Stutopia Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 (edited) Last week I managed to combine a family errand to visit relatives in France, with an excuse to put 1400 miles on the Zed and also fulfil an ambition to drive a Paris street circuit I've been working up. All sane humans know that driving Paris, in a car you want to keep in good nick, is a foolish idea. There's not even time to blink, let alone sightsee. So I devised a plan. Why not do it at 2 in the morning, when the lunatics are at home sleeping off a garlic binge? The most tedious bit was the first day in England - braving the mentals of the M25 (why can't they drive in just one lane? no one is getting there any quicker than you ) but it was all fun from there. I've grown to love the effortless chunnel journey (has crossing borders even been so easy?). Then it was just foot down and cruise through France for 6 or so hours and some raids on cheap French petrol stations. A long journey on the French autoroutes is a real pleasure. A road surface made of entirely one decent material, no potholes, no traffic, no queues, a sensible speed limit and just for fun, the weird rest stops to enjoy - sponsored by 90s popular beat combo "Air". I was at first delighted to find this particular rest stop deserted and took a celebratory photo whilst I stretched. I was much less delighted when I noticed the mist was clearing and that I wasn't at all alone, a Latvian truck driver was making eyes at me from his cab I wasn't looking forward to the French peage, driving alone I didn't fancy getting in and out at every stinking toll booth, so I picked up one of their magic tags for the windscreen. Worked like a charm and suggest you pick one up if you're doing any serious miles in France, 26 euro, bargain. A little snap at my destination. Bit of smut for Granvile too... This was my first proper run out with the Michelin Alpin PA4s and I can't fault them. It rained almost solidly for 4 hours on the way back and they dealt with some fairly hefty pools of standing water, at good speeds, didn't stop me puckering up when I hit them but I never had that awful feeling when the steering goes light When I was off the proper roads and enjoying the deserted back roads, they preformed beautifully and I'd be hard pushed to pick them from my previous MPSS, other than a bit more road noise (particularly on the UK motorways - almost silent in France) and an occasional glimpse of the slip light. Never had winter rubber before, so I've been enjoying trying something new and getting the feel for them. Here's the Paris Circuit I put together http://goo.gl/maps/5Ei5N for my stop off on the way back to Drive Paris. Managed to squeeze in the big stuff, the Louvre, Notre Dame, three beautiful bridges, Musee d'Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Place de la Concord and some good stretches along the banks of the Seine. It was an absolute pleasure to drive the city at that time of night and the buildings were all lit up beautifully. Got a little snap along the way too... Glad I did it in the Zed, not just some rental car. How many other people can say they had a little sideways fun on a deserted Arc de Triomphe roundabout and boomed the sound of their V6 off the ancient walls Here's a short movie I made of the Paris run. Took a bout 45 minutes in total to drive the route, with some stops along the way to drink the city in. I've managed to cut it down a bit. Loved putting the miles into her last week, If you get a chance to do this, do it Need to get back over in 2015 - anyone driven Scandinavia before... EPILOGUE Needless to say, the Zed was absolutely filthy when I got back. Sadly I caught a bit of mild Ebola whilst I was away, so spent a couple of frustrating days in bed when I got back with the car sitting filthy outside - I could hear her pining for a washmitt. Pics before I could get out of bed and take care of her No reflections Dirtiest I've ever seen The Shark and DJ Apple iFoam was no match for the caked filth. Left side, after pressure washer rinse of snow foam. Right side, just after the snow foam has run off - crap cleaning power For such a big job I lined up some of my favourite products for this last serious clean of 2014. I've been saving my last bit of AMMO Foam Paint Cleanser for a special occasion and was happy to finish it off with this big wash Not used the Envy for a while now as I've been trying a few others, as is my want, It's a great shampoo and cut right through the rubbish on my wheels, barely even needed the Sonax. Also revisited Poorboys QD+, as it has been hiding behind a bucket for a while. If the spray nozzle was any good, I think I'd really like this - intrigued to see how it stands up to the current weather. Invisible Glass was actually something I purchased in desperation in a Wallmart in Florida. The rental car had a mysterious goop on it, which was invisible in the dry but imposible to see through in the rain. Bought some of this and brought it back, great glass cleaner - only complaint would be that the aerosol dispenser is a PITA if you use it in highish wind (20 mph) An hour or so later ​Thanks for having a look, hope some of you get inspired to do a similar run - Rome, Berlin, Amsterdam??? Edited December 23, 2014 by SuperStu 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Really enjoyed reading this Stu and watching the video. Well that was until I got to the sheep you mother fu.... Seriously though looked like a great trip. I really need to put some miles on my Zed so can't wait for 2015 to do just that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pritchard Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 If you even think of a Scandinavia trip you let me know i would love to tag along with another Zed. this looks brilliant. never thought of hitting a city during the night watch. but what a great idea! all the sights, and no traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The G Man Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Fantastic, love the write up. I love France, need to get back soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted December 23, 2014 Author Share Posted December 23, 2014 If you even think of a Scandinavia trip you let me know i would love to tag along with another Zed. this looks brilliant. never thought of hitting a city during the night watch. but what a great idea! all the sights, and no traffic. I loved it, always liked Paris but it's mentally busy in the day and saw an article in one of the Shell spam emails about doing it at night. I think I might have to collect some more night cties, just got to make sure the things you want to see are lit up Sorry GM 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 It's ok Stu, ...she just wasn't my type. Prefer the white ones, ...nothing racial they just look less aggressive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Great road trip ! Love that pic with Blackpool tower in the background 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock_Steady Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 C'est manifique!! Really cool. Excellent write up and pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
