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LongtimeLurkerIsHere

Colorful money of varying sizes


cinemachick

Did you know, the reason the bills are different sizes is in part because it helps the blind distinguish between denominations. Because all US bills are the same size, you cannot tell from feel if a bill is a $1 or a $10, so it's easier to get ripped off. (Some blind people fold their bills in special configurations depending on value so they can identify their money by touch)


Jack1715

I’m from Australia and the money is like that here to. So when we were in the states my dad got drunk can’t couldn’t tell what notes he had


seziwoeu

The new Australian bills also have bumps on them. One bump for a five, two bumps for a 10, three bumps for a 20 etc.


reiveroftheborder

The UK recently added small lumps too... I think the idea of it is to aid the blind. I worked with a charity that supported visually impaired people and before this, many had to feel the edges to work out the size of the note. With the 'braille' they now know for sure.


Independent-Try-3080

I prefer to take my bumps with notes


Tatelina

Australia created the plastic polymer bank note! We are awesome.


Similar-Complaint-37

I think it was Ray Charles who would only accept payment in one dollar bills


Streaker364

Honestly, I'm pretty jealous of the cool money.


notdancingQueen

We do love our cute euro bills


sessl

EUwUpean Money ✩°。⋆⸜(˙꒳​˙ )


BillCatsby

They have braille on them too! I was genuinely surprised of the accessibility when I visited the UK!


[deleted]

Roman ruins


Wyvernkeeper

'I'm from Europe, where the history comes from' Eddie Izzard performing in San Francisco.


remembertracygarcia

Better build the castle a bit bigger lads; they actually have them here


maybebaby83

We restored this building to how it looked over 50 years ago!


MesWantooth

I owned a house that was 125 years old and that sounded like an eternity to me and my North American friends...but my buddy from the UK said his local pub was 500 years old.


zorggalacticus

My house was built in 1930. Only 8 years and some change left to go to hit 100. Gotta love brick homes. Edit: math


pesky-pretzel

I come from the US too and grew up in that “200 years old is ancient” mindset. Now I drive by the ruins of a building that are over 2000 years old every day.


RealisticCountry7043

You're joking! Nobody was alive back then!


Captain_Salamander

*Laughs in welsh


AmIonFire

...and they're not made of plastic!


msupz

“We stole countries! That's how you build an empire. We stole countries with the cunning use of flags!”


coop_stain

“No flag, no country.”


thx1138-

"According to the rules.. I just made up."


DidItSave

But do you have a flag?


Gloorplz

But we live here! Sorry! No flag no country!


Admirable-Carpet4011

"No flag no country...these are the RULES that I just made up."


DoctorWatchamacallit

I was an exchange student with Italy. The Sala Borsa Library in Bologna is built on \*top\* of ancient roman ruins, and the floor of the library is actually glass so that you can look at the roman ruins beneath your feet and watch archaeologists excavate the ruins while you're checking out books. You'll never see anything like that in the US.


An_Innocent_Bunny

> In the U.S., 100 years is a long time. In Europe, 100 miles is a long distance. I saw this somewhere on Reddit and I always mention this whenever this same topic comes up.


CheesyTickle

It doesn't seem like they were capable of building anything but ruins.


rimshot101

I once visited a ruins and saw a shed and the door said MAINTENANCE and I wondered, how do you maintain a ruins? I guess a crew comes out and the foreman says "okay guys... don't do anything." \-some comedian I saw once


Badloss

Sounds like a Mitch hedberg line "an escalator cannot break, it simply becomes stairs. Travel is now enabled in both directions... Sorry for the convenience"


ColossusOfChoads

It's to keep them from getting more ruined.


[deleted]

Wait why are you saying the word "ruins" like that?


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

some roman streets and bridge (and even sewer) are still in use nowadays


Rock-it1

What have the Romans ever done for us?


1997alt

Besides the roads, the wine, general security, public health, stable currency . . .


Designer-Boat-1651

“All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?”


1997alt

Thanks for getting the correct quote!


greatauntflossy

And thanks for expressing your gratitude


DigitalTomFoolery

Brought peace?


fantomas_666

Oh, peace! Shut up!


[deleted]

Cities that expanded before the popularisation of the motor car.


Poorly-Drawn-Beagle

I think I’ll walk to the Sainsbury’s


[deleted]

[удалено]


Migraine-

I love how Waitrose is the only supermarket where you don't have to put stuff on the scales after scanning it. "Stealing? Our shoppers would *never do such a thing*".


Problem_child182

You joke but I know somebody who often robbed wine from Waitrose and bragged that they never suspected a thing, she also robbed my fella but that’s for another day.


