Home, sweet almost home.

I'm safe and sound back in Canada, and have been hanging around at Carolyn's parents' house in Liverpool for a few days. Relaxing and errand running in Canadian stores is more exciting than I would've imagined :)

The trip back was rather uneventful except that we landed in St. John's Newfoundland, and had to deplane and go through customs there. It would've been really annoying except for how excited we were to be in Newfoundland for the first time, to hear some Newfie accents, and to peruse all the Canadiana souvenirs. You know you're home when you can buy moose droppings (the chocolate), or maple syrup cookbooks.

Now that I've been 'home' for a few days, and reflecting on the trip, I now present:

Europe in Summary - Things learned and observed

Foods

-Do not EVER take for granted the following - mayonnaise, ketchup, peanut butter
-On the flip side, Canada needs to import the following - paprika flavoured chips, Cappy brand fruit juices, Italian gelato, Fanta, Blackcurrent Nestea iced tea.

-'Nescafe' means 'American-style coffee in Turkey.

-Picnics taste better in the shadow of a famous building, or while using a piece of an ancient pillar as a bench.

-Restaurant dinners taste better when you are begged to come in by the waiters.

-Visiting grocery stores and outdoor markets was one of our favourite things do to for free entertainment.

-There is no joy quite like arriving at a hostel to discover they have free breakfast AND dinner.

-Life is better when beer is cheaper than water.

Directions

-Cluelessly following around the biggest crowd will usually get you where you want to go
-If you're lost, just pull out every map of the area that you have, sit down in the middle of the sidewalk and spread out each map. This is the quickest way to have an english speaker approach and offer help.

Backpackers, locals and conversations

-Take recommendations from other backpackers. Even if it means changing your plans, you will almost always be thankful.

-While in Western countries, telling others where you've been in the East gives you serious street credit and instant respect.

-More people than expected do not truely understand the seperation between USA and Canada.

-Expect hospitality and kindness to be the norm everywhere. Everyone is proud of their hometown and likes to show it off.

Day-to-day living

-You will never again take proper bathrooms for granted once you've had to pee on a rocky night train with nothing but a hole to squat over (no TP or soap), and the results of everyone else's poor aim all over the floor.

-I will sleep pretty much anywhere in search of cooler temperatures (cement patios, the bench of a closed rooftop bar...), and will fall asleep hugging a cold water bottle in my bathing suit in an effort to cool down.

-A 4AM call-to-prayer can sound remarkable similar to the incessant dance tunes at a bar beside your tent when they're both keeping you from sleeping.

Falling in love

-Before deciding to move to the first city you visit... get the taste of another dozen or so. You may find you fell the same about each one.
-Marrying a foreign boy in any of the countries visited and moving there despite language barriers seems like a plausible future plan for each of us.

-Purchases of all sorts (especially those you don't actually need) happen much easier when under the threat of breaking hearts.

Baaaa

-UK really *does* have that many sheep.