Car, guitar, europe.
Discussion
The last 50 miles as you drop down to Aneccy are amazing. Stupidly high stilted roads hanging precariously over lush valleys with tiny sun bleached villages beneath. Stunning stuff.
Plenty of long tunnels which I slowed right down in and then hammered through without changing up just to get the noise coming in through the open roof.
While it's true that the McLaren roar doesn't compare to a Lambo V 10 howl but it's still worth hearing.
I'm going to download a recorder on the phone and try to capture it over the next couple of days.
I'll probably f
k it up though.
As you drop into the valley and start spotting the Lake it really grabs you, you're here, it's the Alps man. I've never been here before.
Then there's the fking peage.
Plenty of long tunnels which I slowed right down in and then hammered through without changing up just to get the noise coming in through the open roof.
While it's true that the McLaren roar doesn't compare to a Lambo V 10 howl but it's still worth hearing.
I'm going to download a recorder on the phone and try to capture it over the next couple of days.
I'll probably f
k it up though. As you drop into the valley and start spotting the Lake it really grabs you, you're here, it's the Alps man. I've never been here before.
Then there's the f
king peage. 
For some reason the tag didn't work at the peage as I came into the Alps. I normally wave it out of the open roof to be sure but this time it didn't register and the machine spat out a ticket.
Once it does that you're stuffed. You have to pull up really close to the concrete walls on the left side and ease up the door making sure not to scuff it on the concrete on the other side.
There's not a lot of room because of course they don't expect you to be getting out of the car. Left handers just pull the ticket through the window.
All the other drivers have now piled in behind you and can't back out so you're immediately pissing everybody off.
I wave, apologise and do that "Sorry the tag didn't work" mime that none of them seem to understand.
So, I drive on. Another 20k or so and here comes another peage. I know I have to get out, walk around and fk about with the money so I pull hard left, jump out and point to the empty lane next to me to the bloke behind. I'm trying to indicate that I maybe some time and I don't want to hold him up.
He completely ignores this, gives me a gallic shrug and pulls up the regulation 6 inches behind my bumper. Followed by 4 or 5 more behind him.
I go to the machine. I put in the ticket, the screen flashes up
Prix 8.60.
Fine. I get a ten euro note, put it in the cash input and nothing happens. Then all the screens go blank.
Great.
So I'm fking about pushing this note hopelessly into an unreceptive slot like a flaccid drunk trying to shag his sleeping wife while the anger is palpably building behind me.
I press the button to talk to someone and the conversation goes like this. I swear on my life, exactly like this:
Hello, my apologies, do you speak English?
(my basic French is nowhere near good enough to cover this)
Yes, what is the problem?
I have put in the ticket but it isn't working.
Have you a ticket?
Yes, I have put it in the machine.
You have no ticket?
Yes, I have put it in the machine but it is not working.
Non. This does not happen, you have no ticket.
(Now the queue behind me is getting apoplectic)
I DO HAVE A TICKET BUT THE MACHINE HAS GONE BLANK, I CANNOT PROCEED!
Non, you have no ticket.
(The screen then pops up 50 Euros.)
What's this? I'm not paying 50 euros, the machine is not working!
You will pay 50 euros, you do not have a ticket.
[click...]
Speaker goes off.
I am now fuming, ready to kick the fking machine but nobody is listening anymore and the queue behind me are now at birthing kittens point.
So I'm screaming at the machine... You fking robbing fking s you've taken my fking money...
Etc etc etc...
I put in 50 euros, the barrier opens. I get in the car and as I pull forward the fking machine lights up like a Vegas one armed bandit and 41.40 fking euros in change comes tumbling out of it into the change compartment!
I briefly slam on considering getting out and grabbing it but I haven't yet passed the barrier and I'm thinking it's going to ask for another 50 if I get out.
So I drive on through. And matey behind me who's life has clearly been entirely ruined by waiting 4 minutes for me to get the barrier up gets 41.40 euros for his troubles.
fk!
Once it does that you're stuffed. You have to pull up really close to the concrete walls on the left side and ease up the door making sure not to scuff it on the concrete on the other side.
There's not a lot of room because of course they don't expect you to be getting out of the car. Left handers just pull the ticket through the window.
All the other drivers have now piled in behind you and can't back out so you're immediately pissing everybody off.
I wave, apologise and do that "Sorry the tag didn't work" mime that none of them seem to understand.
