This summer, I had the most amazing opportunity to study abroad with 79 other students in the countries of England, France, Monaco, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany.
While traveling around Europe for 28 days, you learn a thing or two about the different lifestyles and ways of doing things. Not only do you learn practical information like how to convert your dollars to euros, but you also learn general life advice on how to interact with the other side of the world.
Here are 30 things I learned, both practical and impractical, while studying abroad in Europe this summer:
1. Going out to eat is at least a 2 hour affair.
2. Croissants have their own food group.
3. So does gelato.
4. Figuring out the transportation system is an event in and of itself.
5. The best time to see the Eiffel Tower is at night when it twinkles.
6. Nutella is a flavor for everything, especially crepes.
7. Historical markers are prevalent around literally every corner.
8. Queen Elizabeth is basically everyone in England’s long lost grandmother.
9. The Mona Lisa is actually really underwhelming.
10. Walking across the street where cars are driving on the opposite side of the road is actually much harder than you would think.
11. 90% of restaurants serve Italian food.
12. It rains. A lot.
13. Italy truly does have the best pizza.
14. Said pizza isn’t cut into triangles when served to you.
15. The beaches in Texas have nothing on the beaches of France… except for sand.
16. Mexican food is never a good choice in Europe.
17. The electrical outlets are inconveniently not the same across every country.
18. Wine automatically tastes 10x better when drinking it at a winery in Italy.
19. Hiking through the mountains is an everyday activity for most Austrians.
20. Germans observe most religious holidays, which means that every single business in town is going to be closed.
21. Most Europeans I talked to thought of Americans as very friendly, but dumb.
22. Pringles, Gummy Bears, and Coca Cola are the only recognizable foods you will find in most European gas stations.
23. Finding a Dr. Pepper in Europe is like finding a needle in a haystack.
24. McDonald’s in Europe is not the same as McDonald’s in the U.S.
25. Beer is a necessity at most German meals.
26. Eating out in Switzerland costs an arm and a leg.
27. People will not say excuse me, but rather shove right past you, when they need to get by.
28. Luxury vehicles are very common among Europeans.
29. Dogs are actually insanely well behaved and trained.
