-Henry David Thoreau
I am on my way home today and considering those things that I've learned about the places I have visited and what I can appreciate about home when I get there. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself on this trip, thankful for the experiences and the people I've met. I am ready to go home however. I'm pretty sure I mentioned that before, but I'm just reinforcing it.
1. The best mode of transportation in both London and Paris is a motorcycle. They can pretty much go wherever they want to and weave through traffic when it gets really bad. I really like the ones that look a little like reverse tricycles with the two wheels in front. I'm not sure what they're called.
2. Everyone here dresses really well. Londoners are impeccable, Parisians are a little more messy but still very well dressed. I felt like a slob most days but I do at home too, so I guess that's not that different.
3. Being in London was strange with the emphasis on royalty. This whole concept is truly foreign to me. I know we have t-shirts with presidents but that changes at least once a decade. I can't imagine what it would be like to be from a nation with a queen and a royal wedding. We saw the wedding dress at Buckingham Palace and it was pretty, but I wouldn't want that to be me at all. Plus I wouldn't want my face to be plastered everywhere.
4. The ease of travel on both the tube and the metro was really nice and easy. I don't have to drive or sit in traffic which is wonderful, because traffic makes me cranky. I'll miss this.
5. I'll also miss walking by old and beautiful buildings everyday. I don't think the locals really understand how cool it is to walk by buildings that are hundreds of years old.
6. I won't miss the lack of spaciousness. I'm very American in the sense that I like my space and my personal bubble. I've heard this is much worse in a place like China or Japan. I guess I'd deal with it and still enjoy myself there if need be. But I look forward to going home with 4 acres, my own room and a queen sized bed all to myself.
7. I don't know nearly enough about English or French history. It's almost essential in understanding half of what you're observing. Next time I need a timeline of important people and events to keep everything straight. I think all of it would make more sense and I would feel like a more competent tourist (is that an inherent contradiction?).
8. I sweated too much. I would have appreciated a little more air conditioning but that's alright. I survived and hopefully will be in better shape for it.
9. On that same note, I have a love/hate with all these crazy stairs. I think I would have appreciated being at least one floor lower. But I know that going up and down all the stairs that are literally EVERYWHERE, have been very good for me. I realize how America is one of the most overweight countries in the world and it's because we don't have stairs everywhere that we have to walk to everyday. So part of me will miss them but another part of me won't at all.
10. I truly enjoy traveling and meeting new people. I will miss them all dearly and I will miss the newness of the cities I visited. I want to see so much more of the world and look forward to saving time and money in order to do just that.
Thanks everyone for making this trip wonderful! I'll probably continue to blog somewhat but maybe not daily.
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