I’ve been traveling around Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland for the last month, and these are some of my random thoughts about lifestyle differences.
What I miss about the United States
Cheddar Cheese
Yes, Switzerland has all the cheese, and while I hate Swiss cheese at home, I’ve enjoyed all the varieties I’ve tried here. However, there is only one type of cheddar cheese in the grocery stores, and it’s a lame sandwich slice of English Cheddar. I really am jonesing for a block of Cabot’s extra sharp Vermont or New York cheddar cheese. Thinking about it, I think that the one “cheddar cheese” option here is probably similar to the one “Swiss cheese” option we have in the states – flavorless and nothing like what it should be.
Lunch Culture
This might be more of the households I’ve been staying in, but the big meal of the day here is lunch. While my favorite meal of the day is lunch, I don’t want dinner meals for lunch. This then makes it hard to come up with a dinner plan because I feel like I’ve already had dinner for the day.
Bedding
Pillows (plural)
I’ve enjoyed the down pillows I’ve had everywhere in Europe, but one pillow is not enough. Back home, I may use up to four pillows in a night – two under the head and at least one to hug. I can’t wait to fall into my mountain of pillows when I get home.
Top Sheets
It’s summer in a continent that, for the most part, doesn’t have AC. Yet, the only bed option is a down comforter, which would be lovely in cooler weather, but what am I supposed to do when it’s hot out? I need to have something covering me, and a top sheet is what I’m wishing I had.
Athleisure
I know that Americans are unfashionable, but athleisure is just comfortable. I’m fine wearing more structured clothes for a day out in the city, but working outside, hiking, hanging out on a day off, I really would love to be in some stretchy leggings.
What Europe does Better
Biking/Walking Culture
I love how active everyone is. While there are cars around, there are always bikers and walkers as well. On Sundays when everything is closed, people go for walks. On almost every corner there are a series of signs that will tell you how far it would be to walk to this town or that because people actually do that.
Bottle Caps
This seems like such a small thing, but if you’ve ever dropped your bottle cap and tried to wipe off the dirt before putting it back on the bottle or had it roll under a seat, you’ll understand the genius behind bottle caps that stay attached to the bottle. The first bottle I opened, I kept trying to rip the cap off, but then I realized that I was really fighting a great invention.
Multiple Languages
I wish I tried harder in my foreign language classes when I was younger. I wish a second language was taught to us from elementary school on. I hate being that tourist who can only speak one language. Having only studied romance languages, the pronunciation of languages like German are so hard for me. Most Europeans I’ve met throughout the years speak at least three languages.
Real Food in Inconvenient Places
While most people bring their own food in reusable containers everywhere they go, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the variety and quality of food on offer at places like lake side beaches and mountain tops. Instead of simple fried food or pre-made sandwiches, it’s possible to have a nice restaurant quality meal surrounded by the lovely backdrops.
Public Transportation
Since we are a younger continent, there is no reason we can’t have better transportation infrastructure. It’s been so nice to know that I can get almost everywhere by a combination of buses, trains, cable cars, or even boats. It’s been even nicer to know that the transportation is fairly reliable, and if I miss a connection, there will be other options to get to my final destination.
Grocery Stores
Accessibility
In Europe every community has at least one if not three grocery stores, and there are even grocery stores in train stations. This gives everyone easy access to fresh and healthy food. Because most Americans need a car to access a grocery store, we are held hostage to restaurant prices and unhealthy food options.
Portions
I love that the grocery store offers smaller portions – half size containers of tomato sauce, beans, and meat; smaller sized veggies. Besides working well for someone who is only spending a few nights in one place, I can imagine it also leads to less food waste overall. More often than not a jar of tomato sauce has to be thrown out of my fridge before it is done; here I would use the whole container in one meal.
Water
Hot Water
Hot water is almost instantaneous. This means that less water is used as there is no waiting for water to heat up. This is good for the environment and the water bill.
Water Fountains
One of my favorite things to do here is to fill up my water bottle at one of the many historic and beautifully decorated fountains. Unless there is a sign stating otherwise, any fountain can be a source of drinking water. I’ve even seen cascading fountains so dogs can have their own fresh water.
Mac On the Map 
Leave a comment