These Americans Were In For A Shock When They Visited Europe

[@elmarwinkler6335]

Ian, the Siesta in Spain and something like this, in Northern Africa, stems from the heat during Midday. What tourist do not see, is, the early start of work, before the sun rises, or working late into the cooler night. Some tourists call this people lazy, I call them wise. Elmar from Germany

[@peddlesc2156]

Yes In most of Southern Europe Spain, Italy, Malta , Greece we used to have the siesta - basically you go home to have lunch and then go back to work. Yes traditionally this is because of the heat. Same reason why we eat so late in the evening too. However due to tourism most places do not have a siesta anymore. Spain is mostly the place that has kept this tadition ( some palces in Italy too). To answer Elmar - yes supermarkets in Malta open at 05.30/6 am. However when I was in Barcelona, the supermakets opened at 10am.

[@gluteusmaximus1657]

My landlord in Greece was working in construction. He went to work 3 a-clock in the night. To get things done before the mid day heat.

[@davidribeiro1064]

Portugal losing the siesta tradition gals me to no end.

[@GazilionPT]

And in most cases, nowadays, there is no actual siesta (i.e. napping). People have a long pause in their working schedule, but that time is used having a longer, relaxed lunch, chatting with friends/family/coworkers at a café, maybe browsing the Internet on your phone - not actually sleeping.

[@GazilionPT]

In respect to working late, you're right. A typical American family probably has their dinner at 6 pm. A typical Spanish shopkeeper is still at work at 8 pm.

[@dundvig]

Im from Denmark, and i am more interested in what you do in your sparetime, than what you do for a living.

[@BlackHoleSpain]

That's because you don't have 24% of unemployment. Here in Spain, ice breaker conversations are "how can you afford a place to live" and such things. 😉 ^^^^ Okay, I was trolling a bit here, it was obviously an exaggeration, but some people took that so literally. Dutch and danish wages are 3 times higher and people over there don't use to worry so much about rent prices exceeding their salaries. But asking someone what they do (or how much they make) for a living is also normal here in Spain. It would be quite shocking for us that some ppl get mad about it.

[@kenbrown2808]

working class Americans don't have spare time.

[@ynnyss]

​@@BlackHoleSpain Sure, "Black Hole Spain". An ice breaker in your home, in the rest of Spain that's quite an unpolite starter.

[@maliurino]

Dude, yes. Croatia here and the work stuff is the ice breaker. But I pry about free time and people's private interests and it really is so sad when someone doesn't have a hobby or interests outside of work. Or there is the ultimate deflection - my kids take up all of my time.

[@classicallpvault8251]

@@kenbrown2808 That's a gross oversimplification. Long-haul Lorry drivers, for instance working for Wal-Mart, can earn up to 110k a year. That leaves plenty of time to take off of work and still earn a wage that allows comfortable living outside of the big cities. Plumbers, electricians, and longshoremen also regularly earn very comfortable wages for menial, but trained, jobs, or, in case of craftsmen, rake in large amounts of cash if they start for their own and hire extra hands on a per-project basis. (the same applies to Europe by the way, craftsmen are in short supply and there's plenty of high income career options for working-class people if you're willing to dirty your hands instead of sitting on your fat arse all day behind a callcentre desk) Also, relative to income, some places in the US offer both good economic opportunities AND low cost of living. Do you know how much normal single family homes in new developments outside of Houston, typically cost? Between 140 and 200k. If you work as a lorry driver for Wal-Mart for 3 years while living with your parents you can buy a home like that and only have to mortgage it partially and have plenty of savings. Assuming you're starting while in your late teens or early 20s you'll be in a position to settle down and start a family without any problems before you're 25. The only downside: you'll have to drive 10-15 minutes to a supermarket instead of walk to one in 5 minutes. But hey, car tax and gas are relatively cheap in Texas as well. And these communities are far from crime-ridden inner cities and offer a safe environment for chilren to grow up in. It's people living in big, dilapidated cities on the East and West coasts while flipping burgers, or even middle income people with skilled jobs, that are screwed. Many places in the US are thriving economically and affordable to live in.

[@ralkai]

About the penis graffiti... There's a roman one in Pompeii. We are just perpetuating a 2000 years old tradition :D

[@mrflappie6553]

Technically the first dick-pic shows up in the Lascaux cave paintings, made about 17,000 years ago. They're as old as human art.

[@emmafrench7219]

@ralkai Also here in Dorset, England we have the Cerne Abbas Giant which is a chalk drawing of a man with a huge erect penis drawn on the hillside. Some say it possibly dates back to the 10th century. We just look at it when we go past and comment on whether the chalk needs refreshing. 😊

[@PedroConejo1939]

@@emmafrench7219 I was just going to mention the Giant. I live less than 10 miles away and have never seen it - I'm usually driving and tend not to look at the scenery.

[@mats7492]

drawing penises and fart jokes have a long history in europe..

[@infin8ee]

Nothing like a "lucky penis" to keep you safe !

[@arkemiffo]

In the US 200 miles isn't a long way away. In Europe 200 years isn't a long time ago.

[@rrs_13]

200 years ago my great(x5) grandfather was cleaning the "baguette crumbs" from his bayonet after preventing proto-hitler from taking over our country (and europe). 100 years ago my great great grandfather (who I got the privilege to meet alive and sound of body and mind) was complaining on how on Earth the french and the british sided with each other particularly given that the memory of Napoleon was still present in the populace. The scale of time for europeans is nearly incomprehensible for an american. It's like a 70 year old trying to explain a 5 year old that waiting one month for something is not a long time.

[@runeingebretsen8378]

my great grandfather was born 1880 that is 4 generations including me,how many in the world can say their great grandfather was born in the 19th century.

[@wessexdruid7598]

@@runeingebretsen8378 Both my grandfathers (and grandmothers) were born in the 19th Century...?

[@runeingebretsen8378]

@@wessexdruid7598 and mine was born in the 1920'ties? and my father was born in 1926.

[@wessexdruid7598]

@@runeingebretsen8378 Your father was born in 1926 - but your grandfather in the 1920s? That doesn't make sense... Perhaps it was your grandfather born in 1926 (both my parents were born in the late 1920s)?

[@francisexbrayat1458]

work, work, work till death, with no free time, no free healthcare, no free education, nothing is free... but they pretend it's the land of the free. smh.

[@infin8ee]

But they have guns so there's no comparison. Really, I've been told this.

[@graydanerasmussen4071]

@@infin8ee The land of the overworked, and the home of the scared. They ought to either change their anthem, or their way of life... :)

[@infin8ee]

@@graydanerasmussen4071 💯

[@santostv.]

But they are richer so it's ok😂

[@Rafaela_S.]

@@santostv. Only on paper, here in Germany I earn around 40.000$ (before taxes, public health care insurance and public pension insurance) and I can save up enough that I could travel abroad two times a year, if I want to. From what I've seen in the US, I suspect that I couldn't even cover my cost of living there, with this amount of money, if I would live there.

[@platinaatje6134]

For US folk nudity is more dangerous than guns.

[@peterpritzl3354]

Yeah I responded to one YT American guy recently, who watches a lot of German stuff to comment on it. So, he found a video. where some lady went to a nudist beach in Germany, and the first thing he said, was: 'OMG, I hope they don't show all the naked people'. But since it's not appreciated in Germany to show naked folks in a public video, she turned away before she hit that beach. So I commented: 'good for you, so you did not have to poop your pants.' Within 5 minutes he had deleted my comment and blocked me. Typical 'Never been out of his village' ignoramus.

[@timmokoo5679]

It is kind of weird how consensual sex is seen as more threatening than murder

[@karinland8533]

@@timmokoo5679nudety and sex are not the same

[@Ahto42]

And then all pre-schoolers dance with wap song

[@timmokoo5679]

@@karinland8533 I didn't say they are. But in this case nudity being associated with sex is probably the key element.

[@DCresident123]

American bread wouldnt even be classified as bread in Europe, because its so processed and has too much sugar in it.

[@thescrewfly]

It's cake. And not the fun kind.

[@MrMajsterixx]

In Czech republic we call it Toast bread and I have to admit that even when we have freakin awesome breads here that I quite like the american one, I like how easy it is to just have it in the fridge and just throw in into a toaster in the moring and have "fresh" crispy bread to put some spread on

[@oszustoslaw]

@@MrMajsterixx In Poland we obviously have toast bread too but i had chance to eat real american bread and is worse than our toast bread.

[@Yominokun1]

@@MrMajsterixx Nono, you don't call American bread toast bread. There's a huge difference. Imagine toast bread, with a cube of sugar in every 1-2 slices. Literally, 3-5 g of sugar in one or two slices of bread. Best thing to compare it to what you probably have somewhere too: milkbread. It can be tasty, but it's not bread, it's a dessert or treat. It's just another part of the reason the US has such an obesity problem. Imagine having that much sugar in everything.

[@HugoRH444]

A few years ago we were in Italy when our baby granddaughter fell ill and had fever. We took her to a hospital and because it was a Sunday, the Emergency Room didn't have a pediatrician. They called one at his home and the doctor came very quickly, checked the baby, gave her a treatment and prescribed a medication. No bill to pay, we left with the medicine and hugs from nurses and other staff that were very friendly and wishing the baby a speedy recovery. Again. No bill. That is a first world country. Something USA has to learn.

[@Dahrenhorst]

For Europeans the prudishness of the USA is on the same level as in most Muslim countries.

[@philiprice7875]

and yet the biggest producers of porn is the US

[@timmokoo5679]

It seems a bit more inconsistent though

[@tm.8399]

@@timmokoo5679 It's as consistent, behind closed doors it's wild, but in public they act like shit.

[@classicallpvault8251]

The difference is that Americans don't go rounding up and murdering people who engage in lewd behaviour. They'll just be shamed by their peers (and rightfully so - people should show more dignity in public) or arrested and/or fined if doing actual illegal stuff. Also, popular culture in the US has become incredibly sexually degenerate. Pop stars like Cardi B. and Meghan Thee Stallion are indistinguishable from common prostitutes and rappers are pimps and drug pushers in real life, while Hollywood is one massive collection of degenerates and sexual deviants who go about screwing every man, woman, or hole in a fence, and have sky high divorce rates. However, conservative, Christian or Jewish Americans still by and large adhere to normal social values: sexuality belongs in the private sphere and people are expected to behave decently in public.

[@lynnm6413]

For real, I almost got arrested in Ludington, Michigan (at the lake) because some a-hole had took my jeansvest, shoes and top. I waited for my hostess at the strand (side of the road) in my bikini, with my Pareto as a skirt and got stopped by police and interrogated. As a German who didn‘t have her papers and was 17 at the time I only didn‘t get taken in for ‚solicitation‘, because my host Dad had been the local Sherriff, and when I mentioned him they backed off and waited until he arrived! Crazy!

