Took the motor to St Tropez a few years
back - via Switzerland and Italy. I offered to deliver a friend’s daughter to
her wedding, which turned out to be at near Lake Garda, so I thought I might as
well make a holiday of it. Very surprised to learn that I had to have an export
license to go through Switzerland. Apparently they don’t trust folks to bring
cars back again once they leave this European Union thing. As if I am going to
sell my beloved and catch the train back!! Still it is nice to know that they
think my motor is a national treasure.
As expected, the motor went beautifully and never missed a beat in 2,600
miles. I confess that I did run out of petrol once. A miscalculation on my
part, but what a daft place to put a petrol gauge – on the petrol tank!
Positioned the motor in front of two very nice yachts in St Tropez -
proper boats, not the usual gin-palaces that congregate there for the posing
season. Immediately two gendarmes informed me that I could not park there. 
A
far cry from the British Bobby who once said “In this car Sir, you can park
anywhere you bloody well like”.
Anyway I convinced the gendarmes that I would
be there ‘pour un moment’, ‘pour une photo’. However, when I leapt out to take
the said photo, I could not see the motor for admirers. Everyone seems to have
a camera these days and if they haven’t, they take photos with their
telephones. Made my Box Brownie look positively medieval !
TTFN
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