1. Smoking
I remember a time in the United States when you went to a restaurant and asked him "Smoking or not smoking?" Now, everything is for non-smokers. Most public areas are smoke-free. As a non-smoker, I love this. However, moving to Europe may not be the wisest place to go for a smoker who is bothered by the smell.
Europeans smoke - in public places or at home or anywhere they want. Granted, there are some sites where you will see a no smoking sign, but they are few and far between, especially if you want to go out for nightlife. Even if there is no smoking inside, there are, at least three smokers sitting in front of the door of any non-smoking institution. Europe seems to be receiving a "smoking is bad for you" speech, supported by scientific evidence, slightly behind the United States. Although I realize that France is addressing this issue strongly and has seen good results.
2. Leadership
I can not say with confidence that European drivers are worse than American drivers. I can say that some driving expectations are different and therefore affect how drivers behave. For example, on European highways there are no outlets every 12 miles with food and gas options, as in the United States. Or that the Americans will pass you on the right side, but this is blasphemy in Europe. Or, you can turn red in America, but that's illegal in Europe. For my character / least favored, there are no cops on the highway, and any ticket you get will come from a camera (sometimes cleverly hidden) on the side of the road illuminating a white light glowing at you, you get to lament speed, down to the house.
3. Food
Americans are the heroes of consumption undisputed. Food is cheap and accessible. The grocery store in the United States is quite like the European grocery stores, but only add two corridors of grain, a full corridor of soda flakes, three health food corridors, wine corridor, beer, voila, identical shops.
In restaurants, if you ordered a large meal in the states, expect to take what you did not finish. In Europe, the portions are often not large enough to leave any food, but if you ask for food to go home you may get some confused stars, and you may be left empty.
4. Nature appeals
In America, if you go, it is very easy to find a toilet in a gas station or in a public place (except New York). There are many countries in Europe that charge you for toilets at gas stations and public places, but there are other countries that do not have toilets to offer. If you are used to not going before leaving home in the states, when you travel to Europe, I would not recommend taking this opportunity.
5. Customer service
We all knew it was coming. Anyone who has visited Europe (or Europeans who have visited the United States) knows that most European countries are not known for great customer service (* cough and cough * France and Germany * cough and cough *). Shoot, if you've seen a movie before or heard someone else talking about your trip to Europe, you probably know it!
A bad customer service experience in Europe is one of those things that are not always as bad as they seem, but they will definitely happen to you at least once; just like in the US! But, the differences are your motives and your recourse. In the United States, customer service in restaurants is more than others because waiters work for tips. In Europe, they do not, so kissing is not vital to earning a living. Also, in Europe, there is no better business office, so if your bank teller or shopkeeper is rude to you, you just have to suck it and do not shop there anymore.
What do you think?
If you visit Europe and the United States, what differences have you seen? Am I 100% right or just 99% right?
Thanks for reading!
