Sun, a great atmosphere, a lot of food, great people, very old cars, and a lot to drink. This sounds like the perfect weekend, right? It was! The event was the 'Rallye des Ancetres en Picardie' in Compiegne, France. The event was organized by the French veteran car club 'Le Teuf Teuf' for cars built before 1906. The participants - mostly French, British, Belgian, and Dutch nationals - brought together some amazing cars. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the veteran car run and the 80-year existence of the club. Thus it was a very special year. The ingredients, however, were the same as every year. On Saturday the club organized a tour around Compiegne. In the evening, there was a piano recital in the Imperial Palace in Compiegne. Of course, the evening ended with champagne.
On Sunday, the tour started in the courtyard of the Imperial Palace, from which one drove to a beautiful location to have breakfast. After breakfast, the tour continued until lunchbreak at the 'Therme de Pierrefond'. The grand lunch consisted of so much champagne and delicious food to feed everybody for a whole year! After the lunch the tour continued through the beautiful countryside back to Compiegne for even more champagne. And to be honest, the food and drinks are excellent, but the weekend is special because of the relaxed atmosphere; everybody is enjoying themselves and there is no pressured time-schedule whatsoever. The French are just looking for a good time and that formula has been a succes for the past 25 year!
(Text and pictures Laurens Klein)