train travel italy map

An adventure of a lifetime ..

I never took the time to write this story down, so now I'm doing a of adventure again figured it would be my last great driving adventure count. They were from various countries, my cousin, and a Peugeot.

The Route:

A few years ago I got tired of the rat race, the everyday of being a drone in an office and while I loved the labor and industry, he needed some time off. I was making good money working as Director of Special Projects for a large catering company of the pieces here in southern California. However, after four years it was time for a holiday monumental. So I quit my job, kissed my girlfriend (now wife) goodbye, and left for Europe. With little more than a rough plan, a roadmap, and a hastily arranged short-term lease Peugeot Open Europe ", which landed in London to meet my younger cousin Nathan who had just completed an exchange program for students in the UK and not return enthusiastic home right away.

I spent a few days in London, while we have made arrangements to get to France, where our new Peugeot Souther was to be delivered. London is an amazing city so much history, the Romans, with the Second World War all over London, offering a glimpse of times past, while the ultra modern buildings like the Gherkin give a foretaste of things to come. From the Los Angeles area, where everything is rebuilt every 20 years, it was interesting see the old buildings of London still pockmarked from the German bombs. I could go on and on about the British Library, Tower of London, etc ... but this is a story motor about to go back to that. We had decided to pick up our brand new Peugeot 206sw in Montpellier, southern France after a quick flight from Ryan Air for about $ 50 they were in the sunny south of France.

This was a very good idea as there is no place on earth I could imagine being more beautiful than the French Riviera ... Italy I prove them wrong. Landing in France, we have the typical customs holdups, and make a phone call to contact Peugeot Open Europe we were meeting with the car. A very nice young man accompanied us to the car, gives me a sinister look very Nathan confirmed with the representative of the Peugeot brand, which includes the lease "unlimited mileage" he nodded, I think he knew that the resale in this car would be somewhat diminished by the amount of miles to be put in the car. In Europe, had found that the average car travels less than 8,000 miles a year which is just under 5,000 miles per year. In my home state of California is conducted through 15,000 miles a year, more than 24,000 kilometers. Nathan and I had drawn an ambitious path we would cover almost 18,000 kilometers in just 21 days, seeing all of Europe had to offer before running out of money and retire back to London.

We were out, because Nathan had been living i n London and had done some traveling in Europe now, so I had to make our arrangements for the first night. We decided to go to Barcelona (Spain), and when Where we come from a street fair was going on, traffic signals were mounted on the sides of buildings now out of sight, not capable Peugeot to move among the revelers crowding the streets. The hotel was selected Nathan has a strange sounding name in Arabic for being in Spain, but now, I wonder why the car feels ostentatious. I can say ... we have a floor, there is no place to park, do not speak Spanish, and we can not even find this hotel. I see a parking garage and pull in. A parking attendant fine points us to a place where we can park for 12 euros for 24 hours, a flat strip outlet and helps us to change a tire, perhaps Spain is a civilized country, after all.

Nathan is trying to figure out where the hotel (it is a hostel) and by the grace of God was a few blocks away, we left our car in the parking garage and walk a few blocks after a map prepared by the wizard parking. As we made our way to the hostel, I noticed that many of the signs were in Arabic, and that men in traditional Arab clothes were of foot in the door looking across at us. The streets began to look worse and worse, and the hotel did not look much better. Been verified and shows us what the man at reception call rooms. "Nathan, where the hell did you find this place" I said, "book online", he replied, "looked" well. Our "rooms" were metal boxes stacked three high with a ladder, a curtain, mattress (using this term lightly), and a box with small wrench. "We are paying to go to jail," he said to Nathan, who laughed. He was convinced he would be killed, or at least won. Later Nathan that night to see a man looking in my box and told to take a walk. The next morning we discovered that Nathan alarm clock had been stolen ... pack, again the car and dropped off our bags, and wondered Barcelona. It is a painfully beautiful city, and I could not help shooting, at this point in my life I was still an aspiring photographer. It was clear that Nathan took photos with me in them because they are not in focus, or is misconfigured Apatura. We went to find an Internet café, and a lively café of some e-mail and breakfast, which was really amazing is the amount of cut of porn sold outside the special booths porn. The market town is made up of small posts, and each other is the sale of porn. I was made with Spain, while I'm sure there is plenty to see and do, how good it could be a country that builds the SEAT Alhambra.

Back on the road and in my adopted country of France I feel much better, understand more language, and the food is amazing and cheap. Coming from the U.S. I was honestly expecting the French people to try to kill me every chance he gets because only hear the stories of the rude French. But I realized they are some of themost attractive, friendly, patient people on earth. The secret is at least attempt to communicate the best you can in French and be respectful language, it is a source of pride for them, requiring speak English is rude and saw a lot of (mostly American with Fanny Pack) angry people in restaurants, hotels and bars do not speak English. News that flash is not an English speaking country. In passing through France en route to Italy, I found my place. It is the place to pick up and move to if given the opportunity to listen in a rhythm, taking the wife and the dogs with me. This place is Cassis in southern France, which moved to Cassis now, if I could find a way.

