FACTS AND FIGURES

Well, we made it home on June 9th and we've taken stock of all that we experienced on this our latest adventure. Overall we had a good time and even with the rain we returned home with new and lasting memories. We made new friends in Ken and Linda, and spent four wonderful days with old friends Hansjoerg, Silke and Frank. Cathie made a special connection with Silke's mom, Ilse and they were both in tears when we said our goodbys.

For my final post for this adventure I thought I would share with you some of the facts and figures that were amassed on our journey. So here goes.....

Trip Prep time - I started planning this trip when we returned from Europe in 2006.

Money spent on stuff before we left home - Not as much as last time, but more than necessary.

Total days - 42

Airfare - Free, had enough points on the credit card.

How many points? - 110,000

Car lease - $1500
New Peugeot with full insurance and no deductible. (No dents or scratches)
Miles driven - 7200 km or 4320 miles
Mileage - 50 MPG
Cost per gallon of diesel - Around $5 - but figure the mileage, and it mile than in the states.

Traffic laws broken - Too many to count.
Tickets issued - None. Where's a cop when you need one.

Arguments with Alice - Actually we got along pretty well, but when there was a dispute on which way to turn, she was usually wrong, even though I was glad she came along. We would still be looking for our first B&B without her.

Amount budgeted - $200 a day, excluding car lease.
Amount spent - $153 a day.

Least expensive lodging - $45 B&B in Mauthausen, Austria
Most expensive - $112 - One night in a hotel somewhere in central France.
Although not a bad room, it was probably the worst one of the entire trip.

Best B&B - Can't answer this one as they were all great with just a couple in the just OK
category.

Best Food - It was all good and plentiful with the exception of anchovies in Cathie's salad.
Favorite Food - confit de canard and foie gras.

In 2006, customs took away my foie gras, this time they let me keep it.

Weight Gained - Dana, 7 lbs. Cathie, It's not polite to ask a lady.

Hours spent on airplanes - Too many (27 hours)

Flight delays - One, 2.5 hours delay leaving Geneva causing us to miss our connection in Washington. Still managed to get home just 2 hours behind schedule.

Days of sunshine - About 8

Days till the next trip to Europe - I don't know, but I've already started planning!

ON THE FINAL LEG