Dec 2, 2014

46) Citroen XM Treffen (20/Sep/2014)

Austrian Citroen XM enthusiasts organised a pleasant meeting to celebrate 25th anniversary of the XM.
As I lent my green XM V6 to Niels & Joy, friends from California, I had to borrow another XM for this meeting.
I got a really nice XM V6 for the day from Sašo, Citroen enthusiast from Selnica.
The meeting was supposed to start at 9am, so I hit the road at 5:30am - I had to cover the distance of about 300 km from my house in Slovenia to Eferding in Austria.
It was easy to find the gathering point in Eferding, XMs were all over the place.
When everyone had arrived, we drove to Schaunburg castle ruins nearby, and spent some time there.
Next stop: guesthouse "Die Tenne" in Mühlviertel.
We had great lunch, listened to traditional music, and went kicking tires afterwards.
Then we drove in a convoy to Neufelden, and visited Citroen Pöchtrager dealership.
Niels & Joy arrived from Munich, we met on the way to Neufelden.
Niels' brother Thomas was also there.
It was nice to see them again (and to see my green XM after a couple of months).
The group continued on to dinner, while I drove back home to Slovenia.


Sep 23, 2014

45) Nordkapp with Citroen GS (July & August 2014)

The missus and yours truly drove to Nordkapp with our Citroen Dyane a long time ago - in 1993:

>>> Dyane goes to Nordkapp <<<

After many years, we wanted to go to Nordkapp with an old Citroen again.
We have two children now, so we needed a family car - our Citroen GS Super 1,3 (made in 1979).
The car ran beautifully, and we drove very enjoyable 11,336 km with ease. 
Here comes the video in five parts.

Part 1:
- Meeting Gabi & Guenter, Citroen GS enthusiasts near Gifhorn, Germany
- Crossing the Østbroen bridge in Denmark
- Crossing the Øresund bridge, connecting Denmark and Sweden 
- Driving on the shore of Lake Vättern in Sweden, with a rest stop by the lake
- Camping in Kolmården
- Camping near Härnösand
- A couple of interesting cars in Härnösand
- Sävar battlefield (near Umeå) - rest stop
- Camping in Tornio, Finland 
- Black Chevy Impala in Tornio
- Arctic Circle & Santa Claus village near Rovaniemi
- Martta on the road to Ivalo
- Reindeers on the road between Rovaniemi and Ivalo
- Camping near Ivalo, on the banks of Ivalojoki river
- VW Beetle from St. Petersburg, Russia
- Lake Inari
- Road to Karigasniemi on Norwegian border
- Two VW Beetles from St. Petersburg, on the way to Nordkapp
- Trollholmsund
- Driving along Porsanger fjord
- Arrival to Honningsvåg on Magerøya island


Part 2:
- A short drive from Honningsvåg towards Nordkapp
- A hike to Knivskjelodden, the real northernmost point on Magerøya island
- Great views of Nordkapp cliff from Knivskjelodden
- Seals swimming just off the coast near Knivskjelloden
- We also saw a whale, but for too short a time to film it
- A visit to Nordkapp
- Camping near Honningsvåg
- Driving from Honningsvåg to Hammerfest
- Scenes from Hammerfest (points of interest, reindeers etc)
- Driving from Hammerfest to Alta
- Camping in Alta
- Driving from Alta to Nordkjosbotn
- Camping in Nordkjosbotn
- Tromsø
- Driving from Tromsø to Settermoen
- Military Museum in Setermoen


Part 3:
- Camping in Setermoen
- Citroen gathering & Military Museum in Setermoen
- Scenic drive to Lofoten
- Tjelsundet bridge
- Kabelvåg in Lofoten
- Scenic drive all the way to Å i Lofoten
- Stopping in nice places, such as Hamnøy, Reine, Skagsanden beach etc
- A visit to famous village Henningsvær
- After leaving the Lofoten, this part ends on the ferry from Skarberget to Bognes


