Our Euro Adventure by 911
Discussion
I've just returned from a little 2600 mile trip with the family around what felt like most of Europe... just to show you don't need a Zafira and roofbox to go anywhere with kids! It came about after a drunken conversation last year were I was asked what I wanted to do for my 40th... 911 to the Alps was the only answer!
Unfortunately TransporTed missed the post so had a holiday in Audlem post office
The car was faultless, so no stories there! Just lots of pictures!
We started our trip with the long run to the south coast to stay overnight with my old college friend. From there an early Newhaven - Dieppe ferry over to France.
That day didn't start well when my wife 'quietly' pointed out I'd booked the ferry for the day before...
Ready for the off by Suggs, on Flickr
Leaving England by Suggs, on Flickr
After the ferry trauma was resolved the first day was a long drag across France to Nancy, dinner and a fantastic light show in the centre of town.
Unfortunately TransporTed missed the post so had a holiday in Audlem post office
The car was faultless, so no stories there! Just lots of pictures!
We started our trip with the long run to the south coast to stay overnight with my old college friend. From there an early Newhaven - Dieppe ferry over to France.
That day didn't start well when my wife 'quietly' pointed out I'd booked the ferry for the day before...
Ready for the off by Suggs, on Flickr
Leaving England by Suggs, on Flickr
After the ferry trauma was resolved the first day was a long drag across France to Nancy, dinner and a fantastic light show in the centre of town.
Then to our apartment in Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland. This excellent recommendation came via DDK and was a spot on location near a spectacular waterfall, overlooked by the Jungfrau and Eiger, and even had a garage!
Staubbachfall in Lauterbrunnen by Suggs, on Flickr
Not a bad view by Suggs, on Flickr
Once in Switzerland we barely had to use the car as everything was within a walk or train ride away.
A few highlights:
The view from Grindelwald:
Grindelwald by Suggs, on Flickr
errr...:
Traditional (read odd) dancing by Suggs, on Flickr
Our apartment was down there somewhere near the waterfall:
The valley by Suggs, on Flickr
Staubbachfall in Lauterbrunnen by Suggs, on Flickr
Not a bad view by Suggs, on Flickr
Once in Switzerland we barely had to use the car as everything was within a walk or train ride away.
A few highlights:
The view from Grindelwald:
Grindelwald by Suggs, on Flickr
errr...:
Traditional (read odd) dancing by Suggs, on Flickr
Our apartment was down there somewhere near the waterfall:
The valley by Suggs, on Flickr
The following day was a little damp, but we thought a blast around the Grimsel, Furka, Susten pass loop would be a good way to spend it!
Tunnel exiting Interlaken by Suggs, on Flickr
Grimsel Pass:
Grimsel Pass by Suggs, on Flickr
Approaching the Rhone Glacier and the Hotel Belvedere on the Furka pass made famous by the James Bond film Goldfinger.
Furka Pass by Suggs, on Flickr
A little video of the approach with a variety of suicidal bikers...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=omkCGSsu-dg
Furka Pass by Suggs, on Flickr
The Susten Pass:
It's fair to say that the new set of tyres I fitted before we went looked a good investment at this point...
Susten Pass by Suggs, on Flickr
Susten Pass tunnel by Suggs, on Flickr
We did have to stop once to prevent the rear seat passenger travel sickness getting to the point of needing to valet the interior...
At the end of the Susten Pass by Suggs, on Flickr
It was clear (well really cloudy!) that we missed half of it due to the weather so I planned to return alone later in the week
If you are ever in the area then the train ride to the top of the Jungfraujoch at 11000ft is worth every very expensive Swiss Franc.
Bite the bullet, flex the credit card and get on with it, as it is truly amazing to stand near the top of the Eiger with no more effort than sitting on your backside for 2 hours...
Jungfraujoch Station by Suggs, on Flickr
The Eiger by Suggs, on Flickr
You can even go tubing and sledging on the top!
Snow Park by Suggs, on Flickr
Tunnel exiting Interlaken by Suggs, on Flickr
Grimsel Pass:
Grimsel Pass by Suggs, on Flickr
Approaching the Rhone Glacier and the Hotel Belvedere on the Furka pass made famous by the James Bond film Goldfinger.
Furka Pass by Suggs, on Flickr
A little video of the approach with a variety of suicidal bikers...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=omkCGSsu-dg
Furka Pass by Suggs, on Flickr
The Susten Pass:
It's fair to say that the new set of tyres I fitted before we went looked a good investment at this point...
Susten Pass by Suggs, on Flickr
Susten Pass tunnel by Suggs, on Flickr
We did have to stop once to prevent the rear seat passenger travel sickness getting to the point of needing to valet the interior...
At the end of the Susten Pass by Suggs, on Flickr
It was clear (well really cloudy!) that we missed half of it due to the weather so I planned to return alone later in the week
If you are ever in the area then the train ride to the top of the Jungfraujoch at 11000ft is worth every very expensive Swiss Franc.
