I agree, I can have a lot of fun on a steel bike. But for me going from steel to a more modern alloy design was like changing from a 16t cog to a 15t cog. If I was jumping on steel, or trying to close a gap, I could catch the wheel, but I would just fall off from the effort. With a good bike, I can jump a gap and easily hang on a wheel.
As far as Europe goes – you’ll have to wait and see. I lived between France/Belgium/Germany. The Germans could be super strict, but at the same time hands off. With automobiles, there is no tolerance for speeding (or even being too loud or too shiny), but there are spots with no speed limits. In the US, to go on a track, I need a fluid change, a tech inspection, and a SA rated helmet (and possibly a co-rider if I’ve never been on that track before). In Germany, I just need 10Euro. Its just weird going around a track that is literally twice as fast as anything I’ve done in the US, without wearing a helmet (not to mention dodging mini-vans and being passed by professional test drivers at the same time).