Car, guitar, europe.
Discussion
This was better, the Col des Alviras, or something similar.
You come up a beautiful sweeping mountain road with some of those tunnels with the side slat thing going on. Much quieter, much quicker! There seems to be a lot of works going on so you have to watch for big tipper lorries appearing from nowhere, they seem to drive with the same gleeful abandon that ours do. Get out of their way cos they ain't getting out of yours.
This is proper eidelvise country, cattle bells, snowcapped peaks and those timbered chalet things dotted all over the place. You half expect to see Heidi sitting 2 foot off your bumper in a crappy old clio.
The local cows get properly used here!
They make absolutely everything out of the poor b
ds!
Got some real screaming performance out of car on the last couple of miles up to here. Really good, flat land with the mountains rising on either side. Sounded good. The left paddle definitely gets a work out here, dropping a gear too low at any excuse and flooring it!
You come up a beautiful sweeping mountain road with some of those tunnels with the side slat thing going on. Much quieter, much quicker! There seems to be a lot of works going on so you have to watch for big tipper lorries appearing from nowhere, they seem to drive with the same gleeful abandon that ours do. Get out of their way cos they ain't getting out of yours.
This is proper eidelvise country, cattle bells, snowcapped peaks and those timbered chalet things dotted all over the place. You half expect to see Heidi sitting 2 foot off your bumper in a crappy old clio.
The local cows get properly used here!
They make absolutely everything out of the poor b
ds! Got some real screaming performance out of car on the last couple of miles up to here. Really good, flat land with the mountains rising on either side. Sounded good. The left paddle definitely gets a work out here, dropping a gear too low at any excuse and flooring it!
Chamonix.
I seem to state that everywhere I go on these trips is beautiful . I think it's because I'm just so amazed that I've some how managed to drag myself into the position where I can do this stuff and I'm just so happy with the privilege.
But Chamonix is something else.
I think this may be my favourite place ever.
It probably helps that I'm staying in a stunning hotel with a balcony that looks straight up to the pinnacle of Mont Blanc.
The Alps are new to me but I know many of you have been here. Mont Blanc is fking stupendous isn't it?
I mean, I've taken a hundred pictures trying to capture the majesty of the thing but it's hopeless, you can only get it by just standing here and gazing skywards at the clouds rolling over the snowy peaks. It's just frikking awesome!
The roads in the town are awful, no doubt as a result of them being frozen for 4 months of the year but once you get out in the mountains this is car heaven.
Here's a pitiful attempt at a pic of Mont Blanc:
I seem to state that everywhere I go on these trips is beautiful . I think it's because I'm just so amazed that I've some how managed to drag myself into the position where I can do this stuff and I'm just so happy with the privilege.
But Chamonix is something else.
I think this may be my favourite place ever.
It probably helps that I'm staying in a stunning hotel with a balcony that looks straight up to the pinnacle of Mont Blanc.
The Alps are new to me but I know many of you have been here. Mont Blanc is f
king stupendous isn't it? I mean, I've taken a hundred pictures trying to capture the majesty of the thing but it's hopeless, you can only get it by just standing here and gazing skywards at the clouds rolling over the snowy peaks. It's just frikking awesome!
The roads in the town are awful, no doubt as a result of them being frozen for 4 months of the year but once you get out in the mountains this is car heaven.
Here's a pitiful attempt at a pic of Mont Blanc:
The girls on the desk here suggested I go up to Col Des Montets for some good driving.
Good roads certainly but I was a little late in the morning and it was awash with camper vans and coaches.
I parked up at the highest point of the pass and (after dealing with the tracker people who were moaning that the fob signal had been lost) I had a good hard stare at some of the peaks. I want to get some hiking and biking into this trip and this bugger took my eye:
Stuck some climbing boots on (mistake, should have kept the trainers), put a bottle of water and the binoculars in my backpack and headed up.
Jesus fking christ it was hard! Boiling hot, straight up rock climbing (or stumbling in my case) and my dodgy lungs screaming for air.
I must have stopped 20 times and said "That's it, you've got to go back". Somehow I staggered on, it wasn't fun believe me.
At around about this point I realised I haven't actually put any pics of my car on this thread, which is maybe a little remiss because I'm sure people are interested in seeing it in these environs.
So I took one:
3 hours and 15 minutes of knee popping hell later I came out onto the top. Tried to take some pics to give an idea of the scale but again they don't convey it well.
That's a town at the bottom left of the pic.
Sneaked up on these guys as well:
It was actually very beautiful at the top, there are lakes and huge swaths of snow even in this heat.
Hour and a half to get back down, no water left and my knees ready to throw it all in.
On the drive back down there was much less traffic. A BMW fastback in front of me floored it and obviously wanted to play. I was up for it. He had the advantage because I'm sitting up against the wall of the mountain and he has better visibility on the corners but there was no contest power wise and I didn't even have to try hard. He started getting a bit desperate and cutting over the center line on some pretty blind bends to try to get a couple of seconds.
