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08-31-2009, 09:31 PM | #23 |
A^M=G is nothing w/o the Power of ///M
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GREAT write up. I enjoyed reading every minute of it. Enjoy the rest of your trip
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09-01-2009, 12:32 AM | #24 |
I love the ///M3, but I want 550hp ///M5
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nice! photos nice post!
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09-01-2009, 03:36 AM | #25 |
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Congratulation for the new ride and glad to have American dudes around Italy! Hope you visited Cernobbio on the Como Lake, it's stunning and is the place where I've bought my F01 and all the previous ones.
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09-01-2009, 12:48 PM | #26 |
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We left Milan this morning at about 10:30 AM after breakfast:
What I was anticipating to be a 3.5 hour drive, was closer to 2.5 due to the fact we were flying on the Autostrade most of the time. We followed many different cars at different times, but we were normally crusing between 100-115 MPH most of the time. Just outside of Milan - as you get on the Autostrade - you collect a ticket at a toll booth. You then pay as you get off (we stayed on all the way to France - just 5 minutes for Monaco). The toll was 22.60 euro! Interesting to note that on the Autostrade there are very few exits and onramps. Maybe one every 15 miles or so! There are gas stations are restaurants at regular intervals. We never saw a police car the entire trip - except one parked at a gas station. We arrived in Monte-Carlo at about 1PM. We checked in to the Hotel Metropole. I am happy to report the hotel is winner! It's sublime. Very tastefully decorated with expensive touches. We were upgraded to a Jr. Suite Deluxe: We had lunch at the Joel Robuchon restaurant here at the hotel. It was our best meal of the trip thus far. I highly recommend it! We are getting ready to head over the Casino and explore. A few notes on the car: 1. The forward alert feature is fantastic! (Not sure if this requires the Active Cruise Control or if its on all F01/F02s) I have it on "late warning" and when it senses a forward collision is imminent it displays a large red car icon on the head up display and cluster. If you don't step on the break and it senses a forward collision is VERY likely it sounds a few warning chimes. It works very well without a single false alarm so far. It has saved my butt at least once. 2. The air vent direction options are neat. First time I've seen this. The front middle air vents have a direct vent from the center - and also the ability to vent around the outside frame (in between the chrome edges). It is very clever and provides the option to distribute the air directly and indirectly at the same time (or one or the other only): 3. Close up of the new iDrive controller with the ceramic trim: Black Sapphire Metallic in the sun: Bug riddled front:
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ED Vehicle: 2009 F02 750Li | Black Sapphire Metallic | Black Nappa Leather | Fineline Matte Wood Trim
ED Tour: Aug 25th - Sep 9th 2009. (Trip Report | Route Map). ED Progress: Welt Delivery Aug 27th; Drop off at Paris Sep 8th; Redelivery October 30th. |
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09-01-2009, 01:36 PM | #27 |
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Absolutely amazing pictures! Thanks so much for sharing these!
Beautiful car was well.
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09-01-2009, 10:19 PM | #29 |
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Awesome pics!!
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09-02-2009, 02:19 PM | #31 |
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that`s an awesome trip so far...
please provide us with detailed info on Monte Carlo and it`s surroundings...what you liked ,what you disliked... your car is perfect. Very subtle,yet looking strong and dominant |
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09-02-2009, 03:12 PM | #32 |
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Beautiful 7! Beautiful Hotels! Beautiful Scenery! Thank you so much for sharing your adventure!
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09-02-2009, 03:23 PM | #33 |
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Metropole lobby lounge:
Front entrance: In the morning we visited the "Prince's Palace of Monaco" and the changing of the guard - which takes place at 11:55 every day. We took a taxi over, and then walked around the area after the palace. It was about 85 deg today and very humid. We were both sweating within 10 minutes. View from the top of the hill (near the palace - facing Monaco): Finding a taxi back was a real hassle. We ended up having to walk all the way down the hill and stop in a hotel to have them call us one. We waited for 35 minutes! We should have just driven ourselves since there was plenty of parking available near the palace. Big waste of time waiting for a ride back to the hotel. We showered - had lunch at the pool cafe - and then headed off for a drive. This was our route today. A nice mix of coastal and inland driving. In the small village of Castillon: View from the road inbetween Castillon and Sospel: Sospel: A cool old structure along the road: The area around the Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat was very nice - with some expensive properties! Tomorrow we are off to the Four Seasons Provence. After breakfast we will head to Cannes to spend a few hours, have lunch, then check in there later in the afternoon.
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09-03-2009, 01:08 PM | #35 |
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After breakfast we checked out of the Metropole and took the coastal road to Cannes.
Here is a view of part of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat from the west. These are some of the large estates that I mentioned yesterday: We valet parked at the InterContinental Carlton Cannes and had lunch at thier beach restaurant. Cannes was very crowded and the beach was packed! The water seemed really rough and not suitable for swimming. Lunch was nice - and afterwards we walked up and down two of the main shopping streets. All in all - I'm glad we stayed in Monte Carlo for 2 nights rather than here. Afterwards we drove inland to the Four Seasons Provence. It was a quick 40 minute drive. We were (double) upgraded to a Premier Four Seasons Executive Suite. It's a nice room with a view of the golf course and a little stream: Here is the view from the top of the resort: Tomorrow we may explore the small town that can be seen in the distance with a castle - and may head to St. Tropez in the afternoon.
