if it weren't so funny, I'd be insulted.

This morning I finished reading Michael Palin's Around the world in 80 days. In 1988 he went round the globe using forms of transportation that would have been available to Phileas Fogg for the journey described in Verne's book. There were certain advancements made that Palin was able to take advantage of: faster trains, channels cut through rocks that Fogg had to take the time to go around, so Palin's trip was a bit more relaxed than Fogg's. Still, circumnavigating the globe in 80 days without using airplanes is an exhausting feat.

This book unfortunately includes crude moments not suitable for younger readers. The BBC did a production of his trip so if you have travel-obsessed family members you might want to look it up at your library. The Equuschick and I watched it several years ago and enjoyed it. There was either no objectionable material or we've blocked it from our memories. Aren't we helpful?

Anyway. That is not the point of this post. I wanted to see what my fellow average American citizens thought of this bit of the book...Palin is travelling on train through America and gets to talking with someone who is from the Expensive Part of Colorado. Palin says:
"There's a man travelling with his son simply because he prefers trains...His wife is a cellist with the gloriously named Mile High Orchestra in Denver. But I get the feeling these are not average Americans. They're people who care about their environment, who despise and fear what big business is doing to it and who are immensely knowledgeable about where they live and determined to protect it from unnecessary development."

The DHM put it best - "Elitist!"

Besides a few such condescending comments, this book is really quite enjoyable. Palin writes well and this book is a nice treat for someone who loves to travel.