Today we received notice from Chamonix, France authorities that we are being ticketed for two moving violations back in May, each in the same spot, one the day we arrived there and the other the day we left. One ticket is for 60 kmh in a 50, the other 63 in a fifty. Translated to mph, that is 37 mph in a 31, and 39 in a 31. The fine for each violation is €135, or about $147. Since we were driving our daughter’s car, we have to make sure that authorities know it was us and not her. At this point I have given her a photo of my driver’s license and told her if need be I can also do an affidavit that I was the driver. The laws in France are tough on moving violations, and I imagine it would affect her insurance as well.
Come to think of it, it will affect our insurance too, if word gets back and these days, you know it will.
When I saw the large fines versus the minor violation, my first thought was maudit piège à vitesse, or goddamned speed trap. (That is Google translate, so don’t blame me if it is inaccurate.) There is nothing we can do about it as we have to protect our daughter, and even though the offense was minor, that is not an argument in our defense. We are out $294.
We and cars in Europe do not have a good record, though we’ve never been ticketed before. Some years back we rented a car in Venice and drove through Slovenia, spending a night in Ljubljana, then driving through the magnificent Julian Alps. We settled the following night in Vicenza, Italy. Unknown to us, there was a large fair of some kind, and the town was overrun. We landed a room in a small hotel, and when I asked about parking, I was told that is our problem, not theirs. They do not offer it.
I finally decided to park at the train station, a couple of miles away and walk back to the hotel. On return there we told the innkeeper what we had done, and she said “No! They will tow it!” I had no other choice, and so hoped her to be mistaken. I got up early the following morning and went to the station, and the car was still there. We packed up and left for Florence.
Florence is not car-friendly. There was nowhere to park, on or off street. It was tourist season. We decided to return the vehicle a few days early, as that was the best way we could think of to park it.
The advice we would offer if we offered advice would be that rural parts of Europe are OK for cars, but cities not. The transportation system is excellent (unless there is a strike), so if you want to see the big cities, plan on public transportation, buses, taxis and Uber, all very efficient there. (Lyft only operates in North America.)
Our last time with a rental car was in Northern Italy, and we were in a rural area. At the hotel we stayed at was a very small parking lot. One of the other customers had a bike rack that stuck out a long way and was low to the ground. I should have seen it but it was below mirror level, and I hit it. The owner of the car told us about the accident after the fact, as we did not know it had happened. But I did hear a noise. From that point on he acted as if we tried to disguise the damage on his rack by reassembling it. We had not.
It was complicated, as I first had to gain his trust. I filled out the necessary forms, but there was no formal procedure to fix his damages. I had to get him to go home, either replace or repair, and send me the bill. He agreed, still maintaining we had tried to conceal the damage. The bill came to €157. Of course, we stiffed him.
No, we did not stiff him. I sent him cash, as checks don’t work, and PayPal was not easy to use at that time as it is now. He received it, and let me know via email that we were square.
We then had to return the car in Bolzano, where another €200 expense awaited for damage to the rental. We were bleeding euros!
We had plans to see Otzi, the Ice Man discovered in the Alps in 1991. He is housed in Bolzano, where we returned the car, but we did not. We had a train to catch. I regret that to this day.
Piece of Mindful 