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Jeanne Eve
Moderator
Username: jeve
Post Number: 63
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Monday, 30 August, 2004 - 03:07: |    |
Similar to previous tours I will give a summary when possible.
Escaping the summer rains in England,11 Silver Ghosts, 4 P1s, 6P11s, 1 20HP (which withdrew on first day) a 20/25 and a Wraith met on August 25th at Bucklers Hard near Beaulieu Motor Museum, England. Lord Montagu opened the tour and described how Claude Johnson persuaded his father to buy a Silver Ghost. The following morning he flagged us off after arriving in his own 1909 SG. Before arriving at Portsmouth for the calm ferry crossing to picturesque St Malo, we visited both the memorial where Sir Charles Rolls died, crash landing his air balloon in Southbourne then later the home and workshop of Sir Henry Royce in West Wittering.
Enroute to Monte Carlo we have followed the Loire River and now in the Dordogne region. The designated route is too long for comfort, (200 miles plus) , so we choose individual routes. Wonderful food and wine as expected and currently staying in a 16 century hotel which began as a prayer house before becoming a farm concentrating on growing tobacco.Past imposing abbeys on hilltops, remains of city walls and along fields of sunflowers, grain and rolls of hay. Some showers but warm.All vehicles going well - just requiring usual maintenance.
Au revoir, Jeanne Eve |
David Gore
Moderator
Username: david_gore
Post Number: 285
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Monday, 30 August, 2004 - 11:27: | |
Hi Jeanne,
Great to hear from you and your contributions will be looked forward to with great interest - are you in the 20HP, one of the Ghosts or travelling as guests?
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Jeanne Eve
Moderator
Username: jeve
Post Number: 64
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, 01 September, 2004 - 07:55: | |
Hi David, good to hear from you. I am travelling with my husband, John, in our 1924 Silver Ghost which we shipped over from Sydney for the event. Being in a slow car is why I am biased against the longer distances. The Phantoms have more power!
The last couple of days have been glorious touring. Knowing that today was 255 miles of spectacular winding roads along the Gorge du Tarn across Cevennes into hot Provence, about half the group yesterday played truant and instead of driving 200 + miles towards Bordeaux for a winetasting, visited the various Mediaeval towns in the Perigord region and along the Dordogne river with its craggy peaks, caves and evidence of Cro-Magnum man and also with sadness its Resistance memorials dotted around. Saracat and Domme were favourites especially with the latter's massive Porte des Tours built in 1307 where the Knights Templar were imprisoned.
We have been staying in sumptuous and historic accomodation - last night was the huge Chateau de Mercues overlooking the Lot river. Since 655 this site has housed various bishops and undergone various transformations until it was turned into luxurious hotel in the 1980's where the current owner burrowed underneath and created a wine making venture specializing in Malbec grapes.Large stainless steel vats and wooden barrels are now housed under the carpark.1990 and 2003 were considered the best years for french wine because of the hot summers.
So far this area has specialised in fois gras de canard and with all the gastronomic delights, being consumed, I too feel like a stuffed duck!
Today all the cars successfully wound their way down hairpin bends to rivers, along gorges, across cols to enter the busy city of Avignon where we have a rest day. Now in Provence and it is sunny and very hot.
Sur le pont, d'Avignon..........
Au revoir, Jeanne.
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Ed Albert
New User
Username: evalbert
Post Number: 4
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, 02 September, 2004 - 04:21: | |
Jeanne,
Enjoyed your Alpine tour reports, so looking forward to these new reports. Can you provide a list of participants and their cars?
Ed
Charlotte, NC, USA |
David Gore
Moderator
Username: david_gore
Post Number: 294
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, 02 September, 2004 - 11:28: | |
Bonjour mes ami,
J'ai beaucoup plaisir dans votre mots. Enough my schoolday French lessons are long behind me and my vocabulary is almost nil!!
What a journey and what a region to be in - if you can beg borrow or steal some local recipes we could start a thread on R-R/B cooking!! |
Jeanne Eve
Moderator
Username: jeve
Post Number: 65
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Friday, 03 September, 2004 - 01:17: | |
Hi everyone,
Good to hear from you all. Ed - due to privacy resons I do not wish to give names on this thread, but if you email me privately using the Contact, Utilities on the left side of this page with specific questions I may be able to answer them when next online.
