When recently staying at a hotel in America it reminded me of something new that I experienced at the Bed & Breakfast I stayed at in Germany a few months back. It was a recently built B&B and even though I was staying in my room with a girl I didn't know they would only issue us one key (a card key - which is easy to dupicate!) to share. When we got to the room we found out why. In order to use any electricity in the room one had to put the card in a slot on the wall which actuated the electricity. This meant that we couldn't leave lights on when we left the room - makes sense it saves money for the B&B but it meant that my roommate had to sit in the room and wait while her cell phone charged and we had to really coordinate going to and from the room with each other which was a big pain.
That would never have worked in the US - especially for the rates we were paying. But that difference made me think of some of the other differences between Europe and the US in my experience.
Internet cafes have been popular in Europe for quite a while. When I was in Prague in 2004 I spent a bit of time in one as my sole means of connecting with my far away husband. I stayed in Youth Hostels back then and while they usually had one or two internet computers they would always be busy and were usually more expensive than a cafe. Generally, you would pay 1 - 2 Euro for anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on the country and establishment. (I have no idea how much the price would be today.) When I was in Germany in September both hotels I stayed at had internet available but neither were complimentary. The first, a Bed & Breakfast, you paid 2 Euro for 2 hours of internet and the second you paid 10 Euro for internet for your entire stay.
In America the internet is generally free at hotels and even many restaurants.
In Europe water is expensive. When I lived in England water was more expensive than tea or beer - that is when I learned to like hot tea. In Germany I drank a lot of Apfelsaftschorle (a sparkling apple juice) because I hated to pay as much for a smaller glass of water (and it is hard to say/remember ohne Kohlensäure - without carbonation).
In America water is free in restaurants and there are usually public drinking fountains at all public places.
In Europe you must pay to use the bathroom. If you are eating at the restaurant you can generally use it for free (although not always or there is a bathroom attendent to tip) but if you are walking down the street and need to use a bathroom - a restaurant is NOT the place to go! (I learned that once as an irate German restaurant owner yelled at me from across the restaurant. He was furious but I didn't know. Oops! I didn't make that mistake again.) You even have to pay for the bathroom at train stations.
In America bathroom use if free. If I need to walk into a restaurant just to go to the bathroom that is fine although I do try to buy something or eat there at some later date but that is certainly not required.
Why is it that in more socialist countries where the cost of everything is supposed to be shared about by the citizens and they tend to have much more robust social programs are the essentials (water, bathroom and internet - okay maybe the internet isn't essential!) not handed out for free? In many European countries you get paid by the government to have babies - yet water is not free in their culture? It doesn't make sense to me but it must to them - it is just how they do things.
This is not meant to be critical of Europe (and these things do vary by country, of course!) it is just some thoughts about the differences AND a warning to anyone heading to Europe for the first time about the bathrooms!!
I do love Europe. I just find the differences fascinating.
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