Ancient technology in Europe

Can it perhaps be that people do not consider these a good idea?

• Shower curtains are a better option. It avoids you banging on the door and saves space. Modern hotels sometimes have "wet rooms" which is very convenient.
• Why do I need a window screen? Bugs are not a problem.
• Ice is OK in soft drinks, but in whisky and other alcoholic drinks it ruins the flavour.

Shower doors get in the way, and shower curtains get pulled by the wind inwards and drape their clammy selves all over you. Even worse is a shower curtain in a hotel - who knows what it touched last, or over a lifetime. Ever tried to clean a shower curtain?

With no window screens duvets can be aired out a window (yes we keep the sills clean). Heads can be put out to get an up-to-the-minute local weather report. Bugs are no problem. A few moths that may get in feed the spiders.

Ice is a waste of electricity. Electricity is very expensive.

Yes, you are right. North America is far superior.

Oh, by the way, we've also discovered that it is possible to make a bathroom floor not perfectly level and put a drain at the low point. You'd be amazed how well a drain can remove water from a room.

If I could, I would be glad to charter a plane to Malta for him.

PS -- I will not get much support for this but I do prefer the hand held shower systems often found in Europe. If it wasn't so damn expensive I would have the system installed in our shower.

Hahaha! We were just discussing this as we wring out the rug (luckily a very absorbent one) on the floor of our remodeled lovely bathroom with a shower/tub combo in London, with one of those ridiculous swinging half doors that allows the overspray to leak. Why not a sliding door that actually keeps the water on the inside?

In Roma, in an apartment we rented for 18 months, we did not have air conditioning nor screens. We pleaded with the landlady for screens on the two bedroom terrace doors so we could get some air at night with no mosquitoes. (Those Asian tiger mosquitoes are vicious!) She relented (we paid half the cost) but did not understand why we'd sleep with that air blowing on us!! She closed her windows and shutters tight at night even when it was still 32+ degrees Celsius at bedtime. Sweating the night away. We left the windows open and pointed a fan at the bed and lived to tell about it. LOL.

It is fun though, Nigel, to stick your head out and see what's going on. Really fun. Luckily we could do that from the terrace or living room.

I can live without ice. I take my whisky neat. :-)

Frank,

"but I do prefer the hand held shower systems often found in Europe. If it wasn't so damn expensive I would have the system installed in our shower."

This is the poor man's solution to having a European shower system.....

https://www.moen.ca/whats-new/innovation/magnetix

They work well and relatively inexpensive.

Thanks a lot, Keith. Just thanks. Maybe some of us here try to escape the real news, and you go bringing it up full force. Not cool, man.

I'll give Europe (and Japan) full credit in bathroom technology for bidets. The Toto washlet is making in roads here finally.

And our pooper scoopers must be somehow more advanced. Some sidewalks in both Madrid and Rome are more dog droppings than concrete.

no no, those three little girls were really adults, just the angle was different. Completely fake news.

The Queen on the other hand, and the celebration - 100% real. But nice real.

Oh, I MUST weigh in here - - when you live in a red-hot desert, like I do, you just naturally need ICE. Or some sort of a cold respite. During the seventies, the only place we could find ice was in the fish department at Kaufhof! And many European dorm mates of mine were certain that ice or any kind of cold food or drink would ruin your kidneys, your stomach, or your liver, whatever.

I learned that Germany was naturally pretty cold most of the time, and so "room temperature" usually meant 50 degrees. Most European students I knew strove for "medium" temp, by laying their red wine on the radiator for a few moments, or by mixing a refrigerated lager with one from under their futon.

I have heard three stories from European friends about how they drank an iced drink and promptly fainted, or threw up two hours later, or got a urinary tract infection (sorry, graphic).

Yes, I need air-conditioning when traveling. This year, I went in Sept/Oct, wonderful travelling weather, except for that one crazy day of ultra-high winds mixed with rain.

Toto washlet?? Hmm, what is that...must google...

Love the hand-held shower head!

Those of us who are mosquito bait certainly don't agree that bugs aren't a problem!

Nice try, Nigel, and I take your point about windows, but I'm with Karen on the shower doors.

We have a set at home that doesn't get in the way at all, can be slid in either direction for express entry or egress, yet also protect the mat and floor from overflowing water. What a concept!

We also have, in many hotels, shower curtain rods that bulge out so the curtain stays well away from the showeree, yet -- miraculously -- clings to the inside of the tub to keep water in. I guess they have to change the curtains from time to time, like the sheets, instead of spraying and wiping those glass doors. And yes, it's true that drains eventually remove water from floors -- after the showeree has completed drying off (saving the feet for another room I guess) and gone to breakfast or dinner or bed. And they require that much more plumbing in the building.

I love Europe. The showers, not so much. Only my self-respect, and reluctance to be ostracized for b.o., impels me to shower east of the Atlantic.

I have a handheld shower head that cost about $50. It mounts right onto the existing shower head stub. Granted, it doesn't have the nifty little rail to slide up and down on, but it does the trick. It also makes it really easy to clean the tile!

Loove hand-held showers -- so much easier to move the shower head to the area in need of rinsing than to have to twist my body to where the water is falling. And once you've learned to do that, the water doesn't necessarily get all over the floor.
Now let's talk about energy-efficient cars, which Europe has had for years while the U.S. drove gas-guzzlers.

I don't know where everyone is staying whilst in Europe but I have never encountered a shower that results in water ending up all over the bathroom. I've stayed in many, many hotels and apartments and all showers have had either a curtain, a door or the bathroom was a wet room where the shower enclosure was open but due to the drainage the water stayed in the shower area.

We have two walk in showers at home, one with sliding doors and one that opens outwards, never have a problem with water escaping.

Never found a need for window screens in the UK or pretty much anywhere else in Europe.

As for ice.....is it really an issue? I find the American use of ice to be completely excessive. Too much ice 'numbs' the flavour of whatever you're drinking, it's like anything cold. Tomatoes eaten straight from the fridge are a poor relation to those eaten at room temperature, cheese is at its best kept out of the fridge and so on. Besides, if you want more ice when in Europe simply ask for more.

I was in Warsaw last weekend and we ate at quite a formal, expensive (for Warsaw) restaurant. When the water was brought out it was accompanied by a glass bowl full of ice cubes and a small serving spoon. We were quite amused, never been served ice independently and in such a manner!

Don’t even get us Brits started on the lack of kettles or the inability of Americans to understand that the water has to be boiling and be poured in on top of the tea bag.

Now, Europe is many, many different countries with different habits so I can only speak for Britain but...

Semi-seriously - I think that the biggest cultural difference is that Americans want/demand comfort & ease. You want everything to work exactly as it should do and enjoy controlling temperature, environment etc.