Before I tell you some mechanical details, here is an example of language confusion. Our organizer's wife was explaining to the owner of the vineyard about us truant ones who didn't turn up (near Bordeaux)by giving the excuse that we did not have carhoods in the heavy rain,well....! Instead she said in French that our cars were 'sans capots' translated as 'without condoms'. (Before you think this too zany , on the 1997 Peking to Paris, the vintage cars were advised to take condoms to keep the coils dry when crossing rivers.)
Yesterday was a glorious aussie blue sky, perfect for a rest day. Some visited the Chateauneuf de Papes vineyard, others explored historic buildings in Avignon and Villeneuve-les-Avignon where we stayed, others lazed by the pool and we all pored over maps highlighting the next few days.
The serious mechanics amongst us donned blue overalls, (not I) to join the carpark clan to ensure the tribology of these fine machines continued in good condition. John found all 60 grease nipples, cleaned the carburettor and magneto plus general oiling and checking of sphere and king pins.He changed the oil q few days back.
All vehicles are running well but a couple gave needless anxiety for a couple of owners; One Silver Ghost arrived with inexplicable noises which was from a disconnected speedo cable and the Wraith started spluttering with red exhaust which was from closed up points - easily rectified.One day our coil wasn't working because of a loose wire and this morning another Ghost with a recently rebuilt engine had a sticky spring on a valve causing lots of clickety clack noise but easily remedied on the side of the road. Our worst time was on Day 1 when we pulled off to take down the hood and John ran into a hidden ditch covered by a concret cover; Damaged two brand new Lester tyres necessitating the next wet rest day repairing tyres with split rim wheels. Keeping the talcum powder dry for the inner tubes was fun. We were carrying three spare tyres but now have odered two more to be shipped out from UK, hopefully arriving in Monaco.
Last night we had a fantastic dinner in a cloister within the impressive Palais de Papes, built in 1300's,entertained by a trio of amusing Mediaeval minstrels using older instruments.
Today's run was terrific, nearly all winding roads through the terraced hillsides of Provence, past peach orchards, olive plantations and stalls selling melons or tomatoes. In one village we passed 'a sandwicherie' and most of us stop in patisseries enroute.
Dramatic run along narrow road with hairpins down to the Cote d'Azur to Le Rayol-Canadel where Henry Royce had his winter home; Memorial plaques are erected outside his now majestic home - Villa Mimosa and on the lane leading up to it which turns up off the Avenue Sir Henry Royce.
Enjoying the sea breezes overlooking a small beach not unlike the Sydney Harbour bays and rocky headlands.
Au revoir, Jeanne. |
Bill Coburn
Grand Master
Username: bill_coburn
Post Number: 245
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Friday, 03 September, 2004 - 08:54: | |
Can I add my own bit here. In my hayday, condoms were known as French letters for reasons I have never understood but I was amused to note that the French ripost was to call them capots Anglais. That aside one of the large uses of condoms in Vietnam was for drawing over the ends of rifles for a simple form of water proofing. Good to see John having his own self help session on the side of the road. I would be interested to know whether he added to the local argot when he destroyed two perfectly servicable tyres! And now that you have used it perhaps we can have tribology sessions rather that tech days which would lend a certain exclusiveness to our activities. |
David Gore
Moderator
Username: david_gore
Post Number: 295
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Friday, 03 September, 2004 - 12:02: | |
PEDANT'S CORNER
My apologies for the following correction but my past has caught up with me again:
Tribology is not a good word to use for describing the quality/type of repairs and maintenance - Tribology is the study of friction, wear and lubrication which was originally applied to metal bearings but is now a science in itself covering all aspects of wear on materials regardless of whether they are metallic or non-metallic origin.
I would be most enthisiastic about conducting Tribilogy sessions instead of Self-Help Days but I would be "A Prophet without Followers" given the technical complexity that would be involved - much better to be able to take a worn component from a vehicle and explain why it has worn the way that it did.
(Message edited by david_gore on September 03, 2004) |
Margaret Gillings
Yet to post message
Username: margaret
Post Number: 3
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, 04 September, 2004 - 10:06: | |
Hi Jeanne,
Here I sit, green with envy again! The tour sounds fantastic and, of course, it wouldn't be the same if there were no war stories. Fiddling beside the road is half the fun.
