It's good to know what the Europeans are thinking and doing.

Hope you got your Rx.

and my stomach feels so much better!

In London, many immigrants, citizens or not, were also asking me about Trump. Everwhere. They commented on the electoral college, knowledgeably. Some reassured me that the world knows half of Americans hate him, and doesn't blame all Americans. Some pointed out that it was the rural areas that were for Brexit too.
From the Caucasian Brits, many into Brexit, they make fun of him, but they seemed hypocritical to me, as they scurry for trade with dictators like Erdogan and DT, plus want to keep out immigrants themselves! They are divided just as we are, but it is easy to voice opposition to DT. They really have a very conservative government now, as are many of the Brits. RWers there too.
Fortunately, other Brits are protesting DTs visit. They rearranged parliament's schedule so they would not have to deal with DT's speaking, which would have brought protests.

Mexico is angry! While people wanted to know what i think, and my Spanish is OK, they believe we should have kept him from being elected. Why didn't people vote? How can you Americans accept him? There are trump piñatas everywhere sold by street vendors and on the beach. They will acknowledge that we aren't all Trumpsters, but I did not feel the same level of warmth I have always felt from our neighbors. I'm It is so sad that this Orange AH has insulted our long term allies so brutally, just to stir up his racist base of voters. We need a major demonstration against the wall.

It is so important that for everything, we keep demonstrations going all of the time to tell the world, we don't stand with the Racist Skumbag.

I know what you mean.

small town called Grafenhausen.
Weather very similar to Washington state,but not quite as much rain.

I'm here to stay.

Almost in Switzerland. Quite a heavy dialect to get used to!

AFB where we were stationed.
We had to wait a couple years to get base housing.

Gräfenhausen. That would be in Hessen. It is indeed near the air base.

There actually IS a Grafenhausen (without the Umlaut), which is an even tinier village near the Swiss town of Schaffhausen.

He has already reduced our status and influence to the point where other nations are taking on the role of international leadership, while the US becomes irrelevant, inconsistent and ineffectual.

I'm sure the world is dumbfounded by his new focus on "America First" in all international dealings.

"Like - when was it never," they say!

so on point. This is, in fact, where we are.

planet's problem nations instead of the guarantor of a stability on which most nations could make important decisions.

Sigh. If I lived elsewhere, I absolutely would not visit the U.S. until we'd cleaned our act up again, and maybe not then for a while. Two- and four-year election cycles mean big change is possible, witness Obama's election, but now look at the earth-shaking 45 disaster. We'll not be trusted again for some time to come.

Spot on.

They're absolutely gobsmacked.

A few of my real life acquaintances are Trumplings. It is kind of unavoidable here in Texas. One of them shared an article on Facebook the other day that talked about how extremely unpopular Trump is among Germans. The general consensus among his buddies commenting on the article was that Germans should mind their own business, that they should worry more about Angela Merkel trying to "destroy" Germany with the refugee situation, and that Americans don't tell other countries how they should vote.

Trumplings either don't know or don't care how US policy and therefore Trump affects the rest of the world.

But as in the Bush era, the Europeans all know that this is not the America a majority of Americans wanted. My wife will accompany me on our yearly summer vacation in the USA. This time, however, she will not travel outside the borders of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

says he's seeing much more depression in his patients since the election.

Maybe not so much after Trumpy now. We'll see...

I lived in Bayern, Ansbach west of Nurnberg for a few years.

Most say they'd love to live in the US, that the people are friendly, the land is beautiful...

But for Trump to say the equivalent of US Uberalles strikes a very distasteful tone.

in my old truck with the NM plates. I'd be afraid to drive through the rural south now, the Trumpers thinking I'm one of them dang wetbacks up to steal their jobs down at the Winn-Dixie.

I also expect events here, from the Native American and Hispanic Markets to the Balloon Fiesta, to be relative frosts as people offshore stay away.

It will be like this until we get rid of him, preferably carted off in a hug=me jacket to a rubber room somewhere.

Off. Then passed us up and set off this awful smoke. I found out later this is pretty common when they see California license plates. It was a real red neck area of Arizona. My right wing nephews told us we were " smoked".

