55 Things Americans Found Most Shocking And Interesting While Visiting Europe

Europe has fantastic public transportation. But what surprised me even more than that was how amazing the work life balance is there. Most places are closed Sunday and stores close by 6/7 PM on weekdays. Everyone has more time for family and to enjoy life.

I’ve been to France, Spain, and Croatia and encountered kind and friendly people everywhere. The food in all 3 countries was amazing. The coffee was amazing. I hate American ham but the ham in Spain was delicious. The olives were so good. I’m not a big fan of American lamb but the lamb in Croatia tasted completely different. And the museums! So great. Once Covid is over I want to visit Italy.

How friendly people outside tourist areas are compared to close to major attractions.

*not the most experienced European traveler - but one thing I noticed.....

Beer is the same price everywhere (and cheap - generally cheaper than the bottled water) I didn't feel price gouged once (on anything really, but it was very noticeable with beer) - whether at a local pub or a fancy hotel. Would regularly order a half pint - which was exactly half price, just like you would expect - so that our beer stayed fresh. In the US, you would end up paying twice as much by ordering the smaller size. Each beer was about 3.50 euros - everywhere - and it was really amazing beer to boot.

As soon as I arrived at JFK I was charged $22.00 for a single, nearly undrinkable Bud light.

Can I go back to Germany yet?

As plastic bottles get bigger in volume, they get taller rather than wider.

The tiny cars. Walking down the street I really just want to try and roll one over by hand.

Since then I actually got a fiat 500 and, spoilers, you cannot just roll one over by hand.

And if you succeed with mechanical advantage your wife gets really angry instead of celebrating your successes.

I am british but when my american friend came here he was so surprised when he saw police without guns or even tasers.

I was surprised that normal, "whole" foods (like raw carrots and blueberries) tasted slightly different. I don't know why.

Air conditioning. Even when they have it, it's not on full blast like here in the US. I went to Germany in June. Beautiful, but can get pretty warm. Took my body a few days to adjust to the time zone and the temperature culture. But other than that, 10/10 would go again.

I grew up in a town that dates back to colonial times (first non-Indian inhabitants arrived in the late 1600's) and historic preservation was always a priority. We actually called the historical society the hysterical society, because they would freak out over any proposal that would have changed the character of the town.

So I thought I knew old. Well, got to Europe, and saw OLD. Like, good old hometown has absolutely nothing on any small town I visited there. Also - the freaking castles! And how many people spoke at least some English. And at how colorful the homes were. And - bidets, everywhere. Had no idea how to use one at the time; now have a washlet, and wouldn't live without one.

Driving through Germany showed me how dirty the US is.

Visiting Rome, utter and total disregard for traffic laws. Cars stop at lights, scooters cut lanes and go straight through. Cars, scoters all over the sidewalks.
Intense graffiti, inside and outside of every train every inch was covered, sharpie tags on marble sculptures and buildings.

Supermarket close early. When I lived in France, the one by my apartment was opened from like 8am-6pm Mon-Fri and only opened from 9am-12pm on Sat-Sun. This wasn't a small supermarket, it was a major chain. I'm in NY and all the supermarkets nearby are open 24 hrs.

It truly is NOT in Texas.

The European version of Paris and London are MUCH better.

People do not eat cheese with everything.

Probably because of reddit - I expected people to take an instant dislike to me for being an American traveling abroad and found quite the opposite. This was in France especially but to a lesser extant the UK as well.

I'm 4'10 and the parking meters in London were the same height as me.

Everything's so old! I'm from the West coast so all the history here was kinda erased y'know? Also, my cousin and I, both 12 or 13, were offered wine which was weird. Also, switzerland speaks 3 languages! And it's like a tiny country! Crazy! And the climate was pretty similar to where Iive! And the streets were so thin!

Driving for the first time, it was “holy cow! Why are the roads so narrow!”.

I get it I suppose. We have space for days in NA, whereas most of Europe was developed up at a time when automobiles weren’t even a concept.

The quality of the food. Croissant in Paris- beautified big flakey thing. Croissant in America- soft tasteless cardboard. Same thing for the baguettes, pastries in Denmark, etc.

Also- that English language is VERY different in England. People quickly learned we were Americans and used different words. Quid? Huh?

Went straight from the airport to Piccadilly circus on a Friday night at like midnight. Super drunk people and the police were just yelling at each other but it had this weird undercurrent of endearment, and no one seemed phased. I've never seem that, not expected to unless someone was actively being arrested.