Bite the bullet, flex the credit card and get on with it, as it is truly amazing to stand near the top of the Eiger with no more effort than sitting on your backside for 2 hours...
Jungfraujoch Station by Suggs, on Flickr
The Eiger by Suggs, on Flickr
You can even go tubing and sledging on the top!
Snow Park by Suggs, on Flickr
The next day was looking clear as well, so I was released from family duties for another run at the passes and my goal of recreating the iconic Bond v Goldfinger shot on the Furka pass with a silver 911 blagging it's role as a DB5!
The Susten pass on the way there was incredible. You could spend a lifetime driving and photographing it and never really get it done. Stunning.
Fairly Scenic by Suggs, on Flickr
This is a 27 photo 360 view stitch of the same scene:
Susten Pass Panorama by Suggs, on Flickr
Larger version here:
www.suggate.co.uk/sustenpanorama2-1.jpg
Back onto the Furka pass and driving back and forth to nail down the iconic (for me anyway) scene from Goldfinger I was after. After some time I found it!
An unreasonable level of time, effort (and mountain climbing...) went into recreating it, so it was a real shame the shame the camera and sensor overheated in the sun after 300+ exposures and made the end result underexposed and grainy. This was the best I could recover from the original!
A Goldfinger Moment by Suggs, on Flickr
Heading home:
Tunnel on the Susten Pass by Suggs, on Flickr
Another must see, but no where near as expensive is the Trummelbachfall inside the cliffs near Lauterbrunnen draining the Eiger glacier: Imagining the sound of a 747 at take off will give some idea of the noise!
Trummelbachfalle in Lauterbrunnen by Suggs, on Flickr
Trummelbachfalle in Lauterbrunnen by Suggs, on Flickr
That was our last day in Switzerland. Tomorrow Italy!
The Susten pass on the way there was incredible. You could spend a lifetime driving and photographing it and never really get it done. Stunning.
Fairly Scenic by Suggs, on Flickr
This is a 27 photo 360 view stitch of the same scene:
Susten Pass Panorama by Suggs, on Flickr
Larger version here:
www.suggate.co.uk/sustenpanorama2-1.jpg
Back onto the Furka pass and driving back and forth to nail down the iconic (for me anyway) scene from Goldfinger I was after. After some time I found it!
An unreasonable level of time, effort (and mountain climbing...) went into recreating it, so it was a real shame the shame the camera and sensor overheated in the sun after 300+ exposures and made the end result underexposed and grainy. This was the best I could recover from the original!
A Goldfinger Moment by Suggs, on Flickr
Heading home:
Tunnel on the Susten Pass by Suggs, on Flickr
Another must see, but no where near as expensive is the Trummelbachfall inside the cliffs near Lauterbrunnen draining the Eiger glacier: Imagining the sound of a 747 at take off will give some idea of the noise!
Trummelbachfalle in Lauterbrunnen by Suggs, on Flickr
Trummelbachfalle in Lauterbrunnen by Suggs, on Flickr
That was our last day in Switzerland. Tomorrow Italy!
Unfortunately I had to abandon my plans for the San Bernardino pass as rising oil temperature and dropping power were causing engine paranoia! You need an oil cooler for this one when it's 35c outside and you are fully laden
As it was my birthday we pushed the budget out of the Novotels and into this lovely place in a walled town just off the Stelvio pass:
Gasthof zum grunen Baum by Suggs, on Flickr
Bizarrely everyone spoke German and drunk Weiss beer... I'm assured I had crossed the correct border...
The Stelvio Pass:
The Stelvio Pass by Suggs, on Flickr
As most people who have driven it will tell you it's rubbish to drive (1.5 hours in first gear...), but the top makes it all worthwhile! If you turn through the hideous tourist trap at the top up a little track that will scare your passengers you end up here. Much nicer:
At the top of the Stelvio Pass by Suggs, on Flickr
We came back down via the Umbrail pass which had been recommended to us, but no one mentioned that half of it was gravel, hairpins and shear drops... Still it was a lovely place, if slightly intimidating.
Coming down on the gravel... by Suggs, on Flickr
As it was my birthday we pushed the budget out of the Novotels and into this lovely place in a walled town just off the Stelvio pass:
Gasthof zum grunen Baum by Suggs, on Flickr
Bizarrely everyone spoke German and drunk Weiss beer... I'm assured I had crossed the correct border...
The Stelvio Pass:
The Stelvio Pass by Suggs, on Flickr
As most people who have driven it will tell you it's rubbish to drive (1.5 hours in first gear...), but the top makes it all worthwhile! If you turn through the hideous tourist trap at the top up a little track that will scare your passengers you end up here. Much nicer:
At the top of the Stelvio Pass by Suggs, on Flickr
We came back down via the Umbrail pass which had been recommended to us, but no one mentioned that half of it was gravel, hairpins and shear drops... Still it was a lovely place, if slightly intimidating.
Coming down on the gravel... by Suggs, on Flickr
After a couple of days we came back in one drive via Austria, Switzerland, Austria again, Germany and France into Strasbourg for the night!
