Our trip to Europe and the Belgian GP - Subaru Enthusiasts Car Club of the Sierras

MattR · 2007-09-21, 06:27 PM

Well, as you all know, Carrie and I got married on Sept 8th, and left promptly Sunday Sept 9th for our honeymoon in Europe which included a stint in Belgium to see the F1 GP. I will post pics gradually, I figured I'd get some track pics up first, since I know that's all most care about. Truthfully, I could not get a decent pic of an F1 car on track, because from our seats in the Eau Rouge Corner, they were carrying too much speed for my camera.

Short story, I've been an F1 fan since I was about 9 years old, that's when I started my love of racing and since that time I've always wanted to visit the Spa circuit. When Carrie and I decided to go to an F1 race as part of our honeymoon, the choice was simple. Off To europe we go and I finally get my chance to explore the Ardennes Forest!!!!

We Left Reno at 6 AM Sunday the 9th, flew to LAX where we grabbed a flight on a KLM Airlines Boeing 777 ( a plane I have yet had a chance to ride on) We had a nice flight to Amsterdam, where we then connected to a flight to Milan Italy. In Milan we hopped a train and headed for Florence Italy where we would spend our first few nights. After a along day of travel and two hours of sleep the night of our wedding, we crashed. We spent a few days in Florence, Lucca and Pisa, Italy, before flying to Brussels, BE to begin our trek to the race. Friday morning of GP weekend, we hopped a train to Liege, BE where I rented a sweet car and drove to Spa. We managed to find a nice Bed and Breakfast to stay in Spa, which was a 5 minute drive from the circuit, definately a good move. We rolled into the track in time for Practice 2 Friday afternoon and found our seats at Eau Rouge.

SPA SPA SPA SPA SPA SPA

The circuit is more stunning than I could have imagined. The variation in elevation is 10x's what it appears to be on TV. Check out some of the pictures. Anyway, we would get to the track before 8 am on Saturday and GP sunday to ensure we could park within 2 miles on the track

so we were able to see all the Mini Copper Challenge races, GP2 races/ qualifying and all Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup series events. So there always seemed to be some action on track. In the down time, I wanted to find some of the old circuit, not far from where we sat, I found a bit of road that was once the diversion around Eau Rouge. And there are clues from the tracks past all over the place.

Anyway, the races were great, and we had a fantastic time. Monday after GP weekend, we went to the Spa Circuit Museum in Stavelot. What an amazing experience that was. I'll put some of those pics up too. We finished up our trip with some time in Amsterdam and then headed home. I'm tired but glad I made the trip.

MattR · 2007-09-21, 06:32 PM

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MattR · 2007-09-21, 06:40 PM

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MattR · 2007-09-21, 06:46 PM

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cody · 2007-09-21, 06:46 PM

Why do I suddenly crave BE waffles?

Congrats...looks like fun.

MattR · 2007-09-21, 06:48 PM

Dude, Belgians live solely on Waffles, Frites and Awesome beer. I didn't mind.

JC · 2007-09-21, 07:04 PM

Damn those waffles look good. You bring any back? Awesome Honeymoon and congrats man.

tysonK · 2007-09-21, 07:33 PM

omg. Great stuff!

sti deede · 2007-09-21, 09:36 PM

congratulations. That looked super fun.

Libila · 2007-09-22, 05:02 AM

I bet you guys had a great time. Congrats again.

sperry · 2007-09-22, 10:55 AM

Let's see how well this goes over: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131478

Back on topic... great pictures Matt! I love the empty seats at Eau Rouge... gives me chills.

MPREZIV · 2007-09-22, 12:29 PM

ME=insanely jealous! That looks like an awesome time! I'm glad you guys enjoyed yourselves! You deserve it!

Nick Koan · 2007-09-23, 03:18 PM

Hoegaarden is an awesome beer. And a great name to boot.

By the way, I am so insanely jealous of your trip. One day I hope to see an F1 race at Spa.

ShawnS · 2007-09-23, 05:21 PM

Please post as many Milan/Florence pics as you can. I have always loved those cities.

Also, any better pics of that girl's sweater waffles.

MattR · 2007-09-23, 05:40 PM

OMG Scott, you are going to get me divorced if this thing spreads!!! hahaha I can;t believe you made a thread out of it...very funny. Shawn, I'll post some pics up this week.

MattR · 2007-09-23, 05:42 PM

Scott, actually, the empty seat picture is before Eau Rouge, on the straight.

Also, no one liked my Bernie pic? hahaha...I took a lot of risk doing that!

ScottyS · 2007-09-23, 06:05 PM

"1980 called and wants its sweater back"

???

Seriously Matt, that looks like it was awesome!

doubleurx · 2007-09-24, 11:11 AM

Looks like a blast. I want to go to the hoegartten!

doubleurx · 2007-09-24, 11:13 AM

Man that Nasioc thread is hilarious.

