It’s no secret that when Americans hop across the pond to Europe, they are greeted by a countless amount of cultural differences, depending on the country they visit.
Having said that, visiting France for the Eiffel Tower or Rome for the Colosseum is an entirely different thing than spending more time in the old continent. Whether it’s the Americans starting a new job over there or moving into a new apartment, some things stand out more for them than others.
So this recent thread from Ask Reddit with someone asking “Americans, what do you think is the weirdest thing about Europe?” has turned into one hell of a read, shedding light on how insanely different the two cultures and their people can be.
Read on below through the most interesting responses, and after you’re done, be sure to check out Bored Panda’s previous features on things about Europe that Americans find weird and things common in America that Europeans find very weird.
#1
The sheer grasp of language I’ve seen from some Europeans is wild.
Back in the early days of minecraft I used to play on a server with an English kid and a German Kid. The English kid would randomly speak Welsh and the German could jump between German, French, and English all the time and I was there like “Guys, I can barely English, can we dumb it down for the yankee.”
Image credits: CYNIC_Torgon
#2
“Americans don’t know what old is, Europeans don’t know what big means”
Image credits: Haunting_Clue9316
#3
That you use the metric system.
That it totally makes sense and we don’t.
We probably don’t use it for spite.
Image credits: Forward-Shower-3250
#4
That some stone roads that were built like 600 years ago are holding themselves together better than the paved roads.
Image credits: CBKritter
#5
High quality food at low prices. You can eat great, healthy food for cheap in many European countries. In the US, the healthier, higher quality food is often the most expensive.
Image credits: adam4little
#6
Trains go to every major city
Image credits: CoolIceCreamCone
#7
It’s crazy that everyone doesn’t drive a huge empty truck 1 mile down the road, instead they walk. Crazy.
Image credits: Babbles-82
#8
How few fat people there are. It’s awesome, but your food culture is different enough to lead to a significant difference in obesity in the general populace
Image credits: GandalfTheBored
#9
that health care thing. i want that
Image credits: anotherorphan
#10
The fact that you cross international borders like we cross state lines. The fact that you can wake up in Germany, drive all day, and go to sleep in Spain.
Image credits: Wonderful_Soup4873
#11
I’m surprised nobody has said ‘the price you see in the shop is actually the price you pay’, because as a Brit the idea of taxes not being included in the displayed price is absolutely mind-boggling to me.
Edit: after some good back and forth in several threads I’ve softened my stance on this – I can see how when the next town might have different tax rules, it would make it easier to tell when you’re being ripped off etc. But it still feels weird after 30+ years of just seeing the price you pay.
Image credits: Swimming_Marsupial
#12
Otherwise healthy people smoking cigarettes
Image credits: drilosphere
#13
The history. Can’t wrap my brain around that. I live in a farm house built in the 1920s and that is considered old.
Image credits: Necessary_Sir_5079
#14
alot of people use public transport, like the kids, teenagers, old people .etc use the bus and train so commonly, in america basically everyone has a car or gets driven by a car
Image credits: smookyhead16
#15
You have to pay to use public restrooms
Image credits: jonathan92o
#16
Maybe things are different now, but everything is completely closed on Sundays if you’re not in a major city.
Image credits: Natures-Umami
#17
The oddest thing I found in Copenhagen was that when we tried to go get food around 9pm, nearly everywhere was closed. We were in a busy part of the city but it took us so incredibly long to find a place open late. I don’t live in a huge city but I can throw a rock from my house and it will bounce off half a dozen places open until midnight or later.
Edit: This is not a complaint, just an observation. I loved Denmark.
Image credits: Ginger_Chick
#18
I’m not sure if it’s wired but it’s fascinating how so many cultures and languages came to exist over such a (comparatively) small continent as Europe.
Image credits: heardbutnotseen2
#19
No ac. Our hotels had ac but it was just room temp air. That heatwave must have been brutal i hate sleeping when it’s hot
Image credits: Slowmexicano
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