10 Things About Europe I Find Strange

[ZeussLightningBolt]

I have seen a few myTakes from Europeans about, "Things I Find Strange About The U.S." I always find these kinds of MyTakes very interesting and often humorous, because things that are so normal to me, are so strange to foreigners. So I thought it would be interesting to switch things up for a change, and write a MyTake on things I find strange about Europe.

Number 1: Europeans are SO formal

I've been to Europe six times now, and this is the one thing I can never get used to. In the U.S., you only address people formally in a professional environment, such as schools, doctor's offices or the military. For the most part, the U.S. is a very informal society. My mom and Polish family members always find it strange that American parents allow their children's' friends to address them by their first name. It's even become more common for children to address their parents, especially step parents by their first name. My mom also found it very strange when I told her that university professors, even ones with PhDs, allow their students to address them by their first name. My mom said if a student did this in Poland, the teacher would kick him out of class. In the U.S. it's the complete opposite. From Kindergarten to High School, students are still required to address their teachers in a formal manner, but once you enter college and university, students address their instructors on a first name basis. In fact, I've even had professors say they often get exchange students from other countries, and find it very strange and even irritating when the student addresses them as Mr. or Mrs., as most American college professors prefer to be addressed by their first name, or even just their last name, without the prefix.

Europeans take it to an even more extreme level however. Even if you are simply talking about someone (even a celebrity), or quoting a conversation, Europeans, especially Polish people, will yell at you for not referring to the person in a formal manner. I was in an online forum once, and asked a Polish lady if her husband's name is Chris or Krzysiek, and she got very angry and said, "You address him as MR. KZRYSTOF! He is older than you!" But the thing is I wasn't addressing him directly. And a few months ago, French President Emmanuel Macron, degraded and shamed a French teenager when he addressed him as "Manu" at a rally.

My grandma has "friends" that she has known for over 20 YEARS, and they STILL aren't on a first name basis with each other. And even older Europeans will address young people formally, which is extremely annoying.

Now I can understand being respectful, but what I find strangest about Europeans, is they expect respect even when they haven't earned it. This is especially true in Poland. Even when Polish people argue they do it so respectfully. "How dare you say that you me, sir? Where are your manners, sir? You are a real son of a bitch, SIR!"

So yeah, I will never understand Europeans' obsession with formality.

Number 2: Rude Customer Service

This is one thing I absolutely can't stand about Europe. I come from a country where "the customer is always right" and retail and restaurant employees, at least in the public sector, are REQUIRED to be friendly to customers. This is not the case in Europe. Retail employees are often rude, and even disrespectful and seem like they're doing you a big favor by doing their job. In many countries, you can't even ask them where an item is, without getting a rude reaction. This New Zealand girl told me she went to a store in Poland, and asked the cashier for the receipt, and the cashier threw it at her. My uncle and I got yelled at a Polish market for taste testing the merchandise, and another vendor at the same market got impatient with a customer and started yelling at him, "Either you're buying them, or you're not buying them!" On one occasion, my mom went to return a piece of clothing she had purchased, and was told that she can't get a refund, but may exchange the piece of clothing for another one of the same value. Probably the worst was when my uncle bought a caste souvenir at a Polish castle, and he dropped it on the ground and it shattered into pieces. In the U.S., the vendor would immediately run over, apologize, help you clean up, then offer to give you another item for no additional charge. Not in Poland. The vendors just stood there and watched, then told my uncle if he wants he can PURCHASE another item. I was completely shocked because this kind of customer service would never happened in the U.S. Another really annoying thing was store clerks constantly watching and following you, to make sure you don't steal anything. This happens in the U.S. as well, and irritates the hell out of me, but it's even worst in Europe. My mom was simply changing her glasses, and the store clerk searched her entire bag, because she thought she'd stolen something. Also, European cashiers usually will not offer you a bag, you have to ask for one yourself.

The assholeness also extends to the restaurant sector. When I was on my way to Greece, the bus driver stopped for food at a restaurant in Slovakia. I had never seen such rude waiting staff. They were so grumpy and seemed annoyed that they had to work. When I was in a small town in France, this pizza vendor was blabbing on the phone, completely ignoring the line of customers that was forming at her food stall. And in Barcelona, I saw a restaurant owner berate a group of Muslim women. "Miss, what is your problem? This is MY restaurant! If you don't like it, get out!" I don't know what set him off, but it was so inappropriate. An American restaurateur would NEVER speak this way to a customer. I was surprised the women stayed. In some places I also noticed that unless you ask for your change, the waiting staff won't bring it to you, and even if you DO ask them, they'll get annoyed because they think they're entitled to a tip. I was also told by a two Brits, that if you go to a pub in the U.K., you will be ignored unless you approach the waitress yourself. I've also heard stories of Greek waitresses berating their customers for not finishing their Greek Salad.

Coming from a country where employees are trained to treat their customers with respect, I was truly shocked and appalled by how rude and disrespectful European vendors and waiters were to customers.

Number 3: They Charge For EVERYTHING!

This is probably the thing foreign tourists complain about the most when visiting Europe. You have to pay for basically EVERYTHING! The thing that drives Americans the most nuts is having to pay to use the toilet, and sometimes even for toilet paper. This is very strange to us, because public toilets are literally EVERYWHERE in my country, and are usually free. Unfortunately, even many Europeans do not want to pay these restroom fees, so many end up pissing on street.

The fees expand into the restaurant industry as well. It is not uncommon in European restaurants to be charged for things like ice, water and ketchup packets, which are provided for free in the U.S.

But the masters of fees are tourist attractions. First off, in the U.S. national and state parks charge you a fee per car, not per person. In Europe, the charge is usually per person, and you have to pay at each park attraction, rather then paying for the whole park upon entry. Okay, this still isn't so bad. But in the U.S. once you pay the entrance fee, there is usually no additional fee, unless for camping or guided tours. Not in Europe. It is not uncommon to be charged an entrance fee, than get charged ANOTHER fee to visit another part of the same attraction. I visited a ruined castle in Poland, which should have been free, and I had to pay an additional fee to climb to the top of the tower. It is also not uncommon to be charged extra for parking, even if you have already paid the entrance fee. In Slovakia we got charged 5 Euros to park on gravel for an hour. In the U.S. NO ONE would ever charge you to park on a gravel parking. And in Barcelona we had to pay 15 Euros, to enter a restaurant/shopping area. But by far the one that irritates me the most are he ridiculous photo/video fees. In the U.S., you're either allowed to take pictures or you aren't. No one charges you extra for it, except Indian tribes. Not in Europe. It is not uncommon for European tourist attractions to charge extra fees for video and photography. And this fee can sometimes even be higher then the tour/entrance fee.

Number 4: Discrimination Against Foreigners

This is one I will never come to terms with, or find justification for. There may be a few exceptions, for instance I heard Disney World does this, and universities, but for the most part when it comes to tourist attractions and services, Americans will never charge you extra for being a foreigner. Europeans WILL. Of course this isn't the case everywhere, but in many European countries, especially the former Communist ones, don't be surprised if you are charged extra for something, simply because of your nationality. My mom went to the dentist's office in Poland, and got charged three times as much as the Polish patient for the same procedure, just because she's an American. I've had Ukrainian-Americans tell me similar things have happened to them in Ukraine. At Wawel Castle in Krakow, a lady wouldn't give me a student discount because she said I need to have an EU ID. But byfar the WORST story I heard was from my friend who went to the Colosseum with his Belgian friend. His Belgian friend had an EU ID, so she should have been allotted the discounted entry fee, but when the ticket agent saw that she was with an American, he didn't give either of them a discount. This sort of thing would be unthinkable in the U.S. I was completely shocked that Europeans have no problem discriminating against foreigners so openly.

Number 5: Scams, Corruption and Bribery

Let's face it, these kinds of things exist everywhere, but I was completely shocked at the level to which this stuff exists in Europe.

One of the things that shocked me the most was the level of pick pocketing. This isn't really something you have to worry much about in the U.S. except maybe on public transportation in places like New York or L.A. The first time I traveled to Europe by myself, I was super paranoid about pick pocketing, and was even considering putting padlocks on my backpack. I asked on a travel forum, if my stuff will be safe if I give it my niece and nephew. Surely no one would pick pocket a child. I was shocked when several people replied, YES, even CHILDREN can fall victim to these scumbags.

Then there are the con artists, usually gypsies but not always, but the gypsies are the WORST! I got scammed by a gypsie in Greece. I was still young and very ignorant, and I thought gypsies only lived in Romania. I see a woman with her hair covered standing outside a church, holding out her hand with change in it. Like a normal person I think, "She's a nun collecting an entrance fee for the church." So I gave her 2 Euros and went inside. I only found out afterwards from my tour guide, that this lady was a gypsie, and I had just been scammed. One of these creeps followed me for 5 city blocks, and I had to dive into a restaurant to lose her.

