I'm still jet-legged and disoriented, and, having spent three months in Europe as a first-class citizen, it's difficult to return home and be an outcast again (still). For a different perspective, here's what I observed while abroad.

Restaurants in the U.K., Italy, Greece, Hungary, Vienna, Munich, Zagreb, mostly had ashtrays on each table. Rarely, ashtrays wouldn't be out, but when requested, promptly brought. Same for hotels -- and none of the "smoking or non-smoking room" nonsense we have here. One exception, but this hotel had fliers making it clear that they will continue to comfortably accommodate everyone.

In Italy & Greece, the few "no smoking" signs I saw were ignored. Same for the Paris railroad station. "The European", an English language newspaper sold in Europe, reports, "In Italy, France, Austria and Poland, the legislation [about where people can smoke] is detailed, lengthy, and in general ignored", Spaniards illegally smoke in supermarkets, "Norway's laws are regularly flouted", and no-smoking signs in Turkey have had no effect. (5/22-28, pl)

On railroad sleeper cars, which ostensibly forbid smoking, our experience, and what we were told by others, is that usually one can smoke openly. But, as there are "verboten" signs, you occasionally have a steward who's a martinet -- if so, people just lock their compartment door. Otherwise, all trains we took had ample smoking sections in nearly every car.

In America, if someone is "sensitive" to tobacco smoke, it's standard to forbid smoking anywhere in their house. Our experience with a suburban Glasgow family was very different. The father smokes, but Grandma, now living there, has emphysema. The "house rules" are: Upstairs, do anything you want. Downstairs, where Grandma lives, smoking is limited to the dining room and kitchen when Grandma was not present.

Grandma's health, it turns out, has actually improved since she moved from her tobacco-free apartment in the polluted city into this smoker's home! The secret of their success may be that the family airs out the house every morning, a practice I'd recommend for ANY home, regardless of the smoking status.

Sara Mahler