What do you think of europe?

[actsnoblemartin]

Have you ever visited any european countries?, can u educate us on any european history, tell us about european culture, and what do you think about europe today?

your thoughts

 

[Mr.Conley]

European History is a dance of brutal beauty stretched out over hundreds of years, now, however, all the players are tired and want to rest.

 

[dmp]

I love Europe. I've lived in Germany, traveled to France, and assisted in humanitarian efforts over Bosnia in the early 90s. My next wife will be European (or the barista at the place I buy my coffee...if she knew I existed...(sigh) )

 

[hjmick]

I was married to a European (Brit) once and I have family I have never met living in Ireland.

While I have yet to visit Europe, I am planning my pilgrimage to the Guinness brewery and any number of Amsterdam "coffee" shops..

 

[dmp]

I was married to a European (Brit) once and I have family I have never met living in Ireland.

While I have yet to visit europe, I am planning my pilgrimage to the Guinness brewery and any number of Amsterdam "coffee" shops..

Save a seat at the bar for me!

 

[Gem]

I spent a summer backpacking through Europe in college (2000) and have visited Scotland, England, and Ireland several times on other occassions.

From a personal standpoint, I loved all the nations I went to. The people were friendly and helpful. The cities were interesting and full of history. The culture as I observed it was far more laid-back than America...stores and restaurants close for meals, lunches and dinners are expected to take several hours (Imagine waiting for 30 minutes between your appetizer and your meal at Applebees or TGI Fridays!) because they expect you to drink, talk, and relax with your friends. The people I encountered were very interested to learn about the United States from Americans (of course, some were just interested in "getting to know" three young American girls)...but even the gentlemen we met were fascinated with OUR culture, our movies, music, stars, country, and our way of life.

I think that the people of Europe are interested in our culture...but are wary about the negatives that come with it.

Politically...I agree with Mr. Conley...I think they are a much older culture...a more tired culture...that really just wants to go with the flow and keep things as smooth and non-eventful as possible. They view the U.S. as child or a teenager...constantly in motion, constantly getting into trouble...constantly needing things our way. Some find this amusing, others troubling, others irritating.

 

[musicman]

...(of course, some were just interested in "getting to know" three young American girls)...

Those lecherous BASTARDS!

 

[akiboy]

Well I've been to Germany..Frankfurt to be specific. I must admit the Germans are one of the most hardworking lot I've ever seen. No wonder today Frankfurt is a leading banking and commerce centre in Europe. They have radically progressed since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Of course you hear of the usual neo-Nazi nutters parading around with nothing but Swastikas and knickers on but on the other hand you have the economic wealth which has done wonders for Germany.

Also , German cities are cleaner and beautiful then most European compolitan cities.

 

[Diuretic]

I like Europe. Expensive but definitely a wonderful place to visit. I spent three months wandering around in a van, went from the UK to Crete and back. In Rome I took a bus tour down to Pompeii (I had come up from Brindisi to Naples but had to get to Rome first). All the other people on the bus were American Airlines workers on holidays. Why do you folks have to start drinking so early in the morning? Jeez, they were all off their faces by lunchtime

 

[Toro]

The people I encountered were very interested to learn about the United States from Americans (of course, some were just interested in "getting to know" three young American girls)

And when I backpacked through Europe, more than a few American girls were willing to help the European guys "get to know them."

Europe's awesome. Loved it. Its a more interesting place than America.

However, I'd rather live in America and visit Europe than live in Europe and visit America.

 

[Avatar4321]

I've always found Europe fascinating. But the two world wars hit them hard and they are really tired. I think Modern Europeans are in alot of trouble.

 

[tigerbob]

Have you ever visited any european countries?, can u educate us on any european history, tell us about european culture, and what do you think about europe today?

Jeez that's a big question. It's like asking "What do you think of fish?". Where do you start? Stingrays or sardines?

On the other hand, it's a nutural question. When people in Europe are asked about Americans or America, a lot of them tend to take the most visible bits and project them onto the nation as a whole. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions about what the "most visible bits" might be....

The truth is that Europeans are just as eclectic a group as Americans. Possibly more so because we are separated by many different languages and innumerable historical prejudices (some of us still kill each other in large numbers about stuff that happened before any of us were born).

And I guess that's why some Europeans get ticked off at Americans - because some Americans treat Europe as a single entity. But no more so than Europeans might fail to draw a distinction between, for example, Pennsylvania and Texas (many Europeans fail to see that parallel).

All you have to do is look at these boards to see how diverse American opinion and culture is. It's just the same in Europe. Unfortunately, you also see a lot of people shouting at each other and, until we can get past that, the things we have in common will always be less visible than our differences.

 

[Kagom]

Been to Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, and Switzerland. Most of my knowledge of European history is around the Medieval and Renaissance period, but not as good as it used to be. Europe is a great place, really, but with so many problems in the world as well as the natural population dwindling, Europe is soon to lose her beautiful heritage and face.