Gypsie scammers are not uncommon in Europe, but they're not the only ones. A young Polish couple tried to sell us expired tickets for a gondola. We almost purchased them, but then another tourist told us he had fallen for that very scam the previous year. A young innocent looking couple sold him bad tickets, and while he went in to cash them, the couple took off with his money.

The most shocking scam I discovered was an organized TV scam, where you had to solve a puzzle and call in for a prize. I watched for nearly 50 minutes, and no one called in. At that moment I was naiive enough to believe that I was the only person in a nation of 38 million people to know the answer to this riddle. So I phoned in, and sure enough, they charged me 2 Zloty and the beautiful girl in the TV didn't answer the phone. I was completely shocked that the government allows these sorts of organized public scams to operate. I later found out there are versions of the same scam show in other countries.

Then there was the bribery and corruption. Once again, I wasn't surprised that this existed, I was surprised at the LEVEL to which it existed. My mom was taking care of some real estate and medical stuff for my grandmother, and she basically had to give the realtor and doctor a bottle of vodka, to ensure she got good service. I've also had other Eastern European friends tell me it's not uncommon for students to bribe their instructors and even purchase fake college degrees. And you basically have to pay bribes if you want any sort of bureaucracy done.

Police in Europe are also corrupt and useless. In some countries, they rarely respond to calls and in Poland, I saw a group of traffic cops almost get runover by a car, and they did NOTHING. People park on grass and drive on sidewalks, and they do NOTHING. I heard that in Ukraine, police will often frame a random person, if they cannot find a criminal.

Conservative Slovakians recently elected a Liberal president, because she promised to fight corruption. That's how bad the issue is.

Number 6: Alcohol and Cigarette Laws

I come from a country where cashiers and waiters will ask to see your ID for alcohol and cigarette purchases, even if you are clearly of legal age. In fact, someone told me that they are required to ID anyone who looks under 40, even though the drinking and smoking age is 21. Well, no one IDs you for these things in Europe. This part wasn't so shocking to me. What WAS shocking however, was when I witnessed a 7 year old girl purchasing a pack of cigarettes from a Greek vendor. Obviously they weren't for HER, but this would NEVER happened in the U.S., and if it did, the vendor would lose his license and go to prison. In Polish towns, I saw children purchasing alcohol for their family members. Meanwhile in good old USA, I was passing a case of beer to my cousin, and the cashier told me I'm not allowed to hold the beer because I am underaged. That's why I was shocked when I saw children being sold these things in Europe.

What's even more shocking is that many European countries don't even have an age limit for alcohol consumption. In fact, alcohol laws in general are very lean. I was surprised to learn you can walk down the street drinking a can of beer, and police won't stop. Okay, so this sort of thing is illegal in major tourist areas, but outside of those, people could care less, and public drunkenness and DUI don't carry such harsh punishments like they do in the U.S. Coming from a country which has some of the strictest alcohol laws in the world, it was really shocking to see it being treated so casually in Europe.

Number 7: Public Transportation Is A Nightmare

Europe is often complimented for having some of the best public transit system in the world, but after having experienced it, I prefer the less reputable American public transit system. There were several things I found strange about the public transit system in Europe. The biggest was that no one announces the stops, nor do they light up inside. So you either have to ask a local to tell you where to get off, or sit with a map on your lap, paying attention to which villages you have just entered. Schedules also aren't very clear and difficult to interporate, as I learned in Poland and Greece, and changing buses is a logistical nightmare. We wasted an entire hour in Greece, trying to find where the bus station is.

The payment method is also a pain in the ass. In many places, drivers don't accept cash, so you have to either purchase a pass or ticket stubs, and then scan them when you enter. For someone who doesn't speak the local language, this can be a nightmare to figure out, and tourists are often fined for not scanning their tickets. My mom said she saw a rider get tackled to the ground because he couldn't find his ticket.

But byfar the thing that shocked me the most, was when we took a bus in Poland. I don't know why we even purchased tickets or were assigned seats. In the U.S. everyone sits patiently, and when the bus pulls up, they stand in line and calmly enter one by one. In Poland, it was an absolute free for all. If you're not on your feet, you can literally be carried on as the swarm of impatient riders storm the bus. The driver doesn't even have a chance to check tickets, so you could easily get a free ride. I've never seen such uncivilized behavior in my life. And good luck getting off at your stop, when the bus is literally packed to the brim like a can of sardines.

Number 8: Use Of The "N" Word

I was really shocked to learn that Europeans, at least in the East so openly use the "N" word or some variation for it when referring to black people. Estonians for example say, "neeger" and Ukrainians say "nigga". This was really shocking to me, because in the U.S., calling a black guy such a word would land you in the hospital. Europeans however do not consider this word offensive, and use it as the normal word to refer to black people. One Hungarian nationalist even told me, "We have freedom of speech. I'm gonna use this word as much as I want, and if a n** tries to beat me up, I'll break his legs with a baseball bat!" Most Europeans are NOT that extreme, but it was still shocking to hear a word that's considered so offensive in the U.S., being used so openly amongst Europeans.

Number 9: Open Assholeness

After reading Number 2, it shouldn't come as a surprise to you that regular Europeans can be pretty rude as well, especially if you do make a mistake. Europeans in general are more straightforward with their emotions and could care less if they come across as rude. A lot feel they need to be rude, to be respected, but some can be dowright rude for no reason. Like the Danish girl yelling as us that she doesn't have time when we tried to ask for directions, or the fat Polish hag telling my mom to "shut her trap" when she told her that she was blocking the stairs. It's also not uncommon for people to cut in line in front of you without apologizing or giving a shit. By far the most shocking incident was when an old Polish lady with a walker, got the tram door shut on her neck, and my mom said no one screamed or panicked except her. Some Europeans are just very cold and seem to have no emotion at all. Europeans also don't like to engage in conversations with random strangers. In America, it's the complete opposite, which is why many Americans say that Europeans are "rude."

Number 10: Backwards Fashion

Europeans are often complimented for having some of the best fashion on the planet. This I admire as well, but what is strange to me, is when they walk around wearing clothing, not appropriate for the weather. For some reason, Europeans, at least men, do not like to wear shorts. So even if it's 100 degrees outside, you will see many Europeans walking around in leather jackets, jeans or slacks, and fancy dress shoes. Yet in some Mediterranean towns, they have no issue shopping in speedos and bikinis. And in the northern countries, they have no issue stripping down in the middle of winter and going swimming in the ocean. I can't help but laugh everytime I see Europeans wearing winter clothes in summer, and summer clothes in winter.

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you thought in the comments below.

[morimeme1]

Honestly, I live eastern Europe and everything you mentioned I recognised and many things are just part of the daily life which I grew up with so I find nothing strange about the but in many cases, especially about rude service you have taken as an example the extreme because in such poor and conservative countries like Poland yes you will get treated in a rude way because many common people are just irritated by Americans, first off they don't trust you because you don't speak their language and you have a reputation of being loud, rude, annoying and just look at things without buying (Europeans just don't like dealing with Americans in many cases).
We are more reserved, especially in my coutry, I hate when strangers try to talk to me out of the blue (unless tourists asking for directions, that is fine), that is not common here, we do not let people in our friend circles easily either and small talk here is considered a waste of time while it is something Americans seem to ingage in a lot.
Yes we are very formal, I can't fathom calling my uni professors by their first name, hell, they will be triggered if you don't call them by their appropriate title because they have worked so much to earn it. And I hate is as well if someone older decides that they can casually adress me when I do not know them (we are snobs okay). Yes we charge for everything but well, I have never traveled outside Europe so that is all I know, we don't complain about it but just accept it as is. But when it comes to your supposed discrimination, well, abroad students pay more for unis as well, that's just how it is. It kinda seemed funny to me how you complained about paying more at the dentists when you consider the healthcare system and it's costs in America. About the Colosseum, yeah, that sounds weird and inappropriate but generally they make the discounts for students who are members of the EU because the EU sponsors it, that's all there is to it.
Pick pocketing is a problem yes, generally we know to stay away from gypsies and are angry ourselves that nobody does anything, I recently heard a woman who just saw a gypsy trying to steal her luggage but when confronted they started to call her prejudiced and racist and later their gang tried to follow her, even the police doesn not want to get involved with them. We hate it too. In developed countries like Germany the cause of this problem is refugees and I don't think they like it either.
A lot of scammers yes but they exist everytwhere where there are people and people view American tourists as dumb sheep and yeah, they might try to scam them because that is way easier with tourist attractions, you are very naive.
About the alcohol I disagree though, you saw the poorest unregulated places and yes they might do that but in most countries the legal drinking age is 18 and you will get in trouble for selling to minors. For drinking in public you will first get a warning in my country but it will probably be harsher for example in Germany.
Public transportation, well, I avoid busses as much as possible in cities where there is metro, busses is not a thing you want to choose if you are not familiar with how they work. In my country I often feel sorry for the tourists that have to somehow figure out how public transport works because we do not have metro but at least they do say the stops in the capital. We ourselves have a significant amount of disputes about the costs and quality of that transportation with the only provider of it.

