Another lot of Alps nonsense
Discussion
jontymo said:
Thank you to B Child for listing all of your travels over the years, I have bookmarked all of them and will endeavour to work my way through them.
Brad - I recently came across your thread for last years travel and did not want to comment on a year old thread but you had me hooked with the brutal honesty and realism of what grief feels like, it also showed what a great place PH and the web can be though we don't see it often enough.
I am already hooked on this years adventure and will be keeping up to date on your travel in an awesome machine, though I have to say even as a petrolhead I enjoy your explanations and stories of the days nights and events that happen even more than seeing the car - don't hang me for that !!!!!!!!!
Keep on keeping on and bringing a story of adventure to life.
Jon
Thank you Jon. Brad - I recently came across your thread for last years travel and did not want to comment on a year old thread but you had me hooked with the brutal honesty and realism of what grief feels like, it also showed what a great place PH and the web can be though we don't see it often enough.
I am already hooked on this years adventure and will be keeping up to date on your travel in an awesome machine, though I have to say even as a petrolhead I enjoy your explanations and stories of the days nights and events that happen even more than seeing the car - don't hang me for that !!!!!!!!!
Keep on keeping on and bringing a story of adventure to life.
Jon
Last year was very difficult. I knew it would be mostly awful but it seemed to be accepted in the spirit it was meant. I just wanted to be honest and didn't care if it showed weakness or despair.
I had many wonderful private message's that I will never forget and now I'm glad I went ahead with it.
The beauty of this medium is that nobody has to read it, if I was just shouting into an empty room it probably wouldn't bother me but getting positive responses is really appreciated.
mr pg said:
You're not alone in leaving documents behind Brad!
We stayed in Switzerland a few years ago before a days drive to the next hotel in Austria. The hotel asked for our passports on arrival, and it suddenly dawned on us that they were still in the previous hotels room safe!
They sent over copies to the new hotel but a courier wouldn't be able to get them to us in time before we moved, which meant we had to retrace our route back to the Swiss hotel to pick them up on our way back from Austira a few days later. No stops at border luckily.
Looking forward to our first trip in 3 years in Sept. Back to Austria.
Paul.
There's a lot of us idiots about mate! We stayed in Switzerland a few years ago before a days drive to the next hotel in Austria. The hotel asked for our passports on arrival, and it suddenly dawned on us that they were still in the previous hotels room safe!
They sent over copies to the new hotel but a courier wouldn't be able to get them to us in time before we moved, which meant we had to retrace our route back to the Swiss hotel to pick them up on our way back from Austira a few days later. No stops at border luckily.
Looking forward to our first trip in 3 years in Sept. Back to Austria.
Paul.
I'm getting slightly concerned. They put the docs in the post on Friday with Chronopost, then sent me the tracking code. When I put that in their website it just says "There is no information for this code" or words to that effect.
Might be a weekend thing, I'll check tomorrow.
But I'm a total cock, I didn't even think to ask the hotel to scan all the docs before they posted them, if they disappear now I've got nothing.
adf83 said:
I enjoyed reading about your travels last year when I came across your thread and particularly so this year as I’m currently on a road trip through France and Italy and your destinations are broadly the same as mine. There’s just something special about a road trip, you see places you’d never see otherwise. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip. Safe travels!
Post it up mate if you feel like it! I'm happy to share the thread. Where are your stops? VSKeith said:
Go Brad!
I once left my rucksack containing my passport in a cafe about 50 miles outside Jo'burg. Only realised when we went to check in for our flight home, after a scary drive, lost, through patchier parts of the city at evening thunderstorm time.
Called the cafe - not there unsurprisingly.
Cue an extra 2 days holiday and a somewhat annoyed girlfriend.
It's easy done. I once left my rucksack containing my passport in a cafe about 50 miles outside Jo'burg. Only realised when we went to check in for our flight home, after a scary drive, lost, through patchier parts of the city at evening thunderstorm time.
Called the cafe - not there unsurprisingly.
Cue an extra 2 days holiday and a somewhat annoyed girlfriend.
Did she dump you?
The motorcyclist question.
I'm not precious about bikers filtering, or riding up to the front of the lights or anything like that, it's the perks of travelling on something your more likely to be killed on! I'm happy to hang back a bit to let a bike come in.
But. This tunnel thing pissed me off. Massive queue, 45 minutes to get to the pay kiosk. And bikes are just riding the whole way passed the queue and then cutting in one car from the front.
This isn't on is it? Am I being petty?
It's not a set of lights, it's a queue for a service.
The problem at the Mont Blanc tunnel is that you are sent through one at a time and have to keep your distance from the vehicle in front. So every time a biker did this it just bumps you down the queue.
Bikers, would you do this?
(Colours nailed, I think it's taking the piss)
I'm not precious about bikers filtering, or riding up to the front of the lights or anything like that, it's the perks of travelling on something your more likely to be killed on! I'm happy to hang back a bit to let a bike come in.
But. This tunnel thing pissed me off. Massive queue, 45 minutes to get to the pay kiosk. And bikes are just riding the whole way passed the queue and then cutting in one car from the front.
This isn't on is it? Am I being petty?
It's not a set of lights, it's a queue for a service.
The problem at the Mont Blanc tunnel is that you are sent through one at a time and have to keep your distance from the vehicle in front. So every time a biker did this it just bumps you down the queue.
Bikers, would you do this?
(Colours nailed, I think it's taking the piss)
f
k sake, I always get found out.
Was down at the Pool bar, lovely, had a nice pasta and a few beers.
This is a very posh gaff but they have no bar in the main building, you have to ring reception. And this being Switzerland where they tattoo the rules on your arse when you arrive you really have to get in line.
