American Reacts USA vs Europe: Actual Cultural Differences

👉Original Video: • USA vs Europe: Actual ...
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[@jarls5890]

If you never felt the need for a scarf - you have never experienced really cold + windy weather. Regards from Norway!

[@PotsdamSenior]

He's wearing a hoody (even indoors apearantly), so I understand he doesn't feel the need for a scarf.

[@TheMeidica]

As a Swede I’d say the farther north you go the more space between people you get. We don’t even sit next to each other on public transport if we can avoid it. There was this running joke here when the pandemic restrictions were done that we finally could go back to being 2 meters apart instead of the recommended one meter. ( self deprecation is big here too)

[@davidnunan1819]

Yes I have been to Norway three times since 2018 and we were informed that leaving people you don't know plenty of physical space is expected. Indeed even passing people you know in the street, unless you know them very well and see them often, and ignoring them is preferable. Wouldn't you agree?

[@vtbn53]

meter???? surely metre?

[@nagranoth_]

​​@@vtbn53nope, both are correct

[@nagranoth_]

I just loved the pandemic restrictions. Finally I could just wait in an aisle for people to go away without it being weird...

[@vtbn53]

@@nagranoth_ Absolutely NOT!

[@robertmurray8763]

I found travelling in Europe 🇪🇺 easy as an Australian. I used a lot of public transport.

[@Caambrinus]

What rarely gets said is that waiting staff in most European countries, while not high earners, are usually paid a living wage and do not have to get by on tips. In the US, the restaurant effectively cons you into paying part of their staff's wages! This why Americans often think service in Europe is curt or brusque, when it's merely professional and simple.

[@dcoughla681]

Restaurants in Europe add a service charge to the bill so no tipping needed. I think this would solve the problem with tipping for US waiting staff as long as they receive the service charge.

[@christaylor4441]

some companys in the states have offered to pay living wage and the workers kicked off because they were worse off! fuck tips pay your staff! im not subsidizing peoples wages!

[@nashtags]

1:38 - Yes, it's Hungarian Parliament in Budapest.

[@Brookspirit]

The reliance on cars in the USA was because of lobbying by the car industry.

[@dcoughla681]

Agreed but large US cities were growing at such a pace that they had to build some expressways quickly for easy commutes from the suburbs. In New York, if Jane Jacobs, an urban planner, had not campaigned for the cancellation of the planned Lower Manhattan Expressway, it would have been a lot worse.

[@felonmarmer]

Trams can cause fatalities, but less per passenger mile than other forms of road vehicles - they are on rails so you can see where they are going and they are slow in pedestrian areas.

[@Maisiewuppp]

Also they have mega loud klaxons or bells to warn people if the step out in front of them.

[@reinhard8053]

And the drivers have a good field of view. Most accidents are with cars. Only few with pedestrians and only very few fatal. For Austria (9mill.) I find numbers of around 6-7 death per year and about the half of that pedestrians.

[@mariospacagna2132]

Tipping is abhortent to me. It means the customer is subsidising the employeea wages therefore giving the employer bigger profits. I was in the US recently and travelled with an American friend on a train.. she tipped all sorts of people.. but asked her why she did not tip the train driver..... really so I could understand the reasoning behind the compulsion to tip all in sundry.

[@volundrfrey896]

I mean here in Europe the customer is still "subsidising" the employee wages through the bill. But I agree that the American tipping culture is insane, tipping used to be an extra gift for someone who went above and beyond what's expected not a salary. Salary should be negotiated between employee and employer, not something the customer has to guess what's "fair" when paying their bill.

[@jordi95]

​@@volundrfrey896the problem with tipping is that if a restaurant isn't doing well, the waiter will see their income dissappear, while in europe it will remain the same until they are fired or the restaurant closes

[@volundrfrey896]

@@jordi95 No if you have essentially mandatory tipping the waiter will still get tips.

[@jordi95]

@@volundrfrey896 how do you get tips if you don't have clients? Did you read my comment properly?

[@livb6945]

Here in Sweden sweatpants have been very fashionable lately, mostly anong young people. I being in my 40s would NEVER go out in sweatpants solely because they are 'at home gear', like going to the store in your pyjamas

[@James-wp3jq]

The egg came first, because dinosaurs were laying them for millions of years before any chicken ever walked on earth.

[@seldom_bucket]

But what came first, the chicken or the chicken egg?

[@drakept7742]

​@@seldom_bucketchickens are decendents of dinasaures, so the egg came first.

[@seldom_bucket]

@@drakept7742 woosh

[@autumnwinter1462]

@@seldom_bucket Not really

[@seldom_bucket]

@@autumnwinter1462 yes really...went over your head too did it? The first chicken came from an egg that wasn't laid by a chicken, so it's not a chicken egg.

