My recent Eurohoon
Discussion
Well it was that time of year and for the third year in a row, destination Europe was once again ready for attacking. We got back last Sunday after 8 days romping around foreign lands and this years vehicles included my 996tt, a Ferrari 355 and a Mercedes SL500. I took my son Luke with me and with Jim, in his Fezza was Shane and Nathan took Mark with him in his Merc.
If you fancy a read, then scroll down for some of what we got up to. Appologies for the crappy iPhone pictures.
Saturday took us from the ferry port at Rotterdam and the first night's stopover was in Karlsruhe, Germany after a lap round the Nurburgring. We got to the ‘ring around 1.30pm and bought our lap tickets. Then it was announced the track was temporarily closed to bikes and then moments later, closed full stop. Apparently a Mazda MX5 had dumped oil on a corner and a couple of bikers fell fowl of this so us, and everyone had to wait whilst it was cleaned up.
It was not until 3pm before it re-opened and everybody was desperate to get out and it soon turns into carnage. Within minutes of setting off we saw a Z4 that had gone nose first into the Armco and a couple more cars off the track followed that. The worst we saw was a biker that had lost it, and after having to brake suddenly on the blind bend approaching the scene, the biker was lying still on the inside of a bend while the bike was still wriggling against the barrier on the outside. The marshalls were very quick in attendance,as well as another biker who had stopped, but we never did find out the extents of his injuries. Hope the fellow was good to fight another day.
With this, and everybody going out at the same time it made for a very intense lap and not very enjoyable. It was good to see the straight at the end of the it and cool everything down. It’s all over so quickly as well even though you’ve just done 13 miles of the most concentrated driving in your life. After the lap Nathans Merc had no brakes as he’d boiled the fluid, the car didn’t like this and put it into limp mode so we parked up to let everything cool off and made progress to Karlsruhe, staying in Hotel Rio that we also stayed in last year. Now it was time for a really good Mexican and a few beers.
Inside the Devil's Diner, be rude not to say we'd been there!
Sunday took us via the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart as we headed south to our second night in Chur, Switzerland. The Mercedes Museum is very impressive and large, and dwarfs the efforts of the Porsche Museum. It’s well worth a visit and we found we didn’t have enough time to explore it properly. We did do a G-Class experience out in the car park where they had set up a metal frame with very steep inclines, a see-saw at the top and back down to terraferma to highlight it’s off roading capabilities. And at 4 euros each it was a bit of a bargain. We reached Chur and for the first time on any of our previous trips, we stayed in a hostel in a room big enough for all 6 of us. It was a way of keeping down the costs but it made for a good laugh as we all acted like 8 year olds giggling into the early hours.
A few snaps at the Museum
and at the Hostel in Chur
Monday was the start of the twisties, taking in the Furka and Grimsel passes as we headed for our third night in Lauterbrunnen, staying in Switzerland for a second sleep.. The Furka was fantastic, flowing around the mountains offering some fantastic views and lasted for what seemed quite a while. In contrast, the Grimsel was just as pretty but very short in comparison. Todays aim was to get to Lauterbrunnen in good time so we could get the mountain train up to the highest peak in Europe, Jungfraujoch. Up there are some nice attractions like an ice house, glacier and a Spinks. However we didn’t arrive until 2.30pm and the next train was leaving at 3pm. Got to the station in time after dumping the cars at the hotel but as the last train down would only give us 20 minutes at the top, it wasn’t worth going up as you would need at least an hour to take in everything there. Bearing in mind it’s a 2 hour journey each way and at a cost of £125 each, we easily decided to go to plan B. This meant a 15 minute train ride up the mountain to Wengen, where we used a hotels facilities and went for a swim, sauna and steam room session and was a great way to relax for a few hours. That evening saw us finding a restaurant where we all ate traditional Rostis, drank a few cheeky ones and retired to bed in readiness for the next days events.
parked up by the Grimsel
And a bit further along, once again plagued by roadworks
Tuesdays destination was Turin, Italy for the forth night and we’d be staying in the old Fiat factory with the test track on the roof. This is now converted into a hotel and shopping centre with a roof top restaurant at the track level. We got there late afternoon and after a very expensive pint at the hotel bar, we went up to the track and had a good look around, taking photos and some interesting movie clips of us messing around on the banked corners, which are very steep when you’re walking up and around them. You can get up to the track in a car but sadly concrete bollards prevent you from driving around the banked corners and they’re in the progress of covering the track surface with roofing felt, covering the concrete surface on the straights and the concrete block paving on the banked corners. Nathan took his Merc up top to take some snaps but at that point, it was dark, we'd been eaten by the local mosquito’s and we were ready for a pint and a meal, so it was over the road to a restaurant for some Italian cuisine. The pasta was excellent as well.