[morimeme1]

The N word, well, again you took the poor conservative parts where people hate gays and have seen a black person maybe twice in their lives and have never interacted with one. I'm pretty sure though that most slovenian people say negr which is how people in Nigeria are called therefore they don't think it's rude and even in my own circle I have heard people us the real N word and when I asked why they do that I got a reply - it's only rude if you make it such, I do not mean anything rude by it so people should stop being so sensitive and attribute such power to words that originally were never rude. We are not as considerate and if something sounds like snowflake bs to us we will not conform.
The backwards fashion, I've seen it and I don't get it, in my country it is mostly teenagers who wear clothing that is too cool for the weather because being a wrapped up potato during winter is "just not stylish".

[morimeme1]

But overall a great myTake, very interesting to see how people from the outside view us, we usually love these things that is why videos like "Ameircans try our national sweets" and such are very popular, just to see their reactions and I suppose a European who goes to America could write a similar but backwards myTake about their experience. Sorry for the long comment 👍

[wankiam]

it might be a long comment but you certainlly made a good point about the fact many europeans dont like or trust americans so what he has witnessed isn't truly reprasentative

[ZeussLightningBolt]

I'm fluent in Polish. LOL. And POLES aren't loud? :p But it's not just Americans who get treated this way. It's call competative retail. I don't HAVE to buy from your store, if I don't want to.
You mind if I ask where you're from? Because I wold actually say that Poles are an acception to this. Poles are actually quite social, especially the young ones. But for the most part, you are right. That's why a lot of Americans say Europeans are "rude" because Americans grew up with the notion that they can just approach a random stranger, and he will have a conversation with them? But do you know WHY Europeans are like this?
Foreign students pay more for uni here too. That I don't have an issue with, but Americans don't charge foreign toursists more to visit their attractions. It was fucked up that they didn't discount HER just because she was with an American. Some places were nice and gave me a discount. :)
EXACTLY! If you defend yourself from agressive gypsies or Somalis, they will call you a racist. And some Americans are afraid to defend themselves because they don't want to be "rude". My mom had her purse cut up by a gypsie one time. Thankfully, I've never had any issues.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

That is true YES!
The PURCHASE age is 18. The Drinking age is NONE. In MOST countries. At least that's what Wikipedia says.
I agree with you on the busses. Where do you live?
I agree with you on the N word, and you're absolutely right. That's kind of the point I'm trying to make. I personally use it myself, and I don't understand why it's such a big deal. I refer to myself as a "Pollack" and "Gringo". And blacks says "Cracker" and "White Boy" so...
LOL! Yeah see? That's what I'm talking about. You're like the only person who understood that one.
Yeah, me too. I feel the same. I also enjoy reading these kinds of MyTakes about the US. I find them so fascinating. Funny how the Eastern Europeans didn't see anything wrong with this MyTake, but the Western Europeans got all butthurt and said none of this is true.
That was a long comment, but a very ensightful one. Thanks for actually reading it carefully and giving such a detailed response. :)

[ZeussLightningBolt]

@wankiam I think a lot of them dislike Americans because they are jealous. And they REALLY hate the locals, who immigrated to America, because they are jealous because they would like to go to America too. But also, there are many who come here, but complain about how much better things were in THEIR country. They hate us, but they sure love our dollars

[morimeme1]

@ZeussLightningBolt Yeah, a lot of those things are a thing of eastern Europe and since I live in Latvia we are even more sensitive to it. We are even more closed off than any other European. To us it really isn't that much of a difference whether you're American or German - you are loud. The youth is pretty social and we are used to it, we know that the foreigners just have a different mentality, we know it if we are approached in the street but we still do feel that being out of our comfort zone. I personally only get aggravated by loud foreigners in university because they have no sense of surroundings, even if everyone else is studying in the place that is meant for that, it will not occur to them to keep it down. We attribute our mentality to our long history of being opressed, Swedes, Germans, Russians and USSR all had their fair share.

[anmari2001]

1. It's called courtesy and not always about being respectful but you can call your teacher by name outside of school if you are close with them (my friend kept calling her mom Mr... , who was also our teach) so yeah as you said, it is disrespectful especially when it comes to teachers because the world would run around without them
Well nobody say "how dare you to say that sir" more like "shut up faggot ", we can be rude while arguing
2. I agree here, there are many mean people in customer service and you can sence it right away but this is not an issue only in Europe
3. You in America expect tips tho
I AGREE ABOUT THE TOILET, SO ANNOYING
Wait you don't pay to wipe you butt in America?
Yeah I have peed in the bushes, not on the streets 😂😂😂
Never heard of being charged for ice and ketchup, but if you want water from bottle you pay
4. Everything on the sea line of Bulgaria is more expensive because of foreigners
Also we charge foreigner for uni fees because it is still cheap for them
You are charged more not only because you are a foreign, if they can trick a native they will

[anmari2001]

5. Nobody trusts the gypsies, few are good people tho

[anmari2001]

6. Don't see problem here, i still get asked for my iD from time to time

[anmari2001]

7. Agree, some buses in Bulgaria are from the Communism

8. Yeah we dont use the word in a bad context, as you said it is just how we refer to black people and we don't put much into it

[anmari2001]

9 assholes, assholes everywhere

10 we have a saying here "fashionable be, from cold die"
No matter what is the weather, we gotta show our stylist clothes

[ZeussLightningBolt]

WOW! Okay, thank you! That was really detailed and informative.

Trust me, Polish people argue respectfully 🤣

I know we accept tips, but we give people their change. Most of the time anyways, :p

Well, we have to pay for ass wiping material, but not in public restrooms. Only when we buy it at the store.

The uni thing makes sense. We do that too, but why charge tourists more?

[anmari2001]

Because we can😀 I mean people always bring more money on vacations so this means sellers can make some extra cash, I am sure it is like this every fucking where, not just Europe

[ZeussLightningBolt]

It IS.
I actually know why. It's because they think Americans are rich, but I wanted to hear what YOU say :p

[Aphrodite89]

True Gypsy their ones trying sell you things. Some have a woman with child looked unwashed begging for money.

[anmari2001]

Actually Americans are richer comparing to the Balkans so

[anmari2001]

No mercy

[Massageman]

Been to Athens, Greece.

Food. Most Greek gyros is chicken with a mustard-based sauce. Not much land to graze cattle, so beef/lamb with tzatziki sauce is less common. Not better or worse, just different and I was surprised. Baklava was awesome. Be prepared for SLABS of feta on your reasonably priced Greek salads.

Money stuff. Tip is included on bill 99% of the time. As is a water charge.

Shopping. Learning to eyeball a kilo (2.2 pounds) was rather easy, since we had to buy some of our own food at stores. If you buy from street vendors, they expect you to haggle about price: don't disappoint them. Even in stores, esp on the Plaka, are open to it, esp if you are buying a lot.

Infrastructure- Street and sidewalk repairs have a sawhorse at each end, not much in between. In the US, the numerous sawhorses used are more of a hazard than the broken walk in most cases!

Antiquities- I was AMAZED that ancient ruins are- quite literally- less than a few meters from brand new buildings in many cases. Surprising juxtaposition.

Interesting law (correct me if I was given the wrong impression by our host, but this is what he said)- The most important part of a building to own is the top floor and roof of the building. That owner- even if only owning just the top part of the building- can dictate the fate of the entire building.

Neighborhoods. There seems to be certain neighborhoods the stores in which hyper-specialize. One block was all plumbing, for example. Next block was all detergents, buckets, cleaners. Strange.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

I didn't know that about the top floor.
I too was surprised to see ancient ruins smack dab in the middle of modern cities

[Massageman]

Also, when the dug to add a Metro for the 2004 Olympics, they unearthed quite a few more artifacts, now on display in the Metro stations. Sort of an instant museum!

[ZeussLightningBolt]

Oh nice
That's happened in a few places

[Cammy137]

I think the problem with any of these MyTakes, (either for Europe or America) is that they are such large areas and include such different groups of people. For example, I live in Spain, I'm from Scotland, and have visted a large number of European countries, and depending on which country, or even which city, many of these points apply or apply to different levels.