In Monaco I was in heaven the lovers of cars, pulling up with a light the car in front of me is a Zonda, beside me an era of Ferrari, and behind me a Bentley Continental. However, I was at the wheel of a powerful Peugeot. Now he had a property here in the Peugeot 405 U.S. and loved the car was quick, clean, reliable, and one of the best handling vehicles I've had front-wheel drive. I had dreamed of having a 206 for a daily driver for years, and even looked to buy one in Mexico and bring it to the U.S., however, the smog and safety of the Nazis will not allow a French car in the U.S. ... however, we can buy a Daewoo?? The car I chose was a manual car, gas, we realized that it may not be able to to get a hotel for at least the truck would allow us to sleep in their cars in our sleeping bags, we did a couple of nights, but we did towards the end of the journey in the snow, not a good idea .... We went to Italy and Nathan is excited and had a long list of things we wanted to see from Pisa to Pompeii so we had a long journey ahead. We had an agreement that we would stay off main roads, the car can be a manual I had to drive all the way, I did not care lot. I tried while in Italy to teach Nathan driving stick shift, but did not do well, and we could not afford to replace the clutch so contunied driving.

We drove through Rome and have learned the lesson in Barcelona found a very pleasant village with a station train out of town parking is free and it only costs 2 euros to ride the train to the city return. The advantage of having a car is not having to lead his team with you. Just take what you need to stop the others in the trunk. Words can not describe the city of Rome, unless you've seen, it can not even comprehend the magnitude everything. Spending the whole day in Rome was incredible, but there was not much more to do, he jumped on a train and returned to the car, when we went south towards to Pisa to see the leaning tower then to Pompeii. Italy is very similar to Southern California many times while driving along the coast could not believe that you were driving along the Pacific Coast Highway, many similar plants, the biggest difference is in the buildings are a little older, and the food is a little better.

The food is the best part of Europe that have the small cafe or street food down to an art, New York has hot dogs, LA as Tacos, but can be is surprising to find at home any small city in Europe. After having caused a significant reduction of the Italian coast south to Pompeii, where decided to take a road less traveled to the center of the country and return to France. Central Italy is very similar to the average American, agricultural lands, farms, open space, but unlike the central region of America, within Italy is dramatic. Towns like Orvieto, Siena, Florence and Turin found here, and each has an incredible history and its own unique architecture and culture.

Gas stations in each country are different some attendees are not at all and have a strange door system must be used to enter, others are only closed on Sundays and good luck to find gas anywhere else, is also very expensive, so if you are planning a European getaway motor, bring lots and lots of extra money. As we powered north to Modena, I could feel Ferrari calling me, and I was not disappointed upon arrival, were everywhere, it was like being in the old case of Crystal Cove in Malibu, but every day ... there are also plenty strange cars roaming the roads, cars that make my MINI classic look like a big SUV. (See photo)

Now there is a tunnel connecting mass Italy and France through the Alps, however, costs a lot of money to spend so we decided we were going to attack the head Alps in winter, in a Peugeot. The Italian team was acquitted, but after turning a corner that led us to the French side of the mountain, workers discovered that French roads I do not feel like clearing the way he could say, ever. We were stuck firmly, no chains, no cell phone, no village close .... However, the Eagle Scout in me in that country and had a small pocket knife and was able to cut some branches from a tree which is found under the front wheels to get some traction. With Nathan pushing, I was shot, only to come out and hit the ice, the car had some interesting maneuvers and landed about 20 feet down the road. So after nearly dying in the snow at the top of the Alps, we decided to take the tunnel.

Back to our adopted homeland, we headed north to Paris, Le Mans, and the invasion beaches. First, he went west to Le Mans, then to Bayeux, where we went to see the Bayeux Tapestry. From there we went to the invasion beaches and took some time to reflect on the magnitude of them, how far would come to any kind of coverage, Our great-grandfather fought in the Pacific and Nathan and I reflected on the courage that the men had to lower the boats. After visiting the American cemetery to pay our respects loaded and departed for Paris. Having forgotten the lesson of Barcelona, we went to Paris. Paris is all they say it is and more, is one of the worst cities on earth to drive. I've driven in some parts of the world strange and Jakarta Managua come to mind, and cakewalks compared with Paris. Trust in me to continue in Paris only if you have a good GPS, good knowledge of written French reflexes and very good.

We were running out of time, we to have the car in Belgium for a week or so we went in Germany, the only country with speed limits for Army tanks. Passing through the region German wine, I've never seen grapes grown in the hills like this before, was a magnificent sight to see the vineyards that winds its way on mountain slopes with small farmers monorail ride to pick his crop. Clicking on the Germany, discovered that I really like, David Hasselhoff, and were greeted by a huge poster promoting a glass of some sort. We soon discovered a gun / liquor / store fireworks in a small town and it has to be the best store ever, and the fact that beer is sold in the soda machines, made Germany one of our favorite countries.

Our little Peugeot was doing well as we cracked the 15,000 kilometers. We wanted to see the bridges of Operation Market Garden, so we went to the Netherlands, then drove to Belgium where we had to visit "Auto World" a massive museum that has almost every type of car you can imagine, and the war museum has items from Roman times to the current. We found a small, friendly hotel, and spent the night, I was just driven exhaust just over 17,800 km, we had, came to see everything in a whirlwind and we did an average of more than 800 miles per day (526 miles) a few days would lead us well into the night and sleep in car just to make sure that we could go to the next stop on our map. If I were to return I would do differently spend more time relaxing and less driving time of each place of historical importance in the map, but I would not change a thing about this trip, because we found very funny.

About the Author

Michael grew up in the car rich culture of Southern California, and purchased his first car at the age of just 14. He has owned more then 60 cars, motorcycles, and scooters. Michael's other passions include photography, and travel, having been to over 20 countries and almost every state in the union. Having driven in over 14 countries Mike has great stories, insights, and photos of the world seen from behind the wheel of a car.

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