Our recent first trip to Europe

Bravo Ann. I see you really learned a lot, especially about how the Europeans know how to conserve, recycle and enjoy life.

Where did you find the little house in the woods, online? It sounds really nice.

Which country was your favourite?

Thanks for taking the time to share.

While the Green party is big in Europe. Europeans conserve out of neccessity. The cost of what we consider staples in the U.S. are prohibitively high.

Although things may change. Europeans don't live in small homes, drive small cars, have small closets for relatively few clothes, store their food in tiny refrigerators, hang dry their clothes or walk/use public transport to save the planet, they do it because it is what they can afford.

I would be overjoyed if Congress would let any car sold in Europe be street legal here. It would increase average gas mileage for cars on American roads significantly. It won't happen though. Not because the big American car manufacturers have Congress in their pocket but because safety and emmission standards would have to be reduced or eliminated.

It's interesting how, in the name of protecting the environment through emmissions controls, our cars get significantly less gas mileage than Euro cars. Our cars are heavier too because of safety standards.

It's also interesting that Greens consider modern wind generation unsightly and an inefficient use of land while American environmentalists think it's great. Maybe it's because we have so much more land but probably it's because we don't care about the land as much as the idea of renewable energy.

Thanks Brad, I now feel I live in a developing country and our cars are pretty mediocre. Hello? German safety and emission standards are much more rigid than in the US. And Ann, I don't know what Renault told you but because of the cheap dollar I've been investigating about buying a car in the US and shipping it to Europe. I learned that shipping would be in the area of €3000 (from the US East coast to Bremerhaven) and that making the car road-save would be an additional €5000 (even if I bought a German car in the US. The US produced BMWs or Mercedeses are cheaper there for a reason I learned).

I also would like to add a (not so small!) protest!
We Europeans are VERY environmentally concerned!!!!
We do not recycle everything because we can't afford bigger trash bins . . . . we do not drive smaller cars because we can't afford bigger ones . . We live in smaller houses because we have less room, and live closer together, and because we cherish having time for friends, family and life, instead of caring for a huge home and property.
We care about and for our environments with great pride, so that we can leave it to the next generations in good shape!
In our culture the WE plays a big role, in America ME plays a big role.
There are too many cultural differences to list, even though we have so much in common.
We pay pay $8-$9 for a gallon of gas, because the biggest chunk is added tax, but it affords us to keep our public transportation systems in shape and invest in alternative technologies.

In regards to cars, my experience is not that either US or European cars are safer or cleaner, but that each governing body chooses to regulate those aspects in different ways. Hence, in transporting from one area to another, any modification needed is major and expensive to integrate into todays cars since the type of control is specified, not the output of controls. Additionally, there are consumer preferences in both the US and European market that drive the size, style, weight, and options included in cars that affect both emmisions and fuel mileage (Try to find a domestic mid-size car in the US with Manual Transmission and no AC?)

In regards to the little place we stayed in Belgium here is the website with pictues we just loved this place. www.mytripjournal.com/ev/359959

Great to have this kind of update to read upon your return.........you gave me ideas for my next trip!

Ann,
Sounds like a great trip. It sounds like one that I would like to take in the future. I noticed alot of the same things that you did on my first trip to Europe with my family. My kids commented on how the Europeans seem to be in better shape. We did see a elderly lady hiking the Cinque Terra and not even breaking a sweat. I was in awe.

Sorry Andreas,

I've been to a lot of countries, including developing nations. One thing that strikes me is that even in countries that have very high standards of living, no where compares to the U.S.

Even people who are considered poor in the U.S. have multiple cars, multiple TV's, multiple computers, way more clothes than we need and either own a home or expect to own one during their lifetimes. Our poverty level is at the 95th percentile of world income.

My wife's aunt is married to a retired auto executive. They live in a great home between Dusseldorf and Koln. They own one car, one TV and one computer. They have a washer and dryer but still hang dry a lot of their clothes. When we visit, my wife does laundry like we would at home. I'm aghast at what we must do to their utility bills.

Our materialism doesn't make us better than other countries, if anything we need to get over it. What strikes me is we have so much yet constantly focus on what we don't have. I just wish we would appreciate what we have and understand that not everyone in the world has it or needs it.

As far as safety goes. I have never felt unsafe driving a European car. I think they're very well-built. Our standards are different which make for heavier, less fuel efficient cars than yours. It's another thing I wish we would get over.