Comments by "Teagirl009" (@Teagirl009) on "American Reacts to What Americans Should Know About Europe" video.

  1. Haha I remember being shocked when I came across the pay to use the toilets/bathroom thing in European countries. That's definitely not a thing in Australia. Our taxes go towards public rest room cleaning etc. They don't get cleaned every hour here but most do get cleaned several times a day and re stocked. Another thing I noticed in Europe is many bathrooms in fast food places like McDonald's, you needed a code to access the bathroom.( which you get as a customer). I guess to stop non customers using them. I visited Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany, Austria and The Netherlands. Loved them all for different reasons. The architecture is impressive . Switzerland was probably the place I felt the most safe and relaxed. He's right the hotel rooms in Europe are generally smaller and the bathrooms tiny compared to Australia and the US. The walking wasn't a big shock as Australia is very outdoorsy and we walk a lot or cycle anyways.(I got blisters though in europe because I just wanted to see everything lol). We're not as car dependent for everything unless it's for longer distances, interstate or you live in a rural area. We have good public transport in and around our capital cities and people living in these areas do walk a lot too. When I lived in Sydney til recently, we would rarely ever catch public transport from one end of the city to the other etc. You'd just walk everywhere. We'd usually only catch transport to go home. Or go across the harbour or to another suburb further away or something. Driving everytime you leave the house for every little thing is considered a bit lazy and a waste of fuel. We generally like to be outside and there's lovely parks and stuff and low pollution. Even going to the local shops or pharmacy to pick up a couple things a lot of Aussies will just grab a bag and walk or ride a bike. If you're doing a big weekly shop or something then yeah you'd drive or catch public transport. Cash is king? Interesting. I used cash for small things here n there but I used my card a lot and that was over 10 years ago. In Australia it's the opposite. We've become a largely cashless society. Most people use tap n go/paywave. One thing I noticed was the prices for dining out varied a LOT in famous tourist areas, then you walk a few streets back and they were reasonable again. But that's like a lot of places. Dining around the opera House for example can be pricey. The main tip for anyone really is don't be too loud or obnoxious, respect the local customs and rules. Don't constantly interrupt tour guides with a million questions on tours. Some places you can't take photos. In certain museums and chapels/churches etc. So always read the signs and respect those rules. And some places you can't even talk in. Like the Sistine chapel in Vatican City. No talking or photos. And like you say try to learn a few basic words and phrases. Most places appreciate the effort, Italians always were happy to see people trying and some would praise you lol. Paris not so much lol. They can be a bit arrogant and intolerant of others trying their best to speak French. They pretend they don't understand what your saying if it's not in a perfect french accent. I remember being mocked by guy working at the train station, laughing to his co worker about how I asked which train to Rouen. They pretended not to understand and made me write it down then laighed. Wankers. Also got told "better to speak English than not so great french". So then I reverted to English and got told off someone else for speaking English 🙄 A lovely person actually came up to me in Rouen when I was a bit lost and offered me assistance in English. I told her I was a bit wary of asking for help because of the people in Paris and she said they're known for being assholes even to other French people.😂 We tend help people here. I would never be rude to someone speaking in broken English asking for help. It's costs nothing to be kind. I often got asked for directions and help from tourists in Sydney. And was always happy to help.
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  2. For many European countries this is true though unfortunately not all. I had a bit of an issue in Munich, Germany asking for help, people just didn't seem keen to stop and help. And definitely in Paris (Normandy region was much nicer though). In Paris they can be real jerks. Hardly anyone was willing to help me there, too busy or too rude. I even got mocked by rail staff for trying to speak French. I was asking which train to catch to Rouen and they kept laughing then made me write it down. Then laughed again. They absolutely knew what I was saying and were just being jerks. Got told to speak English instead of mediocre french. Wankers. So I did that then got told off by someone else for speaking English lol.🙃. And bizarrely I mistaken for a Brit a couple times and when they found out I was Australian they were friendlier lol🤷‍♀️. I can't imagine making fun of someone who speaks broken English(which happens all the time) asking me for directions here in Australia. I'm always happy to help. Italians were much friendlier and even appreciated the efforts in speaking their language. People were so lovely and helpful in The Netherlands. And Switzerland too.
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  3.  @Argondo  I will say in Normandy Region and especially Rouen, they were much nicer. And one lady went out of her way to help me. She told me that Parisians are a*sholes to everyone, even them haha.
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  4. I disagree that it's common or a thing at all in Australia. Lived here all my life in several states and I don't know anyone that tips ona regular basis. It's very occasional thing. We might say keep the change for a taxi or something or for the pizza delivery guy or if there's exceptional service at restaurant. But it's not a regular thing. People don't tip their hairdressers here or every single solitary person like they do in the US. I don't think its comparable at all.
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