370Ad Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Brilliant write up. The bus lane bit was funny too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grundy Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Those roads look confusing as fudge! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock_Steady Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 yeah, I know i'd make a right hash of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glrnet Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Fantastic, love the write up. I love France, need to get back soon. Same here, we will be making the trip South again this year, missed not doing it this year as we had to go and see Doogyrev in Canada Great write up Stu, pmsl at the smut remark. Have to agree with you about the motorway road surfaces in France, my Vreds are really quiet over there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Good work fella, Paris is amazing at dawn around 5am, I used to get up and cycle around in the morning before everyone else and take photos... Actually this has inspired me, when I get the next car going to do something similar! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 the more i look at this, the more i think it has to be done ! good vid, shame about the raindrops, good choice of music air ce matin la (that morning) been to paris a few times but not by car, la rochelle I went in the car, easy driving and good roads (no one hogs the outside lane) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Brilliant trip and write up.. I like driving in Paris, just drive like them, must say the driving in France over the years has got better.. :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbs Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Great write up, 110% agree with you about driving in France, I'm just planning our next trip for June 2015. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT4 Zed Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Excellent write up! Thanks for sharing I try to avoid driving in Paris if I can but this has inspired me👠Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted December 23, 2014 Author Share Posted December 23, 2014 Good work fella, Paris is amazing at dawn around 5am, I used to get up and cycle around in the morning before everyone else and take photos... Actually this has inspired me, when I get the next car going to do something similar! That photo is brilliant. I wish I had a proper set up for night photography, I could have taken a load of good shots that would be impossible by day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted December 23, 2014 Author Share Posted December 23, 2014 Those roads look confusing as fudge! I can't even imagine doing it in the day time, even at night some of it felt so wrong. Giving way to traffic coming onto roundabouts? Traffic lights in between the the "lanes" actually part way around the roundabout? Don't get me started on their absence of lane discipline or the bus lanes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted December 23, 2014 Author Share Posted December 23, 2014 the more i look at this, the more i think it has to be done ! good vid, shame about the raindrops, good choice of music air ce matin la (that morning) been to paris a few times but not by car, la rochelle I went in the car, easy driving and good roads (no one hogs the outside lane) Yeah, I mounted it externally for a better view, but didn't think about the possibility of rain. Might treat the go pro case to some hydrophobic coating for next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 The roads are bizarre in Paris, I hired a car quite a few times when I lived there (and I lived very central) but you get used to it, take your time and just don't lose your cool! For that sort of photography you need a tripod and a DSLR and you are away - not that hard once you know a few basics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted December 23, 2014 Author Share Posted December 23, 2014 The roads are bizarre in Paris, I hired a car quite a few times when I lived there (and I lived very central) but you get used to it, take your time and just don't lose your cool! For that sort of photography you need a tripod and a DSLR and you are away - not that hard once you know a few basics. Didn't pack a tripod so the exposure options were so slow I couldn't take good ones by hand, so I've tried to edit out all the noise in Aperture. Sort of worked. I won't forget a tripod next time! Although I am parked on a roundabout there, even at 2-3am there are still Fedz and the odd delivery van, who take exception to that kind of behaviour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryjackson Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 All hail Larry from AMMO. What a guy his YouTube is brilliant. How many of his products have you tried? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350zedd Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Nice little write up and vid.....enjoyed it, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth29 Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Very clever, but I was expecting something like this, only with a zed soundtrack! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37xiW4j0TtI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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