A True Gentleman (and the first signs that we’re driving a totally unsuitable car)

Yesterday we drove about 850 kilometers from Belgium to München, Germany. With an initial ETA of 8PM, we were first delayed due to a closed highway in Luxembourg (pushing our ETA to 10PM), and then we continued to be delayed by traffic (pushing our ETA to 11PM). Finally, at around 11:45PM we finally arrived to München.

In München we were greeted by one of the finest men in the world, Sir Iñigo Villamil, who greeted us with homemade pasta and 4 ice-cold Franziskaner Weissbiers – exactly what we needed after almost 9 hours in the car. It had been some time since I had last seen him, so we spent a couple of hours catching up. I thoroughly enjoyed his company. Gu, thank you very much for your amazing hospitality. I look forward to the time when I can return the favor… You are indeed a very fine lad!

Yesterday, as we were about to arrive to München, our engine light came on. We then noticed that the temperature gauge had completely dropped. We stopped the car to see if there was anything obvious, but since it was dark and we were less than 10km from our destination, we decided to keep on going to address the problem the following morning. We found a mechanic about 4 blocks away, so at 7AM, the Gazelle and myself took it for some analysis – “You’re driving this thing to Mongolia?” was the first thing the mechanic asked. “Yes we are.” A little laughter followed.

The car didn’t have anything, it was just driven past its limits last night. After a little fiddling the light came off and the Punto looks like it’s ready to rumble.

Yesterday’s drive on the Autobahn:
Top Speed: 149 km/h
Average Speed: 95 km/h

Edit: As we thought there was nothing that Iñigo could do to outdo himself, he woke up and cooked breakfast for us. What a fine gentleman. Gu, many many thanks! See you soon brother!