EEU: Parting Thoughts

Kathy finishes like she started...with a good beer!

As we wind up our 6 weeks over here in EEU, some closing thoughts.
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Things I liked the best about EEU:
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- Awesome, interconnected, sane, clean, inexpensive mass transit. In 6 weeks we only used a taxi twice, and rented a car for 2 days. Try that anywhere in the US outside Manhattan island.
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- Sidewalk bistros. Everybody eats outside as the weather permits, and every meal is an adventure. 1-2 hours for lunch, 2-3 hours for dinner, many courses, great wine and beer everywhere we went
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- Art: Even for a neanderthal like me, the art was incredible. Florence and Venice especially, but everywhere there was more artwork that you could ever take in during one visit
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Things I didn't like about EEU:
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- Smoking....everywhere, often it seemed like everyone. A disgusting habit, and it ruined several meals and visits for us.
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- Graffitti: Everywhere also, some "artsy" but much just crass and crude. Not just on things like trains or in ghetto's' everything was tagged including museums, palaces, and parks. And, interestingly enough, much of it was in english...go figure that one out
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- Rudeness: The further south you went, the ruder the people got. Thankfuly we didn't make sicily, where I here the priests cuss out your mother when you get off the ferry from the mainland. No understanding of queuing anywhere, but again much worse the further south you went. Every pushes and shoves, cuts in line, overtalks you, never say please or thank you, and on and on. Pretty uncivilized for a "civilized culture"
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Best meals:
- Florence: Il Latina...and it wasn't just the swedish stewardess feeding me
- Capri: Il Tragliano (sic), best Pasta e Fagioli ever tasted anywhere by a long shot. $5 wine bottles, great waiters.
- Siena: La Mangia, right on the main square. Pricey, but an awesome meal, and first-class wait service (something seen in few places throughout EEU)
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I'd go back to:
- Venice (just to walk the streets and smell the smells)
- Capri, for the views and the food
- Brussels, if I had to live somewhere in the Central EEU. Good food, great beer, English speakers, and belgium waffles.
Trip "moment": The view from Capri towards the mainland, looking at Mt Vesuvius. Priceless...well, except for the impact on our Visa card...
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Thanks all for reading and your comments, more to come on our next "Adventures with Lumpy!"
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Lumpy Hemingway out