Observations from an American in Europe

[DoubleEdgeSword]

Having recently returned from my trip to London and Paris, I have two quick observations: 1) Americans are fat 2) Americans are pushy, demanding and rude.

Perhaps because London and Paris are both "walking cities," although I think there's more to it that just walking, I noticed right away that there are very, very few overweight Londoners and Parisiens. Americans, however, stick out like sore thumbs as they huff and puff, red-faced, up and down the avenues with their ample bellies hanging over thier ever-present fanny packs. Oh, and I found it very amusing that in Paris, waiters put ketchup on the tables of Americans, no matter the fare. Ketchup with l'escargot? Hmmm... lol

Secondly, I can't tell you how many times I heard an American say in a huff, "Well, in the States, we..." do it this way or don't do it that way. I couldn't help thinking why they just didn't go to Atlantic City or Miami Beach for a vacation? They loudly complained about everything from too little ice in their Coca-Colas to too few American channels on television. Not that I spent very much time watching TV, but when I did, I found it fascinating to see broadcasts from Poland, Saudi Arabia, India, China and the Netherlands to name a few. Starsky & Hutch was particularly funny in German.

[*Starfish*]

So what did you think of London overall? I think its a great city, but then I'm a tad biased ;)

Did you ever take the tube (London Underground) when you were there, cos politeness is sometimes hard to find especially at rush hour!

[DeepBlueKiwi]

:laugh: :laugh:

I lost a few pounds in London and I put it down to all that walking! Just to get to work involved about 40 minutes walking and a tube ride.

[DoubleEdgeSword]

I loved London! Yes, I took the Tube everywhere. I'll bet I spent 20 pounds in just a couple of days, and I had an oyster card. I learned to mind the gap and to stand on the right on the escalators. lol I loved full English breakfast and white coffee! My hotel was just a couple of blocks from Holborn tube station, so from there I could get pretty much anywhere on the Picadilly, Central and Northern lines. It was wonderful! :D

[pinky]

American tourists can be obnoxious here in the US, too. When we were on our honeymoon in Hawaii, there were these two old ladies from New York in our group for some of the tour things we did. One of them kept complaining about how they always put pineapple in iced tea in Hawaii. "Why can't they just give me lemon?"

I nearly suggested to her that she should have skipped Hawaii and gone to Florida instead, and made us both happier. :p

[tiger_rascal]

I would love to visit London!

I love those two ladies from How Clean Is Your House! Actually, some of the things they say I've heard some older people in my family say and I say too. Like, "I've never seen the like!"

[DoubleEdgeSword]

London is a great place to visit, Chad. It's "Europe lite," in a sense. lol We speak the same language, you can read the maps, etc. You can even jaywalk, however, they will run you over if you're too slow through the intersection. Oh, and you look right-left-right before crossing. For the idiots, they've very politely painted these directions on the road at the curbs, "Look Left" or "Look Right." Very civilized, I thought.

[*Starfish*]

I loved London! Yes, I took the Tube everywhere. I'll bet I spent 20 pounds in just a couple of days, and I had an oyster card. I learned to mind the gap and to stand on the right on the escalators. lol I loved full English breakfast and white coffee! My hotel was just a couple of blocks from Holborn tube station, so from there I could get pretty much anywhere on the Picadilly, Central and Northern lines. It was wonderful! :D

Hahaha, good to know. Nothing puts you in a bad mood quite like people who stand on the left and look at you puzzled when you politely ask them to move! I have this weird thing about public transport, I love it. When I went to Paris I organised it so that I would have to take the Metro, RER and bus (and as many different lines as possible) :o
I'm glad you liked London so much, its always interesting to see how other people view the little things which are just normal life to me.

[DoubleEdgeSword]

Some of the Londoners didn't ask, I noticed, they just sort of pushed people out of the way, especially at rush hour. lol Usually, it was the tourists who were shoved.

I also used the Metro and RER in Paris, but I have to say, I liked the London tube system better. I liked that they displayed and announced the next stop.

[Java]

I wish there were a way to rate this thread! http://talk.livedaily.com/images/icons/santahat.gif
(but I couldn't find that button to do so here)

Psssssst.... (Richard, you listening?)