[@racamon]

True story: I was having some abdominal pain, and I was admitted into ER in Belgrade, Serbia. In the bed next to me was American citizen with bashed head. He was bleeding badly from the forehead, and he was in pain... but he demanded to be released from the hospital. The Medics did not want to let him go, until they finish the treatment of a wound, at least. Even the police came in to check what happened (standard procedure when someone is hurt in an accident or a fight), and they helped the medics to control this now very upset and wild person. Then, when he had no strength to argue and fight, he sat down and started to cry, saying "I don't have money for the medic bills". Sure enough, ER staff said that is it free. No fees. No nothing. It was an emergency, and their job is to help, no charge. That is how this third world country treats foreigners, take a note US. Of course, American guy did not believe for a long time. It was sad and funny in the same time.

[@tm.8399]

Serbia is not a third world country.

[@racamon]

@@tm.8399technically 1st world were America and West Europe. 2nd world were SSSR and Eastern Block. Yugoslavia (Serbia included) and Unaligned Pact were 3rd world. Although, Serbia is not poor, nor undeveloped, it is 3rd world country. That name has nothing to do with richness of a nation...

[@tm.8399]

@@racamon we are in 2024. Not in 1960. Serbia is a ue candidate. Not a third world country

[@racamon]

@@tm.8399oh really!?? 2024!!! Wow. Thank you captain Obvious! Forgive me for making sarcastic reply.

[@tm.8399]

@racamon You can't spot sarcasm, that's why you have to say you are. You are welcome, you braindead thought we where 90 years in the past. By

[@susangrant7544]

But the bread in Europe is not loaded with sugar!

[@Fraternizing_Cog]

Except in Sweden. I can't stand Swedish bread, because it's so unbearably sweet. It's been while since I've tasted some though.... So hopefully it has changed a bit.

[@rachealbrown2166]

And full of ingredients that read like a chemistry set!

[@Dan-B]

He literally said that, get off the high horse and stop embarrassing yourself

[@lukmaes6290]

INDEED !!!!! Lived in the US for about 5yrs and most 20 pounds within the year I returned without minding what I ate

[@spugelo359]

Used to not appreciate our Finnish rye bread as a kid, but these days I love it.

[@Real_MisterSir]

"you seem to eat bread all the time but you dont get fat? We here in the US try to avoid it" -well, that's because our bread isn't cake :) It's bread. Actual genuine bread, baked to be fresh for a day only, no additives, no extra sweeteners, nothing that isn't supposed to be there. Just good bread baked with proper ingredients.

[@margreetanceaux3906]

In our bread: just the very little amount of sugar that gets the yeast going.

[@lukmaes6290]

INDEED !!!!!

[@MagereHein]

Flour, water, salt and yeast. Perhaps some sugar for the yeast starter, but that's it. I'm currently getting rid of some body fat, so I eat just two or three slices of bread every day, but a day without bread would be a terrible day.

[@margreetanceaux3906]

@@MagereHein Wholewheat, coarsely ground, will be applauded by your digestive system. Good luck with loosing weight!

[@matikaevur6299]

You know, REAL bread is made of rye... dark as the rich soil that nourishes it. None of that pale wheat nonsense for us in the north (Claude2 interprettion of my idea).

[@Markevans63]

The fact they went into a restaurant for a meal and only took an hour tells me they must be American.

[@Kayta-Linda]

I take that long only when I go there alone and am not really all that hungry!

[@geoffpriestley7310]

Breakfast with your mates when your retired a quickie 2 hrs normally. 3 hrs and get asked if we're stopping for lunch

[@joarvat]

I eat in 10 minutes if the food arrives

[@cyberfunk3793]

I'm European and it's been years since I been to a restaurant longer than 1h for eating. If I go drinking with buddies then yes it will be many hours but lunch never going to be over 1h.

[@inescosta2671]

As a portuguese, I usually take two to three hours, as we take it as a convivial time when we go out to eat at restaurants with our friends and/or families. If you want to leave one hour early, you are going to learn a life lesson about patience 😂 and you'd sadden the ppl you came with.

[@paisley_flamingo2]

We moved to Portugal last year. While we usually eat out during the "lunch" period while we are running errands, like walking to the grocery store, most restaurants don't open for dinner until around 7 pm. They also don't rush you to get you out the door. There are two sets of recycling bins with a trash bin within a minute of our apartment. My husband shattered his elbow earlier this year. They triaged him that night and we went back to schedule the surgery the next day. They got him in for surgery and did all the pre-op at the hospital the same day. He spent the night and went home the next day. Had 4 follow up visits with one scheduled for next year. And we only paid the 80 euro emergency bill. We were still waiting on our residence cards to arrive at the time. We eat what we want including fantastic bread and pastries and have lost weight, feel better, and our blood tests have improved. Plus, I use a cane due to a disability and everybody bends over backwards to give me a seat on the metro or when we are out if I might want it. Best move ever!

[@sergiogamito7909]

Portugal have its fair of problems, bureaucracy is one of the worst, even for us Portuguese, and price of houses and rents, Lisbon is one of the most expensive cities in that regard. No place is perfect, but Portugal is one of the safest countries in the world, and offer everything a civilised country can offer, it have deep socialist values and laws, free health care and education just to mention two, but I do advise to have a health care insurance, our private hospitals are in par with any hospital in the world, even the state ones, the problem is the waiting lists on the state run hospitals, still, they do very good treatment. I won't talk about the food, the food is well... one of the world's best food and healthy. As for people giving seat and offering to go first on supermark or any other place, its also a social thing of ours, most respect elderly and disabled people, you will find the occasional retard but overall our culture is of respect and understanding. I hope all the best in Portugal

[@paisley_flamingo2]

@ We do have private insurance and use that for most of our care. The private system, even paying out of pocket, is still much cheaper than in the US. Since this was an emergency situation we went through the public system. The hospital and level of care was excellent no matter where you compare it to.

[@omaopa6923]

As an Aussie listening to your take of the way things are in America was mind blowing to me, it’s so different to most of the world 🇦🇺

[@thomasfranz6467]

Nudity is not the same as porn, that's what Americans don't seem to understand. It's a completely normal thing, why would you hide it? But on the other hand, selling guns at supermarkets is completely fine, of course, but god forbid there's a breast on a picture or video somewhere... Bread doesn't make you fat, the point is that American bread is like cake to us. Subway could not legally sell their "bread" as such in many EU countries. I never in my life associated bread with obesity, what I associate with that is fatty fried foods, fast food and super sweet soda.

[@MordorProject]

USA is an extremely religious country. Unfortunately, many Americans have churches and NRA hands so far up the a*s that they’re basically nothing but muppets. Church says that nudity is sin, Muppets goes “ nudity is baaad”. NRA says that guns and violence are ok, Muppets goes “ guns and violence are ok “.. It’s part of their culture, but not all Americans are that mindless.

[@HubiKoshi]

There was this scandal regarding Hope Carrasquilla, a Florida principal who taught about and showed 6th graders the Statue of David and parents got all pissy because she was showing the kids naked people. Like how prudish do you have to be to get angry about art?

[@embreis2257]

tbf, bread can make you fat quite easily and I'm talking wholesome bread made by artisan bakers in France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria etc. ofc the worst bread is still the sweet cake rubbish they consider 'bread' in the US.

[@lukmaes6290]

INDEED !!!!!!!

[@chrissiesbuchcocktail]

This. I never met an US American who knew what porn (by definition) really is. It is for sure not nudity. I admit that those magazines are just made to evoke erotic feelings to make people buy them but they are still far from porn - just a little sassy. Display of real porn in public is forbidden.

[@LynxLord1991]

As a Dane I can assure you we do not care what you do for a living unless you really want to tells us about it, We all work its so and so you just have to do it but your hobbies your passions your beliefs your dreams those matter and it sparks energy and excitement to learn and talk about. Who wants to hear about you spending your day at the same folding machine ?

[@JoriDiculous]

Yeah, the normal "what do you do?" is about your non working time. If we want to know about work we ask what/here do you work.

[@melanp4698]

@@JoriDiculous There's no generic "what do you do" in Danish. But i disagree, what someone does for a living is a pretty relevant conversation topic pretty much always. Doesnt mean it's something that should be spent hours talking about, but i dont think i've ever had a long conversation with someone without being interested in what they do for a living.

[@AltCutTV]

In Sweden, unless the first question after name exchange is about what you do, something is clearly off.

[@zuki70]

@@melanp4698 Ahh, the term "nåååh, hva' laver du så?" (wellll, so, what do you do for a living?) certainly was a thing in my younger, more sociably active age. Guess it still lives on, but I have the feeling, that it is today such a cliché, that people tend to avoid it. Even back in the days it was such a worn-out "icebreaker", that we used to make fun of it - something that elderly people would ask you...

[@guillermolledowolkowicz7085]

It's kind of rude to ask what do you do for a living if you ask it to someone who is just someone you know and not your friend.

[@John-jw8rx]

I tell Americans that the houses on one side of the street in my English village are 15th century. The old stuff is on the other side 😁

[@simbella99]

🤣🤣

[@rattywoof5259]

Yeah - I was showing an American friend our village church in south west England. She freaked out when she looked at the board listing all the previous pastors and saw that the first one took office (in that very building) in 1189. I then blew her mind completely when I told her that that had been built by the Le Brett family as part of their penance for being involved in the murder of Thomas a Beckett in Canterbury Cathedral. "I though that was just a movie!" she said.

[@jokervienna6433]

Ha, ha, haaa! I am sure it makes you feel good! I live in Vienna and sometimes write to americans that the oldest farmacy I have found here was founded in the 1500:s. AND have remained in the same place all that time. Let´s talk about regular customers - like for generations! :D

[@jarls5890]

@@jokervienna6433 You should also mention St. Peter stiftskeller up in Salzburg! (open since year 803)

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

@@jarls5890 oh, that our wine cellar that is only around since the 1200s, but at least we have 600 year old wine.

[@EduardoCruz-ur4wq]

In Portugal is forbidden the demolition of old buildings and houses of patrimonial and historical interest , if they are in bad conservation can be done the demolition of all the interior but they have to preserve the exterior walls , it is normal to see buildings with no interior supported the external original walls by an iron cage waiting for reconstruction, many times you can be in small buildings and houses with the exterior of the XV century, but with interiors of the XXI century.

