It s hard to think about giving up the freedom to go wherever whenever. I also think that driving on

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Baby Boomers are the mostly likely demographic to have the financial wherewithal to pay for escorted travel.  The advantages of using a resource such as  The Ultimate Travel Compan y are that you can arrange to travel in a small group with professional guides who have vetted hotels and restaurants and who can add value to your sightseeing experiences.   Another advantage is that you leave the driving to professional drivers.
Oops. Somehow we missed the memo about the stress of driving on the wrong side in Ireland.  On our recent trip to the Emerald Isle, after our  Dublin taos lodging specials stay , we found ourselves at the office of a car rental brand of which we had never heard (Sixt) outside the Dublin International Airport.  We walked around our Nissan Tiida (a what?) with 106,602 kilometers on the odometer, noting the dings, dents and scratches, so we wouldn t be held responsible for prior drivers mishaps.  I paid particular attention to the back of the left side-view mirror.  From our experiences driving in England, I knew that this is a particularly vulnerable appendage for folks driving on the WRONG side of the road.  I realize taos lodging specials that the wrong side is a relative term, but American neural pathways have been trained to want to drive sitting on the left  side of the car and to stay on the right side of the road.
As we nervously joked with the car rental clerk about the wisdom of letting Americans loose on Irish roads, he regaled us with his story of driving the wrong way on an interstate highway in Florida and having to be lead off the road by a state trooper.  Instead of having to pay a hefty fine, he was let go with a warning because the officer s grandfather had been born in Ireland. taos lodging specials  It occurred to me that the chances of us being pulled over by an Irish police officer taos lodging specials (a garda ) whose grandfather had been born in the United States were probably slim, and more likely, none.  Hence, it was with no small amount of trepidation taos lodging specials that we pulled out of the driveway and approached our first roundabout (traffic circle) on the way to the Motorway (toll highway) that is a ring road around Dublin so we could head off to southwestern Ireland.
Even though we had wimpily rented a car with an automatic transmission, it took the two of us to drive.  Our first roundabout was an adrenalin rush. My husband, Steve, actually drove the car while I shouted important taos lodging specials warnings like:
We finally made it onto the Motorway where it was relatively easy to stay oriented in the same direction as the other cars (assuming one had not entered the road going the wrong way up an exit ramp).  However, I had to remain vigilant because Steve had a disconcerting tendency to drift out of his lane to the left.  He insists taos lodging specials that with the steering wheel on the right side of the car, he always felt like he was too far to the right.  Others who have driven on the wrong side have confirmed this sensation, but that is small comfort to the front seat passenger.
On the Motorway, we were hunkered down in the left lane (the slow lane) where there was a robust rumble strip on the left edge of the road to reinforce my only slightly hysterical warnings that we were straying onto the shoulder.  However, once we left the Motorway and  had to use   A and B roads in the countryside, this drifting to the left thing became a much graver problem because not only was there no rumble strip, there was also usually no shoulder.  Moreover, the denoting of these roads as two lanes was often a tad hyperbolic.  So, while Steve was driving like he was quite sure we were going to meet a tour bus head on, I was wailing about the stone walls millimeters away from the passenger side (i.e. my  side) on the left.  These ancient walls were diabolically frequently covered with vegetation, so I had to convince Steve that No!  It is not okay to brush against the side.  No! Those are not just bushes.
Let s just say that I was relieved to find out that our left side-view mirror was hinged, taos lodging specials and that, on our car rental paperwork,  I had noted, in a non-specific way, that there were scratches on the back of the passenger side-view mirror.
taos lodging specials It wasn t relaxing, but visiting the beautiful Irish countryside and small towns and villages taos lodging specials was worth the stress. And there was always a pint of guinness or an Irish (decaf) coffee at the end of the day to make it all OK.
In our case, the driver was pretty much as freaked taos lodging specials out as the passenger although he couldn t see the stone walls right against the road under the thin veneer of greenery. Driving in Ireland was definitely a two person endeavor for us.
Sounds like time to dip into the ole retirement fund and hire a native driver!! I agree that the photos are great so you were not completely nonfunctional during this pleasure tour. However, you probably enjoyed viewing the photos at a cafe or in your hotel room more than the actual experience of seeing the sights through your car window! I notice that as I get older being in a car in the U.S.A. taos lodging specials as a passenger with my husband driving on the right side of the road is increasingly harrowing! I don t think Eddie s driving has changed, I think I m becoming Mom!! Really, next time hire a driver or take a tour bus!
It s hard to think about giving up the freedom to go wherever whenever. I also think that driving on the wrong side might be like childbirth. taos lodging specials There s kind of a built in amnesia, so that when you re safe back home, looking at your photos (little baby), you don t dwell on the terror (pain).
P.S.: There are more great photos taos lodging specials to follow. I still haven t done the actual post about the substance of the trip through southwest Ireland taos lodging specials (Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula, Cliffs of Moher) taos lodging specials itself. I guess I had to expiate the driving on the wrong side heebie jeebies first.
OH, I feel your pain. I drove through Ireland with my father a few years ago. We had to take a test before we could get the car. Did you not have to do this? I ve driven a lot in Great Britain, so I was used to driving on the wrong side of the road, but somehow in Ireland it all felt more dangerous.
No, we didn t have to take a test, but we had an automatic. What type of test? Did you have to go out on the road with someone from the car rental company? We ve driven on little roads in Cornwall in England. It was a lot like our experience driving in southwestern Ireland.
We ve rented cars many times in Ireland and never had to take a test. I know that road to Dingle very well, and it can be really scary in places, but no where near as bad as going over the pass to the other side of the island. That is truly terrifying!
We did this same trip in April. I drove and the wife got bruises on her left hand from holding the OH s**t handle. We really enjoyed taos lodging specials ourselves in Dingle. Most beautiful taos lodging specials of Ireland. Will be going back to see the Rock next April on our way to Germany.
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