Whereas I think most British people feel more at home with things being a bit imperfect; a bit of the outside getting in. We sort of enjoy having a grumble, feeling a bit too hot or a bit too cold or having a spider get into the house, because that’s life. The important things work well, most of the time (public transport, say) but we’ll put up with a lot more little things going wrong because that’s just how life is. And we are very suspicious of perfection... we’re great fans of “good enough” and “mustn’t grumble.”

And as for this:

Ice. We've had this thread before, but really. Ice. It's not that hard
to freeze water

No, of course it isn’t difficult to make ice. But why would we? Americans are the only people who cram their drinks with ice. Here in Britain we like to enjoy the flavour of the drink.

ICE!!!!! dae ye no ken wit it did tae yon Titanic.

Something else struck me re this controlled environment thing.

America has a huge range of climates, some of them very inhospitable. So of course you want to control them. Some of the outside in the US is very dangerous.

Here in Britain the outside/nature is almost entirely benign. It’s rarely so hot or so cold that you can’t just control it by opening or closing a window or putting another sweater on. Those few days a year when it’s really hot, we quite enjoy feeling hot, enjoy grumbling about it: otherwise how would we strike up conversations? The same goes for insects. There’s nothing harmful out there so why not let them in the house?

Obviously I can only speak for the UK. Treating “Europe” as one place (as if Norway and Greece were pretty similar) - well, just don’t get me started...

Bugs are not a problem

Tell that to the mozzies who munched on me during the night in Florence! The bites swelled to the point of having to lance and drain the worst of them on my feet myself just to get my shoes on! It wasn't pretty. I react badly to bites to begin with but have been told that those from "foreign" species can be much worse as you haven't built up a tolerance for them.

We have mozzies the size of 747s here in Minnesota, and in great swarms at dawn and dusk. Gnats too + horse flies, deer flies, yellow jackets, hornets.... Screens are not optional.

In the case of very old buildings (and there are a lot of those in Europe), architectural codes may determine just how many visible, exterior changes/additions can be made to them?

Why is the aircon temperature always set so low in the US?

Agree, Emma. It's annoying to have to put on a sweatshirt or sweater to manage the arctic chill in restaurants, shops, etc. I wouldn't go without it at home during the height of summer but mostly to remove the humidity; constant damp plus higher temps grows mold and mildew. It doesn't have to be set at freezing to do that, though.

Ice: never bothered me that it's not plentiful in Europe. Beer doesn't need ice. :O)

Showers: we had one with a 1/2 door in Paris that leaked enough to soak the floor but they've generally not been a problem. Wet rooms? Never understood them and I won't book an accommodation which has one. We do have a hand-held attachment in our master shower (came with the house) and it's great for rinsing soap and cleaner off the walls!

I can tell you that a mosquito bite in a different environment can result in multiple phone calls to the CDC and an ER visit (friend from Europe visiting me in Miami).

I guess some things people want reflect the comforts of home. I would rather ask for an extra pillow than pack along stuffed toys.

I was about to ask: without a handheld shower attachment (or a bidet in some bits of Europe), how do you wash your bits? And then thought: oh! Perhaps that’s what washcloths are for... ;-)

in my Levantine country:

Shower doors are standard. So are hand-held shower heads. Both in private homes and in hotels. I hated that in France, many tubs had hand-held shower heads but nowhere to hang them overhead - good for rinsing off but not for actual showering.

Some places have window screens, many don't. The problem with screens is that they seriously limit the flow of fresh air.

Ice. It's available almost everywhere but you often have to ask for it. Most people here still don't want their drinks diluted. If you ask for a carafe of tap water, it usually comes with ice, lemon slices, and mint sprigs. Order a drink in the U.S. and you get a glass full of ice with an ounce or two of soft drink.

I think we need to start a thread on all the US things that drive us crazy......

Hmm.. my first reply disappeared. I'll come back and delete this one if it returns.

Ancient? How about non-existent? While not widespread in hotels, in many states/local jurisdictions it code to have an exhaust fan or window in the bathroom. I have never been in a place in Europe that has one. The moisture just builds and builds and causes mold and mildew. I have been in very nice places only to see it in the cracks and crevices.

While I am not sure the US has better dryer technology having one (or using it) in some places in Europe it seems to be a luxury. I live in an apartment and it’s a no-no to hang clothes outside on your balcony, even if I wanted to, birds just seem to love my balcony. I have heard “Can’t you just set up a stand somewhere?” I could but then the moisture just sits in my apartment and starts to form beads of water and drip down stuff. How do I know? My dryer had been on the outs and I hung a load of clothes on hangers and now I see beads of water on my blinds. Then the typical response is “Open your windows.” Okay if it nice but when its 90F+ (32C) and the humidity is 90% I doubt that’s going to help. And in the summer it’s typically like that for weeks or months so not doing clothes in for that long is impossible.

Why does the A/C in the US seem so high? From my understanding the standards/calculations ARE ancient and designed to keep a typical 150 pound (lb) man cool. Why that is today when they could change it I am not sure. What percentage of people are 150 pound men in work places now, I don’t know, but in the building I work in it’s NOT typical but then it would be either ON or OFF and I much prefer on and I wear a light jacket. Not sure about other people’s homes but I keep my A/C use down and set it to about 80F. It’s also a necessity and not just in the desert areas. Hundreds of people die from heat related illnesses in all parts of the US because either they can’t afford the electric or equipment, can’t go to A/C places during the day (less mobile folks) or any other number of reasons.

Showers - oh so much fun.

The one in Naples where I had to fight to keep the shower curtain from clinging to me. Also Venice.

The wet room in Atrani - well, it's really hard to dry your feet off to leave the room and get dressed without getting your clothing wet when the floor is soaked (also have to hide all your toiletries that you would normally leave on the edge of the sink...toothpaste, lotion...). No, I'm not going out of the bathroom half clothed, my mom is out there!

The open shower concept at the airbnb in London where - when I turned on the shower - I didn't notice the shower wand was pointing right at my chest - got a soaking wet shirt (I always let the water run for a minute to warm it up) and because the wand was also pointing at the opening, the water ran out of the 'shower area' towards the toilet and I had to ue 2 towels to sop it up (and the mat got soaked).

The teeny tiny shower stall in Rome that you could barely raise your elbows in.

Have also encountered some of those half door on the tub type things - I tend to splash around a bit in the shower (long hair flings about when shampooing) so those are always fun.

But boy oh boy - we've also had some awesome showers that were of the open concept, but beautifully done - an airbnb in south France - I wanted to pack her bathroom up in my suitcase and bring it home!

