Jack Campin says: A lot of American visitors find the idea of public transport alien and terrifying.

Well, I admit that I find the idea of driving in Europe to be terrifying. When I lived in Berlin in 1972-73, I went for two years without driving. I made up my mind that I would never drive in Europe. When I moved back to the U.S. and had to start driving again, THAT was terrifying. But half a year later I had to drive on the job in Los Angeles, and I learned to handle anything.

I still love taking public transportation in Europe. The only hassle is that sometimes I don't know what to do with my suitcase. I found myself walking around London one day at hours when Chateau Micca was not yet open, wheeling a suitcase behind me. There were no wheeled suitcases in the 1970s and my ex-wife liked to travel heavy and use me as a pack horse, so it was a real hassle back then.

I also had problems at 6 am in Warsaw one morning, when I couldn't figure out how to buy a streetcar ticket (they were at the shops that sell cigarettes).

Reasonable public transportation is finally becoming a reality in the U.S., although there are some places where buses run only once an hour and it can take half a day to get somewhere if you have to transfer.

-Joe-