Episode 50: Curiosities of Living in Europe

Hmm... that's curious! In this episode, Chandra shares curiosities that she has discovered while living in Europe. From things that are totally benign to things that are irritating, or incredibly wonderful. Tune in for an episode full of oddities, curiosities, and surprises!

Plus, listen all the way until the end for an absolutely delicious slice of Americana in Paris!

• This episode's "Chan Select": Coffee Parisien and on Instagram here.
• Follow us on Instagram: @Expatriotical
• Episode Reference: Episode 48: Mistakes I've Made as an Expat
• Quote of the Day: "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing." AND "I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious." -Albert Einsteint
• Other References: Funny Instagram reel from @thepasinis
• Visit the Expatriotical Store HERE!

"Live and Travel in the Know" with Expatriotical!

Transcript

Bienvenue, Benvenuti, and Welcome to Expatriotical, the podcast for expats, travelers, and other adventurous souls. I’m Chandra Alley and after living as an expat with my husband and 4 children in two different countries for 6 years, I’ve learned the arts of pivoting during pitfalls, traveling tastefully for less, and soaking in amazing new cultures without losing your own.

Join me, as we dive into the joys and challenges of travel and the expat life in every episode!

Hello everyone! I'm super excited because today is episode number 50! And to me that feels kind of like a big deal. I wish I had some sound effects to put in like a kazoo sound effect, and the sound of confetti popping, ‘cause it really does feel like a big deal to me. And honestly, it's actually the 51st episode because last year we had a bonus episode thrown in at the end of the year. But thanks for being with me on this journey and for listening in to episode number 50!

Today we are going to be talking about curiosities I've discovered while living in Europe. I obviously have to set the context, if you can't tell by my accent, that I grew up in America. And the only other country that I lived in before moving abroad, was Canada (that’s were I was born), but we left there when I was six months old, so I obviously don't remember it.

So, all of the things that I have found interesting or striking or curious, come from the context that it's not something you would normally see in America or something you would normally do. Some of these things are benign, some are not so great, and some amazing!

But I thought it would just be fun to share these with you. Especially if you plan to come visit these countries (Italy and France that is). You'll have a heads up. They are in no particular order, so let's jump in.

The first thing that came to mind when I was making this list, is actually odd in and of itself, but it's the toilets and sinks here in Europe. I think it’s odd that I am even mentioning it, that’s the odd thing. In America toilets are usually freestanding. They are not attached to a wall in a home. Maybe in a public restroom, but in a home they are free standing, and they are bolted to the floor. You can see the pipes running in from the tank or the back of the toilet into the wall. It’s kind of weird to even talk about this guys, let’s be honest.

But here in Europe, the tank is literally built into the wall. And most of the time the seat or the bowl is somehow anchored into the wall as well. Thus you can, when you have little boys, have urine that runs down the bowl of the toilet and drips all the way under the base of the toilet to where you have to get on your hands and knees and clean it up all the way back to the wall.

Sorry if that's TMI, but it’s an interesting difference. And honestly, I remember thinking that what if the toilet just falls out of the wall when I'm sitting on it. Like I literally had that thought when I was very pregnant when we were first using it. And that didn’t happen I have found that the toilets are very well anchored and that has not happened to anybody that I'm aware of.

Sinks also happen to be anchored to the wall. Even if they have drawers or cabinets underneath, there is usually free space underneath of them, and everything is anchored into the wall. This says something about the construction of the buildings, which is pretty interesting, but nonetheless, it was just an observation and honestly, the sinks made me nervous and still make me nervous because my boys want to put all of their weight on them and then I'm scared that they’re going to fall out of the wall and then I have to pay for that.

Another curiosity that we experienced while living in Italy was that there were power limits set for each house and or apartment. And you could pay to increase your limit. Let me explain. I remember saying something to one of my friends about having the oven on and running a load of laundry in the washing machine and also drying a load of laundry in the dryer.

And she said, “You can do all of that at once?” And I said, “Yeah!” And she said, ”We can’t, if I do that it trips the main breaker and we lose all of the power in the house.”

