Well I don’t think it’s a secret that the streets and parking lots are more crowded in Europe. After all, Derby was around a several hundred years before the automobile, so much of it makes no apologies for the tight corners and narrow streets. Our rental car, which we still have nearly five weeks on, is a Peugeot 508 estate. The Top Gear fans among will recognize estate as British code for wagon. I know, a wagon and the Clark Griswoldiness that they imply, but they are everywhere. They are the SUV’s of England. I guess when you pay $8.75 per gallon of fuel or more, a nice midsize wagon looks like a good alternative to a Range Rover.
Our Peugeot is perfectly good, middle of the road midsize car for the U.S., but here on the island, it is absolutely huge! – especially in the car parks. Stephen, who has always been good with backing in, parallel parking, and everything in between, can barely park it. He has yet to pull into a space directly without having to back-up at least once, if not two or three times-and realign the car so all the doors can open at least a bit (assuming you are not next to the post in the garage).
However, the cramped pathways don’t stop at the curb. The stores are also smaller too, with smaller aisles. They have a solution for that though: shopping carts with four wheel steering! You read correctly. Not just the front wheels, but also the rear ones. You can frontwards, sideways, caddy-corner, or just spin in circles! The boys like to push it so it points diagonally, but goes straight. It is nice for turning, but sometimes they are so maneuverable, that they are difficult to get going straight again after you turn! No shopping while drunk here!
So far though, I haven’t had one with that one squeaky wheel (or more) that wants to squeak and wobble the whole way through the store. The stores want the “wonky” (the store’s word not mine) ones turned in to customer service even!
mkblogspot 