When I traveled through Europe, visiting countries like France, Great Britain, and the Czech Republic, several things stood out to me about the difference between life in Europe and life in the United States.
But there were also some “slow” realizations that I discovered while immersing myself in other cultures. While some of them were charming surprises, others were less welcome revelations.
Here are the five things I like most about living in Europe.
Like many Americans, I’m used to taking long car trips. In my opinion it is driving less than 12 hours a day.
So I implemented this same mentality throughout Europe. Instead of driving, he enjoyed spending hours on trains.
However, several times I noticed that my travels surprised the locals. For example, my eight-hour exercise trip from Basel, Switzerland, to Amsterdam surprised a hotel worker, who couldn’t imagine I’d travel so far in one day.
When I tried to explain my passion for road trips in the United States, I received blank stares in return. One woman was shocked when I told her she could drive 12 hours to Texas and stay in the same state.
Later, in a Google search, we discovered that you could drive for the same time from Brussels to Milan.
I realized how much your perspective changes when traveling between countries, not states.
I rarely carry cash anymore. I knew some remote areas I’d be visiting in the Czech Republic might not take credit cards, though, so I pulled out some euros.
But a Czech takeaway worker looked at me speechless when I tried to pay with this currency.
I have learned that although the Czech Republic is part of the European Union, it does not use the euro. In fact, of the 27 EU countries, seven countries do not use the euro: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Sweden.
Although some of those countries may adopt the use of the euro in the future, I will check before traveling to those places.
I spent 3 months in spaces where English was not the main language. At first, it was exciting to check my ability with French or roughly German to talk to a trader.
I also met locals who spoke fluent English, allowing me to have conversations in my local language.
But about two months in, I realized I was desperately missing something I’d never given much thought to: background conversations.
These are the discussions that you pass by, but you’re not in: a couple figuring out dinner plans, a mom and child choosing which apples to buy, or a worker helping a customer find a certain size.
Even though I was surrounded by people, I didn’t anticipate the loneliness that came over me as I didn’t notice the daily conversations going on around me.
Living in Colorado, I’m used to dog-friendly businesses and restaurants. But if I see a dog there in public, that puppy is on a leash.
This is not the case in much of Europe. Whether in a quiet neighborhood, a park, or the bustling city center, other people went about their business with their dogs at their side, off leash.
Even if the dog could stay around, one whistle and he would temporarily return to his owner’s side.
I’m sure what Europeans do to exercise their dogs so well, but it works visually.
Europe is known for its centuries-old churches and monuments, but what I enjoyed most was finding history in the properties. I would walk into a grocery store or bookstore and see a small sign revealing that the building was older than my farmhouse.
My favourite example is a pub in Edinburgh that I told myself to visit. Before entering, I thought twice when I saw the sign that said “this. 1360”. As I took a sip from my glass, I couldn’t help but wonder who else had enjoyed a pint in the same spot over the years.
But that’s a discovery for another day. There are only so many surprises a woman can accept.
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