[@kaelon9170]

11:17, yes, there have been lethal incidents involving trams, but they're only a handful and are still far, far saver than cars. Trams can come to a stop pretty quickly and have a driver whose job is to safely get the tram across town. As far as tram traffic goes, the traffic rules are pretty clear too: the tram always has priority over all other street traffic, unless it's at an intersection that is protected by traffic lights.

[@robertcottam8824]

You were correct. It’s the Hungarian parliamentary building. The walk - or tram ride - along the ‘Pest’ side of The Danube is spectacular. I’m sure the Buda side, looking up at the hilly Pest side is equally beautiful - but I ain’t done that. Budapest is a marvellous city. My favourite thing to do is to take boat trips out to places like Esztergom, Szentendre and Visegrad. It’s a great touring base. A couple of hours by train takes you to the gorgeous Lake Balaton. That’s on top of four or five days in Budapest itself. Just go.

[@mazi2646]

It's so beautiful.

[@egriffiths8993]

The UK has 5 main historic languages. English, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Cornish. So it’s not unusually for European countries to have regional languages within one country. I love apart from tiny corner shops we have Sunday shopping hours of 11-5 so people can spend time with their families.

[@DaxRaider]

6

[@Trebor74]

As I get older I wonder if the keep Sunday special campaign was right 🤷

[@BlackHoleSpain]

Spain has several languages which are official in their regions (Catalan - 9 million speakers, Galician - 3 million speakers, Euskera - 1 million speakers) and other minor ones, which are remnants of medieval times (Aragones, Asturian or Bable, Aranes/Occitan)

[@shaksper]

There's now a movement to develop a network of sleeper trains across Europe, with routes meeting at a central hub somewhere in Germany, with the long-term aim of reducing short-haul flying.

[@dcoughla681]

This gives quite a touristy view of Europe with regard to transport. Outside of the big cities, Europeans drive just as much as Americans. There are whole swathes of abandoned countryside where no one lives because people work in the cities. It is to be hoped that with the trend of working from home these areas will be redeveloped.

[@conallmclaughlin4545]

Hang on, how can you have bad public transport and no free health care... But you pay taxes? Wtf are they being used for?

[@wikingagresor]

US Navy is the 'biggest gang in the whole world'. Without it you couldn't trade across the globe.

[@paulocorreia7942]

Army.

[@Timbothruster-fh3cw]

NATO

[@juhokaartoaho]

Military

[@smiechuwarte-qt8pn]

In the USA, oil and car companies (tire companies and the like) massively bought public transport in US cities only to close it and have a larger market for their products

[@MrToradragon]

That is true, but we should also take in consideration that due to depression in 30's and WWII in 40's those systems were not properly maintained for almost 20 years, so they were not exactly in best shape. And some of them were relying on even older technologies and equipment that was due to be replaced.

[@smiechuwarte-qt8pn]

@@MrToradragon In Poland, I watched a program on the Discovery channel about how American companies related to the automotive industry were liquidating public transport in the USA in the 1950s. Car companies in the USA after World War II had extensive production lines and did not want to reduce them, but wanted to maintain the level of profits they achieved artificially as a result of production for the army. This is the reason why public transport has disappeared in large American cities and the problems have moved to the railways. Trucks deprived the railways of significant profits not only in the USA but also in Europe. From European experience, I can tell you that 50% of railway lines in Europe have been closed (I think it was similar in the USA) . There is a chance that the railway will rebound in Europe and the USA because in Poland tests of an inexpensive solution for super-fast railways called MagRail kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYKydoNtlMqojrM

[@wessexdruid7598]

@@MrToradragon Other countries didn't suffer the Depression or WW2? LOL.

[@sharlenneestovia7492]

i think the more i watch your videos the more i feel lucky to live in Italy 🇮🇹

[@Missy-24]

I live in Romania and watching Americans react to videos about Europe is making me feel better about it. This is something I wouldn't have imagined possible.

[@Bramfly]

There is not one cultural Europe, there are ~50 countries of which 27 are in the EU. Each country has its own unique language, culture, habits etc. If there was a common denominator it would be diversity.

[@PedroConejo1939]

Connor, there are plenty of videos on why North America - and particularly the US - became a car-centric, public transport desert. Not Just Bikes is a good starter, but I'm sure you've reacted to his videos before. The history of the LA trams is a perfect example. Essentially, the auto industry and its supporters changed so much in the US by hook or by crook. What is shocking is how the people who would most benefit from changing the system are - through their own guided ignorance - the most fervent opponents of it. This is like the health system too.

[@096MaxikinG096]

Climate Town made a really good video about it as well, called "How The Auto Industry Carjacked The American Dream"

[@PedroConejo1939]

@@096MaxikinG096 Just watched it. Yes, spot on recommendation.

[@LadyNikitaShark]

I often forget i have a medieval Castle at 5 minutes walk from home😂 and our "new church" was built in the 18th Century.