I remember finding this shocking, but thought oh well maybe it's gauged by how big the house is. My house was slightly bigger than hers. And that's not a flex. That's just how the cards ended up falling. Then I discovered that the same thing could happen to me. In the summer when we had the air conditioning on, and I tried to do that (run three major appliances at once), it was a complete blackout. Which, in the upstairs of the house where it was a type of attic, and there were only skylight windows, and the shades were drawn, it would be pitch black.

The first couple of times it happened I had to call one of the maintenance guys and ask him to help me or I would go to the front office because there was an office for the whole entire community, and ask them to turn my power back on. But after about the second or third time, one of the guys, thankfully, showed me where I could turn it back on myself. So whenever I would use too much power, and we would have a blackout in the house, rain, or shine, hot or cold, I would go out my front door and go to a building across the courtyard and turn my power back on.

Here in France, I am happy to say that is not a problem, because I’ll have to say, I don’t think I ever quite got used to that in Italy.

Another small curiosity, in Italy, was that it was very difficult to find salted butter. Obviously in America, you can find unsalted butter, but it's usually used for baking. And I suppose if you have health issues where you're not supposed to have too much sodium, it would be preferred. But in Italy, I had to go to a specific store to find the only name brand of salted butter around. It was called Lurpak and it was actually Danish. And it was extremely expensive. For one cup for my American listeners, or 500 grams it cost about five euros and I only bought it when it was on sale.

Here in France, both are available, and both are very reasonably priced. That is not to denigrate Italian butter, I think that olive oil is a preferred fat to cook with there in many regions, so it's no big deal! But from somebody, that’s me, who loves salted butter on my toast in the morning, it was different, let’s say.

Another curiosity that we discovered, actually I think that Chris had looked this up beforehand (before we moved), was that in Europe unless it's posted, you cannot turn right on a red light. In America at a stoplight, if you come to a complete stop in the right lane and no one is coming you may turn right. But here, that is illegal. And honestly, I've only seen one “right on red permitted” sign ever since we've lived in Europe. And it wasn't until we moved here to Paris that I saw it.

This just might be helpful for you if you come to Europe and are visiting and are driving or if you move here. It’s just a little something to tuck under your cap. I honestly don't think it's right or wrong to do either. It's super convenient to be able to turn right on a red light. But for safety reasons, it might make sense to not allow that very often.

Another curiosity in Europe, at least in Italy and France, is that you cannot buy basic pain medication over-the-counter. Acetaminophen, or as a Americans call it Tylenol by name brand, and ibuprofen, have to be purchased with a prescription. I'm going to be honest that I do find this rule inconvenient. But I get why they do it.

On the other hand, there are some antibiotic prescriptions, not all, that can be written and renewed or refilled within the allotted time of the prescription. This has been extremely convenient for me! I'm not talking penicillin or a Z-Pak or anything like that, but there are some where that is permissible, and it's nice to not to have to go back to your doctor every single time you need to refill the prescription.

Another curiosity, that came as a shock actually when we first moved to Italy was that in many apartments there were no dryers. I don't mean like hair dryers I mean, like clothes dryers. And originally I thought it was because of saving space, but nowadays, you can get washer and dryer combos, which I honestly don't think work very well in my experience, but you can get them or you can get stackable ones.

But I recently was talking to a friend who lives here in Paris who is also American, but has lived in Europe for many years, and only recently got a dryer, and she had commented about was it expensive to use the dryer all the time. And I said, I guess I don't really know, cause I've never tried to not use it. Of course I have some items that can't be in the dryer, but to regularly hang items on my laundry horse on purpose, other than those few items that can't go in, I just haven't done that.

And then when I saw an Instagram reel by a couple who go by the handle @thepasinis. The husband was explaining to the American wife that the reason why Italians don't use a dryer, is because it's too expensive. I think that's a very practical choice, also very ecological, but those two things are, I suppose, not enough for me (which is terrible to say) to stop drying clothes for the six humans that live in this house, when I'm doing laundry every single day. Or pretty much every day. As a side note, I will make sure to link that reel in the show notes, if you can leave links for reels in show notes. So that you can see the hilarity of all the things that this couple, the Italian husband and the American wife, say are too expensive!

