I crossed Ari Vatanen in my street...
By topffer
@topffer (42156)
France
September 14, 2018 10:12am CST
... and it reminded me that this damned car race inside the city was for this weekend. I have already booked a ticket on the first train leaving on Sunday before the motors start to roar and shake my house. We have the Heritage Days this weekend, and I have decided to go back to the Basque country, in Bayonne this time. And if I am bored of the monuments of Bayonne, I will take again the Euskadi Express bus to Irun to do some shopping, I forgot to buy some shampoo last month, and it is a lot cheaper in Spain, although doing 400km for a bottle of shampoo is perhaps a bit excessive. I will come back by the last train.
That’s for Sunday. For tomorrow, I am hesitating. Or I leave at sunrise for another city, or I stay and visit a few monuments here. My car is already blocked until Sunday evening, and I have received a bunch of local taxes today to pay next month, I should consider to do some savings.
There is a car elegance contest tonight not far from my home, with a «free» entrance. I will perhaps go there and take a few photos in order to see how my local tax money is spent on snobbish futilities.
7 people like this
6 responses
@LadyDuck (458230)
• Switzerland
14 Sep 18
I think that 400 Km for a bottle of shampoo is too much, buy some good bottles to cover the train ticket.
We had a rally in this area two weeks ago. People were against, they were so angry that someone threw nails on the road. The rally drivers were not happy, so finally nobody was happy.
We had a rally in this area two weeks ago. People were against, they were so angry that someone threw nails on the road. The rally drivers were not happy, so finally nobody was happy.3 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
14 Sep 18
There is also a rally, but I do not care about the rally. The problem is with the car races, they are old racing cars from the 1930's to the 1980's, and you can hardly imagine the noise done by 20 Bugatti in a race ! The city looks like Monte Carlo at its time of splendor, with safety gates, bundles of straw and tribunes around the circuit.
I go to Bayonne only for the day, I am not sure that I will go to Spain, I have not checked yet the bus time tables to see if it would be possible.
3 people like this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
15 Sep 18
Sorry they are going to shake the walls of your house and it can be very annoying too.
I feel that more than the shampoo bit its the adventure of going somewhere else instead of to the same place all the time.
We have annoying would be turn the music up loud so the whole square vibrates and I really dislike itbut its part and parcel of living here at the moment.
Have a very nice journey wherever you decide to go.
I am going out on Monday as nobody is in agreement with each other here about where they want to go either.
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
15 Sep 18
The circuit is at 100m from my home and the sound is strong enough to shake the windows
! A bit like your music in the square, but I would prefer to hear music than the noise of motors. The races are on Sunday, and I bought my train tickets at the beginning of this month. I have a 50% discount during the weekends with my train card, and the train to Bayonne is less expensive than a seat on a tribune to watch the race (yes, people are paying for that !).
I am staying here today. I went to a museum this morning, and I will visit another one this afternoon and do my grocery shopping.
! A bit like your music in the square, but I would prefer to hear music than the noise of motors. The races are on Sunday, and I bought my train tickets at the beginning of this month. I have a 50% discount during the weekends with my train card, and the train to Bayonne is less expensive than a seat on a tribune to watch the race (yes, people are paying for that !).
I am staying here today. I went to a museum this morning, and I will visit another one this afternoon and do my grocery shopping.2 people like this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
15 Sep 18
@topffer
This is not music as I know it just a load of noise with super woofers on its horrible reminds me of San Fermines.
If San Fermin could protest and do something he would surely ban the lot of them including those noisy cars that are nice to see but to not to keep hearing.
At the back of the Park where I lived in England there was and is a Speedway and I liked the noise of that and the Spanish Motorbike Rider Angel Nieto used to go there a lot at the start of his career.
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
15 Sep 18
@lovinangelsinstead21 I know him only by name, he lived in England then ?
2 people like this
@much2say (53958)
• Los Angeles, California
14 Sep 18
Car race 
! Exciting if one enjoys that sort of thing - but oh - it's nearly at your front door. I don't blame you for wanting to get away! Buy up many bottles of shampoo to make your trip worth while 
. In fact, buy a supply of it and resell it at the car show with a huge mark up as superb car soap (to help pay your taxes ).
