Top Ten (and more) I R Land Final Posting
Believe it or not, I was asked to finish up my Top Ten list. I'm glad to see I have fans. :)
8. Ok…I guess since they drive on the left side of the road, all Irish people must be left handed as well. I say this because every toilet I used had the handle on the right side (when looking at it) so that means you use your left hand when sitting on it. Now that doesn’t sound like that big of a deal until you are fumbling for the handle in the middle of the night in a strange place with no lights on. It’s quite perplexing to have to stop and think, “Ok…I know there has to be a handle here somewhere.” I finally find it after knocking over whatever was on the top of the toilet and making a bunch of noise.
9. I spent a lot of time driving so I have a lot of comments about it. Roundabouts – they are great in concept, but you really do feel like the Griswalds if you get stuck in the inner lane. “Look kids! Big Ben!” It never happened to us, but only because I used to my deft non-European driving skills to come to an almost complete stop to in the middle of the roundabout and wait for the traffic to go by. Sure they honked and cussed me, but I just waved a friendly hand in the air and said, “Dumb American at the wheel.” That always seemed to make them smile. Ok, not really, but I hoped in my heart it would.
10. If you ride a bicycle in Europe on the small country roads we were on, you are a complete idiot. You better have your life insurance premiums paid up because you are literally taking your life in to your own hands. I’d also suggest an IQ test to see if you are above Neanderthal level because you just don’t have the ability to understand the concept that bicycles and car bumpers don’t mix. We took a bus to Inish Mor, and on the way back, we had to come to an almost complete stop because a guy was riding his bike down a very narrow, country road at dusk. Luckily the bus driver saw him, but then we couldn’t pass him because we were on a hill. At the crest we finally passed him, and the term “pass” might have been an understatement. The bicyclist was literally inches away from the bus as we passed him, and had he fallen off for some reason, he would have been smooshed. The rider didn’t even look concerned and just kept pedaling away.
11. I’ve started to see this more in the USofA, but it was very common in Ireland to use the “super secret lane” when riding on a motorcycle or scooter. This lane, called the “Space between two vehicles on a given road” or the “dotted line”, not only allows cyclist to advance when traffic is at standstill, they can also drive down it when going 60 Kmh (45 mph) in rush hour traffic with total disregard for life or limb. I really don’t know why people put themselves at such risk, but then again, I don’t understand why people get in the open water with great white sharks.
12. Speaking of risking your life with great white sharks, I’m still mourning the loss of the Crocodile Hunter. Though we all probably thought this would happen at some time or another, I truly am saddened by his passing. I really liked the guy, and his antics did make his show entertaining and educational so I ask that we all pause for a moment to remember him………..Ok, on the with the list.
13. Did any of you ever see the Seinfeld episode where Kramer repainted the lines on a patch of road because he wanted “wide open, rolling lanes” or something like that? Basically, he repainted all the lines so there were no lines. It appears the Irish are fond of this same concept, and they tend to leave large patches of road unpainted. I experienced this mostly on the smaller country roads, but I did see it in some of the smaller cities as well. This wasn’t really an issue until it’s dark, and you can’t see that corner coming up on you fast. It also made for “oops, I pooped my pants” episodes when you see a huge Semi bearing down on you in the opposite direction and you don’t know where the centerline is. Let’s just say I took the more conservative act of getting as far to the left as possible. It made for good entertainment for MJ as we hit the vegetation that had grown up on the side of the road and the window is down. Yea, the car rental place didn’t see the passenger side mirror nicks I added.
14. The Semi trucks in Ireland look like something straight out of Mad Max. They are flat nosed, tall, and have 50 bazillion large fog lights on the front of them. They just need to add some machine guns and a paint job with flames on it, and they would fit right in the movie.
Ok, that is all for now. I really can't tell you how much we enjoyed our trip. We're glad to get back to free refills, ice, and Murphy (our puppy.) We were blessed with wonderful weather, health, and no major incidents. The Irish people were so nice to us, and I would recommend going to all of you.
