It's not like all european public toilets are pay-to-use. Most gas stations will have free toilets, often bigger stores and malls will have free toilets, bars, cafes, restaurants, movie theatres and such have free toilets (they're mostly for the customers, but still), if you're at an area that has an entry fee like an amusement park or zoo, the toilets are often free. Yes, when there are toilet-only structures in public places, those almost always have a minimal fee to use, but honestly, how often do you spend an entire day in a city without visiting absolutely any establishment? Those stand-alone pay toilets are for absolute emergencies, and you pay a minor fee to help maintain them. I get that the concept may feel odd, but I feel like it's being blown way out of proportion. I live in europe, and the money I've spent going to toilets during my entire life is less than one single tip I'd be expected to pay for a meal in america.

13:42 Here in France ,when someone go to visit the US and come back ,there is 100% chance he will be asked the question "How was the cheese" atleast a few time ,and the response is always"It taste like plastic"

I had a skiaccident 2 month ago and cant work atm. My shoulder needed surgery to fix it so i will stay at home for another month. All of this "freetime" is paid and the hospital costs are paid to. I keep all my vacationdays and can go back to my job as soon as my shoulder is healed.

No, i don't think it's ridiculous, they need to be cleaned, and people that clean them and I have to say they clean them continuously, need to get paid, nobody likes to work for nothing, especially cleaning toilets..

15:00 the reason there are so many pay for use restrooms in europe is because those are looked after and cleaned several times a day. someone has to pay that person if you dont wanna rely on tips for slavery with extra steps like they do in the us.

Being danish living in Luxembourg I had to go to the hospital for over 3 months. Because I am handicaped with my seeing, I got a sigle room with a bathroorm. a super nice bed with a controller to change it all if you whanted to. A fridge and for eating, I had a card wich I could choose from. But ok, for breakfast, I needed "petit pains", so not the regular bread... and I don't like sugar, so I got cheese and ham etc for breakfast (they asked me if I wanted cereals or even german dark bread). I ate like a king (like I said, you can choose from a menu every day... 5 different choises, a vegy and if you dont like any of it, there is always spagethi bolognèse... so 3 new dishes every day. Yes, I had to pay for it all, the nurses, the medication, the superb room etc... 10 euros a day !

You should do some research on this topic: US cities used to be just as walkable as european cities, they developed just the same way as european cities in the 19th and beginning 20th century. It was in the 50s and 60s when a strong car lobby decided that cities should be built for cars and cars only. Cities got rid of their public transportation and changed their city layout to please those car lobbies. On the other hand you have europe and EU that invests hundreds of billions in programs to redesign cities, to make them more liveable for everyone and not just for cars. So it doesnt have to do with how old europe is, it has to do that europe decided they dont want to only rely on cars wheres as the US and a too powerful car lobby decided they want only cars for public transportation, period.

When it comes to bakery here in France, when you live in a city like me, you can be almost anywhere and have a bakery at most at 15 minutes walk away. In city centers you can even walk 5 minutes and find 2 or 3 bakery in the same street. Also, even small villages with 500 inhabitants have a bakery, meaning that even in remote places you can get fresh bread every morning.

I don't mind paying for restrooms, it's usually something like 50 cents. It usually means they are cleaned. Sometimes, there's even an attendant in the bathroom who collects the money and keeps everything clean. Usually, paid restrooms are in commercial establishments (like a department store, gas station, etc) and the public restrooms are free (and usually disgusting).

paid to use restrooms is a good thing as there is actually someone who takes care and cleans the rest rooms after every use so they are very clean and tidy also means that there is someone employed

I saw someone crying that teachers are just "glorified babysitter". Okay, pay them as babysitters then. The average hourly rate per child last year was $20.00. $20/per hour per child. at 8 hours and 20 kids, that would be $3,200 a DAY, 16k a week, and 64k a month! . . . They would definitely be able to afford supplies for the kids at those rates.

It totally makes sense to charge for maintained toilets. There are also free public ones available, which often doesn't meet certain standards though.

On the ordnance thing: I live in Belgium and our tiny country still has to deal with an average of 250 metric TONS of unexploded munitions found at like construction sites or farmers' fields... every . year. We were technically neutral for both World Wars they just chose to ignore us both times (still gave them a bloody nose on their way in though)

Czech here. We are not shy to call the toilet a toilet and not a bathroom. We wash our hands or take a bath or a shower in bathrooms, toilets we use for pee/poo activities. American tourists can be confused, when they ask for a "bathroom" and are sent to - a bathroom. Possibly critical moment in life, when your guts are in hurry.

