Wow! We've got some globetrotters here. Not me. Just USA, Canada, Greece and Ireland. But if you count Las Vegas casinos as countries I've been to Italy (The Venetian), France (The Paris), Monaco (The Monte Carlo) and you may as well include interplanetary travel (The Star Trek Experience at the Hilton--I'm no trekkie, but I've walked thru there to get to the tram)

memory aid
 

I'm one of those geeks that puts a little push-pin in the world map I have in my office. When I'm gone, I let my family know by referring to pin color & number. As expected- my kids are very good at geography. I'm also assembling books for them that represent the world- money from each place, trinkets, usually something of cultural significance that reflects each place.

I travel for my work so here goes...
 

1. Mexico
2. Canada
3. U.K
4. Germany
5. Sweden
6. Finland
7. Estonia
8. Latvia
9. Lithuania
10. Belarus
11. Russia
12. China
13. Turkey
14. Italy
15. Argentina
16. Brazil
17. Peru
18. Uruguay
19. U.S.A.

Let me preface this by saying that I spent eleven years in the Coast Guard and between deployments and overseas training symposiums I had the opportunity to visit many other countries. Since that time I have worked in jobs that have afforded me the chance to travel quite a bit as well.

US (of course)
Canada
Mexico
Costa Rica
Panama
Colombia
Jamaica
Bahamas
Grand Cayman
Cuba
Haiti
Dominican Republic
Trinidad & Tobago
Tortola
Japan
Russia
Latvia
Thailand
Malaysia
Indonesia
Australia
New Zeland
Philipines
Northern Marianas
Truk
Tonga
Samoa
Salomon Is.
Palmyra
Kiribati
Maldives
Seychelles
Iraq
United Arab Emirates
Kuait
Bahrain
Quatar
Kenya
Ghana

And by far the worst driving experience I have ever had was in Houston Texas. Followed by Penang, Maylasia.

Greece - lived there for three years
Germany
England
Ireland
Netherlands
Italy

It's a toss up between Greece and Italy for the worst driving. Stoplights in Greece are interesting. Three lane highways turn into 6 or 7 lanes as mopeds and motorcycles squeeze between cars as they move their way to the front. When the light turns green, it's a loud chorus of horns honking as everyone fights to get back into those three lanes. And the traffic circles...Yikes! Accidents were a frequent occurance. How I made it three years without so much as a fender bender, I'll never know.

My wife and I drove from Rome to Venice. City driving in Italy is chaotic. Narrow streets with barely enough room to get through. Pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcylists coming at you from all directions, all at a frantic pace. But it all seems to work. It's like controlled chaos. If you don't drive like an Italian, you'll get eaten alive. The Autostrade, on the other hand, is fabulous. The left lane is used for PASSING. You don't see idiots camping out in the left lane. Driver's signal their intentions. Trucks can only use the right hand lane. It's great. The country roads are also a treat especially going through the mountains. Best enjoyed in a Ferrari! You can actually rent one over there if you have enough coin.

Wow, some serious travelers! I can only imagine how many Shots you guys have gotten! :D Ouch.


Tim