Odditties

I'd like to write something about the differences between things here in Europe and back home.  I knew about some of these things before I came, but they have been interesting to discover along the way.  I'll start with the most common and move to things that maybe you haven't heard before.

- In most home bathrooms, there are two toilet-like bowls.  One is a normal toilet; the other is a bidet.  I'm not exactly sure what the bidet does, though I have an idea that it is an attempt to replace toilet paper.  It resembles a low sink.  Everyone in our family has been eyeing them when we are staying in homes, sort of like a calf looks at a new gate, but no one has talked about their experience with one.

- There must be a European shortage on ice.  You have a very difficult time getting enough ice here for your drinks.  The drinks are small and if you do manage to communicate that you would like ice, it's just a few cubes, or if you're lucky, they will bring one cup full of ice for the whole table.  There are no Big Gulps here.  Even the cans of Coke are small and expensive.  No free refills.  I'm convinced that if you opened a chain of fountain drink stores here, you could make a killing just on the Americans who are who used to their large bladder buster drinks.  By the way, you have to be clear about ordering water.  Water "au naturale" is what you want, "no gassata", otherwise you will get carbonated water.  In my humble but accurate opinion, it's terrible.

- There is a difference in the price of food in restaurants in Italy, depending on whether you sit down or take it to go or eat standing up.  Most Italians who are grabbing something to eat will eat it at standing-counters in restaurants to avoid the upcharge.  Americans usually take the hit because they are unaware of this.

- While we're on food, McDonalds has been different everywhere we've gone.  I thought that we'd eat at one any chance we'd get just to get a taste of home, but we tried one in London and it was so unlike home we haven't eaten there again.  McDonalds tailors its food to fit each region.  In Paris, the "McCafe" items were sold in an actual McCafe inside the store where cappucinos and pastries were sold.  One McDs was a convenience store where small items were sold.  In Cinque Terre, where seafood is prevalent, there is an actual "McLobster" sandwich.

- There are very few bugs here.  Most of the windows have shudders on them that can be closed, but there are no screens.  We have left our windows open most of the time because the weather has been excellent, but we have not had any problem with mosquitos.

- In all of the places we've been, it's uncommon to see anyone who has a yard.  Space is so limited.  Some of the places we've stayed have had courtyards, with a table to sit at and drink coffee, but no grass. In almost every city, when people want grass, they go to the parks.  They even take their own grills.  In London, some of the parks were originally the gardens of the royal homes.  Now, people picnic or sunbathe right on the front lawns of some of the royal palaces.

- Italy has tremendous gelato.  It's not quite ice cream.  It's creamy like yogurt.  I guess custard would be close to it.  Cold Stone Creamery is similar.  We have tried not to buy it every day.  We have bought it every day... at least once.

- You can get fries here, but they come with  a little skewer. I think that this is the utencil used to eat them.  And they come with ketchup and mayonaise.

- Most homes have a washing machine, but it is in the kitchen under the counter, about the same size as a dishwasher, and there is no dryer.

- People are smaller in Europe by and large.  There may be a connection between the size of the sugary drinks and the size of the people.  Although they are smaller, I would not say that they are healthier.  A majority of people smoke.

- Light switches are typically outside the room.  You must plan ahead before closing your door.

-  And there seem to be more s pecialized shops. I haven't seen a Walmart yet where you can buy everything.  You go to a pastry shop to get just pastries, a butcher to get meat, a pharmacy to get meds.  There is not much one-stop shopping.

That's probably just the beginning, so I'd be open to comments on other things in this category.  It has been interesting learning these new things.