I wanted to explore the heart and soul of Europe on my one-year, twenty-country road trip and, in this book, I provide the reader with some history, humor, good stories, and a little philosophizing about the trip.

In this book, I try to transport my reader into another world they may or may not ever occupy themselves; take them on a road trip they may only dream about.

I try to keep my book positive, adventuresome, humorous, and fun to read.

Back roads, even dirt roads, were infinitely preferable to me: more scenic, reminiscent of a bygone era... but Europe is vast, and I had no option but to seek out the European equivalents of superhighways when needed.

This was one of the best road trips of the many I have taken in my life. I was a different and a much better person at the conclusion of the trip, and I learned a lot about Europe, Europeans and myself.

I hope you enjoy reading about my road trip as much as I enjoyed living it.