Yes, I haven't travelled too far ~ only in Europe ~ but I have found people to be very pleasant wherever I have been.

I also enjoy meeting visitors to this country.

And I find the International group we have on here very friendly too!

I suppose I feel relatively safe here. I think it is usual to feel safe in one's own 'home' ~ though people do also seem to stop worrying about personal safety when on holiday!

Things like conscription in France used to bother me.

But the amount of open space in France appeals ~ and the slightly better weather. It may seem trivial, but living in a country where rain and darkness are the norm for most of the year can get a bit depressing.

I want to see London etc, but it costs too much and if i am spening that money i would have to go to hungary to visit relatives or I would feel bad.
My friend did a kontiki tour and she said London almost killed them, no sun and she paid 30$ CAD for a tuna sandwich and 2 bottles of water and a kitKat bar.( i think it was kitkat ) either way ouch!!!!! I am resigned to watching reruns of Fawlty Towers and seeing the Torquay(sp?) beach in the cloudy rain.Sighs.
And yes I have met great americans and not so great ones there are good and bad everywhere. France would be appealing esp since all we have is Quebec and they don't even want to be here!

Up until recently, Americans didn't need passports for visiting Canada or Mexico, so they were a relatively unusual thing to have, in my opinion -- only the wealthy (or people who conducted international business) could afford overseas travel so only they had passports.

I didn't know that.
How strange that seems ~ though I think it was, maybe still is, the same with us and Ireland.

I agree - it does seem strange now.

Speaking of "Only in America" I heard today that a town, Butler, Missouri, I think Missouri ,any way if you buy a new car you can have either a gift card for 250$ gas or a semi automatic gun of some kind, over 70% of people are taking the free gun.

Wow, In Canada sometime you get a pack of Tim Horton's gift cards or a mug if you are really lucky.

I'd like to check this book out.
A few years ago I read a book called "Ciao America" by an Italian journalist recounting his experiences living in DC. it was funny. Though it's scope was obviously limited (DC is not America), there's always certain things that an outsider will notice about a place that the people who live there don't. Lots of foreign writers have recounted their experiences in America going all the way back to the excellent works of De Tocqueville.

Car dealerships are offering "free" gas for a limited time, or up to a certain amount, but I have my doubts about guns being offered as a choice. Sounds like one of the factoids that get passed around the internet.

Hi Capt Haddock....welcome back. Hope the honeymoon is still going strong.

Carl, just what we need, more folks with guns in the state of Florida!

Blessings,

Emilie

I just thought of something ironic. They same people who would be given guns, might use them to "purchase" gas should the prices continue to go up.

Blessings,

Emilie