40 Things Europeans Do That Confuse The Americans

When cultures collide, hilarity—and sometimes confusion—ensues. Someone recently asked on Reddit, “Americans who have been to Europe: What is the weirdest thing about Europe that Europeans don’t realize?” The responses came flooding in, with Americans sharing everything from funny little surprises to downright bizarre culture shocks. While many expressed admiration for European customs, some details left them scratching their heads.

#1

Image source: anon, Getty Images

You guys just,, have doctors

I fell incredibly ill in Germany and walked into a pharmacy. Was immediately met by a doctor who prescribed me medication and did not bill me for the ‘appointment’ and the meds were super cheap and 100x better than anything available in the US.

#2

Image source: -airwrecka-, alexgrec

You want to know what’s weird? Americans referring to Europe as one country.

#3

Image source: siva-pc, Daniel Abadia

How well connected and on-time train system is.

#4

Image source: anon, Marques Thomas

Turbo-charged cashiers at Aldi.

#5

Image source: truckbot101, Nico Knaack

The number of people who sit outside eating or having a coffee in France and Germany, even if the weather wasn’t the greatest. I’ve been the only person indoors plenty of times.

#6

Image source: grixisnecromancer, Arthur Yeti

The driving. I lived in Italy for three years, and I had never seen worse driving than before moving to Italy. Speed limits were all but ignored, and nearly every road was a free for all battle to the death.

#7

Image source: toastedkeratin, freepik

Not necessarily weird, but I was in Switzerland for my senior trip and the gas stations we stopped at are the highest quality facilities I’ve ever been in for gas. I would eat off the floor.

#8

Image source: anon, Wavebreak Media

People are way more direct, especially in Eastern Europe. Like one time, I was staying in Serbia for a while and had to get my blood drawn to do some tests (which is also done at a public lab that kind of looks like a store and is independent form hospitals?? Kinda weird too). I don’t do great with blood and have passed out during blood draws before, so I tell the lady drawing my blood this just in case and she tells me “If this is what you’re afraid of, you’re gonna have a rough life”. (Vs the American nurse who will lay you down and be very calm and talk to you and tell you to not be scared lol)

Also again in the Balkans, what you wear outside is super important and people are way more judgmental about appearances. It’s a big part of the culture to look presentable and put together.

#9

Image source: ExtremeYuppy, Eilis Garvey

How little space there is. Everything is close together. Quite the culture shock to me, from rural Pennsylvania.

#10

Image source: Andromeda321, Selena N. B. H.

I lived in Europe for several years (specifically The Netherlands) and there was only one thing that literally made me stop in my tracks, and it was a Sesame Street Live poster. Turns out Big Bird is blue there!

When I told all my Dutch friends of my surprise they were all like yeah that’s Pino, why wouldn’t he be blue? They say he’s Big Bird’s cousin but I was never fooled. It was obviously Big Bird who left America to move to Holland seeking an alternative lifestyle.

#11

Image source: RealKenny, Kevin Curtis

Sitting down at a restaurant and not getting any service for 15 minutes, then waiting half an hour for the check to come at the end. I get that it’s more relaxed, but don’t people ever have somewhere to be?

#12

Image source: dirtymoney, New Africa

There is a plastic electric tea pot in every hotel/motel room in England.

#13

Image source: justjenning, Alistair MacRobert

I went to a small town in Italy a few years ago and stayed with a host family. They slept with their huge windows wide open and the windows didn’t have screens. I found this weird because 1. People could literally just climb through the windows in to their house and 2. Random street cats would be walking around their house. This would never happen in my neighborhood in Pennsylvania because people would get robbed left and right.

#14

Image source: anon, Tembela Bohle

Beer is cheaper than water in Germany

not complaining; just saying.