I kept thinking about those tipper trucks.
In the end I just backed off and let him go as he was getting really silly.
No doubt he'll be boasting about losing me!
Good roads certainly but I was a little late in the morning and it was awash with camper vans and coaches.
I parked up at the highest point of the pass and (after dealing with the tracker people who were moaning that the fob signal had been lost) I had a good hard stare at some of the peaks. I want to get some hiking and biking into this trip and this bugger took my eye:
Stuck some climbing boots on (mistake, should have kept the trainers), put a bottle of water and the binoculars in my backpack and headed up.
Jesus f
king christ it was hard! Boiling hot, straight up rock climbing (or stumbling in my case) and my dodgy lungs screaming for air. I must have stopped 20 times and said "That's it, you've got to go back". Somehow I staggered on, it wasn't fun believe me.
At around about this point I realised I haven't actually put any pics of my car on this thread, which is maybe a little remiss because I'm sure people are interested in seeing it in these environs.
So I took one:
3 hours and 15 minutes of knee popping hell later I came out onto the top. Tried to take some pics to give an idea of the scale but again they don't convey it well.
That's a town at the bottom left of the pic.
Sneaked up on these guys as well:
It was actually very beautiful at the top, there are lakes and huge swaths of snow even in this heat.
Hour and a half to get back down, no water left and my knees ready to throw it all in.
On the drive back down there was much less traffic. A BMW fastback in front of me floored it and obviously wanted to play. I was up for it. He had the advantage because I'm sitting up against the wall of the mountain and he has better visibility on the corners but there was no contest power wise and I didn't even have to try hard. He started getting a bit desperate and cutting over the center line on some pretty blind bends to try to get a couple of seconds.
I kept thinking about those tipper trucks.
In the end I just backed off and let him go as he was getting really silly.
No doubt he'll be boasting about losing me!
Edited by br d on Friday 16th June 20:23
This is the hotel car park:
I was joking with the manager that he should be paying me because about 50 people an hour walk in and take pictures, I said that's a hell of a lot of Facebook promotion this hotel is getting out of me for nothing!
Yesterday the car was right under the hotel banner and it was non stop picture taking the whole time I was here.
This is a rich little town. Plenty of summer custom and the skiing all through the winter but there are no nice cars here, which is why mine is getting more than normal attention.
Off to Germany tomorrow, driving straight through Switzerland because I've been there before and it's not my cup of tea.
Must get more car content in Germany.
Fingers crossed.
I was joking with the manager that he should be paying me because about 50 people an hour walk in and take pictures, I said that's a hell of a lot of Facebook promotion this hotel is getting out of me for nothing!
Yesterday the car was right under the hotel banner and it was non stop picture taking the whole time I was here.
This is a rich little town. Plenty of summer custom and the skiing all through the winter but there are no nice cars here, which is why mine is getting more than normal attention.
Off to Germany tomorrow, driving straight through Switzerland because I've been there before and it's not my cup of tea.
Must get more car content in Germany.
Fingers crossed.
limpsfield said:
Just to say I really enjoy reading your trips. I have been meaning to do similar for years and no idea why I haven't. No excuses. Hope you are having a great time.
There are no excuses really mate. I mean ill health or family issues aside anyone can do this and it's brilliant. I know many family blokes would rather an all inclusive somewhere hot with the kids and I totally get that but if you can find a sneaky week and a car you enjoy then a euro hoon is still an awful lot of fun.
Won't last forever, anyone who enjoys driving is a target right now, make hay.
Kananga said:
Must admit your traji-comic €50 barrier story had me in stitches.
Looking forward to the rest of the journey.
Thank you! Looking forward to the rest of the journey.
If you enjoyed that you should dig out the total disaster of me chucking my wallet in a bin from a trip a few years ago! I do have a habit of making a tit of myself!
br d said:
Thank you!
If you enjoyed that you should dig out the total disaster of me chucking my wallet in a bin from a trip a few years ago! I do have a habit of making a tit of myself!
Glad I'm not the only one who is prone to such experiences!!! Enjoy the trip sir. If you enjoyed that you should dig out the total disaster of me chucking my wallet in a bin from a trip a few years ago! I do have a habit of making a tit of myself!
If you're passing by the Surrey/Reigate area en route back, would be only too pleased to buy you a beer as a thanks for sharing the journey/experience.
The white R8 behind the Merc was owned by a proper bell end who shouted at the baggage guys and had a real "Don't you know who I am" type attitude. His wife was also abusing the reception staff who could not be nicer.
I made a deliberate point of taking pics of everything in the vicinity except his car.
I made a deliberate point of taking pics of everything in the vicinity except his car.
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