What a pity about the word "tribology", it sounds very much like what we do. Club, tribe,clan? It also reminds me of a comment by one member's daughter who, returning from a W.A. Federal Rally, commented, "That's not a Club, it,s a Cult!" |
Jeanne Eve
Moderator
Username: jeve
Post Number: 66
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, 04 September, 2004 - 23:59: | |
Bonjour mesdames et messieurs,
Have found the only internet cafe open in Monte Carlo on a saturday and the keyboard is the same as home- french ones have some different letter positions.
Yesterday's route was fantastic and must have been one of the most photographed in the world encompassing understated St. Tropez with its surrounding forested national parks, beautiful bays with azure waters leading to the topless beaches of Cannes with its surrounding deep terra cotta craggy peaks and headlands and onto busy Nice. Lots of holiday makers enjoying themselves. Once again I realize how lucky we are in Oz with our great coastline.Then past hundreds of luxury cruisers and yachts, through rocky archways where the road cuts into the cliff and into Monaco which is dominated by its opulent casino and harbour.
However the gloss was taken off yesterday by a few car mishaps and by last night I was ready to quit the pre-war car scene for ever! In the morning our car lost oil pressure twice - had no idea where oil was disappearing as at one stage we were using 1 litre per 10 kms. Not out of the exhaust, no puddles on road, not in clutch, where? No funny noises or smells. In fact the small pipe lubricating the pistons had snapped - this only provides lubrication when car needs extra revs eg up hills. I am sure you know far more than I re the correct terminology here. This could have been soldered but John has simply disconnected it. Then we had another flat tyre on the busy road in middle of Nice. An old rustband affixed onto tyres/wheels in USA, had hardened and torn, puncturing the innner tube. We have taken photos for a future tech article. John has now used duct tape for inside the rim and patched the inner tuve. And to end the day we arrive at the Hotel de Paris to find the two new tyres and inner tubes we had ordered from England had not arrived. A phone call later revealed that the tyre distributor told me that the couriers that they "had lost the tyres and didn't know where they were" I do find this hard to believe and have my own theory, but before I criticize online I will check my facts.
To add salt to the wound, a Phantom 11 broke its overdrive and its original propshaft was flown to Nice yesterday and quickly installed. The other Australian couple had an unusual problem when on the fast freeway - a wheel hub broke off the stub axle so required a low loader into Monaco. This morning a wheel has been flown out from England and just arrived and hopefully will be successful fitted this afternoon by the mechanic, who's accompanied us on the tour. He is very good and I will release his name at the end of tour - apparently he looks after several cars on this tour.
Right now our cars have been washed and are parked in pride of place in the Place de Casino where there are many people gawking at everbody and thing around the Casino. Just had lunch in a belle epoque salle in the Hotel Hermitage where a RR representative from Munich brought down a Phantom and hosted a pre- lunch champagne reception. Black tie dinner tonight where we farewell a few particpants. We have driven at least 1488 miles with another 1047 to go. No petrol sold tomorrow being sunday so have fuled up for a nother long day tomorrow through gorge country.
Re tyres - I want to try a small experiment. Is there anybody reading this who can recommend a vintage tyre distributor in France please?
Will write next when I can.
Au revoir, Jeanne. |
Jeanne Eve
Moderator
Username: jeve
Post Number: 67
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, 07 September, 2004 - 06:25: | |
Hi everyone,
Now in the Rhone Alpes heading north west. You may think that we are leading glamourous lives as our cars were parked tightly, bumper to bumper, in front of the Automobile Club of Monaco whilst we waited for Prince Rainier to hand out the prize awarded to the favourite car chosen by the wife of the President of the Automobile Club. The winner was the 1919 S. Ghost 51TW and later the Spirit of the Rally was deservedly awarded to the couple driving the 20/25 who stuck to the route. Now talking about routes, the last two days have been really demanding and long, in 100 plus degrees F. 234 miles much of it circuitous and dramatic on the Route Napoleon and through the Gorge de Verdon ( was a 11 hour day) and today was 192 miles (8 plus hours) from the river Rhone and its vineyards up into the Rhone Alpes. Our car is going well apart from a major petrol leak when the screw under the carburettor fell out. As far as I knew all cars OK although there are minor electrical problems and these last two days have been much too long for the cars and occupants - especially the Ghosts. Fatigue dosen't help vehicle or human. At least I have now masterminded the computer generated route instructions which only list the suggested road numbers and placenames so spend the day reading from the map, but still make mistakes especially in bigger cities.
