At some point on Friday afternoon it dawned on me that I was becoming pretty comfortable with the driving over here......I think it was when I started shouting (in the safety of my bike helmet of course!) at the locals for not being in the correct place on the road!
Of course turning up at a crossroads to be faced with 2 flashing red lights and stopped cars at every entrance to the junction was a complete puzzle for me......turns out the lights were just saying take caution and I was supposed to treat it like a 4-way stop without lights (which basically means you have to stop on the line and first to arrive is first to proceed) which even the locals get confused about. Oh and it seems that if 2 cars arrive at the junction at the same time then you should give way to the car on your right!
Turning right on a red light is another one that you have to get used to or suffer the wrath (and the horn honking...which is very popular in Florida it seems....and no, not just in my vicinity) of those behind you.
You have to pre-pay for fuel at gas stations before filling up which is a pain. You can use a credit card at the pump but most of them then ask you to input the Zip Code the card is registered to so us johnny-foreigners are unable to proceed. One of the attendants assured me that whatever I have pre-paid and not used at the pump gets refunded back to my card but haven't checked on that one yet.
And I found out today that the classic 'school bus' that we all know from tv has a stop sign on the front and back of the bus which when active means that nothing is allowed pass the bus from behind or from in front coming from the opposite direction......(must admit that lesson was learned this morning as I had to stand on the brakes to try and get the bike stopped)
Generally the driving has been ok so far.....not enough people indicate but that is common everywhere and they do hop lanes with the barest of gaps to squeeze into but it all seems to work. I got onto the Interstate (I-75) today and it took a while to see a sign with the speed limit (Max 70, Min 50) but I had to do 80+mph just to keep up with the slowest guys out there.......and I was still being passed and left for dust by the majority on the road (including the State Troopers!). I will be using the Interstates only as a last resort on the rest of the trip......not exactly relaxing!
Drinking and driving is pretty common over here so something to watch out for when you are out and about....particularly at night!
Oh and my first U-turn on a cruiser was an experience to behold.....especially on a 3 lane highway..........must practice some more......lets just say I used all the lanes available to me!!!!!
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Sounds like the driving in Spain!
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