Yesterday (14th), I finally got to pick up my car at Port Newark. After some slight queuing, I was handed over the car and I drove off. There was not much to it.

My 1998 Citroën Xantia Activa V6 at Port Newark.

From there I drove to a fellow Citroënist (that is, a person who is interested in Citroëns) near Weston, Connecticut about 50 kilometres from New Haven. He lived in a gorgeous area, with creeks and rivers, hills covered in forest and delicious curvy roads running through the landscape.

He owned a '70 Citroën DS21 IE and 2CV. When I arrived, he had just recently been driving his 2CV, which had broken down not far from his home. So we drove off to tow it back. I had prior to this never driven a 2CV, much less been in one, but I got to drive it while it was towed. That is, brake and steer.

His DS 21 parked on the street in Weston.

We spent most of the day talking about cars, and he got a chance to drive my Xantia. An experience he was quite impressed by. I must admit, while he was behind wheel, I was mostly nervous about whether I had oversold the car's handling. I had not.

The Xantia managed the turns and curves as it should. He had recently been driving a Porsche around British Columbia, and he remarked that he would have been driven the Xantia instead.

I thoroughly appreciated his hospitality at his incredibly sweet house near a small river. It is only unfortunate that he would not be able to attend the Rendezvous in Saratoga Springs.

Speaking of which. Today (15th), I drove from Weston to nearby Orange in Connecticut, where I met another Citroënist. From there we drove in a group to Saratoga Springs in New York, where this weekend the largest Citroën gathering in North America will take place.

Some of the line up of Citroëns already on the 15th, the day before the show actually starts.

Immediately, I got introduced to several fellow Citroënists. They may be Americans, but we all share a passion for the Citroën make. And blimey were there a lot of them. Citroëns were everywhere.

The 2CV, in particular, was far more popular in the United States than I had realised. That is, in comparison to the ID/DS, which is the second most popular Citroën over here.

Still, the showcase of cars also included other more exotic Citroëns: SMs, a CX Turbo 2, a few GSs, an Ami 6, a Méhari and a Visa. And, of course, my Xantia Activa V6. Which - over here - is very exotic. It is so exotic in fact, that the people I am meeting are not actually allowed to own and register one over here due to regulations.

It looks like it's going to be a very fun weekend here in Saratoga Springs. I will keep you posted on the events as best as I can, but if I end up getting caught in all the excitement as I did yesterday, I may miss an update.