[@BabsRooversKlomp]

Nice

[@Charlie-ez4ts]

Sometimes people in the UK complain about visitors getting free healthcare, but it has been pointed out repeatedly that putting in an infrastructure to take money from people would cost more than the money it would bring in. So feel free to use our NHS- I pay for it in my tax and I am really happy for my taxes to be used to help anyone who needs it.

[@abigailjohnson4270]

Our government has agreements with other govs re getting back treatment costs if someone needs full on major surgery, ITU etc when here and didn’t come with travel insurance. But the NHS is free at the point of delivery regardless - some people may have a form to fill out which will allow our gov to sort out the cost, but the person won’t ever be asked to pay. People don’t just get massive amounts of treatment for free if they need it when visiting - there a lot of bureaucracy going on in the background which isn’t seen if they didn’t come with travel Insurance. Esp if they need medivac etc back to their home country. We do get the costs back.

[@B-A-L]

We should have a policy of charging Americans though because they expect it!

[@MrLunarlander]

They should have been charged - and increasingly hospital Trusts are catching onto this, particularly for major procedures. It would still have been very cheap compared to what they'd have paid in the US!

[@Charlie-ez4ts]

@@MrLunarlander True, but in reality putting in an infrastructure to take these payments has been shown to cost more than the money it would bring in. In the meantime, I am happy for my taxes to keep all people here healthy.

[@frederickwelham3829]

It is also very wrong to turn away very sick people because they don't have insurance or means to pay. I recently saw a video of a guy in the states who was bitten by a rattlesnake and after lifesaving treatment at the ER was presented with a bill for $600,000, putting him in debt for life.

[@StevenQ74]

The biggest mistake tourists make is ONLY going to Amsterdam and thinking The Netherlands is just Amsterdam.

[@tonys1636]

That's the same Europe wide, Paris is not the whole of France nor is London the UK.

[@herb6677]

Yes indeed. I am Austrian and have been 4 times in the Netherlands so far and everytime I was in Amsterdam i thought, that this city is the worst city of all the Netherlands. Delft, Gouda, Amersfort, Hoorn, Alkmar are all superior, even the modern Rotterdam is more stunning then stinky Amsterdam. Sorry, Amsterdamers!

[@siebensunden]

Same with Czech Republic and Prague. Honestly, Prague is something like Vatican - state in a state.

[@Mark_dj86]

@@herb6677 It's just the truth, and everybody in the Netherlands knows it

[@pialindh8716]

Same in Sweden Stockholm is not the whole Sweden. There is a lot more to explore.

[@euricofrade6728]

I'd rather have nudity displayed publicly than guns for sale in supermarkets...

[@Leo-yr5jb]

Both

[@asjaosaline5987]

Problem with excessive prudance is that people belive its wrong and dirty and so they do it more secret or if there is age restriction as Age drops they indulge themself. In Europe people don't thing Nudity is wrong or dirty and if they grow up they don't have feel like finally they have access to something that was forbidden. Same is alcohol in USA, people are forbidden to have alco before 21. So a lot of them develop alco problem in college or later life. Thought USA is more religious country in paper, more people have extramarital relationships.

[@nanakomatsu7425]

I agree... .-.

[@Maria..Carina-y6x]

@@asjaosaline5987 exactly. not to mention the hypocrisy, just as Jim Jefferies famously said in one of his stand up specials, about USA having the world's biggest porn industry, and an 18 yo girl can take part in a porn scene, with 10 dudes doing the nastiest, hardcore scene ever, but she better not have a fking bear!! No bear lady, you are too young for that, looking for trouble!!.and prostitution is of course illegal, but as long as this girl is payed to be in porn industry, and billy your homeboy is filming everyything and put it on the internet, is ok that she is payed for sex. you can't not make this sheet up, get the fk out

[@mrkansas]

Gimme both!

[@vansting]

You missed the important thing about recycling bins…we recycle everything. In Sweden we have been doing this since early 80’s. In America you just use it as landfills and dump it in the ocean. Sweden burns the few % of the garbage that’s can’t be recycled in high tech heating plant and it heats water and provides energy. We even need to import garbage from our European neighbors because our garbage disposal is so efficient in recycling

[@LudwigVaanArthans]

By recycle everything you mean you send thousands of tons of your trash to other countries, like Romania for example, which in turn "recycles" it by either dumping the trash or selling it to Chinese freighters

[@pialindh8716]

@@LudwigVaanArthans NO. In Sweden we don´t send any trash to any other countries. We take care of it our self. We melt down the glass, and make new bottles, take care of the paper to make new paper, shreds cardboard to make new cardboard and things made of cardboard (even furniture) food scraps are broken down into soil and everything else combustible is turned into energy, for heating e.g. houses. We even import trash from countries that have problems with too much trash, because we need it.

[@santostv.]

​@@pialindh8716I can defend my Swedish friends, they even import it from Norway Go learn to recycle

[@The_krazy_kriegsman]

why do you need to import trash ? to keep the garbage disposal running ? or something else ?

[@paulqueripel3493]

​@@The_krazy_kriegsmanprobably to burn it to heat water etc. they may need more than they produce if they're that good at recycling.

[@morbvsclz]

We do have school busses in Germany at least, as well. But that's in rural areas, where the regular Bus schedule does maybe not really match with the school starting times, but certain villages need to go a few towns over for certain secondary schools etc. and the normal busses would not have the capacity to cope during the "peak" times for school start + finish. Those are usually "extra Busses", usually provided by the same operators that also run the normal public transport. But they differ slightly, in that they are scheduled to arrive for school starting times, have "pick up only" stops in the surrounding villages and then skip all the regular stops within the "big town" and go straight to the school.

[@brigittelacour5055]

Same in France.

[@kenbrown2808]

my biggest culture shock in the UK was that driving was treated as a collaborative effort instead of a cutthroat competition.

[@Charlie-ez4ts]

How else would you manage on a country road where 2 cars cannot pass?

[@kenbrown2808]

@@Charlie-ez4ts pull up nose to nose with the other car and sit there blaring the horns until somebody gives up and backs down, of course.

[@micade2518]

One of my rarest, most cherished moments in Paris, France: I was walking back home in the wee hours after having been to a party, by a balmy Spring or Summer morning. I was by myself and, as I reached one of the bridges over the Seine, two very proper-looking guys stopped me and one of them questioned me - very politely. He told me that his friend standing next to him was adamant that he would jump into the Seine - commit suicide - if his girlfriend hadn't come back to him within the next 48 hours ... the guys were both very young, very well dressed and not in the least drunk. And that started an epic philosophical conversation on the meaning of life, love, hope and despair, ... between me and these two strangers, on that bridge, in the wee hours of a balmy Summer or Spring morning ... When we finally parted, I was feeling elated and enriched, whilst relieved that the heart-stricken youngster would have thought twice about putting an end to his young life ...

[@Sahrilla]

Clubs and Discos in Germany in my experience: The club opens around 9pm, but until midnight it's mostly 16/17 year olds with their friends. At midnight they have to leave and the grown ups arrive after "Vorglühen", like getting tipsy at someones home or a bar. Clubs stay upon until 6 am or later. And yes, some clubs don't close at all at the weekends, so yo could start on Thursday night and stay until monday morning. But usually you are tired around 6am, get some fresh rolls or bread from the bakery on your way home (very important if you are younger and still live with your parents) and go to bed.

[@martinweber2787]

That's exactly how it is. "Preheating" makes the weekend cheaper.😅🎉

[@ellenstergaardgravesen1011]

Sounds like Denmark (or at least how it was 25 years ago when I did that kind of thing - now it's my kids doing it).

[@juancrl2]

​@@ellenstergaardgravesen1011 In a lot of Europe actually. Truth is, in most countries alcohol is very expensive in bars, easily double or triple the cost, so it's a lot cheaper that way

[@mats7492]

There are clubs/Bars that never close as well.. In St. Pauli for example..

[@mats7492]

@@juancrl2 Its the same in the US.. its even more expensive.. You can easily pay 15-16 bucks for a simple beer in a club but since clubs close to early (mostly at 2am) people just binge drink and get into fights.. Partying in the US is just deadful..

[@just_passing_through]

12:30 Just remember that America constantly complains about the complete lack of public transport, and yet it’s right there… every day… you just aren’t allowed to use it. If they scrapped school buses all together and allowed anyone to use them, people could get to work and back again, the shops etc without the need for a car. School kids could catch them if they need to, just like they do in every other country on the face of the earth. Three are almost a million school buses in America which sit completely idle other than an hour in the am, an hour in the pm, just five days a week.

[@alfrredd]

I'm not American but I can imagine the average suburban parents complaining that "hobos" are riding the bus with their children.

[@la-go-xy]

The kids in German towns usually use the public trams and buses if they are not near enough to walk, scootr or cycle. It is different in the country: Either local service providers have slots for dedicated school buses, or the families have to organize transport themselves... E.g. from 5th form on I had 8km (1 direction, through 2 villages) and usually went by bike no matter the weather together with some class mates.

[@just_passing_through]

@@alfrredd Then either pay for them to have a chauffeur driven limousine to school, or shut up.

[@catcherinthesky4106]

@@alfrredd And way does the greatest country in the world has 'hobos' everywhere?

[@DaniëllaKL1970]

​@@alfrredd So what! There isn't a town or city that hasn't a mingle of people. Why would it on the bus be any different?

[@nickgrazier3373]

British Vet here! I was in Germany from 73 on different postings of about 3 years at a time to 90. Germany had all the stringent recycling collections every time we went there so they probably led the way for recycling in all of Europe! Annoying at the time? Yeh to start with then you got used to it and then it was just do it regularly no problem! Cheers Aah Kid

[@philipmccarthy6175]

I've walked through squares in Madrid at 4 in the morning, and they look like a bomb hit them. Walked through them the following lunchtime, and you could eat off the ground because they're spotless. It's easy if you want to live in a nice place.

[@M3CHR0M4NC3R]

"You probably almost eat bread every day" Me: Looking up at the screen with bread in my mouth for the 3rd time today, like normal.

[@annfrancoole34]

I'm right with you.😶😏😒☘☘☘

[@jKtiiy]

as an Austrian, we don't have siesta here, butt we heavily associate it with southern European countries, especially Spain, but I know places being closed around noon or the early afternoon is a thing in Italy, too. I think a big part of it is just as a way for people to deal with the intense summer heat around the Mediterranean coast

[@101088Albert]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@cyberfunk3793]

Very hot in many places like Arizona in the US also, and yet they manage without Siesta. I think it's a pointless thing nowadays for people not working outside because offices and buildings have AC usually.