I'm sure it's exactly the same with the US, so i'm neither defending Europe nor criticising your post, I'm merely pointing out that many of these aren't experiences that I've had with most of my time in Europe. For example, when I worked in Paris for a month, most of these points apply. I live in Barcelona and less of these apply. Where I used to live in Scotland almost none apply. So it does differ drastically.

Although, if I saw number 4 anywhere (which I haven't), then I'd certainly refuse to buy their products. It's a ridiculous concept and is incredibly racist.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

I thought you were American
And yeah, most people who write this only visiting one part, but write it to make it sound like ALL of America is like this

[stepje92]

Interesting myTake, but I have a few notes.
1. Beware with generalising Europeans. Whatever is normal in Scandinavia might be frowned upon in in Italy. E
a) Alcohol and sigarette laws. While in Greece a 7 year old girl can buy sigarettes, in The Netherlands they now have to be out of sight for the costumer. In Sweden it's now prohibited to smoke in public areas.
b) Alcohol is very strict in Holland (18+ and you have to show ID until 25) and strong liquor can only be bought in liquorstores, while in Belgium there's almost no ID check and can buy it in the supermarket.
c) Corruption and bribery is a very delicate matter. This image will show you why: www.transparency.org/.../corruption_perceptions_index_2017
d) Transportation: just as delicate as c.

2. Another remark is on your topic 'discrimination against foreigners' in specific with the student discount. In Europe there's a famously known Erasmus program, where students in their minor can freely go abroad. They even get subsidised for this to promote international relations. So, with this in the back of you head, I hope it sounds less strange that the discount is only for European students.

3. Not everyone speaks English. Native English speakers in my opinion should have more respect for a local language, because locals wear it with pride (though some more than others). Get to know a few words and they will immediately be more helpful.

4. You are absolutely right about payment everywhere. The government has to incorperate it somehow, though. However, generally the opinion of North Europeans is that it's better to immediately see what it costs, than to get the unexpected bill afterwards. (eg American tipping or taxi rides without a meter).

5. There's this debate in my country about men wearing shorts in summer to work and women showing unshaved legs at work. Shorts for men is a definite no go, what the definition is of being representitive, I feel is very opinionated.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

I know. I see I could have titled it differently. But Europeans generalize MY country too, so...
Damn. That's even stricter then in the US
How can they tell if you're 25 or not?
Okay that's fine, but then why was that Belgian girl not given a discount because she was traveling with an American? And do you think it's fair for foreigner to get charged more for dental procedure? My Ukrainian friend also said her teacher treated her like shit, because she was born in the U. S.
I agree, but at the same time, you can't expect us to fluently learn the language of every country we're traveling to. English is the universal language, and even my French friend agrees with this. But I do agree, it wouldn't kill them to learn a few phrases. I usually do. Sometimes the locals are surprised because they don't expect it.
This is good. One thing I hear Europeans complain about the U. S. is "sales tax" and the price you see, not being the price you pay.
At work it's different. And why don't they just shave them?

[stepje92]

Haha, you know that's just pointing fingers ;) .
Yes, in stores that's strict, but they can't always tell, but by law, if they don't ask you for ID within the 18-25 range, the store gets fined big time. Out of safety, they ask anyone (who might be within the range).

No, when students go on erasmus, they get a university pass of the current city, so for a brief period they can use the city's/national discount. I've been denied discount in foreign countries as well. Regulations between museums differ, however (some accept European cards/some only national/regional).

Haha, don't worry. No one expects you to be fluent when only staying for a few days, but not to start in English creates affection from the local (that at least your trying). Even though switching to English seems evident. Yay, you :)

Agreed, but as there was quite the heatwave in Europe these past weeks, I started wearing long linnen dresses/trousers and I did feel more fashionable (and comfortable), haha.

This is a gender equality thing. Most women of course shave, but if it's a necessity, is the question.

[Shutupman]

More a take about poor Eastern Europe lol. I dislike the concept of Europe. Politicians allow pretty much any country to join, it simply doesn’t work.

Anyhow I’m from Northern Europe and traveled around there ;
Manners aren’t that extreme here, but if you don’t know someone always try to be polite. But I guess we are more formal than Americans also dress wise yeah.

Waiters always give back change, I’ve never had that happen. They make enough money they don’t really care about a tip.

Europe overal is very liberal so no most won’t say n** or anything along those lines as it’s offensive. I’ve never known Americans to be discriminated here and my husband and a lot of my friends are American. Customer service is important here too, but they won’t kiss butt for tips like some of the waiters in the states do. I don’t like waiters that are too involved.

There are definitely age restrictions here for drinking and kids cannot buy alcohol. Bars and stores get fined and could potentially close their business.

People peeing in the streets are from homeless people and sometimes drunk people. Again you get fined if someone sees.

Public transportation in bigger cities during work hours is indeed bad. I hate it.

Corrupt tv shows aren’t a thing here, again that’s illegal.

I do agree it’s ridiculous we gotta pay for going to the restroom.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

This whole EU concept is confusing to me. Countries getting sanctioned for not abiding by Eu regulations, so why not just make ONE country and with ONE leader?
The change thing seems to be more of an issue in eastern and southern Europe, where wages are low.
WESTERN Europe YES, but Eastern Europe is still pretty Conservative, although some young people are starting to move Left. Like I said, this seems to be more of an issue in the poorer and conservative countries. American waiters kiss but for tips. That is SO true!
Thanks for reading and commenting.
No hard feelings :)

[Shutupman]

The people of ‘Europe’ never wanted Europe to be a thing. It was forced on countries by our shit ass politicians. Europe doesn’t work in my opinion, it’s original intent isn’t even in effect after all these years. They keep accepting countries on the brink of bankruptcy and with different ideals. European politicians don’t want people to have a national identity, it’s harmful to be patriotic apparently.

[BlackRoseFairy]

I am in southern Europe and I find those things you stated to be extreme... For example kids in primary school adress their teacher as Mrs. First name, but in junior high and high school you are expected to adress them with Mr. Last name or if it is the principal with Mr Principal.
In university however it mostly depends on how each individual is. For example we had professors who clearly stated they want to be addressed by their First name and with singular pronoun (we have different pronouns for you - singular and you - plural)

People can be insulting but this is not the norm, the N word is not used here either, Public transports can be confusing for foreigners, especially in big cities, but people in general are always friendly and willing to help here. Alcohol and Cigarettes aren't sold to minors in generals and if they are then the salesman probably knows the parents and had an agreement with them. You may also notice that kids say "Moms cigarettes" or "Dads beer" because they don't know the names. Teenagers might be able to buy a beer and no one would say a thing. But they certainly wouldn't get hard liquor - in fact many shops have them locked up and you have to ask for them at the cashier.
Discrimination sadly does exist, in many ways, but not when it comes to serious things like doctors.
Things are overcharged at many places and this is also why they are boycotted for the most part, by locals that is, and I wouldn't hesitate from warning a foreign person to avoid a certain place for it.
Public restrooms have a charge because usually there is a person there 24/7 to clean them. So you're not paying to use the restroom, you pay the person who cleans up after you. And if the 50cents they ask seem too much you probably haven't seen the mess some people can leave behind.
Some of the extra charges you mentioned are ridiculous though and afaik don't exist here.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

I think the alcohol/cigarette thing is more common in small villages/neighborhoods, where everyone knows each other. But it was still shocking to see. But I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same in rural America.
In Eastern Europe the discrimination extends to schools and doctors.
Thank you, that's nice of you :) I do the same. I always just comment on it in travel forums.
"Public restrooms have a charge because usually there is a person there 24/7 to clean them. So you're not paying to use the restroom, you pay the person who cleans up after you."
They're trying to do that in some towns in the U. S., but people are afraid if they do, people won't want to pay and will just go in the street. Another reason they wanna do it, is so homeless people won't sleep in them.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
What country are you in?

[Isten]

1. As an Eastern European, I haven't experienced this at such as extreme level as you make it sound. Yes, I do addres formally my friends' parents at first, but if they tell me to call them by their first name, I will. Also, in universities it's common nowadays to be on a first name basis with professors, even more common than in high school (where it's unacceptable, but behind their backs we usually call them by some sort of nickname related to their names).

2. I can agree, but to a lesser extent here as well. It's usually dirty looks, like "why are you disturbing me?", but I luckily didn't encounter especially rude customer service workers.

3. Ok, can't argue here. But at least I can travel for much cheaper as a student, if not free, depending on country. 🤷🏻‍♀️

4. There are many who can't accept other NATIONALITIES, let alone continent inhabitants. Every time someone talks about overweightness, you will hear in an unimpressed voice "Americans...". As far as I have noticed, Europeans don't like Americans for the most part.

