After flying to Dublin with RyanAir (a super cheap airline, notorious for delays and baggage restrictions... so thankful we arrived on time and with our bags!), our worry about driving in Ireland's round-a-bouts, and flipped road sides and driver sides increased. Ireland sits next to Portugal for the highest number of car accidents per year. The man at the Budget Car Hire said that many tourists get confused about how much space they have on either side of the car and often run into things. All this to say, we bought the insurance for 29 euros/day and prayed before starting our four hour drive to the Dingle Peninsula.
Well, Andy has been driving on these crazy Ireland roads for three days now and he's been an AMAZING driver thus far! Praise God! This is good not only for our safety, but also our relationship ha! We tend to get frustrated with each other on car rides... especially when we don't know where we are going! He has been super focused and calm. I am super impressed.
Being on the opposite side is quite a challenge to get your head around as the right turns go through the intersection! Probably the main challenge is how NARROW the roads are, coupled with the ridiculously chosen speed limits. The speed limit signs actually make us laugh now. It will say 80 mph or 100mph on what looks like a one lane country road with bends and turns every 100m! They do have some major routes but once off them, there is no shoulder and often no line separating traffic.
Despite all of these difficulties, we have both agreed that the best way to see Ireland is by car! We have really felt a sense of FREEDOM while navigating, exploring and laughing our way throughout Ireland's beautiful country. For us, it has been worth the worry and effort!
We have one more day of driving... please pray for continued safety for us and the other crazy tourist drivers on the roads!
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