Joeyy · 2007-09-24, 05:47 PM

Any luck finding somebody in town to import your new favorite beer? Think I'd like to give it a try but not with a waffle.

MattR · 2007-09-24, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joeyy

Any luck finding somebody in town to import your new favorite beer? Think I'd like to give it a try but not with a waffle.

No, I haven't looked yet, but if I find it I'l buy several

van · 2007-09-24, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattR

No, I haven't looked yet, but if I find it I'l buy several

I've bought it here before but I don't recall where? Maybe Raley's?

AtomicLabMonkey · 2007-09-25, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sperry

Let's see how well this goes over: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=1351478

My apologies to the Belgian people, but blonde Oktoberfest girl is way hotter.

SlickNick112 · 2007-09-25, 09:49 AM

Congrats again Matt. Can't wait to see more pictures. Nice choice on the honeymoon.

MattR · 2007-09-25, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AtomicLabMonkey

My apologies to the Belgian people, but blonde Oktoberfest girl is way hotter.

I totally agree

2007-09-21, 06:27 PM	#1
MattR El Matador Real Name: Matt Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 10,660 Car: 2012 Toyota Tacoma Class: ?	Our trip to Europe and the Belgian GP Well, as you all know, Carrie and I got married on Sept 8th, and left promptly Sunday Sept 9th for our honeymoon in Europe which included a stint in Belgium to see the F1 GP. I will post pics gradually, I figured I'd get some track pics up first, since I know that's all most care about. Truthfully, I could not get a decent pic of an F1 car on track, because from our seats in the Eau Rouge Corner, they were carrying too much speed for my camera. Short story, I've been an F1 fan since I was about 9 years old, that's when I started my love of racing and since that time I've always wanted to visit the Spa circuit. When Carrie and I decided to go to an F1 race as part of our honeymoon, the choice was simple. Off To europe we go and I finally get my chance to explore the Ardennes Forest!!!! We Left Reno at 6 AM Sunday the 9th, flew to LAX where we grabbed a flight on a KLM Airlines Boeing 777 ( a plane I have yet had a chance to ride on) We had a nice flight to Amsterdam, where we then connected to a flight to Milan Italy. In Milan we hopped a train and headed for Florence Italy where we would spend our first few nights. After a along day of travel and two hours of sleep the night of our wedding, we crashed. We spent a few days in Florence, Lucca and Pisa, Italy, before flying to Brussels, BE to begin our trek to the race. Friday morning of GP weekend, we hopped a train to Liege, BE where I rented a sweet car and drove to Spa. We managed to find a nice Bed and Breakfast to stay in Spa, which was a 5 minute drive from the circuit, definately a good move. We rolled into the track in time for Practice 2 Friday afternoon and found our seats at Eau Rouge. SPA SPA SPA SPA SPA SPA The circuit is more stunning than I could have imagined. The variation in elevation is 10x's what it appears to be on TV. Check out some of the pictures. Anyway, we would get to the track before 8 am on Saturday and GP sunday to ensure we could park within 2 miles on the track so we were able to see all the Mini Copper Challenge races, GP2 races/ qualifying and all Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup series events. So there always seemed to be some action on track. In the down time, I wanted to find some of the old circuit, not far from where we sat, I found a bit of road that was once the diversion around Eau Rouge. And there are clues from the tracks past all over the place. Anyway, the races were great, and we had a fantastic time. Monday after GP weekend, we went to the Spa Circuit Museum in Stavelot. What an amazing experience that was. I'll put some of those pics up too. We finished up our trip with some time in Amsterdam and then headed home. I'm tired but glad I made the trip. Attached Thumbnails __________________ "Dallas..We have a problem.”

2007-09-21, 06:32 PM	#2
MattR El Matador Real Name: Matt Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 10,660 Car: 2012 Toyota Tacoma Class: ?	. Attached Thumbnails __________________ "Dallas..We have a problem.”

2007-09-21, 06:40 PM	#3
MattR El Matador Real Name: Matt Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 10,660 Car: 2012 Toyota Tacoma Class: ?	.. Attached Thumbnails __________________ "Dallas..We have a problem.” Last edited by MattR; 2007-11-25 at 10:40 PM.

2007-09-21, 06:46 PM	#4
MattR El Matador Real Name: Matt Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 10,660 Car: 2012 Toyota Tacoma Class: ?	.... Attached Thumbnails __________________ "Dallas..We have a problem.”

2007-09-21, 06:46 PM	#5
cody Candy Mountain Real Name: Cody Join Date: May 2005 Location: Californication Posts: 7,751 Car: 03 Pussy Wagon, now with more pink! Class: TESP OMG Internet!	Why do I suddenly crave BE waffles? Congrats...looks like fun. __________________ Slow and low, that is the tempo.

2007-09-21, 06:48 PM	#6
MattR El Matador Real Name: Matt Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 10,660 Car: 2012 Toyota Tacoma Class: ?	Dude, Belgians live solely on Waffles, Frites and Awesome beer. I didn't mind. __________________ "Dallas..We have a problem.” Last edited by MattR; 2007-11-25 at 10:36 PM.

