Things I Love About Europe

* The Half-Flush. Back in the States, when you potty, you have but two choices - either flush down five gallons (maybe four, if you put a full two-liter bottle in your tank) of perfectly good water whenever you use the bathroom, or let whatever you just left behind sit there being nasty. This conundrum has led to extraordinary levels of water waste, as well as what I consider to be the truly gross (and unhygienic) solution of "If it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down." Here in Europe, they've resolved this conundrum (or at least, come up with what I consider to be a better solution than the hippie "let the pee fester" method) in the half-flush. The toilets in Dublin and here in Spain both had little half-buttons - if you press one, you get a little flush; if you press both, you get a big ole flush. I think this is a brilliant step toward eco-friendlier potties - and light years ahead of leaving a toilet full of pee constantly sitting in your bathroom.

* Pedestrian-Friendly Cities. It's not only because I am a lifelong and avid pedestrian that this is so great to me. I realize that cars have their uses even within the borders of the most walkable city, but what it comes down to for me is that I like walking. I like dealing with the elements, I like not being in constant climate control, and I like actually seeing the city I'm in from time to time without being separated from it by a windshield. I like to know what a city sounds like and smells like (okay, not always - but generally! LOL). Now I know that the U.S. has its share of pedestrian-friendly cities, but I've never seen a subway system like Barcelona's Metro before. Sweet Jesus, it's amazing. Clean, well-marked and mapped-out, efficient, fast; plus, it runs very frequently, even at off-peak hours, and is open late as hell on the weekends and holidays! Further, there are little signs telling you where stuff is everywhere even on the street; things are clearly marked, there are bike paths (which counts, as I consider bicyclists as close cousins to pedestrians) everywhere, and wide, well-paved sidewalks abound.

* Multilingualism. In Barcelona, in particular, this is really cool. I realize that English is supposed to be the new international language or something, and it just happens to be my advantage that it's my first language - but it's nice to see signs in English, Catalan, and Spanish - and in some places, several other languages, as well. It's simple, but it gives the sense of a smaller world, and is a little reminder, multiple times a day, that there are other cultures all around, and that we're all moving in the same spaces.

* No High Fructose Corn Syrup. Correct! I don't know if it's because Europeans have more discriminating tastes, or because they just don't truck with people fucking with their food, but I have yet to sample (or even see) anything - anything! with that horrible shit in it. Coca-cola? Made with sugar. Candy? Sugar. Pastries? Azúcar, azúcar, azúcar! Now, I have friends who will be more than happy (Tina, Nat!) to tell me all about why sugar is horrible and nasty and terrible, too, but it's better than HFC! Besides, I'm not saying I'm going on a sugar binge or anything - it's just nice to see!

* Friendly, Interested, Engaging People Who Like Talking to Strangers. Now, I will admit that in Spain, I'm at a certain advantage since I'm fluent in Spanish, but as many people will attest, sharing a common language with someone is not always a reason for conversation in the U.S. Beside that, even when I was in Dublin and England, despite the fact that I think I'm fairly obviously American (if not because of my mode of dress, which I don't find to be dissimilar from people here - one guy even mistook me for a local!! And he spoke Spanish! Like a Spaniard!!!), it's pretty clear the minute I open my mouth, even when I'm toning down my Jersey accent (which I've found myself doing here in general), people were immensely friendly, helpful, and curious. I don't know if it's that we Americans have earned a lot of credit by electing Obama into office, or if it's that we don't have as bad a rep as everyone says, or if the Irish, English, and Spanish are just generally a polite people who aren't going to treat you like shit just because they're secretly thinking you're American pigscum, but I've had nothing but pleasant experiences so far. (With the exception of the nighttime concierge at this hotel, who has been more snooty, unhelpful, and dismissive to me than anyone I've ever met before, despite my concerted efforts to be on my best behavior; truly, I have been nothing but polite, courteous, and even soft-spoken/deferential! [Yes, this is possible. I do have home training, you know.] Even so, there's a cunt in every crowd, and I certainly don't hold Barcelona responsible for her snobbery.)

* History, Art, and Culture. Granted, it's helpful that the cities I've been to have been Dublin and Barcelona, but it is a beautiful thing to walk around a city and be surrounded by buildings of artistic and historical significance. I had dinner in the church where Jonathan Swift attended mass; where the guy who created Guinness was baptized. I've seen amazing art and architecture the likes of which I never imagined, buildings that are older than America, or even the colonization of North America. (Not counting Leif Erikkson, natch.) The dork in me is so in love with this element of Europe; meanwhile, the techie spoiled brat in me adores the modernity, the innovation, the melding of form and function, and the influence that the historical foundation of these cities has had on its aesthetic development.

* Chocolate. That's it man. Just that. It's really, really good here. I don't know why. But goddamn. The goddamn pizza place that delivers to my hotel room brought me truffles that I'd have knocked somebody out for. The PIZZA PLACE.

Anyway, I need to get moving - apartments to see, sunburns to get. WOOT!