Hello car enthusiasts!
Today’s post is a bit different from the usual drive-and-report business: in the next lines, I’ll report my thoughts along a big trip I made from the 6th to the 14th of April 2010.
The plan was this: I wanted to do a big drive, and to “justify” this, set a few landmarks to visit across West Europe – this would be my 2010 vacation. My wheels? Well, as I cannot even dream with something wrong to occur to my beloved roadster, I took my faithful everyday partner – the Panda. Only me and my Panda, on a 4000+ kilometre (2500+ mile) trip – now that’s a challenge! :D
Tags: Barcelona, Millau Viaduct, French Riviera, Monaco, Andorra.
Day 1 – Tuesday, April 6th – from Redondo (PT) to Lleida (ES) – roads: N373 (PT), E90 A5-A2-AP2 (ES)
After some last-hour arrangements, the trip began at 9:15 am (GMT), the Panda’s clock showing 47 737 kilometres (29.836 miles). First relevant fact: the Panda’s fuel consumption really rises with speed. Above 110 km/h (70 mph) it increased noticeably, but from 130 km/h (80 mph) on, it was a no-no. The problem was not just the cost: a fuel consumption above 7 l/100km (40 mpg) means a real autonomy below 500 km (310 miles) which, in such a long trip, is very annoying. So, an average of 120 km/h (75 mph) would be set.
The really big problem, though, was wind noise. Most of the distance was covered with strong front-wind, and despite my 120 km/h speed, it was really loud. By the end of day one, I had done approx. 950 km (590 miles) in less than 11 hours, with 3 stops, and had caught a monumental headache…
Day 2 – Wednesday, April 7th – Lleida
Not a lot to say on day two: it was very rainy, a bit cold and generally unpleasant. I had planned some photos of my Panda with Lleida’s Seu Vella as background, but gave up as traffic and weather were so terrible.
Day 3 – Thursday, April 8th – from Lleida to Barcelona, through Martorell (ES) – E90 A2
Following a late wake-up at Lleida’s Sant Agassi Youth Hostal – very good, by the way – the journey started towards Martorell’s Seat factory, were I met my friends and colleagues from T-Systems. After lunch, the short trip remaining towards Barcelona hasn’t got a lot of history. The A2 Autovía (a kind of motorway, although free and with corners) is only interesting before Martorell – beautiful landscapes, not that much traffic and plenty of nice corners, all contribute for a pleasant drive.
Day 4 – Friday, April 9th – from Barcelona to Montpellier (FR), through Millau (FR) – E15 AP7 (ES), E15 A9 (FR), E11 A75, D991, D999, D986 (not sure about the last 3)
I had barely slept that night. The Albergue Pere Tarrés really is not the ideal place for anyone in need of rest, but maybe Barcelona’s concept of rest is different from every where’s. It really is a magic city.
Despite that, I had an early start. I was dying to see the Millau Viaduct, the highest suspended bridge in the whole world, and entering France itself would be a milestone – the first time I would be there alone.
The first surprise came from the French toll prices; despite wonderfully finished, French motorways are cheap compared to the Portuguese and Spanish ones, costing about 2/3 of the price. The downside were fuel prices, noticeably higher.
Driving through the A9 until Bessan, and then the A75 towards Millau, really was magic. It’s a privilege to drive in such amazing roads, and despite the fact that most of the time the road was straight (apart from some A75 stretches), the omnipresent surrounding natural beauty and fantastic-looking small villages contributed to an unforgettable drive.
And then, suddenly, the Millau Viaduct emerged in front of me.
From an on-site point of view – driving on it – it was nothing overwhelming. The slim pillars aren’t very high and, although clean and modern, the design is discreet. The see-through side barriers (to protect from the wind) revealed a small town way down – Millau – and that was the only clue to the incredible height of the place.
I then stopped at the Viaduct service area, as it was expectable to have a good view from the bridge. It did, and the second photo was made there. It still didn’t appear to be groundbreaking, but it was definitely very elegant. A bit of a disappointment, I remember to think, but maybe it was all a question of a wrong perspective. So, better to find a different point of view: let’s go under it and see how it looks like from there.
Passed Millau – a small city with little charm – and, finally, I found the adequate perspective to appreciate this engineering masterpiece. There even is a museum dedicated to the bridge, courtesy of Eiffel – yes, this bridge was built by the company which also built the Eiffel Tower – a fantastic place to take some fantastic photos and, if you like, buy some memorabilia.
