8. Octroi duties for petrol have to be paid on entering Paris and some of the larger towns. The officials, except in the case of Paris, require you to pay only on the spare petrol—i.e., that not in the petrol-tank proper.
With regard to the daily mileage covered, as shown in the log, the writer thinks that to properly enjoy the tour, and to do justice to what there is to see en route, one should take at least twice the twenty-eight days, especially if the party consists of more than two or three. Otherwise, for a man driving and looking after his own car, no matter how reliable, the trip might become too arduous for enjoyment, the opportunities for sight-seeing, as this book demonstrates, being enormous.
If possible, all night-driving should be avoided. In the dark one cannot see the broken glass and rubbish in the villages, nor is it easy to find the right road.
Even with a certain amount of night-driving the tour described in this book was accomplished with a very small outlay in tyres, which were Dunlops. Five new covers and an old one on the Stepney wheel and eight air-tubes were found to be ample, owing to the excellent manner in which they stood the strain of rough surfaces and sometimes fast driving.
| Ralentir | Drive slowly. |
| Ralentissez | Reduce speed. |
| Passage à niveau | Level-crossing. |
| Cassis or caniveau | Shallow drain across road. |
| Cylindre de vapeur | Steam-roller. |
| Attention! | Warning. |
ITALIAN ROAD WARNING NOTICES
| Rallentare | Drive slowly. |
| Arresto | Stop. |
| Cunetta | Open drain. |
| Passaggio a livello | Level-crossing. |
| Discesa pericolosa | Dangerous hill. |
| Strada interrotta | Road up. |
| Svolta pericolosa | Dangerous turning. |
FRENCH ROAD SIGNS