[@SonOfBaraki359]

i hate those modern churches !

[@LucianoMMatias]

Were I live we dont have castles but we have a few Roman ruins, a Roman bridge and a few Arab traces.

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

@@LucianoMMatias Sounds like Spain...

[@LucianoMMatias]

@@melchiorvonsternberg844 Portugal 🇵🇹

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

@@LucianoMMatias That was the other possibility. I was 4 times in Portugal, met some nice people their (not in the first trip, but that's a story on it's own) and I love Lulas frittas...

[@Bioshyn]

People who say that eating is a chore never had good food. Eating is a top 5 activity.

[@stephenlee5929]

Hi Connor, You asked about pedestrian accidents with Trams, in EU the rate is about 1.4 per pedestrian accidents per million kilometres travelled by a tram.

[@frankmitchell3594]

Regarding trams in the US. I heard that LA had a trolley system but it was bought out by Ford and it's not there any more. But they do have lots of Ford cars.

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

lol... That's how unregulated capitalism works. "Fill my pockets and give a fuck on the others..."

[@frufruJ]

11:05 Here in Prague in 2022, there were 83 cases of collisions of trams with pedestrians, 4 people died. They're pretty big and noisy, they don't go that fast, and the tram conductors are very experienced (you can find dashcam videos on YT; they count with our pedestrian stupidity), so you must be very oblivious to your surroundings to get killed by one. For comparison, in the Czech Republic (I couldn't find statistics just for Prague) in 2022, there were 462 people killed in road accidents. The Prague public transport area comprises 15-20% of total inhabitants.

[@EC-qc1dx]

Europe is such a diverse place with many different cultures, so it seems weird to say "In Europe".. Especially the personal space thing! Here in Sweden (the Nordics generally) we like personal space and feel super uncomfortable if someone is standing too close. 😊

[@placedelechange]

Too hard to understand for american peoples.

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

Having been to every country in Europe other than Andorra and Belarus, I have found the regions with least English speakers to be rural Spain and Russia. I have a degree of fluency in Spanish, German, French, English, and Welsh, and some basic Portuguese, Swedish, and Dutch. Between them, nowhere I've visited in Europe proved too challenging.

[@pracharm5094]

There are less deaths in European transport or on roads than USA and it’s even twice more than whole Europe continent put together. And we are 700 million habitants compared to 300 million habitants of USA. So where are roads much safer it’s Europe even worse who doesn’t get killed on the roads in USA they get killed in gun violence etc etc. So you shouldn’t give a reaction of fear as soon as you saw a tram 🚋 that’s ridiculous

[@vtbn53]

They are NOT trolleys, they are trams, trolleys are what you use in supermarkets

[@PPatricia23]

In Czechia its common that we start to learn different language(mostly english) from kindergarten and than after 5 years in primary school we add one more foreign language(mostly german,french or spanish) and we continue to learn them also in high school. I think the same system have a lot of countries in eu. So its pretty common people known 2-4 languages and i love it. Because as many languages you can speak is how many times you are human💁🏼‍♀️😜

[@fionagregory9147]

French is easy to learn.

[@spyro257]

there's only 1 Nordic country, that uses the Euro, and that's Finland, the other 4 ,still uses their own version of kroner (crowns)

[@volundrfrey896]

Well Denmark has pegged theirs to the Euro. So even though it's still called Danish krone it's not entirely it's own currency. The rest of them are.

[@spyro257]

@@volundrfrey896 as far as i can see, the DKK, and the EURO, are still fluctuating from each other, so it's not really set in stone...

[@reinhard8053]

And it's a bit of a hassle using the phone everytime for the calculation. It's easier doing that just in the head with less accuracy. You get used to it quickly. With Germany and Austria we were used to the factor 7 for decades.

[@joshcrawford4076]

Scarves keep your neck warm which is important for maintaining your body temp and also stops the cold breeze blowing down your top. But could just be for fashion purposes too lol

[@michalkuban9888]

11:07 Unfortunately yes, those can be very deadly, but are quite rare (considering the density of those in e.g. Prague). The emergency breaks are really effective, it can injure lots of passengers but it saves lives. In the worst scenarios, when there's no time to stop 20-40 ton beast, people get stuck under the front and it takes some time to get them out, but there are often lucky survivors. It's usually someone with headphones or running across the rails behind another still tram, sometimes even people riding on the coupler outside of multiple unit trams (drunks, meth-heads, stupids, usually triple combo).

[@fonzdevries4575]

Trams are on a rail, if you get hit by it, you're probably the one that thought "I can make it"

[@justADeni]

16:58 Don't worry, you're not alone, almost every other European country has it's own version of cheek kiss and it gets very confusing when you're abroad

[@Londronable]

2 in Walloon, 3 in Flanders when it's done, but it's not always done, other regions do 1 kiss. I think France is 2? Some regions do kiss, others just put the cheeks together, some do it with male/female and male/male, others do not, some do it in a work environment, others do not. Seriously, the entire thing is a mess. Sticking out a hand is always an option of course.

