Leave the other half at home.
Discussion
Backtobasics said:
On your own driving trips are great. I've got commitments with my daughter so days away would take planning, but when I drop her off at nursery for the day I am fortunate that sometimes I can make a decision to go to work or take work (very loosely) with me.
Last Friday I ended up at chatsworth house for lunch after a nice drive from my house, had a walk around and had a nice sunny drive back.
It does clear the cob webs especially if you are under some pressures of life as I am. Might be doing the same this Friday as the forecast looks good, I may choose a different venue though.
(No guitar or Lamborghini for me but I did read evo magazine by the river and drove a 159!)
As Boshly rightly pointed out mate, it's not what you have, it's what you do. 159 is a fabulous car. Last Friday I ended up at chatsworth house for lunch after a nice drive from my house, had a walk around and had a nice sunny drive back.
It does clear the cob webs especially if you are under some pressures of life as I am. Might be doing the same this Friday as the forecast looks good, I may choose a different venue though.
(No guitar or Lamborghini for me but I did read evo magazine by the river and drove a 159!)
[quote=Gruber
Anyway... enough of this Lambo and girls nonsense. What about the Taylor? Looks a nice bit of kit. I've got a 314 cutaway and love it to bits. It's currently away in Holland being fitted with updated pick-ups and electrics and being generally fettled.
France + Taylor + nice car + nice hotel, food & wine = something close to perfection in my book.
[/quote]
It's a 214e as I'm sure you probably spotted. I started as a Rockabilly finger picker with a lovely Brian Setzer Gretsch 6120 but as my picking has improved I've added Jerry Reed/Chet Atkins type stuff so I needed a decent picking acoustic. Don't know a lot about them so after a quick read up the 214e kept coming up, I bought it about 3 months ago and I'm very happy with it.
The 314 is rated higher and I've read many great reviews so I'm sure your guitar is a joy, I thought I'd go for the lower model to begin with to get a feel for it but to be honest I think this one will do unless I improve greatly.
What sort of stuff do you play?
(Got to be careful not to drift here, thread will get moved, mention your car!)
Anyway... enough of this Lambo and girls nonsense. What about the Taylor? Looks a nice bit of kit. I've got a 314 cutaway and love it to bits. It's currently away in Holland being fitted with updated pick-ups and electrics and being generally fettled.
France + Taylor + nice car + nice hotel, food & wine = something close to perfection in my book.
[/quote]
It's a 214e as I'm sure you probably spotted. I started as a Rockabilly finger picker with a lovely Brian Setzer Gretsch 6120 but as my picking has improved I've added Jerry Reed/Chet Atkins type stuff so I needed a decent picking acoustic. Don't know a lot about them so after a quick read up the 214e kept coming up, I bought it about 3 months ago and I'm very happy with it.
The 314 is rated higher and I've read many great reviews so I'm sure your guitar is a joy, I thought I'd go for the lower model to begin with to get a feel for it but to be honest I think this one will do unless I improve greatly.
What sort of stuff do you play?
(Got to be careful not to drift here, thread will get moved, mention your car!)
Very good day today.
Got up early and decided to visit some Chateauxs and the like. Put the address of one in the satnav and headed out into the countryside outside Tours. To be honest I just ignored the satnav because I had the music up loud and ended up completely lost, drove for ages in random directions always away from signs of life.
I think I may have strayed onto somewhere private because for a couple of miles I was driving through what looked like a huge farm, very flat and quiet with little width restriction posts in the road every few hundred yards, I have absolutely no idea where I was. Then I turned a corner into a wooded area and was faced with this:
It was perfect, I pulled over and took this pic. Very flat with the trees bustling in close to the road and a full arched canopy forming a roof. It was a very bright and hot day and as I drove the shafts of sunlight breaking through gaps in the trees had that wonderful effect of strobing in the car, flashing in and out rapidly.
I followed the lane around various bends with nice long straights for a couple of miles until it ended in a very tiny D road. For the whole time I was on this road I didn't see one other vehicle or person. Must have been something wrong with the satnav because as no sooner did I reach the end of the wooded part I turned around and went through again. After a couple of trips getting used to the road I started to get a bit more adventurous.
I pushed the 'Corsa' button, which I never have before, and felt the car sit up and get excited. Rapidly knocking down the gears produces this amazing high revving blip and when changing up the gears just slam in, hitting you hard in the back. It takes a little getting used to but the hairs on the back of the neck soon start to stand up.
The car was absolutely planted. I'm no great driver but I felt completely confident and started pushing it harder than I ever had. The road was still completely empty of any other presence but of course I was always sure to be in a position to allow for something appearing.
