Diesel Cruzin

[bigwheelzip]

We got lucky with the smaller Citroen vehicle that was substituted for the van we asked for. Hubby was still able to get comfortable enough to drive it, though the vehicle systems are numerous and not the most user-friendly. It took five minutes to figure out how to put it in Park and shut it off!
Then it took another five minutes to figure out that Diesel fuel is labeled Gazole at the fuel pumps in France.
Spent the day at the home and gardens of impressionist painter Claude Monet, and been spoiled by the beauty of the place and the warmth of the people.

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[DeathGrip]

Enjoy your trip. Are you experiencing the heat wave?

More pics when you can.

 

[6518John]

That is a cool rig. Why does it have a big hole in the bottom of the door?

 

[bigwheelzip]

Enjoy your trip. Are you experiencing the heat wave?

More pics when you can.

Thanks.
The heatwave just broke before we arrived.
Tried to get a pic this morning that was gun related but was too slow. An eight man patrol of black berreted French Marines, on foot with full kit, came past the Monet home in the TINY village of Giverney. Guess us tourists make a good target, but those guys make a serious deterrent.
For you folks that like wood furniture on your firearms, I snapped Monet's desk.

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[bigwheelzip]

That is a cool rig. Why does it have a big hole in the bottom of the door?

That's automotive design flare for you. For some unknown reason they wanted to replicate the front facia trim on the door trim.

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[6518John]

I though maybe it was to keep your feet cool or to kick critters out if one jumped in your lap. Or maybe a drain if you drive too deep in the local crick. But then it hit me, one probably does not need those features in France! Those are more Arkansas/Mississippi/Alabama vehicle features.

 

[LVSteve]

That's automotive design flare for you. For some unknown reason they wanted to replicate the front facia trim on the door trim.

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I thought it was the outlet for the French version of a Sidewinder exhaust.

That's conservatively styled for a Citroen. I know this from being the kid whose dad drove a Citroen GS station wagon.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Here is the last four of the eight French Marines patrolling Giverney to protect us tourists in this tiny village. Four pairs of Marines spaced about fifty feet apart, talking quietly into microphones they wore and constantly looking around.
Looked like they carried M16 pattern rifles.

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[misswired]

I'm impressed with the car,but, Wow.......look at that purty French Lady sitting in it.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Hated to leave our lovely hosts at the guest house in Giverney, but the road beckoned.
Put about 300 kilometers on our diesel Citroen C5 Aircross today, traveling up to the area of the WWI battlefields at the Somme river Hindenburg Line.
We traversed every type of road, from rutted dirt farm lanes to 130km/h highway, and I am very happy with this vehicle.
The luggage all fits under the rear hatch cover. The seats are as comfortable as any I can remember. The suspension absorbs bumps beautifully, and the cabin sound dampening is excellent. I am still recuperating from surgery, so I'll not drive it for a couple more weeks, but hubby is very happy with the driveability, and is merrily passing cars and trucks on these narrow country roads.

Our garden cottage in Giverney.

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[misswired]

Boy Howdy that's some beautiful countryside.... an a very nice wild flower garden.... top notch!

 

[bigwheelzip]

The bucolic beauty of this landscape in the Somme region is the starkest contrast to the prolonged brutality inflicted here a century ago. The signs of destruction have mostly vanished, and serene resting places remain, anchored to, yet seemingly out of place in this remote and beautiful place.

At the Bellicort American Monument, above the canal tunnel strong point of the Hindenburg Line. The fields and forest beyond were obliterated during battle, leaving only dirt, trenches, and barbed wire.

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[bigwheelzip]

Soldiers from my NYC hometown suffered historic losses attacking the heavily fortified area around this spot, the Gillemont farm. The Somme American Cemetery, at the farthest treeline to the right of the monument, is the final resting place for many of them.

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[bigwheelzip]

The Somme American Cemetery is a beautiful final resting place. I brought a touching letter written to the deceased soldier James Spire, by someone who was fighting with him when he was killed in battle, the father of our late forum member CYRANO. The Superintendent was honored to add it to the archives there, and then gave me a personal tour. A truly unforgettable day.

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[bigwheelzip]

Rather than gather the fallen to a centralized Cemetery, the British Commonwealth soldiers are often burried where they fell, leaving cemeteries everywhere along the former battle front.

The Vadencourt British Cemetery.

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[bigwheelzip]

The German Cemetery has a much more severe appearance, with the names of four soldiers on each cross, two on the front and two on the back.

The German Cemetery at Maissemy.

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[DeathGrip]

Thanks for sharing,

 

[Onomea]

On the diesel Citroen, my understanding is that diesels are more popular in Europe than in the USA, and that the reason is because diesel is taxed at a lower rate than gas, so they're cheaper to drive.

If that is correct, is the taxed at a lower rate due to their being less polluting?

If diesels are now sporty, I wonder why we don't see more of them in the US nowadays, too. Maybe 'cause gas is too cheap here to make the switch worthwhile?

How does your husband like the performance compared to a regular gas powered car?

 

[TX-Dennis]

If diesels are now sporty, I wonder why we don't see more of them in the US nowadays, too. Maybe 'cause gas is too cheap here to make the switch worthwhile?

It probably has a lot to do with memories of those HORRIBLE GM diesel cars in the early 80s.

 

[LVSteve]

It probably has a lot to do with memories of those HORRIBLE GM diesel cars in the early 80s.

It's everything to do with the GM diesel debacle. We have a BMW 328d and its performance is surprising along with over 35 mpg around Vegas. I would like to score a 535d with the six-cylinder, because that really hauls the mail.

The other factor is that the pricing structure in much of the US makes diesel considerably more expensive than 87 gasoline, often more than Premium. That's not the case out here in the West where diesel is often the same or less than mid grade.