Trip Impressions, I

As I start to process my thoughts about the 21-day journey through Europe, here are some first impressions.

1. Behavior at crosswalks.  Completely different from one city to the next.
- London: every man, woman, and child for themselves.  The "don't walk" sign means nothing.
- Brussels: they don't even have walk/don't walk lights at many intersections--pedestrians have the right of way and cars will stop.
- Berlin: jaywalking is illegal.  With no traffic in sight, at 2 a.m., people will still stand there and wait for the light to turn green.

2. Activities.

To me, travel is not always about "doing things you wouldn't do at home."  Sure, I:
- spent time at the casino;
- tried several different brands of beer (I'm still not really a fan!);
- didn't shave for a week at a time; and even
- struck up conversations with random strangers.

But I also:
- went to the mall;
- took naps;
- went to the grocery store and bought milk, donuts, cereal, etc.; and even
- spent a couple hours doing my laundry at the laundromat.

There's a fine balance between being touristy and feeling like you live somewhere.  I tried to do more of the latter.

3. Customer service.

Even when it's a façade or a formality, I expect a polite greeting from cashiers, waiters, and greeters.  Everywhere I went, I was greeted with "hello", "good morning", or more.  My Southern-ness was only reinforced in Europe.  :-)

In the couple days I've been back, I have noticed how absent that behavior is in some places.  There will be stores that I don't frequent any longer if I find the staff to not at least be minimally polite.