A fifteenth I know, which Folk-stirrer sang,
the dwarf, at the gates of Dawn;
he sang strength to the gods, and skill to the elves,
and wisdom to Odin who utters.
Håvamål 159
The Song of Spells
"A bird of Unmindfulness flutters o'er ale feasts,
wiling away men's wits:
with the feathers of that fowl I was fettered once
in the garths of Gunnlos below."
Håvamål 13
Wisdom for Wanderers and Counsel to Guests
The landlocked navigator's roundabout adventure
Let me introduce you to a piece of flotsam from the shores of cyber space. You'll like this. Fasten your seatbelt, because this is about cars, drivers and the roads on which they travel.
Imagine that you're driving through Great Britain and you're getting a bit annoyed about the fact that you have to drive on the left side of the road. This isn't easy for someone who's learnt to drive on the right (sic) side of the road. Still, you're getting the hang of it and things ease off. You turn the radio on and start grooving to the local music. You turn a corner, hit a nice clear stretch and...
Suddenly this big traffic sign appears:
You start wondering what is going to happen now? They didn't show you this sign during your driving lessons back in the old country. Nor did you get any warnings from the rental agency. Come to think of it, maybe they should have. After all you're driving their car and this thing up ahead is not like anything you've ever seen. Still, you tell yourself: "How hard can it be?" And on you drive.
A few hundred meters further you're suddenly in a radically new situation!
OK, OK, I know what you're thinking: "This can't be real, it's a put on!" But alas, no: Congratulations, Hamurabi. You've just rolled into The Magic Roundabout! May the force be with you, because the rest of us have bailed out. This is too much for us ordinary mortals. We'll get it on video, though, so you can tell your grand kids. (Well, at least we're optimistic on your behalf.)
For a different view of this monster, check out this picture....
Apparently there are 3 or 4 of these monsters in England.
This one is reputedly in Swindon, between London and Cardiff. In the centre the turning direction is opposite to the normal direction for left hand driven cars (or just like the roundabouts on the European mainland where they drive on the right side of the road).
