25 Random Things

1. post-it notes
2. the autobahn
3. balloons
4. glitter
5. scratch 'n sniff stickers
6. pillows
7. dirndls
8. map of Tampa, FL
9. crayons
10. lightning bolt
11. french baguette
12. henna paste
13. hot chocolate
14. Oxford U t-shirts
15. slipping in the rain
16. kissing in the rain
17. singing in the rain
18. stanley cup
19. water lilies
20. whale wars
21. labyrinths
22. seedless pumpkins
23. burning leaves
24. cliffs
25. smell of the ocean

All good things must come to an end...

... I mean, you probably are not as excited about these Europe 'tips' as I am, but I think that 'the last of what I learned in Europe' would be a pretty boring title. At least this way, I got you to think of a famous quote. Now don't you feel smarter?


Appreciate the showers you have, with the non-stop supply of water … unlike showers in Europe, where you have to press the button every ten seconds

Dressing up to enter the Monte Carlo Casino is overrated, why not just go in in flip flops and jeans? We did … as Alex says, ‘Eat that James Bond’

Some nights you just need to relax and rent a movie like Casino Royale

When wearing heels, be careful not to step in the sewer grates, esp when raining

When you hear the clip from Pink Floyd repeatedly about a thousand times, it is permanently engrained in your head

Everybody, I mean everybody, knows the song ‘Livin on a Prayer’ by Bon Jovi, as we found out in the Karaoke bar in London

When wandering, you will find what you least expect or could not find otherwise, aka Tiffinbites, statue of Peter Pan…

Peet-uh (Peter) is one of the best names in Britain

Who says you can’t find the ground that Orlando Bloom walked on and kiss it?

Sometimes the idea of customer service is highly undervalued

Do not be surprised when the keyboard changes every country you visit

Trolls make good friends for snails

The bells and organ of Notre Dame, also priceless

Mass at Notre Dame beats mass at the Vatican ten-fold

It does rain quite a bit on that damned continent

There is nothing quite like throwing a snowball in June, try visiting an Alp

You never know who you will run into again, you may see Iceland! unexpectedly in Salzburg a few times after sharing a tour with them in Appenzellerland

There is a big difference between the terms ‘sprinkling’ ‘raining’ and ‘pouring’, especially when wandering the streets of Venice, lost completely

The best bus-driver there is is the Water Bus Driver in Venezia, however, the rope-throwing-guy hates his life

I guess to close this, I just have to say to ENJOY LIFE! Make the most of your trip - do everything you can, anything you want, nothing you will regret.

I have taught you almost all I know

• The police sirens are hella annoying
• Don’t question why people shout sporadically ‘Take the pain away’ out of windows in Berlin, it won’t get you an answer
• Don’t get too excited when you see a public toilet sign, usually, it’s a stall in the middle of the sidewalk
• Yes, you do usually have to pay to use the toilet
• It is not uncommon for guys to pee in the streets or corners of buildings
• Ludwig II most likely was really crazy, as he had Neuschwanstein built up this really big hill – no, seriously, big hill-ish mountain
• Have no shame in taking pictures of every hot guy you want to remember, and if you don’t know their name, make one up! (like Pierre de Marseilles)
• No reason for concern if you see someone dressed in an Easter Bunny costume in a pub
• Trivial Pursuit: British Edition, is a hoot, especially when played by two Americans, a Canadian, a Swedish guy, and Chinese girl
• Be prepared to wait in line four hours to see David, or, see real naked men in Amsterdam or the nude beaches with no wait
• Aprons of David make great souvenirs
• The little replicas of David are nowhere near close to the real thing
• You have to pay for everything … even to walk around on the courtyard from Harry Potter in Oxford
• When in Oxford, of course you must purchase a book at the Borders, even if it is a Steve McQueen book
• The Scottish Historical Society or Tourist Bureau or whatever they call themselves are pretty laid back, as they let you climb on top of their ancient ruins at your own risk …
• Yet, once you are on top of ruins of centuries-old buildings, you realize that you are quite high, and to fall, would be bad
• Salzburg is gung-ho about being considered as the host city for the next Olympics
• Some ATMS may reject your card for no reason
• Make sure that your hostel/hotel room has ALL the beds it’s supposed to

Back with more tips from Europe!

Does it make more sense to organize these by place visited? I don't know, but here are the rest of the things I learned in Amsterdam - don't worry, I really did learn more, and some things are already published:

• There is much more to do in Amsterdam than smoke pot and eat mushrooms
• The Heineken Experience is the coolest ‘museum’ in Amsterdam
• Heineken is so much better directly from the source
• 12,500 bottles of Heineken are opened every minute, and Heineken is second in exportation to the US Army
• Smoking marijuana in Amsterdam is legal, so don’t be surprised when you walk into your hostel and it smells like weed
• It is priceless when your new Brazilian friend gets pulled onstage by the Dominatrix

And now for some more important bulletins about no place in particular:

• It is a stupid idea to carry Murano glass across Europe for a month

• Who says Starbucks chairs don’t make good beds?

• Don’t forget to make your reservation to see the Last Supper months in advance
• Despite several failures, Let’s Go is the Bible
• ‘Kingdoms’ created on train rides are in fact the best kingdoms of all
• You really have no clue how big beer gardens are until you see the truck that comes around to collect the dishes and beer mugs
• You can never see enough religious themed paintings in the museums … that’s a lie, actually, because you can see enough, but you know what I mean
• You have to visit a chocolate factory while in Switzerland
• You also have to have a Swiss army knife from Switzerland itself
• Be careful asking about what football teams’ colors are … you will probably get dirty looks with the response
• It is quite common knowledge just why rich people have homes along the French Riviera and Cote d’Azur

• Cats are everywhere, seriously

• Don’t bother with the security belt, you will probably never wear it