Saturday, July 16, 2011

Wurzburg, Germany 1989, We had some Serious Fun!

It was 1989, the year I bought my first Harley. I was stationed in Geibelstadt, Germany on an old WWII airfield that was used by the Germans to test the Me262 jet fighter. They flooded the runway to help hide the place, but the British noticed the fake cows hadn't moved in a day or so in their spy pics and found the place. The village and surrounding area was liberated from the SS and the US took over the place for the Army Air Corp and then eventually as a helicopter airfield. We were even still using a lot of the old buildings built by the nazis. It's closed down now, but Geibelstadt and Wurzburg was a GREAT placed to be stationed. Hell, I got my first couple of tattoos and my Sporty while I was there so it couldn't be all bad. These pics are from before I got hooked up with the Stray Dogs MC, when I was just another independent Biker looking for a good time.



The first time I ever sat on my very own Harley Davidson. It was a 1989 883 Hugger XL. I loved this bike and put MANY miles on it. It was even stolen and returned to me. slid into a tree and repaired, basically we went through a lot.  I wish I still had it.



So new it still had the stock mufflers on it! This picture was taken at a rest area on my way to Holland for a party I was invited to. A few weeks before this I was riding around Wurzburg and saw a couple on a BMW bobber stopped looking at a map. I stopped to see if they needed help and it turns out they were from Holland and were looking for a campground on their way to Paris. I helped them out, we partied that night and a little while later I get an invitation in the mail to come to their farmhouse for their big Biker party. THAT was a great weekend. I rode up by myself since no one else could get a 4 day pass to go with me and I was the only American there. Talk about getting treated like a celebrity. . Buy me a couple of beers sometime and I'll tell you the stories.


The night before the party we put our bikes in the rear/party area of their farm house. That's Peter's BMW in the foreground. As you can see I over packed even back then. I hate needing something and not having it.


Another picture following Tattoo, Earl is in the lead and I'm sure we were heading to a bar somewhere.


We used to party and hang out at the Fortress Marienberg in Wurzburg a lot. Especially at night after the bars closed. We would park here in the courtyard and then go sit on the castle walls and drink beer or try to get cozy with whatever honey decided to ride up and party with us. The Polizei were pretty cool about it, they always told us to just make sure we cleaned up our mess. I'm sure it's not like that anymore.



The same shot as the last pic from farther away. Check out that Citroen 2CV. Those cars were so ugly they were cool.



This is a view of the castle from across the river. I would hate to have had to assault it back in the medieval days. We would sit up on those walls and talk, drink beer, snuggle on our sweeties, whatever was right at the time. Damn, I miss that place, it had a really cool vibe about it.  I didn't take this one I got it from Sundar Palaniappanand his webpage through google.




This is Tattoo and Karin having a beer at the Rock Palast (Rock Palace) bar. Karin owned a small bar in Wurzburg, but she had a thing for Tat so every once in a while we could get her out to the bigger bars with us. The Rock Palast was a great Heavy Metal bar, the walls were painted like stone castle walls, there was a 3 foot wall around the dance floor to sit on and hang out. they even had the back half of an old Cadillac to sit on a drink your beer. The bouncers and bartenders really appreciated it when us real Bikers actually showed up. They got tired of the posers in t-shirts talking about the bikes they used to have or were going to get. The stories from this place will cost you some more beer and it might take a while.


The wall of a church in downtown Wurzburg. I always thought it was cool to see the old stonework on these buildings and how they used the death iconography. The winged skull has been around for many centuries, it's not just a biker thang.


The front of the same church. Can you imagine a Southern Baptist church with a robed skeleton guarding over the door like this?

That's enough for now. I hope you like traveling down memory lane with me like this. I really enjoyed my three years in Germany. I put over 25K miles on the bike and got to see a lot of cool places. I wish I had taken all the pics I should have, but back then you had to use film and it cost money to buy it and develop the pictures. I needed the money more for beer and gas, I did manage to get some good shots though.
Later....

8 comments:

  1. Hey brother Jeff KEEP THESE PICS COMING!!!!! THEY ARE COOL AS HELL!!!! 89..that was when you could still do the trade in a year later and the Factory would give you what you paid for the Sporty toward a Big Twin remember???? I never made it to Germany on Uncle Sam's dime but later on my own and I will go back one day!!! I never met any of your Stray Dog brothers but met ALOT of Bones MC and Ghostriders MC while I was there..when it's all said and done all you really have from this life is the food you ate and the memories you made, thanks for sharing these with us, I look forward to buying you a few beers to hear about them in person..Roadside

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  2. I can never get away from Korea. Stationed here in the Army and lived here for the past 8 years as a civilian. Every time I submit a 4187 when I was in for Germany I'd always come down on levy back here to Kimchistan. Must have been a sick joke at Aviation Branch.

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  3. It's great you took those pics and managed to hang on to them. Looks like you guys all had some great times overseas. A couple guys I work with are ex- military and were stationed in Germany. One was an MP...and cracks me up with stories of how his guys and their German counterparts would give each other sobriety tests before heading back to the base...

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  4. I was stationed in Kitzigen, just west of Wurzburg and we would take the train over to spend every weekend at the Rock Palast. Saw some amazing concerts right there on the stage. Still remember the Yellow VW Bug that hung from the rafters, used the headlights as spotlights on the dance floor. I spent all of '85 and '86 there, and then returned to Germany again in '88. The pictures bring back great memories, thanks for sharing them with everyone.

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    1. Glusco, I bet we partied together~Snoopy....how many long haired Americans did ya know in the palace.....from Kitz ;)

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  5. Rockpalast my second home, 84-90 ~ Thanks for the memories.....Snoopy

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  6. Wow! The memories I had at that place. I was stationed in Kitzigen from 86-90 and spent a lot of time at the Rock Palast and lost a lot of brain cells. Snoopy, I think I even remember you. Anyone else remember the brawl that broke out around Reforger 88? Man, what I wouldn't give for pics of all the good times.

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  7. I was stationed in Wurzburg 71 & 72
    I joined a motorcycle club. The Knight Riders. I had a Triumph Bonneville. Great times

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