[@SonOfBaraki359]

@@Londronable 1 in Wallonia, 2 (or more) in france !

[@BlackHoleSpain]

2 in Spain, first left then right. Only female to male/female when introduced at an informal meeting. Cheek kiss in formal/business situations is way off. Avoid.

[@jarls5890]

@@BlackHoleSpain Same in Austria I believe. Altho I seem to remember only 1 cheek kiss on first introduction. 2 when you are "established" friends.

[@nala6620]

3 in Switzerland, starting on the left side. 😊

[@yumyummoany]

This summer I am going to the small town in the Netherlands where my great great grandfather came from so I’m going to learn a bit of Dutch!

[@andrewcoogans471]

Oh Dutch!! I can understand it when it is written, but as soon as a native speaker talks to me I have no clue 😂. Enjoy your trip, I love The Netherlands.

[@Halli50]

The only time I have received a tip made me feel embarrassed: As a well-paid pilot in Iceland I returned from one of countless tourist flights over the Holuhraun eruption in 2014, and when exiting the aircraft one of the passengers, an elderly lady, hung back and pressed a piece of paper into my hand while thanking be profusely for the experience. The piece of paper was a substantial bill in 'Murican denomination, and I was at a total loss as to how to respond. What won over was not wanting to embarrass the old lady by refusing the tip, the shoe was actually on the other foot! I rediscovered my own country through the eyes of the tourists that so obviously enjoyed the things about my country that I had become blind to. I actually still have the bill in a memento box somewhere, my one and only tip!

[@OneTrueScotsman]

I'll never tip. The way I see it, it's like paying for something twice. I understand that in the US, service providers are paid a low often below minimum wage, but that's not the case in the UK. And I don't want to encourage a bad habit. It does exist and sometimes establishments try to sneak it onto my bill, when I catch them I ask them to print out a new bill. They think we won't do this because it's embarrassing, but I will, every time. Pay your staff a better wage. I'm not paying twice. I don't understand why they don't just increase their prices 20% and pay their staff 20% more (in the US). I'm fine with paying a higher price. But not a tip.

[@DaxRaider]

in most european countries you will also be seen as the worlds biggest asshole doing it, and if u ever come back u can wait for the waiter until u grow old and grey xD or they just simply ignore you ... rightfully i may say. i dont tip much but when i am at a restaurant and the service is good u always give something ... 20% is ridicilous but you always give a little ... even if u only give 2€ they will be fine with it the thing that u ask for a new bill ... u might be the worldst biggest asshole ... i can name a list of restaurants you would given entry bans cause they would never wanna have u again xD

[@GretchenMuller-uw9sl]

yeah there are tram accidents but not so many ..mostly caused by careless drivers or pedestrians

[@nettcologne9186]

1:24 This is the parliament building in Budapest/Hungary

[@allenwilliams1306]

The USA used to have extensive public street tramway networks. Car manufacturers, car users, and others with a vested interest in the motor industry conducted concerted campaigns to have them removed, because they impeded motor vehicles. Companies operating trams were quite often bought out specifically in order to close them down.

[@avitalsheva]

No , no accident I know of . For example Strasbourg tram is literally sliding along and between people. I was once hit by tram as well. However it is only a soft push as wheels are concealed due to position of rails inside a road and body of tram itself

[@Missy-24]

I loved Strasbourg. I only stayed for a few days, and was stressed out because I was there for an interview in between two final exams at home, but I absolutely loved it. Although my French was rusty when it came to speaking, it was so easy to understand. The trams were a huge and wonderful shock. So silent and comfortable. I loved almost every minute of my time there.

[@TheRezro]

Regard Tips. In US cafe service is commonly not paid by employee. Waitresses basically work as volunteers, with Tips covering they all payment (or at least majority). In Europe staff is integral part of service and as such there is not need for paying them additional cash. Some may even receive it negatively as allusion to them looking not well.

[@baronmeduse]

There's a fair of bit of exaggeration and tired stereotypes in this. This guy who has been here in Europe for '2 years' but to multiple countries hasn't spent enough time in each to really know.

[@estranhokonsta]

Where is the fair bit of exageration? Did we see the same video? He was comparing 2 big and complex places and naturally was contrasting some of the main perceived differences from the point of view of a US citizen. And in doing that he constantly used qualificative word like "often", "usual", "southern vs northen" etc.

