My biggest surprise in visiting Europe

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The Lamp said:
Where I will have to pay to piss too? ;) although actually that's more of a Northern Europe sort of oppression.
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In Germany.... fuck the worst. I took a piss in a public toilet, on a Sunday, in the middle of fucking nowhere and there was still an old lady sitting in there holding out a plate for me to give are a euro or 2 to take a piss.
 
I'm in switzerland and i also think that in general the service is not that great in central europe (where i live it's fine fortunately)

Every country is different, there's great thing and bad thing about all of them! Some restaurents serve jug of tap water without any problem, some other only if you order drinks with it, some not at all (and that's bullshit but whatever), and it's different between north, south and east europe, it's not all the same

Some of OP complaint are legit, some other no so much, just explain him why! This US vs Them always makes me laugh, this always go too far (even if i do laugh about america too, i do it for bullshit things, and there's a lot in europe too)

not been in america so i can't judge them yet, but i'll probably go next year or in 2017
 
MilkyJoe said:
In Germany.... fuck the worst. I took a piss in a public toilet, on a Sunday, in the middle of fucking nowhere and there was still an old lady sitting in there holding out a plate for me to give are a euro or 2 to take a piss.
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Absolutely nobody gives them a euro or two. At max give them 50 cents, and even that you don't need to do. Just like you don't need to tip in restaurants here (although this is kinda rude).
 
The Lamp said:
Okay everyone. See, Americans cook, too.

But the options available to us when we wanna go out to eat are overwhelming compared to Europe. It's hard to adjust to, along with your finicky restaurant hours. Like when in Europe people go out clubbing till like 4 am but after you leave drunk there's almost nowhere to fucking eat!!!!! And many convenience stores are closed. It's a drunk persons worst nightmare.
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Just get the GOAT food, Doener. They serve at that time.

edit: I see you are aware.

edit2: Sauerkraut is great @ German GAF.
 
TanookiTom said:
Just walk out on her then. It's also ok to ask her for change.
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It's a bit difficult to tell an elderly lady to take a hike, when she's beckoning you with her little plate and her cheesy smile.

Regardless, fecking bizarre custom, and stuck me as a very un-German thing to find.
 
neorej said:
word.

Sausages with mustard is goddamn blasphemous.
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The-Big-Lebowski-WTF-Expression-While-Checking-Things-Out.gif
 
Mustard is gross on anything. :P

Endorphineforeverybody said:
If you can't afford drinks in a restaurant, cook for yourself.
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So stupid. I can afford drinks, I just don't want them.

spekkeh said:
Heh forgot about that. Yeah the reason they look funny at you asking for tap water in Italy might be because you are an American asking to get the shits at their restaurant.
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What the hell? I thought Italy was a first world country. :P Good to know I guess.

Fake edit: Googling I found this which says it's safe (apparently it's not in Hungary? I find that hard to believe), but this which says it's not recommended and not served in Italian restaurants. Heh.
 
Restaurants which serve 'typical German food' are actually in the minority among the restaurants, if you don't count snack bars/diners. Even in the rather small town I currently live at I can get a huge variety of (healthy) food.

Oh and German bread is superior to any other bread.
 
You'd get free water in Ireland. We've got loads and loads of water. All resetraunts/bars etc give out tap water on request.

Paying for toilets does happen here occasionally, but the majority of large stores/shoping centres, all restaurants and pubs will have public toilets for free.

Europe is a pretty diverse place.

You could also get a big dirty Irish Fry for breakfast. Breakfast of Kings.
 
Morrigan Stark said:
What the hell? I thought Italy was a first world country. :P Good to know I guess.
.
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Travelling anywhere will put you at risk of getting ill from drinking tap water. It's full of bacteria that are different from where you come from.

I'm from the UK, and if I go to the US for less than 4 weeks I don't touch tap water because it makes me ill. More than 4 weeks? Fuck it, it's easier to just get used to it.
 
Greddleok said:
Travelling anywhere will put you at risk of getting ill from drinking tap water. It's full of bacteria that are different from where you come from.

I'm from the UK, and if I go to the US for less than 4 weeks I don't touch tap water because it makes me ill. More than 4 weeks? Fuck it, it's easier to just get used to it.
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Yeah, same everywhere. Better to just go through 2-3 days of shitting yourself at the beginning rather than being in constant fear.

Mohonky said:
I was unaware places in Europe charge to use the toilet. Weird.
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This is usually only public toilets, or shopping mall toilets - it used to be very common in Ireland, but these days it's extremely rare that you'll see it. Some of the place still have coin turnstiles for the bathrooms, but they're just turned off and you can push right through them.
 
Vagabundo said:
You'd get free water in Ireland. We've got loads and loads of water. All resetraunts/bars etc give out tap water on request.

Paying for toilets does happen here occasionally, but the majority of large stores/shoping centres, all restaurants and pubs will have public toilets for free.

Europe is a pretty diverse place.

You could also get a big dirty Irish Fry for breakfast. Breakfast of Kings.
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Ulster Fry > all other frys
 
MilkyJoe said:
It's a bit difficult to tell an elderly lady to take a hike, when she's beckoning you with her little plate and her cheesy smile.

