Just returned from a fab 2 weeks 3200Km trip across the north/middle of France in the 2.9 Gen2 Boxster.
Though a short road trip report would be of interest, but no problems to report either!
Fresh from the usual service by Zuffenhaus and the oil level finally sorted out (this car has white smoke history!) we were off after tyres checked, lots of documents inc the International Drivers' License, RAC breakdown etc etc and all the carefully researched hotel and travel apers meticulously collated by my wife who does not do Sat Nave, so a mass of multi scale maps added.
As ever, the Boxster reminds you it was designed for this, everything into the car with room to spare for a 6-hotel trip.
£600 of Euros in cash was the limit for coffee, cakes and such like, the rest would be by card.
Anything else? Oh yes, my car prep was not 100% but it sure was clean when we set off! A mini adventure came out of this...
The grind that is M40/M25/M20 and the rest to the Chunnel (we stopped ferries a very long time ago) saw us in Calais an hour early, about lunch time.
The first destination was Baden-Baden in Germany, something of a magic town for us, but a small hotel as an overnight was planned which we reached by 4.00pm and was a gem
My wife plans these places VERY carefully, and never goes wrong, she is, of course, right about everything.
Following day and we cruised to B-B and a hotel right in the centre, as in the centre of the large town it is. That took some finding! Road works on key one-way streets was tricky, but we sorted it and for the very first time in my life I left the car keys with reception as the parking was 4 deep in rows and they have to shift cars around. gulp, nervous or what!
The town is a fabulous place, warm and very detailed, big and small shops and a long running stream through the town, very relaxing indeed.
We were asked to move the Boxster once as the receptionist was not happy with RHD cars!
2 nights on and in rain we were off to the Alsace, in the rain.
By now the wipers were screeeeching and juddering to drive us both mad. We passed by chance the Baden-Baden Porsche Centre!
Sure to get a fresh set of wipers there.. nope, it was Saturday, parts counter closed. The sales guy (and his potential customer there) were really helpful (!) and sent us to the local car parts place in a nearby shopping center, a sort of German Halford. Got there in the pouring rain and eventually the assistant there sorted the right blades out, came out and fitted them for me for 42 Euros. Result!
Now super quiet in the rain, the car flew to the Alsace esp when the rain stopped 30 mins later never to return for the whole trip!!
We used the toll road system, and auto triggering/payment available, a god send as the kiosks are not RHD/low sports car friendly.
In the dry, you can do 130Km/hr, about 80 mph and this is the sweet spot of the car, 3200 rpm and 38 mpg! (E10 fuel too). What runner this car is.
I used to work a lot in the Alsace in the late 80's at a place called Saint Die and have been back a few times before, but the carpet of wine grapes is astounding, the place is covered with them. rolling hills, vines and sleepy villages resting after the massive grape picking time they had just finished. Oh so nice.
As was the hotel!
Lots of parking (4 electric charging points too), calm and quiet and a really good restaurant which we maximized.
The 3 nights booked allowed us to visit the Schlumpf Museum for the 4th time. The place never disappoints and is in a state of flux and the cracks are beginning to show, getting to it is very hard work with little signage, but on a Sunday, it is quiet.
After a few other trips here-n-there we got going again from the Alsace to the Loire Valley. This is quite a distance, so we allowed a full day at 130Km/hr.
The toll roads are truly like billiard tables, at this speed you can converse normally, little traffic and outstanding driving courtesy, overtake and pull back in, no matter what. It is so good, wide-open spaces, going fast and in utter safety and calmness, hour after hour, punctuated by the comfort stops on the way, the Aires as they are called for fuel and coffee etc which are all modern, large, fresh and open, and NOTHING like a UK motorway services! Petrol prices are the same as the UK for E10, but many are only useable by credit card details before you fill up and these systems confuse the French let alone us. We tried through the trip to fill locally as it is far simpler, same price. E5 was rare this way though.
The Loire valley is vast, even more grape vines and everything seems to revolve around wine. I cannot imagine the work to pick the miles and miles of grapes.
The run was broken by a simple one night hotel and a trip to an utter amazing museum that a friend had told us as a Must See.
They were not kidding.
Ever been to a place that utterly takes your breath away? Here was mine.
The Chataux was surrounded by 1950's jet planes, French and Russian all laid in deep rows, all slowly turning green as time passes them by, evocative, but nothing compared to the Abarth race car collection!
I could do another thread just on the Abarth collection, utterly magical for me as these types of cars are close to my heart, but here are a few taster pictures:
Next stop was the Famous Hotel du France, everyone should or has been there at least once. Famous for the Le Man race team connections, quirky, strange, old fashioned and utterly charming, this was out 3rd visit, and a bit special for that.
A few years ago while the Boxster was really good at white smoke cold starts we stopped here. One morning as we left, we covered/engulfed the whole town square in front of the TR and MGB owners club members with White Smoke, and a lady police woman too. Embarrassing.
Parked in the very same spot we left on a cold morning and made our exit smoke free, Result!
Next Hotel. This was quite close and buy an ancient Abbey with huge history and where Richerd the Lion Heart is laid to rest. An amazing place, huge and perfectly restored quite recently by the French Government. A 1000 years old, huge history and finished up as a notorious prison for the worst French criminals right up to the 60's when the place was nearly a ruin.
You walked from the hotel (now our second stay there) to the entrance to the Abbey.
The Hotel is fabulous, roomy and all sorted with great food and the most hidden car park in the whole wide world, but my wife had that all sorted!
From this region you can find great places to visit, large houses in tiny villages everywhere, and at this time of the year few tourists to get in the way..
Thinking now of the return home, our final destination was 2 nights in the port of Honfleur. Hard to think of a more charming bustling place, still busy, still all a bit Tourist, but Trish found a nice IBIS in the near centre with hidden secure parking allowing us to walk to the ports and look at the many shops and a bit of food too!
On the list was Deauville, a posh place to say the least and VERY quiet on the Monday, after3 hours we had 'done' it and our minds were on the run home up to the Chunnel.
The Total fuel company had / have a strike on at a refinery, and fuel was getting in short supply, ques and angry French People, not good. We had filled-up in a village (E5) but reminded us of our Scottish trip 12 months ago when the UK had its own fuel problems.
The fast toll road run was great except the spooky (to me) bridge on route. I really hate this bridge, I don't like open heights and driving up this steep slope was awful, maybe awsome to some. The bridge was under the cloud base at the start, and at the apex was above the cloud! Not for me.
Got to the Chunnel ahead of time, so escaped to the UK an hour early, lot s of time to peel the headlamp deflector stickers off, set the speedo to Miles and notice how dirty the car is!
A dirty Porsche is a good one, the best one as it has been USED. There, I've said it. Speedo now just over 72,000 miles.
The run back up England to the West Midlands was as usual, utterly horrid, busy, crowded, barging elbows out driving, undercutting and all that is opposite to our open Fence Trip.
So, the trip was immaculate. Expertly planned by Trish, lovely places and hotels and all that goes with that, relaxed driving and the car was utterly faultless and took everything in it's stride.
Seems a shame to wash it.
38 mpg at 130 Km/hr, 34 touring around the places, utterly comfortable, simply a Porsche Pleasure.
And no white smoke.
Hope this has not been too long a report, and will encourage others to get your car dirty, in France or Europe!