[@Akkarri]

11:10 First of all, trams always get a traffic priority! People know to not get anywhere close and cars also musn't get into their way. That said, it's pretty easy and fast to stop so accidents don't happen much. It's definitely much easier and safer to cross a street in the city centre where only trams are allowed to pass instead of having a city centre FULL of cars. In many places the cars are banned and you just get these nice trams going through

[@In_My_Sight]

Really enjoyed your insights on the cultural differences between Europe and the US! The points about dining etiquette and the historical presence in daily life in Europe were particularly fascinating. It's intriguing to see how these cultural nuances shape everyday experiences. Your observation about the importance of understanding local tipping customs and the reliance on public transportation in Europe versus personal vehicles in the US were spot-on

[@dcoughla681]

Eating out is a bit more informal these days in Europe but public transport is a problem for New Yorkers. France is still the number 1 place for foodies. It’s heaven. Service in America is still the top.

[@Attirbful]

Here in Germany, you do not tip the bar/restaurant owner. It is considered almost offensive by them… Waiters, yes, but only rounding up the bill…

[@margaret426]

I'm in UK (Scotland) and always tip unless the service was bad. Usually, depending on how meny in the group, we leave a £1 per person.

[@Attirbful]

@@margaret426 As said, I usually tip as well. However, a hotel/restaurant owner friend of mine once explained to me that to tip the owner of a place is actually seen as an insult rather than as a generous gesture. Maybe that is just a German thing, not sure. However, German restaurant owners do not generally accept tips. My guess is that in the case of a tip being left on the table or given to an owner, they put the tip into the tipping jar for their employees or cleaning staff rather than keeping it for themselves.

[@missharry5727]

French people do learn English but are extremely reluctant to admit to either speaking or understanding it.

[@nagranoth_]

Depends a lot on which generation they are. And probably which country they are in.

[@arnodobler1096]

Check out old films and pictures of US cities! Back then there was public transport.

[@OneTrueScotsman]

The only time I ever wore a scarf was when I was a kid, and my mum would wrap one around me. Same with slippers, gowns and PJ's.

[@Dreyno]

Where do you live? If it’s somewhere cold you’re missing out. If it’s somewhere hot, you don’t need them.

[@OneTrueScotsman]

@@Dreyno The north of Scotland. I'm used to the cold. I get by with a jacket and a woolly hat when it's particularly cold.

[@johnsimmons5951]

Re 12:21 you were right the 1st time, the car manufacturers bought out public transit in the US and ruined them, and lobbied for roads and parking to be built, this plus advertising that cars give individual rights independence all progressed car ownership. The US used to have great public transit in All population centres.

[@tobiasgoldman]

200 languages? As a European I find this ludicrous. 20 at most. Almost all countries are bilingual in English to some extent.

[@mattymcnally]

Yes there are deaths from trams but very rare if you look close at the design they are made to push you out to the side so the don't go over you

[@Maisiewuppp]

If public transport is do-able in old, sometimes medieval cities in Europe, then it’s possible in modern US cities. It requires the will of the people to have and use it together. It requires understanding that it’s practical, cheap and (should be) efficient. That’s the problem. In the US the individual is king.

[@jerry2357]

1:35 It's the Parliament building in Budapest, and it's a beautiful building.

[@productjoe4069]

The personal space thing is something I’ve seen as a Brit both travelling to the US and with Americans here. We have a bigger personal space bubble than southern Europeans, but nowhere near as big as Americans. In the UK we stand closer when talking, engage in more casual physical contact (touches during conversation), hug more, and we do kiss closer friends when greeting them. Still nothing compared to Spain, but much more than I’ve seen from Americans from NY, North California and South California (the areas I’ve had the most interaction with)

[@audreygl5080]

Regarding the 200 languages, it is because you need to take into account all the regional languages. For example, in France, French is the official language but there are at least 10 other languages with their own sub-dialect (if you only take the metropolitan France). If you go in specific areas such as Corsica, Basco Country or Brittany you can see signs in these dialect everywhere.

[@Charlestic]

12:30 car industry has heavily lobbied for car-centric infrastructure in the US, as often said: the US wasnt built for the car, it was bulldozed for it. many US cities were built before the car lobbies heavy by car and oil industry

[@nettcologne9186]

15:05 Well, Europe is bigger than the US, has 50 sovereign states and all of them have better public transport than the USofA

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

40 Staaten, nicht 50...

[@nettcologne9186]

@@melchiorvonsternberg844 Es sind 47 um genau zu sein. Ich habe aber die drei Staaten die sich europäisch fühlen, Georgien, Armenien und Aserbaidschan mitgezählt.

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

@@nettcologne9186 Joh... Für mich sind weder der Kosovo, noch Kasachstan, ein europäischer Staat. Wenn wir das so handhaben wollten, dann müsste man auch Transnistrien und und Nord- Zypern mitzählen. Dann wären wir dann mit deiner Logik, schon bei 52 und nicht bei 50, nicht wahr?

[@Janecek185]

Never take historical buildings for granted.. Hard to do when you live next castle from 15. century, under church from 13. and have like +10 others in 15km area. My favorite bar is in castle dungeon, also have nearby medieval pub with brewery and castle. Basicly where i live, there is medieval church or castle every 4km.

