Roadtrippin', Euro-Style.

[carbonboy]

Seeing as I spend so much time here & not into a typical travel blog, I'll just post this up here. For both Rollaclub & general people I know alike, those who don't do Facebook might wonder if I'm still alive. Should be able to post some updates along the way too, internet cafes are plentiful. :) Rollaclub tops Facebook in regards to priorities! :lol:

 

*Insert paragraph about needing a holiday, chasing dreams, living life etc here*

 

Fly out of Melbourne on the 16th August, get into Dublin, Ireland on the 17th. Pick up an Opel Corsa (or similar) hire car & head southwest to Cork, stopping off at Kilkenny Castle along the way. Plan to track down some family history in the area, visit a distillery or two, kiss the Blarney Stone & get back to Dublin to fly out to Southampton, UK on the 19th.

 

Catching up with family in the UK, no wedding anymore but we're still making a holiday of it. Have a hire car here too (Vauxhall Corsa or similar, back to back model comparison? ;) ) so I have a little more travel ability, avoiding the general London area. Less than 48 hours later, I fly out from Southampton to Amsterdam on the 21st.

 

Allowing an extra day for things to get messy as I'm 'seeing the sights', I've got a train ticket from Amsterdam to Frankfurt on the 23rd. From here, I pick up the BMW 1 Series diesel (or similar) hire car on the 24th & spend some time cruising around Germany, thinking Nuremberg then Munich & adjusting to LHD. On the 26th I have 4 laps around the Nurburgring in a Suzuki Swift 'Stage 2' car booked. Hiring a video camera, so it will be filmed & uploaded (any mistakes/spins included) to YouTube. Enough Playstation, time for the real thing!

 

 

Keeping in the automotive theme, am heading south to Switzerland & the Stelvio Pass.

 

 

Continuing on to the San Bernardino Pass. Don't plan to stay long, Switzerland's not too car friendly from what I hear. Dates are flexible from here, as I'm unsure how sidetracked I'll get. :blush:

 

 

Debating about heading further South to a either the Ferrari or Pagani Factories, possibly both. But not before I get in a trip across to Monaco, then into France for the Col de Turini.

 

 

Heading East after this into Austria to a stop in Vienna on the 31st, do a sneaky flight to Prague & back (can't take the hire car into Czech Rep.) then back across Germany to try & catch the Belgian F1 Grand Prix on the 2nd September. The trip to Prague part may change if I take too much time heading to Maranello & San Cesario sul Panaro in Italy. Photos at the factory gates will suffice me, a tour might blow my mind.

 

Plans are somewhat flexible, so if anyone's got a suggestion of something to check out along the way/slight detour that's worthwhile, please post it up by all means. :y: Whatever happens, I fly out of Frankfurt on the 3rd & will be back in Australia on the 5th September. I admit, it's not everyone's idea of a holiday (so much driving) but *meh*, will be more fun in other countries than here. :laff:

 

Passport - check, International Drivers Permit - check, Plane tickets - check, Hire cars with GPS - check, Train ticket - check, Accomodation - check, Bank cards sorted - check, Decent camera - check, Insurance for all of the things!!! - check, Dog-sitter sorted - check, Excited & nervous - check, Reason for project car laying dormant - check. :D

 

Reason for edit: Revised navigation.

Edited August 7, 2012 by carbonboy

[7shades]

Subbed :)

[kickn5k]

Subbed :)

Me too. I don't do bookface.

Have fun Luke!!!

Edited August 7, 2012 by kickn5k

[nerfbat]

awesome mate...!

subbed

[carbonboy]

Subbed :)

 

Cheers again for the helpful tips (Philbey, Bamboo, coln72, paddymoo, Parrot & Redwarf too), if I stay the night at a roadside toilet, I'll be sure to get a photo just for you. :lol: Suction cup window mount for my camera showed up in the mail today, so I can film the above mountain passes.

 

Me too. I don't do bookface.

Have fun Luke!!!

