Traveling the Roads of Ireland

Traveling by car is our favorite mode of travel. We have driven all over the USA and Canada. But, we like to drive a big diesel king cab pick-up truck, and pull a fifth wheel behind us. There is no shortage of space, plenty of leg room and plenty of places to keep all our stuff plus all the other stuff we buy on the way. That is not the case when you travel abroad!

First of all, the cars are small. This may be the case all over Europe, I don't know, but big ol' pick-up trucks are not an option. Secondly the roads in Ireland are very narrow. Even in these small cars, sometimes when two cars pass each other the hedges and weeds on the shoulders of the road slap against the side mirror of the car. This is very disconcerting! Thirdly, and most commonly known, is the fact that you are driving on the wrong side of the road. Now mostly, my guy did just fine with this. But when he decided to stray, he did it with gusto! He put the fear of God into more than one little Irishman, add caused his family to age before our time.

This was the luggage and these were the people, plus ourselves, who needed to fit inside said car.
When we went to the airport counter to check in, the man laughed at us and said that we would need to up grade to a little bit bigger of a car, because we would never fit everything in the one we had reserved. But, we declined, having been cautioned by friends who had traveled to Ireland, about the narrow roads and the need to stick with a small car. Plus, we had anticipated this problem so my guy had packed some bungee cords and a tarp. (the very idea, now, just cracks me up!!) However, when we walked out and saw this car parked right up front, waiting for us, my heart sank.

Fortunately, this was not to be our car.

This one was. Phew! Everything fit inside, easy as you please, and we even had leg room! We were off and running.

Ok, maybe it was just a little bit squishy, but hey, we were on vacation!

Now, the next challenge. The roads were not always marked as clearly as you might hope.

Tricky Tricky Tricky. But, no matter, we were on vacation. It is surprising what you can overlook when you are on no one's timetable but your own, pursuing only your own pleasures. You just find yourself laughing, snapping a picture and picking a direction based on... well, nothing really. But the next great adventure is out there, just waiting...

This sign really made us laugh the first time we saw it. But, now it warms my heart. Soon enough that will be me and my guy, and maybe, even here in America, respect for the elderly can become a reality.

So, until tomorrow