I miss super size iced tea! In Europe, if they have true brewed iced tea it is in a little bitty glass with very little ice and as stated about soft drinks, No refills.

I still love Europe! I just miss my iced tea. I actually went into a McDonalds in Rome just to get tea! Don't tell!!

AlishaW

You get 20 lashes with a wet ice cube!

Spanish food ! I traveled all over Germany Austria Italy france and Greece and none of those countries made authentic mexican food. Oh I even tried the food at the top American Hotels in Paris etc. Still no one made great tacos or salsa etc. The food was great in Europe. but when you go for a month. You miss just the simple things. Like Tacos and guacamole.

Neopolitan, where did you get the Lipton tea bags in Europe? They sound delicious.

Sometimes I crave Taco Bell here, but I don't even eat that at home, so I don't get it.

I miss bathtubs!

I really wish that Aveda sold their hair products here!

I miss American washers and dryers in general. Their washers take forever and sort of just slop the clothes around. No one I know has a dryer, so they take their time to dry (less, though, now that we are in summer).

Heinz ketchup. I don't even make anything that I could put it on as I cook Spanish foods, but I love that stuff!

There are many things that we love in Europe and enjoyed on our most recent trip to Rome and Venice, BUT:

We generally find the waiters and shop clerks more service oriented/customer-friendly in the US. For example, at the famed Pizzeria Da Baffetto, the waiters/hosts were very gruff with people waiting in line and when some people jumped the line completely, the management just let them and the waiter told the people waiting in line before us not to yell at him because "it wasn't his fault." In another restaurant on a rather warm evening, the waiter told an American woman to go get her own ice on the corner (the ice machine was broken)! To some extent, I brushed a lot of this off as the Roman style ---fast and flippant, with a flourish, but there are times when it is makes you yearn for American style service.

Although shopkeepers are understandably weary of tourists, some of them seem a little rude, especially when you look but end up not buying anything in their shop. Even to the point of rude gestures sometimes. Sorry, dear Italians, but we can't buy something in every shop.

We also missed American pricing. My daughters were spending their own money and looking for clothing that suited them and fit their budgets. In most cases, brand names --even Italian and French ones-like Lacoste and D&G were much cheaper here at home.

Generally, the Italian people were competent and efficient, but with so many North Americans visiting the major cities, they seem tired of speaking English (which they all seem to do) and catering to tourists. For all the talk about Italians being warm and friendly, to me they mostly seemed "tolerant" of visitors because they is how they make their living rather than genuinely welcoming. I'd love to go back and try some places not as overridden with tourists, because I'm sure there would be a difference.

I remember when we got home how "easy" things seemed: the groceries get bagged for you, the drink refills appear without your asking, public restrooms are readily available (& free), and car rides aren't as harrowing. Of course, there were many things that were different in a delightful way. And mostly, those are the things that we remember and they keep us going back to Europe !!

A newspaper with a good sports page. While USA Today Euro version gives better coverage of American sports than the International Herald Tribune, I'd rather have the Chicago Tribune or Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

#1 my dog
#2 my cat

Sometimes, during moments when I'm not really fully engaged in the whole experience of the trip, I might miss doing my own cooking at home, having access to my usual newspapers, and having access to my usual fixed telephones, but usually I'm too wrapped up in the experiences of the trip to think about those things. I prefer to have big terry cloth towels and good shower curtains, which I often don't have in Europe, but being without them for the duration of a trip doesn't really bother me much. I hardly ever use ice cubes anyway, so I don't miss them, but I do like to drink something hot during the course of the day when at home or at work without having to go out and buy it.

So really the only important things are the pets.

Public restrooms that are free!

I also miss tea cups that are grown up sized. Seems like they use childrens tea sets over there! Oh and free hot water when I wanted to use my tea bag more than once.

After reading this thread and its many comments about the non availability of iced tea, I was having lunch in Paris today at the excellent and cheap La Lune restaurant on avenue de Choisy in Chinatown, and there were big pitchers of iced tea full of ice cubes on every table that wanted it.

