The culture, customs and continuous struggle to get your coffee order right…
The biggest culture shocks I experienced while travelling Europe
Europeans really are living in another universe, especially when it comes to the way they live. In case you want to be prepared for the wild and wonderful customs, here are the biggest culture shocks I experienced in Europe.
Firstly, you have to pay to use the bathroom…and as an Aussie, I thought it was the strangest thing! On top of that, rare occasions call for paying for your toilet paper too.
The biggest thing for me though was the fact that in France and Italy there were almost no bathrooms anywhere. In Europe, the concept of having public toilets is foreign and anytime we asked where the nearest one was, we were told that “Public toilets are not a French thing.” You would have to buy a drink or meal from a restaurant in order to relieve yourself.
Don’t even get me started on change rooms. There are no change rooms or bathrooms anywhere near the beach in France or Italy, even Spain and Greece is limited. Good luck getting changed out of your swimmers for dinner! This is why I highly recommend bringing or wearing clothing that dries easily or that you feel comfortable popping on top of those bathers.
There’s honestly something with Europeans and toilets…I promise this is the last time I’m mentioning them. If you’re travelling in Greece, you cannot flush toilet paper down the toilet. Not kidding! They have bins for that. It’s a small sacrifice for the sake of plumbing, but a culture shock nonetheless.
Parking can also be very impossible. The cars are small, the streets are even smaller, and there’s never anywhere to park. Hence, Europeans abandon their vehicles and park them all over the road, on the curb and even double park. They couldn’t care less about scratches or dents. We actually parked in front of a house when we visited Pompeii and had splattered tomatoes all over our car when we returned…super fun times.
Lastly, if you’ve got European grandparents, you’re probably well aware that they devote their afternoons to the fine art of napping. And that’s exactly what every Mediterranean country does! It’s called a Siesta – the sacred art of midday snoozing. In Europe, the concept of shutting down shop and taking a leisurely nap in the middle of the day is as normal as sipping espresso. Who knew the entire continent would hit pause just when you’re revving up for round two of Mille-feuilles?
So there you have it. The biggest culture shocks I experienced while travelling Europe.