Am off for an early night. Bon soir. Jeanne; |
David Gore
Moderator
Username: david_gore
Post Number: 300
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, 07 September, 2004 - 14:46: | |
Hi Jeanne,
Sorry to hear about your ongoing maladies [there's a good French derivative for our language] and hope your car developes a liking for the next town on your itinerary rather than trying to remain at the last place you visited.
Like Margaret, I read with interest of places I would love to visit and experiences I would like to have. The 20/Ghost enthusiasts certainly set an example for other model groups to consider following on an international basis.
Thank you for all the time and effort you put into your reports for us - I know these are widely read even if you do not get much feedback in the form of replies. |
Jeanne Eve
Moderator
Username: jeve
Post Number: 68
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, 08 September, 2004 - 18:15: | |
Bonjour!
The sun streamed into our bedroom across the fountain within the French manicured lawn and through the conical fir bushes and already I love this Bourgogne region famous for its burgundies. We are staying in yet another Chateau and it is a glorious sight seeing 17 pre-war Rolls-Royces parked along the front of the now dry moat.
Yesterday was an easier day of only 135 miles along high roads where some cars used second gear for the first time. The scenery was Tyrolean as the older stone-walled houses with their wooden shutters painted in blues and greens gave way to wooden chalets dotted on forested hillsides. Past peaceful lakes, across rivers and through villages with the most gorgeously coloured summer flowers in bloom.Always in France there are signs indicating 12th century chapels and abbeys in the district.
This chateau was originally given to the Benedictine monks but then taken over by the Citercien brotherhood. Fortified during during the war torn 1300s it became a house of more pleasurable living in the 16th century before being taken over for the 'bien national' during the French Revolution. It became a luxury hotel in 1988. A common history for the huge Chateaux in most places.
Our car is going well and John has only had to tighten the hose on top of the radiator head. Being a rest day, near the historic town of Beaune, John is now oiling and greasing the basics eg the king pins etc.
A couple of cars pulled out before reaching Monte Carlo citing illness and business reasons and a few others always intended to finish in M.Carlo.
Here are a few vignettes. Some days ago on the freeway, when the Ghost with the wheel hub split was stopped in a garage waiting for assistance, a Frenchman came up and spontaneously gave the owner a full length apron to prevent his clothes from becoming greasy and then proceeded to hand his wife some gloves. Wonderful thoughfulness and generosity. When the truck arrived, the same owner then sat in his car atop the trailer, with hood down and still wearing his white Maharajah's sun hat.
Seen in the exclusive lobby of the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, was the tour's mechanic fixing the diamente neck chain of a participants pug - dog handbag.Multi skilled.
Today is sunny but a little cooler. Rest day tomorrow before the 184 mile run to the finish in Epernay. We have seen the best of the French roads and scenery, accomodation, food and wine and best of all, demonstrated the reliability of these magnificent machines, often called 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' by some locals!
Au revoir, Jeanne |
Jeanne Eve
Moderator
Username: jeve
Post Number: 69
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, 09 September, 2004 - 02:24: | |
This is for the oonologists among you. We had a fascinating visit to the Cellars of the Maison Champy in Beaune today where the original 15th century underground cellars still store thousands of bottles. No matter the season, the temperature is around 15 degrees. Now did you know that after the French vines were decimated by the phyloxera virus in the 1880's, Napoeon 111 asked Louis Pasteur to find out how wines would not became vinegar and he did this in the 1890's at Maison Champy. He declared that wine needed to ferment quickly qnd the rest is history for the famous french winemaking. The other interesting link with history is that Monsieur Eiffel who lived in nearby Dijon, (Le Tour Eiffel) designed the steel beams supporting some of the inner structure of the Maison.