Regardless, fecking bizarre custom, and stuck me as a very un-German thing to find.
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Haha, you got pushed over by one of the old toilet ladies? Well, just take it as tipping and rest your mind.
 
I have only ever paid for using a toilet or even seen the toilet ladies in Germany. I always get uncomfortable when seeing them. So weird.
 
biggest surprise for me in this thread is that apparently sparkling water is not popular at all in north america, never noticed that when I was over there
 
MicH said:
I have only ever paid for using a toilet or even seen the toilet ladies in Germany. I always get uncomfortable when seeing them. So weird.
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Don't come to Belgium then. They're fucking everywhere and it's completely ridiculous.

Though I often ignore them in places like cinema's, theme parks, restaurants or other places where I'm already spending good money. Fuck your lousy practice of stealing another 50 cents from me just to take a piss when I already paid for your overpriced admission fees or crappy food !
 
Sparkling water is trash and the people who like it are probably closeted coprophages.

A blight on my beloved Europe.

Shame on you, Central Europe.
 
Wait, you guys don't like carbonated water? Not even with alcoholic beverages? Or with some lemon in it? I prefer regular water, but after a drinking night, carbonated water is delicious. To me, at least.
 
In this thread I learnt some people hate sparkling water. I don't go crazy over the stuff but I really don't see what's wrong with it.
 
Switch Back 9 said:
And you know what? Your cities stink. All of them. They smell like piss and the ingrained stench of constant human habitation. You guys wouldn't know what fresh air and water was if it punched you in the face, no wonder you have to charge for it. Have your fancy "culture" and "cuisine" and "history", I'm going to walk down the street and breathe in the clean and crisp New World air and then go for a swim in one our many, many clean lakes or rivers.
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Amazing. This is about as turn-of-the-century American propaganda as you can get.

That amazing wasn't sarcastic btw, I honestly love this insult. This is how we talk to each other in Europe too! We all love to hate each other (and I guess it's fair to say that we'll team up when Americans show up).
 
I hate sparkling water too. I do my part to never buy/order it. Then again I usually order beer because places charge for water which should be a sin. Of course the water is more expensive than beer.
 
True Savior said:
Only if you dont want to pay to go to the bathroom



Yup. In zones with lots of tourists you have to pay to go to the bathroom. It's actually reasonable.
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No it's not. Some Europeans are just conditioned to think it's reasonable just like Americans for some reason think you should pay for healthcare.

We don't pay anything for public toilets in the U.S. because why should you pay for a bodily function? Our airports and train stations and shopping malls have free bathrooms because thats the greatest freedom there is in life.
 
Let it be known that I'm in the "restrooms should be free" camp.

But since I'm a smarter man, I just get into the closest bar and get my wizz on.
 
The Lamp said:
No it's not. Some Europeans are just conditioned to think it's reasonable just like Americans for some reason think you should pay for healthcare.

We don't pay anything for public toilets in the U.S. because why should you pay for a bodily function? Our airports and train stations and shopping malls have free bathrooms because thats the greatest freedom there is in life.
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as a european, I agree with you. I think it's outrageous to ask money for a bathroom.
I would never pay for that.
 
The Lamp said:
No it's not. Some Europeans are just conditioned to think it's reasonable just like Americans for some reason think you should pay for healthcare.

We don't pay anything for public toilets in the U.S. because why should you pay for a bodily function? Our airports and train stations and shopping malls have free bathrooms because thats the greatest freedom there is in life.
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Yea, but where do you see public toilets. I recall some near the parks in NYC, but often I'm ducking into coffee shops. The fee is to keep the toilets clean and stocked.

Whether that's done is another story... But I don't recall many in the states. The UK and AUS has loads though.
 
The Lamp said:
I have and many places refuse. Some offer it though. Has depended.

Bars usually will charge you for water, though, which is just awful.



How? You don't have to eat all of your portion, btw. I certainly don't. Although I agree that our portions should be smaller.

Not only is our food cheaper if you stay out of places like NYC, we have literally every type of cuisine because our country is an immigrant melting pot. And every place serves water for free and almost every restaurant will serve salads or vegetarian options.

As for breads,

Breadmakesyoufat.gif
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As an American now living in Europe,... Absolutely none of this is true. Food cheaper in the US? Lol
 
Darren870 said:
Yea, but where do you see public toilets. I recall some near the parks in NYC, but often I'm ducking into coffee shops. The fee is to keep the toilets clean and stocked.

Whether that's done is another story... But I don't recall many in the states. The UK and AUS has loads though.
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You can use any restroom in the U.S. for free unless it's in someone's house or sometimes certain restaurants will reserve it for paying customers. Otherwise everything from theme parks to airports to malls to hotels to train stations to grocery stores to parks and beaches and landmarks and government buildings will let you use the restroom for free.