From underneath this friendly giant, multiple thoughts cross your mind. You feel very small next to it, but at the same time, your soul feels as big as the pillars. This bridge is an incredible achieving; it’s a material proof of what we, Humans, can do when we try, when we pass our limits, our fears, our challenges. It was said it was impossible to be built, and despite that, there it is in front of you, shining along the clouds, its delicacy making it a natural part of the landscape. Every word is short to make that place justice. Every single person in the world should go there to see it.
Trip to Montpellier
Not having found a reasonably priced hotel room in Millau, I took my way to Montpellier, the closest Youth Hostal I had in my home-made list.
The first part of the road was a single-lane, uphill, curved stretch. A joy to drive, and what I discovered was that every single French I met drove like a maniac! Honestly, maybe because they were facing a (slower, not slow) foreign small car, their first thought must have been “let’s show this bloke how to drive”. When I saw a woman cornering an old Kangoo on its door mirrors, and shorter afterwards overtaking me as I was going backwoods, I felt sick. But at the same time, happy! I had never seen ordinary people driving so aggressively, and I just loved it!
Then a downpour came out of nothing, later plenty of sun again. There, even the weather is temperamental…
Then it was a stretch of motorway (I think a new one, I don’t recall the name of it) and soon I arrived at Montpellier. And that was a shock.
At first, it looked a regular Portuguese city, with plenty of traffic, some bad pavement and incoherent road signals. Then the GPS tried to drive me just to the historic centre, and I lost about one hour to figure out that it was just impossible to get to the Hostal by car.
As parking spaces were so scarce, and paid, I left the Panda far away from the Historic Centre, and went there on foot.
Montpellier is a very peculiar place. I had never seen so much youth in the same place, as I did that night. But, even so, I hated every minute on it.
First of all, the Hostal was a nightmare – very old, in bad shape, dirt, noisy and those bathrooms were so good I even lost the will to take a bath, left alone doing anything else. So, hardly paradise for someone who desperately needed to sleep.
Leaving the preserved, well illuminated and clean Historic Centre is like being in Barcelona and exiting on a door directly to a Brasilian favela. The city is dark, untidy and the common groups of blokes with not-so-good appearance never fail to arise a sensation of insecurity, a feeling exaggerated by the omnipresent police. Where the hell am I? Bagdad? It looks like. Then I found that the street where I had parked my Panda was pretty much horrid, as there was no traffic, it was very dark and the houses looked like bunkers ready for a war to begin. For you to see the scale of the problem, I even didn’t access the car in order for people not to notice its foreign number plate. Thankfully it’s very discreet.
That night, I barely slept (again), this time because of the car. All I kept thinking of was that the next morning I would find it burned…
Day 5 – Saturday, April 10th – from Montpellier to Nice (FR), through Monte Carlo – E80 A54-A8
The day started early, as I was dying to see if my Panda had survived the “Dark City”.
Fortunately it did, so the drive to Nice began at about 8 in the morning.
The first part of the journey wasn’t that good: too much traffic, a bit cold (imagine the Multijet clattering…) and around 20km (13 miles) of very sharp road pavement (designed to help traction on heavy rain, by the looks of things). Even before those 20 km of noisy hell ended, I was already thinking about giving up Monte Carlo, and going straight to Andorra. But boy, I’m glad I didn’t.
The cloudy and cold morning gave way to a gorgeous and warm sunny day, the perfect compliment for the fantastic landscape around the motorway, almost 300 km (190 miles) of another epic drive.
Arriving at Nice surrounds was a nice surprise – the French really respect and preserve Nature a lot, so you end up in a place where civilization embraces hills and trees in a wonderful way. However, when arriving at Nice centre, it soon became obvious that this places hates cars. Gradients are enormous, parking spaces are very scarce and, weirdly, the sight is not the beauty I had imagined it would be. A true letdown. I didn’t even bother to take photos…
Going to Monaco
So, before I lost a lot of time there, I drove off to Monte Carlo. After the massive Nice disappointment, I confess my expectations were low.