I was lucky enough to be on the same table as Dimitri Bazas, the scientific winemaker and he gave us a running commentary on the four wines we tasted over a lunch of charcuterie, cheese and apple tart. Pinot Noir grapes are used for the reds and we had, white: Pernand Vergelesses Blanc 2002 and a Meursault 1er Cru 2000 and the reds were a Clos Vougeot Grand Cru 2000 and finally a Beaune 1er Cru 1997. Monsieur Bazas was so passionate telling us the importance of taste and smell analysis which travels to our thalamus but it is our own experience of smell and taste which essentialy tumesces in our brains. It was all great fun and a priviledge to tour around this famous Maison. Their wines are imported by the Pol Roget champagne company.
Now off to plot tomorrow's route.
Au revoir, Jeanne. |
Jeanne Eve
Moderator
Username: jeve
Post Number: 70
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Friday, 10 September, 2004 - 03:18: | |
Hi everyone,
This tour has all but ended bar the final dinner tonight. Lovely long sweeping roads through rural France, over rivers, along canals driving from the Route des Grand Crus in Bourgogne into the chalk country of Champagne.Arriving at a civilized mid afternoon hour, we then drove into Epernay for a guided tour of Pol Roger by fifth generation Hubert de Billy.Down 35 metres below street level, aptly named Avenue de Champagne, are many kilometres of cool cellars carved into the chalk. With a clacking of bottles we watched the process of removing sediment with iced necks to the final packing. One and a half million bottles are produced each year from the Pinot Noir grapes with 70per cent being exported to 80 countries. Now who can tell me how much is in each of these bottles; Jeroboam, Mathusalem, Salmanazar, Balthazar and the huge Nabuchodonosor?
All cars arrived and it is a tribute to the owners who maintain them, to the reliability of the engines and to the patience of the navigators.We have seen much and it has been a challenging drive.Needless to say that it was always the Silver Ghosters who were down to breakfast first and the last to get in.
My thanks to the organizers who made sure the Centenary of R-R was celebrated in a grand fashion where the emphasis was on driving and proving that these cars are nowhere near being museum pieces and still have many more miles to go.
This will be my last report for this tour. Tomorrow John and I drive to Luxembourg before leaving the car in Germany to be shipped back home to Sydney.
Goodbye. Jeanne |
William H. Trovinger II
Grand Master
Username: bill_trovinger
Post Number: 155
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Friday, 10 September, 2004 - 07:26: | |
Jeanne;
Thank you for your reports it has been very enjoyable reading.
Best regards and wishes for a safe trip home,
Bill |
Margaret Gillings
New User
Username: margaret
Post Number: 4
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Friday, 10 September, 2004 - 10:32: | |
Thanks for your travelogues Jeanne. It must tempt all who read them to have a go themselves next time. Say hello to Werner for me when you get to Luxembourg and,as William said, have a safe trip home.Margaret |
David Gore
Moderator
Username: david_gore
Post Number: 303
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Friday, 10 September, 2004 - 11:01: | |
Thanks Jeanne for the time and effort you put into these reports - I always look forward to your trips away as we always learn new things about our cars from you and have our imagination stimulated by details on places, activities and culture that we may never otherwise experience.
Well done - where and when will be the next one for us to look forward to. |
Jeanne Eve
Moderator
Username: jeve
Post Number: 71
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, 14 September, 2004 - 03:02: | |
Dear William,David and Margaret,
It has been a pleasure writing the above and especially to know that people are reading them! Our car is now safely esconced at Bremerhaven,awaiting shipment, having driven several hundred miles more into Luxembourg and then along the Autobarn to this harbour.Margaret -Werner is in fine form and for Sydneysiders, we are enjoying the wonderful hospitality of club members who spend half the time in Sydney and the rest in Hamburg: now catching up reading the latest Praeclarum!Flying home tomorrow: David - I hope that the next tour will be the RREC one to Borneo, Brunei and Sarawak early next year; your former homeground/work visits?
Cheers,Jeanne. |
Robert Wort
Prolific User
Username: robert_wort
Post Number: 68
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Monday, 24 January, 2005 - 23:55: | |
Pedant's Corner again although a little late. On your first thread Jeanne, you mentioned that you saw the memorial for the Hon.Charles S.Rolls and that he was killed crash landing his air balloon.
In fact, he was the first person in Britain to be killed in an aircrash in an aeroplane (a Wright Flyer I believe) and not a balloon. Apart from that, an excellent report and I enjoyed your book immensely. |
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