Epic Drive 2017: Bourgogne to Bordeaux

By Karen

I am the Karen of karenable and am pretty much everything my husband describes.  You will be convinced by the end of this series that brings you inside a one-week trip from Bourgogne to Bordeaux with us, a few of our closest friends and family who all share a passion for supercars, traveling and wining and dining in Michelin starred restaurants. In this first blog, I will share the Plan: the who, the how, the where and the when.

The travel group was comprised of us, SSO’s brother and his wife and 2 near & dear friends from Switzerland. How dear is a Swiss friend that ‘lends’ your brother a Porsche GT3 for a week?  A loving brother who lets his wife to fly ahead and spend a few days shopping in Geneva?

You might be familiar with our collection of McLaren’s, Porsche’s, Maserati and Ferarri’s.  His younger brother also has a Ferrari.  The Swiss gents each have a very impressive collection of Ferraris & Porsches.  This is just their current collections – it doesn’t include their past or what they have on order for the future.  On this particular trip we took the Ferrari F40.

Our Ferrari F40 has been renting a room at a very discret supercar ‘hotel’ outside of London.  When we arrived the F40 was sharing a room with a beautiful Series 1 Jaguar E-Type.  The only predicable downside of the F40 is the ‘boot’ space.  It limits us to travelling with 2 duffle bags, in total.  It just requires very careful wardrobe planning; mix & match evening wear and clothes that can be rolled and not wrinkle.  Thank goodness there is Lululemon by day and Missoni, Hermes scarves (that double as tops) & Issey Miyake by night.  Add a travel size La Mer and I’m good to go. It’s never been a challenge for SSO.  Jeans, t-shirts, his BV shoes and Lora Piana blue jacket; job done.

When mapping the route from Bourgogne to Bordeaux, we did not use Google Maps or Waze.  We weren’t interested to get from A to B the fastest way. The real enjoyment of a supercars is driving the great ‘green’ roads on the Michelin maps.  It’s about the journey not the destination (well not exactly!) But in this case, the driving on great roads was a core objective of the trip.  People who are passionate about driving get it – that is when driving is at its best and most enjoyable.  Also for the passenger.

Flying in and out of big cities for a few days can be fun.  We have done a lot of that, and continue to do as the Bucket List is long and alive.  But the real gems are the little towns and villages barely on the map.  Certainly none that most people have ever heard of.  Most are unexpected.  The need for a bio break or caffeine fix can find you in the quaintest village where the locals come out in groves at admiration and awe at the cars (not us!) Some of the best meals were completely unexpected in a small little bistro that you would barely think to go into let alone make it a 2 hour ‘pitstop’.

With but a few exceptions over 20 years, Relais and Chateau has never let us down.  Consistently high standards, elegant, understated, exceptional quality (high threat count linens, thick plush towels & robes, fresh flowers, signature amenities) and exceptional service – all the little things taken care of without asking. It is our go to when looking for accommodation at a destination.  It’s not just the quaint rooms but also the manicured grounds, the special areas inside and out for cocktails, their gourmet breakfasts and of course, their extensive wine collections & Michelin Starred Dinners that we cherish all night.  This is not a plug for R&C, just the facts.

Tomorrow, the next blog:

Day 1:  The Sound of  the Arrivals, The Taste of Fois Gras & Chassagne-Montrachet vs Puligny-Montrachet …

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May 2018

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One Thought on Epic Drive France: Bourgogne to Bordeaux
    boberjik
    5 May 2018
     9:32am

    I was long time read your article in evo magazin

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