And you can pry my window screens from my cold dead hands...ahaha. Nothing like mosquitoes buzzing in your ears because you left the windows open in Florence to cool the room off and let a whole generation of those buggers in the room!
Ice is hit or miss for me.

Want to get me started on the weird washer/dryer combo thingys in the UK - I can do a huge load of laundry at home...my sister who lives in the UK - like - two pair of jeans, one pair of socks and a towel and it's full...and it takes 4 hrs for the dryer to dry it (which is why she had a clothesline and lots of drying racks).

Jane, I think you're saying that Brits will put up with almost anything, as long as their tea is properly made!

We Americans do have the need to control our environment before it kills us. We may not think about it often, but it's probably deep in our DNA. As Europeans immigrated here and settled across the land they had to endure a lot. There's a note in some family papers that one of my ancestors in Illinois "settled on unbroken prairie." That pioneer spirit is a national myth or story that we feel deeply. And part of that is wrestling this damn place into something habitable!

About air conditioning- years ago a friend had a cousin from Scotland staying for the summer. She found the Cincinnati heat and humidity unbearable. She said she wanted to go do things but often preferred to stay in the AC.

Erm - I've never noticed my window/door screens limiting air flow...matter of fact - my hubby finally put on the screen door he bought two summers ago, and with my front door now able to be open (because we have a screen door) and my windows open, I get amazing cooling on summer days - there are days when I normally would have had our window AC unit on, but now can leave it off because of the breeze from being able to open the door (and not worry about bugs getting in or my dog getting out!)

Right now with the mild autumn temps, we are having a ladybug/Asian beetle invasion. If I didn't have window screens, it would look like a Hitchcock film in my house - I mean, the buggers are still coming thru somewhere (probably around the door) - I liberated about 2 dozen of them yesterday from my home - but without screens I'd probably be laying on the floor covered in them - ick. Or I wouldn't be able to enjoy the fresh autumn air because I'd have to close everything up tight (and don't even get me started on June bugs and those crane flies that abound in mid-Sept copulating all over my deck...lol)

Here's a new thing we all need to put a stop to. What's with hotels putting glass between the shower and the bedroom? So that you can see from the bed to the shower. Some weird open concept. I'd seen a hotel in Paris like that and avoided it. And now I've noticed a few others while looking for hotels elsewhere. That's just ridiculous. Here's one: Hotel Emile

All of this reminds me of when my mother and her sister went to Europe for the first time many years ago. They were full of complaints when they came back, especially my dear mother, about how different everything was, how inferior everything was, and especially how awful the food was. Not at all like home was the main complaint.

we are having a ladybug/Asian beetle invasion. If I didn't have window
screens, it would look like a Hitchcock film in my house

It's an Asian Beetle Fest here too, Nicole! And Boxelder bugs! It's unusually warm here in Mpls. and the little buggers (apologies, Brits, as I think that's a vulgarity where you live) are just thick!

I think there are some very non-flexible travelers posting responses. We have spent about a year in Europe over the past twenty plus years. While we have have encountered many of these situations, we always takes a few minutes to understand the systems - where the value to shower head is, off position, how the doors and curtains work, etc. Even encounter one set up where the stool and shower area was in the same areas and the curtain enclosed both. Have to remember that the majority of the bathrooms in suite have been shoe horned into a very limited space to accommodate the demand for in-room facilities. We never judge one approach as being superior to another. That is part of going with the flow.

Kathy...I just had to take a video yesterday. I liberated 4. Then went upstairs for an hour. Came down...13 more! Then over the rest of the afternoon I probably had another 7-8, and even got one last night on a lampshade. (I catch them in a jar and put them back out...I hear they can stink bad of you squish em...and apparently they’ll bite)

BTW...that box elder bug is ugly! I don’t recall seeing them here, so maybe don’t come this far north. At least the Asian beetles fool you into thinking they are cute ladybugs...lol.

That pioneer spirit is a national myth or story that we feel deeply.
And part of that is wrestling this damn place into something
habitable!

The cultural difference in a nutshell and beautifully put, Karen. I’m now remembering my Laura Ingalls books, and how happy they were when they got glass windows and a “boughten” desk. (Incidentally as a child I assumed boughten was a type of wood, rather than an old term for something bought.

Re dryers: many of my clothes would shrink if I put them in a dryer. How do Americans dry delicate items like woollens that shrink in a warm tumble dryer? I keep hearing Americans talking about putting everything in a dryer and I keep thinking: but what about knitted sweaters and other items? If you don’t have outdoor clothes lined or a drying rack, how do you avoid shrinkage?

"I think we need to start a thread on all the US things that drive us crazy"
yeah TIPPING.
still I am loving you and leaving you ,off for a week to Dubrovnik in Croatia and I will not worry one jot about shower doors ,window screen and ICE!

jane,

I buy things labeled "machine wash & dry" and avoid anything requiring dry cleaning (except for a business suit). Everything goes in the wash and the dryer without issue, carefully sorted by weight and colors so that jeans don't get washed with light t-shirts. The dryers I have always had to use have a moisture sensor in them and the dryer cools as the clothes dry. This eliminates shrinkage for most fabrics. However, many people I know use the time dry function where heat is at max for the selected amount of time which can totally ruin may things.

Karen, those transparent bathroom doors are at Citizen M Hotel at Schipol. Thought I would die laughing! But those doors become opaque when latched (one circle for the shower, another for the toilet).

It's fun hearing from all the folks living in Europe and how they feel about the differences:) I'm with Frank - we always just note the differences and go with the flow (no pun intended). Having a shower or bathroom that is different has never bothered me. The most unique one we have experiences was at the Aaran House Hotel in London many years ago. To make the room ensuite they had installed a prefab bathroom into the room space. It was very much like an airline bathroom with a very small standup shower. No complaints - just very different!

Why is it that we have so much more trouble with insects here in the US? I stayed many times at my sister in law's house outside of London and only remember having one bee get into a bedroom. They left the windows open most of the time, unless it was too cold. I NEVER leave windows open without a screen. Have spent most of my life in Colorado, California and Texas. We lived on a lake in Texas and it was a race to see how fast you could open a door - get in, and close the door knowing that every second more bugs were getting in with you! Actually now that I'm thinking about it - my daughter in the bay area leaves her screen door wide open often and only gets an occasional fly. Hmmmm maybe I have just lived in the wrong areas of the US.

I took my little mom on a three week Cosmos tour (50 in a bus, but it worked for us at the time)....she was 77 at the time. Many stops were for just one night, and every night she would disappear into the bathroom to shower and I could count down the seconds until I heard "D**n it!!" She could never figure out the nuances of those showers!

Zoe and Karen -- once 20 years ago when living in New York, my boyfriend took me to a hip restaurant and told me I had to go to the super cool unisex (or mixed?) restrooms, which had this glass that turned opaque when you fastened the latch.

