35 days in the EU

[Rovert]

So I had the pleasure to visit four countries within the EU for just over a month. I got to experience some amazing things that I can't get anywhere else. I was on assignment as well for work to capture events at various car brand dealerships. We help dealers sell a lot of cars so I was making a video to promote the various brands we work with in the EU. In between filming and editing I get to be a tourist and go explore the cities I get to visit.

I started in Rome, then high speed train up to SE France in the Alps where I rented a car and travelled to the southwest side of France (Brive, Agen, Perigeux) using roads that I see used in videos from the Smoking Tire on Youtube, but the roads in France lasted for hours, not just 10 minutes. Turns became a mission of hitting the apex, roundabouts became chicanes with varying race lines depending on which exit, I enjoyed every second, minute, and hour of driving those roads. From SW France, I went down to the French Riviera in Marseilles and Nice then worked my way to Monte Carlo, Monaco where seeing with my own eyes the opulence in my rental car with a 2.0T engine, LOL. From there I drove through the Alps literally...an 8 mile long tunnel carved into and out of an Alp. Then I dropped off the car to take the high speed train through Paris to Belgium where I would rent a car to see the city of Gent, Antwerp, and Brussels.

I took a lot of pictures with my 6D and decided to dump a few of the decent ones on my flickr account and share a handful directly here. All of them are straight through the camera without any editing so excuse if some of them have lighting slightly off, I know that you can see through the flaws and focus on what I was trying to capture. Sometimes settings can't be adjusted perfectly when a moment comes while I'm standing there but I feel it's good enough...LOL.

Here are some of the many pictures:


by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr



by Trevor Mah, on Flickr

If you want to see more, the link the the full album is here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskdLfML4

It was an awesome experience and I can't wait to go on another trip to an unknown location!

[BMWCurves]

Awesome photos, Trevor. Sounds like an amazing trip. I would love to go back and visit Europe in the future.

[WOLFN8TR]

Nice photos Trevor! What is the one with the building with the stairs that go down in the hole in the ground?

[az3579]

What the heck is that mini car with an Aston Martin badge and grille??? It's in the pic with the Fairmont Monte Carlo sign, looking down on a bunch of expensive parked cars.

[BMWCurves]

What the heck is that mini car with an Aston Martin badge and grille??? It's in the pic with the Fairmont Monte Carlo sign, looking down on a bunch of expensive parked cars.

That's the Aston Martin Cygnet, meant to help balance their emissions across their models.

[az3579]

That's the Aston Martin Cygnet, meant to help balance their emissions across their models.

Never heard of it, so I looked it up. Looks like it's exactly the joke I thought it was; a rebadged Toyota iQ. Tsk tsk, Aston Martin. I'd rather have a Toyota iQ than an iQ that's pretending to be an Aston.

I also read it was a massive flop and barely anyone bought one. Scary...
I wonder why Aston can't just design an actual Aston that's good on emissions? Just make enough models that meet their emissions quotas, but still have Aston DNA in them. That would be fantastic; a fuel efficient, fun-to-drive Aston. For all they know, it might just sell really well.

[Oli77]

What is the one with the building with the stairs that go down in the hole in the ground?

SW France has a lot of "gouffres". It may be the "gouffre du Padirac", a deep beautiful cave. Google it.

Super pictures Trevor, you took a pic of my favorite gangster car, the DS21. Know where you took a lot of these.

[Rovert]

Nailed it on the head! The hole in Padriac! Once down you go even deeper into the cave and jump on a boat to sail just over a mile inside. The subterranean river is 25 miles long and there was a cavern wide and tall enough to fit a NYC city block of 30 storey skyscrapers. It was inspiring in there. Weren't allowed to take pics. Too bad. My 6D would have been able to do it!!

[Oli77]

we need a "who's your Daddy" emoticon.

[Rovert]

I got to hangout at a BMW dealership for a few days covering an event there. They have so many engine choices and interior trims. The amount of cloth, alcantara, and leather options make North America look plain and not very fancy. It's nice that you can option out the least powerful engine with full M package and everything else in between.

I also got the pleasure of experiencing the Alfa Romeo 4C. What an amazing drivers car!!!