The road which gets there is a mix of open-air motorways and tunnels, mostly limited to 110 km/h (70 mph) due to the variable and steep gradients. After the last tunnel, I was in for a shock – all I saw was blue, a heaven-like mix of sky and sea! Then, it was a 90 km/h (56 mph) double-lane road surrounded by flowers, small trees and fantastic houses. There I saw the first majestic sight – a Rolls-Royce Phantom.
The downtown was in a bit of a disorder – preparing for the F1 Grand Prix had already began – but even that did nothing against the spirit of the city: extremely clean, warm, charming, beautiful and – wait for it – car friendly! Lots of parking spaces, wide streets and not that much traffic (and remember, it was a Saturday afternoon). I then parked the Panda on Rue Grimaldi (1€ - 45 minutes), one of the main streets, and went for a walk around the Marine first, and then on some of downtown’s streets. Took a couple of photos and went to the F1 hotel, near Nice (I could not afford to gamble on my rest one more night…).
Another fantastic day and, as the day before, one where a substantial part of the fun didn’t came from the driving experience alone. I definitely recommend a drive to Monte Carlo!
Day 6 – Sunday, April 11th – from Nice to Andorra la Vella – D6007, E80 A8-A54-A61, E09 A66-N20-N22, CG-2 (AND)
That morning, the weather was a bit sketchy. Being an early (8:30 am) Sunday morning, I drove almost alone towards Cannes.
The roads had no story: not particularly beautiful nor that smooth, there was nothing special about them. Perhaps the weather is partly to blame, but the inherent beauty every French motorway has about it hadn’t got the slightest parallel on the wonderland I had imagined. So, I ended up driving the D6007 road with absolutely no grin on my face. Antibes, La Californie, Palm Beach and even Cannes were a massive disappointment, too. Nothing special, like everyone says. I find Portugal's Marginal road, from Lisbon to Sintra, to be miles more impressive, as for beauty as for charisma and charm. And I’m far from being a nationalist…
So, in centre Cannes, I set up the GPS towards Andorra la Vella, and off we go.
With almost 700 km (440 miles) of road ahead, it would be interesting to drive across different landscapes, such as the French Riviera, the French Motorways and the Pyrenees mountains.
In the beginning, even the patchy weather did nothing to hide the marvelous motorway’s beauty, but after a while it got better. It really is a joy to drive there. First the E80 A8, then the A54, the miles passed by quickly, despite of an average speed under 130 km/h (80 mph). Of course, most of the time the wind was either absent or very weak, so the noise inside the Panda was perfectly tolerable. Interesting to find out, in these circumstances, that past 3000 rpm (130 km/h), the little Multijet gets itself very noticed, a sign it’s running hard. So, a real autonomy of just over 600 kilometres is all it can get.
Arriving at the Pyrenees
The landscape changed abruptly nearing the Pyrenees. A bit less trees, long green fields, gorgeous small towns perfectly integrated in the nature, it was a magic drive. Then, the wonderful mountains appeared. The N20 road enters a valley where some fantastic-looking small towns are. Great pavement, plenty of corners, it’s an astonishing drive. And then, the road starts climbing the mountain. With very steep gradients, very slow corners and an astonishing view, it’s hard to go any fast. But, at some point, I started “racing” a VW Golf IV TDI 110 PS. And the truth is that, despite rarely going faster than 50 km/h, the pleasure of driving the little Panda really got into an all new level! Another second-gear corner, thrash it, 3rd gear, brake, downshift again. This happened during about 20km, until eventually the mountains were covered in snow and the Andorra Aduana was reached. A quick glimpse back down, and the road just run almost looks unreal, being so small, curved and beautiful. A true wonder, a really epic drive!
Andorra is more of the same, with most of the roads looking like narrow kart-circuits in the middle of the nature. Gradients are the rule, rather than the exception, and that, together with sharp corners, proved to be a great receipt for the Panda to excel. Its gearbox doesn’t appreciate changing gears down very fast, but it never complained in such hard conditions. Impressive.
That night would be passed by in a Youth Hostel near La Comella, around 5km outside Andorra la Vella. Another great day!