Christmas market are mainly a tradition in German-speaking countries, although other countries have started to adopt them over the last couple of decades.

The point regarding the remnants of wars. It is not solely WWII. Shells from WWI can still be found in Europe, especially in the north east of France where the trench warfare happened. Most of them are unstable and still dangerous. Every year, some are unearthed and specialists have to defuse them. And there is the issue of the remnants of the usage of chemical weapons. Some places are still polluted after more than a century.

7:37 actually many US cities had pretty walkable central neighborhoods (like some still have), but a lot was torn down to make space for cars.

Gelato houses in Italy...outstanding

I pick up a fresh loaf most mornings from the local bakers. The smell alone in there is worth the walk.

The toilets cost like 20 ct and the money is used to pay the cleaner and maintenance....Maybe if US had pay to use they could afford full doors LOL

The first two points (bread and Xmas markets) made me feel privileged. I'm French and I live close to the German border😉😉 .

Tipping is something we do not have. Everyone have their wage and usually you do not tip. However if someone is nice and polite toward you and take time with you, of course you will reward him with a tip. This is especially for the bicycle deliveries. We have few like Glovo, Woltz, people work for very small wages there, but they use all kind of transportations, from bikes, cars. If someone get you what you order in time and is polite, of course you will give him a tip. Same in restoraunts. but we dont have situations where you give small tips and they even get angry.

The scale of the unexploded munitions problem in Europe is just unbelievable, for better for worse. I was in Verdun in France in 2012, where the WWI Verdun battle took place in 1916. An infotainment display informed that there are an estimated TWELVE MILLION unexploded artillery shells left in the soil around Verdun. Yes, the US might have dealt with its unexploded stuff badly, but it has also not been forced to deal with anything nearly as overwhelming as the WWI and WWII battle fields. Some bombs left craters so big that a 747 would fit in them, wingtip to wingtip!

A good bread with a good cheese, you know you are in Europe. It's a simple deal, but so good.. There are just about 1200 different cheeses for France...

In Germany it is still quite common to find WWII bombs in cities. This happens especially during bigger construction projects. In my city they even found 140 kg TNT from WWII hidden in bridge pillars of a small bridge during necessary repairs after a river flood. Finding something in bridges is very rare though. Usually it's bombs from the UK or ammunition/grenades from both sides. A friend lived in a building where they found bombs after demolishing the building (ugly Easter European prefab) to build something new. There was a larger construction at our central station for some years. Of course, more bombs. So I've spend quite a lot of time sitting, driving or walking on or near explosives.

About public transport: It is not just that it works in the major cities, the real test is that it works also in the countryside. This would of course be harder to acheive in all of such a vast country as the US than it is in Europe, but still. I am currently in the process of hiking though Germany. I walk some 20-30 km in a day and then use public transport to get back to my car, which serves as a base for supplies, clean clothes etc. Next day I move the car and walk on. I have _always_ been able to get back from whereever I am at the end of the hike - I stay well clear of the major cities! I like the concept that some trains stop only on request, much like a bus does. It allows them to keep running the traffic also in places very infrequently traveled to.

I'm from Normandy and regurlarly to this day a lot of ammunitions, explosives, shells and other hazardous stuff is found (in the fields, on the beaches, burried in some forgotten place, etc....). It is the same in the northern parts of France with the battlefields of World War 1.

10:53 French here. Yep I can find exploded WW1 (not WW2) shells in my garden. It's deep in the mountains but during WW1 people fought here, at that time my house was a German position so it was heavily treated with french 75mm ... Therefore when you cut the grass & Co you have to pay attention.

Pay to use toilets are where the "going to spend a penny" phrase/saying came from for taking a piss 😂

Europe went for walking and public transport because the various governments didn't have the American "sleaze and corruption". I.e. Back in the 20s, the U.S. Government chose Mr. Pirelli, the tyre magnet, to decide whether to go with the car or public transport. Of course, Mr. Pirelli knew that 300 million private cars with 4 tyres would be better for his company than 50 million public trains with no tyres and 50 million public buses and trams with 4/6 tyres. So he chose the car. This way of doing business, back in the 20s, is why America is borderline collapsing now, with collapsing bridges, more and more people struggling due to lack of local stores, and of course so many climate problems because of all those cars pumping out CO2; this is why America is one of the fastest warming country's.

