Last week I traveled to Italy to see what all the hype was about (mainly around the food!).  I got a "pass" from the family Thanksgiving (definitely cleared it first with the senior officers) and traveled abroad to take in the history (about which I am a giant dork) and the pasta (about which I have a borderline eating disorder).

There's something fascinating about Europe and I notice it right away every time I visit.  There is a suspicious lack of people limping around or in wheelchairs.  I can't understand why and I always find it a little unsettling.  Where is everyone with arthritis?  Or with other mobility issues for that matter?!

To prepare for my trip, I conditioned myself with a little bit of extra stretching in the days leading up and sprung for a new pair of comfortable walking sneakers.  Apparently, as an aside, Americans are the only people into the super-white sneakers -- so needless to say I stuck out in my shiny brand new Nike Kicks.  But it didn't bother me a bit because at least I was comfortable.  (And no, I didn't wear a fanny pack.)

The walking was definitely a challenge at times, especially because the roads and sidewalks are so uneven and require a lot more diligence to manage.  In their defense, these roads -- in Rome at least -- are thousands of years old, so I'll cut them a break.

I also talked with some locals about the state of care there and the way they perceived medicine and health care.  It simply confirmed my suspicion that the U.S. is great at a lot of things, but taking care of our sick hasn't been on that list lately -- either here within our system or abroad from a foreigner's perspective.

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