Driving school

Today we rented a car to travel outside Auckland. The fact they drive "on the other side" was known and taken into account, what was not was that the fact the car was automatic. Result? Seconds after starting the car, it stopped miserably in the middle of a crowded centric avenue and I had no way to start it again! The gear did not want to move and traffic kept comming... All these years driving and I felt again like a complete beginer!

Finally Eva got some suggestions and we could continue: the thing was as simple as that the gear stick does not move (from stop to forward) "unless" you press the brake (then you can forget it for all the driving). To drive an automatic car is far easier in fact than a traditional manual gear box one, but it lacks to me the feeling of driving.

Hoy alquilamos un coche para dar una vuelta por los alrededores de Auckland. El hecho de que conduzcan "por el otro lado" era conocido y tenido en cuenta, lo que no lo era es que el coche era automatico. ¿Resultado? Unos segundos tras arrancar el coche, se quedo tirado miserablemente en el medio de una centrica avenida bastante concurrida y ¡no habia forma de arrancarlo de nuevo! No habia forma de mover la palanca de cambios y el trafico no paraba... Todos estos años conduciendo para sentirme de nuevo como un completo principiante!

Al final Eva consiguio algunas indicaciones y pudimos continuar: la cosa era tan simple como que la palanca de cambios no se mueve (de parado a adelante) "hasta" que pisas el freno (luego la olvidas durante toda la conduccion). Conducir un coche automatico es bastante mas facil que uno tradicional de cambio manual, pero le falta a mi gusto la sensacion de conducir.