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Within a week of my retirement ceremony ... which I didn't attend ... my spouse and I were on our way to Europe. I had seen all the Pacific lands I cared to see during Navy tours of duty in World War II and Korea. We flew to London, then traveled everywhere with just one wheeled bag each and a knapsack. We went to the places when, where and for as long as we wanted.

It was great fun. No schedules, no tourist traps, no pressures, no job that required hurrying back. We wandered for a month on that trip, and have been back to Europe several times since. We've already started to put together an itinerary for our next jaunt in September. In our happy memories, these are the top ten places we enjoyed most in Europe.

1. London: There are so many historic sites and sights. We especially liked the Covent Garden area of shops, cafes and street performers. London theater is the best in the world, especially if you can line up at the two-fer booth in the morning and get two tickets for the price of one for that evening's performance.

2. St. Petersburg: The people are friendly, especially to American wanderers, unlike many other cities in Europe. The Hermitage is one of the most fantastic museums in the world, and we could have spent a week there and never could be able to view the entire collections.

3. Paris: Of course, Paris has to be on the list. We stayed at a little hotel near the Sorbonne, and our window looked across a narrow alley into the art classes. We watched junior Monets, Gaugins, Degas' and Seurats at work with some very interesting models. The cafes were great for people-watching. We just wish the food had been a little more and the smoking a little less. We also spent fascinating hours at the Louvre and other museums.

4. Barcelona: My spouse loved the late, late night cafes that offered menus of Spanish and Basque delicacies. The city's architecture features all kinds of original works, from the Byzantine to the bizarre.

5. Rome: The Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountains, the Forum, the Coleseum, the Vatican. We saw them all. Also, we found some great little cafes far away from the tourist traps, where the Romans do their dining and discussing.

6. Brussels: We somehow got a cheap, second-floor room with a balcony that looked out on one of the city's busiest intersections. We sat there in the evening and watched the people scene. This city also has great restaurants, and unfortunately for our waistlines, great chocolate.

7. Dublin: We got ourselves invited to a private

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