The Bubble Bursts

Posted by Jules on May 3rd, 2009

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When the days grow longer and the chill goes out of the air I drive a 1975 open-top Beetle.  Ever since watching Annie Hall this has been my dream car until Mr. J.  brought one for me for my 40th and then it became mine! (Luckily without a Woody Allen accessory).   I love this car.  It has a musky smell that reminds me of my long dead Irish grandfather and when changing gears is required there is a lot of coaxing and fiddling involved,not I always imagine, unlike making love to an old spinster.  Sometimes at Stop signs she doesn’t take too kindly having to go back into first gear and will huffily stall in the middle of the road but that’s only if I haven’t warmed her up properly with a few good revs.  It is a joy and an on-going work of love to keep her road worthy; little children point at us in the streets and policemen smile and I am proud to drive a vintage piece of art.  Her nickname is The Bubble.

She has only one major failing and that is she doesn’t like to stop suddenly.  She reacts quite well initially to the sharp pounding of her brake pads but like a large ship coming into port has a long gliding period before coming to a standstill.

All those who drive in Switzerland will know about the give-way-to-the-right rule, unless on a main road.  They take this a little too far at times such as occasionally and crazily you will find yourself on a roundabout having to give way to traffic filtering in from the right.  (The overlooking of such rule caused me to fail my first driving test in Geneva – the examiner having to use the brake pedal on his side sort of put a dampener on the whole thing).

The problem is sometimes it is difficult to discern when the road you are driving on is designated “main road” worthy.   For example coming into our village, a main axe, you would think it was a main road but it is not, no no no and on reaching the fountain the give-way-to-the-right rule is enforced. They have jutted the Salle Communale (village hall)  just enough to obscure the view making it really exciting. 

And I know this!  I know this!

Because there are several sneaky give-way-to-the-rights in our village and experience has taught me where they are.

Flashback to Saturday morning.  It is a beautiful spring day with a promise of summer.  I am cheerfully driving along, having brought white geraniums and large pink hydrangeas for my garden. I arrive in the bubble at the fountain to see a white van inching out from the right.  I brake and then slowly glide to a halt leaving plenty of room for the van to pass us.    The old syndic (mayor) Monsieur Bovet, the driver of the white van, shouts out of the window in a voice not suitable for a bedroom setting.

“Priorité à droite!” (Priority to the right you ignorant expat)

I nod my head through the windscreen keeping my foot firmly on the brake pedal willing her to stop gliding.

Madame the old syndic sits up in her seat, brings me into her visibility line and bores holes into the back of my head.

“Priorité à droite!!!”  He yells again as he passes me this time so angrily I look over my shoulder to see if there is a rabid , salivating dog in the street about to attack some innocent, sweet Swiss children.

I am offended for The Bubble.  She was ignored, dismissed treated without respect. 

She’s an old-timer, be nice, be patient, don’t shout.

Living in Switzerland, Most Popular Posts 9 Comments

Adam said,

May 3, 2009 @ 8:32 pm

Is there really such a rule? What…on roundabouts even? But that is absolute madness. Perhaps I had better take a swiss driving test. Mind you, I rarely do anything other than a rolling stop. No wonder I have so many near misses…hmmm, wonder if that could be my fault. But then I am a typical male: reckoning I am much better than the average driver. The fact is, I probably bring the average down.

Inger said,

May 4, 2009 @ 9:31 am

I know that priorité à droite and it is a killer, even with modern brakes, you cannot see round the corner. Complain to the comune, hang on, isn’t Mr Jules on the comune? Why did you have to take a swiss driving test?

jules said,

May 4, 2009 @ 11:18 am

Adam, the one particular roundabout was over in La Jonction in 1983. It is true, rarely are there give way to the rights on roundabouts but there are plenty in villages and on the side roads. That Bentley of yours has been very lucky then!
Inger, Oh this is embarrassing BECAUSE I had failed my UK test (twice) and so decided to wait until I moved over here thinking that it would be good for me to learn the rules here but it still took me three attempts here!!!(After the third they send you to a psychiatrist no kidding). I’m rubbish during any exam that involves machinery being a highly strung, nervy individual. The experience of passing the exam for my boat license requires a whole other blog and involves a visible thong during the man over board exercise and a nesting swan. Those boat examiners are nazi trained, I swear.