The following morning I took the family to the Bugatti 'factory' in Molsheim where I had arranged a tour through a contact in the VW group. No photos for obvious reasons, but it's fair to say it's amazing to see the level of dedication that goes into each car. Aligning the weave of your blue tinted carbon panels to ensure perfection was just one example! The last four of the world record edition cars were being built at the time and it was fantastic to see the monster engine out of the car, it's nearly the size of my car alone!
We also got to poke around one of the Bugatti Royals that they have there. Now that is a long bonnet!
The onto Reims for the night, where of course no trip is complete without a quick visit to the old circuit. I would have like to spend more time there, but we had to make it to Dieppe for the ferry.
Reims Old Circuit by Suggs, on Flickr
Reims Old Circuit by Suggs, on Flickr
All in all a brilliant trip, damn expensive, but one that will not be forgotten and ticked a lot of the 'must do' boxes.
The 911 was simply perfect. All the work on brakes, gearbox, carburettors, fuel tank and suspension over the winter was worth it. Not a single misfire, splutter, or bang on the overrun (well maybe three in total!) and an average of 25mpg!
I really needed an oil cooler as this held me back more than once, but other than that and the desperate need for air conditioning it was a wonderful couple of weeks.
Highly recommended Even to families!
The following morning I took the family to the Bugatti 'factory' in Molsheim where I had arranged a tour through a contact in the VW group. No photos for obvious reasons, but it's fair to say it's amazing to see the level of dedication that goes into each car. Aligning the weave of your blue tinted carbon panels to ensure perfection was just one example! The last four of the world record edition cars were being built at the time and it was fantastic to see the monster engine out of the car, it's nearly the size of my car alone!
We also got to poke around one of the Bugatti Royals that they have there. Now that is a long bonnet!
The onto Reims for the night, where of course no trip is complete without a quick visit to the old circuit. I would have like to spend more time there, but we had to make it to Dieppe for the ferry.
Reims Old Circuit by Suggs, on Flickr
Reims Old Circuit by Suggs, on Flickr
All in all a brilliant trip, damn expensive, but one that will not be forgotten and ticked a lot of the 'must do' boxes.
The 911 was simply perfect. All the work on brakes, gearbox, carburettors, fuel tank and suspension over the winter was worth it. Not a single misfire, splutter, or bang on the overrun (well maybe three in total!) and an average of 25mpg!
I really needed an oil cooler as this held me back more than once, but other than that and the desperate need for air conditioning
it was a wonderful couple of weeks.Highly recommended
Even to families!
(Thanks Nick Thanks for all the positive comments, it was a truly epic trip. It feels great to have the car tucked up in the garage tonight still covered in dirt having not taken a spanner to it for nearly 3000 miles! For me that's rare!
You would have thought Octane could have put the car in the right place with all their resources! 
I did mine by putting the camera on timer to take a shot every second after a 15 minute wait. This then gave me just enough time to clamber back down the rocks to where I parked the car, turn it around and drive slowly past the point in the 2 minute window between the camera starting to take the pictures and the memory card running out! Unfortunately the road is so narrow there is no way you can just park up in the right spot and leave it.
Nick Grant said:
paul911 said:
That looked like a fantastic road trip Gary, your old Porker looks great in all the pics too.
Never mind Gold Finger, this shot reminds me of the beginning of The Italian Job.
It's spot on Never mind Gold Finger, this shot reminds me of the beginning of The Italian Job.
I did mine by putting the camera on timer to take a shot every second after a 15 minute wait. This then gave me just enough time to clamber back down the rocks to where I parked the car, turn it around and drive slowly past the point in the 2 minute window between the camera starting to take the pictures and the memory card running out! Unfortunately the road is so narrow there is no way you can just park up in the right spot and leave it.
gary71 said:
I did mine by putting the camera on timer to take a shot every second after a 15 minute wait. This then gave me just enough time to clamber back down the rocks to where I parked the car, turn it around and drive slowly past the point in the 2 minute window between the camera starting to take the pictures and the memory card running out! Unfortunately the road is so narrow there is no way you can just park up in the right spot and leave it.
Now that is dedication to the task. Bravo.LongQ said:
gary71 said:
I did mine by putting the camera on timer to take a shot every second after a 15 minute wait. This then gave me just enough time to clamber back down the rocks to where I parked the car, turn it around and drive slowly past the point in the 2 minute window between the camera starting to take the pictures and the memory card running out! Unfortunately the road is so narrow there is no way you can just park up in the right spot and leave it.
Now that is dedication to the task. Bravo.14-7 said:
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Absolutely stunning and given my current situation something I'm looking at doing.
Any chance you could post up your route and stops or plot them on a map? (cheeky I know but if you dont' ask.....)
Not jealous at all
No problem Absolutely stunning and given my current situation something I'm looking at doing.
Any chance you could post up your route and stops or plot them on a map? (cheeky I know but if you dont' ask.....)
Not jealous at all
The full Euro part:
The Alpine passes from Lauterbrunnen:
The Stelvio/Umbrail route:
Any further details you need just ask
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