Maternity leave in Czech republic, it is up to 3 years. Healthcare, birth, and everything around is covered by mandatory health insurance (taxes), so no extra payments other than normal tax. If the pregnancy is flagged as risky, Mother is at home all the time, and paid. If there is needed C-section - no extra payments. Also, the employer has to keep your job, can only hire temporary people for that job, and when the maternity leave is over, the mother must be offered back her previous job by her employer, or a job with similar wage and work. By law. During all the years of maternity leave, this person is still an employee of the company, getting all the benefits. We are not communism, we are successful capitalist democratic country with a right-center government.and that's just one example of social support in Europe. BTW for the mere birth of a child, the mother receives financial support for basic needs for the child to begin with

With regard to unexploded ordnance, the UK's Ministry of Defence deals with an average of 60 bombs per year. These are usually from construction sites as unexploded items may have been buried by rubble, but have also been found in rivers such as the Thames

I've been all over Europe and USA and I think France wins hands down when it comes to cheese. Some of my solid memories revolve around cheese, baguettes and relaxing with the sights, sounds and smells of France.

about the VAT, it's not just Europe, it's the whole world except the USA. About the paying to use the restroom in Europe, I really do think they can use the tax money for that instead of making every users to pay to use. In this article, they didn't even mention why that is.

There's a public WC near a nearby grocery store here in Switzerland. It is incredibly clean. Always.

Those not free bathrooms are rare when you look at the big picture. They are mostly just at rest stops along the Highway/Autobahn. Almost all other toilets are free.

I think the problem is other countries seem to change and evolve things until they find something that works. In the US it seems to be a case of "this is the way we're going to do things, we're America so our way is right" 😂 Its only been in the last couple of years they've rolled out chip 'n' pin and contactless, something we've had in the uk for about 20 years 😂

To the social safety net I need to blow your mind: 2 years ago, I had a kind of huge medical problem, I was unfortunately not insured at that time (between jobs and not listed unemployed for insurance): at the first day in hospital I got a form to get insurance and was insured from that moment on (no costs for me except the wheelchair-rent and the medicine, only a tiny part was to pay).

There used to be far more small bakeries in the UK, most people only know the chain bakers called Greggs now, but there used to be excellent independent bakers on every high street.

G'day Ian. I've just watched this years river rally and mate; That will have you on the edge of your seat. Now I'm going to watch your show. Good on ya mate.

Paying for restrooms is fair and truly I've never seen such bad restroom in Europe like I have seen in the US. Better pay a few cents and have a clean restroom with door that go down to the floor and have no gaps, than pay nothing for dirty restrooms with doors you can look thru. Another thing about restroom is in the US is the amount of stalls. I've been in places where they had only one stall in a very big bar, but in the same size place in Europe the law would require the owner to have 10 in the same place. PLUS - you don't always have to pay for restrooms. It's mostly only the case where people use the restroom with doing nothing else like at a gas station or a truck stop. In a restaurant it's free.

Great Video my man!

If you want a bakery like the one described in the video, take a trip to the Detroit Metro area. I live in Eastpointe, a suburb on the border with Detroit and I have several like this near me. The Italian bakery is 1/2 mile away, the French one is a mile and half, and the Croatian bakery is a quarter mile away. The Croatian bakery alone has 25 varieties of bread -rye, pumpernickel, onion, asiago cheese, etc. In Addition I can go to two Polish bakeries in Hamtramck and two more in Sterling heights, both suburbs about six miles away, while I can go to about three Greek bakeries either downtown or in nearby suburbs (about a 30 minute drive). I can also by cheese like in Europe by going to our Eastern Market where one shop alone sells about 200 varieties.

Here in Austria all restrooms along the motorways are “free” to use. They are financed through the motorway vignette you are required to purchase. But I have to say that the toilets are cleaned and maintained very well and regularly.

