02.20.2008
Day Four:
They All Drive Like Shit!!!

Let me tell you two important rules of driving while in France. One, if you are in front, you win. Two, lanes don’t matter.

So, evidently there is a rule on the roads in France that if you are ahead of another car, you have the right of way. It doesn’t matter by how much, even if it’s just an inch, you have the right of way if you are in front of another car. So if you thought it was crazy in LA, with everyone trying to go first, imagine it here!

The second rule about the lanes is totally true. In a roundabout, it’s just a freakin free for all. I really can’t explain how insane it is driving in a roundabout in traffic. Everyone just goes wherever they want. If the roundabout is 3 lanes wide, people are cutting in front of you going twice the speed into a small little turn. So since the one in front has the right of way, people just gun it into the corner. Let me illustrate below at the google maps version of the roundabout by the Airbus facility using a scenario that happened today. (Click to enlarge)

So, I am the red line going about 25km entering the turn, and the blue represents a car that is going about 40km that just jumped in front of me, causing me to slam on the brakes and about 3 other cars behind me. Everyone screeches to a halt, and its no big deal to anyone. No horns, no fingers, no yelling, it’s all just normal. WTF!

Also, to cross the street, you are supposed to just walk across without looking or waiting for cars. I know that’s completely scary and totally nerve-racking, but it works. I guess the theory is that in France, the cars have the right of way, not the pedestrians, so in order to cross, you have to make the cars stop by walking in front of them. If you acknowledge the cars presence as the pedestrian, then you should let the car go in front, in which case, they will just go, and you will never cross the street. So instead of actually doing this myself, I just let my French buddies walk out and I just follow. Haha…..I know Mom, I’ll be careful, stop worrying. Haha…

So enough of the stories, let’s get to the fun stuff, and now that I think of it, it wasn’t really that fun. I spent most of the day in the Moog dungeon again. Lunch was some roast beef and mashed potatoes with gravy. It was pretty good, but the meat was pretty tough. My French comrade Daniel (pronounced Danielle) says its tough meat because its Italian beef. Suuuuuuuuuuuure. Anwyays, after work I tried to head out on the metro to the center of Toulouse with my buddy again.

More fun times as you can see below:

The tickets station for the metro looks like an ATM machine, but I just sells tickets and takes only credit and coins. WTF. How does it not take euros in bill form? Oh well, whatever.

So I picked up two roundtrip tickets for tonight and for Friday or Saturday all in one shot.

Taking a ride up the escalator to the metro from Basso Cambo.

Sneaking a pic on the A line.

Just out of the metro station in Le Captiole.

The outside of City Hall on one side.

This is the front, it leads out into this huge open square. I’ll take more pics of that in the daytime.

Worst lighting ever for a picture, but what the heck, I'll post anyways.

Me and my buddy Rob. Good guy he is, and man does he love his beer and soccer.

The biggest church in France. St. Sermin. It's huge!

St. Sermin from the front.

I know, I probably over did the one handed camera shots, but whatever. (I think my nose looks really crooked here, I dunno)

Random street in downtown Toulouse. All of the streets look like this except in the centers of town, where its a big roundabout with a park in the middle.

So after walking all of Toulouse, we couldn't find the Irish pub we were looking for, so we ate at this Chinese place called Asia City, which was just like eating back home! lol. Who wants to eat French food anyways?!?!?!

Good ole TSINGTAO!

Just like home right?

You cant rent bikes! What a genius idea.

Back down to the ghetto again.

EXIT --> It only took me 3 days to figure that out.

I can't wait to head back during the day on Saturday!

Also, I updated yesterday's blog with more pictures. Sorry for the delay!