Italy

The second conclusion I came to today - other than the fact you just aren't meant to get to the Monza track - if you had to choose betwen living in Italy, and say... I don't know, working in the saltmines of Siberia, you'd choose Sibera every time, no contest.

Italy is an absolute disorganised mess.  The only thing that works in the entire country is the subway system (which is excellent, as in France).  I honestly don't know how the country even functions day to day.  As a tourist, it's inconvenient - but you deal with it because you know you don't have to stay.  I don't know how people deal with it day to day. 

I thought I would absolutely love Italy, but I really haven't.  I'd quite happily never come here again.  With hindsight, I shouldn't have thown that coin in the Trevi Fountain...

Don't get me wrong - there are parts of my trip in Italy that I've absolutely loved, and places too - Tuscany is probably one of, if not the, most beautiful places on earth, and Pompeii was one of the main highlights of my entire trip.  But as a whole, the country is one big, messy and unhelpful disappointment.

Maybe this is in part due to the bad experiences I've had at more than one hotel now.  No sleep, bad showers and uncomfortable lodgings is always an issue.  Or maybe it's my need for organisation, which doesn't appear to be in the Italian vocabulary.  Or maybe it's both.

France, as a whole, I completely loved, despite of course having some not so great experiences there too, but I never expected all of my trip to be perfect.  Despite people always going on about how unhelpful, arrogant and rude the French are, I found them to be totally the opposite, and Italians can be the ones with the attitude problems.

Italians in general are friendly, but there can be some really rude ones too - like anywhere I suppose.

And one last thought for toinght - don't walk into a post office in Italy thinking you can actually buy postage products and materials there.  Because you can't.  I have no idea where you buy packaging, envelopes, stamps, boxes, bags, etc from - but it's not at a post office.  Go figure that one out (I couldn't, since the very rude and grumpy lady couldn't, or wouldn't, speak English).