Such strict booze laws over here. This thing about not being able to drink alcohol in public is something a European soul just can’t accept. It’s uncivilized, dammit! A picnic with no wine? Can’t sink a cold beer whilst walking the hot city streets? Outrageous!

Last night I sat alone in a nice, grungy bar. The barmaid was friendly. She asked almost every single person who came to the bar for ID. Many of them looked to be pushing thirty. None of them were surprised or offended. The 14-year-olds in the pubs back home certainly would have been.