Cambridge or bust....

Since I moved to England its just been easier to let Keri do all the driving when we go out. Infact at first I refused to drive at all. Then I realized I was only hurting myself by being too scared of driving in England. Slowly but surely I started driving short distances. First it was to Mildenhall, then it was to Feltwell (on what is certain to be the bumpiest road known to mankind.) The more I drove around, the more I found I liked it and felt comfortable. Then I did the bravest thing of all, I decided to go into Cambridge by myself..... *cue the scary music*

So I strapped Cambree in tight, took a sip of my diet coke and stepped on the gas. England has what is called a National Speed Limit here and it is 60 miles per hour. Now on those wide roads in America 60 miles per hour seems nothing special... infact why go 60 when you can go 80... but on these tinsy british roads barely big enough for one car, let alone two... 60 miles an hour feels like certain death. So as I was saying I took a sip, took a deep breath and stepped on the gas. The worst part of the trip is the 5 point roundabout. Let me try to set the scene. It is a huge roundabout that has 5 different exits and entrances.... so cars are going around and around and you have to sit there and determine when you should enter without getting plowed over. As you are entering the roundabout so are other people... its like a never ending circle of madness. In these cases it is best just to go and think later. My heart beats fast everytime I get to the 5 point roundabout and I always cross my fingers that I will make it out alive. On this day.... the heavens were with me and I made it just fine.

When I made it onto the motor way is when I turned up the music.. a titch.. and started to relax. I felt confident even. Then it came time to exit and head into Cambridge. Mind you this is about a 30 minute drive to get to Cambridge from my house, if something were to go wrong, I'd be waiting a while for Keri to come help me lol. Of course I push that thought out of my mind because it just makes my heart race again. Next comes two more sets of roundabouts and of course the tinsy roads of Cambridge. Cambridge is unique in that most of the people are on bikes not in cars. So if the cars weren't bad enough, you have to watch out for annoying bicyclists. Well I maneuvered through the roundabouts and before I knew it I was actually at my destination. A series of shops along a few blocks. I parked in the car (again in the worlds tinsiest parking stalls... seriously my parking in regular sized stalls isn't stellar ...) and got out of the car!!

I had done it... conquered the mean streets of England and actually drove to Cambridge by myself. I know this sounds silly... but truly driving my british car around can be quite scary. I learned one thing out of this experience, that I can't let fear hold me back any longer. Next stop: Norwich!!