I recently moved from Switzerland back to Califronia, and
previous to living abroad I traveled quite a bit. I absolutely love all the
unique things Europe has to offer, from the
fashion, different cultures, and many languages, just to name a few. Since I’ve
been back stateside, I’ve realized that I miss many of the differences that I
didn’t really notice while I was there. So here is my list of the 10 things I
loved (and miss) about Europe .
1. Church bells ringing at the top of the hour. I didn’t live
in a small village {which makes this all the better} that even in the bigger
towns church bells ring on the top of every hour and for fifteen minutes
on Sunday mornings. I never needed a watch because there was always a church
somewhere with a bell that rung.
3. Castles and ruins, oh my! I mean, I totally loved that every
week when I did my large shopping trip the store I shopped at was literally at
the base of a hill that housed a ruin from the 900s, the 900s!! The town I
lived in was built in the fourteenth century and had a castle, with a moat, on
the hill looking over the city center. A-maz-ing! Two days before we moved back
I needed to drive to the capital, which was about two hours from where I lived,
and my daughter counted six castles she was able to see from the freeway. You
just can’t find that kind of history in the states.
5. You can drive anywhere! How awesome is that? True, it might
take a while and cost a pretty penny, but theoretically, if Europe
is where you want to be, it’s not that hard to see a good portion of it in a
reasonable amount of time. *As long as you have a fabulous GPS.
6. The Autobahn is great for making travel fast, as well. I
won’t lie; every time I got on the autobahn I was thoroughly terrified. But
being able to drive with no speed limit (in most places) and constantly having
to watch the passing lane was a real thrill and made my day that much more
exciting.
8. Independent Kids. Now, since it is taught early on for
children to be independent and to be confident in society, it is very common to
see unattended children as young as eight (sometimes younger) riding the city
bus or metro. The first time I saw this I was flabbergasted. I couldn’t (let’s
be honest, can’t) imagine letting my eight year old ride public transportation
without an adult, however, the fact that this is accepted and totally safe is
something I admire so much about the teaching process in Europe. I
understand that it’s not this way in all European countries or cities, but this
is something that you will find in the smaller villages and towns.
9. Greetings! No matter where you are headed or if you are
familiar or not, people will always greet you. In passing on the street while
walking, when entering a shop or waiting for the train, people are very polite
and will greet you accordingly. There are so many different ways to say hello,
good day and goodbye that making sure I was saying it correctly was often the
highlight of my morning walks. People make eye contact and greet each other
with kisses on the cheek and a firm handshake. Coming where I come from in
California, there have been times when I have seen someone I’ve known my whole
life and turned the other way to not have to greet them (awful, I know). But
seeing on a daily basis how nice and respectful people are to each other really
taught me how important a simple “Hello” and some eye contact can be.
10. Beer & Bread. As my husband who is from Europe would
tell you, the US
is great for a lot of reasons but you just can’t beat a good European beer and
some fresh European bread. Where as I’m not a beer drinker myself, I will say
that the carb lover in me gets really jazzed walking down any city center in
Europe and that fresh baked bread smell fills the air.
Hi Ashleigh, I think I have heard that they have wonderful pastries. Your photos are wonderful, what a great experience to visit Europe.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
Karren @ Oh My Heartsie Girl
oxxo
I miss europe terrible as well... living in Geneve, Switzerland for almost 4 years makes me a country girl :). I miss those grandeur architecture and picture-perfect natural landscape :)..moving to New York is not that easy :)
ReplyDeleteGeneve, aww! I loved everything about Switzerland and would move back in a heartbeat! It's not easy living there and then moving to the US, especially NY! Thank you for sharing!!
DeleteThis sounds so good. I would love to visit Europe some day.
ReplyDeleteI miss these things too and I was only an infant when my parents moved back. I have visited Europe and found the church bells, castles and ruins fabulous! I have also experienced the independence you describe as a child. Though I lived in NY and it was long, long ago, it was a different time and almost a different world than I live in now. I can't fathom my own children doing half of what I was allowed to do at that age, but I am extremely independent and am thankful for the experiences. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThank you and thanks for sharing! Which part of Europe did you live/ have visited? I won't let my children do things here that I let them do there...things are different for sure!
DeleteYou have brought back some wonderful memories for me! The bread, oh how I miss the bread!
ReplyDeleteThe bread is hands down the #1 thing I miss!
DeleteYour photos are wonderful, I'd love to visit Europe some day. Great post.
ReplyDeleteThank you xx
DeleteYou're making me homesick! Glad you had a good experience there :)
ReplyDeleteThank you... which part are you from??
DeleteYou had me at fresh baked bread! I've never been to Europe and I'm waiting to experience it with my children, but I might have to take them sooner than planned. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThank you, and yes, when you make it over, if you like bread you will be in heaven!!!
DeleteDo you know I think I could write a similar post about things I love (and miss) about the US! I moved back 5 years ago and still think about it. Particularly the weather!! Five years in Germany before we went to America and now four and a bit in the UK I'm still not sure which one I like best!
ReplyDeleteHow funny.... but yes, the weather was the #1 thing I missed about CA when I moved to Europe {you really can't beat it}. But I love the UK.. which part are/were you living? And Germany...North or South??
DeleteYou make me want to visit!! I have never been overseas. The pictures are beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!!
DeleteI don't understand how my European cousins eat so much bread and are all so slim. Nothing like the bread in Europe.
ReplyDeleteI always think the same thing!! My in laws are in such good shape but I swear they eat more bread and butter than anyone! I must say that I ate a lot of bread while living there and didn't put on any extra weight. When I moved back to CA and starting eating the bread here, I put on weight so fast! Weird!! Thank you for sharing!!
DeleteLovely post. It is great to see Europe through an expat's eyes as there is so much of my home countries that I take for granted. Your reminiscene of Church bells is particularly evocative for me. I used to go to university in a cathedral town and would walk through the cathedral every day to get to lectures and my (ancient) library. The sound of the bells tolling the hour (and the quarter and halves) ensured I was never late for anything.
ReplyDeleteGreat Photographs, and I too miss the castles!! #expatlifelinky
ReplyDeleteThere is SO much I love about Europe! Thought I don't drive since I live in Amsterdam, so I can't relate to those things. But I think that overall, it's just the way that thee Europeans realize that you need to have a life. And they believe in common sense. That's a big one :)
ReplyDelete#ExpatLifeLinky
Such wonderful photos! I was only in France for a few weeks back when I was in high school and I already had a few of these things on my list.
ReplyDeleteWow that is so cool that you lived in Switzerland. I can only imagine how different living there is compared to the states.
ReplyDeleteAutobahn! And for me, the beautiful landscape as well! I lived in Geneva, CH for for years, Ashleigh.. And I miss it eversince :). Now, joining the hustle & bustle of NYC, I feel you!
ReplyDelete