Toilets in trade centers malls, restaurants are also free in Europe. You mentioned it right, there are lots of public toilets that are just a small 'shack', and they are all over the cities, some can be free, some can be paid

Hello from Switzerland, when I heard fresh bread, I thought to myself that the great smell is an experience in itself and that quite a few Americans would also love fresh bread if they had enjoyed/experienced it. By the way, the picture of the woman who is just enjoying the scent is very apt 🙂. The price labeling regulations (like the calibration regulations) are extremely consumer-friendly in the EU and in Switzerland. In addition to the sales price, the larger food chains with us usually also label the price per 100 grams or per 1 liter in order to make price comparisons with different pack sizes easier, really a customer-friendly service. The lowest price that is awarded must be granted, unless there is an obvious error (shifted decimal point, missing zeros, etc.). It rarely happens, but I've also experienced it with an MS Office package (decades ago), it was advertised as a good 100 CHF cheaper than usual, after a moment's thought I decided to take the chance and bought it at the checkout the cashier scanned the barcode and just got a higher price, I showed her the labeled price, after a brief explanation that I am entitled to the labeled price and after consultation with her boss, I received the product as advertised. I find it very good that the service staff is paid well and correctly, I assume that they are still friendly and at least 95% of them are (there are always exceptions, a bad day or whatever always, who doesn't have it once in a while). A cordiality that really comes from within is 10 times better, if not too often, than a smile that I can see from afar that it's fake. When I eat something in a restaurant, especially in company, I want to talk quietly and undisturbed, not be asked every 5 minutes if it's good or whatever. Social security is definitely one of the most serious differences; with us you have to have health insurance (by law), if you have no income (unemployed without unemployment benefits, etc., or supported by social welfare), this is taken over by the municipality. Conversely, this means that you are never without health insurance; I think that is very important. The thing about holidays and sickness doesn't really add up at all; someone who is ill performs significantly less and is more prone to making mistakes (understandable), he may infect colleagues or even customers, ultimately it can't really be worth it. I would make a similar consideration on the holidays, someone who is exhausted is less productive than someone who has had a week's holiday. I suspect, however, that people sometimes make it easy for themselves, whoever is exhausted or sick for too long is simply dismissed in order to hire someone "fresh" again. If that were the case, labor power would be a so-called disposable item; very worrying. Anyway, what we don't want as a company is to have to appear in court because the rights of an employee have been violated, no entrepreneur here likes that. However, it must be said that employers also have insurance for people who are relatively quick to pay around 80% of their wages while someone is ill or has an accident. In this respect, as an entrepreneur you simply lack a worker, but then you don't have the wage costs in that sense (by the way, a specific statutory protection against dismissal also applies during this time). Rents (apartments) are like this with us, you have an agreed rental price, an increase must be justified and announced on a given official form, you can contest the increase if no mortgage rate increase or significant renovations have been made that increase the value of the apartment (Renovations for the purpose of maintenance are not considered an increase in value). Ancillary costs (heating, water, electricity) are billed separately according to consumption, usually an on-account contribution that is then billed once a year and (on request) must be proven. Let's talk about cheese, if you're here or have been with us, as small as we are, we have over 450 varieties and none of them corresponds to the cheesy taste of "Swiss Cheese", which doesn't really have anything to do with us. One of the reasons is definitely the milk, with us most of it is produced from fresh milk (corresponding to the original idea of ​​the cheese, since the milk in the mountains could not be used otherwise than to process it into cheese), furthermore, among other things, the storage/maturation time, which is months longer here than in the USA, for example. Well, yes, toilets that cost something can be seen either way. I don't remember ever seeing a toilet in a restaurant that you have to pay for (as a guest), because we say that the cleanliness of the toilet is the business card (that's how clean it is kitchen), I also expect a clean toilet in a reasonably good restaurant. However, on highways, in train stations or other public toilets I do remember (from the past) horror toilets where you really only go in an emergency. In this respect, I welcome the toilets, which you have to pay for, but I find an absolutely clean place (especially in the train stations, the cabins are checked and cleaned immediately after each visit). I'm happy to pay 2 CHF (approx. 2 US$) for cleanliness if I have to urgently.

Pay to use restrooms is a good idea. Maintaining public toilets cost money so its just fair. In Norway the toilets at rest stops and gas stations are free. Some gas stations charge for big groups (tourist busses). Those run by the city/municipality or private companies like at train stations and shopping malls often require you to pay. Toilets in restaurants and cafes are for the most part free for customers I believe.

