We’re finally home, safe and sound. I plan to post details when I’ve had a chance to unwind, but in the meantime, a few thoughts:

Do Europeans just not drink liquids? Prices for soft drinks were outrageous everywhere we went. Tap was fine, but when a bottle of Perrier is cheaper than a bottle of Coke Zero we found it a little tough. One of the things I plan to do is visit a local 7-Eleven just to buy a 6,000-ounce Super Duper Zuper Humongo-Big Gulp for 89 cents just because I can.

I miscalculated the amount of toothpaste I took because I didn’t calculate the fact that my husband didn’t take any of his own. Fortunately we picked up a few tiny toothpaste tubes from our amenity kits to tide us over.

Rome has a severe shortage of public toilets. It forced us to buy (overpriced) soft drinks from cafes so we could use their restrooms, but we are very spoiled in the U.S. with our ability to just pop into a public restroom practically anywhere.

I packed for layering, but did not pack for heat. Rome was quite warm while we were there (typically over 25°C—mid-70s F!) and I really wished I’d packed better. Once we hit Paris and colder weather, though, it worked out great.

A lot of you wanted to know exactly what I packed and how I managed to go with just a 6-kilogram carry-on. I’ll put details together soon.