I can only speak about the UK, but while living in the US I have been told that there are no supermarkets in the UK, nobody has central heating, you can't buy bananas. We all adore the royal family and men don't wear underwear. That last one intrigued me. I know that some pop stars have stopped wearing underpants but if all the men have stopped, no wonder Marks and Spencer is in trouble.

Hi euro, <BR> <BR>If only we could all start over with a clean slate..wouldn't that be grand? <BR> <BR>When my husband and I first went to France we were afraid that we would find the rude Frenchman everywhere...but we didn't. Only kindness and helpfulness everywhere we went. We heard that the French push in line....didn't happen. <BR> <BR>Also, we were expecting the French to be fabulously dressed and very chic. That was true in Paris (as it is true in New York City and in Chicago...in fact most major cities in the U.S.) but not in the rest of France, where people dress no better or worse than people in other western European countries...or the United States, for that matter. <BR> <BR>I guess the bottom line is......we are all much more similar than we are different. (and all too willing to believe in stereotypes, I guess)

Funny misconceptions, but I suppose that Americans or other visitors don't come across supermarkets in touristy areas. They tend to be outside historic town centres. <BR>I assure you that my menfolk wear underpants and put on clean ones in case they get knocked down by a car. <BR>I suppose if you were to ask an Englishman what he wears under his vest and pants he'd say "nothing". Perhaps that's how the misunderstanding came about.

Most Americans seem to believe that we all want to be American!! Sometimes when I look down the high street and see the increasing upsurge of American consumerism - maybe I can understand why they think this!!!

American's assume that European's are well educated, cultured, and sophisticated people. Some are, some clearly are not. <BR>

One think Americans assume is that Europeans behave more formally. In my town in the US, people are so much more formal than my Dutch friends. We would never drop in on someone for a visit. We would always write a thank you note for a gift -- even for those given at children's birthday parties. Dinner parties and gatherings are never cribbed together events, where someone just puts piles of plates on the table and a pot of spaghetti. People plan and prepare much more of everything. My Dutch friends always drop in on each other unannounced, never feel too bad if their sweating cups leave water rings on people's wood tables or their cigarettes burn holes in rugs. They never write thank you notes or invitations -- you are expected to know that if you want to see them you can just drop by. And, class-wise, these are all educated upper-middle class people with so-called influence in business, politics and the media! It was so funny to sit down with them and talk about this. They agreed that they're generally lax about manners and some even said they weren't sure it was such a good thing...

What REALLY does a Scottsman wear under his kilts?

American business associates who came to England for the first time thought that all English people were either uncultured, racist, football hooligans or members of the British Royalty who drank tea every afternoon and play polo. <BR>They were surprised that the majority of the English people do not fit into either of these categories. They were also surprised to see so many different ethnic groups in London especially people coming from South East Asia who spoke with an English accent, and were born in England. <BR>

Americans think that Europe is smaller than it is or bigger than it is. That's it's only a few hours between Paris and Rome or that it's days away. Doesn't seem to be an in-between.

The biggest misconception americans have about europe is that europeans owe them.

"What REALLY does a Scottsman wear under his kilts?" <BR> <BR>Well, he only wears one kilt at a time, but the answer is nothing.

It's the dreaded Hollywood again isn't it? <BR>According to most films, the war in Europe was between Germany and the USA. Americans captured the Enigma machine a few years before they entered the war etc. etc. There is even going to be a film about heroic Americans escaping from Colditz although of course no American ever did so. <BR>London has no black or asian people living there. Remember "Notting Hill" <BR>Apart from the fact that hard-up booksellers can afford to buy houses there, there were no black people. To most people in the UK if you say Notting Hill, they think "carnival", the biggest Afro-Caribbean festival in Europe.

New Year's Eve/Edinburgh, 2 years ago, saw an American couple approach a young kilted Scot and obviously ask him the above question (ie what he wore beneath his kilt). It was the early hours of Jan 1 and he'd obviously had a few, so he showed them. I have to say they took it very well!

Based on the posts about Americans by Europeans on this thread, I figured all Europeans were thin as a rail. But you should have seen some of the cows walking the streets in England on my last trip.

Were they mad?

Misconceptions: <BR>1. The Irish are friendly. <BR>2. The French are not.

IS THE WATER SAFE TO DRINK?? Should I bring every possible thing I might need, after all they may not have shampoo in London,, or cough syrup in Paris. I think some think every place outside of New Jersey is Third world&gt;

... that shorts on middle-aged men are taboo. There was a heat spell when we were in Bavaria, and many of the German men were wearing shorts. I was jealous!