One day during our week, we decided to rent a car and see some of the sights outside of the York City area. We wanted to tour the Castle Howard, about a 20 minute drive away, and the seaside town of Whitby. Erica had been to Whitby with some of her co-workers, and declared it quaint and scenic enough to see again. Plus, it is the spot where Dracula was to have first made port in England in Bram Stoker's "Dracula"....a favorite classic of mine.
We had a bit of trouble renting an automatic car, seeing as how 95% of all English cars are stick shift. Erica and I have NEVER driven a stick shift in our lives....and while Bruce drove a Volkswagen Rabbit for years, it has been a long time since. We decided that stick shift in combination with driving on the opposite side of the road was a bit much for any of us. Of course, the only automatic car was a brand new Volvo 660 (pictured above) with only 27 miles on the odometer, and twice the price as anything else on the lot. But what the heck. We were on an adventure. We debated back and forth as to who should drive it. Bruce felt pretty confident about figuring out British roadways, and although Erica did not exactly feel the same confidence, she was the one about to take driving lessons and had recently read the driving manual. In the end it was decided that it would do her more good to make an attempt at this than Bruce, so.....reluctantly (very), she agreed and was signed on as the driver.
Here is where the explicit language comes in to play. She drove most of the way to Castle Howard screaming, "SH*T, SH*T, SH*T!!!!" because honestly? She was scared to death. She hasn't driven at ALL since she left the states at the end of November. And driving on the left is just weird for us.
England does NOT have exits (clearly marked, with exit lanes, etc). They have roundabouts (or traffic circles) for EVERY exit, turn, etc. Roundabouts virtually litter the road ways, and they are confusing. Well, confusing for us. I imagine that with practice it would just become second nature, but it just seems so odd and convoluted to someone not used to these things. They are NOT clearly marked, the lane being marked ON the road itself in faded, worn paint (and too late to really allow a lane change) to indicate which lane you need to be in to make the correct turn as you circle the roundabout. But every approach to one of these roundabouts caused my daugher to scream, "Oh F*CK!!! Somethings happening!!!!" LOL.
Ok, to her credit she did fine. Nary a scratch on the pristine Volvo, nary a pedestrian run down, or another car off the road. We accomplished what we wanted to do, even squeezing a quick trip in to Scarborough on our way back to York. Erica was in writhing pain from being tense all day though.
We congratulated her with a trip to our favorite pub, York Tap, conveniently located at the train station where we had to return the car, so she could unwind with a couple of beers.....she deserved them. Not only did she drive for the first time, in an unfamiliar car, on the left side of the road, in unchartered territories.....it was also raining most of the day. Scary stuff! But we still are laughing at the language being bellowed forth from our car that day. I still occasionally scream, "Oh F*CK, somethings happening" for no apparent reason other than it makes me smile. But it was a good day, folks. A very good day. Our adventures were amazing, and memories were made. And that is what life is all about.
On another note, Erica just passed her theory test this past week and is scheduling driving lessons in the near future. This will include learning a stick shift car, so by the time someone else visits, she might feel more comfortable driving people around. Because there is lots to see just outside the city.
The moors, the castle, the coast....northern England is so picturesque. I doubt she will end up buying a car there, but a day rental, for a regular English vehicle is only 30-40 pounds and is well worth it.
The Castle Howard:
The Ruins of the Abbey in Whitby:
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