Hi, michaelr,

Why won't I drive in Europe?

I rode with other American GIs in passenger cars in Berlin, and several Mudcatters drove me around in passenger cars in Ireland and Scotland and England. Watching Tattie Bogle nonchalantly navigate a triple traffic circle was fascinating, and it was a memorable experience to ride with Bill Sables behind the wheel. It was kinda scary, but I suppose I might learn to drive in Europe in fairly short order. But driving requires navigation and paying extra attention to the different driving practices in Europe - and I figured all that would distract my attention from what I want to see and experience. And since I wasn't driving, I had conversations with fascinating people like Tattie Bogle and Bill Sables and Ian Chandler and Martin Ryan.

But the main thing, is that I believe in public transportation, and Europe has such excellent public transportation in most places. Taking public transport has forced me to interact with local people, and I'm a bit of a polyglot and have had so many fascinating experiences in so many different languages, that I would have missed if I had been with Americans or with myself in an automobile. Not having a car has its limitations, but I haven't found that much of a restriction. It's a challenge for me to take public transport and enjoy it, and I have succeeded and enjoyed it immensely. The best transport was in Switzerland, but most European cities have marvelous public transportation that I've enjoyed. To me, riding a streetcar in Rome was thrilling; and I couldn't believe all the different forms of transportation I took in Vienna and Zermatt.

Oh, and not having a car makes me walk, and I love walking cities. I've walked the central districts of most of the major cities of the US and Europe.

-Joe-