Friday, October 3, 2014

Getting Lost--
On the Left Side of the Road

We had our rental car for less than twenty four hours, and already we've gotten lost on two out of two trips around Cork. How's that for batting a thousand?

Our maiden voyage was the return trip from the rental place at the Cork airport. It's not exactly like you could say we simply had to retrace our steps back to the hotel. There are such diversions as one way streets to contend with. And that River Lee landmark? Don't be fooled. There is a north fork and a south fork. Trust me on this. It doesn't work to go over the bridge on the other fork.

Of course, our first shopping trip on foot hadn't fared any better. We got lost then, too--remember? Saw a lot of downtown Cork--started recognizing the courthouse after passing it by several go-rounds in the process of navigating both on foot and from our many cab rides the other day.

The other night, we met our daughter's flatmates over her homemade dinner, and enjoyed ourselves way into the evening--well, at least past the wimpy, sleep-deprived early evening close I had envisioned for myself. Perhaps it wouldn't have seemed so late if we hadn't missed the turn on the rather straightforward route between our daughter's apartment and our hotel. Suffice it to say there are a lot of verrry narrow roads on that other side of the River Lee which don't allow enough roadway for two cars to pass. And as we all know, there are problems when two bodies try to occupy the same space at the same time...

Late the next afternoon, we were to pick up our daughter after her last class for the week, and all head up to Ballina in County Tipperary--that other town of Ballina, as I find myself having to remind even the Irish. One of them winced when we mentioned our destination. It's a main highway, all right, but the road is "not so good." Sounds like merely the continuation of one long adventure. Chapter Two. And a chapter which heads us into the twilight zone, not only in our time of arrival, but in the possibility that there might not be as much Internet access as we had originally been told. If you don't hear from us for a while, you will know what happened. Unless, of course, there is yet another unanticipated adventure awaiting us beyond this next one.

7 comments:

  1. Sorry, but your misadventures are rather funny in that Keystone Cops kind of way. But really, if this were happening to me, I would start thinking EITHER surely I'll learn my way around soon OR maybe I should look into hiring a chauffeur.

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    1. Wendy, the Keystone Cops thought kept running through my mind as well. It does have that feel to it.

      Well, we are here in Nenagh at the public library now, having visited the Heritage Centre and enjoyed a wonderful conversation with the staff at the genealogy centre.

      My husband has noticed that the lovelier the roads become, the higher the stress level for the person driving the car. Apparently, the standard here is to drive down the center of these smaller country roads until the last possible second, then veer to the left so as not to carom off the oncoming traffic. He's noticed a lot of the cars have scars on the right serving as silent witness of the failure of such tactics.

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  2. I hope once the jet lag wears off and with a little practice, the driving becomes much more routine and more enjoyable! Don't forget to pull over and let the driver see the scenery from time to time!!!

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    1. Yes, I am feeling quite sympathetic for our driver. He has mentioned how the beautiful places seem to be the more terrifying passages...he did mention wistfully that he should have bought a GoPro camera for those tight passages where he wished he could have looked.

      Strangely, Iggy, the jet lag seems to have worn off--until I hit that afternoon lull and realize I still feel exhausted. Who knows. I think those days and nights will seem flopped for a long time to come.

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    2. Some folks take about a day per hour change to "catch up" and some folks can adapt more quickly. I used to be able to be "fine" the next day (5-6 hour change) - but now even changing the clock in the spring/fall for an hour is hard!

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  3. Getting lost is an adventure! I am certain I could never get used to driving on the wrong side of the road:)

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    1. You've got that right, Far Side. I totally agree. Sometimes, it seems like it takes all three of us just for the one to drive. So much to remember that we normally do on autopilot.

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