I think the next time - and if - we go overseas, I will risk taking a laptop with me so I can access FR at night and see what is happening in the world.
Don’t let people get on your case for going to Europe. For all the anti-Americanism, and I’m talking even 10 or so years ago long before the war and whatnot, the people in most parts of Europe were very friendly. Yeah, you get a few surly people, but I can find surly people right here in Pittsburgh. And even if the people over there don’t like Americans, they do want our tourism dollars, so most of them are not going to deliberately alienate you...or they can be out of a job.
I guess part of the reason why I haven’t been back is that when I was traveling there extensively, that was at a time when the dollar was strong and there were some years when it was actually cheaper to travel to European destinations than anywhere in the U.S. I once took a TWA package throughout Italy — dirt cheap as I remember...and we weren’t exactly staying in hostels or fleabag hotels — these were ordinarily very expensive hotels offering huge discounts for American travelers. But I guess I won’t find the same kind of discount packages as I did back then. If I do go again though, I think it will be with a cruise. I love to cruise — costs a fortune, but it’s worth it.
I was very glad to visit Europe, at least while there still IS a Europe. There is an enormous clash of cultures coming in Europe, and we, as Americans, need to take note of how that clash is handled, for the sake of our own future. Amsterdam in particular felt like a powderkeg, with the growing Muslim culture coming in very strong conflict with the laid-back “pot, porn, and prostitution” culture of the Netherlands.
Also, we were pleasantly surprised that the people in various countries, especially Briton and France, were much friendlier to American citizens than we had been led to believe they would be. (I get the impression that German tourists are more disliked than Americans, but I could be wrong.) And apparently the mainstream media is more “left wing” than the populace even there. But based on the people we met and spoke with, I wasn’t as surprised as some that more conservative people are being elected in Europe, largely on economic and anti-immigration platforms, as some were.
It was a great experience to travel to Europe, and a very illuminating one. I’m glad you and your wife got the opportunity as well.