Of course, I had done some preparation. Unfortunately, I somehow missed refresher courses in German and French and neglected to learn any Italian. To understand what this trip meant to me, I really have to explain something of my personal history.

My parents are from European families (my mother was born in Poland shortly before the last war and my father was born in then-colonial Jamaica). They met at St. Andrew's University in Scotland where they were both on scholarships. My mother is from an old and aristocratic Polish family. She's a polyglot and speaks six languages fluently. My father, on the other hand, is from an old Scottish family that made their fortune in the New World.

I grew up in England, Canada, Jamaica and Alaska. I've always studied "foreign" languages but have not quite mastered any. So I have a smattering of Latin and Spanish and was once fairly conversant in German and French.

In my teen years I had planned several trips to Europe but for one reason or another never quite made it. Then, as these things happen, I got tied up in my career, and then in my hobbies and could never quite seem to find the time. But my life, though comfortable, had been missing something. I couldn't quite put my finger on it but I felt as if I might find some answers if I took some time off from work. Getting away from everyone, and everything I knew and was familiar with seemed a little crazy but it definitely suited my mood.

So it was with some anticipation that I bought myself a little Olympus camera, a blank notebook and an REI pack that converted to a suitcase. The last thing I wanted was to be taken for a tourist everywhere I went, so I resolved to dress more as I might expect a European to dress for work. That meant sportscoat, dress shirts, dress shoes and ties.

Not as onerous as you might think as it's what I wear every day on the job as a consultant. I thought the sacrifice well worth making as I wanted people to react to me as if I lived there, rather than as just another American tourist.