(written by Brett)

I got on a bus at 6:20 AM that changed its number mid-way thru the route. Started as the #3, then voila, the #4.

Nonstop, energy-arms, Lawton laid on the couch (no, wait, futon, the couch isn’t here yet) for 30 minutes motionless saying “I want to go home.”

Kate got accused of shoplifting. Bread. In Luxembourg, the second wealthiest country in the world – with the lowest crime rate.

You need to buy two cases of toilet paper to get the special price. You get a loud scolding in Luxembourgish if you don’t.

Luxembourgish sounds like German, until it doesn’t.

“Just take anything going in that direction” doesn’t apply to trains in Germany.

There’s a reason the express costs more.

I missed a train in Koblenz and got on two locals returning from Bonn. So really that’s a large chunk of central Germany on the “the local.”

Who knew there were so many towns along the Rhine. And Mosel.

Informed that our rent wasn’t paid. Strange. We paid it on January 1.

Learned there was a typo in the routing info.

Worried that we sent A LOT of Euros to some random person and they’d now had it for 13 days.

No wait, there actually wasn’t a typo. Landlord helpfully says “either one will work” – or the French equivalent.

Learned that the nice confirmation forms the bank sends you for each transaction only arrive via Post when they DON’T go thru.

“Transaction” means transaction. “a echoue” means failed.

“Compte bloque’”means account blocked.

$%&&#@! means why is my account blocked.

Android phones don’t roam like iPhones.

There’s a reason I’d never heard of Tango Wireless.

Keeping your US cell phone number is a security blanket. Made of gold.

Has never been so happy to see the green mermaid. Except maybe in Mannheim two weeks ago.

Wondered if 20 years from now, Americans in Europe will disdain Starbucks like I now loathe a McDonalds in the Hauptbanhof.

Learned to dread 4 PM. (Ask anyone who works for a west coast-based company working in Europe).

Remembered that tomorrow will be another day.