That observation was first made back in the historic start-up days of the Irish-Dutch East Mattopia Compagnie (affectionately dubbed "McIdea") and it still holds true today.
Top five destinations
in the Mattopian Union:
1. Bangkok
2. Amsterdam
3. Los Angeles
4. Buenos Aires
5. Paris
Mattopia Jones' single longest trip to the EU:
10 months
Countries and sovereign states visited so far:
45
Best advice received while on the road:
"Walk it off."
- Doctor at St. Bart's in London after three rounds of X-rays on my ankle
"Keep an eye on your luggage."
- A well-dressed man advised me on a night train from Tangier to Marrakech (long story)
Favorite nicknames earned on the road:
White Jamaican
Berberman
Fish & Chips
Favorite vineyards:
Chateau Paloumey, Medoc Region of Bordeaux, France
Bodega Bouza, Montevideo, Uruguay
Best Turkish baths:
Cagaloglu Hamami, Istanbul, Turkey
Hotel Gellert, Budapest, Hungary
Perfect pint:
St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland
Worst pint:
Pub at Den Haag Centraal Station
(Update December 2012: The pub has closed - and apparently won't reopen - as part of the station's renovations.)
Best schnitzel:
Stoop & Stoop Eetcafé, Amsterdam
Worst lunch:
Gates Factory, Suzhou, China
Leatherman Micras confiscated at airports:
4
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