Europe Observations….

When traveling to another country you never quite know what to expect.  You can do all of the research in the world (as I did to be over prepared)  and still be a bit taken a back at what you find once you arrive!  If you have traveled to Europe, reading this post may be a huge waste of your time because you already know everything I am posting.  This is more for those who haven't so they can have realistic expectations when they visit.  Also, everyone has a different experience when traveling, so it is possible that I experienced things you may or may not!  Also, please note that these are not in any particular order...

Here are a few observations that I made while traveling through Europe:

• Women,  no matter how wealthy wear simple gold bands as wedding rings or very petite diamonds (when I say petite I mean .25 carat or less!  I found it to be very classy and understated, since getting home, I have even been wearing a simple stack of gold or gold and silver bands as my wedding ring.  They just aren't flashy over there like we are here.   It's refreshing.

• I was a bit disappointed with most of the fashion that I saw or didn't see in Paris.  Although there were a handful of outfits that I would have killed to blog about.  Those handful were the type of people I went there to see.  When I saw them I said to Chris, "I need a picture of her or him for my blog".  Unfortunately, they walk so quickly, that by the time my camera was out, all I could capture was them walking away :- /. To get a picture I would have had to stop them in their tracks and ask them for a photo and risk looking  like a "stalker-azzi" or a "fashion creeper". I'm just NOT there yet! Oh my goodness, and this one guy was wearing the most French outfit I had ever seen on a man. He even had a French Bull dog to go with it!  So I really do apologize for not being able to get you fashion lovers any Authentic French Fashion Photos. C'est la Vie!  (sorry for my fashion rant)...

• Italy and the South of France look very similar.

• They don't bleep out curse words on the "Telly."  Which was shocking but awesome at the same time.  Reality TV in London was "REALITY TV" thanks to being able to watch an uninhibited curse fest!!

• Knowing their language really does make them treat you better.  I don't speak it fluently, I only had three months to learn it.  Luckily it was good enough to get us by!  Also, they really do appreciate it when you come to their country and try.  They get annoyed if you "EXPECT" them to know English.

• The women there don't appear to bleach their hair, over Botox or have dramatic surgeries (says the girl with a BA). Very natural looking.  And most women are brunettes.which I tend to love since I live in a sea of blondes in the states!  They also all have a very small bust and are extremely thin, in a healthy looking way.

• They wear their scarves in the most gorgeous of ways that I have never seen done in America.  And they all look different, there isn't a "staple" French way to wear it.  Being the scarf lover that I am…I really appreciated this detail.

• They love American culture,  they even have Judge Judy... They could have left that one across the pond!  However, they think of us as tacky and uncouth.  They don't dress or act like us, just watch our entertainment and listen to our music!  Except for Converse…they LOVE Converse.

• British commercials are awesome,  like watching Super Bowl commercials all the time only better and wildly inappropriate!

• British Telly is very low budget but good, goes to show it's not how much you spend but the quality of the content.

• Things aren't over edited there.  Again, things seem so authentic, which I love.

• People are incredibly friendly! You get what you put out! In Paris and London.  Except in the South of France, they are just rude and seem miserable!

• You must ask for the check,  they don't rush you and will not bring it unless asked to do so.  They think it's rude that we do that in America.

• Everyone looks at your feet to see if you're American.  They all looked weirded out when I would speak French with my American accent, they look at your feet to see if you are dressed American.  They got confused when I wasn't.  By the end of the trip they were even bringing us French menus because we blended so well.  Doing your research is always a good idea:).  Very glad I did that!

• They drive on the same side of the road and car as us in France..in case you were wondering.  However, I almost got run over by a double decker red bus in London because I am so used to looking the opposite way when crossing the street.  I learned my lesson VERY quickly our first day.

• Toilet flushes are all unique.  Every single toilet is neat and like any I have ever seen in America.

• They literally smoke everywhere in Paris.  It's gross at first but you really do just get used to it and eventually you like the smell…very strange, especially for this dramatic cougher when someone near me lights up!

• They force desert and cafe  (coffee) on you!  You order desert, they bring you a desert after desert, so don't waste your money ordering desert because no matter what, they will bring you something sweet at the end of your meal and it's always delicious.

• They eat so much bread, not sure how they stay skinny, it must be all of the walking they do.  

• People cross the street even when cars are coming and cars are expected to stop.  They will walk right in front of cars with their noses up in the air, it's scary!

• No honking ever in Paris.  At least not while we were there.  They are very patient with one another and respectful with each other.  We could learn from their good communication with each other.

• French couples argue in public, a lot. They yell loudly too..it's quite awkward at first.  We never saw the British do that, they spoke very softly.

• Homeless people here are actually quite destitute.  No legs, missing limbs.  It's very sad but you don't see many of them.  Make our homeless people look pretty fortunate.

• Service is amazing here contrary to popular belief!  We had better service in London and France than we have ever had in the states….it was a pleasant surprise.

• Fashion in Nice is terrible (thats not fair to say,  its just not my taste) .  I'd compare it to South Beach or Jersey Shore. Yikes!

And that's all folks!

Xoxo,

B