Differences Part 2

There were so many little things that were different in Europe. Here is a list of things that we compiled over the course of our trip.

They don't use mustard.

Driving 220 mph on the Autobahn.

We heard church bells at noon and 6 p.m. everyday - from all directions.

Restaurants only serve lunch until 2 p.m. - after that it's just beverages and snacks - no meals.

Ice is not common - you have to request it in your beverages.

No free drink refills anywhere.

You pay for a glass of water.

Windows open in.

Air conditioners are very uncommon.

Windows do not have screens.

Most cars are compact.

Roofs are made with a lot of different materials (ie: sea weed)

There are wind turbines every where.

Woman cover their legs and show more cleavage.

Weird bug bites

A pharmacy is only a pharmacy - no Walgreens or CVS type stores.

Men wear capris & carry bags.

Grocery stores do not provide bags (ever been to Aldis? Same thing everywhere in Europe.)

Fountain pens are used regularly.

Pornographic materials are right out front for all to see.

There were solar panels everywhere.

You have to pay to use most public toilets.

Light switches are buttons that you push.

Toilets have two buttons to flush - one for little stuff - and one for BIG stuff.

Europeans don't wear white sneakers unless they are exercising.

They have Mercedes taxis!

The birds sound different.

They have alot of bike paths between towns.

Sparkling water (like club soda) is a common beverage - most homes keep it on hand.

Plastic bottles can be redeemed for euros almost anywhere. They have a special machine that you put the bottle in - and it spits your euros out.

Now that you have information overload - I'll finish by saying that Europe has a lot of customs we should adopt here in America, especially the conservative ones. They do everything they can to save energy including having different toilet flushes for different size loads! No wonder their economy is - well - not like ours.