...but has anyone here ever been to Switzerland?
I've heard that things are very different in this part of the world. It's much more than just finding yourself submerged into a culture where nobody knows your language, and you likewise know nothing of their's ...but you're out there on your own, basically speaking...

~ complete and total wilderness experience ~

Oh, and as for walking, I love it! ...but most of mine has been over rugged terrain and for quite some distances involved. I wonder how my feet will hold out while walking upon endless flat expances of concrete, bricks, and cobbles, and with nothing to climb or decend at steep angles without finding some kind of steps built on purpose just to be in your way ;). And from what I can assume, I would have to make sure to bring along plenty of extra cards and batteries (in case of lacking power points), because I think that I could be very busy in a place like this ...plus I'd have the perfect excuse for "being in the way", and wouldn't even be required to say a word - it's universally understood ;)

Yes, that's why I love photography! :)

Hmmm...
The Ultimate Wilderness Challenge
complete with fireball chasing dragons, etc...

I wonder how a photography mission into the heart of Tiananmen Square would be on say, sometime like at three o'clock on October 1st next year (and also the same year as the Olympics)?

Mmmm... Olympic Wilderness Challenge! :)

Glad I love to walk, I'm not fat and not too tall either!

[DoubleEdgeSword]

Speaking of photos, Java. If you'll remember, I was trying to decide whether or not to buy a digital before I left. In the end, I didn't because I didn't want to have to learn the digital; I just felt more confident with my trusty point-and-shoot Canon. As it turns out, the camera gods had other ideas. My Canon died early on. I gave it a dignified burial, leaving it on the grand staircase of the British Museum. Ta!

So, I bought an inexpensive Olympus digital for the remainder of my trip. It's compact, has 3X zoom, and I purchased a memory card, too. Unfortunately, I now have to go find a Europe to US power converter so that I can charge it. A trip to Radio Shack is in my future. Next step: uploading the photos to my computer, which, when I do, I will attempt to share with the board.

In any case, I'm sold on digital. My little Olympus is now my new point-and-shoot. I'll soom be looking for another digital with interchangeable lenses as my primary camera. Yes, folks, DES has moved into the digital age. :)

[Java]

Ah, I knew that eventually you'd discover some of the advantages of digital photography over 35mm photography ...although there are some cases where 35mm photography still has its advantages. Welcome to the club, DES! ...and just wait until you fully realise how many photos can be stored onto a single card especially if you get a really big one along with long-lasting batteries and a charger, and notice the lack of film costs too :)

[DoubleEdgeSword]

The camera came with a charger, however that's where I'll need the converter. The power cord is for England and continental Europe. lol You know? I haven't tried uploading my photos yet. I just figured the camera had to be charged to do so. Is that true, or can I upload without the camera being fully charged?

[coolerthanyou]

Tourists are oftentimes annoying in general. When I was living in Dublin I encountered a lot of annoying and rude American tourists, but I also came across some pretty decent ones and plenty of obnoxious tourists of other nationalities, too.

[Java]

The camera came with a charger, however that's where I'll need the converter. The power cord is for England and continental Europe. lol You know? I haven't tried uploading my photos yet. I just figured the camera had to be charged to do so. Is that true, or can I upload without the camera being fully charged?My point and shot, a FujiFilm FinePix F410, has to have the charger in just to make sure the batteries don't decide to die (usually all at once) during an upload, so I always have my charger in and charging while uploading and then just leave the charger in until the battery is fully charged. Also I do have this tendancy to shoot full cards or nearly full cards in a single outing too ;)

[db44]

My favorite traveling story about rud Americans comes from my first semester in The Netherlands. We had three-day weekends to travel and one weekend I went with a friend to Denmark. We ran into two of our classmates taking our final train from Germany into Holland, and found a six-seat cabin with only one woman in it. My peers started talking about how much they hated Germany. I loved it (still do) and was the only one on the defensive. Anyway, the ticket taker comes through, and asks us something we have no idea about. the woman tells us he's asking for our passports. So after that, despite knowing the woman speaks English, they go on bashing Germany! :rolleyes: