Last Full Day in Europe - Observations

Having traveled through five countries in the past seven weeks, I've had the opportunity to see many places and observe people (Europeans and fellow travelers) during my visit. Here is a collection of random observations from my trip:

Slovenians love to strike up conversations, are generous, and have a great sense of humor.

Northern Croats seem more humble (possessing a quiet confidence) about the beauty of their surroundings than Southern Croats. They are also more helpful to visitors.

Hungarians are extremely helpful and kind. Perhaps its related to the difficulty in foreigners learning and communicating in Magyar, but people went out of their way to assist. Our first train ride into Hungary, the clerks at the small station in Gyekenyes spent about 15 minutes trying to communicate the info for the connecting train. When our train came, one of them came out of her office to ensure that we caught it.

Europeans are more open about sexuality than Americans. Sex is not taboo, and public displays of affection are commonplace. They are also much more accepting of different body shapes and sizes. In general, people are less obese here than in the States. But a man or woman with a figure that is not ideal is not confined to wearing loose clothing, nor feeling ashamed of his or her body. Don't get me wrong, there are folks walking around with coiffed hair and perfect figures. But women don't need to have large breasts to wear a tight top, and men don't need to have a six-pack to go without a shirt. To me, this makes people seem more human. Like the facade of having the ideal figure is unnecessary and you can just be shaped how you are. Clothing also reflects the openness to different shapes, as people are much more experimental and daring in their fashion picks (compared to the comfortable yet boring jeans and monotone shirt couture of Northern California).

I met a lot of Aussies and Brits in the hostels, and it is quite common for them to travel for 6 months at a time. Plenty of Aussies get a 2 year work permit for the UK, and then are able to travel for an extended period of time before or after. A lot of them didn't realize that such a long vacation is unheard of in the States, and that it was quite unusual for me to have a 7 week trip.

That's all for now. Early tomorrow morning, I head off to the airport to spend the day in airplanes on my way home...