#15

Image source: p-one, Florian Wehde

Been living in Germany awhile:
* Most stuff is closed on Sunday (similarly don’t plan anything critical during siesta in parts of Spain)
* Holy c**p people complain a bunch about the excellent and comprehensive train service (though there can be consistent problems about rural service)
* You have to declare your faith on tax paperwork. If it’s certain Christian churches you pay extra tax that goes to them.
* Probably the largest concentration of people who learned Latin. If you say “that’s weird” they’ll fall all over themselves to explain the one useless way that it’s useful. Personally between this and the last point I think they’re just planning to bring back the Holy Roman Empire.
* They’re reaaaallyy proud of their hard bread.

#16

Image source: KnockinDaBoots, HelloDavidPradoPerucha

Paying to use a public bathroom. We were traveling in Germany, stopped at a roadside gas station/restaurant area, ran inside to use the facilities and had to fumble around looking for money just to go to the bathroom.

#17

Image source: anon, grandwarszawski

Just moved to Germany and the biggest thing about my house here is the windows are so weird and different.
I’ll definitely be installing them when I buy a new house back stateside.

#18

Image source: RebeccaEliRose, freepik

Lack of personal space. In Germany, people tend to get right up on you in shops or step really close to talk to you.

#19

Image source: disissaimon, pvproductions

I’m from Spain. Groceries in Switzerland are 5x as expensive as they’re here.

#20

Image source: xler3, Brooke Cagle

Been to Portugal, Spain, Romania, Hungary, UK, and Iceland on a trip a two years back.

Didn’t really notice anything *weird* about any of it. Nothing any weirder than me going to any random places in my own country anyway.

I guess the weirdest thing I can think of is how everyone over the age of 35 in Romania seemed to be able to speak 4-5 different languages. Made for some super interesting group chats with 4 languages rotating between 5 folks. A friend (romanian/english speaker) invited me over to dinner and her family just happens to randomly speak a language I can communicate in (spanish). not sure if this is romania or eastern europe in general.

in western europe, *in my experience*, mostly we’re looking at just the native language and maybe sometimes a bit of english.

#21

Image source: Doomdriver1468, Fellipe Ditadi

Not an American (Canadian) but I’m so used to asking for a Pepsi when I go to a restaurant that I just ask for one to speed up the Social interaction instead of listening to the “is Pepsi ok?”. So I asked for one and the waitress said “is Coke ok?”.

#22

Image source: FatherBronson, Vlad Tchompalov

Ice in your drink. Went to Ireland last year, surprised to see them look at you weird if you ask for ice.

#23

Image source: anon, Mineragua Sparkling Water

In some parts of Europe, club soda (carbonated water) in place of regular tap water as the default drink at restaurants.

#24

Image source: anon, Jacek Dylag

Europe is too big for this Eastern Europe is very different to Western Europe which is very different to the UK and Ireland.

#25

Image source: anon, gpointstudio

“Hitzefrei” in Germany. I’m a teacher in California, and even if the AC is broken, school still happens in the heat. The only modifications I’ve seen for extreme heat related to physical education activities.

#26

Mayonaise with French Fries…

Image source: anon

#27

Image source: tumbleweed_lesbo, Natalia Blauth

Did a foreign exchange program in Spain last year, I’d say the weirdest thing for me was all the physical contact people would have with each other because in America, that would’ve been considered sexual harassment.

Also, many would call convenience stores, chinos (aka: Chinese), which I lowkey found to be strange and racist (almost like calling a 7-11 an Indian).

#28

Not tipping your waiter is normal/ expected. i always felt so guilty for not leaving a good tip.

Image source: mandypsychosis

#29

Cars and driving. Cars are a luxury item instead of a necessity. There’re generally well maintained and need to undergo a technical inspection every couple of years.

There’s a very different concept of the “right of way”. Generally in America, if you continue straight on a road and you’re not stopped by a stop sign, traffic light, or yield sign, you can assume that you have the right of way, and all other cars must give priority to you if they want to turn onto/cross your road (the car turning onto your road would have a stop sign, traffic light, or yield sign to inform them)

However in Europe, they have “priority from the right” which means that if you’re driving along on most streets, you must always be cautious when approaching any intersection and make sure there’s no car coming from your right side. Cars to your left must give priority to you, even if you’re turning in front of them. It’s like there’s an invisible “yield to right” sign at all of these unmarked intersections.