Day 7 – Monday, April 12th – Andorra – local roads
I spent the day thrashing the Panda on the hills, and I even went for the snow. I had never ever seen proper snow in my life, so a drive to the ski lanes had to be. I took the CG-3 road pass La massana, Les Salines and El Serrat, with plenty of second-gear corners, and I have to say it was (yet) another piece of amazing road to drive! As always, the Panda soldiered on like a true hero, the only complaining occasionally coming from the tyres and the omnipresent body-roll, not something that bothers me by now, as I got used to it… This all happened even when it started to snow, the skinny tyres taking care of business amazingly well – I rarely got a hint of understeer, despite the abuse.
On these circumstances, I must admit that fuel consumption rises noticeably, but distances here are always short, made to look bigger because of the low average speeds attained. Diesel fuel prices were almost 20% lower than the, already low, Spanish ones.
Apart from the driving, Andorra la Vella has plenty of shops, and I was said that prices of many goods are low. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find out which ones as everything just looked like a lot of money to me. Or maybe I have no notion of prices, as I hate shopping…
Day 8 – Tuesday, April 13th – from Andorra to Lleida – CG-1, C-14 (ES), C-26, C-13
This day I went back to the ski lanes, as the weather was a lot better. Gone was the freezing cold and the cloudy skies, the sunshine giving a completely different perspective of that place. The day before it was almost dramatic, now it was just quiet and peaceful.
After lunch, I took the road Spain – I would sleep in Lleida, in order to ready myself for another cross-Spain drive. From Andorra to my hometown of Redondo would just be far too much.
The C-14, C-26 and C-13 is another great road. Single-laned, surrounded by mountains at first, then crossing long valleys, not heavy on traffic (perfect if you love overtaking, as it is my case ;) ), it reminds me once again that Catalonia really has some of the best driving roads I’ve ever knew. Some people that say fun is only guaranteed on a twisty road. I agree up to a certain point, but driving pleasure is not only about pushing you and your machine to the limits on corners, and this road is another proof of that. Without a fantastic scenario, a nice weather and a proper music, an unforgettable driving experience cannot be fully accomplished, and this road is a material proof for this statement.
Day 9 – Wednesday, April 14th – from Lleida to Redondo – E90 A2-A5, N373
The last trip day was cloudy and even rainy at times. Nevertheless, I decided to take a stretch of single-laned road in order to avoid the AP2 expensive toll, as I thought it would be a short blast. However, pack almost 80 km of unknown road with drizzle and a lot of lorries and the result is… fantastic! Once again, the Panda shined more than the sun had done in Monte Carlo: with a freak like me at the wheel, its Multijet thrust showed drivers of lorries and far more superior cars how well a Panda can dance! The sequence -2500 rpm – pedal to the metal – up to fifth – hard on the brakes – downshift to fourth- was repeated time after time, an entertaining sequence that turned an otherwise dreadful-looking drive onto an unforgettable experience.
Verdict
I couldn’t have possibly imagined what a big challenge this trip would turn out to be, and maybe that was what made it so memorable.
Spain is… Spain – it's still the country I identify myself the most with. It has great roads, landscapes, food and “joie de vivre”, the full mix of important values for me.
France is a mix. I don’t appreciate their towns, their food and most people’s personality, left alone the massive disappointment the French Riviera was. But, regarding the driving experience alone, it’s on a class of its own. It has the greatest motorways and one of the most astonishing constructions on Earth – the beautiful Millau Viaduct.
Monte Carlo is definitely another must-visit place. Its beauty, sophistication and delicacy embraces visitors in such a way you want to stay there for a month. But, for the wealth of your wallet, better to stay only a couple of hours…
Andorra is Nature-freaks paradise: is has the most dramatic and phenomenal landscapes and roads. Also, locals are friendly, food is close to the Spanish one (I love it) and life there is not expensive.
The last words are, of course, dedicated to the hero of this trip: my Panda.
Honestly, I never thought it would be this good. It handled brilliantly very long journeys; it was a cute and honest sight in Monte Carlo; it took care of both Andorra’s hard mountain roads and Montpellier’s night. It’s astonishingly good at its limits, all kind of them, and in every place it was just right.
As time passes by, I love it more and more. I cannot believe I own such special and amazing cars, as are the smart roadster and Fiat Panda.
Cheers!
Trip statistics
Distance covered: 4155 km (2597 miles)
Average fuel consumption: 5,24 L/100km (53,9 mpg)
Average diesel fuel price: 1,102 €/L
Tolls: 123,06 €
Diesel fuel: 239,77 €
Today’s post is a bit different from the usual drive-and-report business: in the next lines, I’ll report my thoughts along a big trip I made from the 6th to the 14th of April 2010.
