Irish Driving
The biggest brain bashing experience thus far has been the driving. Not just the driving from where I'd take a nap, straight into imagined oncoming traffic. The roads themselves, once outside of Dublin, can quickly devolve. You steer through winding sheep paths, clinging to the sides of hills, wide enough for a single car. Imagine a road wandering loosely around a mostly flat grass lands, gliding between the hills. Then tilt that 30 degrees. Add in blind corners every other turn, high ( for me ) speed limits, cyclists and pedestrians moving about the road. Thumping rain, puddles gathering on the tarmac, and sheep staring as you pass. And all this at about 8:00 PM on a Tuesday.
I'm not used to paved goat trails. Even getting lost in areas of Upstate NY or backwoods of New England during college. There, the roads never shrunk to past being 2 cars wide, never edged you against a stone wall, never forced you to consider the amount of grip for the next bend. Sure, if you wanted to enjoy yourself, you go online to learn about car dynamics, breaking, how to be generally safe. But even then, on the most twisted backroads, I never felt like a normal decision I made could turn into a shit outcome. That in even mild conditions, going around a corner too quick would be an act of divine chance.
My fellow road users are masters of risk and speed on this island, on those roads. Dodge cyclist, brake, shift, turn, gas, across the across the middle, avoid a bush, back out to avoid oncoming traffic. Trees block vision around corners, blind crests every 200 yards, tightening left hand switch-backs. To drive these roads correctly, it seems you have to be half a rally driver. And that'd just be to go out of their house to buy groceries. Ignore the pounding rain, the puddled roads, I've got a meeting in 30 mins still have to prep a presentation for the afternoon.
All this to say, I would rate myself an okay driver ( I'm about average I hope ). But to come here, and see a brief sample of the driving roads on this continent, I can see why an American license, where they check if you look left before turning right, and come to a full and complete stop at intersections would be considered no good.
#yank