driving in Scotland, part 2

In retrospect, I very much enjoyed driving a full-sized van over two-lane roads with narrow shoulders, on the "wrong" side of the road, especially in the rain. I can say that now because we survived, and because the inspector at the car rental return shop wrote "NND" ("no new damage") on the report at the end of the trip.

The Brits are polite people and they drive that way. Except for the honkers. Stop at a place where you aren't supposed to stop (such as, entering a traffic circle and stopping because you forgot to look right to see who's about to hit you, or stop to let pedestrians finish crossing the street) and the guy behind will honk - every time. That's OK, because a lot of accidents are caused by people stopping where they aren't supposed to stop. But, I remember being honked at in Germany only once. Maybe the other German drivers were getting ready to get out and beat me senseless with a bratwurst, but they didn't honk as much. In Scotland and Germany, I didn't see any obvious signs of road rage, and didn't drive by any fender-benders, either.

In Scotland, most of what you need to know is painted on the asphalt in large white letters. Like, "slow" as you approach an intersection. Like, arrows telling you which lanes are turn lanes and which are through lanes. Like, the speed limit, a number inside a large circle. They do have road signs. My favorite is the sign reading, "Slow down NOW." There was one sign, a red circle with a blue background, that I never did decide what it meant. After awhile you'd see another just like it but with a red diagonal line telling you that the mystery zone ended.

One thing they do not have is billboards. They don't even have the kind of small-sign clutter we've come to associate with cities. You might notice that while you are there, or you might not notice until you get back home and look at all your photos and realize their scenery is not trashed and cluttered with signs. In the U.S., our scenery is blocked by signs. In Scotland and other parts of the U.K. and Europe, where the scenery is spectacular at every turn in the road, may they never be cursed with such garbage.

When we returned the rental car I noticed a Japanese couple leaving in theirs, apparently having just arrived in Edinburgh. The lady was behind the wheel and she had a thoughtful, almost prayerful, expression on her face. They don't drive on the left in Japan, I've been told. I hope that she, too, was rewarded with an "NDD" at the end of their trip.