The plan was this: I wanted to do a big drive, and to “justify” this, set a few landmarks to visit across West Europe – this would be my 2010 vacation. My wheels? Well, as I cannot even dream with something wrong to occur to my beloved roadster, I took my faithful everyday partner – the Panda. Only me and my Panda, on a 4000+ kilometre (2500+ mile) trip – now that’s a challenge! :D
Tags: Barcelona, Millau Viaduct, French Riviera, Monaco, Andorra.
Day 1 – Tuesday, April 6th – from Redondo (PT) to Lleida (ES) – roads: N373 (PT), E90 A5-A2-AP2 (ES)
After some last-hour arrangements, the trip began at 9:15 am (GMT), the Panda’s clock showing 47 737 kilometres (29.836 miles). First relevant fact: the Panda’s fuel consumption really rises with speed. Above 110 km/h (70 mph) it increased noticeably, but from 130 km/h (80 mph) on, it was a no-no. The problem was not just the cost: a fuel consumption above 7 l/100km (40 mpg) means a real autonomy below 500 km (310 miles) which, in such a long trip, is very annoying. So, an average of 120 km/h (75 mph) would be set.
The really big problem, though, was wind noise. Most of the distance was covered with strong front-wind, and despite my 120 km/h speed, it was really loud. By the end of day one, I had done approx. 950 km (590 miles) in less than 11 hours, with 3 stops, and had caught a monumental headache…
Day 2 – Wednesday, April 7th – Lleida
Not a lot to say on day two: it was very rainy, a bit cold and generally unpleasant. I had planned some photos of my Panda with Lleida’s Seu Vella as background, but gave up as traffic and weather were so terrible.
Day 3 – Thursday, April 8th – from Lleida to Barcelona, through Martorell (ES) – E90 A2
Following a late wake-up at Lleida’s Sant Agassi Youth Hostal – very good, by the way – the journey started towards Martorell’s Seat factory, were I met my friends and colleagues from T-Systems. After lunch, the short trip remaining towards Barcelona hasn’t got a lot of history. The A2 Autovía (a kind of motorway, although free and with corners) is only interesting before Martorell – beautiful landscapes, not that much traffic and plenty of nice corners, all contribute for a pleasant drive.
Day 4 – Friday, April 9th – from Barcelona to Montpellier (FR), through Millau (FR) – E15 AP7 (ES), E15 A9 (FR), E11 A75, D991, D999, D986 (not sure about the last 3)
I had barely slept that night. The Albergue Pere Tarrés really is not the ideal place for anyone in need of rest, but maybe Barcelona’s concept of rest is different from every where’s. It really is a magic city.
Despite that, I had an early start. I was dying to see the Millau Viaduct, the highest suspended bridge in the whole world, and entering France itself would be a milestone – the first time I would be there alone.
The first surprise came from the French toll prices; despite wonderfully finished, French motorways are cheap compared to the Portuguese and Spanish ones, costing about 2/3 of the price. The downside were fuel prices, noticeably higher.
Driving through the A9 until Bessan, and then the A75 towards Millau, really was magic. It’s a privilege to drive in such amazing roads, and despite the fact that most of the time the road was straight (apart from some A75 stretches), the omnipresent surrounding natural beauty and fantastic-looking small villages contributed to an unforgettable drive.
And then, suddenly, the Millau Viaduct emerged in front of me.
From an on-site point of view – driving on it – it was nothing overwhelming. The slim pillars aren’t very high and, although clean and modern, the design is discreet. The see-through side barriers (to protect from the wind) revealed a small town way down – Millau – and that was the only clue to the incredible height of the place.
I then stopped at the Viaduct service area, as it was expectable to have a good view from the bridge. It did, and the second photo was made there. It still didn’t appear to be groundbreaking, but it was definitely very elegant. A bit of a disappointment, I remember to think, but maybe it was all a question of a wrong perspective. So, better to find a different point of view: let’s go under it and see how it looks like from there.
Passed Millau – a small city with little charm – and, finally, I found the adequate perspective to appreciate this engineering masterpiece. There even is a museum dedicated to the bridge, courtesy of Eiffel – yes, this bridge was built by the company which also built the Eiffel Tower – a fantastic place to take some fantastic photos and, if you like, buy some memorabilia.
