Day 7: Southern Hemisphere Driving

On Wednesday, we went just outside of town to pick up our rental car… a brand new silver Toyota Yaris. Though ugly and unstylish inside and out, you can’t beat the gas mileage; plus Toyota seats are the most comfortable standard seats out there (in my opinion). This was my first encounter driving on the left side of the road. It was a little weird at first (I haven’t shifted gears with my left hand since before I got my license and my mom and dad used to let me shift from the passenger seat)... After a couple of minor encounters driving on the wrong side of the road, I finally got the hang of what I now call “southern hemisphere” driving (sometimes I wish that Utah and Arizona would adopt southern hemisphere driving… then at least all of the left lane riders would be in the slow lane). European driving is somewhat scary in the city, though they actually understand the concept of a passing lane on the motorways. Most of the roads though are very narrow, two lane highways with no shoulder. Instead of traffic lights or stop signs there are a million roundabouts, which can really get one dizzy, especially if you keep missing your turn. Anyway, we headed south toward Wicklow and checked into a Marriott golf resort in the countryside called Druids Glen. We then spent the afternoon driving the country roads, ate lunch at a pub in Roundwood, then went on a short hike to some lakes and monastery ruins in Glendalough.