I love all the weeks so far, but if there is one week I wish it would never end, this is the one.
Have you realized that every week from our journey was different? Well, this one makes no exception.
We drove over 2000 mile to Spain, so we can be part of a cultural rally, everything in an gorgeous black tag car, a XK120 open 2-seater from 1952. This is the best looking car I’ve seen so far, it has a 3.8 Liters engine and is called Muttley, and guess who is the villain Dick Dastardly?
Not only this car is extremely beautiful, but when was released was the fastest car in the world. What can possibly go wrong, right?
I discovered this part of the world of historic cars as a navigator, and some of my duties were to read the lambda sensor, check/replace the plugs, enjoy the views, follow the tulip notes, and don’t panic when you’re lost and the car starts to overheat in the traffic. Incredible how my mentor never loses his calm, as we’ve been lost in a city, car was overheated in heavy traffic, I was about to start panicking when he felt that, he pulled over, told me everything is fine and we looked together on the map and found the way to exit that heavy traffic, what an incredible gentleman. I felt that is really real team work and IÂ think this is what these rallied are all about.Â
Is not important to be the fastest, but is important to follow the instructions and to enjoy this experience, and you can not do that unless have a good driver-navigator connection as you don’t want to spend hours and hours next to a depressed drama queen/king, you need someone to rely on.Â
I think I did a good job as a navigator, we were always on the right path, and on the second day of the rally I’ve been asked if I think I’m ready to give it a try. I believe I understood what he meant, but I couldn’t really process it, so I pretended I didn’t understood the question. Yes, he was talking about me driving Muttley. Of course I was ready, wouldn’t miss a chance like this, but God, I was nervous, guess he was too but did a good job hiding it, he just told, go on, you got this.
My first time driving a blacktag car, not only one of the best looking cars I’ve ever seen, but in an idyllic place, guided and encouraged by the most supportive and kindest person in the world…If I ain’t the luckiest in the world..
These cultural rallies, are like a booked holiday with everything, and I mean everything included. I loved it, driving all day, visiting amazing places, being surrounded by people that share the same passion, talking about cars all day, learning about different cultures, eat at incredible restaurants, ain’t this how a real vacation supposed to be? I was looking for this kind of holidays my whole life, and yes, they do exist. I remember when I was going into holidays with my family, was not about the destination, because I would definitely got bored no matter where we went, seaside, mountain…probably because we had no car activities and my petrol-head needed it’s ”addiction”.
But, don’t you think for a second that this cultural rallies are all about having oil under your fingernails, or your face black from driving behind someone’s car that is running too rich. It might be oily during the day, but in the evening, there comes the glamorous part. Of course you have around 1 hour, maybe 2 if your lucky and had a good navigator, to get ready for gala dinner, with a special dress code, and an incredible menu. Drivers and navigators are having a great time, sharing experiences, having a great time.
All good things come to an end, and in the morning, after breakfast is time to say goodbye to all that incredible people, until the next rally of course:)
I was leaving with great memories and experiences, fantastic new friends, lot of new things learned, and being grateful for this experience to Dastardly and Muttley, who both made sure I enjoy every second of it.
Let me know what you think about this week, and also if you’d like more weeks like this. I am as always, on the Community Group.Â
Take care