From underneath this friendly giant, multiple thoughts cross your mind. You feel very small next to it, but at the same time, your soul feels as big as the pillars. This bridge is an incredible achieving; it’s a material proof of what we, Humans, can do when we try, when we pass our limits, our fears, our challenges. It was said it was impossible to be built, and despite that, there it is in front of you, shining along the clouds, its delicacy making it a natural part of the landscape. Every word is short to make that place justice. Every single person in the world should go there to see it.
Trip to Montpellier
Not having found a reasonably priced hotel room in Millau, I took my way to Montpellier, the closest Youth Hostal I had in my home-made list.
The first part of the road was a single-lane, uphill, curved stretch. A joy to drive, and what I discovered was that every single French I met drove like a maniac! Honestly, maybe because they were facing a (slower, not slow) foreign small car, their first thought must have been “let’s show this bloke how to drive”. When I saw a woman cornering an old Kangoo on its door mirrors, and shorter afterwards overtaking me as I was going backwoods, I felt sick. But at the same time, happy! I had never seen ordinary people driving so aggressively, and I just loved it!
Then a downpour came out of nothing, later plenty of sun again. There, even the weather is temperamental…
Then it was a stretch of motorway (I think a new one, I don’t recall the name of it) and soon I arrived at Montpellier. And that was a shock.
At first, it looked a regular Portuguese city, with plenty of traffic, some bad pavement and incoherent road signals. Then the GPS tried to drive me just to the historic centre, and I lost about one hour to figure out that it was just impossible to get to the Hostal by car.
As parking spaces were so scarce, and paid, I left the Panda far away from the Historic Centre, and went there on foot.
Montpellier is a very peculiar place. I had never seen so much youth in the same place, as I did that night. But, even so, I hated every minute on it.
First of all, the Hostal was a nightmare – very old, in bad shape, dirt, noisy and those bathrooms were so good I even lost the will to take a bath, left alone doing anything else. So, hardly paradise for someone who desperately needed to sleep.
Leaving the preserved, well illuminated and clean Historic Centre is like being in Barcelona and exiting on a door directly to a Brasilian favela. The city is dark, untidy and the common groups of blokes with not-so-good appearance never fail to arise a sensation of insecurity, a feeling exaggerated by the omnipresent police. Where the hell am I? Bagdad? It looks like. Then I found that the street where I had parked my Panda was pretty much horrid, as there was no traffic, it was very dark and the houses looked like bunkers ready for a war to begin. For you to see the scale of the problem, I even didn’t access the car in order for people not to notice its foreign number plate. Thankfully it’s very discreet.
That night, I barely slept (again), this time because of the car. All I kept thinking of was that the next morning I would find it burned…
Day 5 – Saturday, April 10th – from Montpellier to Nice (FR), through Monte Carlo – E80 A54-A8
The day started early, as I was dying to see if my Panda had survived the “Dark City”.
Fortunately it did, so the drive to Nice began at about 8 in the morning.
The first part of the journey wasn’t that good: too much traffic, a bit cold (imagine the Multijet clattering…) and around 20km (13 miles) of very sharp road pavement (designed to help traction on heavy rain, by the looks of things). Even before those 20 km of noisy hell ended, I was already thinking about giving up Monte Carlo, and going straight to Andorra. But boy, I’m glad I didn’t.
The cloudy and cold morning gave way to a gorgeous and warm sunny day, the perfect compliment for the fantastic landscape around the motorway, almost 300 km (190 miles) of another epic drive.
Arriving at Nice surrounds was a nice surprise – the French really respect and preserve Nature a lot, so you end up in a place where civilization embraces hills and trees in a wonderful way. However, when arriving at Nice centre, it soon became obvious that this places hates cars. Gradients are enormous, parking spaces are very scarce and, weirdly, the sight is not the beauty I had imagined it would be. A true letdown. I didn’t even bother to take photos…
Going to Monaco
So, before I lost a lot of time there, I drove off to Monte Carlo. After the massive Nice disappointment, I confess my expectations were low.