[@The_krazy_kriegsman]

@@cyberfunk3793 you might already know this but i'll tell it anyway in europe only a few places have AC cuz it's either a waste of electricity or the temperatures vary enough to not burn all day and in southern europe ( spain/portugal ) it's really hot and dry and so ppl need to rest to recover from the temperatures in the morning

[@minminitaa]

​@@cyberfunk3793 Offices don't close though, we have a normal lunch break and nobody goes home. It's just for shops and things like that and it does make sense. Why would you want your shop open if it's going to be empty anyway? People usually walk everywhere here, no one is going shopping with 35-40ºC outside. Also we end work late, so shops close later too.

[@cyberfunk3793]

@@minminitaa Ok, that makes sense to not have siesta in offices. I thought everybody was having same siesta and sitting in the cafe for the afternoon when I was there 😀 What I found more annoying than the siesta was that on Sundays even most supermarkets were closed. France and Germany do that too and I often found that just when I needed something it was Sunday and I couldn't go and get it. I was not used to planning ahead and making sure to get everything already on Saturday. And I was walking outside also when it was over 30 in Valencia and the streets were not empty so I'm not so sure shops would not have customers. Especially in the cooler months, when the shops were still having a siesta.

[@rhwerkman]

There was a Dutch family who moved to the states and got into trouble because their kids went to school by themselves. It's normal here.

[@kjellg6532]

My wife han about 1,7 km to school, in winter time on skies making her own tracks, from 7 yrs old. I had only 1,6 km - by foot.

[@Errathetube]

It's the same in Sweden. Of course some people get a ride from their parents but most kids take the bus (normal bus like everybody else), walk or bike to school. If you live in the country side then you are eligible for school taxi which is an ordinary taxi cab that during mornings and afternoons drives the child to and from school. The driver has to be certified and undergo a background check.

[@101steel4]

Wow

[@Csakbetksszmok]

a Canadian state does not allow to leave them unattended till they are 16-they call it freedom : D I attended to school alone since I was 6-in the so called communist dictatorship of Hungary : D and by walk, in case some uncivilised carjunkie won't understand, in Europe we have feet, and we are able to walk : )

[@weerwolfproductions]

Can confirm that as a child I walked or cycled home by myself from age 8 or so. In the morning i went with my mother and younger sister who went to the same school and was too young to cycle on her own yet, but younger kids had earlier end-times than older kids so I would go home on my own. We learn traffic rules early. When I was 10 or 11 i used to roam on my bicycle throughout the county on my own. This was quite normal back in the 1980's.

[@polifemo6816]

Bread in the US is not bread, it is garbage full of sugars, rare oils, preservatives, flavorings, chemicals... In Europe in general, and especially in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Poland... bread is just bread: quality flour, water, yeast and a little salt. Bread is eaten every day and with every meal and it does not make you fat. Pizza is bread, pasta is also flour, baguettes are bread and loaves are bread. Real bread that lasts only a few hours or one day, with no added shit to make it last for months. Regards from Spain!

[@mitxonvalles3308]

Indeed, all over the mediterranean countries when a piece of bread is tender and fresh after 48h... raise eyebrows of suspicion.

[@Aegie]

And don't forget about a little little bit of sugar so the yeast can do its thing

[@polifemo6816]

@@Aegie No, sugar is not necessary for the yeast to act. That is a false and stupid legend. The flour has enough carbohydrates and you do not have to add sugar.

[@Aegie]

@@polifemo6816 oh ok :)

[@Fn-xj8hl]

I'm from Ireland and our worst white processed loafs of bread last 3 days max. I was in the UK last week and had some bread left over so brought it home with me and it's still soft and not showing any sign of mould 😮

[@kevincollins8484]

Regarding the bar in the UK been in operation since the 11th century, there is a bar in Ireland called Sean's Bar that claims to have been in operation since 900AD. That means it was set up during the first Viking age in Ireland.

[@rodneyaarup319]

Pretty smart people those days in Ireland…. Can you imagine a viking arriving just to find put that there are no bars? (I am from Denmark, and related to the Viking kings 🇩🇰🍺🇩🇰).

[@ZuulGatekeeper]

Hey it's a good story & marketing that brings in the tourists but it's age is massively an exaggeration so take it with a big pinch of salt as no documented evidence of a tavern or even a town being there so long back & renovations in the 1970's did find parts of foundations/walls but they were dated back to the 17th century by Irish state’s Department of Housing & Heritage not the 9th century claimed by Sean's bars owners.

[@holgermuller3597]

17:50 Wait, leaving the club is still not the end. We mostly go for a breakfast on an Autobahn restarea 🤗

[@vonsauerkraut]

American bread is like a chemistry set with sugar

[@borisamj8976]

It is possible the American in Spain was just confusing lunch time for siesta. We have a very late (for USA standards) lunch start at around 2pm and it can last for a couple of hours. Most shops close during that time.

[@Elkarus]

And almost nobody takes siesta on workdays in Spain.

[@alfrredd]

Only old people take siestas nowadays, working people are having lunch but definitely not sleeping!!

[@BICIeCOMPUTERconGabriele]

@@alfrredd Exactly the same in Italy

[@JustMe-sh8nd]

come on... a few hours lunch is not lunch anymore, in northern countrys lunch is 30min and if you are lucky your boss give you one hour dont get me wrong i do understand the need for a few hours off because of the extreme heat in the afternoon, but calling it lunch is ridiculous

[@valije]

@@JustMe-sh8nd You need time to get out of your workplace and get to your home. Then a bit more time to prepare the food (real food, not something premade to reheat bought in a convenience store). A bit more to actually eat it and then a bit more time to get back to continue to work. It adds up. Then, those from the northern countries tha like to call us lazy, are unable to cope with the heat in the afternoon and complain about it how hot it is all the time. I remember seeing an AUS news TV covering a "heat have" in UK that reached 25ºC. They coudn't control the smiles and a bit of laughing. Same will happen if we try to continue our lifestyle in the northern countries. We will die of hypothermia trying to drink a coffee in a terraza.

[@michaelafrancis1361]

I worked in a resort hotel in Switzerland for a season and one of my jobs was the disposal of the hotels garbage every day. It was unbelievable time-consuming. Every item had to be correctly delivered to the appropriate recycling bin in the village. All metal cans had to be flattened and placed in the metal recycling bin. All bottles and glass had to go to a big glass container and then sorted into green, brown and clear glass with a different section of the container for each. All newspapers had to be bound with string and left out for the collector and the same for cardboard boxes which had to be flattened and tied up. Plastic had to go to another container apart from plastic bottles which had to be carted down to a bin next to the village shop. Batteries had to go to the shop too to be placed in a small bin on the cashiers desk. There were also bins for garden waste and you'd see them stuffed with dead leaves in the autumn. Even waste food had to be scraped from plates into big blue drums which were sent off to be turned into pig swill. Even if your dog died you couldn't just bury it in the garden but had to deliver it to a special disposal unit.

[@Mushrakun]

I live in Salamanca, Spain, which was quoted at 15:00. The street cleaning was introduced back in 2000-2001 due to demands from the local population because Salamanca is a University city, lots of pubs and night life, and the city's tourism suffered from this. Now it's one of the cleanest cities.

[@barvdw]

It's also helpful in keeping the city cooler in Summer, the evaporation will lower the temperature of the city. It might seem a bit wasteful when there's a lack of drinking water, but it's pretty useful, actually.

[@John-jw8rx]

When i was in hospital in Cambridge, England a couple of months back. There were two Americans in my ward, both with broken legs. One was married to an English woman, the other on holiday. Both had huge praise for the NHS. The one on holiday even kept trying to pay the tea lady 😂

[@raybenstead2548]

Addenbrookes hospital Cambridge I take it? Had to go there for treatment and my only criticism is the parking. The staff were amazing.

[@John-jw8rx]

@@raybenstead2548 Yes, plus I can't comment on the parking, as I went to and from in ambulances. Returning to the fracture clinic I use their transport too. I'm in Essex so it's a bit of a mission when you can't walk.

[@mat_jas]

the 3 main reason for the unreal obesity are 1. SUGAR 2. MSG (what do you think, how can you eat a meal twice the size of your head and get hungry not long after?) 3. all-around car-based society and city planning, removing the practicality of walking or cycling Across Europe the food regulations are totally different compared to the USA, many of the additives are banned, and GMO is a big no-no for most of the people here.

[@melanp4698]

MSG has nothing to do with it, but the other 2, definitely.

[@weerwolfproductions]

The difference in food supplements and additives between USA and EU are: USA: it's ok to use until it's proven not to: if you got sick, sue the company. EU: it's ok to use after it's been proven so. No need to get sick, no need to sue.

[@deadzio]

Msg got nothing to do with obisity. Just look at Asian nations.

[@melanierhianna]

The hate on MSG is just racism from the 50s. Since Asian food has a lot of MSG they wanted to limit the amount of Asian food eaten in the US so came up with the MSG scare.

[@LadyHeathersLair]

In Canada we have banned more things than the USA but not as many as Europe. I wish we were more like Europe.

[@totemitoyz]

In Spain we have one hour or two to have lunch and some spare time before coming back to work in the afternoon thus avoiding the hotter hours of the day in the summer, although it's the same all year. This has been the same forever, before AC was invented. The Romans started it. They stopped at the sixth hour to avoid the worst part of the day. Sixth = sexta = siesta. It's the sixth hour of the day. It is the turists that jump to conclusions and be like "oooooooooooh, they're all sleeping siesta!". No. It's just a long lunch break that has been going on for two millennia. Siesta is Spanish for nap, and it's no different than any other nap. You take a nap if you can and want. It's not customary. Then they see an old man resting his eyes in the park and... AHA!!!!! Confirmation bias kicking in! OMG we saw siesta in Spain! So authentic! Historically, anglosaxons have always described naps as customary in hot countries, even talked about lazyness, but always failed to understand that before AC, most workers had nothing better to do than to get under a tree or get inside their house or have some drinks at the bar and wait for the worst part of the day to pass. Otherwise you risk an insolation or worse. Then they went back to work till 8 or 9pm in the summer. So much for "lazyness". The cliché of siesta is anglosaxon and it applies to Mexicans as well (remember Speedy Gonzales? His amigos were always taking a siesta or drinking... And they were lazy af. But it's the same reason: nothing to do at 100-110ºF in the farm so you take a break and get back to work late in the afternoon). So anglosaxons jumped to conclusions centuries ago (sometimes for anticatholic propaganda) and now it's a thing for them. But it's not. If you're lucky and your workplace is close from home, and you don't have kids, maybe you have the time for a 20 mins power nap during our customary long lunch break, but again, it's up to you and many people will prefer to just watch youtube or play a quick videogame. But even this doesn't usually happen in the cities because your job is 40mins away from home. Normally you have just enough time to go home, have lunch, scroll on social media and return to your workplace for the afternoon. And most people have lunch near their office in the cities, so no siesta at all. Office jobs are usually 9am to 2pm, then 1 or 2 hours lunch break, then 3 to 6 or 4 to 7pm. There's more "siesta" in the little towns because their workplace is 15min from home, but still, up to you. This siesta controversy is also a thing among Spaniards. The very small minority that takes daily or almost daily naps believe siesta is Spanish culture because of the cliché. The rest of us who have never had a nap in our lifes, think they're giving oxigen to the cliché. I got a call from a British woman at work, she wanted to talk to my boss and I said "he's not here at the moment", and she said "oooooh, it's siesta time, sorry". Whhhhhhhhhhhhat? Whhhhat?!! Don't ever do that. Just... dont. I'm 35, born and raised and living in Madrid, and I have never, ever in my life met anybody who takes naps daily or even usually. Some kids do in the summer because it's difficult to sleep at night in some areas (too hot). Sorry for the long comment.

