December 6, 2002 - Page 3


Following my last weekend of group travel in Switzerland a week earlier, this extended holiday trek was my final European trip. Over the past 10 weeks, I have crossed the borders of 12 different nations and traversed thousands of kilometers of railroad tracks, stumbling through unknown languages, cultures, and landscapes with varying degrees of success. All of this while avoiding accident, assault, and deportation—not a bad track record in my opinion. To top it off by spending a weekend with my significant other in two of the most beautiful places in the world is something for which even a Frenchman could be thankful.