Yesterday we arrived back from my business trip to Geneva – well, actually, Geneva airport, as we didn’t enter the city limits at all this time. But don’t tell everyone that – a trip to Geneva sounds so much more glamorous, and my job is perceived as glamorous so best we perpetuate the myth!
We drove – the total distance was around 1500 miles. And yes, we did originally consider doing the trip in Horatio – last year we looked at potential campsites just over the border in France and considered the practicalities of attending the show on a scooter – or maybe getting taxis. The killer consideration was the kit. The principal reason for driving there is to take everything we put on our display (the other one is to pick up cases of champagne on the way back) – but we couldn’t consider carting all that stuff all round Europe and the one-way shipping cost from Switzerland wasn’t good. Add the fact that we are usually the taxi service for some of our colleagues and the less than convenient location of the campsites (nowhere near all the good restaurants!) we decided to keep this trip as a car one, as usual, which also gives me breathing space to do a bit of follow up.
As it happens, also a bit of time to recover from near alcohol poisoning…. this show is even more play hard than the last one – and it all starts at lunchtime, during the show itself when my French colleagues crack the first of the bottles of wine they brought with them. Quelle dommage! (it’s a tough job, but somone’s gotta do it!).
I have done this trip every year since 2003, and each time I have driven the car off the ferry at Calais, I have experienced a strong urge to really travel, take turnings when they look interesting, follow signs, stop and experience. But each time we head for Geneva and the show and then come back. To start with it was a day and a half there, 1 day back. Then I moved further from Calais, so it was more like 2 days back, and then I thought I should see a bit more of France so now its 3 days back. The route goes through Champagne, so we have to stop at our now favourite producer, Morel Pere & Fils, and cram what we can into the car amongst the exhibits. Madame et Monsieur are always amused.
So this trip is part of the inspiration for the Grand Tour – why did I wait 10 years?!