This past month I traveled to five beautiful European countries, including Italy, Greece, Croatia, Turkey, and Montenegro. Before I left for the airport, some family and friends warned me how different life might be while I was there. They told me things like the people would be rude or cold, or that the food would be completely different and I might not enjoy it.
While some of these things were true, I also noticed many things that differed from the U.S that some people might not think about.
One of the first things I noticed while abroad is that in a majority of European countries, there are little to no public bathrooms. However, if you are lucky enough to find one, you will have to pay about 3-5 Euros per person ($2-3 U.S.). My family and I were not prepared for this, as we weren’t expecting to have to pay, and the first time we tried to enter a public restroom, we were yelled at by an angry attendant for not paying the fee.
Another thing I noticed while shopping was that a lot of the clothing and style was heavily based on American pop culture. A lot of people were walking around with specifically Houston Astros shirts or hats. Many shops also sold brightly colored shirts that had american cereal on them, like Frosted Flakes and Lucky Charms.
One thing specifically in Venice, Italy I saw was the use of water taxis. If you don’t know, Venice is built on wood and stone and there are absolutely no cars or streets whatsoever. So, if you want to travel to another Italian island like Murano, you will have to take a water taxi. There are water taxi stations where you go and sit and wait for a boat. You can either get a private taxi which are smaller speed boats, or you can board a larger fairy boat with other people.
In many Mediterranean countries, smoking and vaping is very popular and normalized. You will see many people walking around and smoking in shops, restaurants, and in public in general. I thought this was interesting since in America, you will usually get dirty looks and comments from people if you’re smoking in restaurants or shops. In America it is very stigmatized and looked down upon to smoke in public places but very normalized and even almost even encouraged in some mediterranean countries.
One final difference I noticed was the candy. For example, the smarties we all know and love, the chalky, crunchy, and sweet candy are actually chocolate in Italy. They come in a tube and are ovular and they’re very soft and chewy chocolate.
In all, there are many noticeable differences, but also many differences that some people may not notice or be aware of until they have the chance to travel to these countries. Obviously there are many more differences that may be a little more niche or not as noticeable. But remember, just because some things may be different than you’re used to, doesn’t mean that you should look down upon another country.
Always respect people and remember that you’re a guest in their country.
