My last post for this trip. We have done some reflecting about what we like about the states vs. Germany area, and vice versa. Here you go:
Things we like better about Germany:
Dogs everywhere- At one point we were talking to an Englishman who had a beautiful bloodhound with him on the train. We were talking about the differences between Europe vs. the States and I brought up the dogs. I said you would never go to a restaurant or get on a train with a dog in the US. He made a funny face and said “That’s Weird.” I love it!
Menus of restaurants posted outdoors- Every restaurant does this. It’s very convenient to see if you want to eat there before you go inside.
Public transportation- So easy to get around.
Everyone multi-lingual- It’s pretty amazing.
Prices are really the prices- they include tax and tip is minimal. If the sign says 2 Euro, that’s how much you pay.
Outdoor cafes everywhere- Pretty much every restaurant has an outside area.
Bike-Friendly- Pedestrians and drivers both watch out for bikes, and there are wide sidewalks and lots of designated lanes. And bike racks everywhere you look. It’s awesome.
Things I like better about the US:
Free bathrooms- Enough said. 50 cents to pee? Stupid.
Free condiments- Again enough said. 30 cents for a ketchup packet? Can’t I get at least a few included in the cost of the fries?
Air conditioning- When it’s hot and no place has AC, you cannot escape the hotness. You know when you’re really hot and you walk into a nice AC’d room? How nice and relaxing that feels? Yeah, you never feel that here.
Ice- Didn’t know how much I loved ice until this trip.
Mexican Food- mmmmmmmmm.
Pepperoni on pizza instead of salami- mmmmmmm.
Soft drinks and water- Unlimited free refills on pop. Free water. Both good things. A regular size drink at fast food restaurants in Germany is about the size of a child-size here. Maybe good for your health, but not enough to drink with a whole meal.
When all is said and done, I’m very happy to be back in the states. Happy that I can read signs and communicate with the people around me. Happy to see my friends and family again. Excited to sleep in my own bed and shower in my own shower. We had a blast, and I can’t wait to go back, but I’m glad I live in the good ole US of A.
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Great travel-blog Jayme! It was fun following you both around on your trip! Descriptive updates and great pics, I read them all. Looks like you'll have many great memories from this brief, but busy, MBA project/vacation. I'm still amazed at how much you both did (saw) in the short time you were there. Welcome home!
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I loved reading your blog. And - I have many of the same feelings to this day about Europe vs US that you described. Especially the bathroom thing. I prefer peeing for free.
ReplyDeleteIt's so sad to think that I can' come back tomorrow and read an awesome blog about amazing places half way around the world. . . can this just become a fictional blog now and you pretend like your still there going from place to place, please? I said please so you can't really say no because I asked nicely.
ReplyDeleteHello, you don't really know mw, but I am Michelle Ramirez' brother Mike. I helped with questions you had before you left. I hope it was useful. Michelle sent me the link to this blog, so I have been reading to see your impressions of Europe. I hope you enjoyed your time here. I liked this last post very much - reminds me of what I thought when I first came here.
ReplyDeleteI had to comment about one thing, though: paying for toilets. Remember, there is an advantage to paying for toilets: the money you pay is the salary of the person who cleans the bathroom. Here, every toilet you go into is clean (in fact, most are probably cleaner than many people's home bathrooms). I like being able to go to any toilet, whether it be in a fancy restaurant or a train station and not being afraid to sit down. While I do enjoy being able to "pee for free" in the US, it is sometimes disconforting to not be sure if you will catch a disease or not. haha.
But, I agree with you on the free refills thing. :)
I didn't really notice the bathrooms being any cleaner in Germany...maybe compared to some slum gas stations, but definitely not to your everyday QuikTrip bathroom.
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