5. I don't know what to say.

6. It depends on country. I gave witnessed 5 years olds buying beer in Romania for mommy/daddy, but in Hungary it's unheard of! I got ID'd last time in Hungary when I'm obviously over the age of 5.

7. That's why I walk everywhere I have to go. 🤷🏻‍♀️

8. Maybe it's just me, but I don't have people around me saying the "N" word. In Poland I met two kids (one 14, other 15) who called each other by that, but that's about it.

9. Again, I haven't encountered such rudeness. During this week strangers on the streets randomly told me "good luck" for my exams (exam season). Also, cutting in lines is more common among elderly who grew up in communism. They have learned the tips and tricks of those times and apply those for today.

10. Weird, never seen this either. Ok, I wear tighs to avoid thigh chaffing, but that's about it.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

Thank you.
In Poland teenagers and young adults cut.
Anyways, that was really interesting, especially the first one.
My mom is always yelling at my dad for speaking of the Poland that existed 30 years ago. But my mom does the same. She thinks Poland is still the same as 30 years ago, and she thinks Polish customs are practiced in ALL of Europe. Number 1 being the best example.

I also noticed they don't like Americans. Probably because we visit then write MyTakes like this. :p

[Isten]

My mom doesn't discriminate, she hates everyone who isn't European. 😂
Seriously, we were walking home together as a small family, a young, black guy passed by us and my mom felt like telling us how he "needed to go back where he belongs".

[ZeussLightningBolt]

OMG! The fuck?
There was a Romanian girl in my class, her father hated everyone who wasn't Romanian.

Oh I saw a Travel show on Romania and some lady wanted 10 Euros per square meter from the film crew to film a statue of Vlad The Impeller.

Oh man! That's really bad! My mom mostly hates Asians, Muslims and LGBT. But even MY mom isn't this bad. OMG!

[SueShe]

It could have been a good myTake but it took me over an hour to read, never mind the understanding of it.

All in all, some things are true and it is actually good like that.

If you compare the US with Europe, you will realize that Europe is way more civilized than the US. People are perhaps more formal, which is a good thing in itself. Calling someone by their first name indicates a superficial mentality. In Europe, only good friends call each other by their first names and that only happens when people trust each other.

I call you Bob when meeting you but Bob will not remember who I am in 6 months whereas if I call a person Bob in Europe, I know that person since a long time and he will still know my name in 6 months.

Europe is a much more homogeneous society compared to the US and that is due to the long history.

In Europe, people don't settle conflicts with weapons like in the US. It is a nightmare to feel safe in the US because you never know if a person you cross will not shoot you because he did not like the way you look at him.

But it is true, both continents have their idiosyncrasies. It would be so much better if the residents of each continent would refrain from having to go to the other one. It would prevent a lot of misunderstandings like the US thinking that everyone needs to speak English to be considered a human in America while in Europe, people would not have to deal with flocks of American tourists thinking that Europeans should all speak English.

After all, it's America that is ruling the world, so why do Europeans not want to speak English.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

Thanks for taking the time to read it. I'm sorry. I didn't know it would take THAT long to read.
I agree with everything you said except the last part.
So Im supposed to learn the language of every country I'm traveling to?
English is the universal language.
Even my FRENCH friend agrees with me on this.

And how will people survive in the US if they can't speak English? So you're kind of contradicting yourself there, because you're saying Americans should learn the languages of these countries, but foreigners coming to America shouldn't learn English.

And Polish people are also like this. They LOVE to travel, but want POLISH food, POLISH language and POLISH people.

And I think travel is really important, and actually helps create understanding. But if the culture is too different for you, don't travel there.

[SueShe]

Honestly, I will never want to travel to the US as long as guns are not abolished and drastic measures are not taken to protect the citizens rather than to shoot first and ask questions later.

But I think the problem is about to solve itself and will not be as acute anymore in like 30 years from now. All it will take is for China to become the first economic power and then, Europeans and Americans will return to the ancestral traditions of formal addressing people and interacting with them.

On a positive note, I just love "kolbassa", pardon my spelling for the Polish sausage.

You have a good day on your side of the pond

[ZeussLightningBolt]

So you're afraid of Americans shooting you, but you're not afraid of being blown up or run over by a Muslim in Europe?
Interesting.

Honestly, I have no idea how to spell it either. 🤣

You too, have a nice day.

[Starshine85]

I think a lot of/majority of Europeans don't approve of more people in USA owning guns, just as it seems the majority don't like Trump.
I think we native English speakers should attempt to learn a few words of other languages that people speak in the places we are in. It depends a bit on how popular/touristy it is. Some places will quite obviously understand English and other places won't so well. But it's still polite to attempt to speak their language rather than just assume, I think.

[SueShe]

@Starshine85 It is true, I have witnessed a number of tourist DOING the effort to speak only a word or two in a foreign language and that makes a difference.

A danke schön, merci or grazie will take you further than a bland thaaaaaanks

[ZeussLightningBolt]

@Starshine85 I don't see why Europeans would care about American gun laws. Then again, why do Americans care about EU immigration laws?
Yeah, Trump's current approval rating is just 43%

@SueShe, I agree 100% they should learn a few words, but some people expect tourists to be fluent in the language of every country they travel to.

I know a guy who knows like 20 languages. I wish I possessed HIS ability

[wankiam]

i drive accross Europe a lot and only speak English... i never really notice any objections to this because the people i meet know im travelling. its when you base yourself somewhere that the locals would expect you to at least try to speak their language and actually its the french that seem more guilty of this than anyone

[zagor]

Yeah well Americans do not shoot each other at the smallest offense. Maybe you should actually go there before you spout BS.

[Starshine85]

This was interesting. You obviously have a fair amount of experience and friends (more than me) to talk about them with. A couple of these I would say are not true for the UK, but then you can't cover everywhere and also the UK has probably adopted more things from America than other European countries. (You have to ask for ID if people look under 25 - I've known people in their 40s to get asked for ID, or to be asked for ID for a lottery ticket when they've just filled their car up with petrol). And the N word here is regarded the same way as the USA.

I want to save this post to reread another time but I don't think I can.

Wasn't aware about the discrimination against foreigners in Europe (especially Italy!) or some of the scams... Or that in USA people call uni professors by their first name... Or that some Europeans were quite so formal about using last names (like the people you know who have been friends for 20 years but are still not on a first name basis!)

When I was younger, when we would go on holiday to mainland Western Europe (France, Germany etc) my dad said not to pick up or look through the magazines or stand looking at them for too long (or at anything else in a shop). They regard that as suspicious. Whereas in UK you could spend forever doing that if you wanted. I do like browsing things and knowing what I'm buying before I buy it... That was a long time ago but I think they can still be like that now.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

From what I've read and heard, the UK culturally, has much more in common with the US, then they do with Europe. Except the UK doesn't Freedom of Speech, Press and has some stricter photography laws. And the drinking age is 18, but for the most part, a lot of our laws are the same. My mom always said, "The UK is SO formal! They invented formality!" I was completely shocked to learn the UK is not formal at all.
The problem is, my mom thunks all of Europe operates kike Poland. LOL

It's the same in the U. S. You can browse and not even buy anything, and no one will say anything.

Is the thing about British pubs true? That the waitress won't come up to you herself?

You can just save the URL in a word document. But, actually if you just log in and click on Travel section, it should be on the front page, 'cuz all my travel posts are automatically featured.

[Starshine85]

Oh OK thanks. Well I'm on the app so can't save URL but will check the travel section or follow you.

I think most people have drunk alcohol well before the age of 18 here, whatever the laws. But it doesn't sound as bad as some of Europe (people obviously underage drinking and not asking for ID). We don't have the best rep regarding drinking and louts... Possibly more binge drinking here than in some of Western Europe but I would think its quite different again in Eastern Europe.

I think people think the British are polite but in general we are not more than other countries. It's just different ways of doing things or saying things. And also things change over 20, 40 years quite a lot (I went to Czechia briefly - about 20mins!- when it had just opened its borders to other countries when I was about 10. I don't remember it but even thinking of everyday things, things my niece takes for granted weren't available when I was young and it was illegal to be gay when my mum was young in UK so it would have been even more extreme in the ex communist countries.

In restaurants and pubs that is true, yes. You have to stop a waiter/waitress when they go by or go to the bar. I have not been to one for quite a long time but pretty sure it's the same. And you have to ask for the bill.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

That works. lol
Here too
Binge drinking, YES
Except Londoners apparently
That seems like a neusence. I think she should approach you herself. In the US they approach you themselves, but you have to ask for the bill here too.

