Round the World with Us

Although I certainly knew that there would be significant differences between America and Europe, I did not count on how different methods of transportation could be. Some things were similar no matter where we went- every city had a metro, for example- but others were surprisingly different.

Bikes rule

In Amsterdam, bikes were everywhere. Between the tram lines, bike lanes, and crosswalks, we definitely got the impression that cars did not rule in the city. It was extremely hard to drive through. Often times roads and tram lines run on top of each other, and we never got used to driving along the same road that a tram could be using seconds later. Even walking through the city took some adjusting in our normal behavior, as bike lanes are everywhere in Amsterdam. Sometimes there was only a bike lane, and no sidewalk at all, leaving us feeling stranded as pedestrians.

Although more accommodations were made for cars in Germany, there were still a surprising number of bikes and mopeds. We walked to a small square and were shocked to find literally hundreds of bikes parked as closely together as possible along the square’s fence.  Coming from America, where bikes are used more for recreational activities than day to day transportation for most people, it was unusual to see businessmen, fashionable women, and teenagers all using them to get around.

Warning – angry green monster in 7 kilometers!

The matter of road signage was also very interesting (and comical) at times. Warning signs that we can’t understand often have one to three exclamation points, making whatever mysterious obstacle is ahead seem even more threatening.

While driving from Salzburg to Villach in Austria, we burst out laughing upon seeing a sign with a very angry, green, cartoon face on it. Two kilometers later, we saw the same face, but instead of looking angry he sported a slanty-mouth face. Realizing that he was probably going to get happier and happier, we eagerly awaited the next sign. The third sign presented us with a small grin, but the fourth was definitely the most satisfying- a full half-circle smile. Without a doubt, it was the happiest green-faced road sign I have ever seen. These strange road signs not only amuse, but provide us with a puzzle in guessing what they are supposed to mean. While passing each sign we realized that it was probably to let drivers know how much longer they would be driving through a construction site, since the road work through which we were driving ended shortly after that last ecstatic face.

Transportation in Europe was surprisingly different

When I went to India last summer I was expecting things to be very different, so it did not seem unusual to me to see electric rickshaws, motorcycles, and cars swarming roads with almost no attention to road rules. But when I thought about visiting Europe, I didn’t think it would be too different from what I was used to in America. Of course I knew that cars drive on the left side of the road in England, for example, but I didn’t expect to encounter so many other differences between transportation practices in America and Europe.