Trip to Europe 2006 25-Sep-2006 Monday Flight to Nice 26-Sep-2006 Tuesday Couple of hours delivering Magazines in Antibes, beer in the Bar
du Port & Blue Lady 27-Sep-2006 Wednesday Delivering magazines Cannes, good lunch just off the front, Porto Pierre Canto, found a torch for Honor's birthday present. IYCA quay in Antibes, megayachts, Octopus 120 metres! 60 crew 550 linear metres of cap rail to be varnished, Another visit to the Blue Lady. 
 
Drove to down to St Tropez, saw Velshida (J Class Phwoar!), Port Grimmaud, no drops but very picturesque (Burnham Biography: Ant Law property, Bob Skeens sold ice creams before becoming a Mormon, Andy has Belladonna moment) Headed west ending up at Le Lavandou, Bouillabaisse delicious!
Fantastic morning, ... followed by civilised breakfast on morning sun drenched terrace, escaped Marseilles, drove to Barcelona brought ferry ticket, had supper on Las Ramblas, street theatre all around, statues and acrobats galore, boarded ferry to Mallorca at 10 for 11 pm sailing, comfy cabin, good night's sleep. 
Arrived 6.30 to find Palma awash with revellers, breakfast, drove to Andratx, delivered magazines in Porto Portals & Club de Mar, Passig Maritime and ITC shipyard Palma, after 4 no vacancies ended up in "Package Holiday" hotel (Chavland), Agadoo doo doo moment/wristband clientele, dinner in Portals, partying BCM! - Great DJ- name to be recalled.
Late start after BCM, lunch Portals, could only procure a table in the sun so scorching hot, but great beef burgers. Spent afternoon looking for ferry ticket office, drove East of Palma sat in beach bar drinking Coronas, ambient mexican-ish music and strong breeze. By chance found beautiful hotel East of Palma Ciutat Jardi, converted baroque villa with possibly equally baroque aged patrons. However with notable bath for 2 not so baroque patrons. With equal good fortune found Fab restaurant Casa Fernando. No menu just made a selection of the fish and vegetables on the cold counter, which were cooked to perfection on the hot plate. Artichoke and mushrooms particularly good. 
 
Slow ferry :( mammoth crossword assuages boredom, to Barcelona, arrive 7 pm park and go to Hotel on Las Ramblas, tapas beer and bed. (NB The balloon has gone up) 
Breakfast on Las Ramblas, very windy-mistral? magazines in the harbour, left Barcelona and headed to France, turned off for Carcassonne, lovely hotel Le Donjon, dinner Brasserie Le Donjon, cassoulet, meunieres St Louis, strolled around the old town, met lovely Irish couple over a couple of beers. 
 
Left Carcassonne, went downtown Marseille, Vieux Port (Old Town), delivered in Marseille yacht/shipyard (Kogo), Arrive back at Monaco, Google crossword :)
Return rental car to Nice Airport, omitting to mention slight damage to front left light, discussion ensuing re criminal record, pro's and cons, lunch at Triangelo's, Harriet left for Morocco, Evening at Italian restaurant - to be named -Lobster virgin - no orgasm, Porcini mushroom feast, artichoke starter bonanza - fantastic, Sass café ... McFarlanes, Juliet, Tina, Colin, Pernilla, dog ... and Kurt! Out of the fire comes a phoenix of ideas, namely a long boozy lunch in Valbonne with children and dogs, AND a Sunday lunch in Italy just north of Dolceacqua...amazingly, unlike London everything we plan comes to fruition.
Very slow start to the Day, Sushi with Jeremy.
Lunch at Juliet’s with Polturaks, McFarlanes and Colin, Pernilla, Bob. Collected Honor from Monaco Yacht Club, massage chair in foyer, had beer with Jean Luc.
Lunch in Italy begins. McFarlane's amazed by Polturak children's punctuality, until reminded that James Young on board. Brief pit stop in order to cleanse the youngest Polturak of vomit soaked trousers (age 4), Sally and Honor retreat to Colin's "Sports Car"? Wind up the mountain to restaurant La Favorita, Apricale, Colin suggests a stroll into the Old Town/village.... eeekkk. Earned the beer at the top! Delightful. Long lunch good food, wine got better after informed advice was sort. Had magic Jeremy pasta for supper at Polturaks. 
 