So, I drive on. Another 20k or so and here comes another peage. I know I have to get out, walk around and f
k about with the money so I pull hard left, jump out and point to the empty lane next to me to the bloke behind. I'm trying to indicate that I maybe some time and I don't want to hold him up. He completely ignores this, gives me a gallic shrug and pulls up the regulation 6 inches behind my bumper. Followed by 4 or 5 more behind him.
I go to the machine. I put in the ticket, the screen flashes up
Prix 8.60.
Fine. I get a ten euro note, put it in the cash input and nothing happens. Then all the screens go blank.
Great.
So I'm f
king about pushing this note hopelessly into an unreceptive slot like a flaccid drunk trying to shag his sleeping wife while the anger is palpably building behind me. I press the button to talk to someone and the conversation goes like this. I swear on my life, exactly like this:
Hello, my apologies, do you speak English?
(my basic French is nowhere near good enough to cover this)
Yes, what is the problem?
I have put in the ticket but it isn't working.
Have you a ticket?
Yes, I have put it in the machine.
You have no ticket?
Yes, I have put it in the machine but it is not working.
Non. This does not happen, you have no ticket.
(Now the queue behind me is getting apoplectic)
I DO HAVE A TICKET BUT THE MACHINE HAS GONE BLANK, I CANNOT PROCEED!
Non, you have no ticket.
(The screen then pops up 50 Euros.)
What's this? I'm not paying 50 euros, the machine is not working!
You will pay 50 euros, you do not have a ticket.
[click...]
Speaker goes off.
I am now fuming, ready to kick the f
king machine but nobody is listening anymore and the queue behind me are now at birthing kittens point. So I'm screaming at the machine... You f
king robbing fking s you've taken my fking money... Etc etc etc...
I put in 50 euros, the barrier opens. I get in the car and as I pull forward the f
king machine lights up like a Vegas one armed bandit and 41.40 fking euros in change comes tumbling out of it into the change compartment!I briefly slam on considering getting out and grabbing it but I haven't yet passed the barrier and I'm thinking it's going to ask for another 50 if I get out.
So I drive on through. And matey behind me who's life has clearly been entirely ruined by waiting 4 minutes for me to get the barrier up gets 41.40 euros for his troubles.
f
k! Edited by br d on Tuesday 13th June 16:45
Great thread!
I hadn't met Russell personally but I had the pleasure of being part of a closed facebook group (possibly a whatsapp as well, can't recall!) where we would all chat including Russell.
Your descriptions of him are spot on and he is sorely missed by those PH'ers who were close to him.
I hope you're enjoying the trip, I've been to Annecy a couple of times myself and at this time of the year it's beautiful (a little dip in the lake is wonderful under the hot sun), I can only imagine it's made all that better by driving around it in a McLaren!
I hadn't met Russell personally but I had the pleasure of being part of a closed facebook group (possibly a whatsapp as well, can't recall!) where we would all chat including Russell.
Your descriptions of him are spot on and he is sorely missed by those PH'ers who were close to him.
I hope you're enjoying the trip, I've been to Annecy a couple of times myself and at this time of the year it's beautiful (a little dip in the lake is wonderful under the hot sun), I can only imagine it's made all that better by driving around it in a McLaren!
The hotel after this one seems to be a celebrity type thing. People on Trip Advisor saying the car park is full of Supercars.
Just had an email from them including this:
To make your visit well organized and garantee the availability, please advice the following :
- Your arrival time at the hotel
- Do you require any shared or private transfers?
- Would you like to book any activities (paragliding, helicopter flight...)?
- Do you wish to make any reservations in our spa by Clarins or in our restaurant “Le Matafan” represented by the chef Mickey Bourdillat.
Paragliding?
Good grief.
Just had an email from them including this:
To make your visit well organized and garantee the availability, please advice the following :
- Your arrival time at the hotel
- Do you require any shared or private transfers?
- Would you like to book any activities (paragliding, helicopter flight...)?
- Do you wish to make any reservations in our spa by Clarins or in our restaurant “Le Matafan” represented by the chef Mickey Bourdillat.
Paragliding?
Good grief.
br d said:
I dropped 5 gears and fking hammered it
Oh that sounds so good!king hammered it So impressive and yet you write it so casually. A great phrase.
One of those phrases that one day (perhaps
) I will get the chance to say. At the moment if I dropped five gears I'd be in first doing serious damage to my considerably more humble car!
