Cars / Voitures / Autos / Trucks and Carts ...

After the House of Malaspina started around 1200 to erect the castle, that still today towers over Bosa, people settled around it, as the place offered more security than the settlement that existed near the shore. The streets inside the old part of the town are pretty narrow, but wide enough for a meeting of these two brothers.

Between 1961 and 1992 Renault produced about 8.000.000 "Renault 4" (aka "4L", "R4"). This forgotten beauty is now corroding in a garden in Arces.

A forgotten Citroën "Déesse". The most fantastic and futuristic french car. Ever. I owned one for a while. Some decades ago.

Congratulation! The boulangerie Witz-Rohmer, just opposite the "Église Saints-Pierre-et-Paul" has celebrated it´s 400th birthday! That was lareyd some years ago, but the post is still out. 15 generations of gifted bakers have lived and worked here. Now, we learned, it is the oldest bakery in France! Here is the (french) website of the bakery, telling the whole long story. www.rohmer-rosheim.fr/histoire.html Please note - on the left in front of the building the legendary Renault R4. Between 1961 and 1992 about 8 millions of these cars were produced. When I bought my very first car, the R4 was an option. But in the end I choose his older cousin, a (light blue) Citroen 2CV. Just in case, you do not remember the 2CV: www.ipernity.com/doc/323415/41596484//in/album/885004

The chappel "Saint-Antoine-de-la-Cadoule" is - a garage since decades and part of a farm. We learned from the owners, that the 12th century-chappel once belonged to a Knights Templar. Note the nice lombard band under the roof. The wooden door, seen behind the 2CV, is only three generations old.

The peninsula on which Castelsardo was built, was inhabited already in megalithic times. Some thousands of years later Romans lived here. The town originates from a castle built in 1102 by the wealthy (and later very powerful and important ) Doria family of Genoa. It was named then "Castel Genovese". The Aragonese conquered the place in 1448 and renamed it to "Castillo Aragonés". The current name "Castelsardo" was given to the town in the 18th century by Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, who was Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia. Strolling through Castelsardo I found this rare BMW 2000tii Touring from the early 1970s. Even the ladies seemed impressed by the shiny oldtimer.

Another legendary french car. The Citroen Ami.

The "Château de Florac" is a actually 13th century castle, rebuilt in the 1650s after the religious wars. Today it hosts headquarters of the Cévennes National Park. In front of the castle is another classical french symbol: a Peugeot 504! The Peugeot 504 was introduced 1968 and won the title "European Car of the Year" in 1969. The 504-station wagon was launched in 1970. Peugeot produced about three millions 504s in Europe upto 1983. The Peugeot 504 was succeded by the - Peugeot 505.

The population of Momy may be around one hundred. One of the locals seems to love classic light trucks. Parked in front of the parish church of Saint-Jaques is a Peugeot Camionette (from the 1950s?) and a Volkswagen T2 (double-cab/6 seater!) with flat tires. VW produced T2s 1967–1979.

Next to the massive walls of the former Abbey of Sainte-Marie-des-Dames, founded in 1047 by "Geoffroy Martel", and now a cultural center, - a very lonely AMI 6. Citroën produced about 1.000.000 AMIs between 1961 and 1969. The production of the "AMI 6 Break", seen here, started in 1964. Wikipedia about the AMI6 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Ami The cultural center www.abbayeauxdames.org/

Searching for the perfect pov to take a foto of Notre Dame, I had crossed the road. There was a lot of traffic - and all of a sudden, just next to me was a BIG BANG. Adrenalin flooded my body and I panicked for two seconds. Then I cooled down - and realized what had happened. The sound of that exploding tire was in my ears for hours.

Civaux, a village with a population of about 1000, has a history rooting very deep. Humans populated the area already, when stepp bisons and mammoths were hunted. Many "pre-historic" artefacts have been excavated in and around Civaux, proving that this place was inhabited over tens of thousands of years. A settlement stood on the site of the village in Gallo-Roman times, and there are still traces of Roman temples. Excavations have revealed the sites of a theater (capacity 3000), a fortified camp, and the foundations of many villas. This has been a place of very early christianisation. A funeral stele has been found dating to around 400, a pagan temple and a very early baptisterium were excavated next to the church. The polygonal apse was probably built as well around 400, what actually means that the church, dedicated to Saint Gervais and Saint Protais is one of the oldest in France. At that time a kind of pilgrimage must have developed. The relics of Saint Gervais and Saint Protais had been miraculously discovered by Saint Ambrose in Milan in 386, so the saints got very popular in Merovingian times, but that does not explain the enigma of Civaux. The village stands in the center of a huge merovingian necropolis. As many sarcophagi were sold as water basins or troughs in later time, the exact number of graves is unknown. Serious estimations are between 10.000 and 20.000 graves. The first excavations here were done during the 18th century. At that time the necropolis covered still about 20.000m². Legends connect it to the Battle of Vouillé, fought in 507 between Franks, commanded by Clovis, and the Visigoths, commanded by Alaric II, but there is no proof. Civaux must have been a Christian center in the early times. There is a theory claiming that "pagans" tried to get baptized in the very last moments of their lifes, to enter paradies without a sin. So they reached this place either very old or very sick.. But the enigma of Civaux is not solved at all. From the 18th century on intact sarcophagi were transported to the graveyard of the village, that of course was a part of the necropolis. As there were many surplus lids, the fence around the graveyard was created by vertical stone slabs. Parked in front of the fence is a Citroën CX, produced from 1974 to 1991. In 1975, the CX was voted "European Car of the Year".

Dedicated to Sonja! Well. I did not ask the farmer to start the tractor, that was parked under a roof in Biron, but I could well imagine, what would happen, if he would have pressed the button.. A sound like - - - "BaBaBaBaBa- - uuu - - bobobobobobo...."

View from my room in Lyon. A very strange name for a parking garage. The whole name is TITANIC. Only the first three letters were visible from the window. Still is a strange name. In front of the building parked the most famous french car ever. In exactly the right colour. Light blue.

Decades ago I owned a (4th hand) Citroën DS21 for just one year. The most comfortable car I ever had. I had to sell it finally - and it was cannibalized for spare parts. A shame! A DS-Cabriolet was even rarely seen in the 1970s. This is one of the very few that survived the times.

Decades ago I owned a (4th hand) Citroën DS21 for just one year. The most comfortable car I ever had. I had to sell it finally - and it was cannibalized for spare parts. A shame! A DS-Cabriolet was even rarely seen in the 1970s. This is one of the very few that survived the times.

Decades ago I owned a (4th hand) Citroën DS21 for just one year. The most comfortable car I ever had. I had to sell it finally - and it was cannibalized for spare parts. A shame! A DS-Cabriolet was even rarely seen in the 1970s. This is one of the very few that survived the times.

The church in Saint-Léger-sur-Vouzance, erected in the 12th century, was locked. A lady invited me to enter her garden, next to the church, and have a look around the church. She was the owner of this nice, blue Citroën Dyane. The design of this car was based on the (little) more basic Citroën 2CV (= "deux chevaux"). About 1.4 millions were manufactured from 1967 - 1983. I drove a 2CV in the early 70s, - with exactly the same blue.