-> 
->  TN> When in Europe, I always had to maintain awareness about
->  TN> the scale of distances.
->  TN> It is easy to think of the scale on US or Canadian maps as
->  TN> similar to the maps of Europe.  
->  TN> Unfortunately, I consistently made initial
->  TN> judgments about European distances that were wrong.
-> 
-> Isn't this due to you count in miles and we in km?

Not really. A map of Germany and a map of the US will may be physically the
same size, but the scale will be dramatically different. Whether measured
in kilometers or in miles is not relevant. 

It is quite possible to drive from northern Germany to Bayern in a single
day. 

However, to drive from where I live (Grand Rapids, Michigan) to Miami,
Florida is about 1500 miles or 2500km. That will usually take over 24
hours.

It is very easy for a European to think of the map scale as comparable to
that of a European country. They may p[lan trips with too much driving
distance. Conversly, Americans are often surprised at how close some
European sites are. Fortunately, that gives us more time to enjoy a
vacation instead of driving all the time.

Another example of the different scale can be illustrated with a map of
Michigan. If I start in the southeast corner of Michigan and drive to the
northwest corner, the trip is about 1000km -- and all in on state
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