Epilogue

Back to Sept 29-Oct 5: Prague, Berlin and San Francisco.

I love being in the United States of America. I hope you enjoyed this giant tale (245 K) and the photos. Thank you very much.

Eric emailed me 3 days later and wrote that he had fallen asleep on the London Underground and missed the flight by 45 minutes. Luckily he caught the next 747 and wound up in S.F. just 9 hours later than Tara and I.

It was my first trip to Europe, and damn was it a long one.

Summary

My opinions about Europe and Europeans:

The European Union is for real, and represents a huge shift in world politics and economics.

Second-hand smoke is a omnipresent problem that seems invisible to europeans.

The young people are more mature.

There are a lot of pigeons in the cities.

The South and the East are cheaper than the West and the North.

The cars are smaller.

Traffic is more accommodating to pedestrians.

Ice cream treats are much more widely available.

Other observations:

Australians travel a lot.

Beer, wine and cigarettes are available everywhere.

A lottery of some kind is available everywhere.

A prosperous city is constantly under construction.

A popular activity among kids is hanging out.

Missed most about home:

My friends

Target Stores

Driving while listening to music

Giant Cokes with ice

Shaving cream

My tools, especially my PC

Favorite City:

Rome, with Barcelona second

Best city for tourists:

Paris

What I wish I had brought along:

A compass, a laser-pointer and a remote-control car.

What I wish I had left behind:

extra shoes and nice shirt

What I did different:

I didn't use a money belt or traveller's cheques, Just a regular wallet and an ATM card.

What I didn't miss:

Leaf-blowers, parking tickets, being awoken by the phone.

How much money did I spend?

I was gone for 3 months. Including a $900 flight and a $800 eurail pass, I spent $7,300.

How many pictures did I take?

2,955 or an average of 33 a day. That's 153 Megs of photos. (and you thought your uncle's slideshows were boring!)

My plans for the future:

I plan on completing my "demo reel" and pursuing a job in CGI. Failing that, I will do web design or tech support.

Thanks again for following my travels. If you have any similar stories or experiences, especially travelling in Morocco or Spain, please write!

-Rob

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