[lizuka]

Don't know about those... first of all, "Europe" is not unitary at all, as you perceive it. I'm from Romania, I can tell you gypsies live everywhere in Europe and we don't even have the highest percentage there is. We have about 3%, so does Hungary, Bulgaria has a higher percentage than we do (but lower in absolute number, because they have about 3 times lower population).

Of the things you say:

1) yes we have respectful and formal words with which to talk to each others, it's common courtesy. But we can be rude too, in fact in Romanian we have one of the highest numbers of insults in any language of the world.

2) customer service isn't as bad as you make it, but yes the whole "customer is king" thing isn't exactly a thing. You know why? Because the customer really isn't king, it's just a person just like the person providing the service.

3) Maybe you do get charged for things, but on the other hand in the US I noticed everything that you do get charged for is incredibly expensive. By doing that, they can afford to offer up some small things "free", when in reality they charge 3-4 times for their main offered services or goods. They aren't really free there either, and overall you'd get more bang for your buck in Europe, especially eastern Europe.

4) This point is just outright false from start to end. We have publicly subsidized prices, but they're for citizens (who pay taxes), not for foreigners. Depending on country, medical care may be wholly or partially subsidized for people with public insurance, which is why you as an American, who doesn't have an insurance, didn't get the discounted price and had to pay extra. Same goes for subsidies for students: you get them if you're a student in the EU university system, not from anywhere in the world, because your constituency pays for that subsidy. Your entire story about those discounts that you allege as "discrimination" are literally cases where you don't qualify for public subsidies because your country doesn't pay into the public budget of European countries and the EU, aside from not giving a discount to someone with an EU ID - don't know what that was about.

5) Scammers exist anywhere, doesn't mean they're ubiquitous or even widespread. When I first got to New York City, within 5 minutes someone tried to sell me drugs. Does that mean whole of the US is a drug cartel's playground? Obviously not.

6) Yes, we're freer than US kids. Especially in Eastern Europe.

7) There is no public transport in the US. In my city, the next station appears on busses or trams digital displays. The exception to that is when there are some still-to-be-replaced old vehicles that don't have digital displays. Trains are more iffy, but Western European trains, which aren't iffy, all seem to have digital displays with the next stop.

8) In Romanian, "negru" means black. It doesn't have any racist connotation, it's just the world for black.

9) Yes, we're more reserved. I found it supremely weird in the US when people are trying to strike up conversations for no reason. It's a difference in culture, not necessarily one that is better or worse, just different.

10) Uh... never seen that? I mean, using inappropriate season clothes like that.

[ChocoLada]

Very interesting travelogue my friend :)
Here is what I think:
1. Europeans are so formal - Depends, Western and Eastern Slavs definitely are formal. British too... and most of the French, Austrian, German and Swiss people. But most Europeans are not... especially here in the Balkans ;)
2. Rude Customer Service - Mostly true, but there are exceptions (Scandinavians for example have a very courteous customer service).
3. They Charge For everything - Yup, that's the influence of capitalism conducted by corrupted politicians. But you won't find such prices in e. g Ireland... they don't even charge you for water.
4. Discrimination Against Foreigners - Only in poor countries who want to charge more from the foreigners, because they expect all of them to be very rich.
5. Scams, Corruption and Bribery - Yeah, Balkans and most of the East Europe, because we have bad politicians and even worse economy.
6. Alcohol and Cigarette Laws - Greek vendor, LOL, no wonder, Greeks are known as passionate smokers.
As for the alcohol, well, you know that us Slavs can drink more of it than any other ethnic group in the world... I challenge any Irish, Scottish, Canadian, German and Swedish drunk VS Polish, Russian, Czech, Montenegrin and Bulgarian drunk, we win 100% ;)
7. Public Transportation Is A Nightmare - LOL, you can't compare Greek and Polish public transportation to some well organised public transportation like the ones in Berlin, Moscow or London.
8. Use Of The "N" Word - Yup, insulting, that's what they call "freedom of speech", Serbs use it for us Monte-Negros 😜
9. Open Assholeness - Oh, it's Polish again, haha, hmm, it's actually more of a Slavic thing in common, but not so much European, generally speaking.
10. Backwards Fashion - I call it awkward fashion, every continent has freaks when it comes to fashion, we have Mediterraneans 🙄

Keep it up my Slavic brother, wonderful myTake :)👍

[ZeussLightningBolt]

1. Really? I'm getting mixed information about Brits, FROM BRITS! Some say they're formal, others say they aren't. But my mom thinks just because Poland is one way, ALL of Europe is like that. LOL
2. FINALLY! Someone admitted! Scandinavians I won't argue, because Swedes are posting that these things don't apply to their country. Customer service is Eastern Europe is really bad.
3. That's nice of them. Speaking of corrupt politicians...
4. This is true
5. Thank you. Most people didn't wanna talk about this one :p
6. Pretty much, yes
7. Okay, you're right. I admit, I fucked up on this one. :p
8. Okay, I shouldn't laugh, but that's fucking hillareous!
9. Slavic I agree!
10. No I meant "backwards" as in "reversed". That they don't wear clothes approriate for the weather. I should have worded this one a bit differently. Though my parents and I think your men look gay in tight pants. :p
Thanks for reading and commenting, and thanks for not getting all butthurt like a lot of the other commenters.
Number 11: Europeans love criticizing others, but hate being criticized themselves! :p

[ChocoLada]

1. Yup. Well, Scots are also Brits, but they aren't formal, UK consists of several nations. Your mom is wrong :P
2. Yeah, Eastern Europe has definitely the worst customer service.
3. LOL, very "nice" of them :D
4. Exactly.
5. You're welcome.
6. True.
7. Of course I'm right, as always ;) Yeah, you did, just a little bit :)
8. I know 😜
9. You know it 😎
10. Our men don't wear tight pants, but men is some European countries like that weird kind of fashion.
No problem, and I agree on number 11 too 😂

[ZeussLightningBolt]

Polish men wear tight pants.
But that one I was more discussing the fact they wear long pants and shirt when it's fucking 40 celcius outside.
But Europeans in general seem to not like baggy clothes, and this trend has started to catch on in America. My mom keeps telling me to by skinny pants, but I hate those because they squeeze my nuts and have shitty pockets. I have some for work though.

[ChocoLada]

Polish men really wear tight pants? I thought they wear it only in disco-polo music videos :P
Well, that's because most Slavic guys thing that short pants are for girls only.
Baggy clothes kinda symbolize a lazy person, that's why most Europeans don't like wearing it.
LOL, they squeeze your nuts, hahaha, my cousin said the same thing when he tried wearing them 😂

[ZeussLightningBolt]

They wear tight pants
Thank you. In Muslim countries, they think shorts are for gay people 🤣
They represent laziness? Then Slavs and Southern Europeans should wear them with pride! 🤣
OMG 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[ChocoLada]

Cool, some men are hot in tight pants :D
You're welcome :P
I know, not just in Muslim countries, they think the same in the Balkans, but mostly when men wear them. Girls are not considered as lesbos if they wear shorts, in fact, it's very popular ;)
Yeah, especially here in Montenegro 😂
Haha, yup, you're not the only one :)

[ZeussLightningBolt]

Damn, I didn't know that. Thanks for the heads up. My legs are too hairy for a gay man, though:p

[ChocoLada]

Now you know, and you're welcome again :)
Still, be careful, some gay man actually like guys with hairy legs 😜😁😂😂😂
Just don't drop the keys or some other object when you're near them :P

[ZeussLightningBolt]

I noticed that
I had a gay professor and he was hairy.

[ChocoLada]

Damn, did he try to hit on you? 😲

[ZeussLightningBolt]

He had a boyfriend, but I think he might have bumped my grade up 'cuz he thought I was cute. lol :p
But he wasn't obvious at all. Had he not said anything, I never would have guessed that he was gay.

[ChocoLada]

Haha, lucky for you 😂

[ZeussLightningBolt]

Yeah, thank God he didn't hit on me. But I started feeling differently around him after I found out his sexuality.
I don't know why he couldn't have just kept it to himself.
Students don't need to know about their teachers' private life.

My mom thinks my other teacher has a gay lover in Poland, but we haven't been able to prove it, but there have been some hints.

[ChocoLada]

Lucky you, hahaha :)
LoL, how did you found out about his "preferences"?
Yeah, he should kept it to himself.
Really, what kind of hints?

[ZeussLightningBolt]

Because he told some girls in class that he has a boyfriend.
And my former classmate went to the same gay bar as him

He once said about a Polish girl, "I prefer her parents rather then her"
And he was always photographed with a bunch of women, but never dated any of them.
And he goes to Poland every summer for a "teaching job" even though there are no classes in the summer, and he would go there for Christmas too. What reason would be have to go there every Christmas, except to see someone?
Even other professors are starting to think he's not going there for teaching.