The bigger public paid toilet stall has often a self cleaning function, and are kinda nice to use for an public toilet. Some stores where you can use the toilet will also charge, but that has to do with people being dirty or stealing toilet paper etc. And there are still a lot of places with an free toilets

About paid toilets, there are many reasons it's like this. The main reasons are : - Like local taxes and parking fines, toilet fees are part of the cities revenues. That fee pays for part of the maintenance costs. Some Shopping center have free public toilets, but most are paid toilet. Less people use them but they are cleaner since. Street toilets have always been working on fees, as far as I remember. - Many countries in EU have a high density of cafés and bars. It is also a way for the city to redirect the people and help their small businesses. Though they mostly have a rule to buy a drink to use their toilet, it never set a minimum spending. And to be fair, it also let you (or force you) to take a few minutes rest. Make no mistake, not every city has public toilets owned by the them. Most public toilets are provided by large shoping centers and very big supermarkets as mean to keep the customers longer inside their walls and have a chance to incite a purchase. So depending on the customers profile (as a whole), they are paid toilet or free. Whether you're in a location where customers respect public goods or not determine whether it will be free or not, or at least, the cost. On the highways, at least here in France, toilets used to be paid. Now they are free. Not sure if they are all free, but all those I've used are. The less hygienic are obviously those in rest areas whereas in gas stations, they are always clean. And a surprising as it may, the closer you get to Paris, the less they feel hygienic (mainly because of maintenance, not because of users). In SE Asia, last time I went there you also pay for public toilets and toilet paper are to be bought by the sheet if you want some. And unless EU countries and most Western countries, their businesses are not required to have toilets for clients use. So you better choose your restaurant and bar well.

16:12 The toilet presented in the video is actually an automatic self cleaning toilet. Also, you can still find free toilets in Europe, but there is usually a stark difference in terms of cleanliness. So much so that I find the 50 cts fee worth it most of the time. Of couse free and clean would be best.

7:00 It's an incorrect assumption that throwing in a tip at service staff in any culture is a sign of appreciation. It's not, actually it can be considered insulting.

That stall is more than likely a self-cleaning toilet , 1 euro or 50 cents , I would not say it is excessive considering the price of cleaning materials that go into them everyday. And as I remember it when I was a kid in the US , your free bathrooms weren't that clean .

The reason that public rest rooms are laid in euripe is because they collect money for the restroom supplies like soap paper and cleaning agents and it normally costs from 50 cent to 1 euro so you are also using spare chsnge

Paying for the public toilet is normal in Europe, and i rather pay 50 cents for a clean toilet than pay nothing for a nasty one.

Great reaction 😎😎 greetings from Austria 🇦🇹

I always enjoy your videos - you have such a cheery nature and open and curious mind. Regarding, the toilet situation, toilets in malls and stores are rarely pay to use in my experience, but the ones in public areas such as squares and parks and transit stations are often pay to use. The reason coincides with what you said about port-a-potties - they’re not nice. The pay to use toilets are cleaned regularly and maintained and that’s what you pay for. Also, the amount you pay is quite low - we’re talking about a dollar or so and if you’re in a gas station for instance many times you’ll receive a receipt at the ticket dispenser and if you then purchase something you get your “toilet fee” back as a discount. I mean, nobody wants to use a public bathroom but if the choice is between a nasty free one and paying a buck to get a clean one - it’s definitely preferable. Also, as a side note they often have nice changing areas for parents as well and when you have to change a kid in public it’s nice when it’s a clean spot.

15:50 Parisian automatically washed public restrooms. On a side note: restrooms are - most of the time - free in the restaurant, general stores, etc. If you add those of your office you are never stranded. But it can be a struggle for some people.

French here. In France you can actually eat one different cheese every day of the year. There are over 350 kinds: cow milk, goat milk, ewe milk, pasteurised milk, unpasteurised milk, cheese with moutain milk, different shapes, different aging... The list is endless. And they taste even better if you buy them at the farmers' market because they're locally produced. Don't forget to eat them with real baguette (French bread).

At first I thought it was strange to pay to use the bathrooms in Germany. One of the things I realized is the bathrooms are MUCH better maintained. This really only applies in places like train stations. Usually businesses in the train station also have a bathroom credit if you buy something. The price is normally 50 cents or 1 euro. This kind of stuff does not apply to restraunts, movie theaters, trains, etc. All of those bathrooms are free since you are paying to go into those places.

Not all restrooms are charged, like in gas stations. But when you do pay, you expect them to be clean and they generally are. I personally prefer it this way.