Old Fiat test track, you could still imagine the Mini's screaming round....
And in the distance, the Arena roof that also saw part of the Italian Job Mini's escape route
Wednesday would see us conquering the Stelvio and St Leonardo mountain passes and we headed to Valdaoro in Northern Italy for another nights hostel accommodation and our fifth nights accomodation. As we climbed the Stevio, this time heading west to east, sleet hit our windscreens becoming full on snow at the summit. We progressed cautiously, so never any signs of impending doom as we headed down and back into sunshine. Next was the Leonardo and again, snow greeted us on the way up, being quite heavy at the top but at this point not yet laying on the smooth black asphalt. The St Leonardo is probably the best pass so far and on a dry day it has potential for being a fantastic road to drive. We finally made it to the hostel at around 9pm, this being the longest day of driving of the trip. We did finish off the days driving on the Furkelpass, which was a nice bonus. Then, out came a few beers we had with us and a couple of nips of JD and coke and as there was no food available, we’d only had enough time to grab a microwaved lasagne at a fuel station an hour previous, which wasn’t fantastic but it gave us some fuel.
Top of the Stelvio
Thursday morning saw us wake up to some fantastic views form the hostels balcony, still being in skiing country, so that was nice.
Todays aim was to get to Oberammergau in southern Germany for the sixth night of outr trip. It was time to head north on the return leg, going via the Grossglockner pass in Austria. The start of the pass was around 110km from the hostel and after only 10km of driving we saw a roadside sign stating the pass was open. However, within 20km of the bottom of the pass, more signs now said it was closed but we decided to press on regardless on the off chance it would be open when we got there. Got there and sure enough, it’s closed as there was a foot of snow at the top. b
ks!
We turn around and hunt for an alternative way to get across the mountain. After an hour of trying to find another way across we resign to heading back the way we came. Unfortunately to get around the mountain it took us back into Italy and to within 20km from where we’d started that morning to find a route north. Six hours after setting off that morning we were now only really starting our journey to Germany through Austria. Lunch was needed now so we stopped at a MacDonalds we’d passed several hours earlier on the way to the Grossglockner.
We eventually get to our third hostel accommodation of the trip in Germany and head out for a meal. And a few beers of course!
Morning veiw in Valdaora
Friday morning arrives and me and Jim head out for a walk to find a cup of coffee for us all. Then it’s time to go and from now on I jump in the Ferrari with Luke to drive the rest of the way home. Jim drives mine now with Shane passengering. For our seventh and final stop, we're heading up to Cologne, via Stuttgart.
We arrive in Stuttgart again, this time to do the Porsche Museum again but sadly, it’s a lot less full of cars and features than last year, and what is there is no different. The displays are rumoured to get changed every few months but hey ho. The restaurant serves great food and it’s not expensive either. After a couple of hours in total there it’s time to head for our final overnight stay in Cologne, another city and hotel we stopped in last year. We have a really good night here knowing where to go to eat and drink and we do have several too many, but Saturday isn’t a busy day so we get the luxury of not having to be up and away by 9am.
We ate agian at The Fruh, near the Cathedral in the middle of the city. It really has a buzz about this place, with locals filling the streets, glass in hand and having a good time. It's far from here in Blighty. There's no trouble or hint of anything brewing, just everyone out enjoying themselves. The food at the Fruh is good and is a massive building, with lots of seperate compartments to dine in. We order many beers as they only seve quarter litre measures. We head off to an Irish Pub for the rest of the evening before retiring wearing the infamous beer goggles.