[@karensmith3795]

I am from the UK and live about 10mins from a castle in the North East of England and I feel very lucky because I love history as well.

[@G0Lg0Th4N]

America used to have amazing and extensive trolley networks all over the country. Then your government let the tyre, oil and motor companies but then up and break the trolley networks up, in order to force car dependency.

[@denzzlinga]

11:05 of course... Like with all modes of traffic. Sometimes pedestrians and cyclists get run over by the trams, or they crash with cars. People always find ways to manage to get themselfs in trouble.

[@Tunturisorsa]

11:15 is there any accidents with trams? yes but very rarely. im turning 30 years old and i can remember 1, maybe 2 fatalities happening from collisions with a tram here in Finland. you have to be completely oblivious to your surroundings to not notice a tram and they usually have a warning signal they sound before they leave a stop.

[@Ceelbc]

17:00 Double cheek kiss? You mean triple!

[@JJ-of1ir]

Love this armchair travel - thank you.

[@letheas6175]

As a dutchy, I'm trying to learn Mandarin. I mean why not? Such a cool sounding language phonetically imo

[@lachaise7096]

Yes we have fatal accidents with the tram but they are rare and the trams have priority even over pedestrians two kiss is only in France

[@dcoughla681]

Although you don’t have ancient history in the US, you do have beautiful scenery and fabulous Art Deco and mid century modern architecture.

[@MrJeremie60]

To my knowledge, there have been no tram-related deaths. Or very few

[@kaelon9170]

12:31 it's definitely both. The car industry lobbied hard for government to build car-capable infrastructure while discrediting all other transit modes, and people generally like driving because of the freedom it gives them to travel anywhere, at any time, controlling the vehicle themselves. All the bad effects of cars such as the inefficient use of space, the co2 emissions involved, the accident rates and the fact that most US cities can't afford to maintain the sheer amount of asphalt that was laid down, have only become apparent later. Around the time when cars were invented, the infrastructure definitely wasn't ready for car traffic. Outside towns you'd have dirt paths meant for horse carriages. Within towns you'd have cobblestones if they were prosperous enough to afford it or dirt paths as well.

[@clarap4546]

17:20 as a french, cheek kissing is hard to guess even for us too! Especially because it depends on the regions: which cheek do you kiss first, how many cheek kisses etc...for example im my part of france, we do three cheek kissees and start on the left side. But in Paris they only do 2 or event 1 and start on the right side. As you can immagine, this can lead to awkwards situations when you meet someone for the first time and don't know their habits! But in the end, I lile cheek kissing, it's better than a hug imo

[@quentinbobin2549]

About tipping It’s perceived as the boss is not paying enough, so the company is truely bad x) In France, wedges are regulated by state with the minimum wedge evolving with inflation through years. In France, tap water is free in restaurants by law. Trams can be deadly when their are introduced (transportation companies insurances in France anticipate a death rate with new lines launch). Otherwise people are widely habituated to street transportation. About languages, in European France there is french as official language, but also Occitan, Breton, Alsacian and Basque in addition with some recognition. It’s possible to have final exam in high school in some regional languages.

[@enemde3025]

We pay our staff real wages so there's no need for tipping .

[@lindakarlsson6120]

You are correct that what he said about personal space applies less the further north you go. In Sweden were I live we usually want more personal space than most countries and most don't do cheek kissing.

[@ondrejvasak1054]

About whether there are accidents involving trams. There is a campaign in Prague that is running in recent few years. There are trams in the city that are displaying the number of pedestrians killed by trams in the given year. Trams have long breaking distance and can't swerve out of the way, so by law even pedestrians on are required to yield to them. The whole thing is setup like a sports score and will show how many pedestrians were killed by colliding with a tram and how many trams were killed by collision with a pedestrian. You will see score like 0:3 in favour of trams, which serves as a sort of black humour reminder to not jump in front of a moving tram, because you are not going to win that exchange. I think last year there were 4 pedestrians killed by trams.

[@steiner554]

The blue flag with the yellow stars is NOT the flag of Europe. Europe doesn't have a flag. It's the flag of the EU which is NOT similar with Europe.

[@arnodobler1096]

The European flag shows twelve golden, five-pointed stars arranged in a circle on a blue background. It was introduced as the European flag by the Council of Europe in 1955 and adopted by the European Communities in 1986 as the symbol for all their institutions

[@DjennyFloroUkyuu]

A word from France.... We do learn English. In class from middle school 2 languages are mandatory, so while we can't speak it fluently (for some) you'll find people who can understand you to some basic level! And about the Tramway, we don't have so many accidents because it's built a way it doesn't happen. When it comes to kissing for greetings, it's simply something you learn growing up.

