... but the best deal I've ever seen was the Swiss mail delivery. Granted, they're a small country, but they have (as do other European countries) what's known as "Postal Buses" that take on passengers for a small fee. Some of the routs are so small that the mail is delivered a few times per day. The mail bus I was on left Brig and went over the Simplon Pass (Alps) down into Italy just over the border. A passenger could get off the bus at any point, sightsee or whatever, and catch the same bus a few hours later. The best part is that you're able to visit small towns that are hardly ever visited by tourists on scheduled tour buses.

Germany had a great post office when I was stationed there in the early-60s... they had overseas phone service as well at many locations... and I don't know how France does it, but some of the packages I have gotten were within a 24-hour period of postmark...

JB