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09-03-2009, 03:32 PM | #37 |
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Wow, you guys are definitely doing it right. Congrats on an incredible trip and beautiful car.
On a side note, that rabbit on the wall in the room is a little creepy and looks really out of place. |
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09-04-2009, 02:35 AM | #38 |
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Ha! I think you're right. My wife thinks its cute however.
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09-04-2009, 01:57 PM | #39 |
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Today we ventured out to Saint Tropez. We both liked it better than Cannes. A very quaint town - lots of streets lined with little shops, cafes, etc. Not the generic kind found everywhere. Art galleries, collectables, furniture, and more.
This was the view of Saint Tropez across the harbor en route: We had lunch at Villa Belrose, which had a great view back over the harbor: We drove in to the city after and parked in the main parking lot at the harbor. We took a nice walk around town starting along the water... which was filled with some beautiful yachts: This one was especially nice: There was a lot of artists displaying their works along the boardwalk. At the end of the dock we turned towards the old city, then made our way back along some of the shop filled streets. We started back at around 5 and traffic was terrible. We didn't get back to the hotel until 7! It was a pretty drive back though. A view from the hills toward the coast: Bagnols-en-foret in the background: Tomorrow we'll be at the Spa here until about noon and expect to leave the hotel at about 2 or so. It's a 4.5 hour drive (unless we can get away with driving 105 MPH most of the way again! ) to Château de Bagnols northwest of Lyon. I imagine it will be a relatively boring drive into the center of France. A strong sense that the end is near. I called TT car in Paris to schedule the drop off for 8AM on September 8th.
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09-06-2009, 12:47 AM | #41 |
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We left Provence in the early afternoon after enjoying the spa at the resort. Overall the Four Seasons in Provence was nice - but we probably wouldn't stay in Provence next time. I think we'd prefer to be by the water for a few extra days.
We drove out of the property at about 2PM. It has a very narrow road leading to the resort that you must drive on for about 5 miles or so. An opposing car coming at you requires you to practically stop - and drive past each other very slowly. After 3 days of that back and forth we're happy to be moving on. The drive was pretty uneventful - and the scenery was prettier than expected. An occasional castle perched on a hill, etc. We paid two seperate tolls - one on the A8 and one on the A7 for a total of about 30 euro. We were able to drive about 100 MPH most of the way (A VW golf with a similar red temporary plate flew by us at about 130 MPH!) and only ran into a little traffic in Lyon. We arrived at the Château at about 7:30 - around sunset. Here are some photos of the area near the Château: What a unique place! We are in the Appartement aux Bouquets. Here are some photos of the bedroom and salon: Check out the antique wood throne (with a fully functional toilet underneath): We are waiting for room service now. (They also have a 1 michelin star restaurant right here in the caste - but we're too exhausted to dress up and sit through a 2.5 hour affair.) Our plan is to depart early after breakfast and stop in Versailles on our way to Paris. (since it is closed on Monday)
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09-06-2009, 12:29 PM | #42 |
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Fantastic photos and updates.... I showed your thread to my wife and it reminded us of our recent trip - even some of the same hotels! Enjoy and keep the posts coming...
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09-06-2009, 02:19 PM | #43 |
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We had a quick breakfast and left Bagnols at a respectable 9AM. The drive was entirely highways again. It made me realize how good this 7 is at soaking up the highway. It's what the car was made for. The scary this is that going 105 MPH feels like 75! Driving it back in the states may be miserable now...
My wife captured this pic with her iPhone of a few gawkers at rest-stop restaurant we stopped at to use the restroom. They had many questions once I got outside. We arrived in Versailles at 12:30. I used my Michelin iPhone app to try to find a good restaurant... but many were closed for lunch. There is a Gordon Ramsey restaurant that I'm sure would have been fantastic... but it was closed also. We settled on a mediocre place - can't even remember the name of it. Luckily I booked tickets online so we avoided the entire line and just walked right in. The place is huge! And it was filled with people. We spent most of our time in the Palace. (but had a lot of great views of the gardens) You could spend several days there... but after 2 hours or so a pregnant Mrs. Hayden decided her feet had enough. We'll see the rest another time. We parallel parked on the street and the entire time I was worried we would have people trapping us in by parking too close. Luckily when we got back to the car there was ample space. It was a short 20 minute drive to the middle of Paris. Knowing that this would probably be the last time in the car for a couple months we took in a lot of the major sites by driving around. The hotel (Four Seasons George V) is fantastic. We were not upgraded - but who cares with this room! We are in a fabulous (and large) "Deluxe" room at the corner of the building with 3 large windows facing Avenue George V. The bathroom even has a window! Not what I expected in Paris. I was afraid this hotel's staff might be a little snotty - but have been pleasantly surprised to find them very gracious. In the evening we went out for a walk along the river. I forgot my camera - but snapped this with my iPhone 3G.
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