We have Arrived!
We left Reims at 7am and, after a bit of backtracking to find the right road out of town, followed Borghese's original route for the last 100 miles to Paris. It was a smooth, if wet run, through small villages and between fields of ripening wheat. I felt surprisingly emotional thinking how much of this would have looked the same 100 years ago.
We left Reims at 7am and, after a bit of backtracking to find the right road out of town, followed Borghese's original route for the last 100 miles to Paris. It was a smooth, if wet run, through small villages and between fields of ripening wheat. I felt surprisingly emotional thinking how much of this would have looked the same 100 years ago.
After negotiating the traffic on the Peripherique (very different from 1907) we drove up Boulevard Voltaire, Place de la Republique, Boulevards St Martin, St Denis, de Bonne Nouvelle and Poissonniere (where Le Matin had offices), then on to Place de la Concorde, home of The Automobile Club of France, and Borghese's finishing place, at 10:30am.
Neither the Club (backdrop for the picture) nor the Hotel next door were interested in serving two bedraggled Brits with a celebratory cup of coffee, let alone a champagne lunch, so we went sightseeing instead. The Austin 7 proved a great way to see the city, and was appreciated by Parisiens and tourists alike, although I don't think many believed our story of driving it from Beijing.
Our total mileage for the route was 7475 miles, satisfyingly close to our prediction. We'll work out the other statistics of the journey later and post them here, for those interested in that sort of thing.
7 comments:
Well Done! Austins for ever. Sorry to miss you in the Fatherland but glad you found the natives friendly (apart from the oil police). No doubt you will be glad to wring yourselves out when you get to London.
HOpe to see you when we return - sorry we shan't be at the Meynell for the Staffordshire festivities.
Sarah and Michael.
congratulations. You made it!!!!
What an amazing adventure you have had! Really looking forward to welcoming you home in London tomorrow evening!
See you then!
Have a good trip across the channel! Although the weather forecast is terrible for most of Britain it looks almost OK for the south east!
Very many congratulations to you all, what a trip!
Kind regards
Ruairidh and Tanya Dunford
Well to you both, and the car! We have loved following your journey these last couple of months, and almost felt part of the adventure simply from the way you write which is so honest and refreshing and not just about cars.
To think we felt brave just taking our Chummy to Wales and back last year!
All the very best and a safe journey back to London.
P&S
Congratulation! I was following your trip day-by-day and enjoyed your diary and the pictures. Next year I am planning to drive my 40 years old, 356ccm engine Subaru from Tokyo to Budapest and your blog is a great help at the planning. Thank you for sharing it.
Imre Hegedus
Hi Annabel and Seb
Congratulations on reaching Paris - how good is that?? Makes the Measham look tame!!
We have been following your adventure daily with enthusiasm.
Enjoy the Champagne at Sundays noggin.
Gareth and Carol
p.s. Remember to drive on the left
when you reach England!!
Well done, Annabel and Seb! We've really enjoyed logging on every evening to keep in touch with your progress. Sorry we can't make any parties but look forward to seeing you at Prescott.
All the best, David & Ilke.
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