At the hostel in Oberammergau, Germany
Porsche Museum
Saturday sees us leave Cologne at 11am. On to Spa before going for the ferry, except today all 3 of our sat navs decide to ignore Spa as a waypoint set up in the routes and we end up around 100km north of it before we realise we’re making time up far too easily, especially with how long all the previous days have turned into. We deduced that through one set of roadworks a junction we needed that was blocked off, following the short diversion the sat navs found an alternative route and messed everything up. It’s now too late to turn back so we slow down the pace and look to find somewhere to eat. Maccy D’s strikes again and we sit outside for a couple of hours in the sunshine until it’s time to move on. We get to Rotterdam and we need to swap back to our own cars. We get on the boat, have a fantastic steak, a few beers and in bed by 11pm, tired.com now.
Sunday is here now, back in blighty and after an age getting off the boat and through customs we head across the M62 to make our way to Cars in the Park at Lotherton Hall, but not before stopping at a Little Chef for the traditional end of trip Olympic breakfast. We get to Lotherton but only stay for 90 minutes as we’re all knackered and it’s starting to rain. Had a good chat with EvoSlayer and Crimp a Length! Hope you enjoyed the Belgain pop
And that's it really, until next year.
Cheers!
If you fancy a read, then scroll down for some of what we got up to. Appologies for the crappy iPhone pictures.
Saturday took us from the ferry port at Rotterdam and the first night's stopover was in Karlsruhe, Germany after a lap round the Nurburgring. We got to the ‘ring around 1.30pm and bought our lap tickets. Then it was announced the track was temporarily closed to bikes and then moments later, closed full stop. Apparently a Mazda MX5 had dumped oil on a corner and a couple of bikers fell fowl of this so us, and everyone had to wait whilst it was cleaned up.
It was not until 3pm before it re-opened and everybody was desperate to get out and it soon turns into carnage. Within minutes of setting off we saw a Z4 that had gone nose first into the Armco and a couple more cars off the track followed that. The worst we saw was a biker that had lost it, and after having to brake suddenly on the blind bend approaching the scene, the biker was lying still on the inside of a bend while the bike was still wriggling against the barrier on the outside. The marshalls were very quick in attendance,as well as another biker who had stopped, but we never did find out the extents of his injuries. Hope the fellow was good to fight another day.
With this, and everybody going out at the same time it made for a very intense lap and not very enjoyable. It was good to see the straight at the end of the it and cool everything down. It’s all over so quickly as well even though you’ve just done 13 miles of the most concentrated driving in your life. After the lap Nathans Merc had no brakes as he’d boiled the fluid, the car didn’t like this and put it into limp mode so we parked up to let everything cool off and made progress to Karlsruhe, staying in Hotel Rio that we also stayed in last year. Now it was time for a really good Mexican and a few beers.
Inside the Devil's Diner, be rude not to say we'd been there!
Sunday took us via the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart as we headed south to our second night in Chur, Switzerland. The Mercedes Museum is very impressive and large, and dwarfs the efforts of the Porsche Museum. It’s well worth a visit and we found we didn’t have enough time to explore it properly. We did do a G-Class experience out in the car park where they had set up a metal frame with very steep inclines, a see-saw at the top and back down to terraferma to highlight it’s off roading capabilities. And at 4 euros each it was a bit of a bargain. We reached Chur and for the first time on any of our previous trips, we stayed in a hostel in a room big enough for all 6 of us. It was a way of keeping down the costs but it made for a good laugh as we all acted like 8 year olds giggling into the early hours.
A few snaps at the Museum
and at the Hostel in Chur
Monday was the start of the twisties, taking in the Furka and Grimsel passes as we headed for our third night in Lauterbrunnen, staying in Switzerland for a second sleep.. The Furka was fantastic, flowing around the mountains offering some fantastic views and lasted for what seemed quite a while. In contrast, the Grimsel was just as pretty but very short in comparison. Todays aim was to get to Lauterbrunnen in good time so we could get the mountain train up to the highest peak in Europe, Jungfraujoch. Up there are some nice attractions like an ice house, glacier and a Spinks. However we didn’t arrive until 2.30pm and the next train was leaving at 3pm. Got to the station in time after dumping the cars at the hotel but as the last train down would only give us 20 minutes at the top, it wasn’t worth going up as you would need at least an hour to take in everything there. Bearing in mind it’s a 2 hour journey each way and at a cost of £125 each, we easily decided to go to plan B. This meant a 15 minute train ride up the mountain to Wengen, where we used a hotels facilities and went for a swim, sauna and steam room session and was a great way to relax for a few hours. That evening saw us finding a restaurant where we all ate traditional Rostis, drank a few cheeky ones and retired to bed in readiness for the next days events.