The road which gets there is a mix of open-air motorways and tunnels, mostly limited to 110 km/h (70 mph) due to the variable and steep gradients. After the last tunnel, I was in for a shock – all I saw was blue, a heaven-like mix of sky and sea! Then, it was a 90 km/h (56 mph) double-lane road surrounded by flowers, small trees and fantastic houses. There I saw the first majestic sight – a Rolls-Royce Phantom.
The downtown was in a bit of a disorder – preparing for the F1 Grand Prix had already began – but even that did nothing against the spirit of the city: extremely clean, warm, charming, beautiful and – wait for it – car friendly! Lots of parking spaces, wide streets and not that much traffic (and remember, it was a Saturday afternoon). I then parked the Panda on Rue Grimaldi (1€ - 45 minutes), one of the main streets, and went for a walk around the Marine first, and then on some of downtown’s streets. Took a couple of photos and went to the F1 hotel, near Nice (I could not afford to gamble on my rest one more night…).
Another fantastic day and, as the day before, one where a substantial part of the fun didn’t came from the driving experience alone. I definitely recommend a drive to Monte Carlo!
Day 6 – Sunday, April 11th – from Nice to Andorra la Vella – D6007, E80 A8-A54-A61, E09 A66-N20-N22, CG-2 (AND)
That morning, the weather was a bit sketchy. Being an early (8:30 am) Sunday morning, I drove almost alone towards Cannes.
The roads had no story: not particularly beautiful nor that smooth, there was nothing special about them. Perhaps the weather is partly to blame, but the inherent beauty every French motorway has about it hadn’t got the slightest parallel on the wonderland I had imagined. So, I ended up driving the D6007 road with absolutely no grin on my face. Antibes, La Californie, Palm Beach and even Cannes were a massive disappointment, too. Nothing special, like everyone says. I find Portugal's Marginal road, from Lisbon to Sintra, to be miles more impressive, as for beauty as for charisma and charm. And I’m far from being a nationalist…
So, in centre Cannes, I set up the GPS towards Andorra la Vella, and off we go.
With almost 700 km (440 miles) of road ahead, it would be interesting to drive across different landscapes, such as the French Riviera, the French Motorways and the Pyrenees mountains.
In the beginning, even the patchy weather did nothing to hide the marvelous motorway’s beauty, but after a while it got better. It really is a joy to drive there. First the E80 A8, then the A54, the miles passed by quickly, despite of an average speed under 130 km/h (80 mph). Of course, most of the time the wind was either absent or very weak, so the noise inside the Panda was perfectly tolerable. Interesting to find out, in these circumstances, that past 3000 rpm (130 km/h), the little Multijet gets itself very noticed, a sign it’s running hard. So, a real autonomy of just over 600 kilometres is all it can get.
Arriving at the Pyrenees
The landscape changed abruptly nearing the Pyrenees. A bit less trees, long green fields, gorgeous small towns perfectly integrated in the nature, it was a magic drive. Then, the wonderful mountains appeared. The N20 road enters a valley where some fantastic-looking small towns are. Great pavement, plenty of corners, it’s an astonishing drive. And then, the road starts climbing the mountain. With very steep gradients, very slow corners and an astonishing view, it’s hard to go any fast. But, at some point, I started “racing” a VW Golf IV TDI 110 PS. And the truth is that, despite rarely going faster than 50 km/h, the pleasure of driving the little Panda really got into an all new level! Another second-gear corner, thrash it, 3rd gear, brake, downshift again. This happened during about 20km, until eventually the mountains were covered in snow and the Andorra Aduana was reached. A quick glimpse back down, and the road just run almost looks unreal, being so small, curved and beautiful. A true wonder, a really epic drive!
Andorra is more of the same, with most of the roads looking like narrow kart-circuits in the middle of the nature. Gradients are the rule, rather than the exception, and that, together with sharp corners, proved to be a great receipt for the Panda to excel. Its gearbox doesn’t appreciate changing gears down very fast, but it never complained in such hard conditions. Impressive.
That night would be passed by in a Youth Hostel near La Comella, around 5km outside Andorra la Vella. Another great day!
Day 7 – Monday, April 12th – Andorra – local roads
I spent the day thrashing the Panda on the hills, and I even went for the snow. I had never ever seen proper snow in my life, so a drive to the ski lanes had to be. I took the CG-3 road pass La massana, Les Salines and El Serrat, with plenty of second-gear corners, and I have to say it was (yet) another piece of amazing road to drive! As always, the Panda soldiered on like a true hero, the only complaining occasionally coming from the tyres and the omnipresent body-roll, not something that bothers me by now, as I got used to it… This all happened even when it started to snow, the skinny tyres taking care of business amazingly well – I rarely got a hint of understeer, despite the abuse.
