My Trip to Europe

GRAFFITI IS CONSIDERED A FORM OF SELF-EXPRESSION IN ITALY

I just got back from a trip to Europe, where we toured London, Paris, Lucerne, Florence and Rome. We hit the highlites, making notes for what we wanted to come back to.

The Top 10 Things I Learned

#10 - There are cultural differences, but there are also individual differences. On the whole, the French don't care much about rules, but our French Guide was the only one who said "If you aren't back on time I will leave without you and I will not come look for you."

#9 - It is not illegal to do graffitiin Italy. It is considered a form of self-expression.

#8 - Order your meat 2 degrees more well-done than you would in the US. 3 degrees more. i.e., if you want it "rare," say "well-done." I'm warning you. And don't ever order anything called "faux filet."

#7 - Everything in London is about 3 men: Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, and Napoleon Bonaparte. Understandably.

#6 - Our guide considered Nero's "fiddling while Rome burned," to be "urban renewa;" on the part of Nero. Ouch.

#5 - I M Pei built the most incredible underground city underneath the Louvre.

#4 - If you can drive the Champs d'Elysees you can drive anything.

#3 - The Autostradad del Sole, from Lucerne down to Rome, is an out-of-body experience.

#2 - Why did the US ever start allowing billboard?

and the #1 thing I learned -- a smile and quiet respect is the Universal Language.