Posted by: JJP
Driving stories in España - 12/11/01 09:17 PM
To give due credit, this post was inspired by MadridMan's "Airplane stories to/from Madrid." Thought we could take the theme on the road, if you'll pardon the pun...
So, please share all fun, educational, scarry, or otherwise amusing tales of driving in España...
I was the dedicated driver while in Andalucia last August. With tourists from all over the world (!) in this area of Spain we had quite a bit of competition for our place on the Autopistas.
Everyone (American AND Spanish) had given me "war" stories of driving here - fast aggresive driving!
I was a little overwhelmed with my repsonsibilities of piloting our little Opel Corsa. With a manual transmission, packed with three friends and gear, I had quite a mission. Thankfully, our little under-powered Opel was a loyal participant!
As anyone who has rented a car in Europe knows, you tend to get a small (by American standards) manual transmissioned item. To me, though, even our mundane Opel even felt slightly sporty...zipping around narrow Spanish streets (if you're not walking like one should ) is much more fun in a small car!
The moral of the story? Yes the Spanish tend to drive fast, yes they can be aggressive, but more importantly (as someone posted in a previous area) the Spanish driver is usually predictable.
*** *** ***
Hopefully, your stories will be more amusing than mine!
Or if anyone has any warnings/advice about habits or driving laws... For example, I think it's illegal to drive and use a mobile/car phone at the same time.
So, please share all fun, educational, scarry, or otherwise amusing tales of driving in España...
I was the dedicated driver while in Andalucia last August. With tourists from all over the world (!) in this area of Spain we had quite a bit of competition for our place on the Autopistas.
Everyone (American AND Spanish) had given me "war" stories of driving here - fast aggresive driving!
I was a little overwhelmed with my repsonsibilities of piloting our little Opel Corsa. With a manual transmission, packed with three friends and gear, I had quite a mission. Thankfully, our little under-powered Opel was a loyal participant!
As anyone who has rented a car in Europe knows, you tend to get a small (by American standards) manual transmissioned item. To me, though, even our mundane Opel even felt slightly sporty...zipping around narrow Spanish streets (if you're not walking like one should ) is much more fun in a small car!
The moral of the story? Yes the Spanish tend to drive fast, yes they can be aggressive, but more importantly (as someone posted in a previous area) the Spanish driver is usually predictable.
*** *** ***
Hopefully, your stories will be more amusing than mine!
Or if anyone has any warnings/advice about habits or driving laws... For example, I think it's illegal to drive and use a mobile/car phone at the same time.