However the rules change if you’re on something designated with a yellow diamond sign as a “main road”. People on the main road have priority in whichever direction as long as they continue to follow the main road.

Also, Europeans are more restrictive about the word “highway” and the term only applies to specific roads. In America we are generally liberal with the word highway. I take it to mean any large, marked road with at least 2 lanes.

Image source: mega_cancer

#30

They don’t bat at an eye at 16 year olds drinking but when it comes to 16 year olds driving in America, suddenly they question if any human can possibly be mature enough to do it responsibly.

Image source: anon

#31

Image source: IvoTailefer, freepik

How the women are generally nice looking, healthy, friendly and cool.

#32

I studied abroad in Hungary and noticed how people went grocery shopping everyday. I was one of the few people carrying a boatload of groceries when walking back to my apartment.

Isn’t it better to just get the grocery shopping over with so there’s more time to do other things?

Image source: anon

#33

Image source: Boredeidanmark, Getty Images

Parents and teenagers getting wasted together. I don’t mean having a glass of wine with dinner. I mean slurring words.

#34

Image source: Kaitlin33101, Joshi Milestoner

Paying for a public bathroom. Also, I went to Italy and was shocked that pedestrians don’t have the right of way when crossing the road and drivers will not hesitate hitting you.

#35

Any time I go to Europe I have to adjust to the fact that everywhere I go I’m going to have just a little less personal space than I would prefer.

Hotel rooms are smaller, tables are closer together at restaurants, people get just a little closer to you when they talk.

As Americans we prefer to have conversations by shouting at each other from opposite sides of a large room.

Image source: seven_bones

#36

Image source: redditTravler, Catrine Rasmussen

I went to Spain about a month ago and almost every single person dressed business casual every where you traveled. This made me and a few buddies feel super under dressed in every occasion. However, every single restaurant, bar, and shop had the most disgusting bathrooms I’d seen which, was so bazaar to how the public carried them selves. They where run down, smelled like s**t, tight, and had thin toilet paper to dry your hands with sitting by the sink. I even went to this club ( one of the only ones that would let us per the dress code ) and it was super nice but the bathroom downstairs made the place smell like a sewer. Something that just really stood out for me about the country.

#37

Image source: anon, Regina Victorica

All germany

Sitting in a restaurant for 2 hours just because…. instead of just eating and going cause you got other s**t you wanna spend your time doing.

Paying for water because they won’t serve tap water. water costing as much or more than beer. Also having to ask for still water everytime.

The abundance of bread, sweets, pizza, doner boxes, and alcohol. It seems like this is all they eat in Germany. I don’t understand how they stay so slim while eating and drinking like s**t

Primark, I love it and the prices are unbelievable. You can’t even find used clothes at Goodwill in the states for the prices they charge at primark (1 euro for a new shirt).

Last thing, people will stare at you for what reason? Idk, but they will just stare at you for 30 seconds straight. I just stare back until they break eye contact when I feel it.

#38

Image source: ipunchcats22, freepik

I went to Paris this last summer. The general lack of AC was alarming.

#39

It wasn’t absolutely everywhere but it’s something I notice way more when Im European cities than even US cities like New York or Chicago: no toilet seats. The amount of times I’ve had to sit on the rim and just deal with it in every kind of establishment is a lot. I hear it’s because they get broken and it’s just not worth it to fix it cause they break again but it’s still something that stands out to me when I’m over there.

Also comparably, wait staff and people who interact with customers are way less cheerful because they don’t have to be. It’s almost comical how peppy US CSRs tend to be because Americans can be so f*****g nasty about lackluster customer service but personally I love getting left alone when I eat over there. I love only interacting w/ waitstaff when I flag them down. Eating is way less stressful over there because it doesn’t feel so rushed.

Image source: dreamsyoudlovetosell

#40

Germany: cold sausage for breakfast.

Image source: pontaluna