June 21

June 21

Saturday ended up being pretty nuts, and VERY long.

Woke up about 6:30 am. At 7:30 we enjoyed a huge breakfast, croissants, coffee, fresh squeezed orange juice, pastries, sunny side up egg, and got on the road about 8:30. We got to track, and it was hot and sunny, at least 80 degrees, if not maybe even a few more. Our parking lot worked out to be directly behind our bleachers (awesome!). We enjoyed the third and final F1 practice session. Then Aaron and I explored the area around the track, did some “shopping” I got some sweet Renault stuff, including a messenger bag, and a Renault F1 sweater, but it’s not obnoxious or anything, so when it’s cool enough for it I can likely wear it to work, and no one will even know (except me of course!). Aaron got a few t shirts, mainly because they were cheap, and white (his t shirts that were packed were darker colors and with the heat it just wasn’t working). Happy with our purchases we headed back to the bleachers, watched qualifying (Ferrari pole, blah, but at least Alonso will start third!!!). After qualifying we walked into the F1 Village area, checked out the team displays and realized we were way hungrier then we thought we were. We got a “Sandwich American” which was grilled steak pieces on a really chewy baguette. It had decent flavor, wasn’t ham, and worked well enough to feed us. Feeling better we caught some more racing, including a GP2 race.

Surprisingly the atmosphere at the track wasn’t a big party; it wasn’t madness like it had been in Canada or Le Mans. This may have to do with the track location, being so far from a big city, but it was calmer and more laid back. Good for us since we were able to soak it all in without madness.

After the GP2 race we headed back to the van to meet the group. The lady who was from ING in our group was able to go into the Renault pits with her husband to smooze with the team, and play the hospitality part, which was the reason she had come in the first place. It was funny in the car driving back to hear them speak in total amazement at all the stuff that as a fan of the sport is pretty common place knowledge. Things like that the cars have tire warmers, and that each drivers car is set up differently, and other “common” things. It was odd to think that someone who didn’t have this basic understanding of the sport would travel half way across the world to some random little town in France to watch it. I guess when it’s not coming out of your own pocket entirely it’s easier to do it. Not sure I would travel to Spain or Germany for a “football” game, even if it was the world cup, I just don’t have the interest. Anyway they shared their amazement at things that the rest of us were already well aware of, and proceeded to call Alonso Alofonso and mispronounce Renault; much to our annoyance.

They got gear signed by Piquet, but apparently Alonso wouldn’t sign anything, and they thought that was pretty poop of him. Thinking about it I honestly wound’s sign stuff for people either unless I knew they were true fans, and not just people who were going to get my signature and sell the stuff on Ebay for profit. Maybe I say that just because I like Alonso, and can defend him J

We left the track about 5:30, got to the chateau, had some down time, and then went to dinner at about 8 (too late for me, but when with the group you just gotta go with the flow). Dinner in France is a big to do, and a LONG one. We went to a restaurant that we heard had good food, and were hopeful. We found out our party had been seated out side when we got there. The table was under a huge weepy tree, that had little particles falling off it every so often, and after we sat down we also found there were lil ants all over the place, on the table and such. Rather UN appetizing, but apparently not a problem unless you’re a snooty American. After making the best of situation, we proceeded to swat at the ants, and smash then when we could.

The menus arrived and again we got a play by play, nothing really appealed to me, and the prices were HIGH, so I decided for a salad, as a safe and hopefully economical solution to dinner. Aaron saw beef on the menu and went for that; the beef was served with “chips de pommes de terre” which I wasn’t sure what it was, I know pommes are apples, and I know chips. We got our meals and wow they were nothing like what I would have expected. The beef was basically uncooked bacon-esque beef and potato chips (apparently potatoes are “apples of the earth” in French” and mine had some decent lettuce with a really oddly cooked tomatoes, and some other weird vegetables which I couldn’t recognize, so of course didn’t eat.

We didn’t order desert because when we translated individual words they didn’t sound appetizing. One of the others in our group ordered a desert that consisted of legumes, uh beans for desert? When he got it it came out on a floor tile, literally, and he simply described it as “weird.” To say the least. His stomach or pallet must have been more adaptive then ours though because did clean his plate. Where as our food was left basically untouched. The restaurant didn’t seem to see any problem with this and offered no alternative or apology for crappy food. We paid the exorbant bill, went home and had peanut butter and bread. Not only was it a late night, but one with really crappy food. We would have been more ahead of the game if we had stayed home, save money and energy by having peanut butter and bread, and gone to bed at a decent time. Not sure why people rave about French cuisine. In my book they seem to try too hard to make things seem better then they are, they don’t cook their meat enough, and like to eat lots of duck, cheese, seafood, fish, rabbit, and other things I won’t touch with a 9 foot pole; or maybe it’s just all the wine they drink that makes up for the lack of goodness of the food!

Anyway, that sums up Saturday. :D