*Chapter 35*
Modelled

 
It didn’t take me long to get lost, not physically but metaphorically in the world of Herpa models. I drifted from the first room into the warren of displays next door totally enthralled by what I was seeing. It wasn’t just cabinets of models, that would get old quite quickly, however the series of dioramas captured my enthusiasm.

The model archive was quite revealing and the various displays for their aircraft range took up valuable car space! I spotted a lav and made a side trip – well never waste an opportunity, that's my life rule and I'm sticking by it. When I emerged the ‘museum’ seemed strangely quiet and indeed a retrace of my route revealed not another soul about.

Bzzzt, bzzzt.
"Hello?”
"Where are you?” Dad demanded, "We’re waiting to get off.”

Bum! I forgot all about the rest of them.

"Er just up the road?”
"How far is ‘just up the road’?”
"Not far, honest, five minutes?”
"Five minutes,” he confirmed.

I pocketed my Handy and after a last wistful look at the cabinets headed down the stairs back to the entrance.
 

"Ah Gaby, I was just coming to find you,” Claus stated as he came into the building, "You seen everything?”
"Yes thanks, there’re some really cool models up there, makes my collection look pretty poor.”
"You don’t have to have a lot to have a satisfying collection.”
“I guess not, it would be nice to have a few more though,” I sighed, "Anyway I need to get off, the rest are waiting for me, thanks for letting me look round.”
"No problem, to be honest those car buffs can be a bit of a bore, wait there a moment.”
"Er okay,” I allowed, well may as well be in strife for ten minutes as five.

Claus disappeared behind the reception area, I heard voices, a laugh and then he returned.

"For brightening my day and winning your race,” he presented me with a carrier bag emblazoned with ‘Herpa’.
Whatever it is I can’t accept it, “I can’t.”
"Of course you can, I insist,” he told me.
"Herr Wagener, you’re needed outside,” a young woman in a Herpa shirt called from the doorway.
"Oops, looks like I'm needed again, take it please and have a good trip back to Bonn.”
Well gift horses and stuff, "Er okay, thanks again for letting me gatecrash.”
"No problem,” he winked and headed outside.

I took a deep breath and followed.

It was tempting to check the contents of the bag but Dad’ll be chuntering so I did a speed walk past the row of old cars and onward to where I could see the Hymer already out on the road.
 

"Where have you been?” Pater demanded as I climbed in.
“I said, just up the road.”
"Hmm,” he allowed starting the beasts engine.

Angela was up front with Dad so I seated myself on one of the comfy chairs in the back.

"What you got there like?” Josh enquired.
"Dunno yet, not looked.”
"Herpa, don’t they make those toy cars you collect?” Mand suggested.
"Uh huh,” I agreed, "Their factory was just up the road, where’s Tal?”
"Having a kip in the back,” Josh supplied.
"So how’d you get the bag, bin surfing?” Gret opined.
"As if!”
"So?” she pushed.
"They had some sort of event on.”
"And you just happened to drop in,” Mand added.
"No! Well sort of, I just went for a look and this chap invited me in, they’ve got a museum, well brill.”
"Only you lass,” Josh stated, "So what’s in the bag.”
"Dunno, Claus, the chap who I was talking to, insisted I have it.”

I tipped the contents out onto the floor between my feet.

“Gott, it looks like you raided a Spielshoppe,” Gret mentioned.

And indeed it did there must’ve been half a dozen cars, a plane, a stack of brochures, a cap and a t shirt.

"Wow!”
"Toy cars?” Geth enquired.
"Yeah, Gab collects them,” Mand filled him in.
"Used to have a load of Matchbox®, nothing like these though,” he supplied scooping a wayward model from the floor, "Not even sure what this is.”
"Lets see,” Josh requested reaching for the model, “BMW 2002 tii.”
"How you know that?”
"Says on the packet,” Josh smugly advised, "What else you got Gab?”

And so we spent the first part of our journey north checking out my swag.
 

Our route back wasn’t that we used on the way down, instead of going Würzburg – Frankfurt we headed across to Heilbronn and on to the Rhein basin. we’d been going for about two hours when we departed the autobahn.

"We stopping?” I called forward.
"Only if you want to eat.”
"Where are we?”
"Speyer.”
"Where we stopped when we did that Hockenheim chipper?”
"The same,” he agreed as we pulled up at a set of lights.
"We going to the same restaurant, Die Münz or something?”
"Possibly, why?”
"No reason, just enjoyed the food.”