(If there were any cameras in the mountains today they'll be turning up tomorrow to crush my car. Except the jokes on them cos I have no ID, I literally don't fking exist according to their regulations!)
So I get a take out from the pool bar, easy right?
Nah, they don't have a bag.
"Nothing?"
"Nope"
So, I now have to walk all through the grounds, past the fountains, through reception and past the restaurant carrying two bottles in each hand like an alky on his way home from the bookies.
Pass a very well to do elderly Italian couple eating in the restaurant "Good evening" (clank clank).
They look at me like I'm Charles Manson out on bail.
You just can't hide your birthright man.
k sake, I always get found out.Was down at the Pool bar, lovely, had a nice pasta and a few beers.
This is a very posh gaff but they have no bar in the main building, you have to ring reception. And this being Switzerland where they tattoo the rules on your arse when you arrive you really have to get in line.
(If there were any cameras in the mountains today they'll be turning up tomorrow to crush my car. Except the jokes on them cos I have no ID, I literally don't f
king exist according to their regulations!)So I get a take out from the pool bar, easy right?
Nah, they don't have a bag.
"Nothing?"
"Nope"
So, I now have to walk all through the grounds, past the fountains, through reception and past the restaurant carrying two bottles in each hand like an alky on his way home from the bookies.
Pass a very well to do elderly Italian couple eating in the restaurant "Good evening" (clank clank).
They look at me like I'm Charles Manson out on bail.
You just can't hide your birthright man.
Edited by br d on Sunday 26th June 19:10
Sway said:
Ah, but have you got a bottle opener? 
Mate, I've got like 5 rooms here! Kitchen, study, lounge, bedroom, bathroom.I've been here 3 days and there are still doors I haven't opened!
If I didn't have that I'd be cracking the bottles with my glasses case, there's always a path. No direction is forever blocked, or something.
/sorry, that came across really arsey.
Drunk.
Again.
Edited by br d on Sunday 26th June 20:41
Right, got to buy some sort of dash cam before I leave the mountains.
If I could have filmed today's stuff it would have been brilliant, everybody here could have told me why I can't drive! And you'd be right!
Many times today I nearly bounced the thing off the barriers, I mean, I don't want to bounce it off the barriers, but I have a little less concern about bouncing it off the barriers than I did a couple of years ago.
A tiny flick of the wrist and its a long way down.
It's not like driving in Bedfordshire.
😁
If I could have filmed today's stuff it would have been brilliant, everybody here could have told me why I can't drive! And you'd be right!
Many times today I nearly bounced the thing off the barriers, I mean, I don't want to bounce it off the barriers, but I have a little less concern about bouncing it off the barriers than I did a couple of years ago.
A tiny flick of the wrist and its a long way down.
It's not like driving in Bedfordshire.
😁
"Camp Freddy you all know"
Pretty Car!
https://youtu.be/3hcmGG6VUsU
Pretty Car!
https://youtu.be/3hcmGG6VUsU
Edited by br d on Sunday 26th June 22:36
Hey guys, my apologies.
I was mentally all over the place on Sunday, after seeing my friends and thinking a lot about Shal I felt a bit of a spiral coming on and it started to leak into here.
It shouldn't be about that this year so I took a break.
Can't do details now but basically had a very long drive to get here on Monday then crashed out. Yesterday was storms all day so I stayed in the room and rested. No booze since I got here, thanks for your continued interest, will catch up in a bit more detail later.
Cheers.
I was mentally all over the place on Sunday, after seeing my friends and thinking a lot about Shal I felt a bit of a spiral coming on and it started to leak into here.
It shouldn't be about that this year so I took a break.
Can't do details now but basically had a very long drive to get here on Monday then crashed out. Yesterday was storms all day so I stayed in the room and rested. No booze since I got here, thanks for your continued interest, will catch up in a bit more detail later.
Cheers.
I've done some videos, they are rubbish but what do you expect for nothing?
(I keep forgetting to turn my music off so they are all getting copyright claims, I presume this means I won't be able to link them here? I'll try anyway)
Did less than nothing yesterday (apart from spend half an hour working out how to get a ticket from a parking meter in town)
As I was leaving this morning one of the doorman came over and gave me a bottle of water and asked where I was going "Don't know really"
"Try this" and wrote a pass on a piece of paper. The Albula.
I stopped and set up my phone to record video and headed off.
As I came on to the start of the pass I recorded.
I really need a separate camera because using the phone as a camera means I haven't got waze running, I don't know these roads at all so I have no idea when a hairpin is coming, it's all blind driving. That's why I'm very over cautious.
Probably still did enough to get the car crushed though, this is Switzerland.
https://youtu.be/PZMpz4eZ_Hc
Then this one further up.
https://youtu.be/7Rd71udLQes
(I keep forgetting to turn my music off so they are all getting copyright claims, I presume this means I won't be able to link them here? I'll try anyway)
Did less than nothing yesterday (apart from spend half an hour working out how to get a ticket from a parking meter in town)
As I was leaving this morning one of the doorman came over and gave me a bottle of water and asked where I was going "Don't know really"
"Try this" and wrote a pass on a piece of paper. The Albula.
I stopped and set up my phone to record video and headed off.
As I came on to the start of the pass I recorded.
I really need a separate camera because using the phone as a camera means I haven't got waze running, I don't know these roads at all so I have no idea when a hairpin is coming, it's all blind driving. That's why I'm very over cautious.
Probably still did enough to get the car crushed though, this is Switzerland.
https://youtu.be/PZMpz4eZ_Hc
Then this one further up.
https://youtu.be/7Rd71udLQes
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