parked up by the Grimsel
And a bit further along, once again plagued by roadworks
Tuesdays destination was Turin, Italy for the forth night and we’d be staying in the old Fiat factory with the test track on the roof. This is now converted into a hotel and shopping centre with a roof top restaurant at the track level. We got there late afternoon and after a very expensive pint at the hotel bar, we went up to the track and had a good look around, taking photos and some interesting movie clips of us messing around on the banked corners, which are very steep when you’re walking up and around them. You can get up to the track in a car but sadly concrete bollards prevent you from driving around the banked corners and they’re in the progress of covering the track surface with roofing felt, covering the concrete surface on the straights and the concrete block paving on the banked corners. Nathan took his Merc up top to take some snaps but at that point, it was dark, we'd been eaten by the local mosquito’s and we were ready for a pint and a meal, so it was over the road to a restaurant for some Italian cuisine. The pasta was excellent as well.
Old Fiat test track, you could still imagine the Mini's screaming round....
And in the distance, the Arena roof that also saw part of the Italian Job Mini's escape route
Wednesday would see us conquering the Stelvio and St Leonardo mountain passes and we headed to Valdaoro in Northern Italy for another nights hostel accommodation and our fifth nights accomodation. As we climbed the Stevio, this time heading west to east, sleet hit our windscreens becoming full on snow at the summit. We progressed cautiously, so never any signs of impending doom as we headed down and back into sunshine. Next was the Leonardo and again, snow greeted us on the way up, being quite heavy at the top but at this point not yet laying on the smooth black asphalt. The St Leonardo is probably the best pass so far and on a dry day it has potential for being a fantastic road to drive. We finally made it to the hostel at around 9pm, this being the longest day of driving of the trip. We did finish off the days driving on the Furkelpass, which was a nice bonus. Then, out came a few beers we had with us and a couple of nips of JD and coke and as there was no food available, we’d only had enough time to grab a microwaved lasagne at a fuel station an hour previous, which wasn’t fantastic but it gave us some fuel.
Top of the Stelvio
Thursday morning saw us wake up to some fantastic views form the hostels balcony, still being in skiing country, so that was nice.
Todays aim was to get to Oberammergau in southern Germany for the sixth night of outr trip. It was time to head north on the return leg, going via the Grossglockner pass in Austria. The start of the pass was around 110km from the hostel and after only 10km of driving we saw a roadside sign stating the pass was open. However, within 20km of the bottom of the pass, more signs now said it was closed but we decided to press on regardless on the off chance it would be open when we got there. Got there and sure enough, it’s closed as there was a foot of snow at the top. b
ks!We turn around and hunt for an alternative way to get across the mountain. After an hour of trying to find another way across we resign to heading back the way we came. Unfortunately to get around the mountain it took us back into Italy and to within 20km from where we’d started that morning to find a route north. Six hours after setting off that morning we were now only really starting our journey to Germany through Austria. Lunch was needed now so we stopped at a MacDonalds we’d passed several hours earlier on the way to the Grossglockner.
We eventually get to our third hostel accommodation of the trip in Germany and head out for a meal. And a few beers of course!
Morning veiw in Valdaora
Friday morning arrives and me and Jim head out for a walk to find a cup of coffee for us all. Then it’s time to go and from now on I jump in the Ferrari with Luke to drive the rest of the way home. Jim drives mine now with Shane passengering. For our seventh and final stop, we're heading up to Cologne, via Stuttgart.