It only took a couple more minutes to cross the Rhein and in short order we were parked across from the Dom.
 

"We all eating together?” Caro asked as she joined us at the Hymer.
"Tables booked,” Dad supplied, "They’re expecting us in ten minutes.”
"Now that’s what I call organisation,” she stated.
“Gab, can you go on ahead and let them know we’re on our way?”
"Er sure, where is it?”
"That one you were on about, Zur alten Münz, its booked under Bond.”
"Neat!”
“I'll come with,” Mand offered.

So whilst the rest of our party were corralled the pair of us set off into the town.
 

Dad stood at the head of our table and waited for everyone to settle down, "This isn’t going to be one of Mr Brailsford’s lectures, I'll keep this brief.”

There was a bit of nervous laughter from the BC camp.

"So firstly, I want to welcome the BC contingent to Germany, sorry its all been a bit rushed this weekend and that you got dropped straight into the fray today, we’ll try to be more organised over the rest of your stay. Whilst I'm nominally the Boss, Caroline will be doing most of the day to day stuff in Neuweid not just for the BC riders but for Apollinaris people too. Tomorrow I'll be down and we’ll start putting a programme together, work on getting you all in tip top condition for Spain in August.”
"Spain?” Tal asked after Josh translated for her.
"We’ll talk tomorrow Tali,” Dad advised in German.
“’Kay.”
“Right, in that case lets have a toast,” he proposed.

We all raised our glasses of assorted beverages.

"To success!” Dad offered.
"Success!” we all chimed back with a clink of glassware.
 

By the time we were done at the restaurant it was closing on seven, its gonna be late getting back to Dernau.

"What the heck’s that?” Cav queried as the Jumbo jet at the Technical Museum came into view.
"What’s it look like,” Mand asked in turn, having already been tipped off.
"Well yeah but how er why?”
“Big museum place,” Josh supplied, “guess you didn’t see the Concorde away back down the motorway man?”
"Er no,” Mark agreed.
"The other part of the museum.”
"So you been then?” Geth enquired.”
"Nah, bit far from home.”
"So how come you know about it, them,” Jamie asked.
"Leaflet I picked up last time we raced down this way.”
“Is there always so much driving to the races,” Daz queried.
"We usually stay over if its more than a couple of hours but I don’t know now,” I allowed. Indeed hotels beds for a dozen plus will cost a bomb.
"Probably tents on some scabby campsite,” Geth opined with a hint of humour.

We got a better view of the Jumbo on our departure, it would be good to visit the place when its open sometime.
 

The remaining journey up to Neuweid took a little over two hours, the last of us had a further half an hour or so to finish our journey to Dernau.

"Anyone want hot chocolate?” I asked as we pulled onto the drive.
"After I've changed,” Mand suggested.
"Dad?”
"Eh?”
“Chocolate?”
"Er no, think I'll head straight to bed once I'm done with the bikes.”
"You need a hand?”
"No, I'm only unloading them tonight.”
“’Kay.”

Clearly the long day has been tough on Dad too, we did leave home early eighteen hours ago.
 

Somehow despite being knackered when I got to bed I couldn’t sleep so I found myself reliving the days events. The race was harder than i’d’ve liked but I grinned to myself as I re-lived my stunning attack and then the final sprint, put that in your pipe and smoke it Cavendish! I reckon I've tied up the Jungere League again after today, Innerthausen will probably hang on to second after today as Josh only scored two points.

Getting in the Herpa museum, now that was well sweet! I didn’t even know there was a museum let alone that its in the same town as one of our races. And that Claus whatsisname, oh yeah Wagener, I guess he must be some manager or something, the other Herpa people seemed to be pampering to him. To get that goody bag too, now that was really neat with a capital N, there must be like fifty euros worth in there.

Hang on, that girl called him Herr Wagener, isn’t that the people who own Herpa? The light went back on, I have to investigate. I shuffled through the pile of brochures in the bag, there was a copy of Der Maßstab amongst them, sort of like Herpa’s own modelling magazine. I scanned through, there was an article on some exhibition and a picture, yep Claus Wagener, the text indeed confirmed his identity and position, Managing Director – cool! Somehow that knowledge helped settle my mind and no sooner had I got the light off again and I was out like a lamp myself!

© Maddy Bell 07.06.17