Passports

Oddly, I know less about what goes on around me in Europe now that I live here, then I did when I was residing in Canada. And what I do know of current events in my neck of the woods often comes to me from overseas visitors.

For example, I found out from an American visitor (and confirmed with my parents) that when you travel within the European Union you no longer need to clear customs. Which is good news for non-EU holding passport travelers like me, as the lines were always longer.

However, I'll miss adding stamps to my passport. The pages of my passport, particularly those dedicated to Germany and Poland, have gotten pretty crowded over the past year. I was half hoping to fill it up entirely in the next year or so.

This past week I traveled to Slovenia via Austria, and only had to show my passport when checking in at either end. Quicker maybe, but now I'll never get to see what the stamp for Slovenia looks like.