Pay to use restrooms are incredible, treat them like toll roads. Sure you can go the old way on the broken road with traffic, OR you pay for the quiet smooth tarmac. Pay to use in Europe are usually manned full time so they are constantly kept stocked and clean AND you usually get a voucher back that you can use in the building as a small discount

I live at the Ruhr and we aren't bothered anymore by yet another bomb that missed Krupp's factories being found. Well, getting evacuated or traffic collapsing when the tracks/roads are in the security zone obviously sucks, but the UXO itself... meh. There's still decades of UXO left, though.

in Sydney Australia we have a lot of Asian ran Bread shops, but with price increases in bread prices especially at late they are being forced to close. Supermarket Bread can be kept for 2 days only.

Here, in Croatia I pay for a public toilet because it is cleaned 24/7, but I don't have to because there is also a lot of free toilets in shoping centers, public buildings. I live in Dalmatia, adriatic coastline and here you can go to any restaurant or bar and use toilet for free.

I'm sorry to say this but comparing free toilets in the US with the national health service in Europe, a four-week paid holidays, very affordable costs of education, waiters earning a salary, you are paid when you are sick, pregnant women sent home and paid before and after childbirth...it's a bit ridiculous.

American cheese is like their chocolate. That tells you everything you need to know 😉

In the US, the production and distribution of cheeses made of unpasteurized milk is illegal. This law dates back to pre-fridge times......

Doing WW2, Germany mined the Danish beaches as part of the Atlantic Wall defence. In 2012, we finally got the last one removed. And remember, there was basically no fighting in Denmark doing that war, so it's gotta be much worse for the others.

The best thing about viting a bakery in europe is the smell of fresh bread and al kinds of stuff they got there

I don't know where they went to the BATHROOM in Europe, but in Portugal it is free in public bathrooms, and all public places such as restaurants, cafes, supermarkets, shopping centers, service stations, are also required to have bathrooms. accessible to the public free of charge. The only bathrooms I saw paying for it are bathrooms from private companies, which are located on the street, they are very rare, you have to put a 0.50 euro coin (50 cents) in them.

About cheese is all about how you make them (regulations) and with what you make them (non-pasteurized milk)

If you get the chance, try some UK, French, German, Swiss, Dutch or Italian cheese

Like the US - we have a great market culture in Australia too. But in terms of Christmas markets, while we do have some, it's nothing like the European ones. They win hand down. Yeah you're on your own with the tax on goods. Pretty much every country includes taxes in the price tag 😆 We don't pay for public toilets in Australia either. That was something that surprised me when I travelled through Europe several years ago. Having to pay everytime I went. (Aside from McDonalds which lock their toilets and you need a Passcode to use!) The taxes here go towards keeping our public parks, nature reserves, beaches, and public toilets etc clean. (At beaches, parks train stations , shopping centres etc). It's common to see cleaners in shopping centre toilets all the time, so they are regularly cleaned. We're largely a cashless society here too so you wouldn't be wanting to carry spare change around all the time just for the toilets.

Here in Sweden some supermarkets have they own bakers, some even bake with sour dogh even at a local cornershop or gas station you can get fresh bread or pastries every that come half baked to the store and then the store put them in there own oven to finish it. And local bakeries exist that you can sit down with a coffe and a fresh pasterie or sandwich. And cheese you can get a cheese that have been stored for 18 or 24 month even 36 month before they come to the market becorse the taste of the cheese is so much stronger, and if you come here you must taste the cheese ”Västerbotten” it is a world famous swedish cheese.

There is nothing better than a warm freshly made sausage with still warm bread just taken out of the oven

8:07 about the social things. It’s not secret we give off half our salary to gov, but in addition to that we also pay a thing called social security. What is does is basically putting money that is put to social causes. Most common example of one of those uses is when you get allowances depending on your household income, so untill you are a certain age typically about 24 years, you get an allowance from the state. Plus when you are in school you get something called “grade”. So imagine you are from a low income family that you usually cant afford education, you get grade A, which means you get 100% coverage: free school meals, free mandatory books, a budget to buy school supplies every semester/year and in help on transportation passes (its a card that has a chip and that you charge to use in public transportation but they very complex to explain briefly, you can just google for more info on how they work). For higher income families you get grade B which offer the benefits above at 50% discount. For good income families but not rich families you get grade C with 10-25% discounts on all mentioned above. This is just an example of a social plan in a certain country or certain countries throughout Europe. But theres more to it, ofc we pay for the social security but the money is put to good use that you can actually see right away. With that, aside from identification number on our citizen cards, we have a fiscal number for the taxes and finances related things, a healthcare number for our medical record tracking nationally and internationally (Europe) and a social security number for all the social related matters. Speaking of, all taxes we pay allow Europe to afford free healthcare (and from experience in lots of countries public hospitals and doctors are better than private ones really), free education, affordable public transportation where u can buy passes that can cover specific type of transport in a specific area to all of them in the whole city, plus many many many more things. Also recycling is very common in Europe, where you are literally able to find recycling points in every neighbourhood and its a very common practice for eu citizens, at least its for sure in western and north europe. Fun fact, most museums in Europe you can visit for free if you under 24 years old, though I think it’s only for EU citizens.