Got both the windows down and started powering out of the bends, the speed of the thing is terrifying, it just throws itself itself at the road! I was turning around again and again to drive the same section, just the right combination of straight and curves to let the car breath. The howl of the V10 was bouncing off the closely clustered trees and crashing back into the car like an automotive symphony. Everything felt right, there was no better place on earth to be. The car was alive with light and thunder and I was laughing out loud like an idiot for the sheer joy of it.
Epic is an overused word but that's what it was.
The whole trip was worth it just for those 20 minutes.
I drove on after a while, letting the car calm down and my heart rate to drop. Still hadn't seen a soul and had managed to enjoy the experience with no problems so I thought I'd better not push my luck.
I eventually started heading for the Chateaux I had originally planned for.
It was very beautiful, built in a river with wonderful gardens:
http://www.chenonceau.com/
It's very nice visiting these places on your own, you can see what you want to see and then leave, no hanging about in the tat shop either!
Drove to a small town to eat and parked up next to the Loire:
Slept a bit when I got back then took the car to the Blue Elephant for another clean, forth time this trip! She deserved it today.
On the way back I got a bit flash thinking I could find the hotel without the satnav, unfortunately I couldn't turn left across the tram tracks and had to drive right down the hill and into town. I just thought I'd follow everyone else and the road came right around and through the old city, where all the restaurants and bars are all huddled close to the narrow streets.
Every single bar seemed to have a table of blokes who gestured for me to plant the throttle and I obliged time and time again. I know it sounds a bit attention whoring but it was great fun and got loads cheers, waving and raised glasses.
I'm now relaxing back in the hotel room with a few beers.
Life has been a little trying of late with some awkward health issues but a day like today makes all that pale into insignificance. It was quite simply fantastic and I consider myself hugely privileged to be in a position to do this stuff.
You don't need any particular brand of car or cut of clothes, I would urge everyone to head for the tunnel and get to know yourself again.
Got up early and decided to visit some Chateauxs and the like. Put the address of one in the satnav and headed out into the countryside outside Tours. To be honest I just ignored the satnav because I had the music up loud and ended up completely lost, drove for ages in random directions always away from signs of life.
I think I may have strayed onto somewhere private because for a couple of miles I was driving through what looked like a huge farm, very flat and quiet with little width restriction posts in the road every few hundred yards, I have absolutely no idea where I was. Then I turned a corner into a wooded area and was faced with this:
It was perfect, I pulled over and took this pic. Very flat with the trees bustling in close to the road and a full arched canopy forming a roof. It was a very bright and hot day and as I drove the shafts of sunlight breaking through gaps in the trees had that wonderful effect of strobing in the car, flashing in and out rapidly.
I followed the lane around various bends with nice long straights for a couple of miles until it ended in a very tiny D road. For the whole time I was on this road I didn't see one other vehicle or person. Must have been something wrong with the satnav because as no sooner did I reach the end of the wooded part I turned around and went through again. After a couple of trips getting used to the road I started to get a bit more adventurous.
I pushed the 'Corsa' button, which I never have before, and felt the car sit up and get excited. Rapidly knocking down the gears produces this amazing high revving blip and when changing up the gears just slam in, hitting you hard in the back. It takes a little getting used to but the hairs on the back of the neck soon start to stand up.
The car was absolutely planted. I'm no great driver but I felt completely confident and started pushing it harder than I ever had. The road was still completely empty of any other presence but of course I was always sure to be in a position to allow for something appearing.
Got both the windows down and started powering out of the bends, the speed of the thing is terrifying, it just throws itself itself at the road! I was turning around again and again to drive the same section, just the right combination of straight and curves to let the car breath. The howl of the V10 was bouncing off the closely clustered trees and crashing back into the car like an automotive symphony. Everything felt right, there was no better place on earth to be. The car was alive with light and thunder and I was laughing out loud like an idiot for the sheer joy of it.
Epic is an overused word but that's what it was.
The whole trip was worth it just for those 20 minutes.
I drove on after a while, letting the car calm down and my heart rate to drop. Still hadn't seen a soul and had managed to enjoy the experience with no problems so I thought I'd better not push my luck.
I eventually started heading for the Chateaux I had originally planned for.
It was very beautiful, built in a river with wonderful gardens:
http://www.chenonceau.com/
It's very nice visiting these places on your own, you can see what you want to see and then leave, no hanging about in the tat shop either!
Drove to a small town to eat and parked up next to the Loire:
Slept a bit when I got back then took the car to the Blue Elephant for another clean, forth time this trip! She deserved it today.
