One thing about being in Europe ~ folks have been amazingly kind. I was warned by a few different people that the French, in particular, would give bad directions and otherwise be unhelpful or even try to "mess" with anglophiles. Not so! I had to deal with some technical stress immediately upon arrival in Strasbourg (my US-Western Europe electricity adaptor was fine but I had neglected a simple 2:3 way adaptor, sigh) and went off in search of an electronics store.
Everywhere I´ve been I found people who spoke some English, or knew someone who did, of otherwise managed to point me in the right direction. I also wanted to puchase a mobile (cell) phone, and the salesperson went out of her way to a) guide me around the mall and b) send me to another store where I could get a better deal. :-)
I´ve also met fluent English speakers from the states and Canada who haven´t hesitated to take me under wing. (It could be that I appear so disoriented that they feel pity - ! - but I rather think it´s something else. A form of kindness or regard for apparently "displaced" others. No doubt my class status helps - me and my backpack no doubt fit some stereotypical image of an educated person on adventure, rather than of a homeless refuge.
[Written May 27 and backdated.]
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