I thought I'd throw out a few thoughts on my impressions of Western Europe, having traveled there extensively in recent years on business (on an expense account!) and on vacation. I'm basically talking about the Euro-zone, plus GB and Russia.
The first thing that I've noticed is that the infrastructure is far superior to most of what you see in the U.S. The roads and bridges are in better shape, the trains and local mass transit systems are clean, efficient, and built to last forever. And that goes for trains, mass transit, and buses. I assume this has to do with the tremendous tax revenues they get from income taxes, VAT taxes, and especially the horrific taxes on (what we call) gas. I'm constantly reminded of the price we pay by awarding all government construction contracts to "the lowest bidder." You don't see how "cheap" everything is here until you go someplace where they build stuff without regard to what it costs (or at least it appears that way).
Europeans seem to care about their surroundings a lot more than we do. Landscaping is meticulous, things that are painted (e.g., wrought iron fences and gates) are properly painted, and you don't see drippings on the ground as you would most places in the U.S. You don't see anywhere near as much litter there as you do here. They have a graffiti problem, but it is generally confined to ugly, modern walls and buildings. The historical and architecturally significant buildings, whether publicly or privately owned, are left alone.
There are noticeably fewer fat people in Europe, and consequently, it seems like there are more pretty young women and attractive young men. I noticed this especially in Copenhagen and St Petersburg, but also in Vienna, Berlin, and of course places like Paris and Rome. The only fatties you see are the tourists.
Their young adults (high school age) are just as ignorant as ours, but you have to interact with them to see it. They operate in clans, totally oblivious to everyone and everything around them. With the poor job prospects there and the generous welfare state, this is a looming problem for a lot of European countries. If nothing changes, these people could go their whole lives without working a day, and still have a pretty good life, funded by the taxpayers.
Food, rooms, and services are horribly expensive with only a few exceptions. I gather they have strong legislation that ensures that everyone who is employed gets a living wage, and it shows. People with even the lowliest jobs seem to tackle their duties diligently and without a "chip on their shoulder" as you see in such jobs in this country.
As a final point, although it may seem racist (or whatever) the overall effect of our "demographics" in the U.S. is a negative one. Things seem generally nicer in societies that are more homogeneous. But sadly, they are losing that in Europe, where they require hordes of immigrants, working, to pay the taxes to support their welfare states, as the indigenous populations shrink due to low birthrates.
The first thing that I've noticed is that the infrastructure is far superior to most of what you see in the U.S. The roads and bridges are in better shape, the trains and local mass transit systems are clean, efficient, and built to last forever. And that goes for trains, mass transit, and buses. I assume this has to do with the tremendous tax revenues they get from income taxes, VAT taxes, and especially the horrific taxes on (what we call) gas. I'm constantly reminded of the price we pay by awarding all government construction contracts to "the lowest bidder." You don't see how "cheap" everything is here until you go someplace where they build stuff without regard to what it costs (or at least it appears that way).
Europeans seem to care about their surroundings a lot more than we do. Landscaping is meticulous, things that are painted (e.g., wrought iron fences and gates) are properly painted, and you don't see drippings on the ground as you would most places in the U.S. You don't see anywhere near as much litter there as you do here. They have a graffiti problem, but it is generally confined to ugly, modern walls and buildings. The historical and architecturally significant buildings, whether publicly or privately owned, are left alone.
There are noticeably fewer fat people in Europe, and consequently, it seems like there are more pretty young women and attractive young men. I noticed this especially in Copenhagen and St Petersburg, but also in Vienna, Berlin, and of course places like Paris and Rome. The only fatties you see are the tourists.
Their young adults (high school age) are just as ignorant as ours, but you have to interact with them to see it. They operate in clans, totally oblivious to everyone and everything around them. With the poor job prospects there and the generous welfare state, this is a looming problem for a lot of European countries. If nothing changes, these people could go their whole lives without working a day, and still have a pretty good life, funded by the taxpayers.
Food, rooms, and services are horribly expensive with only a few exceptions. I gather they have strong legislation that ensures that everyone who is employed gets a living wage, and it shows. People with even the lowliest jobs seem to tackle their duties diligently and without a "chip on their shoulder" as you see in such jobs in this country.
As a final point, although it may seem racist (or whatever) the overall effect of our "demographics" in the U.S. is a negative one. Things seem generally nicer in societies that are more homogeneous. But sadly, they are losing that in Europe, where they require hordes of immigrants, working, to pay the taxes to support their welfare states, as the indigenous populations shrink due to low birthrates.