On the way back I got a bit flash thinking I could find the hotel without the satnav, unfortunately I couldn't turn left across the tram tracks and had to drive right down the hill and into town. I just thought I'd follow everyone else and the road came right around and through the old city, where all the restaurants and bars are all huddled close to the narrow streets.
Every single bar seemed to have a table of blokes who gestured for me to plant the throttle and I obliged time and time again. I know it sounds a bit attention whoring but it was great fun and got loads cheers, waving and raised glasses.
I'm now relaxing back in the hotel room with a few beers.
Life has been a little trying of late with some awkward health issues but a day like today makes all that pale into insignificance. It was quite simply fantastic and I consider myself hugely privileged to be in a position to do this stuff.
You don't need any particular brand of car or cut of clothes, I would urge everyone to head for the tunnel and get to know yourself again.
Edited by br d on Thursday 6th June 21:45
Edited by br d on Thursday 6th June 22:20
croyde said:
Folks that are worried about the size of their guitars, get a ukulele. So much more portable and easy to play 
Loving this thread and must do the same myself.
Tried a uke once, completely lost, different tuning. Loving this thread and must do the same myself.
Nothing car related today, saw some beautiful places but don't want to post up non car holiday snaps, JAYB will be all over it in his size tens!
As you wish.
Closed arse:
Open arse:
I had to turn the car round to get these, lucky I'm on the hotel property because I've had 'one or two' beers.
This is funny.
Remember me posting the pictures of the food earlier?
Well I just picked that restaurant because it happened to be near to my hotel, didn't think anything of it. Walked in on my own, asked for vegetarian food only and then started taking pictures of it for this thread.
At the end of the meal the chef came out himself and shook my hand and I said how lovely it all was and tipped heavily.
The next night I went in again, table for one, vegetarian. They do a whole new meal, three courses all gorgeous again, heavy tip, chef out, waiters all shaking my hand, lovely. Being treated like a god here, don't know what I've done to deserve all this. The place is very busy and nobody else is getting the chef treatment.
Anyway, I go in again tonight and being a Friday the place is rammed, people queing. The head waiter makes a dash for me, asks me to wait at the bar and suddenly theres a table available, same routine, different food and once again absolutely gorgeous.
Suddenly it's a bottle of wine on the house, chef out, lots of hand shaking and smiles (no common language) and again a heavy tip. As I leave the only waiter in the place with some english says something like "Publication?".
Turns out this particular place is very up and coming and is developing a very good reputation in the city. Me going in on my own, asking for specialist food and the photographing it has got them thinking I'm from some international foodie magazine checking them out!
They've been pulling out all the stops!
I explained I was just on holiday but I don't think he believed me. Have to say though it's the best veggie food I've ever eaten. Result!
Closed arse:
Open arse:
I had to turn the car round to get these, lucky I'm on the hotel property because I've had 'one or two' beers.
This is funny.
Remember me posting the pictures of the food earlier?
Well I just picked that restaurant because it happened to be near to my hotel, didn't think anything of it. Walked in on my own, asked for vegetarian food only and then started taking pictures of it for this thread.
At the end of the meal the chef came out himself and shook my hand and I said how lovely it all was and tipped heavily.
The next night I went in again, table for one, vegetarian. They do a whole new meal, three courses all gorgeous again, heavy tip, chef out, waiters all shaking my hand, lovely. Being treated like a god here, don't know what I've done to deserve all this. The place is very busy and nobody else is getting the chef treatment.
Anyway, I go in again tonight and being a Friday the place is rammed, people queing. The head waiter makes a dash for me, asks me to wait at the bar and suddenly theres a table available, same routine, different food and once again absolutely gorgeous.
Suddenly it's a bottle of wine on the house, chef out, lots of hand shaking and smiles (no common language) and again a heavy tip. As I leave the only waiter in the place with some english says something like "Publication?".
Turns out this particular place is very up and coming and is developing a very good reputation in the city. Me going in on my own, asking for specialist food and the photographing it has got them thinking I'm from some international foodie magazine checking them out!
They've been pulling out all the stops!
I explained I was just on holiday but I don't think he believed me. Have to say though it's the best veggie food I've ever eaten. Result!
Edited by br d on Friday 7th June 21:39
Cotty said:
That's excellent, made me chuckle 
Do they think many food writers drive Lamborghini's?
I walk down there from the hotel and I'm not the most sophisticated looking bloke in the world, it was the pictures for pistonheads that did it, I took a pic of each course, must've got them thinking! Do they think many food writers drive Lamborghini's?
corinthian said:
Wow Brad! Great thread, I can just imagine the Del Boy French , "horses doovers mercy boocup" ha ha.
Looks like you've managed fine with the language barrier though and enjoying trying.
