Just thinking out loud......

I saw on my Facebook page today a status my daughter updated.
There, over a picture of a bottle of wine and a bar of Belgium chocolate on a train , it said,
"Heading to Paris with the necessary supplies."

Really? Did you actually just say that? Are you just rubbing it in?

Some of the differences between life in the States and that of Europe, are glaring.
One of the nice things about Europe is, you can hop on a train and in a matter of a couple hours be in another country, speaking another language, experiencing a whole different culture, eating totally different food.  And speaking of trains, the EU knows how to do trains. They are convenient, comfortable, clean and reliable. The U.S. could really benefit by taking a page out of their public transportation book.

Do you know what is cool about France?
The plethora of restaurants that have outside seating. Eating outside just enhances the experience, don't you agree? Sitting at a table in the fresh air, watching the world go by as you sip an expresso or a glass of wine, well, it doesn't get much better than that.
Speaking of eating......

On our trip to France, one evening we decided to just walk into town and poke around, searching for a decent place to grab something to eat. In the photo below, on the right side of the frame you can see a table and chairs. That is where we sat, FOR NEARLY FOUR HOURS, and no one seemed to care.

  This is where one of the differences comes into play. When you eat out in France, as well as other EU country's, you are not required to tip the waitstaff. The reason is, unlike in the States, waiting on tables is considered an honorable profession and the waiters/waitresses are paid a decent wage. They don't live off the tips of the customers. Because of that, they don't try to rush you out the door so they can fill your table with customers who tip. On the flip side, there is much less "sucking up" going on by the waiter. Because waiters/waitress in France get paid the same if they wait on 2 people or 15 people a night, they are in no rush to give you the bums rush, which makes for a very pleasant dining experience.

You will never get a check unless you ask for it. If you just sit there expecting them to bring you the check, like they often do in the States, you better bring your pajamas because you're going to be sleeping over. They don't keep coming over to your table, asking if you want anything else, which is actually code for, "are you done yet? I need to get you out so I can get more customers in."

Many will confuse their relaxed approach with thinking they are being ignored. Actually what they are saying is, come on in and stay as long as you like, we won't be bugging you tonight.
It works out quite well.

And one other thing, "round-abouts." We in the U.S. need more round-abouts.