Monday, October 18, 2004

Writing from McDonalds

Yes, I'm in a bloody McDonalds, writing with this annoying keyboard, but at least it's quite cheap. Anyway, that's something I would never expect.

It's time to talk a bit more about English behaviours, as it's quite difficult to write with this thing I don't know how much I'll write.

I've been on a British motorway, at night and during the day, with and without rain. So I learnt quite a lot about English drivers. The first thing I noticed was the amazing quality of English motorways. They have 3 lanes normally, and sometimes a few more. While in Spain the normal amount it's just to. The second thing I noticed is that they are straight roads, with no curves at all, just one or two in a certain distance so you don't fall asleep. I know the rate of deaths on English roads is with a long distance less than in Spain. I could say that it's because English drivers are better than Spanish, but I think it's only because they have really good roads.

I might say they don't drive really well. There's 3 or even 4 lanes and it's said and written on the sides of the motorway that inner lanes are only for overtaking. But that's just a lie. Everybody overtaes in any of the lanes. On the right, on the left, on the middle lane. There's no visible rule for that. You just drive on the lane you most like. I think that's not only unsafe but annoying, specially for a poor Spaniard used to overtake in only one lane.

The other thing I noticed, and wich most scares me is they don't respect the safety distance at all. It's said you should leave a gap between you and the car in front of you for if he suddenly brakes you'll have enough time to stop your vehicle without crashing with him. I saw they just get as close to the next vehicle as they can. That really scares me.

So I can't believe their statistics, it might be they are better drivers than us, or just they have better roads. But if I have to drive here I'll get crazy.

Changing the subject, I tell you I've been in Congleton, wich is a small town near Manchester. It's really beautiful or I should say gorgeous. It's full of cows, cow shit smell, rain, and farmers. It's peculiar, and I could see my first "boot sale" wich consists on selling all the crap you have at home and you don't want. You put all that stuff in the boot of your car, afterwards you put it on a desk and tell your children to sell it while you go to spend the money you're going to earn in the local Pub.

It was nice, and I'm sure you can find some good bargains in there. But it's also quite weird somebody would like to spend a Sunday morning selling the crap somebody gave you one day, or you bought on a boot sale.

The other thing I want to comment is I saw for the very firt time the real, the only one English typical Pub. Full of local people having beer. I had the opportunity to try local ale's. I'll say I missed the bubbles, but it does taste great. I'm sure I'll have more opportunities to drink ale beer. (I'll still miss the bubbles).

Anyway, I hope you're still enjoying my Blog. I just hope I can continue with it, wich will mean I'm still here. But I promise this is my last time on a McDonalds internet Blody machine.

One question. Would you still be reading my Blog if finally I have to go back to Spain? I promise it would still be funny. It's just a question, I hope I don't have to go back, it's just a question of me being a it lucky.

Cheers everybody.

Manoel.

2 comments:

Colin Davies said...

Bloody!

Which!

The instruction to only overtake in the outside lane of a motorway means 'Don't stay in this lane [as they do in Spain] when you have finished overtaking'. It doesn't mean 'Don't overtake in any other lane'. You are free to overtake in any lane you like. But not 'undertake' as happens in Spain......

I can't believe a Spaniard [or even an Spaniard] is writing about distances between cars.......

No, I won't personally find your blog funny if you return to Spain. I loved your description of my old town, Congleton. Cow town! Or Cow Shit Town, perhaps. Perhaps I should get my friend Miguel Anxel to have it twinned with Pontevedra. Or Lalin even. More cows there.

Anonymous said...

Personally I think that what makes your blog so interesting is seeing my country through a foreigner's eyes. Also the fact that you are trying to achieve something and hearing about the struggles and experiences you have while trying to do so. I'm afraid that if you come back to Spain, it just won't be the same...So, please, I am asking you, for purely selfish motives, keep trying in England and let me have the continued (almost daily) enjoyment of reading your blog.