[@Dreyno]

It’s also a Protestant and British thing. They’ve always called Catholics lazy. The Spanish? Lazy. The Irish? Lazy. The French? Lazy. The Italians? Lazy. Even when productivity figures shows that the opposite is true. That prejudice carried over to the U.S. as well where one of their tropes is the lazy Mexican. The one exception I always wondered was southern Germany and Austria. I never heard the same said about them. But I came to realise that most British people I knew didn’t realise that southern Germany and Austria were Catholic.

[@LuDa-lf1xd]

Very true. My bolivian side of the family take more siestas than my spanish one. I've never heard of the siesta stereotype until i got my English. I've also seen that is quite common in some asian countries too.🤷🏽‍♀️

[@titotellado]

Pues yo como Español y tengo 50 años , siempre que he podido he dormido la siesta. Para mí no es ningún cliché ni ninguna vergüenza. Siempre que escucho hablar a extranjeros hablar de la siesta , siempre saltan españoles enojados, como si fuera algo malo. Para mí es maravilloso.

[@marcps3522]

Thanks, god! You wrote all the things I was too tired and angry to talk about. Can't believe so many people still believes we go home and sleep or something. I've had several tourists trying to learn about that and it felt so bad, I was like.. What are you on? What are you even talking about?

[@marcps3522]

@@titotellado Las siestas (sí, son geniales), suelen ser de entre 10 y 20 minutos. Sí, casi todos nosotros las hemos hecho alguna vez, sobretodo porqué en verano y después de comer el propio cuerpo casi te obliga a parar. Cosa muy distinta es escuchar como muchos extranjeros hablan de "siestas" de 2-3 horas en las que todas las tiendas de Barcelona o Madrid están cerradas porqué la gente necesita dormir. Y sí, esto lo he escuchado muchísimas veces (ya lo puedes ver en este propio vídeo). Me parece una falta de respeto y una racistada de categoría.

[@Buurtspoor]

I (Dutchman) travelled quite a bit in the US. After a day of driving we would relax and eat our dinner at our leisure. Well, the waiters generally were hurried and wanted the table vacated as fast as possible. One evening, the restaurant was rather busy, and the waiter apologised several times for the wait between courses. Well, we weren't bothered. A bottle of wine and no hurry. We were completely fine with this situation. In the end, the waiter apologised again, probably expecting a minimal tip. Well we gave him an extra big tip for having had a very relaxing dinner ... I'm sure he did not understand.

[@ChristiaanHW]

going out is a social event, so it's should be this way. you arrive at the venue, the waiter asks what the party wants to drink, you have a nice conversation and the drinks arrive a bit later. you take your time deciding what everyone wants to eat, drink a little and continue your conversation. the waiter comes to take your order and maybe you're ready for a second round of drinks, and once again you continue with your conversation. the first course arrives, you eat, drink and talk a little, and after that you continue talking. next courses the same as the first one, and the waiter might occasionally come by to ask if everything is according to your wishes or if you want another drink. but most of the time the waiter keeps an eye on the glasses, so if the glasses aren't empty yet (s)he doesn't come over to bother you, unless you signal. after all the courses you stay and talk for as long as you want, and maybe order an extra beer or coffee during that time and only if you signal the waiter for and ask for the bill, or if the restaurant is nearing their closing time it's time to pay and leave. just a nice relaxing evening with friend/family and a nice dinner. not a contest where you need to shove your food in your mouth asap because the table has to be clear for the next paying person.

[@Liggliluff]

Tipping at restaurants is still weird, and I've never done that myself. I rather tip the person at the grocery store instead.

[@SubbTed]

​@@LiggliluffI bet you never gave a dime to charity either, but would rather give to the actual person needing help. Well I guess you're being good for you.. and your wallet 😂

[@jodocusonbenul]

@@SubbTed So what you are essentially saying is, waiters are living off charity. And you think that is a good thing. Tips are meant to show appreciation for good service. They should not be the bulk of their income. Pay waiters a living wage, then you have more money left to give to charities.

[@Liggliluff]

@@SubbTed to be honest, I can't even afford to eat some days, so I don't even go to restaurants in the first place 👍

[@Wolfy_80]

Here in sweden, you have 5 weeks paid vacation/year. You gain around 80% of your income for up to 2 weeks when you are sick. You can be home with your newborn baby for around 1year and 6 months with 80% of your income paid during that time.

[@IronFreee]

The "siesta" is not a thing in France, we take at least an hour to eat, but then we get back to work. Shop opening hours in Italy are different, they usually close between 12.30 and 3.30/4.00 PM. As for nudity, we don't usually expose explicit pron acts, but you may see some very explicit magazines on display in the higher rows. A certain degree of skin exposure is not uncommon in certain places, like on the beach, where being topless is not shocking anyone or breast feeding babies in public transports. It all depends on the context and the intention.

[@conallmclaughlin4545]

That first picture was not alot of bikes, there are parks with thousands of bikes

[@Real_MisterSir]

As someone from Copenhagen, yes this was a poor representation haha. Amsterdam and Copenhagen are absolutely filled with bikes, and that picture would be a delight cus there's actually still space to park your bike, rather than just tossing it in the mass and hope you get it out again at the end of the day lol

[@chrissiesbuchcocktail]

German here - that's what I thought.

[@Tguson]

I alone own almost as many bikes as in that picture. :-/

[@chrissiesbuchcocktail]

@@Tguson lol 🤣 love that answer!

[@Elriuhilu]

"A lot" is two words.

[@avitalsheva]

I dont know what is so shocking on nudity ? Even having for this special word ? Are in US are children born in suits or some packaging or having different body ? What a nonsense is even the IDEA that to see any part of our bodies is somehow strange and even shameful or " criminal" ? This is absolutely ridiculous - Why not to start lets say covering mouths and whole faces and especially act of eating .. as it is "special" activity as well

[@GoldenCroc]

Holdover from the common type of religious culture a lot of the US used to have.

[@dfuher968]

Remember, the Puritans went over there and heavily influenced the new society. Theyre werent called Puritans by accident. They were religious extremist, who were miffed, that they couldnt force their tiny fringe "puritan" religious beliefs on the majority, so they went to the "New World" to build a society based on their radical, ultra religious beliefs. That is still very much a part of US society today. Just think of how US tourists in Europe are shocked and outraged at us Europeans going topless at the beach, and the little kids running around naked.

[@avitalsheva]

@@dfuher968 Exactly , I almost forgot. Yes children in Europe just running naked all over Europe beaches and nobody even think that he ort she should care ... because what for ?

[@CBOANDALUCIA]

​@@dfuher968In the middle of the 90's, a group of Spanish engineers was called to worked in one of the Middle West state in USA. Bc it was for all the summer, their families were with them when the children finished the school period. Well, long istory short, they were in a private swimming pool and one of the Americans neighboors called to the Police (or Sheriff or whatever) bc they said "the girls were nearly naked, exposing the breast"... The parents were practically arrested but, lucky them, one of the officials were Mexican, talked Spanish, and understood the situation, but the Police were passsing the house, looking close, with the threat of retired the children, so finally, a lot of families came back to Spain. Oh, and the girl was only 3 yo, tell me about "showing her breast". A lot of nasty and obsessive individuals there.

[@cyberfunk3793]

@@avitalsheva Well most people consider it strange to walk outside nude in Europe also which is the reason we don't do it even when it's 30 Celcius outside. It's also criminal to do it in most of Europe except some beaches where it is specefically allowed.

[@devilkuro]

About the bread : It's how the bread is made (Europe has healthier bread, here in france a baguette is literally flour, water, yeast and a bit of salt, that's it) but it's also how it's eaten. When I looked at food in american restaurants, I saw pasta servings with bread on the plate. That's a big no-no. You don't eat carbs on top of carbs. In a dish, you either have pasta, rice, bread or potato but never two of those at the same time, as eating bread with pasta for example will bloat you. We do have some dishes that combine them, but they're rare and oftentimes considered unhealthy.

[@Jeni10]

Ditto in Australia!

[@lamebubblesflysohigh]

There are exception, for example in central Europe there is a Grenadier March dish which is potatoes with pasta and onions + spices (sometimes bacon). Grandmothers somehow summon this literally anytime you show up unexpectedly. Legend says it has origin in Austro-Hungarian army field kitchen but it is really god and fast meal :)

[@cyberfunk3793]

A bit of pasta with a bit of bread isn't going to bloat anymore than no bread with more pasta. It's the portion sizes of the items that matters.

[@DCresident123]

dude Italians eat bread with everything, even pasta

[@hansemannluchter643]

🤣🤣 Every single Italian restaurant I've been to, either in Italy or here in Denmark, first thing that happens is the waiter brings you a basket of bread, fresh water, the wine-list and the menu..

[@pollutingpenguin2146]

You’re so positive and openminded! That’s what I love about Americans! Such a joy to watch!

[@GazilionPT]

12:20 In the early 1990s we had separate recycling bins for green/brown glass (green bin) and clear glass (white bin). But later they realised there was not much reason to separate glass by colours, because once melted again, you can easily adjust the colour of the glass to whatever you want. Separating by colour was an unjustified burden that complicated the whole recycling process. So, by the late 1990s it was established that there would be only one bin (green) for glass, independent of its colour. I'm from Portugal.

[@hape3862]

13:30 Furthermore, there are no (as in: zero!) active landfills for household waste in Germany (and much of the EU) anymore! Everything is either recycled, composted on an industrial scale or "energetically recovered" (incinerated) to generate electricity and district heating.

[@missgranger5362]

Sick leave is unlimited in Europe. We don't have sick days. If you are sick, you are not a loser or a burden. Breaking Bad can only happen in the US, not in the EU.

[@kleinerfarmer1]

Also reduces risk of infecting other peps at the job. 10 sick are way worse then 1 absent after all.

