100 and Done! (Countries that is...)

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We are back! This last trip brought the total countries visited to 100! It is a crazy milestone. It is difficult, time-consuming and can be (IS) expensive. After I got back from Antarctica in 2007, I started thinking about it. After 2010 I was thinking about it more (as I moved from NY to Georgia) and in 2014 it had become a real goal. Between Angie and I we have been to 109 Countries. We are tied at 100 countries each. We have 9 countries different in our lists. For example, I have been to San Marino. She has not. She has been to Israel. I have not, yet. There has been some fun competition in this area. That's why we had to establish rules. 1.) Must be listed (as a country) with the US State Department 2.) Being in an airport doesn't count. You have to get through immigration somehow and not in a DMZ or a no-mans-land 3.) A passport stamp is not required. I have been to Canada, Paraguay, and Uruguay without getting my passport stamped. There are friendly borders in many places...
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I am back in Atlanta, Duluth actually. The way airline security is setup at ATL it is a pain coming back from overseas. You have to go through security of some kind three times. So, with Atlanta being my final destination after returning from overseas I have to get searched. What I mean is that when I arrive home I have to go through security just like I was getting on a domestic flight. I had to surrender a water I purchased in the secure area at Heathrow airport before I could leave the Atlanta airport. It is not so much the surrendering the already-checked water, it is the glare you get from the Homeland Security bots. Nobody likes the glare. The situation exists largely because of the pre-homeland security layout of ATL. It is uncomfortable coming "home" and having to get security-searched (In addition to customs) just to leave the airport.

I stayed in an old manor house in England. It was nice and quite reasonable for someplace less than 30 minutes from Heathrow. It is a great stopping off place before heading back to the US. (Taplow House) The garden (assuredly albeit not in its heyday) is worth it.

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100 and Done! (Countries that is...)

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Image
We are back! This last trip brought the total countries visited to 100! It is a crazy milestone. It is difficult, time-consuming and can be (IS) expensive. After I got back from Antarctica in 2007, I started thinking about it. After 2010 I was thinking about it more (as I moved from NY to Georgia) and in 2014 it had become a real goal. Between Angie and I we have been to 109 Countries. We are tied at 100 countries each. We have 9 countries different in our lists. For example, I have been to San Marino. She has not. She has been to Israel. I have not, yet. There has been some fun competition in this area. That's why we had to establish rules. 1.) Must be listed (as a country) with the US State Department 2.) Being in an airport doesn't count. You have to get through immigration somehow and not in a DMZ or a no-mans-land 3.) A passport stamp is not required. I have been to Canada, Paraguay, and Uruguay without getting my passport stamped. There are friendly borders in many places...
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