I went in my stall and was a bit taken aback when the glass didn't darken or whatever but thought well that's just how it is, and don't be uncool!! I noticed people looking into my stall with a bit of horror and wondered. . .

I finally figured out that I in fact had not engaged the mechanism that "opaqued" the glass, so was peeing in full view of anyone who was in the restroom!! OMG

Zoe and Karen -- once 20 years ago when living in New York, my boyfriend took me to a hip restaurant and told me I had to go to the super cool unisex (or mixed?) restrooms, which had this glass that turned opaque when you fastened the latch.

I went in my stall and was a bit taken aback when the glass didn't darken or whatever but thought well that's just how it is, and don't be uncool!! I noticed people looking into my stall with a bit of horror and wondered. . .

I finally figured out that I in fact had not engaged the mechanism that "opaqued" the glass, so was peeing in full view of anyone who was in the restroom!! OMG

OMG Kim! That is hilarious....as long as it didn't happen to me.

I think we need to start a thread on all the US things that drive us crazy......

Yup, I can contribute. No sense being defensive about things that do not work. We should all be studying who-does-what-well and incorporating the best ideas worldwide. (The U.S. could do with great medical coverage for all, for example.) But sticking to technology: Screens for bug-ridden places, A/C for hot places, Oyster cards for transportation should be adopted the world over, the Paris Museum Pass should be copied by every great city. Waterproof showers are not that hard. American have figures that one out.

Dear Brits, you do most things so well! My shower example is so not usually a U.K. thing but happens all over Europe.

Now what US things drive us crazy? We'll need another thread. Super-size coffee makes me nuts, I want a nice little 6-ounce cappuccino, thank you. In a ceramic cup, if you don't mind. How hard is that?

We should all be studying who-does-what-well and incorporating the
best ideas worldwide

Hear! Hear! I'd love to be able to get to as many places in the U.S. by train as you can in many parts of Europe. Warts and all, it's one of the things we like best about Italy.

I'm from the US, and I get really annoyed when I buy a softdrink and they fill it up with ice before putting the drink in. I think they do this to save on the actual drink, since ice is so much cheaper. I like a little ice, but not a full cup or glass of it!

I live in Louisiana, so air conditioning is a must for much of the year. But in the summer it can get ridiculous in the building where I work. I have to run a little space heater (in July and August!) to keep from freezing inside.

You can't leave windows open in Louisiana any time of year without screens. You'll be eaten up by mosquitoes, and they carry West Nile Virus and Encephalitis. I'm hoping when I'm in England in May and June 2018, it's cool enough to keep windows open, and not use the air conditioning.

Us fat Americans can't fit in the Euro showers and leave enough room so the water doesn't goes everywhere. Mosquitoes find us tastier than thin Europeans because of the extra rich blood from all the fast food we eat so screens aren't as big a deal. Of course we need more ice to cool down. These differences in living seem completely logical to me.

.....and the winner is Unclegus for the Titanic crack! Have a grand time in Dubrovnik - the restaurant on top of Mount Srd is pretty good, providing it's not blowing a hooley. Or freezing cold.

Incidentally, while I love my Oyster card as much as the next man (or woman), a family friend who has just left TfL to return to his roots in God's own country tells me that their days are numbered ultimately as TfL will 'encourage' everybody to use their contactless debit card, which will work in exactly the same way (same software calculates maximum fare for day as it does with Oyster card), but no doubt save TfL a ton of money. While I, like a true Luddite, continue to use my Oyster card when in London, my wife has already dispensed with hers and gone contactless.

I wouldn't panic overly at this news as I think the Oyster card will be around for a while yet. You know, like the old round pound coin!

Ancient technology:
110 electricity,
Amtrak trains,
US air traffic control system (you don't want details on that one),

In other words, innovations that we developed long ago and then chose not to update, by electing politicians who don't believe in government, while private industry isn't investing.

It's not the Europeans' fault if you're all a bunch a cheapoes and go to substandard hotels.

The places I go to (including my family homes) have shower courtains and doors. I've never had issues finding ice, although those huge ice machines are rare since Europeans don't use it as much.

Bug screens exist there too, although not many install them. But you know. If your arse is nice and clean after a bidet, not many flies follow you around, so the screens are not as necessary as in America where most people have a funky a... The Italian language doesn't even have the equivalent of "skid marks".

Have you ever noticed that when you're on vacation that at first everything seems wonderful? Then you have a grumpy day and those same things are irritating. And I didn't even know when I started typing that I was talking about marriage...

Anyway, a lot of this is just the other side of the coin. Everyone is so laid back and relaxed/Why is service so slow? The bread is so fresh/Why do I have to buy bread every day? I love leaning out the window/Damn mosquitoes! My drink isn't watered down by ice/My drink is warm. I'd love to live on the beach all the time/This sand is in everything.

Back to the glass walls. What is the purpose of a glass wall that has to be cleaned perfectly and has a special mechanism to make it opaque? Why not just use a regular wall? Have people been clamoring to see more of their shower? Some designers are in the wrong business.

Kim, if you plug your ears and hum, no one can hear you either!

Some of the issues being discussed here bear some perspective. My perspective is that of a child raised by parents who lived through the Depression, WWII. and if not poverty, then limited circumstances.

Yes, we have screens in our windows in many parts of the country because we can and do open the windows instead of using AC, if AC is even available . I do not have AC and never will. Fans on hot days are sufficient. Are the screens perfect? No. Up here we have "no see-ums" or biting bugs that fit through the smallest of screens as do black flies, another biting bug. Many US cities don't need screens because the windows won't open!!!! I'll take a window that opens, even with the bugs, over a window that won't open any day of the week. Even in US cities known for bugs (DC and other part of the south) one is forced to use AC because if the windows open, there are no screens but signs that say don't open the windows!! What's up with that?? Having said that, I DO wish I had screens in the windows in the hotel in Venice when bats were flying all around me. The bats are gone from here for the time being (sigh).

I have lived for 60+ years without the (questionable) benefit of a clothes dryer.(Disclaimer: I have had to use dryers when in the military when no other option was available.) I use the wind and an old-fashioned device called a clothesline. I would argue that line drying clothes extends the longevity of any piece of clothing and the wind/sun are natural antibacterials. (Read old accounts of women laying out linens on the lawn to dry.) And the smell from a line-dried piece of clothing is so much better than the artificial smell from any fabric softener.

Showers: never had the experience until I was in my 20's. Clawfoot tub was all I knew of before I went off to college in the mid 70s. After experiencing hand held showers in Germany in the late 70s, I was hooked on showers. Don't care if the floor gets wet, if there is a door or curtain, location. I just want one. Much more preferable than going without and/or sitting in water that is dirty.
Bidets: so sensible.

