I’ve never been much of a world traveler, due mostly to the fact that I hate flying.
When I was in the army, I flew Philly from Atlanta, then to Korea and Japan, and then (fortunately) BACK.
I did a fair amount on business incentive travel, where I earned trips to various destinations: Hawaii, Italy, China, Hong Kong, Toronto, Montreal and around the US to Florida, Arizona, and California.
But PLAN a trip out of the country? Not often.
Deb and I have done some cruising over the four years, which I enjoy, other than needing to fly to a port.
But,she finally convince me to do it, so on November 5th, we flew to Greece, spent five days there and then spent the next 25 days cruising to the Greek Islands, Sicily, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, Rome, Valencia, Canary Islands, St. John’s, Puerto Rico and Miami.
Here is what I have learned about our world:
If you did not know it, get ready, the crazy, rich Asians are ready to inherit the earth.
The Greek language may be the most difficult to learn, and yet, four-year-olds there speak it fluently. And when Greeks find something they don’t understand, they claim, It’s Chinese to me.
What I would not have given for a 16 oz Wawa coffee. They serve it in 4 oz cups and only fill it half way so you can add milk. And don’t bother asking for refills.
Obviously, tobacco and nicotine do not kill elsewhere in the world, as smoking and vaping are commonplace.
90% of the world has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I don’t know what it means, but I think it must be good.
The world should declare the pigeon the World’s Bird as they proliferate in every country we visited. So it’s not just William Penn they shit on; they shit on anything.
The SUV car trend is uniquely American, the rest of the world is driving smaller cars so they can fit them into a finite number of parking spaces.
Jesus, and churches where you can visit Him are HUGE in Europe. Perhaps even more plentiful than Pitman, New Jersey.
When these countries and cities were discovered, the Ship’s Captain said, “OK guys, the first thing we need here is a fort. Before you know it, the Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, and other assorted malcontents are going to attack us for no good reason. When we abandon these forts in a couple of thousand years or so, they can use them for shopping malls and markets.”
All the side roads were built for horses and people and cars, pedestrians, and bicycles just don’t share these narrow paths very well.
No one could explain to me in a country that drives on the left/wrong side of the road, must we walk on the left/wrong side of the sidewalk?
Public restrooms are scarce and cost 1 Euro to use. This places an extra burden on those of us suffering from euromysotosis.
Does Black Friday have the same meaning for those who do not celebrate Thanksgiving? There were many sales.
There’s a lot of really old shit over there. In fact, in Rome and other places, the buildings are actually crumbling. Why not tear them down and build Affordable Housing?
These are all just off-the-cuff observations. If any more come to mind, I’ll let you know.
It’s good to be home?