And unless someone just unleashed travellers diarrhea into a gas station toilet, they're not any dirtier than anything I've paid for in Europe. In fact, our airports and train stations usually have immaculate cleanliness, and yet some countries in Europe charge for it under the excuse it's to clean the bathrooms, lmao. I didn't experience anything clean enough to pay for in Germany that I didn't experience for free in the U.S. In fact, the toilet machine in Berlin ate 2 euros and didn't give me change, so I paid over $2 to take a fucking piss. Inexcusable.
 
Cappa said:
As an American now living in Europe,... Absolutely none of this is true. Food cheaper in the US? Lol
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Um absolutely?

I can get a full meal in Texas for less than $10. I can have unlimited Indian food for $9. I can have a burrito the size of your face plus rice and beans and a drink for $12. And that's restaurants. If you grocery shop, you can make a full homecooked meal for less than $5. This isn't restricted to non-tourist areas, this is easily achievable anywhere you visit in Texas, or for that matter, anywhere outside an expensive restaurant in an expensive city.

In France I couldn't find a breakfast that was less than €7. You might say "Ohhhh well you went to the tourist areas!" That doesn't excuse anything when it comes to my comparison. You can find ready-made cheap food easily and anywhere in the U.S. if you want to. I don't have to trek to the suburbs to find a cheap breakfast in the U.S. If that's the case in France, then it's a valid reason for me to say that on many occasions, food is more expensive.
 
The Lamp said:
Um absolutely?

I can get a full meal in Texas for less than $10. I can have unlimited Indian food for $9. I can have a burrito the size of your face plus rice and beans and a drink for $12. And that's restaurants. If you grocery shop, you can make a full homecooked meal for less than $5. This isn't restricted to non-tourist areas, this is easily achievable anywhere you visit in Texas, or for that matter, anywhere outside an expensive restaurant in an expensive city.

In France I couldn't find a breakfast that was less than €7. You might say "Ohhhh well you went to the tourist areas!" That doesn't excuse anything when it comes to my comparison. You can find ready-made cheap food easily and anywhere in the U.S. if you want to. I don't have to trek to the suburbs to find a cheap breakfast in the U.S. If that's the case in France, then it's a valid reason for me to say that on many occasions, food is more expensive.
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You can't generalize France if you've only been to Paris the same way you can't generalize the US if you're only talking about Texas. Paris is one of the most expensive cities, Europe in general, is much cheaper to eat than in the US. There are countries and cities that are more expensive surely but spain Italy Portugal etc are all much cheaper.
The Lamp said:
You can use any restroom in the U.S. for free unless it's in someone's house or sometimes certain restaurants will reserve it for paying customers. Otherwise everything from theme parks to airports to malls to hotels to train stations to grocery stores to parks and beaches and landmarks and government buildings will let you use the restroom for free.

And unless someone just unleashed travellers diarrhea into a gas station toilet, they're not any dirtier than anything I've paid for in Europe. In fact, our airports and train stations usually have immaculate cleanliness, and yet some countries in Europe charge for it under the excuse it's to clean the bathrooms, lmao. I didn't experience anything clean enough to pay for in Germany that I didn't experience for free in the U.S. In fact, the toilet machine in Berlin ate 2 euros and didn't give me change, so I paid over $2 to take a fucking piss. Inexcusable.
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Also another incorrect generalization. There are many places in the states that make you buy something in order to use the restroom. These are usually in tourist cities the same in Europe the bathroom is usually free unless you're in tourist area. There is nothing different between the two
 
We have free public bathrooms in places where a lot of people are getting drunk. Getting drunk in public is kinda our thing. So the city just puts up some black alien-tech looking boxes up.
 
Cappa said:
You can't generalize France if you've only been to Paris the same way you can't generalize the US if you're only talking about Texas. Paris is one of the most expensive cities, Europe in general, is much cheaper to eat than in the US. There are countries and cities that are more expensive surely but spain Italy Portugal etc are all much cheaper.
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I haven't just been to Paris. I went to Montpelier, Cassis, Avignon, Nice, many smaller villages in Provence, like if you're going to make assumptions then it's not even worth my time responding to you. Especially if you're going to insinuate to me I have to live in every town in France for years before I can construct any opinion about something.
 
The Lamp said:
You can use any restroom in the U.S. for free unless it's in someone's house or sometimes certain restaurants will reserve it for paying customers. Otherwise everything from theme parks to airports to malls to hotels to train stations to grocery stores to parks and beaches and landmarks and government buildings will let you use the restroom for free.

And unless someone just unleashed travellers diarrhea into a gas station toilet, they're not any dirtier than anything I've paid for in Europe. In fact, our airports and train stations usually have immaculate cleanliness, and yet some countries in Europe charge for it under the excuse it's to clean the bathrooms, lmao. I didn't experience anything clean enough to pay for in Germany that I didn't experience for free in the U.S. In fact, the toilet machine in Berlin ate 2 euros and didn't give me change, so I paid over $2 to take a fucking piss. Inexcusable.
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The only reason you have to pay to use some public toilets in the UK is budget cuts. It's the only way toilets would stay clean(ish). It will only get worse as the Tories cut local councils spending even more. Toilets in shops etc are free with only a few being for customers only.
 
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