Little did we know how expensive car insurance and rental would be in Spain for dirty foreigners like us. We debated for a few min, trying to wrap our heads on the finances of getting the desired car. The people at the counter were super nice something we didn't expect at a rental agency, taking the time to explain an break down the options. Now I really wanted the 1 Series BMW but we just really couldn't justify that cost, which would be taking away from the incredible meal budget we had planned. So we ended up with a beater Opel.
Driving across the A8 in the rain through the Basque country, countless parking garages with way too narrow passageways, being completely lost in the hills/mountains of Urkiola, and pushing the sloppy transmission/throttle in said beater Opel. This would provide some of the most remembered stories of the trip. I do have to say it's cool to be in a country where people actually obey the traffic laws and they all drive manual transmissions by default.
Ever have a GPS pronounce Euskera words in English phonetics? It's quite amusing, especially when you have no idea where the fuck you are. Try saying this in English:
"Estanislao Labairu Kalea", "Ubitarte Pasealekua" or "Hegoalde Etorbidea".
Now imagine that with a computerized voice. Exactly. It sounds comically messed up.
We returned to Hertz, Opel and ourselves all in one piece, completing quite the adventure of crossing Northern Spain deep into basque country, and letting the serendipity with the Opel provide us the time of our lives. read more
