hot
laps in a Porsche GT3 and an hour of driver
training in a Panamera trying to stay on the
tail of the GT3 being driven at somewhat
less than its full speed. This, plus the video
taping of our fast laps around the track in
the GT3, truly made this experience one we
Showing NO FEAR in any gear,
Dianne’s ready for some hot laps
Porsche GT3
used for our hot laps
will never forget. If any Space Coast Region
member is interested in getting a copy of this
video, which includes an 8 minute tour of the
Porsche Leipzig facilities and their Porsche
Sport Driving School, please contact me at
fwatkins@cfl.rr.com.
Porsche Car Delivery @ Leipzig Airport
After touring the Porsche Leipzig factory and
having lunch in their “Diamond Building”
headquarters, we were transported by bus
to the Leipzig Airport for the next FEST
extravaganza. Only Fast Lane Travel with
The Russians are coming ...
and they brought our Porsches!!!
their business and travel connections could
have arranged to have our rented Porsche
“rockets” initially delivered under the wings
of a Russian Antonov An-124 aircraft! This
was followed by cocktails and hors d’oeuvres
aboard this unique airplane – an out of the box,
unexpected, and superb way to commence
our Porsche driving and FEST adventure.
Ours to drive for
the next 2 weeks -a white Panamera rocketship
Unique Locations and FEST Experiences
On our first day of driving, we headed out
from Leipzig on some delightful mountain
roads where our Porsches were in their
Ready for our lunch
at Castle Eckberg
element. We stopped for a five star lunch at
Castle Eckberg near Dresden. Set on a hill
above the river, it was a fairytale setting. This
12 volume 5, Issue 1
and Photos by Frank Watkins
occurred time and time again on this FEST
– lunch and dinner locations were always
Lunch on the Castle Terrace
overlooking the lake
unique and the best beer, wines (alcohol
served only at dinner) and food were always
served – very delicious! After a fast drive
on the Autobahn, we had dinner that night
in Prague on the top floor of the famous
Dancing House at the Restaurant Celeste.
Prague Cathedral
Our five star Four Seasons Hotel was in one of
the most desirable locations in this fairytale
city – at the edge of the Vitava River just steps
from the old Charles Bridge. This first class
Unique transportation to
dinner at the Dancing Horse
treatment was repeated in Vienna, Budapest,
and Munich. Also, there were other Fast
Lane Travel innovations/actions that added
to our FEST adventure and experience. First
was the unique way we were transported to
dinner each night. Peter arranged for antique
Prague at night - a must see