Ancient technology: The world's biggest economy can't get the hang of chip-and-pin credit cards, safer and easier and, well, modern.

I live in Florida where the dew points are above 70F from May to early October. You run the AC fairly cool because the systems are set up to also remove humidity, and dry out the indoor space to tolerable levels. Most of the construction here is under newer energy efficiency building codes. We don't skimp on heating or AC and with out 1700sf/150 square meter house, we use about as much energy as a typical French family in smaller quarters. (Our big energy use months are not in the summer buy rather in January and February when we get overnight lows in the 30-40F range)

When I worked next to the computer server room, i used to wear a winter coat in my office in the summer- it was set to meat locker to keep the computers happy and the rest of us human types were expected to dress to account for that.

Window screens- quality double hung windows will have one track for the glass and one track for the screen and the screen just slides up on its own track if you want to let the bugs in.

Laundry on the line- my suburblet was developed by a German industrialist and there's a bit of that influence in the covenants including clotheslines hall be allowed in all back yards. But between the general humidity, the summer rainstorms, and yellow pine pollen season, most people including the Europeans in town just use a standard clothes dryer rather than have their sheets be saturated in pollen or always damp.

cbrochu30 If I lived in Vermont or UK, I wouldn't need AC either! Italy and Spain would be a different scenario! I do agree that AC is set too cold in summer(I try to keep mine at home 80-82), and when I was in Chicago in March, the heat in the stores was way too hot-after all, I had on long underwear for outside walking.

Don’t even get us Brits started on the lack of kettles or the inability of Americans to understand that the water has to be boiling and be poured in on top of the tea bag.

"Tea bag" ?? HORRORS, what's a tea bag!!???

Of course one ONLY chooses the finest loose-leaf teas for one's cuppa!!

It would be interesting to know what typical utility rates are in Europe.

I'm not representative of all of Europe but I'll show you mine if you show me yours.
Electricity £0.23 per day plus £0.1177 per kwh.

Gas another £0.23 per day plus £0.0238 per kwh.

How does that stack up with yours?

My budget payment for electricity is 64€ per month.
We dry our clothes on a rack, no space for a dryer. Yes, my jeans are dry in one day.
Have never seen one of these European horror showers. Maybe cause we usually stay in Motel One and Ibis hotels? The few B&B we have stayed in have all been fine.

Hate the fixed shower heads in the US (who thinks this is a better idea than a handheld shower that you hang on a sliding rod?) and I really hate the public restrooms. Toilets that flush automatically every time you move a tiny bit, big chunk of toilet seat missing in the front (WHY?) Doors that have big gaps all around them. Cheap, tissue thin toilet paper.

I'm having trouble comparing it, since we have numerous fees and taxes added on. But my last monthly electricity bill (2 persons, single family home) was $133, for usage of 965 kWh. Thats about .138 $/kWh.

I had to look up conversion of cubic feet of gas to kWh. Looks like 0.03 $/kWh. Monthly bill (off -season - no heat) of $33.

I guess I had always heard that more expensive utilities was one reason for low use of A/C, dryers, ice machines, etc., in Europe. So
I guess this diversion adds nothing to the discussion. Sorry.

I like the privacy of European toilet stalls but as someone with dry skin hate the lack of pPer towels in favor of forced air hand dryers.

Our electric bill probably averages $150 a month for an all electric home over the course of a year. The first $50 of that is assorted user fees, taxes streetlight charges and user add one. (We pay extra for whole house surge guard because there is lots of lightning here and it’s cheaper than lightning damage insurance claims )

or to put it another way, in the summer - no heating, no use of the tumble dryer, little use of lighting - the combined gas and electric bill per month is just short of £100. That will go up a lot in winter, autumn and spring as the days get very short and dark, the heating is on a lot, and the dryer runs in the absence of any drying ability on the clothesline and you can only use so many radiators covered in wet clothes.

I don't know about others but my electricity is 100% renewables - wind, solar, water and waste.

Well, I might as well join in and tell what electricity costs in Quebec. In my former apartment, 6 large rooms, oil heating included in the rent, my usual monthly bill for eletricity when not using my AC, was $25. In my present apartment electricity is included in the rent so no need to be careful about the AC use. Quebec has a surplus of electricity and sells some to Vermont and NY. Feel free to immigrate.

Ancient Technology: Non chip-and-pin cards where you have to sign a piece of paper.
I buy something, the waiter/cashier brings me a portable card reader, I (repeat I) put card in machine, check amount and type in my PIN; remove card. Nobody but me has touched my card. Secure? Yes.

When I first went to Germany, my coworker and his wife were incensed that there was no curtain on the shower; it was just a three sided tile room. But it had a hand-held shower wand. You just stand with the wand facing inward. No problem. I also learned that because water was expensive, and hot water more so, the European tended to get wet, then turn off the water, soap up, and scrub, then turn the water back on and rinse. They don't just stand under a flowing shower head and waste expensive hot water. But what really seems funny to me is that all of the shower stalls have walls that are transparent, not opaque, like in the US. The only shower stall I've ever seen like that at home was on-stage in a strip club!

As for ice, I only drink wine and beer, and I don't need ice in either. And as someone else pointed out, ice in drinks is just a way for businesses to short you on the good stuff.

Screens? I've never seen one in Germany, but the last time I saw a lot of flies in Germany was in 1988. I did get bit by a mosquito while walking around in Rothenburg.

But what really seems funny to me is that all of the shower stalls
have walls that are transparent, not opaque, like in the US.

Really? Clear-glass shower stalls are not uncommon in the U.S, especially if the tile is attractive. Our last house had clear walls in the master bath, and we're about to put the same into a master bath we're in the process of re-doing.

Why a dryer? I use a clothes line as long as I can in warmer weather, but eventually things will freeze if I hang them outside. And this time of year the sun is lower and instead of 8 hrs of sunlight on my line, I only get 5 (trees in the way)...so without a breeze, stuff is still damp when I bring it in. But...even after line drying, a 5 min tumble is necessary to fluff up the towels and take the stiffness out of the jeans. Also...I don’t iron anything, so a quick tumble helps get the wrinkles out.

Dear North America,

Since you seem like a friendly lot, I'm interested to know:

Toilets: Why so much water?

Taxes: Why can't something just show the price as the amount of money that I need to hand over, rather than having to guess/do maths?

Coffee: Me buying coffee - "Wow, it's so cheap!...Wait...that's not coffee, that's a half litre of brown water..." Why is coffee not actually coffee ?

Appliances: Why are they so enormous? Big Fridges, big ovens, big washing machines.