We arrive in Stuttgart again, this time to do the Porsche Museum again but sadly, it’s a lot less full of cars and features than last year, and what is there is no different. The displays are rumoured to get changed every few months but hey ho. The restaurant serves great food and it’s not expensive either. After a couple of hours in total there it’s time to head for our final overnight stay in Cologne, another city and hotel we stopped in last year. We have a really good night here knowing where to go to eat and drink and we do have several too many, but Saturday isn’t a busy day so we get the luxury of not having to be up and away by 9am.
We ate agian at The Fruh, near the Cathedral in the middle of the city. It really has a buzz about this place, with locals filling the streets, glass in hand and having a good time. It's far from here in Blighty. There's no trouble or hint of anything brewing, just everyone out enjoying themselves. The food at the Fruh is good and is a massive building, with lots of seperate compartments to dine in. We order many beers as they only seve quarter litre measures. We head off to an Irish Pub for the rest of the evening before retiring wearing the infamous beer goggles.
At the hostel in Oberammergau, Germany
Porsche Museum
Saturday sees us leave Cologne at 11am. On to Spa before going for the ferry, except today all 3 of our sat navs decide to ignore Spa as a waypoint set up in the routes and we end up around 100km north of it before we realise we’re making time up far too easily, especially with how long all the previous days have turned into. We deduced that through one set of roadworks a junction we needed that was blocked off, following the short diversion the sat navs found an alternative route and messed everything up. It’s now too late to turn back so we slow down the pace and look to find somewhere to eat. Maccy D’s strikes again and we sit outside for a couple of hours in the sunshine until it’s time to move on. We get to Rotterdam and we need to swap back to our own cars. We get on the boat, have a fantastic steak, a few beers and in bed by 11pm, tired.com now.
Sunday is here now, back in blighty and after an age getting off the boat and through customs we head across the M62 to make our way to Cars in the Park at Lotherton Hall, but not before stopping at a Little Chef for the traditional end of trip Olympic breakfast. We get to Lotherton but only stay for 90 minutes as we’re all knackered and it’s starting to rain. Had a good chat with EvoSlayer and Crimp a Length! Hope you enjoyed the Belgain pop
And that's it really, until next year.
Cheers!
What a trip!! Lucky buggers!
We stayed in Lauterbrunnen in August on our campervan trip. Stunning doesn't quite cover it does it!?
Definitely going back in a sports car at some point!
Great pics from the Porsche Museum. Want to go there too at some stage.
View from our campsite in Lauterbrunnen -
View from our dinner table -
Thanks for posting. Excellent!
We stayed in Lauterbrunnen in August on our campervan trip. Stunning doesn't quite cover it does it!?
Definitely going back in a sports car at some point!
Great pics from the Porsche Museum. Want to go there too at some stage.
View from our campsite in Lauterbrunnen -
View from our dinner table -
Thanks for posting. Excellent!
EvoSlayer said:
Looked like epic fun, good to catch up last week mate and cars certainly looked like they had been used for what they were designed for.
Cheers for the Belgian pop, that just finished me off on Sunday night
Probably catch up at Malton next month?
Good to meet you guys last week, proper petrol heads off the dingy in Hull and straight to "cars in the park" in Leeds with cars sCheers for the Belgian pop, that just finished me off on Sunday night
Probably catch up at Malton next month?
tted up to the eye balls top lads.I do fancy it but wouldn't do it in the GT2 to be honest, which means i need to buy something.
I knew I should have come! marky911 said:
What a trip!! Lucky buggers!
We stayed in Lauterbrunnen in August on our campervan trip. Stunning doesn't quite cover it does it!?
Definitely going back in a sports car at some point!
You're not wrong there, Stunning does it no justice really. Having gone before, you'll know what to expect taking a sports car there. Keep us posted if and when you do.We stayed in Lauterbrunnen in August on our campervan trip. Stunning doesn't quite cover it does it!?
Definitely going back in a sports car at some point!
Forgot to mention after re-reading it back, we did 2500 miles and I averaged 24mpg. I think Jim got 21mpg from the Ferrari and best of all was Nathan with 27mpg. Not bad for a 5.0 litre V8.
Between fill ups, which were quite frequent, my worst average was 17.2mpg and best was 31.5mpg.
Between fill ups, which were quite frequent, my worst average was 17.2mpg and best was 31.5mpg.
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