On these circumstances, I must admit that fuel consumption rises noticeably, but distances here are always short, made to look bigger because of the low average speeds attained. Diesel fuel prices were almost 20% lower than the, already low, Spanish ones.
Apart from the driving, Andorra la Vella has plenty of shops, and I was said that prices of many goods are low. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find out which ones as everything just looked like a lot of money to me. Or maybe I have no notion of prices, as I hate shopping…
Day 8 – Tuesday, April 13th – from Andorra to Lleida – CG-1, C-14 (ES), C-26, C-13
This day I went back to the ski lanes, as the weather was a lot better. Gone was the freezing cold and the cloudy skies, the sunshine giving a completely different perspective of that place. The day before it was almost dramatic, now it was just quiet and peaceful.
After lunch, I took the road Spain – I would sleep in Lleida, in order to ready myself for another cross-Spain drive. From Andorra to my hometown of Redondo would just be far too much.
The C-14, C-26 and C-13 is another great road. Single-laned, surrounded by mountains at first, then crossing long valleys, not heavy on traffic (perfect if you love overtaking, as it is my case ;) ), it reminds me once again that Catalonia really has some of the best driving roads I’ve ever knew. Some people that say fun is only guaranteed on a twisty road. I agree up to a certain point, but driving pleasure is not only about pushing you and your machine to the limits on corners, and this road is another proof of that. Without a fantastic scenario, a nice weather and a proper music, an unforgettable driving experience cannot be fully accomplished, and this road is a material proof for this statement.
Day 9 – Wednesday, April 14th – from Lleida to Redondo – E90 A2-A5, N373
The last trip day was cloudy and even rainy at times. Nevertheless, I decided to take a stretch of single-laned road in order to avoid the AP2 expensive toll, as I thought it would be a short blast. However, pack almost 80 km of unknown road with drizzle and a lot of lorries and the result is… fantastic! Once again, the Panda shined more than the sun had done in Monte Carlo: with a freak like me at the wheel, its Multijet thrust showed drivers of lorries and far more superior cars how well a Panda can dance! The sequence -2500 rpm – pedal to the metal – up to fifth – hard on the brakes – downshift to fourth- was repeated time after time, an entertaining sequence that turned an otherwise dreadful-looking drive onto an unforgettable experience.
Verdict
I couldn’t have possibly imagined what a big challenge this trip would turn out to be, and maybe that was what made it so memorable.
Spain is… Spain – it's still the country I identify myself the most with. It has great roads, landscapes, food and “joie de vivre”, the full mix of important values for me.
France is a mix. I don’t appreciate their towns, their food and most people’s personality, left alone the massive disappointment the French Riviera was. But, regarding the driving experience alone, it’s on a class of its own. It has the greatest motorways and one of the most astonishing constructions on Earth – the beautiful Millau Viaduct.
Monte Carlo is definitely another must-visit place. Its beauty, sophistication and delicacy embraces visitors in such a way you want to stay there for a month. But, for the wealth of your wallet, better to stay only a couple of hours…
Andorra is Nature-freaks paradise: is has the most dramatic and phenomenal landscapes and roads. Also, locals are friendly, food is close to the Spanish one (I love it) and life there is not expensive.
The last words are, of course, dedicated to the hero of this trip: my Panda.
Honestly, I never thought it would be this good. It handled brilliantly very long journeys; it was a cute and honest sight in Monte Carlo; it took care of both Andorra’s hard mountain roads and Montpellier’s night. It’s astonishingly good at its limits, all kind of them, and in every place it was just right.
As time passes by, I love it more and more. I cannot believe I own such special and amazing cars, as are the smart roadster and Fiat Panda.
Cheers!
Trip statistics
Distance covered: 4155 km (2597 miles)
Average fuel consumption: 5,24 L/100km (53,9 mpg)
Average diesel fuel price: 1,102 €/L
Tolls: 123,06 €
Diesel fuel: 239,77 €
Comments
Next time take ya rodsta out! Porque también merece ver paisajes lindos, y para que no se te cubra de polvo...