[@Bartek-zz9rk]

Most modern trams has special bumpers that protects pedestrians to fall under wheels and they are moving relatively slow (50 - 60 km/h) so in most cases you'd rather be bruised or have a broken arm than dead. This is rather rare - in my country (Poland) in 2023 there was only one fatal accident by a tram (man around 60 years old) and most cities have trams.

[@bad-gateway]

In the US they even destroyed public transport so they could drive cars everywhere.

[@nielsjensen4185]

Car companies did. The concept of jaywalking and segregating foot and car traffic was solely because of the greed of the car companies.

[@Tmyrygayn]

Most incidents revolve around not paying attention while driving or kids laying on railway tracks but it's not that common. We have special rules to prezent it

[@VlogMusique]

1. Tipping is not mandatory inFrance. you CAN give a tip if you're happy with the service or the meal, but most of the time, you're tip will be shared between all waiters at the end of the month. 11:10 no ther is very few incidents, but it can happens like with any bus or car. Trams have a driver and he can brake or slow if needed. ^^ 12:40 take a look at Alan Fisher video "Why are US Cities all Car Based?". very interesting and it might answer your question. 17:10 lol. it's a problem between europeans to, and in france it may depends of region . but you can shake hands if you prefer, it's not a problem Thank you again for you'r video

[@HrLBolle]

11:20 sure there are deaths connected to Trams/Streetcars/ whatever you call them. But we Europeans are more aware of our surroundings, except those SMOMBIES, and the drivers will sound a bell or whistle in case of danger to pedestrians

[@LearnTheHorizon]

We do take it for granted, because it's not special. There're literally tens of thousands of these around everywhere. We look at them the same way you'd look at cliffs etc. Just features of the land that were here a thousand years before we were born. Like yea we appreciate their existence and aren't thinking of demolishing them but.. On the other hand, a hundred-200 year old bunkers and crap like that gets demolished daily. That's just considered old junk that's taking up space and being an eyesore. And yes the further north you go, the less warm and sociable people are.

[@allenwilliams1306]

There are deaths from tram accidents, but they tend to be the result of collisions with other vehicles, derailments, or both. Pedestrian deaths from being struck by a tram in normal operation are rare.

[@matshjalmarsson3008]

Quite right about how it differs north/south, in the nordics we have/expect more personal space than in the US. We never kiss on the cheeks, we rarely hug each others, we shake hands, reluctantly, the first time we meet, but usually just greet each other with a wave or a nod after that (Sweden)

[@livb6945]

Although younger generations do hug a lot these days when they meet people they know

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

@@livb6945 Well... Me, born in the 60's do it as well, with old friends. I'm from Germany, where a handshake is the common thing...

[@Attirbful]

In Germany, High German is understood everywhere, but even we have minority languages, such as Frisian and Sorbian, that are languages in themselves… plus many accents and dialects that people from other regions have a hard time understanding. This is what happens when cultures of millennia form nation states out of many different tribes and cultures and not (like in America) settle in a region, decide on a lingua franca and then have 250 years to enforce the use of that language alone. But you have the same in America, in pockets where a majority of settlers from one region settle/d, if you think of Spanish in the South, German or Skandinavian languages in the midwest, French in Louisiana and the Northeast, or Amish in Pennsylvania etc.

[@1Anime4you]

Just take my country as an example. Besides Swedish, there's a number of minority languages that are only spoken in Sweden. For instance, we have Meänkiälli*, Guttnish, Elfdalian, a bunch of different Dalmål languages, and various Sami languages. Mind you, the combined population of all speakers of said languages doesn't even crack 3% of the country's total population, so Swedish is quite dominant, but they're there nonetheless, so it obviously counts.

[@kaelon9170]

15:12 or simply give the federal government more control over infrastructure planning. the US is one of only a handful of countries where states have as much sway over inter-state infrastructure as they do. In most European countries, cities can plan and build infrastructure that's entirely within their own borders, provinces/states can plan and build infrastructure entirely within their borders, but as soon you get to the inter-state level, the national government gets involved and on many/most aspects it will be the national government that has the final say, rather than any province/state or city council involved.

[@Mikas60]

The House of Representatives and Congress both have more than enough power to pass bills to help with infrastructure. The problem is that the vast majority of Republican lawmakers are very opposed to the government giving money to states for things they find "wasteful", which usually includes anything even remotely associated with Socialism (which infrastructure is). Even the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill had to be diluted a lot just to get enough Republican lawmakers (and Democrat lawmakers in Republican States) to sign up to it and get it passed. And even with how diluted it was, it still only passed with 228 in favour and 206 against in the House of Representatives. I hear a lot of Americans say they like a divided goverment, so that you don't get extreme bills passed, but they don't realise that one of the reasons that nothing good ever gets done is because of that divided goverment. The only things that get passed are usually laws that favour big companies, because both sides get bought out to vote for it.

