Europe is Built Different

I am writing this 2 weeks after my tour in Poland. What I noticed immediately was how different everything was space and size wise. The portion sizes are smaller and thus more balanced, the cities are built to a human scale and also the thing that stuck out to me was how quiet it was even during peak hours. On top of this, the food and drink was amazing, and for the first time I actually didn’t feel disgusting after having a meal. There is also a vibrancy of the cities that really made me feel like I could connect better with people even though my Polish isn’t good yet. Still it’s amazing how I never worried about getting hit by a car or tram because I always knew I was given priority when crossing a street. Not once did I think to start crossing before the walk sign (when they were necessary) and taking the tram to Krakow was a great experience. It was so nice to not have to drive everywhere for everything and it really just shows how ass backwards the US is. I was taken aback by how much actual stuff you can buy at the airport as well. Want to have a good meal and do some shopping before your flight? No big deal. Are you American and have to take your shoes and belt off? No thanks, please keep those on. Want to buy some groceries from the local market? We have those in spades. You like being able to not be bothered by other people whilst people watching at a coffee shop for breakfast? Yep. I could go on but I’d just be phoning it in. So instead I’ll say if you can get out of the USA and explore. It is worth it.