You've got a few years on me so not done with the working hard bit yet, but a journey like that sounds like a plan for my future, god sparing. Not so sure about being on my own however, been a husband and father for so long I've forgotten what it's like.
Your old chariot is awesome by the way, it's well cared for here.
Oh my word just look at that gorgeous piece of metal, why did I ever sell it! Please give it back to me Corinthian, have a heart man! Looks like you've managed fine with the language barrier though and enjoying trying.
You've got a few years on me so not done with the working hard bit yet, but a journey like that sounds like a plan for my future, god sparing. Not so sure about being on my own however, been a husband and father for so long I've forgotten what it's like.
Your old chariot is awesome by the way, it's well cared for here.
So pleased you're having fun with her mate, she looks stunning. Give us all some stories of driving her on those beautiful secluded Scottish roads, pics aren't enough we want first hand info!
And be careful because Jasandjules is on the thread and I know this is the car he lusts after, he's a clever bugger and will be laying plans as we speak.
Wills2 said:
If you can play the guitar well and with that car you won't be alone for long.
Is that a proposition Wills? I'm Aquarius, non smoker, have a good sense of humour and enjoy long walks in the country and rough backdoor action.
You can reach me at guitarcowboylover.com
(hope that's not a real site!)
drivin_me_nuts said:
I'm enjoying reading your blog very much - look forward to a proper catch up mister.
Glad to see you're enjoying the car and enjoying the glory of warm summer days. In the nicest possible way, stay away longer!
edit: your thread makes me want to take my plastic car and do the very same. There is something very appealing about open roads and your own company. No guitar though, I gave mine away to a thoroughly decent chap who now caresses it better than he would some 20 year old blonde nutty French wench
Enjoy!
Hello mate. I think you would thrive on the reflective nature of a solo road trip, but if you want some company to assist you on ripping up the french countryside just give me a shout. Glad to see you're enjoying the car and enjoying the glory of warm summer days. In the nicest possible way, stay away longer!
edit: your thread makes me want to take my plastic car and do the very same. There is something very appealing about open roads and your own company. No guitar though, I gave mine away to a thoroughly decent chap who now caresses it better than he would some 20 year old blonde nutty French wench
Enjoy!
Edited by drivin_me_nuts on Friday 7th June 06:41
Can't wait to see the beast in all her finery. If we do go road tripping you'll spend most of your time pulled over waiting for me to catch up!
corinthian said:
Not for sale so tough luck, it's mine now!
Awesome power and a real privilege to own and drive these sorts of cars, done two thousand miles, fifteen hundred were for no useful reason , just an excuse to make a noise and tear up some tar.
Ha! And that's exactly how it should be! Well done mate, love her and thrash her! Awesome power and a real privilege to own and drive these sorts of cars, done two thousand miles, fifteen hundred were for no useful reason , just an excuse to make a noise and tear up some tar.
HereBeMonsters said:
br d said:
Everything felt right, there was no better place on earth to be. The car was alive with light and thunder and I was laughing out loud like an idiot for the sheer joy of it.
I've done this. Took a weird route on the way to work to avoid boredom and discovered an amazing little country lane. My car is only worth what a service would cost on yours, but it felt amazing just snicking it up the road and back again, not a soul around at 5am in Hampshire. Don't get that very often!This showed up at the hotel today:
Lovely looking things close up, 5 second car aren't they?
I stepped out on to the balcony earlier to see what the temperature was doing and snapped this:
This is going on constantly, my previous car was a beautiful looking thing and got its share of attention but this thing is another level. As soon as a cab pulls up or new guests arrive they pile out and go straight to the car. I think the council estate white helps draw the attention!
Out in the town now:
Fully expecting to be hammered later so look out for pictures of the gutter or the back of a police car ;-)
Lovely looking things close up, 5 second car aren't they?
I stepped out on to the balcony earlier to see what the temperature was doing and snapped this:
This is going on constantly, my previous car was a beautiful looking thing and got its share of attention but this thing is another level. As soon as a cab pulls up or new guests arrive they pile out and go straight to the car. I think the council estate white helps draw the attention!
Out in the town now:
Fully expecting to be hammered later so look out for pictures of the gutter or the back of a police car ;-)
iva cosworth said:
Great thread,keep it up....
How long are you "touring" for ?
Paris tomorrow, then probably Rouen then back on Tuesday. Unless Paris is good then I might stretch it out, stayed there last year though and didn't like it, too much dogsHow long are you "touring" for ?
t and too many beggars. Mind you I should get some good car spots in Paris.
Jasandjules said:
If you were in Wales of course this might be normal, but France?!!?
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