And from watching to many episodes of 'House Hunters International'

Bathrooms: Why do you require so many (all that cleaning...! Do you all have cleaners?)? I love it when a couple ask for a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom home in central Amsterdam/Paris/Rome, and are certain that they couldn't cope with less (and always end up having to).

Light-hearted...but curious nonetheless. :)

The residential toilet rules these days are pretty tough in terms of water use allowed. But there are a lot of toilets in older homes and the rules are different for business/commercial use.

Coffee- I dunno. I own a Nespresso and a milk frother so I can make my morning latte and not pay coffee house prices.

House Hunters Domestic and International- mostly fake. The buyers or renters are required to be under contract before filming the show and are sometimes in the process of moving into the home where they're told 'we can negotiate for the furniture' (one US to Paris HHer just happened to pick the home where there were visible 'Home Depot' moving boxes stacking in living areas, and yeah, that's the home they 'picked') and if the producers think there isn't enough drama from the home buyers themselves, they'll essentially give them a script to follow to keep viewers engaged including the overseas quest for five bedrooms and an oven big enough to cook a Thanksgiving turkey in. Even though I know the process is fake as all heck, I still tune in because of the chance to see the homes themselves from around the world

Hi Kiwi-first, what's with the fur-covered fruit with so many seeds? :-)
But since you asked . . .
American Toilets: have you seen how much we eat? Many Americans have a lot of stuff to flush! A favorite newspaper columnist wrote a few year ago that he's recently installed a low-volume flush toilet that used much less water than his previous fixture. But he had to flush it twice to clear our the bowl, and wound up using more water than before. I also believe there's been a view for a long time (changing slowly) that things are plentiful and widely available in this big, wide country, and that included a perception of virtually unlimited (and therefore cheap) water, gasoline, electricity, food, etc.

Taxes on retail purchases: some states, counties, and towns charge different amounts of taxes, and some charge none, so it varies from place to pace, and the "base" price at least let you know what you're starting with. Kind of like airfares that seem low, but are much higher once all the fees, surcharges, and taxes get piled on! A news program last week mentioned a restaurant in New York that was going to start charging 1 price, tip already included. That will be different.

American coffee: from the hemisphere that brought coffee to the workd, not certain what it was like hundreds of years ago, but I too have a Nespresso machine. Failing that, I have several French presses and a coffee grinder, and have always favored a very dark roast. Others clearly have a different view on that. As for brown water, ask the English about their love of Nescafe! Funny how the same company that came up with Nescafe also produces Nespresso.

American Appliances: see above. Many folks (and advertisers) have espoused that "bigger is better." And for those with 3 or 4-car garages, and really big houses, with big families (or just big houses and maybe they don't even cook that much at home), a small fridge would be out of place.

Number of bathrooms - well,not everyone has that many, and you can only use one at a time anyway. Unless, again, there's a big family . Now, if you could have two toilets and two showers in one room . . .

WellI am in my apartment inLapad Dubrovnik,had a greatnday and evening yesterday. Just had a shower this morning and the shower had sliding doors but it was one of these hand held things but I still adapted and got clean.fridge with a freezeer section with ice trays so no worry about having ice I will never use.No screen on the window but there is a fine mesh inner curtain which will keep,the flies out
satalitte Tv with loads of channels manbny of which are english speaking channels.ha modern technology who needs it.
Btw Dubrivnik is lovely and all the peope I have met have been really nice

Ancient Technology: Non chip-and-pin cards where you have to sign a piece of paper.
I buy something, the waiter/cashier brings me a portable card reader, I (repeat I) put card in machine, check amount and type in my PIN; remove card. Nobody but me has touched my card. Secure? Yes.

Amen, Chris! I would love to have this technology in the U.S. We have had a CC compromised in restaurants too many times.

As for brown water, ask the English about their love of Nescafe!

Instant coffee has, thankfully, fallen out of favour with the British. Whilst there are still some die hards (my parents included) many people now prefer proper coffee as the explosion of coffee shops across the nation testifies.

I have a Nespresso machine but use Cafe Pod rather than Nespresso capsules as I prefer their coffee. I don't like the percolated stuff that sits around in a jug on a hotplate.

Instant coffee like Nescafé is definitely falling out of favour in Britain. As a nation of tea-drinkers we came to proper coffee late - but we sort of bypassed the American coffee-maker type and went straight to cafetières (French presses), proper espresso machines and Nespresso.

The shower thing - still trying to get to the bottom of Americans’ problem with our showers. When you guys say handheld, you mean the ones that are attached to a sliding pole so that you can adjust the height and angle for your size - as well as taking the shower head and using it in your hand? Are these the ones you find spray water everywhere? Can I gently suggest that you might not be adjusting the angle and height properly? There is also the issue I suppose that Americans seem to be built on a different scale to many Europeans - and I don’t mean fat, just altogether bigger and taller and take up more space.

As for prices, the way businesses in the US compete is by fooling their customers into thinking they are getting more and paying less. The paying more is not including the taxes on the price. In restaurants you pay most of the wages extra too. I'm sure grocery stores are trying to figure out how to ala carte your bill. "OK, Mrs. Smith, that's $9.95 for your groceries, plus 70 cents for sales tax, 21 cents for the lights, 29 cents for the heat, $1.46 for the managers retirement plan, etc."

And as for giving you less, manufacturers design their containers to look like they hold more. Remember when tuna came in 5 a oz can. Now it's a 4 oz can, and I have an old cookbook that calls for a 6 oz can of tuna. A major grocery chain a few years ago downgraded their frozen vegatable from 12 oz to 8 oz. Do you think a focus group found that people really wanted a smaller bag, or do you think the group found that people wouldn't notice their bag was smaller than the competitor's, just that the price was lower?

Lee, the reduction in size concerning groceries etc is certainly not confined to the US. It's alive and well in Europe too. It doesn't go unnoticed when manufacturers reduce their contents but not their prices but when they're all at it it makes it difficult to opt for a competitor.

I agree with you on coffee pods, Emma. I’m a cafetière user myself. I’ve only ever used Nespresso when I’ve had a machine in a hotel room.

But I disagree on instant coffee - even the premium brands, to me, taste like an entirely different drink. Pleasant enough if you like that drink, but not coffee...

I was staying in a hotel recently and the coffee machine in the breakfast area broke. They put out a basket of Kenco instant coffee sachets as a replacement. I was very grumpy.

My mom still drinks instant. We got her a Keurig but she uses it for hot chocolate because the coffee is 'too strong'.

The benefit of a Keurig (about the only one) - is that you can offer guests different drinks - we had some neighbours over and one had a green tea, one a coffee, I had a regular tea and hubby had a hot chocolate. We have shops that sell single pods, so you can mix and match, instead of having to buy a box of 20 green tea bags when you don't drink it yourself and maybe only use it once a year when someone visits.