[@lynn69jackson]

I go to france regularly because my brother lives there. I'm improving my french all of the time, and it is much appreciated if you try and speak even a little french. I have one waiter friend who will correct my french when I make a mistake ( he can speak many languages fluently, including English Italian spanish and german). Even though i dont need to ,I always tip well and often end up with a free café au lait because I appreciate the excellent food and service

[@alexfletcher5192]

Despite recent map videos displaying Britain as railroad dense, a significant proportion of it was considered not cost-effective and closed down after a report in 1963. And I suppose that's when car ownership really took off in the UK, when branch lines started to disappear (my grandfather worked on the railways for 40 years and his offspring, if you can believe it, got free travel as a result - at least once upon a time).

[@OneTrueScotsman]

I'm not comfortable kissing anyone, anywhere, unless it's family/spouse. Even my friends, male or female. I'm not even a hugger, although that's apparently common in the states. I'm not really a physically affectionate person in general, apart from girlfriends etc. Each to their own though, as long as they're comfortable with it. I just ask that my personal space be respected.

[@brigidsingleton1596]

I was never a "hugger" as a child or growing up, but as an adult, I quite like hugs - but _not_ 'social kisses' as greetings hello's / goodbyes!! I avoid them and would rather _shake_hands_ or just 'nod' a greeting of acknowledgement !!😊

[@Mikas60]

I mean a cheek kiss is not an actual kiss, it is just a touching of the cheeks and you do the kiss sound with your lips. Depending on the European country you might also receive a hug at the same time as the cheek kiss xD I used to hug a lot more when I lived in Portugal, once I moved to the UK hugs are few and far between. Not gonna lie, I was used to it and kinda miss it now >_

[@davidtisserant2229]

I'm French, we learn english at school, but we dont have opportunity to talk with someone, so write or undertand writing english is ok, but talk...it's a no.

[@fionagregory9147]

We are forced to learn French at our English schools.

[@ruialmeida818]

As a Portuguese History Buff, we do not take our Historical Heritage for granted. Every year, I plan a trip with historical sites for my hollyday, and, although I've lived here all my life, I still end up findoing out about new places every year. And I'm 41 years old. More recently, I've been fascinated with bronze and stone age history, and I am proud to say that we have a lot of sites from this period as well. Stone, Bronze and Iron age sites ponctuate Portugal, as well as late iron age, from pre-roman and roman times, as well as medieval sites. Regretably, Portugal seems to have a hard time promoting and selling these sites, as people tend to only associate Portugal with beaches and Port wine. Take a look at the Almendres Chromlech and the city of Evora - you have within a few km radius a city surrounded by medieval walls, within the city you have roman ruins, including the ruins of a temple to Diana, and a chromlech that predates stonehenge, as well as several mnirs and mamoas. I'm form the north of the country, but that area is one of my favourites in the entire country.

[@clarantromillo]

Como galega, non podería estar máis de acordo. Fermosas terras as nosas 😊. Briteiros foi unha experiencia fermosísima para min. Xa ten visitado San Cibrán de Las en Ourense? Merece muito a pena, recoméndollo!

[@ruialmeida818]

@@clarantromillo Desconhecia San Cibrán. Muitissimo obrigado pela recomendação. Faço questão de visitar em breve

[@SavageIntent]

I live about a mile from a medieval castle, its pretty cool I guess, can't complain really.

[@Dreyno]

I have a most likely Bronze Age fort 300m from the back door and our house is built on a prehistoric kitchen midden full of bones and ouster shells. This is like old crap around you Top Trumps 😂

[@user-hl6uj1qh8s]

If you look at US 20th century history the motor manufacturers had a big effect on the decisions made by the government.

[@1983simi]

Maybe it's because he has been traveling Europe for so long, but the one culture shock I've seen multiple Americans experience while in Europe is to wrap your head around shop closing times. The fact that most European countries shut shop a lot earlier than in the US. No 24/7 Targets or Walmarts. This can get even 'worse' in Catholic regions, where Sundays are for the most part closed for retail by default. I used to have an American friend who stayed in Germany and even after years would whine around why people were so lazy and closing their shops at 8 or sometimes even 6pm. To which I would tell them 'They're not lazy, they just have a right to humane work hours, and you need to get better at time planning' Yes, of course most places have a little cheat code around this. Oftentimes gas stations carry a small stock of necessities (at upped prices) and central train stations and airports often have supermarkets that are open on sundays as well, but it's far from the convenience Americans are used to, where you can just decide at 1am that you're popping over to walmart to get a fresh tub of ice cream.

[@myhvKun]

Old US cities actually had really good public transportation, for the time.

[@flauschiger_keks]

I never thought about that before, but I think people wanted cars as well as companies wanted to sell them. So I think it was maybe wanted by both sides. After all the US had a train network and cities like Los Angeles had good public transport.