Yeah sorry guys, not been keeping up.
I would really like to fill this thread with car stuff but there just isn't anything down here in the French Alps remotely car related, except the stuff I'm doing myself.
I'll post the nonsense I've been up to but it all seems a bit inane in comparison to what is going on back home.
Still, these threads are supposed to be relief from all the bad news.
I would really like to fill this thread with car stuff but there just isn't anything down here in the French Alps remotely car related, except the stuff I'm doing myself.
I'll post the nonsense I've been up to but it all seems a bit inane in comparison to what is going on back home.
Still, these threads are supposed to be relief from all the bad news.
This looked like it might be fun on a dirt track, don't know what it is:
Fed the mad Donkey, a few apples and he turned into a pussycat!
Drove up to overlook Lake Aneccy on the recommendation of the lady who owns the hotel. Great road, ruined by the 3 abreast lycra mob. I'm not anti - cyclist, enjoy a mountain bike myself but some of them are proper ignorant. You sit patiently behind them while they take up the whole road and when you finally get a straight section you can pass them on you get all the shouting and hand waving. fk off eh lads, you're not the only people who've come a thousand miles to enjoy the place.
Anyway, great views over the lake:
What you're looking at here is the take off ramp for the hangliders and paragliders:
You pay 60 euros or so, they strap you in next to them, run down that ramp and jump off. You will land somewhere miles away across the lake.
Nope.
Fed the mad Donkey, a few apples and he turned into a pussycat!
Drove up to overlook Lake Aneccy on the recommendation of the lady who owns the hotel. Great road, ruined by the 3 abreast lycra mob. I'm not anti - cyclist, enjoy a mountain bike myself but some of them are proper ignorant. You sit patiently behind them while they take up the whole road and when you finally get a straight section you can pass them on you get all the shouting and hand waving. f
k off eh lads, you're not the only people who've come a thousand miles to enjoy the place. Anyway, great views over the lake:
What you're looking at here is the take off ramp for the hangliders and paragliders:
You pay 60 euros or so, they strap you in next to them, run down that ramp and jump off. You will land somewhere miles away across the lake.
Nope.
br d said:
The Moose said:
I have enjoyed your previous threads!
Always wished I could play the guitar - tried to learn, I just don't have a musical bone in my body!!
Everyone has musical bones Moose, you've just got to find them. Always wished I could play the guitar - tried to learn, I just don't have a musical bone in my body!!
Playing an instrument is a very liberating thing to do, once you get good enough to get to choose were your fingers are going next it opens up a whole new room in your head.
I dont really get art or anything, I don't seem to be the creative type at all but playing the guitar puts me in an entirely different place which I couldn't find otherwise.
Guitar talk coming up, switch off now if you've no interest!
I am a very private player, preferring just to sit and play alone, which is why a play pick and finger style so I can accompany myself.
I'm no Albert Lee or anything but after a few beers I will often get a vibe going and really surprise myself with the stuff that starts flowing through my hands. I don't know if that's common to all musicians but I suspect it is.
I'm fortunate enough to own some great guitars. These are my two Gretsches:
Won't mean an a lot to the uninitiated but that's a Setzer 6120 and a Billy Duffy White Falcon there, pretty much my dream garage as far as guitars go. My favourite stuff to play is Rockabilly, it's hard to do right but very rewarding which is why I love Gretsch.
I also love country picking and these two cover that:
I also have a decent acoustic and a bunch of other electrics that I occasionally use.
Funnily enough Russell and Lillie's guitar is an ideal Rock Axe, which the majority of guitar players seem to love. I can play rock, metal and indie a bit and I grew up loving that stuff but these days it doesn't interest me much.
The strange thing is though that Russell's guitar just covers all the bases.
It doesn't play rockabilly as well as my Gretsches and it doesn't play country like a Telecaster but unlike those guitars it can do just about anything without complaining. I'm honestly not just saying this because I have an emotional connection to the guitar it is genuinely the one I find myself picking up the most often.
The burning house scenario? This one first, then the Setzer if there's time. Everything else is replaceable and can f
king burn! Sorry for the tangent.
(As usual I can't get the pictures right!)
, I modified a white falcon a while ago to have a dog-ear P90 in the neck position instead of the Filtertron HB. ( that will really freak the non guitar players here, a dog ear what??? ) 
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