>You are absolutely right. American culture is very insular. One thing that irks me is cruises. People get on these big boats with all the trappings of American life and culture, sail around, get off at some port, go to all the tourist traps, get back on the boat, and start over. Then they think they've been somewhere.

When travel agencies back home started selling those, back in the seventies, they called the product "paket aranžman" (package arrangement), which was supposed to mean "all inclusive"... but it was actually the tourist who was packaged, delivered and then returned. I've seen them walking around like sheep. And when I had to travel like that (because there weren't any different arrangements available), I'd always manage to get lost. I don't want to visit castles and museums - I don't care how much loot did your kings get, or how much did your nobles squeeze out of their serfs, numbers won't impress me. I came to see how people live here. The museums will still be there in 20 or 40 years when I may have the time and patience, but now I want to sniff the air for myself.

But then it's so British to go to any neck of the world's woods and expect British breakfast and tea there, eh?