L84SKY, I thought I was the only person in North America who doesn't care for ice. As far back as I can remember I have never liked ice in my drinks. It takes up space, waters down my drink, and makes it harder to drink from the glass unless you have a straw. When I'm in the US I always get strange looks when I buy a drink and request no ice. Over here you and I are a minority, but in Europe we are like everyone else....in regards to ice anyway.

Re CNN International, it does seem like endless repeats, but they do offer a lot of interesting programs, you just have to know when to catch them--global office, the Daily Show Global Edition, the international correspondents show, etc. I also like the segments devoted to European news. Unfortunately a lot of the better shows are on during the day when most travelers are out and about taking in the sights.
I can't think of anything I'd miss while traveling around Europe on a vacation that was shorter than three months. I *would* miss my dog, but since we live here, we take her along.

For Victoria , as you rightly pointed out, it is a shame to come to Europe (specifically Rome) and only meet brusque waiters, over tired shop owners. I live 1 hr from Rome and when visitors come to town they are treated like royalty. For those who cant live without peanut butter...try dipping crusty bread in extra virgin olive oil.

My stepson and wife just got back from three weeks in Italy. They rented a house in a small town in Tuscany.

I just had a long talk with him. He elaborated how truly friendly, how warm all the residents were. No he really doesn't speak Italian but he managed to muddle his way through conversations. His wife speaks a bit of Italian. In that they had a kitchen they were able to cook some meals when they wanted to and so enjoyed shopping at the outdoor market, especially for vegatables and fruit. And breads, olive oils and wine from the small shops of course.

I know that people in the tourist service businesses in large cities get very tired of tons of tourist, even though they need them for economic reasons. Being human they get worn out from the crowds, from having to communicate in English, the same heat and humidity that travellers have to deal with etc.

If one goes to small towns where there are not hordes of tourist and if one is able to rent an apartment etc., I think one would find that people are more relaxed and less abrubt.

But understandably until one has seen the major cities and sightseeing sights one usually does not want to stay in a small out of the way location. And renting a hotel room at least for the first visit to Italy is probably a good idea as you can talk to the hotel desk for information, ideas etc.

Travelling in the off season (such as late autumn or early spring) can probably cut down on "grumpy" Italians, lol.

I am an American, and I don't like ice in my drinks.

I prefer my tap water cool, not cold, and my teeth are sensitive to ice, so I ask for no ice. I don't mind ice if I have a straw (like soda fountain drinks), but if not... leave it out.

And don't give me lemon in my water unless I ask for it - I hate the taste of that lemon slice, makes it taste like watered down lemonade

I was thinking, ice cubes in soda..most people that I know that drink sodas (I don't) drink them straight from the can, so they don't have ice cubes in their soda. Just a thought! Guess the problem is that soda is served in a glass in Europe so ice cubes are expected, expected but not received, lol.

Iced tea. Not the sweetened stuff in a can. The first thing I get at the airport when I return.

Vera

i think one of the things, (although it is getting better) is the attitude of "the customer is always right".

I have read though this thread with much interest as I am English and live in London. Must say I'm quite bemused by some of the comments! Especially...

Heinz Ketchup - It's in every shop!Maybe there is an American one that's not available here?

Bottled Water - Lack of still bottled water. Extremely odd! I can't stand fizzy water myself and have never had any problem obtaining still water???

Diet Pepsi - No need for any comment here.

Milk - Can someone tell what's different about US milk? We have all sorts of combinations here! Full fat, semi-skimmed, skimmed, milk with cream on top, all sorts!

Other Queries.....

Peanut Butter - I'm no expert but I'm guessing our peanut butter is not comparible to the US versions. Not too keen on it myself.

Aveda Products - They are available here! Maybe not in Spain though?

Washer/Dryers - Not sure if you mean in a launderette or an apartment? In a launderette the dryers are always a separate machine. Will agree that washer/dryer combos are usually rubbish! Personally I don't like using dryers as they degrade your clothes over time.

Finally....

One thing I missed about the US when I came home was the free soft drink refills. Brilliant!

A few years back a friend of mine brought several bottles of ketchup in London back home with her because she said it tasted much better than the American kind. I think it might have been Heinz.

I was talking about the washer/dryer combos not the separate dryers, Charley. But the washer part really works great.