Take care,
-matt
8. Ok…I guess since they drive on the left side of the road, all Irish people must be left handed as well. I say this because every toilet I used had the handle on the right side (when looking at it) so that means you use your left hand when sitting on it. Now that doesn’t sound like that big of a deal until you are fumbling for the handle in the middle of the night in a strange place with no lights on. It’s quite perplexing to have to stop and think, “Ok…I know there has to be a handle here somewhere.” I finally find it after knocking over whatever was on the top of the toilet and making a bunch of noise.
9. I spent a lot of time driving so I have a lot of comments about it. Roundabouts – they are great in concept, but you really do feel like the Griswalds if you get stuck in the inner lane. “Look kids! Big Ben!” It never happened to us, but only because I used to my deft non-European driving skills to come to an almost complete stop to in the middle of the roundabout and wait for the traffic to go by. Sure they honked and cussed me, but I just waved a friendly hand in the air and said, “Dumb American at the wheel.” That always seemed to make them smile. Ok, not really, but I hoped in my heart it would.
10. If you ride a bicycle in Europe on the small country roads we were on, you are a complete idiot. You better have your life insurance premiums paid up because you are literally taking your life in to your own hands. I’d also suggest an IQ test to see if you are above Neanderthal level because you just don’t have the ability to understand the concept that bicycles and car bumpers don’t mix. We took a bus to Inish Mor, and on the way back, we had to come to an almost complete stop because a guy was riding his bike down a very narrow, country road at dusk. Luckily the bus driver saw him, but then we couldn’t pass him because we were on a hill. At the crest we finally passed him, and the term “pass” might have been an understatement. The bicyclist was literally inches away from the bus as we passed him, and had he fallen off for some reason, he would have been smooshed. The rider didn’t even look concerned and just kept pedaling away.
11. I’ve started to see this more in the USofA, but it was very common in Ireland to use the “super secret lane” when riding on a motorcycle or scooter. This lane, called the “Space between two vehicles on a given road” or the “dotted line”, not only allows cyclist to advance when traffic is at standstill, they can also drive down it when going 60 Kmh (45 mph) in rush hour traffic with total disregard for life or limb. I really don’t know why people put themselves at such risk, but then again, I don’t understand why people get in the open water with great white sharks.
12. Speaking of risking your life with great white sharks, I’m still mourning the loss of the Crocodile Hunter. Though we all probably thought this would happen at some time or another, I truly am saddened by his passing. I really liked the guy, and his antics did make his show entertaining and educational so I ask that we all pause for a moment to remember him………..Ok, on the with the list.
13. Did any of you ever see the Seinfeld episode where Kramer repainted the lines on a patch of road because he wanted “wide open, rolling lanes” or something like that? Basically, he repainted all the lines so there were no lines. It appears the Irish are fond of this same concept, and they tend to leave large patches of road unpainted. I experienced this mostly on the smaller country roads, but I did see it in some of the smaller cities as well. This wasn’t really an issue until it’s dark, and you can’t see that corner coming up on you fast. It also made for “oops, I pooped my pants” episodes when you see a huge Semi bearing down on you in the opposite direction and you don’t know where the centerline is. Let’s just say I took the more conservative act of getting as far to the left as possible. It made for good entertainment for MJ as we hit the vegetation that had grown up on the side of the road and the window is down. Yea, the car rental place didn’t see the passenger side mirror nicks I added.
14. The Semi trucks in Ireland look like something straight out of Mad Max. They are flat nosed, tall, and have 50 bazillion large fog lights on the front of them. They just need to add some machine guns and a paint job with flames on it, and they would fit right in the movie.
Ok, that is all for now. I really can't tell you how much we enjoyed our trip. We're glad to get back to free refills, ice, and Murphy (our puppy.) We were blessed with wonderful weather, health, and no major incidents. The Irish people were so nice to us, and I would recommend going to all of you.
Take care,
-matt
posted by greens at
10:59 AM
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