2007-09-21, 07:04 PM	#7
JC Ask me about dubs! Real Name: JC Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Orange, CA Posts: 2,895 Car: 2013 Triumph Speed Triple R	Damn those waffles look good. You bring any back? Awesome Honeymoon and congrats man. __________________ Actually, I am a rocket scientist.

2007-09-21, 07:33 PM	#8
tysonK warehouse SECCS Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: SoCal... Posts: 6,253 Car: 04 Evo 99 Cadillac Class: street de le mod	omg. Great stuff! __________________ Anjali? Anjali?

2007-09-21, 09:36 PM	#9
sti deede EJ205 Real Name: Deede Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 1,789 Car: '96 4runner Class: none.	congratulations. That looked super fun.

2007-09-22, 05:02 AM	#10
Libila EJ205 Real Name: Tim Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 1,384 Car: '94 L	I bet you guys had a great time. Congrats again.

2007-09-22, 10:55 AM	#11
sperry The Doink Real Name: Scott Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 20,335 Car: '09 OBXT, '02 WRX, '96 Miata Class: PDX/TT-6 The way out is through	Let's see how well this goes over: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131478 Back on topic... great pictures Matt! I love the empty seats at Eau Rouge... gives me chills. __________________ Is you is, or is you ain't, my con-stit-u-ints? Last edited by MattR; 2007-11-25 at 10:37 PM.

2007-09-22, 12:29 PM	#12
MPREZIV Token Real Name: Le Stig Afrique? Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: sitting next to a big yellow box Posts: 3,589 Car: 2001 Impreza 2.5 RS Class: 05 TDSP No, I won't work on your car. F your car*	ME=insanely jealous! That looks like an awesome time! I'm glad you guys enjoyed yourselves! You deserve it! __________________ "...these condoms have a topical anesthetic to reduce sensitivity, so you can last longer. What a paradox. You can't feel a thing, but you can f*ck for HOURS..."

2007-09-23, 03:18 PM	#13
Nick Koan JDM Cowboy Real Name: Nick Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Somewhere Posts: 8,642 Car: 2015 Mazda 3	Hoegaarden is an awesome beer. And a great name to boot. By the way, I am so insanely jealous of your trip. One day I hope to see an F1 race at Spa. __________________ While a standard engine is powered by a belt connected to the crankshaft, a turbo engine runs on its own exhaust steam, making it more energy efficient. -- CNN

2007-09-23, 05:21 PM	#14
ShawnS EJ251 Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Seattle Posts: 540 Car: 1995 S14 Zenki	Please post as many Milan/Florence pics as you can. I have always loved those cities. Also, any better pics of that girl's sweater waffles. __________________ Either this boy has a light bulb up his ass, or his colon has a bright idea.

2007-09-23, 05:40 PM	#15
MattR El Matador Real Name: Matt Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 10,660 Car: 2012 Toyota Tacoma Class: ?	OMG Scott, you are going to get me divorced if this thing spreads!!! hahaha I can;t believe you made a thread out of it...very funny. Shawn, I'll post some pics up this week. __________________ "Dallas..We have a problem.”

2007-09-23, 05:42 PM	#16
MattR El Matador Real Name: Matt Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 10,660 Car: 2012 Toyota Tacoma Class: ?	Scott, actually, the empty seat picture is before Eau Rouge, on the straight. Also, no one liked my Bernie pic? hahaha...I took a lot of risk doing that! __________________ "Dallas..We have a problem.”

2007-09-23, 06:05 PM	#17
ScottyS EJ205 Real Name: It is real! Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: RNO Posts: 2,367 Car: 1998 Impreza Wagon, 1991 Legacy Turbo Sedan, 2003 Nissan Xterra Class: tvFree Yes, I'll fix it for you. Again.	"1980 called and wants its sweater back" ??? Seriously Matt, that looks like it was awesome! __________________ "Trend Number One is that people aren't getting any smarter." Dogbert

2007-09-24, 11:11 AM	#18
doubleurx EJ205 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Truckee Posts: 1,948	Looks like a blast. I want to go to the hoegartten! __________________ Does it have a motor..............Does it have a motor?

2007-09-24, 11:13 AM	#19
doubleurx EJ205 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Truckee Posts: 1,948	Man that Nasioc thread is hilarious. __________________ Does it have a motor..............Does it have a motor?

2007-09-24, 05:47 PM	#20
Joeyy i can has kart? Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: CA Posts: 1,228	Any luck finding somebody in town to import your new favorite beer? Think I'd like to give it a try but not with a waffle.

2007-09-25, 09:49 AM	#24
SlickNick112 EJ251 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 603 Car: '06 Impreza WRX STi Class: Out of class! I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal. People know me.	Congrats again Matt. Can't wait to see more pictures. Nice choice on the honeymoon. __________________ "I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. " *~Frank Sinatra*