Page 51 - Jan2023

This experience Center is much like what you find at One
Porsche Drive in Atlanta, Georgia. This is a building that has
event space, restaurants, a small selection of museum piece
vehicles, and where you can the take possession of your new
Porsche, as well as have the opportunity to drive a like model (or
any other model) on a track accompanied by an instructor.

The delivery experience was top-notch. . My favorite part was
driving the Macan through the off-road portion of the
experience. The property was formerly a Russian military base
and there are still bunkers present.
Our included tour of the Leipzig manufacturing plant, where the
Panamera and Macan models are made, was really neat. We
had the rare opportunity to see a crash test car in production,
identified by a matte orange color. It also was pretty cool to be
in the same place where Kellie's Cayenne S had been built back
As my wife Kellie and I stood in front of the
in 2009.
Porsche Experience Center in Leipzig, the
With the business part of the trip in hand it was now time for us
marque lettering looked the same but we
to do some whirlwind exploration. We spent a couple of days in
clearly were not in Nashville any more. We
Leipzig, including renting a TDI Golf and heading on an
had come to Germany, our first visit to the
over-zealous 12 stop castle/fortress tour that yielded only six
country, to pick up inventory for the local
stops before we had to head back to the hotel since it was
dealership, and our first stop was here.
totally dark by 4:30.
I wish we had, had the opportunity to stay a few days longer in
each place and also perhaps to have visited during the summer
when the days were longer, rather than in the winter.

We spent one day in Dresden, a beautiful city, but I had mixed
feelings about being there, knowing that it had once been
leveled in a massive fire-bombing in World War II and that so
many people lost their lives there.

We also spent two days in Berlin and were able to see quite a
few sights and historic places. This included seeing the parking
lot that has been intentionally situated over Hitler's bunker, ,
which was not only the last place he was seen alive, but where
he took his life as the Russian Army closed in.

Above: Kellie at the Brandenburg Gate, recognizable
immediately by anyone who has ever been to a movie
where Germany is a location.

Right: The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church- Berlin.
Built in the 1890s, the original West Tower was
partially destroyed during a bombing by the Allied
Forces in 1943. A portion of the bombed structure
remains, visible in front of the rebuilt church that
serves both as a memorial and a reminder for
peace between nations. Continues on page 52
51