It’s no secret that when Americans hop across the pond to Europe, they are greeted by a countless amount of cultural differences, depending on the country they visit.
Having said that, visiting France for the Eiffel Tower or Rome for the Colosseum is an entirely different thing than spending more time in the old continent. Whether it’s the Americans starting a new job over there or moving into a new apartment, some things stand out more for them than others.
So this recent thread from Ask Reddit with someone asking “Americans, what do you think is the weirdest thing about Europe?” has turned into one hell of a read, shedding light on how insanely different the two cultures and their people can be.
Read on below through the most interesting responses, and after you’re done, be sure to check out Bored Panda’s previous features on things about Europe that Americans find weird and things common in America that Europeans find very weird.
#22
If you’re talking about a whole continent, there’s bound to be some weird things about it, and that also means that people from certain European countries will find other European countries weird in certain ways.
Like I’m British, and I find the French incredibly weird.
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58points
#23
Well, you can walk into a movie theater in Amsterdam and buy a beer. And I don't mean just like in no paper cup, I'm talking about a glass of beer.
And in Paris, you can buy a beer at McDonald's. And you know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?
They got the metric system. They wouldn't know what the f**k a Quarter Pounder is. They call it a "Royale with Cheese."
A Big Mac's a Big Mac, but they call it "Le Big Mac". What do they call a Whopper? I dunno, I didn't go into Burger King.
They got the metric system. They wouldn't know what the f**k a Quarter Pounder is. They call it a "Royale with Cheese."
A Big Mac's a Big Mac, but they call it "Le Big Mac". What do they call a Whopper? I dunno, I didn't go into Burger King.
But, you know what they put on French fries in Holland instead of ketchup? Mayonnaise. God damn! I seen them do it, man, they f*****g drown them in that s**t.
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53points
#24
FUNCTIONING PUBLIC TRANSIT
I thought it would be horrible needing to wait and wait and wait only for a crowded and smelly bus or train to take me somewhere only for it to arrive on time, relatively sanitary, and in cities or towns of less then 8,000 people. In the U.S. a city will have well over a million people and lack any metro line, period. Just a bus that’s always late and comes one every hour and a half
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53points
#26
Maybe things are different now, but everything is completely closed on Sundays if you’re not in a major city.
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45points
#27
The oddest thing I found in Copenhagen was that when we tried to go get food around 9pm, nearly everywhere was closed. We were in a busy part of the city but it took us so incredibly long to find a place open late. I don't live in a huge city but I can throw a rock from my house and it will bounce off half a dozen places open until midnight or later.
Edit: This is not a complaint, just an observation. I loved Denmark.
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42points
#28
I’m not sure if it’s wired but it’s fascinating how so many cultures and languages came to exist over such a (comparatively) small continent as Europe.
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40points
#29
No ac. Our hotels had ac but it was just room temp air. That heatwave must have been brutal i hate sleeping when it’s hot
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39points
#30
This question has taught me that Americans don't know anything about any country in Europe and think it's all the same place without any nuance.
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36points