European Languages

     This is a photo of the Prague Castle taken from the Charles Bridge. I do not speak a word of Czech, but fortunately the Czech people speak a good amount of English.
     In European Countries, many people speak English. It is the popular second language there and in South America. It is rude to expect it, however. Start with something in the local vernacular. They will take pity and break into their best English.
     Thus, it is important to learn some basic words in the language spoken to you as starter. I speak enough French, Italian, German and Spanish to get by. Only once in awhile - in a small village far away from the city -  do I have problems; then I use hand signals.
     Examples of hand signals is the time we were in the far reaches of Spain. We wanted lunch at a small cafe. No one spoke English, but my Spanish got me as far as hand signals. I ordered by walking around the room pointing at dishes in front of folks.
     The only other struggles were with Span-lish in Gibraltar and English in northern Scotland. In both case the English is mixed with something else.