[ChocoLada]

Damn, that's a disgusting thing to hear from a teacher.
Your former classmate was one of "them"?
Her parents? Were they older than him? Maybe he was a combination of bisexual and a gerontophile?
Perhaps he dated some of them secretly? (assuming he was normal) :P
What if he has relatives in Poland?
Maybe other teachers hate him for some other reason, but they are trying to find more excuses for hatred.

[A-man-22]

West Europe is very different.

I know we are in the same continent but eastern Europe isn't what people mean when they say Europe.

Specifically about your points
1. formality isn't bad or annoying so I see no problems with it
2. Employees don't deserve to take the rubbish they get from some customers, the customer isn't always right.
3. Yes, it's so we don't have things like tipping and extra taxes not everyone uses those extras
4. This shouldn't be a problem if it's just a holiday , if you get citizenship then the extra fees should stop.
5. That's eastern Europe, pickpockets aren't that common in the UK , France and Germany
6. In the west they check , alcohol isn't bad if you can control yourself
7. It's complex I agree but that's what online websites are for.
8. You'd be sent to prison for saying the n word to much in West Europe
9. Poland isn't the entirety of Europe
10. I don't like to wear shorts because they are too revealing

Basically you went to eastern Europe and not western Europe.

Eastern Europe is in a massive financial crisis.

Western Europe makes a better holiday destination.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

You just proved my point perfectly.
These things are normal for YOU, but strange for ME.
As for number 2, I don't think asking a cashier for the receipt is giving them shit.

[A-man-22]

No most of them aren't normal for me.

I live in the UK, 5,7,8,9 don't happen in the UK.

Alcohol checks happen in the west , we are much less strict with alcohol but that's because we don't have guns.
Guns and alcohol don't mix well.

I agree the receipt thing is stupid as well so if that's what you mean you can remove 2 from this as well

1 and 10 really aren't that bad.

4 has its reasons for being the way it is.

I'm just saying eastern Europe isn't all of Europe. You'd like it much more in the west.

We don't like to be put in the same basket as eastern Europe.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

Yeah, I was talking about vendors/waitresses Just being rude for no reason.
I support them standing up for themselves, but still find it strange because they cannot do this in the US or you will get fired.

What's the reason for number 4?

I could argue that there is some police corruption in the UK.

What do you consider "Western Europe"? Because a lot of these things exist in the Mediterranean countries too.

And I didn't know alcohol laws and gun laws were related.

[A-man-22]

The reason for the higher prices for non-citizens is they haven't been paying tax into our country.

Taxes goes to funding these facilities so it's more expensive for foreigners.

Western Europe is formed of UK, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Ireland, Luxembourg and Belgium.
Potentially the Netherlands but they are part of the Nordics really ( Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands).
All others are either small islands or eastern Europe.

Could you imagine if America had an 18 drinking age limit. Let's just say guns and booze don't mix.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

LOL.
When you're 18 you can join the military and get a firearms license. And 18 year olds drink anyways

[Sensmind]

Yeah some valid points there just a note on the mainly economic ones - A lot of Europe was poor and some under communist rule that was not too successful a experiment - There was an underlying thought current if you are rich enough to travel, you are rich enough to pay a little extra possibly explains some of the fashion If you travelled in eastern Europe late 80's early 90s you swear you were in a time warp.
The rudeness one I agree with a little but a lot of europeans find US people overbearing almost "Too Nice" so maybe a happy medium could be found.
The politeness terms of address is just a funny quirk you get used to it.
Cigarettes and alcohol are just part of the culture - Underage drinking would not be big thing like in UK/Ireland and US plus families wouldn't think twice about sending a kid to a shop for a bottle of wine or a packet of cigarette.
The use of the "N word" - I don't honestly know - In Ireland it is known to be a no no when I was growing up I would have heard it a fair bit but not now

[Fanme]

1 is definitely not true. Kids call adults by first name as the norm. They used to say Mr Mrs in the olden days though. In formal settings they say Mr Mrs or whatever.

You just have to be polite to them and they'll be polite too. I always get freebies and stuff from friendly customer services reps.

3 sometimes true sometimes not. I've never paid for toilet paper anywhere. Some public toilets charge like 50p or something, those automated ones, but just go in a coffee shop or something instead where it's free. Ketchup and all that, it depends where you go. Cheaper places charge, it helps make up their costs. Entrance fee plus charging to take your own pics? I have literally never seen that, you might have just been bumped lol. Only time I seen charging for pics is pics they take off of you and sell back to you

4 again, definitely not true unless you're talking about random small places that try rip off tourists, but they exist literally everywhere.

5 pick pocketing is true on maybe trains, high tourist areas etc.

6 I get asked for ID all the fuckin time! To the point it frustrates me now. Most places will be the same.
You can't walk everywhere with alcohol either, you'll get it confiscated in some areas and can't get on buses or anything.

6 they definitely announce stops and they're written on a digital board.

N Word. Yep. In some places but I have come across it very early these days

Rude people might be a problem with you. I don't come across it. I have the opposite in fact.

[Starshine85]

1 depends where you live in Europe

[ZeussLightningBolt]

1. Yeah, Number 1 depends what part of Europe. That would NOT fly over well in Poland. I heard even in England, the south is very formal, but the north is not.
2. Well of course. And yes, some places to that, especially in Greece. But I don't think, asking for the receipt is being impolite.
3. Okay, this I won't debate with you, because even in Poland, some places charge for TP, some don't. Yeah, I heard in some countries like France, you can use toilet in fast food for free. Ketchup... YES TRUE. I wasn't bumped. I even posted a screenshot as proof. Maybe this is more common in Eastern Europe, because I didn't have this problem in Greece or Spain.
4. The Colleseum isn't a "random small place", but my friend said this happened to him freuqently in Italy. And he said him and his Belgian friend sat at an outdoor table in Venice, and then some bad walked over and started playing music, and the waiter charged them extra for the band being there, even though they didn't request the band.
5. YES! I HATE IT!
6. In the US too. Irritates the bloody hell out of me! I mentioned that in my take. Not everywhere, but in more places then in the US. Only New Orleans allows us to drink on the street.
8. Actually, despite their bad reputation, most of the Brits I've met abroad have actually been super friendly. Keyword being "most"

[RyanEC]

These are all pretty interesting things, some facts I knew some I didn’t.

1. Did not know that. Sounds more common in Eastern Europe.

2. I did hear about that, I think people in Europe aren’t as “fake friendly” in customer service as Americans. And they don’t get tips in a lot of Europe. And big tourist destinations like Paris deal with so many tourists that they get tired of them.

3. I didn’t know that. I guess we as Americans expect extra things to be free even though they cost the business money.

4. Sounds like another Eastern European thing. I think national pride is good to an extent, especially looking at home many foreigners are in U. K. Germany and France.
If things don’t change, then in 100 years The UK will look like Pakistan, France will look like North Africa, but Poland will remain Poland.

5. I think corruption exists everywhere, Europe is probably less corrupt then Africa and Latin America. The most corrupt parts Europe I think would be the post soviet and post eastern bloc countries and Italy.

6. I guess Europeans (especially the French) still love cigarettes. Alcohol is more popular there I think, with beet especially in Czech Republic and Germany, and wine in Italy France, and Vodka in Russia.

7. I guess this is because Europe (mostly Western Europe) has a way higher population density then America. And they are letting so many foreigners in, this would cause issues for the transportation.

8. I guess Eastern Europeans are not to politically correct.

9. That might be true but assholes are everywhere.

10. There are some things that is common in fashion that doesn’t look good, but I think they dress better then Americans.

Good Mytake.

[Starshine85]

Have to agree on the 'fake niceness' that comes across in customer service from Americans from a European point of view.

[RyanEC]

That I think he might be talking about places like London and Paris which have so many tourists that they probably get tired of them.

[zagor]

@Starshine85 As opposed to the "asshole rudeness" you get in Europe?

[dropkicknj13]

Since I also live in America I am mystified by this lol
#1 I don't know anyone who calls their parents or friend's parents by their first names. Same for professors.
#2 Apart from throwing the receipt and berating someone for not finishing their food, all those customer service example are pretty typical in America too. You'd certainly never get a free item for breaking one, that's crazy.
#3 I've paid to park on gravel at least 50 times here
#4 this I suppose is true, we just price gouge equally here lol
#5 this all sounds pretty American
#6 I used to go buy cigarettes for my parents all the time, business never got shut down lol
#7 American transit is bad, but that does sound worse. Must just be eastern Europe.
#8 it's used pretty commonly here too, it's in almost every song on the radio lol
#9 this also sounds typically American to me, I would never try to engage in conversations with random strangers.
#10 we have people who wear their pants around their knees, not wearing shorts isn't bad lol

Honestly, I'm not sure where in America you're from but it seems very different from any part I've ever been to.