I am (was, really) a teacher. We had American guests staying with us some time ago and they were shocked that I drove a BMW roadster. Didn't think it was a car a teacher could drive.

I just want to point out that toilettes in europe are free almost everywhere, just not the ones in the street or train stations, but otherwise in cafes, restaurants etc. it's there and free, the place might just ask you to buy something (or in other words, be a customer) to use it, but again if you ask nicely most of the time they will be ok to let you use them for free... depending on the country

in the UK, my region's council pays a company to maintain the public toilets in the region and ofc, tax covers that. though there are toilets dotted around that do require money to use. some in london for example. i guess it depends on each regions council.

Even in the UK, we have 700 different cheeses as a result of traditional farmhouse manufacturing rather than factories. In Europe, our milk is richer and makes better cheese and butter, the reason for this is that our cows are grass freed outdoors for most of the year whereas most US cows are grain fed indoors and treated with a lot of hormones to produce a great volume rather than a better quality of milk.

I am from Denmark. Christmas markets were never a Danish thing. But they have popped up because the tourists love it. Most of the people who work there speak in broken German - same all over europe.

Greetings from Germany. About the unexploded ordinances, it's quite common for some old (mostly WWII) bombs to be found during construction. for example the train that I ride everyday to commute to work doesn't arrive on time once every few months due to a bomb-finding on a construction-site on-route.

US cities used to be walkable in the past. These things changed bit by bit in the 1960s. It is an interesting subject. There are cool videos on KZfaq about it too.

Sick leave in Slovenia. Up to one month of sick leave is paid by the employer. Anything more than 1 month is paid by the Institute for Health Insurance. If the sick leave lasts more than 1 month, then you have to undergo a special examination by the medical commission, which then decides how long the sick leave will last. When you are on sick leave, you receive about 30% less monthly salary.

we still find lots of ordinance in Europe from the WW's (yes both of them) grenades, mines, bombs etc. etc. also in the big cities which is a big issue when they get found on a construction area and they have to evacuate a ton of people in a densely populated area before they can clear out the explosives...

You wins on the free toilets, it's a bit frustrating in Europe, we always have a few coins when we drive on the Autobahn for especially that situation. :D

Years ago you used to have to pay for public lavatories here in Australia. Startlingly, they eventually made male bathrooms free and kept on charging women. You can imagine how enraged the feminists (early 1970s) were, but it did take them time to get the charge for women's bathrooms removed! Thank you for the video!

The thing with charging to use a bathroom has to do with a matter of costs, if the bathroom is inside a coffee shop or a store, its usually free unless its a small buisness in a tourist location... also theres exterior dedicated bathrooms that are pay to use and the payment if mostly for the maintnance of it. Here in Portugal some stores, due the great amount of turists using the bathroom, only allow the use of the bathroom if the person is buying or consuming a good sold by the store. Of course am talking about small buisness, like street shops and restaurantes... on big surfaces, gas stations, etc... its totally free. Imaging in an hour having about 20 people using the bathroom for example... that brings a good amount of costs, if you count people will consume toilet paper, water, soap and hand dryer or hand napkins.

I am not 100% sure but I believe that any establishment open to the general public CANNOT REFUSE anyone access to services.

Uk resident here. A friend of mine had to take 4 months off sick pay for a serious condition. The company, an American company, paid him 90℅ for the first 2 months, and then 60℅ for the other 2 months. I think it is more of the legislation and workers' rights. Not to mention that the operation was a free, life-threatening condition. He made some research, and in the US the same operation would have cost 500 thousand USD. So, yeah, NHS is amazing, and workers' rights, are inherited from the EU legislation.

If you think tipping a waitress is a normal way to show appreciation, do you also tip people at a store? Your hairdresser, dentist, doctor, lawyer?... Many other people give good services, why not tip them? Because they already make good money.