[@MrFiver1111]

in Spain I believe it was 2 years max, not unlimited

[@eS._Te]

they will find a reason to fire you after 6months, you talking bs

[@w0t3rdog]

In Sweden, the state will take over covering your income if you are long-term sick. Well, you need to actually document your illness with doctors visits etc. to stay eligible for that.

[@timokohler6631]

@@w0t3rdog In Germany the public healthcare service does that, I think it's 60% of the last income after a couple of months.

[@justinianorigoberto7973]

We must demystify the siesta...in Spain the department stores or supermarket chains are open from 9:30 or 10 in the morning...until 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., but family businesses or small stores, you have to be crazy. .to think that from 1:30 to 5:00 in the afternoon.someone is going out to buy.with 40 degrees on the street....people take advantage of lunch time, to be in the pool...on the beach or in The house is very cool...the industry either closes in summer for holidays, or they work intensively, they only work in the mornings due to the heat...regards

[@cyberfunk3793]

I think Siesta is pointless nowadays for people not working outside. If your work isn't close to home, you need to waste time commuting twice to the office or sit in a cafe instead of leaving many hours earlier. There are hot places in US also but they don't require Siesta.

[@fermitupoupon1754]

@@cyberfunk3793 Apart from the ADA, US employers have very little regulations to deal with. I live in NL and I've had jobs where when temperatures go over 28C we get a "tropical schedule" which means either our shifts got split, or our hours were displaced into the cooler hours of the day. That is unless your job has airconditioning, in which case it doesn't apply as your employer can maintain a safe temperature to work in. Even when I worked for HP, they had no choice but to implement a tropical schedule for those of us working on the factory floor where there was no airco. If an employer doesn't our equivalent of OSHA is going to have a field day.

[@DoritoBot9000]

@@cyberfunk3793It’s not a damned siesta, it’s just a lunch break.

[@LuDa-lf1xd]

Nobody would go to a cafe at those hours. Most likely at bar with coworkers. Or videocalls with the family if you are far from home.

[@sannita2007]

In the Nordics it’s very rude to ask about salary/money. You could be friends with a millionaire and you would never know. Bragging about money is considered as a sin.

[@suicidalbanananana]

Same in central EU, depending on country its on a scale of borderline rude to extremely rude, who gives a f- what sort of paycheck somebody makes, that doesn't really say anything about the type of person they are & instead says something about the person asking this.

[@VAN17INO6]

you are very so considerate with any country, culture, or person when doing these videos. props dude

[@hrafnatyr9794]

🇸🇪 here. About source sorting; I live in the countryside a bit outside Kungälv, a small town some 15 miles north of Gothenburg. Collection of waste is handled by the municipality - but - everything must be sorted in different containers (provided by the municipality). So - we have a bin for combustible waste such as paper towels etc, another for food waste such as bones, onion skins, eggshells and other vegetable scraps (free paper bags to put in the bin are provided by the council). We also have separate containers for metal (cans etc), plastic (except plastic bottles and the like which usually have a deposit you get back on return) and glass. Environmentally hazardous waste such as batteries, electronics and the like must not be thrown in the garbage but deposited in collection stations. I believe that we recycle approx. 97% of all waste and also import waste from, among others, Great Britain and Norway to be used as fuel in our biogas-fired power plants.

[@infin8ee]

Americans would say " the government can't tell me what to do, I'll put recyclables where I want to"!

[@vanesag.9863]

Spain has recycling islands at our streets: glass bin, paper bin, plastic and metal bin, organic bin and other garbage. Cooking oil containers and cloth containers are less common. We have 1 cloth, oil and recycling islands every 3 classic recycling ones. If you have to recycle hazardous materials (batteries, electronics, paint...) you have to deposite them on the municipal "punto verde" (green spot) and you can deposite there normal recycling products like paper or glass. If you want to recycle furniture you can call the municipal cleaning service and they come to your building at specific day and time to collect the furniture. You only have to put the furniture on the building's hall. If it's in good condition they put the furniture in a big storage building and people can come and collect the furniture needed free of charge. Books that you don't want can be deposited on our public library and they sort them: if they are interesting and in good condition they are going to be part of the library but if they aren't interesting or in poor condition the books would go to bins in public spaces to swap or take home free of charge. We are going slowly but securely to a efficient recycling system.

[@heatherhoward2513]

You have no idea how great that sounds! Here in my city, geelong, Australia the council still hasn't rolled out the food waste bins, oh, and they've just pulled the pin on a extension of a bike route path because it's "too difficult" to get the street shops to agree. It's combustion engines all the way here and God help the cyclists.

[@GegoXaren]

Återvinningsstationerna är finansierade av handeln här i Sverige, detta på grund av att det uppfyller kravet för att butiker skall vara ansvariga för att hantera förpackningarna, och se till att de återvinns korrekt.

[@hrafnatyr9794]

@@GegoXaren Hej du, jag tror inte att jag nämnde återvinningsstationer annat än att batterier och annat miljöfarligt avfall inte får slängas i de sopor som hämtas av kommunen. Att handeln är med och finansierar återvinningen ser jag som helt naturligt. Det är bara handlarna som kan sätta press på tillverkarna att ta fram och välja miljövänligare förpackningsalternativ 🙂

[@bas7429]

I'm from Enschede in the east of the Netherlands. Clubbing times are more or less the same around Europe, starting somewhere in a pub around 10-11ish, entering a club after midnight and get thrown out when the sun comes up. Cleaning the streets is also a daily business here, not just in the city centre but the entire city has fleets of vehicles doing the cleaning and repairs to roads, road signs and streetlights. Kids usually bike or walk to school because each and every city block has an elimentary school and kindergarten, so public transport is not even needed although available. Right beside my house there is a busstop where a bus travels the entire length of the city 4 times an hour. We also have great healthcare. We do pay a monthly fee in insurance which is between 100 and 150 euros and 385 Euro per year own risk if we had any medical treatments. The rest is free of charge. Siesta is common in southern european countries like spain and portugal because summers get really hot so business close during the hottest hours of the day. Work then recommences later in the day which is why they eat late in the evening. Every country in Europe has their own bread specialities but one thing we all have in common is the brilliant idea of not putting tons of sugar in everything and loading things up with preservatives and other scary stuff. Oh and open nudity, nudity is not the same as porn. We mostly speak openly about such things and do not take offence easily. Conversations between people hardly ever start about work or school because we are mostly interested in who you are as a person instead of what you do for a living. Titles and paychecks don't impress us much, but being obnoxious about it riles us up lol. I hope I've covered everything now, keep up the good work!

[@theotherside8258]

I'll always remember getting up early in Denmark for a walk and seeing somebody almost unconcious physically thrown out the doors onto the pavement from a bar about 8:30 in the morning.

[@weerwolfproductions]

Yup, the early morning cleaning crew in city centres clear out all the trash left behind after the previous day or that night. I live in a small village and even here the road gets scrubbed once per month and several times they come past with a truck full of hot water to kill the weeds in the pavement. I lived in the UK for a bit and remembered that there were always fights during the end-of-partying night because of club-closure times being the same throughout the city. So instead of an eb-and-flow of people entering and leaving all sorts of different pubs and clubs like in Europe, gradually filling up and gradually emptying out, In Aberdeen for example everything would close at a certain time and the roads would be chock-a-block with drunk people. Fights galore every time. We only had that happen at the end of COVID restrictions with a national curfew. Local city council experienced it for one night and then threw out the national guideline book and went back to unlimited closure times the next day or weekend. And indeed, nudity is not bad. Violence is bad. In the USA they abhorr the first and admire the second. So weird.

[@RitaFMachado]

Besides agriculture jobs, retired people and small shops and smal towns or villages, no one takes naps during the working days. The normal hours for an office job here in Portugal is 9h -18h eith an hour break for lunch at 13h. So, people leave work at 18h, get home by maybe 19h or later, make dinner and eat somewhere between 20h and 21h, it has nothing to do with naps.

[@Nesho1]

In addition to other differences... European bread: 1 gram or less sugar. US bread: 6 grams of sugar.

[@MrPagan777]

And that's PER SLICE! smh

[@gorazdnovsak3705]

And that one gram is food for the yeast. Not to make bread sweet.

[@Liggliluff]

​@@gorazdnovsak3705which isn't even necessary and that's why some bread have less sugar

[@Hey.Joe.]

And no yoga-mat-softener in it.

[@IRACEMABABU]

French fresh bread : 0 sugar, and to buy it you need to walk to the bakery.

[@John-jw8rx]

Public buses were a luxury to me. I used to walk to school 😂

[@gaynorhead2325]

I used to cycle to school.

[@secondwind9337]

I`m Dutch. when I was 9 my mom would put me on the train, and I travelled halfway acros the country to visit my grandma. (alone, safe)

[@pedroleal7118]

In Lisbon, you can eat way late or way early, specially after having a few drinks!

[@chrisb2942]

I never got the idea of sick leave. You are either not able to work or able to work. If going to work sick you can't be productive, you will spread the germs and on top of it need a lot more time to get healthy again. How does that make sense in any brain?

[@Aotearas]

If the wage slaves don't work then the business owner can't exploit them and any worker being paid without being productive cuts into their profit margins ... and we can't have that now can we? /s Also I'm not using the words "wage slave" for nothing. The US is what happens when the economy never quite quit the slave labour mentality. I've seen so many instances of exploitative BS that would be straight up illegal in many other developed nations and regardless of legality were morally and ethically unjustifiable. There's shady and downright horrible stuff going on in other places too but the US in particular looks like it's trying for gold in the misery olympics when it comes to labour ethics. Too many people just getting treated like a disposable resource to be sucked dry and discarded for fresh meat for the grind. Infinite growth, baby!

[@kenbrown2808]

if you let the peons go home just because they are hacking up a lung, they will get the idea the company doesn't own them. then next thing you know, they will demand to be paid a wage they can live on.

[@cuoresportivo155]

and in turn could infect others.

[@weerwolfproductions]

Indeed. At work we get told to go home / stay home if you present with symptoms / aren't feeling ok. Not just by co-workers, also by managers. I sometimes give in-house training in person and am a lung-infection risk. When there's a student who's coughing or sniffling all the time, I send them home right away. No mercy!

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

There are two large bicycle parking buildings at Amsterdam Central Station. The original one has 5500 bike parking spaces. A new one, opened in 2023, added another 7400 spaces, for a total of almost 13,000 bike parking spaces just at this one railway terminus.

[@DaniëllaKL1970]

And without a doubt all over downtown smaller parkings and OV rental bikes.