Another curiosity that I found in Italy, but didn't personally experience very often unless traveling, and that we have experienced very much here in Paris, was that most apartments and houses don't have air-conditioning. I have been told that here in Paris it was because many years ago the climate was so cool and temperate that it was not needed. I can attest to the fact that nowadays, it may not always be needed in the summer, but a lot of days it certainly is.

And in Italy, the reason for not using air conditioning, though like I said in my house, back when we lived in Milan, thankfully we did have air-conditioning, is totally different. For example, in Rome, it gets really hot in the summer, even in Milan it gets quite hot and very humid in the summer. So it's not because it's a much cooler climate, but because that Italians believe that the forced chilled air can cause you to get sick.

Granted, I do think that if you're going, for example, like my kids might, from very hot temperatures into extremely cold temperatures in and out in and out, over and over again, that could very well be a likelihood, you could get sick. But in general, using air conditioning to offset the summer heat, I don't believe will lead to sickness. But, to each their own! And once again, their electricity bills are going to be much lower than those of us who had air-conditioning.

Thankfully, here in Paris, we have been able to manage by learning when and when not to open our window shutters and run fans in pretty much every single room.

Another curiosity that we discovered, and I kind of mentioned a little bit in Episode 48: Mistakes I’ve Made As An Expat, when I referenced having to pay extra for customs to receive a package. But the curiosity was not only paying extra, but also that when those packages are delivered to your house, you have to pay in cash. In America, that would be unheard of. You would never handover cash to someone because then they could claim that you actually hadn't paid them, but in Italy, this is totally normal and routine.

I also have had to pay extra for packages here in Paris, but it's only been a couple of times, and one of those times I was at the post office so I could pay by card, and the second time I believe it was at my home but the postal carrier had a credit card machine. So I don't even know if they even accepted cash.

Another curiosity, that I like quite a bit if I'm going to be honest, and I know that unless you listen to the end I’m going to sound really cheap, is that in most of Europe, you do not tip your server at a restaurant. In America, that's unheard of. You can buy a lollipop at a convenience store nowadays, and they might turn the till and ask if you want to tip. Which I honestly think is ridiculous, but I'm not saying that I like this no tipping culture because I'm a cheapskate. In fact, from ages 14 to 21, that was my primary occupation. Other than being a student (which I obviously didn’t get paid for), and working in the admissions office at my university, and then also teaching kids and an afterschool program, I worked as a dishwasher, and then I worked by way up to being a waitress, and I was also a cook at one point.

So I think that if you get good service in America, you should absolutely tip! When I was a server in Texas many many moons ago, I only made $2 and hour, so I needed that tip money to get by. But especially here in Paris, being a server is not something that they do just to make ends meet, the servers here in Paris are actually in a union, and they get paid a living wage, they take a lot of pride int their work. That's why, even though it's becoming a little bit more a part of the culture in touristed areas, it’s absolutely not expected.

A related curiosity that is in Italy, but is not here in France, is that whenever you are seated at a restaurant it even states on the menu that there is something called a coperto, or cover fee. It basically is a small charge that you pay for your table setting, and usually it's what covers the cost of laundering the linens, meaning the tablecloth and the napkin that you used.

Ok, kind of veering in another direction and maybe I should have put this at the first of this episode because it’s kind of related to what I started with. But a curiosity that I've seen here in Paris, and I can't remember if I ever saw it in Italy, I even asked Chris and he couldn’t remember, are sidewalk water closets. For all of my American listeners, a water closet, if you don't know because I didn't know what that was until I moved to Europe, is a bathroom consisting of a toilet and sink.

You will find these sprinkled throughout Paris. They are basically like ovular-looking tiny buildings and that you can press a button and then a door slides open, and you can press the button and it closes behind you and you can do your business, and wash your hands and be on your way.