[Butterfly_ch]

In some European countries you are expected to address people based on their academic degree (e. g. Bachelor Smith or Magister/Master Doe). Scams affecting tourists are pretty common in the US as well and the levels of theft (especially from cars and of cars) are generally much higher than in most European countries. The traffic police comment is not applicable to the entire Europe, in many European countries (e. g. UK and Slovakia) they do enforce the law when they see a traffic violation (it is common for the police to chase vehicles that have been seen running a red light with blue lights). I wouldn't say the police in Europe are corrupt and useless. I haven't been to Poland or Ukraine, but the police are generally less brutal than in the US. The new president of Slovakia was elected for many reasons, mostly because she represented a change as she was an activist, not a career politician (similar to why Macron and Trump were elected). It was not only about corruption, but many other issues. Corruption in central European countries decreased significantly since 1989 and when I visited central Europe recently I couldn't believe the changes. There are still some issues (mainly in the central government, but that unfortunately happens almost everywhere), but the police have been prosecuting more and more people who gave a bribe and politicians started to be prosecuted for corruption as well. As far as public transport is concerned, most European countries I've been to have both displays and announcements to indicate next public transport stops and they have ticket machines with English translations. The public transport is also very modern and safe in many of these countries.

[Butterfly_ch]

And prison sentences for DUI are a common thing in Europe as is zero tolerance of alcohol when driving and random police checkpoints where everyone is breathalysed.

[Steffy33]

Lol. I think you probably suffer from low IQ rather than anything else. If you sit on an airplane for 10 hours and expect things to be the same when you exit, I'm sorry, but that's just plain dumb. Furthermore I get the clear impression that you are the person who expected to be treated like celebrity for honoring the country with your courteous American visit. You are too dumb to realize that ofc they don't give a crap about you. Especially if you're annoying them. U remind me of my visit to the restaurant in Tokyo where one of my fellow Americans said to the waiter "have you people never heard of a fork?" Then started chatting me up. I reminded him of the long plane trip behind (and ahead) of him and explained in simple terms that this was the reason for the difference he was experiencing before telling him I didn't care to speak to him (or anyone like him) I think if you are not too traumatized to go outside our country another time you will find it much easier for yourself if you approach it with a little more... well humble fashion so to speak. In Poland the people won't automatically be honored by your visit cause you are American. Now you must excuse me I'm busy planning my trip to Paris and Bucharest next month with a layover in Iceland. I can't wait to experience the different things I'm not used to!!

[Amanda269]

I'm northern European and have travelled through most of western Europa and a little of eastern Europa, but I have never experienced any of this and I travelled the USA east coast from Florida to New York. It was pretty much the same. I was most surprised about the names and retail. We use first name for everyone in Denmark and I have never had a problem calling other Europeans by their first name regardless of western and eastern Europa. No vendor anywhere would give out free stuff, because you were clumsy and broke it after buying it. If you break something before buying it, you can be sure you gotta pay for it.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

But the vendor shouldn't be selling cheap shit
OMG, Polish people get realky angry if you don't address them formally.
I guess this isn't a thing everywhere in Europe as my Polish mother believes

[Amanda269]

Vendors will sell you anything regardless of the quality and the customer must choose if it is a suitable purchase. I have bought both nice and poor quality too. Maybe the name thing is more prominent in eastern schools and public system.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

I can say that Polish people are EXTREMELY formal! Often to the point where it gets ridiculous!
But I saw a video clip, where the Norweigian president posed as a cab driver and asked his passengers about Norweigian politics, and they were also Mr. ing each other

[WalsallGuy90]

Most of this doesn't really apply in the UK, not sure about the rest of Europe though as I've not been to many places in Europe and when I have it was as a tourist, to the touristy areas. In the UK, we are formal, we do get some assholes (but not loads) which is only recently rising because of Brexit and not much else really, and that's about it. Certainly the drinking laws are fairly strict, people still break them but we have an 18 limit and we are a lot stricter than the rest of Europe in keeping people to it. Anyone who looks under 25 has to be ID'd in accordance with the law.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

REALLY?
Because I have family in the UK and I asked them about it and they said English people are not formal at all. They live in Huddersfield

And some Brits on this post, also said they aren't formal.

[WalsallGuy90]

Huddersfield is Northern so they aren't formal. The further south you go and the closer to London you get, the more formal it becomes, except for London itself which is a split between formal and gutter. I'm from the West Midlands which is generally not formal (Black Country/Brummie accents) but I was raised in a fairly middle class household so I'm a weird mix of formal and non-formal :P

[ZeussLightningBolt]

Okay thank you.
That explains why some people are telling me its formal, and others are telling me isn't.
That's good to know.

[almondcake]

In Britain museums are free and customer service is very polite. We do not charge for tips and niether do we expect any , backwards fashion , whatever, we can't all wear baseball caps the wrong way round with our shirts hanging out. Open assholeness 2 words Donald Trump. Our public transport is one of the best in the world. And ciggarette and drink laws are stringent here. As for scams corruption and bribery well , I guess you are from the states , I mean please its probably because we watch to much American TV and copy it. be honest you can't knock Europe for that if you live in the states. And there really is little descrimination or racism here unless you visit a US air force base and its shocking to see it against their own people in the same force.
Appologies to all my American friends. What Im really meaning is these things are equal where ever you go.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

Most of these don't apply to the UK. UK is more American. I wasn't knocking Europe, I was just saying I found it strange because I did not expect it there.

And I didn't know museums in Britain were free. That's really cool.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

My Polish cousin told me Americans dress "Sporty" LOL

[almondcake]

Ok but we are in Europe too. I have Polish relations too. But I was genuinely shocked when I visited a US base here but that was 32 years ago so Im sure things have changed now

[purplepoppy]

Seems to be based a lot on Poland rather than Europe as a whole. Eastern Europeans generally don't have a good reputation in Europe and are viewed in the same way Americans view Mexicans.
Just be grateful you don't get a bus in Wales. The bus stop is often unmarked, usually a lamppost or a tree that only locals know and the bus turns up when the driver feels like it.

[weirdoweirdo]

Dont confuse OP! It's not like Europe is full of countries with different religions, cultures, languages, laws and governments!

[agamo]

I've been to London. It was terrible.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

Yes, that's true. I was originally gonna write it on Poland, but I thought I'd get a wider audience if I did it on Europe.

And that's good to know about Wales. I'll be sure to never take a bus there. That's really bad.

[purplepoppy]

Most people in uk would agree that london is terrible. It's a shame that it's the first place most foreigner think of or visit yet it's the least representative place of the whole of the uk

[weirdoweirdo]

OP actually says he's misleading us? Oh boy just because he wants more readers...

[ZeussLightningBolt]

I agree.
And I don't wanna go there.
The two Brits who told me the pub thing were Londoners, so maybe THAT'S why

[Starshine85]

UK can be quite different in different regions even though it's not that big. Yeah, most people think 'London' when they think UK. I mean, there are little differences like in London and much of the south you do not speak to each other on public transport whereas it happens much more often in the North although other things will apply across the board. Some of Wales is quite remote and some other areas of the UK. Public transport is lacking a bit where I live... It's there and does come regularly just not enough if you want to get to or from work or go anywhere without changing buses a lot. Actually my school bus stop was basically a tree and previous bus stop was just by a shop come to think of it. But I think they were listed on bus timetable

[ZeussLightningBolt]

@Starshine85 Do you live in a rural settlement?

[Starshine85]

Yes.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

@Starshine85 Me too. We only got bus service up here a few years ago. And even so, it doesn't come up here during the weekend

[zagor]

I didn't find Europeans to be exceptionally rude, for the most part. They do tend to be much more hesitant about speaking with strangers. But if you engage a local on something they're proud of in their city they will sometimes tell you some interesting facts you don't get from a guidebook.

There are scammers and con men, but when some one was trying to trick me I also had locals come over and intervene.

The alcohol laws in the US are moronic; in some European countries it is common to send the kids down the street to buy a bottle of wine. Few countries have a drinking age of 21.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

Why are they hesitant about speaking to strangers?

[zagor]

A lot of cultures are not as open to strangers as the US. Once they get to know you they may be very friendly, but they often consider friendships as in the US as superficial.

[ZeussLightningBolt]

Okay but Why?
Trust issues?
Cautiousness?