Part 4:
- Driving on E6 in Norway, from Bognes to Fauske
- Suspension footbridge across Luonosjahka river
- Driving across Saltfjellet
- Leaving the Arctic Circle on Saltfjellet
- Arctic Circle visitor center
- Scenic road 76 to Brønnøysund
- Rainy Brønnøysund (we missed Torghatten due to rain)
- Staying in cabin near Høylandet
- Driving on E6 in nice weather, passing Trondheim
- Driving on road 70 towards Sunndalsøra
- Vinufossen (860m), Europe's highest waterfall (near Sunndalsøra)
- Camping in Eresfjord, on the banks of river Eira
- Trollstigen road and Stigfossen waterfall
- Ferry across Norddalsfjord, from Valldal to Eidsdal
- Meeting friendly Ferrari drivers above Geiranger fjord
- Geiranger fjord
- A short stop by Djupvatnet lake, on the base of Dalsnibba mountain
- Scenic drive from Geiranger to Lom


Part 5:
- Camping in Lom
- Scenic drive across Sognefjell, from Lom to Lustrafjord
- Sognefjell road is the highest mountain pass road in Norway, surrounded by the highest Norwegian mountains
- A quick lunch break by Lustrafjord
- Ferry across Sognefjord
- Lærdals-tunellen, the longest road tunnel in the World (24.5 km)
- A short stop in Flåm, on the other side of the tunnel
- Driving along Sørfjorden, towards Odda
- Camping in Hildal, near Odda
- Vidfossen waterfall
- Ferry crossing from Nesvik to Hjelmeland
- Camping near Preikestolen
- A hike to Preikestolen
- Preikestolen above Lysefjord, in very windy conditions
- Camping near Grimstad
- After a long drive from Norway and through Sweden, crossing the Øresund bridge between Sweden and Denmark
- Camping near Tappernøje (Denmark)
- Ferry crossing from Rødby (Denmark) to Puttgarden (Germany)
- All kinds of in-car hilarity while driving to Gifhorn
- Meeting GS enthusiasts Gabi & Guenter again, near Gifhorn
- A few scenes from a long drive from Germany back home to Slovenia


Sep 22, 2014

44) HydroRaid 2014

HydroRaid 2014 was held on 12th of July, 2014.

This was yet another easy-going meeting of owners of hydraulically-suspended Citroens, held in Prlekija (in Eastern Slovenia).
We gathered on a farm in Bodislavci (near Ljutomer), our traditional gathering place.
Then we drove in a long convoy to Negova castle.
We visited Kupljen winery in Okoslavci next.
Finally, we drove back to Bodislavci, where the remainder of the meeting took place.


Jul 11, 2014

43) Citroen GS trip on Adriatic Highway (10/May/2014)

A great trip with three Citroen GSes on Adriatic Highway in Croatia.
Adriatic Highway is a very scenic road which follows the Adriatic coast from Rijeka to Montenegro.
We drove in the Northern part.
Start was in Bakarac.
We then had a pit stop in Senj.
In Sveti Juraj, we drove up to Velebit (to Krasno).
The next stop was an airfield near Otočac, with an old DC-3 Dakota.
Then on to Gospić and Oštarijska vrata pass (928 m).
From the pass, we drove down to Karlobag, and back towards Senj.
This was the most spectacular part, with great views of the sea, the coast and the islands.
The video ends with seafood dinner in Sveti Juraj.


Jul 10, 2014

42) Laganini Raid (29/Mar/2014)

Laganini Raid is an easy-going event which usually takes place on the coast of Slovenia.
The Raid is organised by Saša Šoštarič, who is the man behind Laganini guided tours of Slovenian coast and Istria:

http://www.laganini.si

People come to Laganini Raid with their 2CVs, Dyanes, Amis and Meharis, but any other car is welcome (especially if it's an old Citroen).
We gathered at Socerb castle, on a hill above Trst (Trieste). From the castle, we had great views of the Bay of Trieste, and the cities of Koper and Trst.
A scenic drive through the countryside and tiny villages followed.
We stopped on a hill above Sočerga border crossing (between Slovenia and Croatia).
Then there was a short hike to a tiny waterfall.
Finally, we visited Abitanti, a once deserted village which is now settled again.
After a great lunch at Abitanti, we drove on high roads above the coast a little more, and the day ended with a picnic near Lucija.