[@MrMartinSchou]

7:43 - There was a relatively famous case in Ireland a few years ago (2020), that ruled that Subway used far too much sugar in their loaves for them to call it bread. In Ireland, they have a tax-exemption for bread, IF the sugar, fat and bread improver (whatever that is) is below 2% of the weight of flour. E.g. if you use 100 grams of flour, you can use up to 2 grams of fat, 2 grams of sugar and 2 grams of bread improver. Subway used 10 grams of sugar, which made their bread, legally speaking, closer to a cake than it did bread. 10% sugar is wild. That's brioche territory, and brioche is too sweet for my taste buds for most things where I'd use white bread.

[@CummyPancakes]

One thing to remember about Bread across most of europe it only contains sugar in order to activate the yeast. There is such a tiny enough of it compared to the US versions you'd be surprised at how fewer calories it contains compared to a US loaf.

[@GazilionPT]

The channel "Not Just Bikes" (by a Canadian living in the Netherlands) has great videos about mobility in the Netherlands. The only real problem is which one to choose, which one would be great as a "first approach" to that subject, because he has tons of interesting videos.

[@BICIeCOMPUTERconGabriele]

Roads vs Stroads

[@weerwolfproductions]

He did a new one yesterday or day before where he explaines how the size of US and Canadian firetrucks cause 2.4 times more pedestrian fatalities in the USA than in Europe (that's overal pedestrian fatalities, not specifically caused by firetrucks). And there's way, way fewer pedestrians in the USA than there are in Europe intermingling with traffic.

[@GazilionPT]

@@weerwolfproductions Yes, I saw that. What amazed me was the information that in the US they send gigantic firetrucks for non-fire-related emergencies. 😳

[@weerwolfproductions]

@@GazilionPT They do in The Netherlands too, to get animals in distress. They use the hoses (behind the animal's hindquarters) to pull horses and cows out of ditches, and they use the mobile ladder to get cats off roofs and out of trees, for example. But that's still with equipment specific to the fire department, and because they're with a group of people that used to working together they get it done quickly. If there's storms they also go about sawing up trees blocking the roads, or that have fallen roofs and cars etc. Or remove parts of a building that might fall down.

[@GazilionPT]

@@weerwolfproductions OK, I forgot cats on trees. I forgot that. Of course they use fire tucks for that here too. But from what I understood from the video, in the US they also send a gigantic fire truck to a cardiac arrest situation. A cardiac arrest on a person not perched on a tree.

[@elmarwinkler6335]

Sir, they modernised the hotels, where it was needed. My wife and me slept in actual former castles, cloisters and mansions in Spain. Around 1928 they turned those buildings into hotels, because the noble families could not afford the rising costs to maintain them. One BIG old castle was built from 900th century to the 13hundreds It was quite comfy and less expensive, than you think.

[@vanesag.9863]

you slept in Paradores Nacionales. They are National funded hotels and the hotels are really beautiful. Cardona Castle Parador has it's own haunted room that you can ask for.

[@elmarwinkler6335]

@@vanesag.9863 I am haunted enough from my past. Thank you for your information.

[@zdravo88]

Spaniard here, In Spain, the time for a siesta and having a late dinner are interconnected, and I imagine the same is true in Portugal, especially in the south. For half the year, being outside during the middle of the day is absurd due to the sun (and the heat), so we pause during those hours and "make up for it" by extending the day.

[@santostv.]

We get sun later they don’t understand it,even Northern Europe lock down on us, they don’t understand we give the hours back and depends on your job some give more some less. Breakfast 8-9h Lunch time 12-14h Dinner time here is 20h-21h

[@goyakat2211]

No siesta in Portugal. Although some shops might close from 13:00 to 15:00

[@minminitaa]

@@goyakat2211 That's literally what happens in Spain too (maybe different hours). I don't know where the obsession with "siesta time" comes from, nobody is taking naps here besides old people

[@goyakat2211]

@@minminitaa but in Spain everything stops at that time, in Portugal only some small private owned close at that period. Most of the places are open non-stop, like grocery stores 8:00 to 21:00, coffee shops 6:00 to 20:00 and so on. And even the ones that close from 13:00 to 15:00 doesn't mean that the staff are free, in some places they might keep working. Siesta or sesta in portuguese it's not really a thing.

[@minminitaa]

@@goyakat2211 It's literally the same thing, not EVERYTHING is closed, you're talking like the whole country stops when it's just the small bussiness 😭 Mercadona, Lidl etc open 9:00-22:00, no stops. Some coffee shops close, others don't. Some stores close, others don't. When I was in uni I literally used to go shopping for clothes at lunch time because they were open (and empty).

[@AH87saxo]

Spaniard here… I think “la siesta” thing is a stereotype. The fact that shops and establishments close for a while (usually variable, but not more than 2 hours) is not usually for sleeping. Usually, especially in small shops or establishments that are usually run by a couple of people or a family, that is to say, no chains, franchises or large companies (also to these we would add, now, with the incursion in recent years of shops run by Chinese, Pakistanis, etc… for example) they usually close for lunch. Here, lunchtimes are usually later than in other countries. And depending on which part of the country, and the time of year, they have closed because the temperature is high outside, so there are usually no people outside, so it is unlikely to have customers… Although I say that “la siesta” is surely more of a stereotype than a reality, this does not invalidate that in some cases it may be true 😅

[@CMOT101]

I'm a Brit. When I was younger I would go out at 7pm, be in the bars until 11pm, go to a club until 6am next day and then go and get a burger or some chips from the vans and be home by 8am. 13 hours of fun. Unless I met someone then it would be back to mine at 6am....

[@arch4053]

Why.. do you need to know a person's occupation? THAT's weird. If someone came up to me and asked what my work is, i'd be thinking who the f is that guy and why is he questioning me. Also, never associated bread with being fat. Greasy-ass pork, sure. But bread? And paying for medical services is as ridiculous as having to pay the fireman before they put out your house. If your government doesn't care for the wellbeing of its citizens, then what does it do? Here we are under the impression that the government's job is to take care of us, whether we lose our jobs, we get sick, we get robbed or our house is on fire, that's why we pay their salary. If your government doesn't provide you these services then why are you paying them?

[@kenbrown2808]

believe it or not, there was a time when the US had private fire companies, and you would literally decide whether to pay a smaller fee in advance to arrange for fire protection, or you would have to negotiate for fire protection WHILE your house was on fire.

[@melanp4698]

Someone coming up to you asking you about pretty much anything is weird. Discussing what people do, relationships, interests etc are preeeetty common topics SOMEWHERE in the conversation, pretty much anywhere in the world. And as a Dane i can conformtably say, that it's also pretty common here, but it all depends on what you're doing.

[@Elriuhilu]

Marcus Licinius Crassus was the first person in Rome to create a fire brigade in the first century BC-except instead of helping save people's homes from being destroyed by fire he would turn up at fires with his firemen and then offer to buy the property from the distraught owner for an insultingly low amount of money. If the owner refused, Crassus would just stand around with his team and watch the building burn to the ground. If they agreed, he would put out the fire and lease the property back to the former owner. He would also sometimes instead buy buildings next to the burning one for cheap, claiming they would likely catch fire too, then tear them down to stop the fire from spreading. He had a veritable army of slaves, many of which were trained engineers and architects, to rebuild on all the land he bought. By the time he died he was worth something like US$160 million in today's money.

[@MrMartinSchou]

> Why.. do you need to know a person's occupation? THAT's weird. And it also tells you absolutely nothing about the person. What do you do for FUN is a far more interesting question.

[@melanp4698]

@@MrMartinSchou What someone spends 1/3 of their life doing "tells you absolutely nothing about the person????" That makes no sense.

[@rachealbrown2166]

We don't knock buildings down just because they are old. History is important to us

[@suomenpresidentti]

Yes we do. Greetings From Finland. Expected life span for a new building is 39 years here.

[@Magnumaniac]

But they are much more likely to be destroyed by bombs - either due to wars or terrorism. History not so important in those cases unfortunately.

[@Kris1964]

Well… we have had the 70s, when everyone knocked down sooo many beautiful houses, because of bad windows and damp basements…so in Europe we also have made tons of mistakes.

[@Kris1964]

In Berlin they do not have the same closure requirements as in the rest og Germany…so there you can party all through the night for as many nights as you can manage without sleep

[@yankeedoodle-xq2xt]

There's a lot of old buildings in the US that have been preserved. Ford's Theatre, the place where John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln, is not only still up, but they still do shows. St. Peter's church in Virginia, where George Washington got married, St. Andrew's Parish Church, the oldest church in South Carolina, The Alamo in Texas, where a very important battle of the Texas Revolution took place, Fort McHenry, the fort where the "Star Spangled Banner" the US national anthem talks about was located. There are many historical sites in the US. It's not like we just demolish every building that reaches a certain age. History is important to us, too.

[@Marianne-k4u]

In Denmark, what we do for a living doesn't defind us nor do our education. We have a life.

[@Galantus1964]

Amen

[@randar1969]

Same here in the Netherlands your work or being unemployed, being rich or poor doesn't define you. Are you honest can i count on you when things get tough? That's what's important.

[@vanesag.9863]

Spanish here... Talking with a South American about her work: she is a cleaner and she said to me that here people thinks it's a "normal" work but in her country it's a "shaming" work. I was astounded when she told me it 😮. She told me that the office manager (she works for our city hall offices) said to her that without her work their work wouldn't be comfortable, she was really surprissed. This man said her work is important to the office and she said that it's a big contrast from her country, where cleaners are not treated correctly. Here your work doesn't define you neither is less important than other job more "respetable" like a doctor. You need cashiers, cleaners, lawyers and doctors. We don't advance without all jobs.

[@m.z.2466]

define*

[@catcherinthesky4106]

So, what do you do for a living?

[@novh4ck]

The person probably saw a Playboy displayed and considered it a porn magazine. Actual porn magazines cannot be displayed where children could see them. That would be illegal in most European countries (if not all).

[@Charlie-ez4ts]

Do porn magazines still exist? Do people not have the internet?

[@MadSwede87]

@@Charlie-ez4ts In Sweden you can't find any porn magazines these days. I think the last time I saw one was around 2010-15🤔 and usually they were on the magazine rack, kids magazines at the bottom and adults at the top, that shelf usually had a cover so you only saw the title

[@MadSwede87]

come to think of it, they may have disappeared earlier

[@walkir2662]

As someone who went to school 1989 - 2002... nothing teaches you to deal with the unexpected like public transport. Well, the one time I actually got stuck was in elementary school when I walked home and all the ways were blocked by this scary big dog. OK, not all the ways - being a little kid I hadn't thought of one for ages. Worried mom to death but still made it home on my own. In "High school" I once had to walk back, too, (from what was normally a 45-minute commute) because of a massive traffic accident blocking the street car tracks. Other than that, you just had delays, reroutings, the occasional cancelle bus/street car... basically everything adult commuters also have to deal with. And with no phone, you had to solve your own damn problems.