! Exciting if one enjoys that sort of thing - but oh - it's nearly at your front door. I don't blame you for wanting to get away! Buy up many bottles of shampoo to make your trip worth while . In fact, buy a supply of it and resell it at the car show with a huge mark up as superb car soap (to help pay your taxes ).2 people like this
@much2say (53958)
• Los Angeles, California
14 Sep 18
@topffer This luxury car shampoo would add volume and shine to the car - too keep it radiant, beautiful, and moisturized .
Not only does the car racing shake your windows, it must shatter the nerves of the people in your neighborhood! At my parent's house, my bedroom used to be in back - closest to the backyard, where there was a flood control in back of that - and then a busy street where I would be awoken by streets races all the time (and sometimes bad accidents) in the middle of the night.
Are ear plugs cheaper in Spain too? 
.
Not only does the car racing shake your windows, it must shatter the nerves of the people in your neighborhood! At my parent's house, my bedroom used to be in back - closest to the backyard, where there was a flood control in back of that - and then a busy street where I would be awoken by streets races all the time (and sometimes bad accidents) in the middle of the night.
Are ear plugs cheaper in Spain too? 2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
14 Sep 18
@much2say I am often awaken by drunkards in my street, and as I have seen a lot of British speaking loud and already not walking straight at 10pm, I wonder how they will be at 3am
?
I am coming back from the elegance contest. I have been scammed : half an hour of queue due to security control, not a seat remaining, and impossible to stand at less than 100m of the stage, all the front seats were reserved for officials, the "free" public was just invited to give an impression of crowd. Impossible to take good photos at this distance. Lamentable, I stayed only about an hour.
?
I am coming back from the elegance contest. I have been scammed : half an hour of queue due to security control, not a seat remaining, and impossible to stand at less than 100m of the stage, all the front seats were reserved for officials, the "free" public was just invited to give an impression of crowd. Impossible to take good photos at this distance. Lamentable, I stayed only about an hour.1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
14 Sep 18
I would really need to buy a lot to pay for the travel. I would have to go there with a suitcase, and I do not intend to bring a suitcase for a 1 day trip. I do not know yet if it would be possible to do a trip to Spain, I need to look at the bus time tables, there are less buses on Sundays.
But I keep the idea of a luxury car shampoo in mind for next year. People collecting old racing cars would probably not discuss the price of a wonderful shampoo.
I am not on the circuit, it goes on a near street at 100m, and the noise is strong enough to shake my windows. Half of people in the neighborhood are leaving this weekend.2 people like this
@koopharper (7477)
• Canada
14 Sep 18
Been through a few events like that. Half the road you're used to using are blocked and it is frustrating to go anywhere. May as well enjoy the show. We have provincial elections at the end of the month so suddenly all the roads (a real sore spot with many) are getting fixed. I'm glad the roads are getting repaired but do we have to go through this to prove the government cares and aren't entirely squandering our taxes every election.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
14 Sep 18
Maybe is it a coincidence, the only good time to repair roads is during summer. As an archeologist I worked with various city and state technical services, and I remember an engineer telling me "I do not know how to fix firmly a road when it is freezing."
1 person likes this
@koopharper (7477)
• Canada
14 Sep 18
@topffer The hasn't stopped them from trying. They 'fixed' potholes in our road with some kind of quick asphalt too early in the spring a couple years back. The work was undone in days.
They have had several months of good weather where they didn't do much leading up to this. We at times joke here that we have two seasons: Winter and construction.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
14 Sep 18
@koopharper ExcellentIt is the same here, during winter they restore old buildings, but they rarely start to build new ones.
It is the same here, during winter they restore old buildings, but they rarely start to build new ones.1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
14 Sep 18
You are not sensible to the intrinsic beauty of a car? We have a French popular expression, "cute like a truck". 50 years ago it was used for an ugly person, but today it means "very cute".
Indeed, in an elegance contest, the driver and the passenger (usually a couple), are also noted. You would not drive a Rolls with a pair of jeans, would you ?
? We have a French popular expression, "cute like a truck". 50 years ago it was used for an ugly person, but today it means "very cute".
Indeed, in an elegance contest, the driver and the passenger (usually a couple), are also noted. You would not drive a Rolls with a pair of jeans, would you ?1 person likes this