They dump extra fuel into the injectors to generate it. They especially like to do it to Prius drivers. It is also illegal, so if you called in his plate, he might get a stern talking to from cops if there are enough complaints.

Diesel fuel is usually more expensive than gasoline, so feel good that you cost him money he didn't have to spend. The schmuck.

And made him fly there instead of driving.

I will laugh now at the fools wasting their money.

IMO, anyone who does that--creating a dangerous situation for you and polluting the environment--has no right to use the term "United States of America." For them it's "DS of A."

That schtick would never happen in Germany. You're not even allowed to give the finger.

Yes, I'm sure Germany follows all of the authoritarian rules. They have a long history of it.

the govt wants drivers' attention on the road, not on giving other drivers the finger or fogging them out, which is difficult to do at 120 mph. You understand.

I hope you understand.

Many Canadians booked their winter stays before the election this winter.

How many will return next winter? How many will sell their winter homes, condos and trailers? I have a feeling many will be thinking of other places to go. I did winter holiday in Florida a few years. Now it's Cuba.

They own homes there but return to Canada to get their free health care. My mother in law lives there and told me recently that her Canadian neighbors are thinking about selling their home there because of chump.

I have my Irish citizenship & my husband will be eligible to get his citizenship the end of this year.....Everyone I meet tell me how they loved Obama & believe Trump is crazy - - - or "away the fairies" as we Irish say. In fact, on election day I was in our local library & the librarians said they were sure that Hillary would win because they said no one with any brains would vote for Trump. I told them to never underestimate the stupidity of the American voter & other folks in the library joined in the conversation & I wound up conducting a mini political science seminar. (I was a political science major in college - a 1967 graduate)

The entire EU is absolutely horrified. As am I.

We sorely need it now, more than ever.

Keep us posted from time to time!

Everywhere has it's own unique problems but the pictures I have seen of Ireland show how beautiful it is. I have been to England and Scotland (which I loved) and almost everyone said "You've missed the best part."

My husband and I are retiring to Germany. We love living in Europe.

I rode my bicycle through Ireland in '84. Best time of my life.

Half Irish here.

great book

I could relate to "Angela's Ashes". I have relatives from County Cork
and I was a bricklayer for 40 years.

there are a few that do

Plan to wear my pink pussy hat. Last year we took the train from Venice to Zurich and when people found out we were Americans the first question was, " did we take chump seriously"? At the time we laughed and said he was a buffoon and he'd never win the presidency. We were sadly so wrong. I think chump is going to really international tourism in this country. And I want to see his hotels go down bankruptcy. Unless he gets chumps supporters I don't see many people staying at his properties except for the D.C. one.

I seriously thought about cancelling this trip after he was inaugurated but the protest on the 21st convinced me there will be major opposition and we have a lot of international support against him.

(thanks Obama)

So it will be a cheap trip.

About 30,000 US troops are in Europe in support of NATO. As an American you support NATO, and that's just the way it is. If that gives Trump diaper rash, so be it.

In these dear old corporate States, you'd have to wait at least 6 hours to be seen. Then you'd have to give up your insurance information (if you have it). Then the hospital would bill the insurance company (or Medicaid or you directly) several 100's of dollars for a bottle of $5 generic drugs. If you have insurance or are covered by Medicaid, you'll get away with a small copay. If you aren't indigent (totally unable to pay), you'll be dinged (credit rating) for the cost of the drug and ER charges - Chargemaster rates are 10-100 times the normal payable. I know. I work with insurance companies, hospitals, and other providers.

Contrast that to most of Europe and the developed world. My daughter whose husband was stationed in Germany had full hospital privileges, nurse-midwife, post delivery care, a full follow-up. NO CHARGE.

Pharma, the AMA, and the lobbyists want to keep us out of the universal healthcare world. They still have grandkids to put through Hahvahd, etc.

There are (as far as I know) always some "emergency pharmacies" where you can get meds on sundays, at night and on holidays. You need to look up which pharmacy is available on which date, as they take turns on emergency duty.

