The Autobahn

My driving skills have been put through the wringer in the past three months.

First, in America I had to drive on the wrong side of the road. Then, in the Lake District of Northern England, I had to teach myself how to tame a manual. Now, in Germany, I have to do both at once. On the autobahn.

I was driving 130km/h most of the time, which meant I was relegated to the granny lane with all the trucks and minivans.

But I couldn't drive on the autobahn without experiencing it properly at least once, so when we reached a long straight stretch, I put my foot down, and after about 20 seconds was rocketing along at 180km/h.

Before long I had no choice but to head back into the granny lane, as the car behind me was most unimpressed with my speed. As soon as I left his lane, I was eating his dust. I had no idea you could get that fast in a VW Beetle!