Fill and wash the car, do the last of the laundry, Harriet picked up from airport post trip to Marrakech. Supper with J & H at Beefbar, fantastic Irish/Argentinean beef with creamy mash washed down by superb bottle of red (courtesy of Jeremy) and calvados digestive. Harriet to be the new (mature) face of top shop? Watch this space!
Pack and drive to Lucca, found parking straight away in the Old Town, found good hotel Albergo Diana ** just around the corner, proceeded to take a constitutional stroll, (quickly turned into a march) around the walls of the town as the sun set. Back in town found the restaurant we had lunched at in 2005 and had a beer, went to Piazza Anfiteatro for supper, 'so so' meal quite chilly, back to Hotel early (10 ish).  
Woke up to a lovely blue sky in Lucca, had a fast trip across the mountains to Palma, turned left and got to Lake Como couldn't find parking or recommended hotel having driven through and around the old town several times, so ended up in Best Western Hotel Continental, definitely getting colder - thermals and jacket required at night, had a wander around town looking at restaurants and clothes shops, we need 2 fleeces. Truffle (Tartufe) season! Black truffle carpacaio, sauteed porcini and white truffle tagitelle/black truffle risotto for supper, superb! Turned in at 10 ish and watched a Mission Impossible 3 /and some really bad XXX! 
 
Breakfast in Best Western Hotel, with somewhat Fawlty Towers Steward, who attempted to dictate breakfast table location, and shut up shop at precisely 10 o'clock. Went for a wander around town in order to purchase aforementioned warm clothes. Final score - James 1 jumper, 1 pair of trousers: Sally 2 pairs of socks. Set off on more challenging route north, hugging the west shore of Como, very pretty. Stopped off at Tullio Abbate boatyard, had coffee saw Tullio and met his son junior. Continued north and found ourselves on the passeo Spluga (so named as an onomatopaeopic description of the sound made by all those who have fallen) Fortunately despite hair-raising hairpin bends aplenty, (Sally employs exorcist neck to check for oncoming traffic) and many ear popping moments, we climbed into Switzerland finding ourselves briefly on top of the world (car a little hot) before doing the whole thing in reverse down further hairpin bends, passing a posse of bikers, past more stunning scenery. Frightening lack of guardrails to prevent any Spluga sounds. Found Hotel Schollhorn in Fredrickshaven, good fillet steak supper at Steakhouse Chateau, (came close to being over salted before James remembered in the nick of time that we were now in Germany and the salt cellars would work) and off to the local watering hole. 
 
