10 Things We Learned in Europe

Image by Madalena Pestana

And so, our trip has come to an end. We're back in the US, back to the daily grind, the job, the dog (who is all too happy to see us), the Responsibility. But we've come back different, rested, inspired, and, to coin a cliché, more worldly. Here's what we learned...

10. There are no squirrels on the European mainland. We're not sure what happened to them, but they don't seem to exist.

9. Pigeons, on the other hand, abound. And they're all fat.

8. The French have a much healthier attitude towards dogs than the Americans - they neither coddle them, nor assume they're in imminent danger if one enters a café.

7. Similarly, the Europeans have a much more laid-back attitude towards food. Nothing is pumped full of preservatives, cheese isn't pasteurized, eggs sit on non-refrigerated shelves. Yet, miraculously, no one dies.

6. French washing machines are diabolical. Even the French don't know how to operate them.

5. Maps aren't infallible.

4. It pays to learn the team’s fight song when going to a sporting event.

3. The worst moments of your journey will sometimes make for the best stories.

2. You can have meaningful interactions with people, form instantaneous relationships, without speaking a word of each other's language. All you have to do is offer them some bread, or some wine, or simply a smile.

1. Travel makes one thirst for more travel.