Leicestershire TR Group attend the European meeting in force

The 2018 European TR Meeting in Bremerhaven and Papenburg, Germany was attended by 102 TRs from across Europe including 29 from the UK, of which 8 came from the Leicestershire TR Group. The long weekend from Wednesday to Sunday had a nautical theme running through it as both cities have a long history of shipbuilding and trading. Bremerhaven was one of the largest ports of emigration from Europe to the new world and has a fascinating museum to its history. However, the highlight of the tour was the visit to the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg which has been building ships since 1795. From its start in small wooden sailing craft, it now produces some of the largest cruise ships in the world. Ironically, being based in Papenburg, nearly 50Km from the North Sea is not the best location to build 5000 passenger cruise liners as they have to navigate the often narrow and shallow waters of the Ems river. However, it was an amazing visit to see how the ships are built in a very modern factory and how they get the ships to the customers. There were also some well planned scenic drives through the countryside although being similar geography to Holland mountain passes were not on the agenda. It was a great weekend for all with warm hospitality and camaraderie amongst our fellow European TR fans.