*Bear in mind I've only been to Ireland, Italy, Germany and now Spain, so some of these things may not hold true in other parts of Europe, but they've been pretty consistent so far.
Aesthetics. Everything here is beautiful.
-Architecture: Europe is filled with amazing old buildings that were built forever ago and therefore kicks America's butt. There are plazas, castles, amazing churches and just overall superior-ness in the form of buildings.
-Fashion: I suppose it's just instinct, but Europeans know how to dress. It's ridiculous. Everywhere you go people are dressed like they just walked off the page of an Urban Outfitters magazine. EVERYONE. You will NOT see a European in that old t-shirt from that bible camp last summer and you certainly won't see them in pajama pants or sweats. Every single person, young and most certainly old, is dressed to a T. I don't care if you're just walking your freaking dog or checking the mail. Scarf, coat, boots, all matching and most likely dark in color. It's part of their culture, really. At night you get dressed all fancy schmancy and go out, mainly just to walk around, socialize, eat tapas and drink espresso. I think it's a little silly, honestly. It reminds me of when I was 15 and the most exciting activity was Friday night when your mom drives you and your friends in her Dodge Caravan and drops you off at the movie theatre. Yeah, you might see a movie, but you're probably just going to walk around and look for cute boys because you took an hour to get ready that night and you want as many people to see you as is possible. That said, I am in heaven as far as shopping goes. I wish I had the room in my suitcase(s) to bring back all the clothing I want to buy.
-Hospitality(or lack thereof): This is probably going to be my biggest challenge while I'm here, but I will say it doesn't seem to be as much of a problem in Salamanca as in Madrid. Maybe it's because I'm obviously foreign, but people in service jobs and the like are just really dismissive and kind of cold. I mean, I'm trying my darnedest to speak your language, you probably know what I'm trying to say, and yet you just stare at me? I know I know, it's only a transaction. Maybe it's because I'm so spoiled by growing up in the South and am accustomed to that Suhthun Chahm. People on the streets also act differently from Americans in that they either don't make ANY eye contact at all or they just blatantly stare you up and down. It's totally weird.
-Eating habits: I've noticed this more in Spain than the other countries I've visited. Okay so I'm used to normal breakfast time being around 7, lunch around 12, and dinner around 6. Here the restaurants don't even open for breakfast until 8 and they only serve it until 11. 3 hours? Really? I haven't figured out yet if they even eat lunch, but my dad and I have tried in vain to find a restaurant that serves more than beer and cappuccinos for dinner at our normal dinner time. It seems they eat dinner around 10 at night here, and since they apparently stay up ridiculously late, it makes sense. Also, their portions are smaller. Of everything. In America people tend to 'super size' it, but here you order a small ice cream cone and what you get is literally a tablespoon's worth of ice cream on a skinny little cone that leaves you thinking, "I just paid 3 euro ($4.20) for that?" Don't get me wrong, it is delicious ice cream, but I can see why the people here are so flippin' skinny. They only eat like twice a day, and when they do eat it's teensy little portions. Oh, and they walk everywhere. Or ride their bike.
That's all. I'm going to upload pictures on facebook now.
Saludos
I'll dress better...if I can just lose 50+ lbs! I remember a time when we Americans were much better dressed. I guess we can't look like Audrey Hepburn when we eat like we do! Audrey had some class.
ReplyDeleteAnd so do you :)