I like hot toast. In Britain, they put toast in those silly little racks so that it is cold, cold, cold by the time you get it.

The French know how to make omelets the way I make them. Good for them!
The British couldn't make a decent omelet if their lives depended on it.

I like German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Belgian breakfasts -- meat and cheese, and all sorts of other goodies including baked goods that are really out of this world. Italians skimp. So do the Spanishg. I just can't gag down those grilled tomatoes favored by the Brits.

I'm glad those old Routemaster buses are being retired in Britain. They smelled awful. Love the buses on the continent, especially the ones that bend in the middle.

I like eating at decent hours, especially in the evening. Can't abide those 10 p.m. dinners they have in Spain. Would rather eat alone at 6 or 7.

kgh8m,
after 2.5 weeks in Italy and France, when we finally had CNN in English at our hotel in Amsterdam..we all hugged each other.
I LOVE ITALY, but the TV is not good.

Just give us ice cubes for our bourbon drinks and we'd NEVER go home!

Iced tea.

Stores that stay open past 6pm.

Air conditioning!

Showers big enough to sneeze in

Places to eat in non-normal times (i.e., when I get hungry at 3pm or 9pm)

Other than that, I'll be quite happy if I'm stuck in Europe for years

Definitly the ice, what's up with no ice? Even at a McDonalds in Europe, there's no ice in the soft drinks. Also ice tea. And I can never seem to get bottled water without the bubbles, it's like drinking Alka Saltzer. I'm always feeling so thirsty for water. It's like if your in some other country besides the U.S., I've been brainwashed into thinking, "Oh just don't drink from the tap.", and everything will be fine.

Toilets, free or pay, hard to find.

Coffee....My kids think that I'm a coffee-aholic. Of course, I'm in denial. I do admit to "liking" coffee but I don't consider drinking 3-4 cups per day being addicted. In any case, I do have a hard time in Europe. I know Cafe American is supposed to be what we're use to here in the States, but I don't even like it. It's still too strong for me. I don't like Starbucks either. This year I'm taking along a thermoplunger to heat water in our hotel room and will use a Melita drip cone for making my own java.

Is there a drinking fountain to be found anywhere? The shiney, stainless steel kind that pours forth endless streams of ice-cold water at the press of a button.

While I seldom eat a hamburger here in the US, I miss a good burger from a local "greasy spoon" - not a McDonald's or other chains. I think it's just the idea that I can't get one, if I wanted one.

Also, good old really cold American MILK!!!

Double second all the ice tea posts!!.

oh yeah - that unrefrigerated French milk in those little boxes...bleh!!!

My dog ((&amp) and HGTV.

Yes! and milk too!

Giant salads, like the kind that make a meal. I make them all the time at home and can get them at restaurants in the US but not in Europe.

Oh, and a real shower too. I hate the bathtub/handheld thing and I also don't like when there is no shower curtain. Trying to shave your legs under either of those two conditions is really hard.

There is nothing I miss when I am in Italy except for my loved ones back in the US. But there is a lot I miss when I have left Italy.

I missed our little country Episcopal church. It's wonderful to tour big, architecturally and historically significant churches, and fun to attend services in other countries. But I never really felt "right" in them the way I do at St. Thomas of Canterbury.

the thing i missed most was WATER. i live in the desert, and we drink water like .. well, like water. I miss having cold water delivered to the table immediately and refils galore. and i always walk around with a bottle.. hard to find without bubbles in Europe.

I travel to enjoy, and try not to think about what I might miss from back home. Viva la difference!

I miss Diet Pepsi. You can keep diet Coke, they are not the same!