Went looking for a jacket for Sally again, she obviously prefers German construction worker style to Milan couture, nice drive to Strasbourg though the hills of southern Germany. When it comes to orchards and vineyards Teutonic precision has to be seen to be believed. Found good hotel - Aucerf D'Or **, food festival going on in local square, oompah band provided the sound track. Had a wander around the cathedral and surrounding streets full of picturesque winstubs before having a beer in the Irish Pub whilst waiting for a table at La Cloche a Fromage. Cheese supper almost beyond description! Restaurant carries an impressively comprehensive array of around 150 different cheeses. We each ordered an individual platter, (from a choice of 5) of 21 different types, arranged and to be consumed in an anticlockwise fashion around the plate. Before diving in we had a delightfully thorough verbal introduction to, and history of virtually every cheese and any accompanying chutneys from the fromager. Having made a selection of various flavoured breads we set about demolishing the feast before us. Utterly divine! Retired to hotel, for a dream filled night. 
Had breakfast in tiny family run café around the corner from the hotel (good homemade jam) found “Bookworm” bookshop and purchased much needed “Lonely Planet” guide to Germany and set off to Nurburg. Took slight detour from motorway on route 53 through the Moselle valley, which is home to Europe’s steepest vineyards (think abseiling). The road snakes mile after mile, closely following the Moselle river, revealing new scenery at every bend. Stopped in Cochem for a sandwich, this time serenaded by an organ grinder, before turning off and heading for the petrol head Mecca of Nurburg. Unloaded the car into our room at the am Tiergarten but there was no 'room at the inn' in the PistelKlausse so ate in restaurant around the corner, weineschnitzel, before heading back to PistelKlausse for a few beers. Got chatting to some Lotus Elise guys at the bar who gave us the card of a track photographer Jochen Van Cauwenberge . 
 15-Oct-2006 Sunday Missed breakfast at the hotel, so headed straight to the ring and soaked up the atmosphere over a salami roll and coffee. Did two consecutive laps, brakes a little on the hot side so went back to the hotel and lunched on amazingly good kartoppelsuppe with pork and bacon. Returned to find the track heaving with people and bikes, quite a few crashes! Complete a further two laps. Manage to capture most of one lap on camera. Had fantastic hot stone supper in Pistenklause, met Jochen and his laptop! He had taken around 1200 photos that day, and in amongst them were some great photos of the Vette. Join the boys for beers, Australian Dave comes back to our room for a beer and a few Ring videos. Very late night! Turn in about 3.30 
 
16-Oct-2006 Monday Missed breakfast, pity Dave who had to drive to Spa this morning at 9. Coffee at the Grunne Hoelle and another 2 laps of the ring, pit stop in Adenau for salami, ham and toothpaste, and spent an hour or so spectating. Sally takes takes hair tangling 8-minute lap around the ring with Scary Neil! (His best ever!) Lotus Elise type R. Back to am Tiergarten where we have to change rooms. Another hot stone supper and buy all of Jochen's photos of the Vette including some fantastic ones on the Karussell. Happy Christmas James! Meet some Vikings and retire to bed. 
Here is a video taken a while ago of part of a lap of the Ring in the ZR1 youtube.com/watch?v=RTvfb7cz4xU or go here to see the better quality 110mb version. 17-Oct-2006 Tuesday Drive to Munster via Köln stopping at Burg Vischering – a quintessential medieval moated castle, take in our first museum of the trip! Shame we cant understand German! Pretty University town. Everyone riding overly large bicycles. Find reasonable hotel with palatial room (Hotel Busche). After slightly long way round route through the university, have a beer on the Prinzipalmarkt before heading to Mokka D’Or – buzzy bar/restaurant serving great wood fired pizzas- James has truffle and rocket. Further couple of beers in pub before heading back to room to gorge on Nurburg ring videos.
Just about make breakfast as they serve till 11am! Then take a
wander around the market – lots of meat, vegetables, and
cheese. Take a look in Dom St Paul, a massive cathedral overlooking
the market square, with an enormous 5m statue of St Christopher
(Patron Saint of travellers) near the entrance, holding a small
tree in his hand! Astronomical clock 1542 indicating time position
of the sun and planets and the calendar. Arrive in Bremen, check
in to Hotel Kelber. Stroll into town along the Weser river, grabbing
a bite to eat in one of the waterside cafes, before continuing
on to the Art Nouveau/Art Deco Boterstrasse lovely glass/stone
stairway in the Hilton, and golden sculpture (bringer of light)-
leading to large markt with various fairground attractions, medieval
stalls selling leather goods, mulled wine etc and a bizarre Mongolian
band-see video! Amble around the Schnoor, tiny cobbled alleyway
of shops before heading back via several watering holes! James
receives great news from Phil re order for the magazine and his
article from Volvo Penta. End up in bar across the road from the
hotel- a bit bordello! |
