What I Learned By Driving Across Europe

I can now tell you with assurance that the light at the end of the tunnel leads to a beautiful spot. 

I came to this assertion in northern Italy, somewhere north of Udine, as my wife and I approached the Austrian border. We were driving home to Prague after a week or so on holiday in Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula. 

Italian freeways, the autostrade, are wonderous infrastructure. Almost glassine in their smoothness. No—almost German! Maybe even better. 

I was zipping through a mountain tunnel at a speedy 150 kilometers per hour, or just over 93 miles per hour. Just ahead…the tunnel’s exit. 

We emerged into a stunning landscape. High, jagged mountains standing sentry over Italy’s A23 autostrade. Looming, cottony gray-and-white clouds veiling mountain peaks. 

I turned to Yulia: “Looks like the kinda place dragons would live.” 

In other words, it was a spectacularly grand vista. Truly beautiful. If I’d not been driving at an illegally fast speed (the limit is 130 kph), I would have stopped for photos. Best I can offer is this less-dramatic, less-panoramic view Yulia snapped. Still, you get the gist: 

 What I am ultimately getting at is this: Driving through Europe is amazing! 

I’ve been living in Europe now for nearly four years. Until this summer, I’d driven in Europe precisely once—back in Ireland, where I holed up for one month in October 2018 before moving to Prague. I had a rental car and I spent my weekends driving all over southern Ireland, which is a gorgeous, unspoiled, lightly populated place to tool around in a car. 

But this summer, Yulia and I decided to check out a few countries where we might like to live, as I’ve written about a few times in recent months. As part of that, we chose to drive to Croatia.  

And, wow! Am I glad we opted to see Europe by the car-seat of our pants. 

This continent is crazy pretty. And counties are so compact that you’re regularly crossing borders, not just into new countries, but into new cultures and new scenery. 

Back in June, we spent a few days in Lisbon, then rented a car to head into Portuguese wine country. Amazing how quickly metropolitan life yields to a rural existence that is so reminiscent of my drives through California’s Napa and Sonoma valleys. The only difference, really, is that Napa and Sonoma are relatively crowded in comparison to Portugal—and Napa and Sonoma are not very crowded at all, which tells you how sparse the population is in the southeast corner of Portugal. 

Down along the coast in the Algarve in southern Portugal, we found a family eatery that was pretty basic from the outside. Hungry, we walked in to find this view for our lunch of grilled fish and shrimp cocktail: 

Wine country in Croatia, meanwhile, looks like Tuscany, but with views of the Adriatic Sea that prompt you to stop and just admire the grandeur of the place.  

Driving the narrowest of coastal backroads brought us to quaint little beaches, and small food shacks offering up straight-from-the-sea fish, octopus, and shrimp. Well off the typical tourist path, for sure. 

The drive through Austria and into Slovenia was majestic because of the stunning Alpine panoramas. Stopping in little towns here and there to find restaurants was actually exciting, because you never knew what kinds of local dishes would be on the menu. I had some kind of pasta in Udine, Italy, I’ve never had before and it was exceptional. 

Now, I’m not saying these experiences are impossible to have unless you drive. Of course not. 

But I am saying that after a summer of driving through seven countries, and after seeing my car-seat views of the seashores and mountains and vineyards and bucolic farmlands, I now count “driving around the continent” as one of the perks of living in Europe. 

Next month, I’m seeing the Scottish Highlands through the windshield of a car.  

And Yulia and I are already planning a drive into Slovakia’s High Tatras mountains this fall, and into Bavaria for Christmas markets this December. 

And to think that I used to hate driving…