Posted: 19 July 2010 at 1:33pm | IP Logged

Can You Face It?

Do you know the German motorway? Have you ever, in your British innocence been motoring down the Autobahn whilst on holiday (or on an ATF tour) at what seems like a daring 130 Km/H, and thought to overtake the car in front? You check your mirror- all free for a kilometer behind you as you pull into the fast lane and start to creep past the Opel or VW that is only marginally slower than you are. Something attracts your attention, and glancing in your mirror, you almost leap out of your seat as you realise the microdot of two seconds ago has rapidly materialised into a black, mean gleaming BMW, moving with something "like the power of a jet", and closing at a relative speed of 70 Km/H, with not the slightest suggestion of slowing down, which might well explain why it is flashing its Halogen (Halligan?) headlights at you in such an urgent fashion.

You press down on the accelerator, but it makes no difference, and it seems your demise is imminent. Two centimetres from yor rear bumper, the beast condescends to rapidly adjust its velocity to your poor own, and then, like an angry wasp, starts an un-nerving side to side movement, just in case you're not yet fully stressed out by the situation. It seems to take three days to finally clear the car in the inside lane, and as you finally begin to pull back in,  the BMW appears to take a short cut through your boot as it surges forward in a cloud of ingignant accereration and disappears into tomorrow or the day after.

This is, as you will very soon come to realise, normal, accepted practice on the German motorways. If you can't face it, keep in the lanes for mere mortals. If you've got the power and the Schumacher temperament, then it really is one rule for you, one rule for me, but it's no use protestng "what kind of line is that you're giving me?" Just keep out of the way!

Posted: 20 July 2010 at 10:21pm | IP Logged

Thank you Seagull, I'm enjoying your vignettes

The only supermarket I've come across here which would only accept cash was an Aldi...