| click
on the pics for larger versions
STELVIO OR BUST day 1&2 (09/09/99) I was originally intending to go to Rome and the Italian lakes at this time and join the Stelvio crowd for some 4 days or so. Other factors meant that I could only spare the first night before heading off to Normandy for a brief break with my "wife-to-be". If you don't know what the Stelvio trip/holiday was/is all about then have a look here. If you don't know what an elise is yet then join the next stelvio trip in 2000 ad. There's not much to tell really. Stefan had just picked up his new sport 190 and I picked up the 111s from Bell & Colvill Friday morning. We motored down to the channel tunnel passing a number of elises on the way and after the crossing stopped at a garage with quite a few other elises then headed for Cambrai. After initially following the advised scenic route Stefan's throttle cable decided to undo itself. Good prognosis for this new car of his after just 150 miles in it ! We were next to a garage so were able to get it fixed and crack on down the Autoroute option to make up time. At the hotel in Cambrai we all had dinner together with the other elise owners after parking our elises and then were up early next morning for the run to the old GP pits in Reims. Again, Autoroute stuff to save time but the stop at Reims was well worth it with hordes of additional elises joining the main crowd of 25 or so elises. At about 11am, all the elises bar one carried on to Bescancon. Louise and I headed west for Rouen and Normandy. We had a nice little break with some great cheap food and a fantastic run back from Honfleur to Calais. The roads here are desolate to say the least and its rare to see other motorists, let alone police. The roads are very long and uniterrupted, visibility is amazing with no hedgerows or junctions. I intend to return here soon with fellow elises for a 2 day run and the prospect of hard driving without risking my licence. With the state of play as it is in England these days on the roads, it makes so much sense to just motor into France for a day or two and get much more out of the car. That's about it really, I'll just leave you with the pics although most of them are of elises, quite boring really given that you may already have your own one to look at ! When I got home I was so sick of the sight of the damm things that I was ready to spray mine matt gray or convert it into a mule or something. Good job they great to drive I guess ! click
on the pics for larger versions
|
