1) Even after 8 weeks of traffic on the other side of the road, I'm still looking the wrong way when I try to cross.
2) The Germans don't do cards - Germany is still a very cash based society, if you offer a card to pay for a restaurant bill you are met with tuts and groans.
3) The Swedes don't do cash - Sweden is racing to be the first cashless society. Several places I went in, in Stockholm were card only and refused cash. When I went to church, there were little cards to put in the collection plate indicating that you were donating by bank transfer.
4) Iceland is good value - Iceland is eye-wateringly expensive but compared with Sweden and the USA is very good value. You get what you pay for and yes you pay a lot but what you get - from tours, to goods, to food is generally good quality. Why am I comparing Iceland with the USA? - see next comment.
5) The USA is currently feeling expensive. Not only because of the poor exchange rate but because there is no austerity there. While Europe has had austerity the US has had inflation.
6) Canadians smile a lot, in particular they beam from ear to ear when they tell you they're not American.
7) Americans have one big gripe with Europeans and it's a big one, I have lost count of the number times they have moaned about it not only in America but also those I met in Europe - We have a statutory 4 weeks holiday and many employers offer 5. In the US it's 2 weeks and that's it. When you point out it's up to their government to obtain this benefit for them, they get even more upset.
8) Airport security staff can't comprehend the fact that after having asked you to remove your belt and put it through the x-ray machine, if they then ask you to raise your arms in the full body scanner your trousers fall down - what do they think we wear belts for? Fortunately it is fashionable these days to wear your trousers half way down your bum so for once in my life I'm trendy.
9) America is not as free as it likes to make out. It lectures us all about freedom including free speech. In reality, at home criticism is only taken up to a point, too much criticism is branded unpatriotic and lets face it there is quite a bit of criticism at the moment!
10) The Germans, however, cherish freedom and this is main reason why running around on the beach naked is so widespread and so important. In the days of the old East Germany you were only truly free when you were naked.
11) The Canadian's have rounding and it may come to Britain. The penny (1 cent coin) has been withdrawn because it cost more than 1 cent to make (in the UK the 1p and 2p coins both cost more to produce than their value.) Everything is priced as normal, if you pay by card you pay the exact amount. If you pay by cash the total is rounded up or down to the nearest 5 cents.
12) When you tell an American that you can't understand what all the fuss is, about healthcare, and surely it is the responsibility of any civilised government to keep its people healthy, they just change the subject. I have come to the conclusion the Americans don't get it either.
13) New Yorkers are friendly - New York like many big cities has a reputation for grumpy citizens but everyone I met there was really friendly.
14) The best guides are those who have to deal with difficult subjects - slavery and 9/11 are two very powerful examples.
15) I never knew hurricanes moved so slowly - I've had to track both Irma and Maria because of the possible impact on the Charleston part of the trip - they take weeks to get anywhere.
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