And the beat goes on

The second part of the movie. Cannes, Antibes & Monaco...Those were the days.



And that's not all. Not even close.

Premiere

Nikosof brings you the 1st part of the long-awaited:
'Nikosof Gran Turismo 2009: le movie'



That's not the end. There's more where this came from.

p.s. there seems to be a dispute with Warner on some of the clips we used, so YouTube might turn the sound off at some point - and sends us a bill for USD1 million or smth. We risk all for you.

Roadtripper's Guide to the Galaxy - Part Deux

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL ROAD-TRIPPING

1. When travelling through Germany, there are many great guesthouses/taverns which offer a good and very colourful option for overnight accomodation (& food). Pre-booking hotels is not necessary. This option is not so reliable in Italy & France.
2. Avoid exchanging currency at airports, rail stations etc. You'll get the extra special rip-off (on top of the usual one from banks, cambios). It's so bad, that drawing from an ATM at your destination is better value for money (in large-ish amounts).
3. Never ever go to the Casino at Monte Carlo in black/white tie. You will stand out -and look a bit sad. Smart casual/international playboy for gentlemen is just fine. Ladies dress sexy. Dress better only if dining at Louis XV across the street.
4. When crossing Switzerland do not forget to buy your vignette, the windshield sticker that shows that you have paid the road tax. It is around SFR40, can be bought at petrol stations at the borders. No one will ask you to buy it, but you'd better not cross the Swiss.
5. Speaking of the Swiss, do NOT speed in Switzerland. It is very much frowned upon (and fined). Everyone drives at the limit - no more, no less.
6. You are on a roadtrip, so drive. Avoid the highways wherever possible. Having said that, it is worth doing a stretch through a delimited autobahn, where vans speed at 180kmh. The higher in the pecking order you are, the faster you will have to go.
7. Cross the Apls by one of the many passes (not the tunnels/motorways)
8. Throw the guidebooks away. Follow the locals and discover things that will stand out to you at the specific moment. Do not re-live someone else's memories. Go a couple of streets deeper from the tourist front.
9. Speak (or try to) the local lingo.
   
10. Keep a tab on all these gelati!

Roadtripper's Guide to the Galaxy - Part Eins

Back home & trying to adjust to the new/old rules of the game. It's tough and fun at the same time. One of the side-effects of the trip is that we are rediscovering London. That makes coming back easier. London weather being uninspiring and 10 degrees lower than any of the places we visited, makes it harder. We're de-tanning fast!

Enough of that, though. Let's get back to it and give you some facts & tips that could be handy when you plan a roadtrip of your own.

This first part is all about Facts....

HARD FACTS (in no particular order)

1. Roadside stops in France -called Aires- are hands-down the best in the Continent; not only are they plentiful, but are trully restful (you could even spend the night under the stars there)
2. Sticking with France, the French have the worst attitude on the road. The more south you get, the worse it becomes. Beware.
3. Germans & Swiss speak English. French can but don't. Italians can't.
4. Every Italian tourist destination boasts a miniature tourist train. Bizarre.
5. In Italy scorpions climb up walls at night.
6. Cyclists will always be crossing a bridge over a motorway, as one drives under it. Honest.
   
7. There are 85 tunnels between Monaco & Lake Orta.
8. Greeks are everywhere; beware of greeks bearing gifts.
9. Lake water is not salty. Honest. You sink fast.
10. You cannot see Liechtenstein from the autoroute because of the trees. Pity.
11. German radio quality (from a technical standpoint) is unparalleled. Naturally.
12. Spritz & Spritz again. The mother of all apperitivos (with Aperol for the connoisseurs)
13. Everywhere from Lyon south, the sky is clear & the temperature around 30 degrees. Everyday. It's called Summer.

All Good Things (Come To An End)

Day:17
Miles: 2171/270
Coordinates: +51° 30' 2.86", -0° 5' 27.93"

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PS: As you see, we are back home

PS2: We crossed the 2k mile hurdle

PS3: Before we entered the Channel Tunnel, we bid farewell to the sun that had been burning us all last 17d, the smells of the countryside and the sea, the vistas and the drives, the speed, the gelati, the foreign radio stations, carefree people, common sense and spontaneity. Driving back on the badly-tarmacked and slow M20 didn't help. However, to our great surprise, our spirits were getting higher the closer to home we were getting. The sun possibly helped a bit-today was one of the hottest ever in London. But it was mainly due to the fact that we were coming back Home. Paraphrasing the song of the trailblazing LCD Soundsystem:

'London I love you
but you're bringing me down

But you're still the one pool
Where I'd happily drown'

Wii: This is not the last post! In the next few days, we will add 'best of' charts, bloopers, facts & tips. And of course, the soundtrack of the tour itself!

Last Supper

Day:16
Miles: 1901/245
Coordinates: +49° 15' 0.67", +3° 59' 36.08" (Reims)

This morning we strolled through the sun-drenched, serene and lush streets of Baden-Baden (Badn-Badn as Sofia perfectly calls it). It was the last precious hours before starting the long return journey and we felt a bit like prisoners on their daily court-break.

Inevitably, we set off for Reims, our last stop before hitting London. Reims, the capital of champagne, is next door to our first stop at Dizy, albeit bigger, posher and with restaurants (for those with a good memory). As a matter of fact we had booked as a treat a hotel/restaurant with 2 Michelin stars, so as to eat and drink our woes away.

Malheuresement, having lost all count of days and dates, we didn't realise that Day 16 was a Tuesday, when the said resto is fermé. But thanks to the very helpful concierge there we had a wonderful dinner at a very French brasserie in downtown Reims, next to the main food market. Both food and champagne were delicious and served their purpose in lifting our spirits for the rest of the day.

Off to the last hotel bed of the grand tour...

Where eagles fly

Day:15
Miles: 1656/170
Coordinates:+48° 45' 37.72", +8° 14' 23.46" (Baden-Baden)

Going deeper into Germany. The main theme of today was the journey itself, driving through the Black Forest (Schwarzwald auf Deutsch). We will not lie to you. Getting there from Lindau was not fun. Probably it is not the best idea to drive around the German shore of Lake Kostanz in the middle of August. There were many moustachioed caravaners on the one-lane roads and we didn't like it. Doing 60kmh for hours is not fun - especially when your view is 2 bikes on the back of a caravan.

But once we hit Scharzwaldhochstrasse -a typically efficient german word that is much more innocent than it looks, meaning Black Forest High Street- all the day's misery evaporated. It is a cliche, but -as all cliches- it is true: no words can describe the scenery, the smells and the sounds. Rolling hills (up to 1,100m) of thick fir forests with colourful flora (all sort of berries) at the edges & eagles (yes, eagles!) circling and screeching overhead. Just drive through there and experience the serenity and awe that these surroundings transmit for yourselves. It is that good!

Many scenery-absorption-stops later we descended to Baden-Baden, at the edge of the forest. Calling B-B palatial is an understatement. It is utterly posh, well-heeled and -as you expect from a spa-resort - septuagenarian. Even the dogs that we saw at the park were of a considerable age, the poor fellas. Nevertheless, it is definetely relaxing, impressive and much better value than spas back home.

A little anecdote, for the close. There is a fine line between being posh and being rediculous. Playing polo (the horse-riding kind) is definetely posh. Being in your polo uniform at 11pm, sipping a glass of champagne outside a park-hotel's garden while on horseback, by yourself, is way past the line.

Auf wiedersehen