I'm going to be really honest, I have never used one in Paris proper, I am a bit of a germaphobe, and it really grosses me out, especially the smells, but if you're in dire need, keep an eye out for these. Because to go into a restaurant and ask to use the restroom, you better plan on buying something. Whether it's an espresso, a bottle of water, something. You cannot use it for free, unless you are a child, they… most businesses allow children to use their toilets for free.

And the final curiosity that I have noticed here in France, and they also did the same thing in Italy, is my favorite!

Every year in January, all of the retail stores have major sales. Starting at 30% off, and sometimes going up to even as much as 60% off of the listed price. I have taken advantage of these every single year, especially for buying clothing for my children in advance- something they can grow into. Before The Gap left Europe, I got numerous sweaters for myself, jeans for Chris, and coats and clothes for the kids, you name it.

And now I usually go to Monoprix and take advantage of what they call les soldes, here in France, that’s “the sales”, to stock up on things, my kids can grow into. I honestly haven't looked for myself yet this year, but I will be going down to my favorite store, which is called Promod (or Promod is how I say it in my American accent), not sure if I've ever mentioned it before, but I’m going to be going down there and checking things out soon, before “les soldes” end!

And those are all of the curiosities that I can remember at least that I have discovered here in Europe. Or maybe it's fairer to say in France and in Italy. As I have visited other countries but haven't lived there.

I hope this list didn't come off as negative, there aren't very many of these things that I think I just really didn't like that, they're mostly just differences. And something for you to think about if you ever plan to visit or move to these countries or to others. There are always going to be little differences and sometimes there will be big differences, and when you keep that under your cap, it can help for an easier transition.

OK now for our “Chan Select” of the day. Since I've been doing a lot of comparisons between my experiences in America and my experiences in Italy and France. I thought I would share a French café that serves incredible American food!

The name of this American bistro is Coffee Parisien (or Coffee Parisien) and it has three different locations in Paris. From noon to midnight, you can go there and order breakfast or lunch. From omelettes or scrambled eggs or huevos rancheros and waffles AND French toast, to Bacon cheeseburgers, pulled pork, chicken fajitas, and homemade milkshakes… Coffee Parisien transports you to an American diner in the 1950s. Complete with placemats that have the first 46 American presidents printed on them, to photos of all things Americana, and super nice and smiling servers. Coffee Parisien gives the complete experience!

Also, if you can't tell yet by the number of restaurants that have been chosen as “Chan Selects”, I haven't actually listed out all of them, but I know that in a pie chart, restaurants would be the biggest category, so if you haven’t noticed I’m a bit of a foodie, so when I say that these are the best hashbrowns that I've ever had in Europe, I'm really not lying! They are excellent!

I will be sure to include their website and Instagram handle in the show notes, and as always, I am not an affiliate, just a super fan!

And now for a “quote of the day”. Since we spent or I spent this entire episode talking about curiosities, things that were interesting or intriguing or unusual to me. I thought I would give two quotes from the same brilliant man about curiosity. And here they are in no particular order. “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” And the second quote is, “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” And both of those quotes come from Albert Einstein.

I hope that as I leave you this episode, you go out into your world full of curiosity about the things that are different around you. I have to be honest that even as I sit here in my office and I stare out my window at this hotel that is being turned into apartments. Something that in America would've probably and unfortunately just been demolished, I'm curious. What made them decide to do that. How do they come up with this IKEA type way of adding on and building more stories on top of an already existing building?

So many questions, that I'm sure have answers and I may never find out why. But that spark of curiosity I think helps to keep a person young.

I also hope that as you leave this episode, if you haven't already, and you are a listener on Apple podcasts, that would you take the time to rate and review Expatriotical. When you do that, I know that it helps people that are searching for a podcast like this, find it more easily. Because it boosts Expatriotical up in the algorithm so that it pops up whenever they search!

Thank you guys so much! I'm looking forward to meeting you back here again next week, and until then this is Chandra Alley reminding you to “Live and Travel in the Know” with Expatriotical.