Amazing Race

A good episode tonight (spoilers follow, proceed at your own risk):

• Let me start with last week and mention that the show took place mostly near the German/Austria border. Very beautiful. The pit stop was in Salzburg (which I know is dear to at least one member of my family).
• This week's biggest challenge had to do with connecting between different types of transportation. From trains to airplanes and then those airplanes to other planes. Not so easy and I bet the teams wished they had been allowed to just drive from Salzburg to Bucharest. According to Google maps, the drive takes about 17.5 hours (although you do have to drive in those mysterious 'kilometers' that they sometimes mention).
• The biggest travel risk taken during this episode is one that I would have been tempted to do myself. Maybe. Anytime you're dealing with the 'last flight of the night' you have to be very careful on timing. Any glitch at all and you become very thoroughly screwed.
• The FP Gal thinks that Phil is a 'metrosexual'. For the not so hip, that's a term that basically means 'a man who spends too much of his time grooming himself'. I disagreed with her and said that he is simply a Kiwi (New Zealander). She asked if there is a big difference. I'm guessing there is but I really don't know.
• Two interesting themes seem to be coming about in each episode so far. One is 'natives laughing at the Americans' and so far I approve. The other is 'contestants getting lost in the mountains'...and I also approve. (If you want to stretch, you could also say that European mountainous areas have been featured quite a bit. Very beautiful areas.)
  
• So far (remember the spoiler alert) we've had three different winners in three shows. I love that! It becomes boring if the teams too quickly settle into obvious weak and strong groups. I can only hope that this contiunes.