Driving on the "wrong side" of the road

Today I had another important milestone - I drove a car in England. Yes, on the wrong side of the road, with the steering wheel on the right side. I used Zipcar for half a day to take my son to a golf party 20 miles from London. It would have taken us 2 hours and £15 one way(!) by public transport, compared to 40 minutes one way and a total of £42 (provided I will not get any fines and speeding tickets later) by a "car club" car.

Car club (e.g. Zipcar) is a nice feature, when you subscribe to a car renting service. You provide your data to the company, including a bank card to charge and a driving license scan, pay a monthly fee and can book a car, located in various parking spots across the whole London (and other European cities). The price for Zipcar in London for a VW Golf is £8.5 per hour including insurance and fuel.

You come to the parking spot by a certain time, unlock the car with a digital card or using an app on the smartphone, get in, find the keys, inspect the car for damages, report immediately if there are any and drive off. You have to return the car to the same place with the tank at least 1/4 full of fuel, and if you have to refuel it, there is a fuel card in the car, so you don't have to pay, it's just your rental time that you are "wasting".

What I was afraid of:

• I won't be able to shift gears with my left hand! - so I took a car with automatic transmission
• I won't be able to turn on crossroads whatsoever! I might even get sick because it's all wrong sides! - so I read an article in the internet "Driving for idiots" "Driving tips for UK visitors" and went through the route on Google Maps Street View to know where the tough "right turn" places are
• I won't be able to exit the roundabouts! I heard stories of people driving in circles endlessly unable to understand where they should turn to exit, having lost sense of direction.
• Angry and impolite drivers, that wouldn't let me in if I suddenly happen to be in the wrong lane (like turning instead of going straight). 

What it turned out to be - as usually, difficulties arose not where I expected them to be:

• Hallelujah to automatic transmission! Even put aside worrying about left-handed gear shifting, my both hands were so busy clutching the steering wheel I wouldn't be able to shift gears with any hand. 
• It took me a while to figure out why the key wouldn't come out of starter when I parked, turned out that I had to put the car into Parking mode before the car would allow me to leave it with the key in my hand.
• With this left-right-side mess I went totally dumb looking at the electronic handbrake - a button, that I had to press along with pressing the brake pedal. I couldn't remember whether I should pull it up or press down. So, I pressed the brake pedal, and my son pressed the magic button - and it worked.
• Turns were easy. Basically, if I entered the main road, I just looked both ways. I also looked where the cars drove to be sure where I should land after the turn. I kept saying aloud to myself at every crossroad "OK, I am turning left now, it's an easy turn, just keep left". And another funny thing that helped me is I told myself that normally my side of the car is never next to the curb. My right shoulder should always be facing the road axis line. It helped alot.
• Highways and big roads were really easy. Lanes are marked, crossroads are marked, traffic was existent, so on the crossroads I just followed the trajectory of the car in front of me. Before complex manoeuvres (like two-level highway junctions) I said out aloud where I am going, and took the appropriate lane beforehand. 
• On quieter roads, where there were no help from cars or markings I just drove very slowly thinking my next step every time. There were very little quiet roads in my part of London today, so it wasn't an issue at all.  
• I couldn't really understand what was the problem with roundabouts. Somehow it was pretty natural, just the other way around. :) However, I must say that roundabouts are considered complex in every part of the world, and I have never had any problems with them, even when learning how to drive. And I am really happy about that, because there are LOTS of roundabouts in London.
• Angry drivers turned out to be another false fear of mine. Either all of them were indulgent to my newbie driving because of Saturday, or it's not true at all, but I was let into the lane when I missed the right one, and I got honked at only once, when I literally stopped in the middle of the small road looking at the screen trying to figure out which way to go. I'd honk myself too!  
• I missed a scratch on the door, and, if you report it, you have to call in and report it in the first 5-10 mins of your booking time to prove it's not your scratch you are reporting. I noticed it just when I arrived at the place, so now I hope I won't get charged for it.
• I was some minutes late with returning the car. Since there was another reservation immediately after mine, I couldn't extend my booking, but luckily, when I called in I was told I won't be fined for such a small delay. Phew! 

I haven't seen my credit card statement yet, it takes several days to charge it, so I might follow up when I get to know what I have actually paid for this trip. :)

However, one thing is certain: it is so much more convenient to go around by car (well, outside of central London), than by bus-tube-train!

Emotional Confessions of a Migrated Mind

Last week I flew to Estonia for vacation, first time after leaving it 4 months go. It is a very strange feeling - to come as a guest to a city which was the source of all kinds of responsibilities for the past almost 30 years. 

The greatest thing of all was to see and hug my farther and friends. It felt like I’ve been away for only a week, but the joy of seeing each other was much higher than it used to be when we lived in Tallinn (and sometimes didn’t meet for the same 4 months in a row!). I have also understood, that I do not miss places, but I do miss the people. It doesn’t matter where you live as much as who you live with or nearby. Skype, Viber and Hangouts will never replace the connection and feeling arising when you sit next to a person and look them in the eye.

I thought Tallinn would feel small and quiet. It didn’t. It’s not that it’s grown big and noisy, it’s just I didn’t pay attention. But it is definitely more spacey, than London. Streets are wider, buildings stand farther apart, and it feels like there is more open space around. It is also cleaner throughout the day. London is so densely populated that streets, cleaned during the night, don’t stay clean for long. in Tallinn at the moment falling leaves everywhere create more work for the street cleaners. 

I didn’t drive for 4 months, and was a bit wary of losing my skills, however it seems it’s like a bike - you get in, turn on the engine and it feels like you drove yesterday.

I imagine it would have been worse had I driven in the mean time in London. Surprisingly, driving was something I missed a lot. I didn’t realize it until I took the car. Apart from being free and flexible in my movement around the city it felt more comfortable and private. I could turn on the music, and enjoy my being even when stuck in traffic. Unfortunately the SWOT analysis of owning the car in London showed that Ws and Ts outweigh Ss and Os.

The overall conclusion was pleasant: I didn’t have any regrets or terrible nostalgia about the city. I left with the feeling that I feel good both in London and in Tallinn, and flew back to London with a list of plans to host our friends and relatives in autumn and Christmas and spring, and ideas about new vacations in all parts of Europe. Thanks to Ryanair it’s rather free time that is a limited resource here, not money or possibilities.