Until last month, I never had any trouble entering the EU (Schengen) zone. I've never had any questions at CDG, AMS, BRU or TXL. Once at AMS, the immigration control guy asked where I was from and then wanted to talk about the South by Southwest music festival.

Once, leaving from TXL, the guy couldn't find my entry stamp. I offered to find it for him but that only annoyed him more. Finally he stamped my passport and sent me on my way.

Last month, arriving at CGN from the UK, things went a little differently. I was in the 'everyone else' passport control line. It was moving pretty fast, just a quick scan, stamp and then out, at least for the people in front of me. When it was my turn, he scanned my passport with the reader, and his machine went 'beep beep'. Then he did the patented 'stare at the photo and glance at my face' over and over. Next he slowly went page by page through my passport, reading every stamp and visa. After going through it all and waiting for his computer screen to update, he stamped the passport and let me enter.

Departing the EU at DUS, the same thing happened again. After the officer scanned the passport, with no beep, he looked through every page in the passport. Finding nothing I guess, he stamped it and sent me on to my plane.