Differences Between Europe and the United States
Humor disclaimer. Side comments below are meant to be taken as humorous, and not serious critiques.
I have not been to Europe since my Navy days, so effectively, Europe is new to me. We spent 2 weeks in Lisbon, and Paris, though 3 days in Disney Paris probably doesn't count.
Most of us are of European descent, so culturally, there are far more similarities than differences. Though we are separated by 3,000 miles of ocean, there is going to be some differences. Heck, that 50 feet between New York and Canada has differences.
A major reason for the differences was the world wars. A lot of Europe had to be rebuilt, and it shows in new cities and infrastructure. Another difference is Europe has a population similar to the US, but about half the land mass. Europe has fewer resources in general and so has increased awareness on conservation.
Europe has their own businesses, and the European Union works to protect those businesses, rather than surrender to the industrial and technological juggernaut that is the US.
And they have the metric system.
When the common market was created, many standards were put in place so that when trade occurred, it was an apples to apples comparison. Due to all the languages spoken, signage was fairly standardized as well.
All this can be described as, "Adapting to their environment."
The first thing I noticed was the air conditioning. It was certainly running, but about 1-2 degrees C (1.8-3.6 degrees real) warmer. Just above my comfort range. It occurred to me, that because Americans live in an energy opulent environment, we keep our temperatures lower.
The Lisbon airport felt new. From what I read, it was seriously renovated in 2007, 2010 and 2013. Signage was easy to understand. Even though it was around 9am, bathrooms were being diligently cleaned by teams of cleaners. This team theme is was noted in a number observed customer services in Europe.
Our wait through customs was not long. Despite being tired from the over night flight. About 3 lines of maybe 50 people per line was processed in about 10 minutes.
Compared to the hour+ waiting to be allowed back into the states two weeks later.
When departing the Lisbon and Charles-de-Gaulle airports was a different experience. Long lines getting through the X-Ray systems. Then to be shunted through what can only be described as a shopping mall. Not just a "duty free" shop, but an entire mall. In Lisbon's case, it wasn't clear which way to go through the first shop to get to the concourse. Left? Right? It didn't matter because the people in front of you trying to dodge the gondolas festooned with fragile items in their path didn't know either.
Charles-de-Gaulle airport was much more maneuverable, and signage made your path clearer, but it was no less of a mall finding your airplane.
Our driver was awaiting for us and diligently took care of our bags into a Mercedes. The car looked brand new. His electronic suite would have felt at home on a fighter jet.
The highways looked new, and clean.
I have read reasons for European highways being so nice. Some say they build deeper beds for longer endurance. So higher upfront costs begetting longer lasting roads.
But another reason postulated is that their roads are subjected to lesser loads. Their trucks are lighter and operate at lower speeds, so the wear on the roads is less.
Lisbon is a bustling city, but the noise levels on the street are much lower than Philadelphia. There seems to be a very high level of electric vehicles. This was hammered home when an actual gas-powered cycle passed us, and after it was gone, how the street noise returned to a minimal level.
They have Bidets.
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Everyone that used them, and that included a number of 60+ year old men, and everyone liked them.
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They also have added a new twist to the which way does the toiled paper roll go.
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| Under and side to side! |
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All the food was excellently flavored, drool worthy even!
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| The Francesinha, stuffed with steak and pork, surrounded by mozzarella, topped by an egg and slathered in au jus! | | |
Breakfast buffets. We were at three different hotels in two countries. All had robust breakfast buffets. Baked beans was a common item. Probably because of the UK patronage, as beans are a common breakfast fare there. They also have boiling water and egg holders and timers available for soft boiled eggs, and espresso.
In France, cheese to die for!
Peanut butter is non-existent. While Nutella is everywhere.
Fruit platters are available, but they do not remove stems and leave the seeds in.
Bananas taste different. Probably they are harvested from different sources.
As one family left their table, a squad of 7 attendants took to clearing and cleaning the table. They all had their roles, 3 at a time moving in with removal, then the next 3 cleaning over and under, and a manager to fill in the gaps as needed. It was an amazing thing to watch.
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| And espresso It doesn't make much, the above is a double, but it is a coffee flavor bomb. |
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The espresso was amazing!!! Flavor rating 110 out of 100!!! And this was just out of the room Nespresso maker! My "Mr Coffee" espresso machine is going to be replaced very soon*.
Litter in the streets was minimal. Not that there wasn't litter, but it seemed much reduced, and more noticeable by it's absence. Also noticeable was the minimal number of trash cans on the street. In Philadelphia, if there were 3 large bins on a block, rest assure all three would be overflowing, and there would be an abundance of trash in the street.
Europeans have not been convinced by the water bottle companies
that they will absolutely die if they don't have at least a six pack of
bottled water on them at all times.
What water bottles there are, have caps that cannot be removed. While
this does nothing for the amount of plastic created, it does reduce the
number of pieces of trash created.
They do serve bottled water at restaurant tables. Even if the tap water
is safe, I am guessing this has to do with assurance you won't get ill
from drinking the water.
And there was surprising lack of urine smells. Not totally gone, but very minimal.
In Europe, the main floor is floor zero. The basement is -1. None of this trying to name the main/lobby/ground/first floor. If you are on the first floor, you are one story up. The reason is probably Metric.
They write in cursive. Including about a quarter of the signage.
*and it was.