Martin said,

May 4, 2009 @ 2:25 pm

Jules – you are not an offender – the brakes are to blame.

However, there is a “person” (let’s not be sexist) in the village who drives a Honda CRV (or something like) – and who has CD plates thereby exempting them from any penalties whatsoever.

I recall only too well coming up from the station to turn left to head back down to my place when …….. coming from my left said Honda completely fails to stop for the railway road – which is, of course, another priorité à droite – and I’m on the right don’t forget. An accident was only averted by the twin ventilated front discs (and back) on the Subaru.

What got my goat up the most was the hand gestures, the facial expression and the vocabulary from the Honda driver which claimed that I was wrong (plus a few other things) and which I am unable to translate into a form suitable for this blog.

Suffice to say, if I meet the driver again I shall have no hesitation in explaining the rule such that no doubt can remain.

jules said,

May 4, 2009 @ 2:50 pm

I had no idea that was one! Another! They trick you at every turn in this village. I know the one on the other side from Chemin des Marettes is because we used to live in that road but I still used to slow down exactly for the reasons you have given Martin, most people don’t realise it is not classed as a main road coming out of the village. The locals, however, well versed in the road system seem to take great enjoyment in our confusion and would, I swear, even force an accident just to prove a point. I shall keep my eyes peeled for the Honda, Inger no doubt knows who it is.

Martin said,

May 4, 2009 @ 3:11 pm

I hope it’s not Inger – grin grin.

Bolton bap said,

May 7, 2009 @ 7:38 am

Isn’t it funny how you can get up peacefully in the morning and have your ‘zen-ness’ instantly obliterated by another driver. I swear (literally) that all my pent-up frustrations are let loose on the Grenoblois driving public particularly at roundabouts where most people seem to be applying the moron’s guide to indicating.
That said, I love the way you can park more or less anywhere and drivers here are really easy to annoy,just slow right down or change lanes cheekily. A few months ago I was driving in Geneva and must’ve been concentrating on reading the map when I arrived at some traffic lights. A young guy screeched up in front of me and got out of his car. He came up to my window and went on about how I had cut him up at the last junction. Not really aware of what I had/hadn’t done I felt a smile coming on when he told me I was a ‘typical French driver’ and that it wasn’t done like that in Switzerland. It bemused me all day, maybe I’m becoming more French that I think.
PS I passed my test 3rd time, you are in good company!

jules said,

May 7, 2009 @ 8:07 am

Martin, It’s not Inger (phew!) but definitely up in the posh part of the village. I’ll keep my eyes pealed for the offender.
BB- Moron’s guide to indicating! Love it. The Swiss rarely indicate when leaving roundabouts and this really annoys me, so discourteous. The Genevois are not Swiss you know, at least no-one outside of Geneva thinks they are.
3rd timers make the best drivers.

Nadia said,

May 10, 2009 @ 9:08 pm

The only thing the French respect on the roads is the right-of-way… I know this from having applied my Swiss attitude to roads coming in from the right (which is that they usually have stop signs) resulting in honking, loud squealing brake noises, and sundry shouted insults (including “Sale suisse, rentre chez toi!!” trans. “Dirty Swiss go home!!!” Which is truly a silly insult, as most Swiss are usually squeaky clean.).

But the Genevese, like the rest of the Swiss, don’t really think they’re Swiss either. Or French. Or European. We’re just… Genevese. A breed apart: eclectic, international, independent, cultivated, loud-mouthed, opinionated… Genève Libre! Vive la République! Oh, and it’s OUR lake! And OUR Salève…

(P.S. For non-Swiss readers, it should be mentioned that the tip of Lake Geneva, with the fountain, has Geneva on both sides, giving us a Rive Droite and a Rive Gauche just like Paris, but most of the lake is either in France or Vaud… and the Salève is in France. At least the French seem to think so.)

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