Euro trip report

["Eric Renneisen" <renneie@hlthsrc.com>]

Tom Nas wrote:
>Last week's visit of good friend Eric Renneisen and his better half
>Elizabeth to my place (I'll leave the description of that visit to
Eric,
>sorry Elizabeth for my slightly immature high-speed rotary showoff!)
have
>yielded another week-long backlog of q-digests, 

Yup, almost 50 digests waiting for me today, and Pike's Peak is less
than 
2 weeks away. Ho-hum. Don't worry about the better half's anxiety --
you 
should see her in MY car! (mushy suspension)

I just got back from a week-long excursion funded mostly by the
American 
taxpayers, so I feel sort of obligated to give a little back in the
form of this 
Audi-related report.  ;^)

We began in Brussels, where I rented a turbo diesel droF Mondeo (no 
Audis available from this company, next time it'll be the first
question I ask). 
Actually, I really liked the droF. Aside from the traditional
flatulence, you 
wouldn't know this was a diesel. It had lots of useable power and was 
reasonably comfortable at normal speeds. I imagine the Audi TDI is
even 
better, but this was certainly far superior to the WMB 316 I had last
time.

On the way to the hotel I saw a black S2 parked on the street
(pictures on 
the way), and the next day in Gent, I saw two 20V CQs. The fun really 
began when we traveled to Holland to spend a few days with Tom. He 
graciously took time off work to play host/tour guide/chauffeur for
us. Tom 
has an _amazing_ collection of model cars, brochures, and books. I
would 
have been happy spending the days exploring his apartment. 

Fortunately, Elizabeth and Tom kept me active. The main attraction was

undoubtedly the office of the Dutch Audi importer. The beautiful
showroom 
was full of several versions of all the new models (including an S8)
and the 
boutique was full of bargains. To make a long part of this story
short, we 
visited this place 3 times in 4 days. I'll bet the employees there are
still 
laughing about this fanatical American.

Tom whisked us around the countryside in his beautiful 90Q. This car
runs 
very well and is nicely suited to the types of roads there. The tight 
suspension and incredible handling reminded me that I've got very
little time 
to get mine sorted out before Pike's Peak. The sexy 15in Ronals
reminded 
me that my Speedlines are on borrowed time. All around, I'd say that
was 
an excellent purchase Tom.

[snip details about tasty food, Belgian beer, and touristy stuff you
guys 
don't care about]

The final leg of the journey took us to Paris. Another q-lister,
Stephane 
Valici arranged for us to stay in a great little hotel just a few
blocks away 
from the Palace in Versailles. The first night, we had a truly
scrumptious 
dinner with him and two of his friends. Afterwards, he took us on an 
enchanting sightseeing trip through Paris... in his S2! The beauty of
Paris 
at night is impossible to explain, but the experience of an S2 in the
hands 
of someone who knows how to handle it... well, let me just say that it
is 
comparable to sexual arousal (Elizabeth agreed). Notice that I didn't
say 
that it _was_ sexual arousal -- this is, after all, a family list. 
:^)  The 
bone stock 20VT can really move that car. Brandon, if your Ersatz S2 
comes anywhere close to this car, you will be very pleased. Very, very

pleased. Oh man, will you be pleased. (OK, I shut up now)

[snip more details about incredible food, drink, and touristy stuff]

The last day in Paris, I saw an RS2 (my second!) in a strange dark
green 
color. It was moving too fast for a picture, though.  :^(
I woke up on Saturday morning at 7am (1am eastern), drove three hours 
back to Brussels (without the luxury of my wife's navigational help),
flew 
to DC, then Atlanta where I picked up the car and drove another hour
and 
a half to Chattanooga where I arrived at 11pm. 22 hours of travel
without 
any sleep (sat next to a large oaf-ish man on the plane -- at least it
was 
entertaining to watch him put away the hooch). 

I brought back quite a load of stuff. I'm not at liberty to discuss
the 
contents at this time, but I have multiple bruises and contusions from

having to carry all of it through the Brussels airport (no available
carts). If 
any of my injuries persist, the prices at Pike's Peak will reflect my
level of 
misery.  ;^)  The x-ray operators took exception with a certain ur-q
model, 
but I think they felt a little stupid asking me to open my bag so they
could 
inspect a "toy car." My cargo did _not_ include that S2 3-spoke
steering 
wheel I've been lusting after. It's NLA in Holland, and well over $600
in 
France! If anyone happens across one of these for a reasonable price,
I'll 
make it worth your while to grab it for me. Now that I've touched one,
the 
sickness is even stronger.

I have no idea what thread Tom was referring to in his above message 
about the merits of the q-list, but I think I have something related
to add. I 
am always impressed by friendliness and comraderie displayed by most 
q-listers. This trip was a _strong_ reaffirmation of those
impressions. Two 
people (not to mention Stephane's wife and friends) half a world away
went 
out of their way to help me make the most of my stay in their
respective 
countries. Thank you, Tom and Stephane. You both made this vacation 
unforgettable. I would be honored to do the same for you (or any other

q-lister) someday.

OK, I shut up now.

Eric Renneisen
'90 CQ 20V  -  my 'racing-iron'  ;^)
Chattanooga, TN