Anyway, right now I'm not under single-payer health care in Germany (since my father is a life-long government employee / public servant, health care is a complicated mess in Germany…). I've only had to go to an ER once. I spoke to a doctor, they checked my blood, did an ECG, etc... Maybe 2 or 3 hours, then they gave me some meds. The invoice wasn't that high, and my insurance company paid for it (they always pay everything in full, and the monthly rate was cheap, something like 100€ for my insurance, since it was attached to my father's insurance.)

It's easier for normal employees (no public servants and their kids) and unemployed people. Most of them must use the single payer system. They just go to the ER, show their "electronic health card", and everything is free. There is 5-10€ copay for meds. The single payer system costs 14,6% of everyone's monthly income, but limited to something like 650€ / month.

However, I needed a prescription, which I got at the ER. I brought my list of medicines as well as my original diagnosis, which was perused not only by the dr., but also by reception.

Then I took only the prescription to a nearby pharmacy open on Sundays. I saw several people I'd just seen in the ER in line.

Local papers delivered to everyone's door list the notartzts/apotekes open after hours.

I will be billed for the ER visit, but it won't be high, and Tricare (socialized medicine, which all Americans should have) pays.

Thanks for the info from your perspective/experience.

I don't know what he will bill me, but it won't be much. I'd never been to the German ER before, but my husband had. His trip by ambulance to the hospital several months ago cost 125 euro.

My drug, which deals with blood acidity, cost 33 euro.

Bills get sent to Tricare, eventually, which is my 2nd insurance. I believe Tricare has a $3000 deductible. It's socialized, and everyone in the US should be on it.

It cost 23,54 euro.

And that you had Tricare (previously known as CHAMPUS) as a backup. If you want to send me the name/quantity of the drug you were prescribed I could look up the charges that could be made directly to the patient if the patient didn't have the bargaining power of an insurer (USGov or commercial).

The cost of non-insured but non-indigent (write-off) healthcare in the US is a stain, another stain, on our self-painted portrait of being exceptional.

"The dr. said that a few years ago he'd taken a cruise from San Diego, down through the Panama Canal, over to Florida, and then Puerto Rico. He'd love this trip and his time in the US, but he said that as long as Trump was president, he would not be returning to the US again."

....the possibility of Dumfp being elected. (This was last spring when i was there)

It is no wonder drumpf has gone bankrupt so many times.

My husband and I are going to visit England in March. We fly with a tourist airline out of Orlando international airport. Imagine our shock when the flight pricing was under $800 for both of us in premium seats with extra luggage. We booked it immediately and kept waiting for the email to tell us the pricing was in error. Nope. I believe tickets to Orlando just aren't selling. It took this particular airline years to get a spot at MCO so I think they are afraid to cancel flights and possibly lose their spot.

the tourist trade, particularly to FL, a "must do" stop for most Europeans.

You may find out how they make money. I used to go to Europe in the winter because it was cheaper. No longer.

I've not seen prices this low since the mid 90's.

I love hearing how people in other countries are perceiving this. Perhaps they will let us all in as refugees one day as well.

I miss Germany.

But before that, I'll have been to three Latin American countries. I'm expecting an earful when I get to Bolivia next week.

However, one thing that cannot be forgiven, and that is that 47% refused to vote

I am about to sell my house, buy a camper and hit the road. I will be avoiding Oklahoma like the plague. I have a recurring nightmare that I am pulled over by the police and they decide that I am a drug dealer, because, hey, only drug dealers can afford a camper. They drain my savings (has proceeds from sale of house) and checking account from my debit card and I am left destitute on the side of the road.

Our roads are not safe. Stay away. I also have a feeling that Drumpf will issue an Executive Order that all visa applicants be extremely vetted and all countries will need a visa.

...so, they're quite familiar with how it starts.

They were absolutely flabbergasted that we elected such a moron as GWB.

Well, hold our drink, we elected a bigger moron.

I couldn't explain it then, and I definitely can't explain it now. Not to them as it is too complex to explain. The electoral college did us in with GWB and Trump. How do you explain the electoral college in a jovial conversation?

I just throw my hands up and say I didn't vote for him.

Fortunately for me and my friends, they had a lot of love for soccer loving Americans. They thought we were from another planet.