On Saturdays, hubby always makes a cup to go - bit harder with a pot. And not paying $2+ and waiting in line for one. At least many Keurigs are changing over to recyclable pods and we always compost the coffee grounds and filters.

I can bag the aluminum Nespresso pods and put them in the recycling bin (unlike the Keurig K cup pods which we can’t recycle) and as a fan of fancy coffee drinks, I can make a nice vanilla latte that would cost $4 at a coffee shop for less than $1 at home

The big fridge-freezer is a bit of a shopping culture thing- so many people try to stock up on groceries when they’re on sale and ride it out to the next sale. When boneless chicken goes on sale for buy one get one free, we’ll commonly buy 5 kilograms, divide it into two person portions, bag it and freeze anything we are t going to use that day. And then gently thaw out each batch for dinner as needed.

And just to add to the electricity comments...as much as Ontario loves to whinge about their high electric rates, NS has the 2nd highest rates in Canada (behind PEI). Our home is 2700 sq feet (including the basement). Oil heat. Our last electric bill (June-Aug) we averaged $3.83 a day before taxes. But that includes some AC usage. Actually used about 23.2 kwh per day...the two months before that we used 16.7 kwh per day (we were also gone on holiday for a few weeks).

Base charge 10.83 a month. $0.15063 per kWh.

From what I've seen in Europe, it's a lot like Israel - most people live in apartments and most of them are not particularly spacious. Many European apartments were built many years ago - kitchens are small so large appliances won't fit. Air flow is different when you live in an apartment with windows on only two sides (3 if you're lucky) of the apartment and your front door is your only door and it opens into a stairwell.

The first time I saw a shower without a door (that was in a two star hotel in Paris) I thought it was strange but innovative, looked for the drain...not there. No need for the shower door, yes, the water gets the entire room wet , no problem, but after you leave that wet floor, within 10 mins or so half the floor is dry. Surprising how quickly that water covering the entire shower and toilet floor dries up.

I don't need ice in my non-alcoholic drinks, can do without it when drinking mineral water, Coke (sometimes), etc...have never asked for ice. I travel almost always in the summer, have been through heat waves in Germany, France, ( a " broiler" in Toulon), Austria, Poland ... the kind of stifling, oppressive heat but AC is not a requirement.

I don't reject staying at a Pension or a small hotel just because it has no AC, certainly, if it is offered as an extra charge, I'm not paying for it. I asked about AC in Berlin at the Pension, talked to the proprietor (Inhaberin) when there is a real heat wave in Berlin. Obviously, that Pension has no AC, She said you just put up with it. If they can put with it, I had better too.

Bottom line is what one's capacity to cope is, what the comfort zone is and if one is willing to pay for that. A friend of mine living in suburbs of SF said he needed AC in London if he went in the summer (not for health reasons here), I asked him if he would be ready to pay for that piece of luxury...I wouldn't.

@ Shelley...Germans I met here in SF in 1976 told me in no uncertain terms that they were surprised to see ice , ie lots of it, in ice water, Coke, you name it, as they were doing an "America Tour" that summer by Greyhound. They said to me that it was unhealthy, explained why, etc. and what is the purpose, esp this one woman really questioned it.

To Lee's point, can we (U.S.) please go back to restaurants charging people a $1.00 for 10-12 oz of Coca-Cola instead of $3 for bottomless refills that many of us don't need or want? I want one glass. One!

We never are concerned about ice. There is one and only one thing that needs ice - iced tea. Iced tea without ice is really odd. I could, however, get used to that. I never ask for ice in any beverage, in the US or Europe. It's a ridiculous thing in the US.

One thing about showers in Europe - they are sometimes added in as closet-like deals in the corner of the room. In Serbia, had one like that. Problem was that the shower was elevated about 3 in above the floor. When you step down, your center of mass shifts, and I almost lost my balance before I got the trick. Watch those elevated shower floors!!

As an avid recycler, I think Nespresso makes it easy to participate and NOT clog up the planet. I wish everywhere we traveled made recycling rules clear and easy-to-follow. Nespresso capsules are the least of our trash woes in many places. If every hotel, B&B, and apartment would make recycling easy, please! No technology required.

110 electricity. It’s nearly impossible to be electrocuted by it

That's not actually true, and I hope it does not lull people into a false sense of security.

Anybody want to sit in a bath of water while I chuck in the plug in radio?

"That's not actually true, and I hope it does not lull people into a false sense of security.
Anybody want to sit in a bath of water while I chuck in the plug in radio?"

Just recently there was a sad story of a 14 YO kid who was in the bath holding her phone, which was plugged in. She dropped it into the tub, and was electrocuted in the US. 110 is enough to be fatal.

Tom - I don't think it's false.

Read this - https://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~p616/safety/fatal_current.html

I also asked my husband who knows all:) He says it's the current that kills you which is basically what this article says.

it was 100 here in Santa Barbara today.

The idea that you cannot be electrocuted by 110AC current is utter anti scientific nonsense . The NEC ( National Electrical Code ) contains thousands of provisions to avoid electrocution . The use of GFCI and AFCI devices are two excellent examples . Seems there is a science denier aboard .

The French singer Claude Francois died in the bathroon from a loose wire. Ask any French boomer where they were when they heard about Claude Francois.

Teen in the bathtub with the phone:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/18/health/teen-bathtub-electrocuted-text-trnd/index.html

"A police investigation concluded that Madison was electrocuted July 9 while in the bathtub at her father's home in Lovington, New Mexico. Lovington Police spokesman David Miranda said the photo might have been taken up to an hour before she died."

If you plug anything in in the bathroom, make sure that it is a GCFI outlet. She did not use one.

Yes, if you are not in a tub, it is rare. I have gotten a full hit of a 110 volt - knocked me off a ladder, but nothing more. But in a tub, 110 can be enough to kill a person.

110 and 220 outlets have enough volts/amps to stop your heart and kill you. What that has to do with Europe, I don't know.

I am such a Luddite that I am still hung up on why duvets always leave you sweating all night...

Barbara

Only synthetic ones do this. You might find a woollen blanket in the wardrobe to use instead.

I'm sorry, but I just don't get the half shower door thing or the non-existent door, curtain, whatever for the shower. If water is so precious, it should not be going out everywhere in the room when it's not serving a purpose such as cleansing oneself. All it does is either go down a floor drain or have to be wiped up with the only towel you've been given to dry yourself and the room/floor so as to let your travel mate start out in a semi-dry room. I envy the folks who say they have traveled many time in Europe and never experience this. I, too have traveled for over 40 years to Europe and run into it all the time. As for the hand-held shower component, I would not have a shower without one. I think when some people complain that the water goes all over when using these is that sometimes, in hotels, B&B, etc, the part that can be used to tighten the shower head to the height and direction you prefer is broken and no longer functions properly. I've run into this numerous times and the shower head just is stuck where it is, usually facing down or stuck sideways and you can't get it to move. That all said, nothing is bad enough to ever stop me from traveling!

