The Simple Things in Life

A friend reminded me today about some things I use everyday here in the States and rarely ever found available in Europe.

ICE!  Drinks do not come standard with ice on a regular basis in Europe.  It would of course come with a tasty cocktail but if you order a water or coke, expect a cold bottle and an empty glass.

INTERNET! Say goodbye to regular internet service if you plan to go abroad.  Since being back in the USA I have relied on internet for directions, job searching, email, this, and many more things.  While I studied abroad, traveled, and worked in Europe this was not an easy or cheap thing to come by.  As refreshing as it is not to get emails or facebook on my phone or pick up a wireless connection wherever I went in Europe, I do have to say have awhile I really began to miss it.  In this world we live in staying connected is now done through applications such as Skype, Ichat, Facebook, OOvoo, etc. If the technology is available why not use it?

24 HOUR STORES! The easy of being able to go to a store for a last minute necessity is such a wonderful  part of living in the USA.  However stores, in particular Italian stores, decide to close when they please.  You can make all the arguments to the store owner that his or her sign out front says they close or open at the given time, but hey after all they do as they please.  Oh how I missed simple drug stores, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, etc, but if you are deathly ill and need a medication to get some relief, well you have to wait until the Farmacia opens at 10am.

Now vise versa.  My parents and I had an interesting debate on the high speed trains I rode frequently in Europe compared to the loud, slow, uncomfortable trains the USA is lucky enough to have.  For the "highly developed country" we claim to be, why in the world is the average train speed in the USA 63 miles per hour??? The high speed trains I was lucky enough to travel with in Italy went on average 225 miles per hour.  Thank you Ferraciarossa for getting me there faster and on time always.  It is a major plus to be able to plug in my computer with a table and recline my seat and zone out to the soundless beauty of these trains.  Cmon USA let's get with the program here!

Oh how things you think make life so much easier here actually are sometimes unnecessary, but the ability to have them is definitely appealing.

Peace, Love and Laughter,

Stephanie