The Grand Tour

McEurope

Toli continues his ranting about driving in Europe (and other topics)

* McDonald's in everywhere. The primary highway stop eatery throughout all the highways we drove (esp. in Germany), a store in almost every little town. In a way, it's sad. In a way, it's a good thing, for two reasons. First, they are open when other restaurants are not (holidays, during local siesta hours, etc.) This means there is always a place to eat, esp. for families with kids (who are too restless for a traditional European sit-down meal). (Nope, we didn't waste precious stomach space on McDonald's fare...) Second, they are consistent. This means the food is always of the same good quality: no rat-wurst (sausages). This is particularly important, as Peter told us, for the highway joints they replaced were places of questionable quality --- sometimes "local color" is not a good thing. Finally, for those that would complain about the fatty quality of McDonald's food, yes it's fatty, but still much less so than the typical local food (wurst that drip with fat, and french fries are just as common).

* Luxemburg highways are amazing: lit across their full length, wide, clear, excellent pavement... The only trouble is that Luxemburg is too small to have more than a handful.

* The French just have to do things differently. First off, their roads are the worst we drove on. Pavement quality, lighting, and (in general) signage. Ah yes, and they don't call Diesel by the same name as everybody else, so good luck at the pump! They call it Gazoil, so if you know where diesel comes from you can make an educated guess; but otherwise... Anyway, their signage is the strangest thing: they can have great signs at places, sometimes so many that you can't read them all while driving near the speed limit; and sometimes, they forget to have any at some key turns ("Ho, ho, ho, you stupid American, it's obvious you turn left here"). The general pattern is that signs can get you into a small cute town, but, once there, it's up to you to find your way out. Hm... are casinos owned by the French?

* In general, though, French people outside Paris are friendly, fairly eager to help, and polite. It was a bit hard adjusting to their lunch siesta, but that was our fault, not theirs. And they all love their pets, which are typically bathroom-rag sized creatures. So much so, that (French law be damned) they are universally allowed to poo all over the French streets. And it's amazing how much poo a little yappy dog can produce (they do not follow mass conservation laws those things). Add the snow in winter, and... beware where you step, and God help you if you slip.

Posted by Toli at January 12, 2004 05:21 AM