Josh Bernstein, DDS, Cosmetic Dentist

As someone who hasn’t traveled much, it has been a great learning experience traveling to France and Italy—and for reasons I didn’t expect. There are several problems in the U.S. that the Europeans have already solved.

While we continue to slog it out in traffic jams in our big cars, Europeans have a different approach to transportation. First of all, people do not seem to identify themselves by the car they drive. It is common to see a buff athlete or a high-powered businessman riding a little scooter. It is also common to see fashionable women riding very average bicycles. The Metro system in Paris makes a car virtually obsolete since you are never more than a 10-minute walk from a Metro station. Yes, the traffic in Paris is bad but you do not have to participate in it if you don’t want to.

The train system from city to city is also easy. We traveled by train from Rome to Florence, from Florence to Venice, and from Venice to Paris. Our train from Venice to Paris was an overnight ride where the seats folded into beds.

People get around in many different ways—particularly by boat in Venice! A lot of people walk, even for grocery shopping, which they seem to do every day. We have seen bicycles, mopeds, scooters, motorcycles, subways, buses, trains, segways and, yes, cars.

Most of the cars that you see in Europe are very small, particularly in Italy. This is probably because gasoline is about twice as expensive in Europe as it is in the U.S. and the smaller cars burn less gas. The car design is very space efficient—small on the outside, but big and roomy on the inside. And the drivers are crazy! Stop signs seem to be optional, but everyone is excellent at merging. Even in the crowded pedestrian areas, the walkers mimic the merging habits of the drivers and it is no problem. We have seen almost no “road rage.”

All of the electrical outlets in Europe are 220 volts, presumably because it is more efficient. We have seen more fluorescent light bulbs here and more motion detection switches for hallways that don’t need to be continually lit.

Europeans are a little more careful with water usage also. Many toilets have 2 different flushes—a little flush and a big flush—for obvious reasons.

Of course, there are some things that we do better, too! We are more health conscious in several ways. We have no smoking in restaurants. We are more conscious of fat consumption. And we don’t allow pets in restaurants or grocery stores! We have also seen a shocking number of nose wipers and sneezers handling food—yuck! A nice, strict hand washing law is in order!

The food in France and Italy is very good, especially in Italy, but the food would be easier to enjoy if the man who served it hadn’t just sneezed into his hand! Handicapped access is virtually non-existent in Europe—and the handicapped are nowhere to be seen. I don’t know how anyone in a wheel chair could get around in the cities we have visited.

Friendliness, customer service, manners and helpfulness can be very good in the US and it was very good in Italy. In France, it is a bit of a mystery.

While the French appear very proper, dignified, educated and civilized, we have noticed some room for improvement in the manners of some. A guest in a restaurant, hotel or shop is not always treated as you might expect. To the contrary, you are just as likely to be treated as though your presence is a bother, rather than necessary to their livelihood. In the Louvre, the staff seemed surprisingly uninformed about the location of certain world famous exhibits, such as The Parthenon Frieze—or else we were purposely sent on a wild goose chase for someone’s entertainment. Paris is a world-class city, but might be more enjoyable if it were run with Italian hospitality.

All in all, it makes a lot of sense for people to travel and learn from other cultures. There is no need to re-invent the wheel. We can learn a lot from others—and others can learn a lot from US!