What is your top cultural experience?

Brad: Great topic, it makes the Helpline more interesting to browse if there is a "big picture" question occasionally. Differences are interesting. I'll be looking forward to reading posts by others sharing their experiences in noticing cultural differences.

This has been discussed to death, but I'm fascinated by Parisian cafe society -- the way life is geared around hanging out at the local cafe to talk with friends for hours over a cup of coffee or glass of wine. To see and be seen. Of course you can do this in the USA too, but it's just not the same.

Doing the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain last summer was pretty amazing. Walking across northern Spain was a great way to experience regional culture up close and personal.

I met a lot of cool people from all over, saw loads of history, and basically had the time of my life. Indeed, a regular city-hopping trip seems a bit tame now in comparison...

Spending last Christmas in Belgium with my fiancee and her family. There was none of the usual rush to shop, I was not constantly bombarded by tacky holiday music, lighting displays were sublte and tasteful, and instead of mall, I visited a delightful Kerstmarkt. But the best part was spending quality time with loved ones without the usual holiday hassle. I highly recommend spending Christmas in Europe. You'll be left with the same question I posed- why can't Christmas in the US be so simple and relaxing?

One of the things that help my husband and I gain cultural insight is not rushing through Europe at break neck speed .My husband is a photographer and we spend a week or two at each location just interacting with the lovely scenery and the people . We used to rush madly through museums, eating places, countries, but you do not get the feeling of the culture or the customs, etc. Most recently we spent a lot of time in the Burgundy region of France, staying in Montreal. My husband got up early one morning to walk the ancient streets, and he came across Pierre, an older Frenchman with his wheelbarrow. He was going to tend his garden plot. Michael spent about an hour or two with him while he dug up his golden beets . Neither spoke the other's language yet they did communicate . Michael got about 2 dozen of the greatest photos of these huge , huge beets and of Pierre working his garden. He even clowned around , sticking out his tongue and playing with his big knife.We are interested in

the slow food movement and this was a great addition to our learning of other cultures .

my wife and i were traveling south from paris to orlean where we struck up a converstation with a frenchman about things in France and in Ohio where we are from. He asked what we were doing in Orlean and offered to drive us to our friend's residence from the train station. We of course were a little frightened, but he said he would have to tell his wife who was stopping at the market before picking him up. sure enough, we got off the train and his wife had their little car loaded down with fresh produce and a rug she had purchased, we made room in the back for us and they insisted on taking us to our destination. one of the scariest and friendliest few minutes on Earth.

One of our family's highlights was when our Spanish former exchange student & her family took us to another relative's villa overlooking the walled city of Toledo.We swam in the pool,with the magically night-lit castle & cathedral in the distance.The elderly matriarch & patriarch(in their 90s)of the villa spoke no English & we spoke no Spanish,but through translation and gestures,we communicated amazingly well and fell in love with them.They graciously offered us wine,cheese and olives and their children gave us a tour of the grounds.We felt like we had known these wonderful people all of our lives even tho we'd just met.My 15 year old daughter dreams of someday getting married there...I'll cherish this memory as long as I live.

Brad, thanks for the excellent topic. Posters here are writing such beautiful prose about their personal traveling encounters in other countries. Places I had no desire to visit, I'm now thinking twice about it because of the responses.

Hello Brad. An American traveler could have a good cultural experience in any country in Europe. I think a traveler's chances of having good cultural experiences in a country in Europe is greatly increased if the traveler is an independant traveler, not traveling in a bus group tour through Europe. People travelling through Europe in a big bus full of American people experience a bus full of American people. For example, in Germany, walking to Burg Eltz from the train station (3 miles) can be an enjoyable experience of meeting German people (ask for directions to the castle), seeing German children playing, and seeing German-style houses,flowers, enjoying a brief stop at a picnic table at trees, hearing the flow of water in a stream, hearing sounds from birds, smelling trees and flowers, etc. All of that is not experienced by travelers in a tour bus that goes from a hotel at a distant town to the parking lot for Burg Eltz. And then the bus goes to the Autobahn to zoom to a distant town

In England, or any country, an American traveler wandering (walking) at the edge of a small town, and getting lost, has a chance of having an enjoyable experience of talking with the local people. A traveler walking on a road that is located two blocks from the usual tourist route, and going in a cmall store to ask for directions, could meet a local person who is delighted to meet an American person. I experienced that on the isle of Wight, located near the south coast of England (near Portsmouth). The cashier in the convenience store said to me : "I have not seen an American here for two years !". The talking by that person (a teenage English girl) sounded beautiful ! I thought hearing her talking was worth the extra half mile of walking, and being lost for several minutes.

My cultural experience is similar to Tom's. In 2002, I spent Christmas in Munich with a lively bunch of Germans. I had been studying in London through mid-December, and then a friend and I traveled the continent for a month. We ended up in Munich because the couple was a friend of my friend's family (we also had spent an Oktoberfest weekend with them). It was so fun to see the differences--and similarities--between their Christmas and ours. They bought their tree on Christmas Eve, and decorated it with real candles and glass garland. We celebrated the season on Christmas Eve mostly with their friends (not a big family event like we would have here). We ate a wonderful meal (all I remember was avocados with shrimp), opened presents and sang Christmas songs while someone played the guitar. We taught them the silly lyrics to "Rudolph." Christmas Day we spent sleeping in, walking the snowy, deserted streets of Munich and playing Battle ship with one of the youngsters. I'll never forget it!

And Munich was just beautiful at Christmastime. Like Tom said, there were no gaudy decorations or a rush to get last-minute shopping done. Everyone was just enjoying the holiday.

One of the best times we met the locals was on our trip to China a couple of years ago. My parents and I were on a tour, but after arriving back at the hotel in Xian for the evening, we went out walking alone. We came across a music/movie store and went in to shop. The workers were a couple of young people, and as with many young Chinese, they were anxious to practice their English. Through a combination of English and sign language, I asked the girl who the #1 singer in China was. She asked, "Boy? Girl?", and proceeded to pick out three CDs for me -- the #1 male and female pop singers, and a group. These CDs are some of my best souvenirs from that trip because when I listen to them it reminds me of that experience, and also gives me a little insight into what the kids are listening to in China.

Another favorite cultural experience of mine was sitting in a restaurant in Spain that was built into what used to be a storage cave for wine. My friends and I sat, nearly alone in the restaurant, deep in the hillside, enjoying a wonderful meal and the fine local wine until late in the evening.

I've learned more about other cultures in the markets and small shops than anywhere else. I can observe, interact, listen, and learn!!!!!! We have meet many interesting people, vendors and customers alike. We have made life-long friends this way. There are so many opportunties to strike up converstions. You can see how peopel bargan (or don't), how they "market"/sell their products and produce, what they eat, what their crafts are, and learn a little about their values- art vs praticality, etc., even a little about the role of religion in their lives. It is really a microcosim of their world!