Let us talk about energy policy

Guess who is blogging.

First, the Alps are amazing. They are now going to be my top hiking recommendation in the world. After, of course, Hocking Hills State Park.

Second, it seems that much of Europe is very imposing. Obviously, the mountains (but I am sure the Rockies are as well). But the buildings here are just massive structures. It is like virtually every building was made with the thought of lasting a few centuries. This is, sadly, not the case in the U.S. How long will the cardboard shacks that make up Easton Town Place, Polaris Fashion Mall, and Dayton´s The Greene (or whatever absurd name they have given that Easton wannabe) last? Think they will be around 500 years from now? I would be generous in saying they may last 40 years. The whole reason for Polaris existing has already changed (remember the outdoor concert venue there?).

Which gets me thinking about energy policy, which, like the French drains I couldn´t stop noticing once I picked up on them, I cannot stop thinking about as we train through this string of really old human settlements.

We like to say that we can build these lame shopping malls all over the place because America has the room to spread out. The big secret is that Europe does too. There is farmland as far as the eye can see here, once you step out of the city walls (literally).

What is interesting to me is how they are adapting their old cities. Since touching down at Heathrow Airport, I have not used a urinal that uses water. That is two weeks, five countries and counting.

We passed commercial wind farms in rural Wales and Germany. Solar panels seem to be standard issue in Germany´s countryside homes. What was clearly a sophistically capped landfill was harvesting methane in Germany. Most of the towns we traversed in the Alps had a no car policy (because they simply were unnecessary). The trains we have ridden have been effecient, easy to negotiate regardless of the language they were issued in, and have always been clean.

Finally, when we were driving in Ireland, I noticed, since it was the only time I had to fill the tank, that gas was 1.10. Not bad, right? First, you have to convert that to Euro´s from American dollars. So, really that is 1.65. But then, you realize they are on the metric system (name that movie: "they wouldn´t know what a quarter-pounder was"), and the gas price is per liter not gallon. There are about four liters in a gallon. So, now you are talking 6.30 per gallon of gas.

While that hurt the travel budget, I am quite sure it drives travel decision making for the average European.

I know American´s love their cars - I know I love mine...but it seems that Old Man Europe can still teach the young kid a thing or two on best use of available resources. Like Bill Bryson said in his fun European trip novel - "We used to build civilazations. Now we build shopping malls."

Sorry to rant (you knew it was coming sooner or later), but it is just frustrating to see us lag behind folks who use words like "queue" and endless amounts of hair product on a regular basis.

Now that I am off that whole trip for now, yes I do love the location of our Munich hotel (per Gena´s most recent post).

Next up - some sadness at Dachau Concentration Camp (the first one Hitler created). Not sure I will be able to blog after that (especially knowing we are hoping to visit the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam).

The German is coming in handy - managed to get myself a poppyseed roll with dinner, anyway.