I live on the west coast of Canada .

I only got screens on my windows last year when I had my old single pane windows changed to the double panes modern ones ( my house is old so had wood framed single pane )
In my area lots of our older character homes still have single pane and no screens . I like my screens but there's no way I would have changed window s for that , we did it to keep heating costs down , and the new windows came with screens I didn't pay extra .

Ice - meh , I rarely use it at home so am fine without it abroad .

I have a hand held shower head ( it's mounted at normal height but you can remove it from mount , I consider it a godsend , easier to tince oneself and the tub !

When you are taking the shower presumably with the room door closed and there is no shower door, the water running all over the floor, once you are done, that water quickly evaporates literally before you know it. Maybe the intensity of the room light helps the water to evaporate quickly. I've had that experience at a B&B in London and a small hotel in Paris. Yes, it is a nuisance (if you see that way, I don't ) with the entire floor all wet

I don't know where everyone is staying whilst in Europe but I have never encountered a shower that results in water ending up all over the bathroom.

It would appear that I spoke too soon!

I'm currently staying in a wonderful house in Schuttertal in the Black Forest and whilst the bathroom is large and modern there is an empty space in the shower enclosure where a door should (could) be. It doesn't matter how you angle the shower head as inevitably water is going to bounce off your body and out of the enclosure, cue a very wet floor!

I can now understand the bemusement of previous posters because it makes no sense to me, there is adequate room for a door and it would save on wet towels.

• I have two bathrooms, both with a combination shower/tub ... one has a shower door and the other has a curtain ... both do the trick.. But never cared for the handheld showers ... I prefer two free hands at all times. And if you ever drop the blasted thing, now you have water flying everywhere, including the ceiling. And since those shower stalls are so small, it's difficult to bend over and get it so you end up pulling it back up by the hose, which in turn blasts more water in every direction. But not a deal-breaker when travelling since the hassle is only about five minutes out of my day.
• I have screens on all my windows (except one) that open ... if I open the windows to let in the fresh air in spring and fall, the skeeters (aka mosquitos), moths, wasps, etc.. that just seem to be waiting for the floodgates to open pour through ... not good.
• I live in Texas where iced tea is the state drink (apologies to Shiner ... if you're a Texan, you know what I mean) ... and you can't have iced tea without ice, so that pretty much tells you where I stand with ice for my soft drinks (but has to be cubed, not crushed). So when in Europe, I'm forced to drink more beer (yeah, life's tough). So if/when any of you Brits (or anyone else that likes a spot of tea in the afternoon) happen to come to Texas, be sure to ask for hot tea ... if you just say tea, you're gonna get iced. And if you do want iced tea, unless you like drinking pure sugar water with a little color to make it look like tea, ask for unsweet and add your own sweetener.

One thing I have not seen mentioned is the hair dryers in European hotels. They are usually way under-powered and look like the business end of a canister vacuum cleaner. Give me my mega-watt hair dryer anyday that dries my hair in 10 seconds flat and also doubles as a leaf blower in the fall.

But never cared for the handheld showers ... I prefer two free hands at all times.

The hand held showers have a holder on a rail, you just slot it in, adjust it to your preferred height and....hey presto....you have both hands free! You then have the option to take it out and direct the water to all those places a fixed shower head will never reach, far more beneficial and hygienic than a fixed shower. It's the future....trust me!

I don't mind the hand held shower as much as people who can't figure out how to point them where they want the water to go. I always let my ex shower first, but then she'd use every towel drying the floor. I don't really like using a wet towel. At home, some of my kids have shower curtains and still manage to get the floor covered with water, a drain in the middle of the floor would be very helpful.

I'll give Europe (and Japan) full credit in bathroom technology for bidets. The Toto washlet is making in roads here finally

The last time I saw a shower in Germany that did not have an enclosure was 1987. Since then, every place I've stayed has had an enclosed shower. It might not be true for everywhere in Europe, but it is in Germany. I'm sure you can find places in the US with some kind of "ancient technology".

As for ice, I never miss it. My drinks of choice in Europe are wine and beer. I wouldn't want ice in either. In fact, I consider ice in the US to be just a way for businesses to dilute their product. I often ask for a drink "without ice" here; if not, they give me ice, lots of it, without asking.

It might take training, but traffic circles in Germany work far better than they would in the US. Last October I watched with wonderment at a traffic circle in Bavaria - it was fairly heavily traveled, but the traffic moved seamlessly.

Health care and public transportation are ancient technology in the US compared with Europe.

We did four weeks in Wales and England in October, staying primarily in B&Bs or Inns. We found the bathroom facilities to be largely modern and up to date. Some of our bathrooms were small, but still functional.

What we liked that we found in some of our B&Bs was heated towel racks, something that normally in the USA, you only find in 5 star hotels.

@NIgel:

Ever tried to clean a shower curtain?

We wash our shower curtain in the washing machine and just hang it back up for drying. What's the problem?

What we liked that we found in some of our B&Bs was heated towel racks, something that normally in the USA, you only find in 5 star hotels.

Ooohhh, we have a heated towel rack in out bathroom. Does that mean I can consider myself posh?

Maybe Bronocice pot with the earliest known image of a wheeled vehicle in the world is interesting for you (you can see it in the Archaeological Museum of Kraków ''Muzeum Archeologiczne w Krakowie'', Poland)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronocice_pot
but now we use more modern wheel in Poland, don't worry :)

It could be a good idea to merge technology with its history in this museum :)

I have a heated towel rack too - I must really be on the way up! It is particularly good for drying a small hand-wash, too.

traffic circles in Germany work far better than they would in the US.

Same in France. In the US, a traffic circle is an invitation to a disaster.
And I have often run into heated towel racks in France. They're great.

We live on St. Simons Island, Georgia. It is on the Atlantic coast about 40 north of the Florida line. Our county has installed roundabouts at key intersections on our island. People here on the island are happy with the roundabouts and prefer them to red lights. There is one exception to this, we notice that drivers not from our area, that are unfamiliar with roundabouts tend to hold up traffic because they are unfamiliar with roundabouts.

As for shower curtains, I don't care for them when you are in a small shower space and they stick to your body while your are showering.

Have heated towel racks for the last 23 years in Frankfurt. Everyone here has them. It is the heater or radiator for your bathroom.

It is the heater or radiator for your bathroom.

Yes, I think that's the case in France. Using it to dry and warm towels is just a bonus.