what did you not "get " until you got there?
Aug 25th, 2007, 02:21 PM
#201
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From a Brit perspective of the US
1. Portions really are huge
2. chain gangs do really exist
3. walking is almost non existant
4. So many large people use motorised hairs
5. shop assistants are really helpful and so pleasant.
6. Many Americans do not travel
7.How large the houses and yards are compared to European houses.
8.How patriotic most Americans are
9.How stunned they were after 9/11 that terrorists had got onto US soil.In the UK we have sadly
become accustomed to terrorism.
10. How bland a lot of food is in the US
11. How many US travellers worry about their image abroad
12. How friendly and interested in you as a person and a visitor to their country most Americans are.
1. Portions really are huge
2. chain gangs do really exist
3. walking is almost non existant
4. So many large people use motorised hairs
5. shop assistants are really helpful and so pleasant.
6. Many Americans do not travel
7.How large the houses and yards are compared to European houses.
8.How patriotic most Americans are
9.How stunned they were after 9/11 that terrorists had got onto US soil.In the UK we have sadly
become accustomed to terrorism.
10. How bland a lot of food is in the US
11. How many US travellers worry about their image abroad
12. How friendly and interested in you as a person and a visitor to their country most Americans are.
Sep 7th, 2012, 04:14 AM
#205
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Re-reading this has the same effect on me as it did before; makes me want desperately to travel! (Including visiting the U.S.; I sometimes take for granted the natural beauty of Rocky Mountain National Park, only 20 minutes away.)
Sep 7th, 2012, 09:15 AM
#208
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Oh this is so great !! Thank you ! God bless CW 
<I>"Spanish people like bullfighting. It's not for tourists and is followed fanatically. I always assumed it was a subsidiary of the placemat industry. "</I>
LOL
<I>"Spanish people like bullfighting. It's not for tourists and is followed fanatically. I always assumed it was a subsidiary of the placemat industry. "</I>
LOL
Sep 7th, 2012, 11:21 PM
#209
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Thank you Saraho for resurrecting this post here - DUH at me 
I found it on a 'google', search and posted it in the Lounge since it was before my time. I didn't think to resurrect here. Although that is where it belongs x
I found it on a 'google', search and posted it in the Lounge since it was before my time. I didn't think to resurrect here. Although that is where it belongs x
Sep 8th, 2012, 03:36 AM
#211
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That Thailand really is a land of smiles.
That Paris in the flesh is even more jaw droppingly beautiful than it looks on the screen.
That Berlin really was divided city.
That many European cities still have the evidence of WW2 everywhere.
That the best food in Thailand is also the cheapest.
That a two star hotel with great staff can be better than a five star with average staff.
That the NW Highlands are amazing at anytime of year.
The biggest part of having a good trip is your own attitude.
That sitting somewhere and watching the world go by in a new city tells you more about it than any rushing from "must see" to "must see".
That Paris in the flesh is even more jaw droppingly beautiful than it looks on the screen.
That Berlin really was divided city.
That many European cities still have the evidence of WW2 everywhere.
That the best food in Thailand is also the cheapest.
That a two star hotel with great staff can be better than a five star with average staff.
That the NW Highlands are amazing at anytime of year.
The biggest part of having a good trip is your own attitude.
That sitting somewhere and watching the world go by in a new city tells you more about it than any rushing from "must see" to "must see".
Sep 8th, 2012, 04:09 AM
#212
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That some places in America really aren't designed to encourage people to walk from A to B. My first trip there was to Orlando (as it happens, not as a tourist, but on the FBI because someone was required to testify in person at the trial of a person who had claimed to be a student at the university I was keeping records at). On my first, jet-lagged early morning in a motel there, I went out for a walk, only to find very little in the way of paved sidewalks, and no sense of what was where. Someone stopped and asked me for directions, in a German accent, and I almost told them I'd be more at home in their country than where we were!
Sep 8th, 2012, 02:47 PM
#218
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glad this thread was resurrected. here's my contributions:
0- Couples make out WAY more in Belgium than here in the US.
1- Traffic patterns in London are DANGEROUS to the unadjusted American
2- The French are NOT rude.
3- The French take their time during meals
4- London is more of a melting pot than NYC
5- The beauty of St Paul's cathedral might bring a tear to your eye
6- The Spanish take ham SERIOUSLY
7- The French take bread and cheese SERIOUSLY
8- Belgians take chocolate and beer SERIOUSLY
9- London is NOT a British version of NYC.
10-There are way too many processed/fatty foods in the US
11-Churches in Europe are much more flambouyant than in the US
12-The London Eye is quite a bit taller than Big Ben though it never looks like it
13-Indian food there was no better than it is here
14-Squares are the best places to people watch
15-The most amusing buskers are in Madrid
16-Almost every statue in London is black
17-Open toed sandals/flip flops on girls must be an American thing?
18-No guys wear hats in Europe... not even the black dudes
19-Shopping malls in Europe are much smaller than the ones here in the US
20-If you're looking for hash don't go to Amsterdam. Go to Rossio Square in Lisbon
0- Couples make out WAY more in Belgium than here in the US.
1- Traffic patterns in London are DANGEROUS to the unadjusted American
2- The French are NOT rude.
3- The French take their time during meals
4- London is more of a melting pot than NYC
5- The beauty of St Paul's cathedral might bring a tear to your eye
6- The Spanish take ham SERIOUSLY
7- The French take bread and cheese SERIOUSLY
8- Belgians take chocolate and beer SERIOUSLY
9- London is NOT a British version of NYC.
10-There are way too many processed/fatty foods in the US
11-Churches in Europe are much more flambouyant than in the US
12-The London Eye is quite a bit taller than Big Ben though it never looks like it
13-Indian food there was no better than it is here
14-Squares are the best places to people watch
15-The most amusing buskers are in Madrid
16-Almost every statue in London is black
17-Open toed sandals/flip flops on girls must be an American thing?
18-No guys wear hats in Europe... not even the black dudes
19-Shopping malls in Europe are much smaller than the ones here in the US
20-If you're looking for hash don't go to Amsterdam. Go to Rossio Square in Lisbon
Sep 8th, 2012, 03:35 PM
#219
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I did not "get" that I was meant to travel to the countries I have visited. I felt when I arrived that I was supposed to be there and experience it. I cannot adequately describe it other than to say I have always wanted to travel, it was always in me but I was not able to afford it until my late 30's. Once I experienced it, it became a major focus in my life. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
