The family has made a number of trips in Europe, most of the time depending upon public transportation or a taxi to get us to our destination. However, we have rented a car for a few of our trips.
Below are my most memorable moments while driving in Europe
1. Trying to remember how to drive a manual on the side of a hill in Bergen Norway. The most frustrating part of the whole situation was the fact that I couldn’t read any of the road signs. That and rolling halfway down the hill when trying to take off in first gear.
2. Dodging sheep and lorries while trying not to drive into a loch. Most roads in Scotland were laid out in Victorian times, well before a car was invented. Hence, most two lane roads in the Highlands were meant for two carts to pass each other. Most definitely, the roads are not wide enough for a Range Rover and a lorry to pass.
3. Driving down Holland Park Avenue on the left side of the road while repeating to myself “Drive on the left side, drive on the left side”. That was after waiting a good five minutes for the GPS to pick up the satellite signal while I sat in the rental agency car park. I was frozen with fear from the idea that I had to figure out the roads to drive less than two miles from the agency to my house.
4. Receiving a parking ticket in Montalcino. Never mind that I could not read the road sign that said “One Hour Parking Only” in Italian. To top it all off, we found out when we returned the car that we had to pay the ticket in person in Montalcino. Needless to say, we are still waiting for the bill from Budget.
5. The parking attendant in Sienna. To find a parking spot at the fortezza, you tipped this guy and he would stand in your spot until you could reach it. When you handed him his tip, he gave you a packet of tissues as if you were paying him for the tissues. Compared to number 4, at least I did not get a ticket.