Unexploded ordnance here in Germany is not a thing in big cities - but there are still plenty of duds in the ground in heavily bombed places like the Ruhr Area, Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden etc. Quite regularly, areas have to be evacuated for bomb disposal. Plus, in some places big areas are still full of mines, bombs and all sorts of ammunition. The states of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern have a lot of places where a lot of fighting took place. At two separate occasions, photos were uploaded asking "hey, what's this?". Both times, it was a German S-Mine - aka Springmine or - Bouncing Betty. It worked with a tripwire. Unlike usual anti-personnel mines which explode in the ground and rip your legs off - this things take it to another level. When tripped they fly waist-high out of the ground - hence Bouncing Betty - and shot a load of steel balls through the air. They aren't made to mame a single soldier - they are made to kill a whole platoon at once. Although they won't jump anymore - they are still packed with those steel balls and half a pound of C4-equivalent.

Pre-1930, American had lots of small bakeries; German, French, Italian, Russian, etc.... Then came Cushman and Wonder Bread. They drove all the individual bakeries out of business with their low prices, and we, the public, have been left with their caricatures of bread. Christmas in Europe is a serious celebration. Christkindl Markets are only in December; and unlike the USA, nobody in Europe would dare to play Christmas music in stores the day after the 4th of July. Restaurant servers are professionals who have spent years learned their trade. They are not college kids working for a week between semesters. Restaurant bills include all taxes and service. You do not add another 20% as a tip. Anything you buy includes the VAT - Value Added Tax, so the price on the item is the price you pay. When you buy a car the VAT is reflected in the selling price. When you buy a Used Car, you don't pay another tax: (State Sales Taxes on each transaction - forever - as in the USA) Toilets generally have a cleaning lady working there, keeping things clean, and supplying you with soap and a towel if you'd like them. European toilets are spotless. I gladly pay the small amount that guarantees this type of cleanliness. War debris: Even today, unexploded bombs are still being found when new construction work starts. In 1958 we had the Police ring our door bell in Koeln, to advise us that an unexploded bomb had been found in the debris filled cellar of a destroyed house two houses away from our apartment. The next day at noon the bomb disposal experts removed the fuse, and carried the bomb away, while we were two blocks away and around a corner. Two years ago as Koeln was excavating for a new underground automobile tunnel in the middle of downtown, they found an unexploded 1000 lb bomb. The whole downtown area was evacuated until the bomb was defused and removed. Ah, cheese! Europe is full of local cheese makers, each producing his specialty. In Europe you do not eat Kraft, factory made yellow tire repair patches, you eat delicious craftsman made products.

Hows paying like 50 cents / 2 euro's max for public toilet hygiene a bad thing ? Consider it as tipping for the cleaner that often sits by it , just for the trouble.

There are a lot of public restrooms in Europe not situated in gas stations, shopping centres etc. and they use the pay-to-go money to pay someone to come in each day to cean, replenish toilet paper and soap. But I agree the cost for this should be reasonable.

To pay 20% tips in restaurants is OK but to pay 1 € for clean toilet is not OK? Why?

14:40 I think paid restroom could be a better option. The chances of it being cleaner and nicer comes with small payment. Say $1 to use restroom, free if you bought goods in the shop/gas station. Also, if we do pay I would expect there to be staff to keep it clean and nice looking.

Re: Education costs: I have had my kids go through the through the US education system and paid it forward by being involved and working with the school to get things done right. I was completely flabbergasted by the spending on athletics and sports to the point of almost coming to fisticuffs with the athletic department in a conflict over funding academics over sports-events. The budget was sometimes skewed towards sports that there was a markedly higher funding for sports and athletics than for basic academics. Also the income-bloat for non-academic staff where principals and PT and sports instructors get to cart off extremely high salaries and bonusses while basic academic staff is financially squeezed to the limit and even have to self-fund the requirements for their taught subjects.

just fyi, its a `common curtousy` to always accept some1 asking to go to the bathroom. but for traveling, yes alot of the restrooms open to the public ask for tips to acces the bathroom. cause the owner/renter of the building are the cleaners or sometimes hire staff/equipment, who get paid through those tips. kinda similar to US tipping issue overall. but yea, usually its only for long trips or when you need nr2 and cant hold it till you get home.

Paid restrooms are only the "public ones" the free to use are in restaurants where you can just go and dont need to pay anything (depends on the restaurant but mostly are free)