There's No Place Like Home

I am back. I am tired. I am broke. Miguel and I were gone almost seven weeks this year, with stays in Madrid and Paris as well as little known villages and cities in between...Some random observations....Europeans adore Barack Obama. Gas is about 6.50 US dollars a gallon. Europeans are better at recycling. My biggest discovery this year involved Paris. All my life I have seen romantic photos of Paris, couples sitting on park benches, people sitting on steps, families sitting on the grass in parks....the REALIZATION of it is they can't afford to do anything else. Paris is so f-ing expensive! I don't know about you but it really pisses me off when I am charged 10.00 US dollars for 1 can of cold beer and 13.00 for a cup of soup. My most affordable meals were the ones I purchased from grocery stores. Part 2 of my realization is that although Kansas is not a pretty or fun place to live, at least I can afford to eat out and drink beer!