I have lived in Europe long enough to take a lot of things for granted which are often pointed out here as "the amazing things they have in Europe - why don't we have that back home?" One example that keeps coming up is the hand held electronic credit card terminal used by restaurants.

I'm wondering what anybody has noticed lately, because today I was surprised by something I saw at noon today in the Bel-Est shopping mall in the Paris suburb of Bagnolet. Maybe they are common elsewhere, but on every floor throughout the mall there were free standing machines like ATMs with a McDonald's logo on them, and the indication "Order Here." Several people were using them, but once the crowd cleared away, I went to investigate further. You insert your bank card and choose your order by using the touch screen. Then you enter your pin and receive a receipt. Apparently your order is waiting for you -- eat in or take away -- at a special counter by the time you get to the restaurant, upon presentation of your receipt.

Has anybody else seen something surprising recently?

tres interessant!

At the car park at the Lausanne train station, there are little red and green lights embedded in the floor in front of each parking space. When a car occupies the space, the lamp goes red - empty spaces remain green. I found it fantastic to be able to drive down an aisle and know where a space was waiting for me without creeping along and looking in every direction.

They have those red/green parking lights at some car parks in Brussels too. Brilliant idea! And there are blue lights for the disabled parking spaces.

Roundabouts. No wait. The USA finally has them too.

Schuler, our town has added numerous roundabouts, but they are for opposite purposes as in Europe. Over there the idea is to keep traffic moving -- or actually speed it up compared to stop signs. Here, they put in tiny little roundabouts at intersections that MAKE you slow down to a crawl to get around them. So they serve the purpose of slowing down traffic, not speeding it up.

And speaking of parking lots, I guess some in the US have those signs as you enter that shows how many spaces are free, but I see them a lot in Europe, rarely here.

They have those red/green parking lights in some garages in the US where I live, also, That's isn't something only in Europe.

Also saw them in Istanbul, which surprised me.

The lights are an interesting idea, but I wonder if they're not more of an excuse to charge more for parking than an actual benefit? I have to drive slowly and look around constantly, anyway, to keep from rear ending anybody backing out. I guess they'd save me from those curses I utter when I think I've found a spot but o discover it's a motorcycle or a compact pulled way up, but I'm sure I'd just find something else to curse!

Prices at LeClerc on the shelves are digital, allowing easier change of pricing with less waste.
Oh I know, the cynics will tell us why that is "the better to cheat you with my dear".

I don't know how hi tech they are, but in Europe I have noticed things called buses and trains that run between moderate and large-sized towns and cities (and even small ones), that we certainly don't have here.

One thing I noticed that they don't have that we do is the mini-villages of motels and fast food joints at every exit and interchange on major highways.

Where do they stop for a snack or place to sleep?

In one of our favorite beach spots in the Mid-Atlantic area they make a LOT of money from parking meters.

They have replaced those "old fashioned kind" with a bunch of centrally-placed units sort of similar to what one finds in Europe.

the difference is although you put your money in one "meter" which controls a whole buch of spaces on the street, you do not get a ticket to place on your windshield. Instead, the parking official periodically comes along and checks to see if any of the occupied spaces are expired.

Another twist...with those "old fashioned" meters if you left before your time had run out, someone else could pull into the spot and take advantage of what was left over.

No more. these new spaces are electronically tied to the central "meter" and the moment you move your vehicleany time you have left expires instantly.

We're pretty simple but we loved the machine in the grocery that sucked the empty bottles out of your case of beer, printing a receipt for your cash back. We found the plastic case carrier pretty nifty too (I warned you).

And we also liked the handheld computers they were using for taking orders.

The lights sound wonderful, and no, we're nowhere near understanding or utilizing roundabouts.

Auchan and Carrefour also use digital pricing (depends on how recent the store is). Prices can go up (or down - ha ha) before you can make it to the checkout.

Ira: Fast food restaurants at Autobahn exits are on the rise. I prefer the cafeteria style restaurant such as Mövenpick.

The Oyster Card in London Transport amazingly can give you a print out of all your travels on Transport for London.

I don´t know if it is in any way special or unexpected: I can pay the parking fee with a cell phone, I don´t need coins or notes. I can also pay metro/bus/train/tram tickets with a cell phone, and that payement works as a ticket.

I know these are probably old hat to those who live in Europe but I find the portable, temporary traffic signals at construction zones in France interesting. And the grocery bags that come along a conveyor automatically are interesting. Things I have not seen in the US yet. And I'd love to see the 24 hour gas stations in my area.

I remember many years ago in France being impressed by ATM (cash debit machines) long before I saw them in the US.

I learned to love the self-applied stickers for produce that are the rule in large Italian (perhaps other European?) supermarkets.

They do come as a shock the first time as you go to check out your grocery items and get rejected at the cashier because you didn't bag and sticker your own stuff.

But as I got used to them, I discovered that they prevented the mistake of purchasing some out of season organic luxury by mistake: you can already see exactly how much you are getting and what you are spending in advance.

how about shopping carts with four wheels that swivel?

and Carrefour having staff on roller blades?