Farewell to an old Friend!

in life •  7 years ago 

Now before you start to think, did this guy loose someone or have to bury someone he loves? I thank thank god on my knees and say that that is not the case.

Tomorrow we are exchanging our car that has been with us for almost 6 years for a new one.

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The first journey we made with our new car was to Italy, the Como-lake area, of all places! Not your preferred destination if you've just bought a new car 😉

It is now almost 6 years that I moved to Switzerland. 6 Fantastic years in which I can say that I've met my soulmate and the person that I want to grow old with and we've had some fantastic times together. Unbelievable memories and many of them accompanied by the first car that we purchased together.

When I first met my wife, she was driving a Honda Logo. For those of you who don't know what a Honda Logo is, please scroll down where you can see ours just as it was being taken away. We had some fantastic memories with that car and I'll share 2 of the most memorable with you now:

This was at the beginning of our relationship, it was actually during the first time that I was in Switzerland to meet her for the first time. It was in the beginning of January, so typical winter-weather, which was different almost every day. We were getting on really well and one of our first excursions was to the Rheinfallen. The biggest waterfall in Europe. On the way over it was already raining, but on the way back the weather turned worse. We were getting hail and snow and her old little car had difficulties adjusting to the weather conditions. We tried to turn the heating up, that didn't work, then we tried to cool the heating down, that didn't work and all the way she had to keep on wiping the windshield so that she could see through it. It was a ridiculous and dangerous experience, but we had so much fun due to its stupidity.

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This is Stein-am-Rhein, it was on the way back from this village that the above story happened

The second Logo-anecdote I want to share is when we drove to the Netherlands together for the first time. We had to visit my family, but after the obligatory formalities were over I had planned some quality time for the 2 of us. Driving from town to town and showing her some nice parts of the Netherlands. Our last stop was in Den Haag where I had booked us a very exclusive hotel, the Steigenberger Kurhaus. This was a dream come true for me and a once in a lifetime experience, made even more memorable as we pulled up in our shabby old car, which we let them valet park between Bentley's, Rolls-Royces, Maserati's and the likes. It was a hilarious sight, made even more ridiculous as the valet-concierge was a big 2 meter high body builder!

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the Kurhaus in Den Haag, an institution

Unfortunately, not long after this there was an incident of which my wife is still suffering and our trusted Logo was total-loss:

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Our Honda Logo, just before it was taken for its final journey 😢

Now we had to get ourselves a new car, a family car and this is the car that we're saying goodbye from tomorrow. This was the first car we've bought together. It was love at first sight. The price was right, low mileage, 2 sets of wheels (something you need in Switzerland), the whole package was perfect. Here it is:

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Our Mercedes B180 as we bought here almost 6 years ago

It is strange, but we also had some great memories with this car. It is the car that we drove both our baby's home in, we had some fantastic holidays with this car, we went to fantastic places and great events like the Alpabzug in Urnäsch or the Celine Dion concert in Bern. One time when we drove to Holland in this car, we stayed at the same hotel as the Dutch National Football Team, just before they were about to travel to Brazil for the World Cup Football.

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Meeting the Dutch National Football team at the same hotel as we stayed at, quite a surreal experience, but that's for another post

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On our way to the Alpabzug in Urnäsch the cows passed within inches of our car, can you imagine the damage one of those could have done to our car if he hit it?

After months of arguing and disagreements, then me giving in and going on test-drives, tomorrow is the day that I'll be picking up our new, family proof and distance friendly, Seat Alhambra. For those of you unfamiliair with the make or type.

The Seat Alhambra is THE family car in Switzerland. It is one of the biggest 7 seaters available. Why was I against it, first of all there's nothing wrong with our current car. Second, it's another expense that we don't need and finally, this is a HUGE car, why do we need such a big car. Well, in the end, I gave in and we went on test-drives. We looked at several cars, but in the end our taste fell on this one and as we found a good deal (again), we decided to make the purchase. So if everything goes well, I'll be an official familycar driver as of tomorrow.

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the SEAT Alhambra, a 7 seater. These are images I have taken from Google and not the actual car that we're buying

I hope I am not jinxing it, but I do look forward to creating many more happy memories with this car and especially the holidays that we'll be making.

Doron

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I'm sorry, going from the Mercedes to the mini van is a tough pill to swallow.

This mini van is a diesel with 4x4 and automatic, yes the re's a little name difference, but it's a great car to drive, almost like flying. lol

Good luck with the new wheels! I too get sad when we trade in a car. You make a lot of memories in them. Also, Switzerland is one of my favorite countries. Do you ski? And... I have stayed at The Kurhaus! I was there for a work trip back in 2009. There is an awesome little pancake place on the opposite side, kind of next to the carousel. Great town, good memories!

Thanks, no I don't ski, but I go langlaufen, I did quite a few posts about that in the last month. I think the little pancake house you're referring to is still there. I was actually born there, so thanks for the compliment 😉

Your story really touching and funny, especially the parking valet part :D
Indeed I am not familiar with Alhambra. Congratulation and good luck with your new ride man.

Thanks bud!

I wish you two Many Adventures in your new car. I know that the car purchase is a huge commitment and it is important to get one that fits into your lifestyle. I enjoyed your story of meeting and your adventures. I'm sorry to hear about your wife's accident, I know what it's like to suffer years and years later. I hope her injuries are not too serious. Mine are ongoing migraines and sciatica issues.

Thank you for your comments and sympathy. She mainly suffers from hernia issues, so sometimes she can't lift properly which is especially difficult with 2 young kids around.

I'm sorry to hear that she suffers from hernia issues. That does sound like a really big challenge with two young kids. Take care, both of you.

Awesome post. Thanks for sharing a bit of you with us. You will make great memories in anything you buy. You have a beautiful family and that's what matters. Good luck and post the new car pictures when you buy. Best of luck

Thanks a lot for your nice comments.

Thats a beautiful story:) best wishes for youre famaly and meni adventures with the new care
Drive safly

Thanks a lot!

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

@wolfje We have a Opel Zafira minivan and we love it. It's also 7 seats. And the back 2 can go down into the floors. When you go shopping with a minivan you have few limitations. We even went to Ikea and bought furniture and transported things home that a small car couldn't handle. Just a tip. If it's manual, learn to put your foot down hard enough when going uphill and especially when you have passengers. Another tipp be carefull when you park in a parkhaus. Many people scrape big cars on pillars etc.
You would be surprised how fast you can go on german highways in a minivan 👍🥇😎
If you need anuthing for your car check aldi as they often have good quality products selling cheap eg cleaning stuff, flashlights, jumper cables, car battery chargers etc.

Thanks for the info, the Zafira was the first car I test drove and I liked it, but the SEAT is another level. It's 4x4 and automatic and I do look forward to a spin on the autobahn 😉

Wow that look like great place
good story Doron

Thanks bud!

Great work again!! I much enjoy!

Thanks

Thanks for sharing a beautiful story dear i always wait for your post thanks again good work

Thank you

I love your post

Thanks

Beautiful post!

Thank you!

This post has received a 10.16 % upvote from @boomerang thanks to: @wolfje