 

Bookface is evil...evil I tell you!! Will do, Gokai's budget cuts had better be worth it! :D

Edited August 8, 2012 by carbonboy

[B.L.Z.BUB]

Jealous just for that one stretch of road.

 

One day *stares off into the distance*

[carbonboy]

awesome mate...!

subbed

 

Cheers man, welcome aboard!

 

Jealous just for that one stretch of road.

 

One day *stares off into the distance*

 

I couldn't decide which one to drive, so I decided to do all of them. Won't exactly be in this part of the world again anytime soon. Should be getting stuck into a house loan deposit, it can wait some more. :)

[coln72]

Colonge (Koln)- worth a look, the beer is goooooood, the church/chapel thingy is incredible and the train from Frankfurt rocks along at 300km/h or so.

 

Also Toyota Team Europe http://www.toyota-motorsport.com/en/ is based there, so you could pose for a couple of pics or see if you can look inside to check out some of the old race cars. I managed a tour of the facilities back in the F1 days, but that was a one off I think :P

 

Another option is the Micheal Schumaker Go Kart Centre http://www.ms-kartcenter.de/com/index2.php. Worth a blast. Still have the Micheal Schumaker Champers sitting on the shelf that I won, and it was a bastard getting the trophy back home......... :D

[7shades]

http://youtu.be/i6cqHcrt1ko

[carbonboy]

Colonge (Koln)- worth a look, the beer is goooooood, the church/chapel thingy is incredible and the train from Frankfurt rocks along at 300km/h or so.

 

Also Toyota Team Europe http://www.toyota-motorsport.com/en/ is based there, so you could pose for a couple of pics or see if you can look inside to check out some of the old race cars. I managed a tour of the facilities back in the F1 days, but that was a one off I think :P

 

Another option is the Micheal Schumaker Go Kart Centre http://www.ms-kartce.../com/index2.php. Worth a blast. Still have the Micheal Schumaker Champers sitting on the shelf that I won, and it was a bastard getting the trophy back home......... :D

 

Sounds like a good idea, all of the above! I'll be headed in that direction after acquiring the hire car & have a spare day, might see if I can talk/bribe my way inside TTE...I have to try! (hey bro, swaps my hire car & a fishtank for your GT-one? ;) ) As a kid on family holidays, I used to hate being dragged along to churches, to the point where I'd sit outside & read a book. First holiday as an 'adult' & the first place I'm headed? Saint Patricks Cathedral.....*facepalm*

 

Nice work picking up a trophy, would be worth the hassle getting it home I'm sure! Bragging rights galore there! Cheers for the tips too! :y:

 

So 7shades, what you're saying is don't expect too much difference between there & here? Or that they're things NOT to do? :D

[coln72]

There was also an outdoors shop some where in Colonge that had a huge pool on the bottom floor. Just in case you need to try out your kayak before you buy it or you want to scuba dive inside a building.................................

[7shades]

Most of those vids are from the parts of Europe they don't like you taking rentals :P

[carbonboy]

Slight revision due to confirmation of a ticket to the Sunday of the Belgian GP, Vienna & the trip to the Czech Rep aren't happening. Instead, I've included visits to the Mercedes Benz & Porsche Museums, stopping by Toyota Team Europe & adding Lamborghini into the factory visit-list.

 

Also, a small dilemma....#firstworldproblems...The 'Ring rental race car, I can get a slightly better version (an extra 11bhp, upgraded suspension & 6spd instead of 5spd gearbox) BUT it's only available in LHD. Considering I'll have less than 30 hours (compared to 10+ years in a RHD) driving a LHD car at this point, would I be better off in the slightly lower-spec RHD? The listed Pro-Lap Times they have only show a 5 second difference, worthwhile?

[7shades]

Good way to learn! :P

 

In reality, you won't be driving either of them at 10/10ths anyway (the ring is f*cking scary, believe me) so I doubt you'll notice the extra 11hp etc. I'd go with what you're used to.

[carbonboy]

A.....crash course?

 

*winces*

 

A good point, the aim is to keep it on the tarmac, shiny side up & stay the f*ck out of the way of faster cars. :yes: