Notes from Europe

[Arde]

Per Nachtycoupe's suggestion a few thoughts from the Europe trip SFDon discouraged me to make in the summer.
1) Last E39 M5 trip was to baby sit in Yosemite, here we upped the ante and I came to help this little guy that flies Business while I fly economy.
2) Haarlem is beautiful, I heard their train station is the oldest somewhere (World, Europe, Holland, Haarlem?).
3) Visited the car for the first time. The nose was done to mimic the specific car that won Daytona, chassis 1911, that no longer exists.
4) Zagato Competiziones have flared holes to save weight. We copied an original Competizione hole by hole.
5) The exhaust is ready, custom design by the shop. Fulvias can get quite a few more horses with the right gas flow end to end.
6) Drinking time, non alcoholic but Italian like the car.
7) Haarlem canals. Locals complain of the housing costs, they moved from Amsterdam to Haarlem and now everybody wants the same...
8) Stern warning to Arde upon arrival in France. Word travels fast.
9) Hotel where Foucault's played with a pendulum.
10) My hotel view, Paris figured out such a great architecture that decrepit buildings look even nicer. Everywhere else decrepit is decrepit.
11) Ah, prime location next to Les Deux Magots and St Germain church, the Society to Encourage National Industry. In the US they would stigmatize it as protectionism and anti-trade, blah, blah. Our shit smells I guess.
12) Oscar Wilde would not have built a 1967 car in 2025 judging by this card.
13) Hmmm, in Uruguay I would buy the cow for that money.
14) At a weird Villa in Beaujolais, baby sitting is hard.

 

[Nachtycoupe]

I love all the pics, but especially love Pic 4. Awesome....I'll take France pic 7 med. rare please...The Dutch love their dairy, and fine meat. Maybe why they are one of the tallest people on average in the world. The rest of Europe doesn't eat breakfast like the do. Mostly coffee and croissants. I remember as a kid, and I am only talking in the 70's, they still delivered milk and chocolate milk in bottles to the door. Pretty cool. And where else other than Germany can you order pancakes...(pannekoeken) for dinner...w/ apples? As a kid, that was awesome. I also still love the hagelslag...even better. Proost!

 

[Arde]

The Dutch are tall, but the most striking thing is how elegant they are riding their bikes, somehow the ride does not mess the fine yet subdued clothing they wore. If I arrive in a bike I will be sweaty and disheveled...I think the answer to their well being includes the bicycles...
Cars were not modern, but always well kept.
I only rented a car in Lyon for a few days, not fun to drive here, I miss California. Plus the parking fees are insane, a little medieval town that wants visitors? Payant!

 

[boonies]

I was in the Netherlands a couple of times on business, and was amazed on my first trip (~2006) at the volume of bicycles. Particularly memorable was the multi-level parking structure absolutely full of bikes.

 

[otter74]

I went to Amsterdam for a few days in March, and the cycling was glorious. At low 40s F and sunny in the beginning of March, so was the weather. Cycling is my daily transportation at home (Chicago) and a country like NL is blissful. My hotel room came with a rental bike that I took everywhere.

Thanks for the photos - I enjoyed them.

 

[Clubsport_CSi]

Maybe why they are one of the tallest people on average in the world. The rest of Europe doesn't eat breakfast like the do.

Ahem... being the inventors of "Weißwurst-Frühstück" the Bavarians have the best breakfast in Europe - we would be 2,20m on average if we would not drink at least 0.5 liters of Beer (Weißbier) with it!

 

[Arde]

Update, I was very eager to utter Merde before leaving France. My wife’s purse was stolen by a pickpocket, had to cancel all cards. The perp tried to use two of them at a Tabac store. I rushed there and asked to see the video recordings. Can only show them to Inspector Clouseau it seems. Probably in cahoots. Remerde.
Lesson: in shity places the leader must walk behind not ahead of others… to watch.

 

[Nachtycoupe]

Cruyff! Nice, were you able to get that poster? Bicycle is the only way to go there but of course some fun back roads to rip up in a BMW as well. With my Mom having 5 brothers and sisters, all their kids are adults now so it quadrupled the places to stay there. Anywhere from a 15th Century home the Red Light district (which is actually really nice), it has "sister" pieces of furniture there from the Rijksmuseum (never hear of that term before for furniture), to little cow towns like Heino, we can stay and see basically all of Holland's wonderful towns and countryside.

Being below water level, small country, flat, and having great bike lanes, it really is great, that is why they are all in shape (for the most part). I totally hear what you are saying about, "elegantly" riding their bikes. I am a mess as it is, I'm the super sweaty fat guy when we arrive at the pub as well. LOL...

Sucks about the pickpocket, someone I play tennis with just got back from Greece, same story.

First 4 pics are my Opa (Grandpa) when he played futbol. I forget the players name in the first pics, he was pretty famous Dutch player, Opa right behind him. Then him in the "cap" he was a keeper. Last pic is my Oom (Uncle) Gerhard when he played in the Dutch National Military Team (no longer around). Look at the field, I love that pic. My oom Bert has that blown up in his physical therapy practice at the PC Zwolle stadium, he is one of the teams medical staff. Pretty cool facility there. Needless to say big Futbol (Voetbal), family.

Overall, sounds like a great trip! Enjoy, thanks for sharing. -S

 

[Arde]

No, the Cruyff poster was in the toilet of an Amsterdam pub... Great pub.
Great pictures and great family! Their football is special.