Italy, driving, etc

One thing that struck me about driving in Europe was how different the roads and drivers were, from one country to the next. In Germany there is the autobahn, and while some of it does have somewhat unlimited speed limits, probably a quarter or more has similar speed limits to our interstate system. I found driving on the autobahn quite easy; the condition of the road is excellent, a lot better than ours. I got used to driving 110 mph quickly, and by no means was I the fastest car on the road. Once out of Germany, things change....the speed limit is usually similar to ours, and in Italy the road conditions are variable. The only place I found driving difficult was the UK. One, our navigation system didn't have a UK disk, so it was maps...Emily with the map and me getting honked at for being on the wrong side of the road after a turn. I even enjoyed driving in Rome, once I got used to the concept it was anarchy: anything goes.

I was stopped once while there, in Bad Kissingen, for talking on a cell phone. A big no-no in Germany, and usually gets you a 100 euro fine and a point off your drivers license. I had two police come up to me, and after we established I had no German language skills to speak of, there was much discussion about why I shouldn't have been on a phone. My Montana drivers license caused some interest, and the conversation turned to fishing and hunting. I got off with a warning, which my German friends found astonishing.

Below are some pictures that I took while there, Rome, Florence, Austria, and other places.

In the UK, Cambridge.

Typical Brit phone booth

Dover's white cliffs, from the Calais ferry.

Emily in Munich

A hilltop prison in Austria, used in the mid to late 1800's to house political enemies of the state. It's reached by the trolley line you can dimly see going up the hill.

The obligatory picture of Pisa's leaning tower. Actually, most of the larger old structures around it have a noticeable lean also.

Above all pictures of the excavations around the coliseum/forum area, and Emily with her Italian shades.

After 7 months, we came back to the states. Emily had a formative experience there, on her own she traveled by rail around Europe, staying in hostels, eating street food, and impressing me with her ability to blend in and adapt. The subways of London, Paris and Berlin were as familiar to her as the bus routes in Seattle. She would leave for a week, come back and announce "Dad, I'm out of euros", while looking at the train schedule for her next trip. To her credit, she spent a week in Paris, and spent a total of 300 euros. You try that sometime, while staying in the 5th Arrondissement.

While writing the last few posts, my little Montana town is getting it's first taste of Spring. My crocuses are showing small green sprouts above ground, the snow is gone from my lawn, and I've been fishing. Emily is moving back to Seattle in a month, and my life will revert to the geezer bachelorhood of yore. I'm making plans for some extended camping trips this summer: I'm going to explore the lakes of Montana.