[@BeckyPoleninja]

When I first came to the U.S, I went to party and the first thing someone asked me was what I did for work and my income. I said that was not their business to know, but did say what my name was. It was such an intrusive question.

[@fabr5747]

For the school bus in Switzerland, that exists for connections between villages that don't have interconnected public transport. But whenever public transport exists, this is a standard. Even 6 years old hop on a bus, tram to go to school, although rare, it happens.

[@kjellg6532]

Same in Norway.

[@Aotearas]

Can't talk for others, but my small talk typically consists of two sentences and then it's either onto the actual discussion that needs to be had or silence as I go about doing my own stuff. If some random stranger or even just someone that I rarely see suddenly asked me about what I do for work, where I went to school or some such questions, my answer will be a firm "I don't know you and that's none of your business". I'm not discussing personal matters with people until I know them and even then it's only if there's a relevancy for posing such questions or if I implicitely trust them as friends (and I need to stress the term "friends" here, I mean friend, not loose acquaintance, co-worker, neighbour or some such superficial relationship). If you want non-committal small talk from me, ask about the weather and you may get more than two sentences as I rant about how bloody hot the summer is again and how forecast says next week is going to be worse. Then we can comiserate amicably. Unless you're a summer person and like 30+°C, in which case I'm sorry but we're incompatible.

[@FatherMartin]

Enjoyed your reactions, thank you! I was taught, growing up in England, that asking a stranger or a new acquaintance what they do for a living is crass. Thankfully British weather provides adequate ammunition for small talk. 😉

[@shadowfox009x]

Rural German, shops usually close from 1 pm to 3 pm. It's just small owerner-run shops, pharmacies, the post office and such, not the big grocery stores, discounters and big chain-stores. But it gives the owners a chance to take a break and eat lunch. When you meet fellow students, people would talk about what everyone was studying. But job? Now, why? Completely unimportant. Work is something that is left at work once Feierabend comes around. Unless one is with close friends and bitches about work, co-workers and the bosses. But that's close friends, not new acquaintances.

[@lauram4168]

European Living in Canada, i live here of 15 years i could not eat the bread here, gross ...i bought a bread machine from the start, i make my own. Regarding late hours for dinner, its allways like that back home, people get out to socialize that's why everything is opened late, and clubs are opened at least in Romania until 6am , here in Canada they serve last drink at 2 am and that's it😅. I went to school by myself in 1st grade, my parents worked very early, and i was coming home and was waiting for my parents to come from work, or doing my homework or going to play with other kids until parents would arrive 😂 what a life ...i could not imagine that now for my kids

[@stevieinselby]

The time thing in Spain is an interesting one. Because Spain is on the same time zone as most of western Europe, but is the westernmost extremity, geographically it _should_ be in the next time zone over. So when Spaniards rise late, eat late and go to bed late, that actually makes sense in terms of their circadian rhythm. Also the fact that it's hot during the daytime so the environmentally sensible choice (ie, not air conditioning everything) is to have their siesta and shift activity back to a time when the temperature is more amenable.

[@wolfgangholba6365]

For information about old hotels, bars, restaurants in Europe: The »St. Peter Stiftskulinarium” in Salzburg has been in continuous operation since 803!

[@weertangel7231]

In the Netherlands we have alot of bikes parked at the central stations but they have also alot of locks on them(3 at least) couse if u want your bike stolen u park it at the station, every other place is more safe. As for how kids go to school here depends on where the school is, most of our elementary/middle schools are built in residentual districts so that they can walk there, special exeptions like myself who needed to go to a school specialized in helping people with epilepsie/other disorders u get picked up by a taxibus who picked up everyone in your city/region and drives u all at once there and also picks u up there after school. The interesting part is that its totally free couse the city is required by law to make sure u get to school till 18 years old,as long as your parents register u for the service it won't cost a dime. Those who go to college/university can get a student pass that gives them a massive discount if not makes it totally free to travel with public transport across the country.

[@macman1615]

In the UK, they have started to charge tourists for any health services to take pressure off the NHS budgets, but it is never excessive unlike in the US

[@TheMontyman007]

Most dance clubs in Europe are open until 6 or 7am. You can even then go onto a day club from 9am to 6/7pm.

[@Gsoda35]

I remember going to the USA in Florida about a month ago. they had limited recycling and the internet connection occasionally disconnected. the USA might need help from Europe with infrastructure and logistics.

[@juansanchezvilla-lobosrami5404]

Yea but we shouldn't. The think they are the best.

[@DGARedRaven]

Friend of mine summed it up nicely. "Outside the major centers, the US is a 3rd world country pretending to be a 1st world one.

[@Gsoda35]

@@DGARedRaven probably because of a tradition by the internet providers to cheap out on maintenance or new cables.

[@QuentinPlant]

OK, as a German I won't compare internet connections. We're so behind on that in some parts.

[@Gsoda35]

@@QuentinPlant I guess it is a common occurrence in many nations and probably much more in the countryside. the municipalities just outside Gothenburg including islands often has decent coverage, few disconnections and sometimes fiber cable.

[@LednacekZ]

Siesta and late hours are how Europe deals with high temperatures. USA has AC on full blast. Europe just hides from the heat and gets out once it has cooled down.

[@Alex2007MUC]

Recycling is an absolute must in Germany. I was born 1967 and my parents taught us how to do it, because they did it. They have been brought up that way. This is not a trend ... it is real. And not glass and paper only. Plastic etc as well. Our city/village - 9000 locals - we had 3 "Wertstoff Parks". Those are huge, with containers, question&answer booths, etc. Every paint - from wall paint, nail polish, spray cans, wall paper, binders, gables, electronics, freezer, fridges, pots and pans, etc. I mean every thing you could think off (not organic), you could bring. A separate place took every thing "garden". And, and, and. Here in the US - I am in the US for while now - you don't have that. And if you find one, you have to pay for it. In Germany - it is already paid for. Taxpayer.

[@davidmalarkey1302]

I live in Arroyo de la Miel in Southern Spain near Malaga lot of the local businesses remain open all day and I have lived in Spain for 12yrs. Mainly some of the businesses in the more outlying villagers may close for a siesta. I work to live not live to work my working day starts at 7.30 am and finishes at 15.30 and I work Mon-Fri each week. I have a great lifestyle and a great work-life balance.

[@migueljoserivera9030]

Also, remember Europe is not small either but still most countries have Germany's time zone. That means that for Spain the clock is 2 hours ahead or the solar time so people eat and dine "late" to keep in line with the sun. The siesta thing has one reason to exist, which is being away from the sun at noon and use that time for digestion so you can go active right after, and and a reason to persist, which is that jobs start here around 6-9 AM to line up with tourist or European coleagues and finish at 7PM-9PM in shops and offices and 12-2AM for restaurants, so people are given a couple hours in those jobs to go have lunch and siesta if they want since they'll nedd the rest for the evening.

[@Liggliluff]

(1:05) It's great to see Amsterdam being so focused on biking, since it's better for the environment for many reasons, as well as their own health. However, they have the same attitude about not wearing a helmet as those who refuse a seatbelt.

[@baronmeduse]

Most of the time you're on a path completely separate from the road (separated by a large grass verge). And they're dual carriageways. You see very few bicycle accidents. I haven't seen one for 20 years while living in a major city.

[@pebblesonthebeach3258]

the NHS is funded by everyone health is a right, what kind of place would see a person i pain and think money

[@petergordon4525]

We should charge blatant health tourism though!

[@101steel4]

​@@petergordon4525Definitely

[@philiprice7875]

notice all the programs about bizzar bodies are from USA man with 20 stone testes man with 400 tumours needing some charity /go fund me to pay to get fixed it would never happen in Europe as your boss would tell you stay at home untill it gets fixed ok you might have to wait a month or so.

[@heatherhoward2513]

The answer...USA. My friend's daughter got cancer in the us,she tried to get treatment, no money, she came home to die when it was too late to help her. Left 2 kids.

[@pebblesonthebeach3258]

@@heatherhoward2513 I am so sorry for the loss, The measure of a country is how it treats the most vulnerable, the NHS does still have issues but its far better than others, America Spends more on health care and gets less, we do spend by taxes but we help more. and everyone deserves good health.

[@felixwillmann4341]

17:55 yeah German techno clubbing is the Best ❤😂

[@AntonyTCurtis]

When it comes to property, people in the USA seems to be so concerned if someone had died in a building to the degree that it is practically a necessary disclosure in a house sale. However, no one in Europe is ever concerned with such things because it is almost guaranteed that someone has died in an old building ... with the exception of perhaps Westminster cathedral. In Europe, glass is recycled into new glass products which is why it is helpful to separate the colours. In the USA, the majoirty of glass is crushed and used as landfill void filler so there is no need to sort them.

[@SOFTCOCOGIRL]

We are thinner because we move more. We don’t take the car for literally everything. Also our food has less additives. Europe takes its food more seriously. Most ingredients and even food from America are banned. Mc Donald’s and other American franchises needed to change their ingredients and even their way of having their restaurants here and work environment to be able to open in Paris. American bread is labelled as cake over here.

[@saschahellmick5564]

Nudity is a rather normal thing in Germany, we also have our FKK Culture mostly in the northern parts of the country where sections of the beach or entiry lakes are "no-clothing" zones. Our bread is real bread and no cake or some nightmare full of foam, air and additives. When I bake bread myself, I easily go through 2 loafs per week. And for the partying, it is pretty simple. You start on friday at home with friends, than than go club-hopping intermixed with visits in cornershops for food and coffee and you do that till sunday evening and go to bed with a beer.

[@cyberfunk3793]

Walk nude in center Berlin and see how normal people consider it, cops will probably come and pick you up at some point. I suspect most people don't find it that normal outside of a nudist beach.

[@John-jw8rx]

When my English cousin and his American wife and son, came to visit me in England. She stormed off the beach as there were topless women. Thankfully for her we didn't go to the nudist beach 😂😂 Such drama queens.

[@santostv.]

🤣

[@Pystro]

14:40 Yes, for residential streets 3 times a year is probably also what we get in Germany. I guess it's mainly for the city center and/or touristy areas that you get them cleaned every night. Probably not every night though. I haven't lived in a city center though, so couldn't tell you exactly. I'd guess more like once a week or once a month or so.

[@DemosIoannou]

btw guys, if you want to "pay" for the healthcare if they dont charge you, you can just search for charities and donate to them .