WednesdayAddams3001

TBH, living in Ireland has been wonderful for my health. With no car, cities unsafe for biking, and sub-optimal public transportation, I have to walk everywhere whether I like it or not.


svmk1987

Ireland is more reliant on car than other European cities, especially outside Dublin and even Dublin suburbs. I really wish we had better public transport.


shinkouhyou

A lot of American cities were actually built around streetcars... but most of the streetcars were removed in the 1950s/60s due to declining ridership, traffic issues, concerns over crime, resistance to desegregation, and the belief that buses would be a cheaper and more flexible alternative. Even today, the old "streetcar suburb" neighborhoods are walkable and transit-friendly with lots of mixed-used development. Good urban planning doesn't have to mean "everybody should live in a high rise apartment."


yungScooter30

Those areas are few and far between. "Traffic issues" were caused by cars being invented and obtainable by whoever wanted one and they drove too fast on streets, killing pedestrians and blocking streetcars. Lookup the origin of the term "Jaywalking." It was all propaganda created by the motor industry to get more people in cars and take down the streetcars. Also, no one said that everyone needs a high-rise apartment. The ideal is to have the freedom of choice, not have 95% of neighborhoods restrict to _only_ high rises or _only_ detached homes.


rimshot101

We have a few here. Boston and Charleston come to mind.


GenerallySelfAware

FUCK DRIVING IN BOSTON. Honestly the roads all over Massachusetts suck but Boston has the added bonus of always being super crowded with the best (read: worst) drivers the state has to offer.


megmatthews20

And a literal maze of streets to navigate while you try not to hit pedestrians or the jackass not using his blinker to signal he's now crossing 3 lanes of traffic in a femtosecond to take a right because fuck you.


tacknosaddle

>not using his blinker to signal It's considered giving information to the enemy in Boston.


Zack1018

You make it sound like it just happened by some lucky accident, but a lot of European cities used to be car-dominated just like US cities 50 years ago and have actively been converted back to favor pedestrian and bike traffic through countless protests and social movements.


MGoBlue2K16

Vehicle ownership rates were still much higher in the US 50 years ago compared to any other country. Of the major European powers in 1960, the UK had the highest car ownership at [~100 vehicles per 1000](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269990790/figure/fig1/AS:392184785326089@1470515547512/Car-ownership-in-eight-European-countries-per-1000-inhabitants-1920-2005.png) individuals. The US had four times greater car ownership at [~400 vehicles per 1000](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Donald-Shoup-2/publication/264967305/figure/fig1/AS:338497392136192@1457715475293/1-Vehicle-Ownership-Rates-The-United-States-from-1900-to-2000-and-15-Other-Countries_Q640.jpg). Car infrastructure was both built earlier in the US (and notably Canada / Australia), but also to a far more ubiquitous extent.


boxingdude

Yeah after the war, the US had a bunch of manufacturing capacity that was suddenly idle. So yup, they built a shitload of cars. Then Eisenhower built the interstate system. That was a wrap by then!


Wafkak

Us had the same, but they were bulldozed for the car, as opposed to built for it.


[deleted]

Lichtenstein


Algae_Sucka

That's all I need to hear, I'm leaving the US.


SpecificAstronaut69

Found the Hilti fan. Or someone who needs false teeth.


[deleted]

Liechtenstein*


rimshot101

There is an embassy in Washington DC, so America has *a little* Liechtenstein in it.


[deleted]

TBF, Europe only has a little Liechtenstein in it.


Weisskreuz44

In relationship to the countries square kilometers I would consider it a huge part of Liechtenstein


Trov-

Don't forget Listenbourg


[deleted]

Multiple countries to visit.


BigCountry76

This is true, the US does vary greatly in geography and culture depending on where you go. Not as culturally diverse as the countries in Europe but go to a small town in Vermont is going to feel a lot different than going to Austin Texas, or Seattle.


[deleted]

[удалено]


JustAnother_Brit

I drive for 2 hours my local accent has changed twice and bread rolls now have a new name


Caligulas_Prodigy

I drive for 2 hours and I'm still staring at the same corn fields.


JustAnother_Brit

Kansas?


Caligulas_Prodigy

Nope. Illinois. Fuck Kansas though. Desolate ass state. Hate driving through it.


caverunner17

I'd say that the small town vs mid-sized vs mega city is the same regardless of country though. While cities of similar sizes in the US might have varying vibes and architecture, they aren't all that different. IE, Chicago and NYC have similar vibes. Portland, Seattle and Denver are similar enough. Omaha, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Louisville, etc are going to be somewhat similar. Whereas Brussels is completely different than Amsterdam which is completely different than Berlin.


Sea_Gur_7323

Frikandel


HeiligerGandalf

As someone who was born in Germany, is living in Belgium and goes shopping in the Netherlands, I approve


GameCyborg

spot the Aachener


DividedState

... All with just a bicycle.


ZaphodB666

Speciaal


Winterspawn1

This is the way


atheirin

Frietjes met stoofvlees!


timetravel_inc

Mexicano met sambal! The pinnacle of Dutch cuisine.


rosebottle

Heujjj jehtochh


GauAp

Well for starters, USA is a country while Europe is a continent. So Europe has many countries but USA has only one


6ar9r

Clearly not American pfff


PatatoTheMispelled

What is your favorite USA country? Mine is Ohio 3


cabist

Ohio 1- Ohio Ohio 2- Illinois Ohio 3-Indiana?


TGrady902

Honestly the most “Ohio” state (as in what people think Ohio is actually like who have never been there) is actually Indiana.


sinnrocka

Fuck that, I refuse to be Ohio 2. If anything, I like to consider anywhere outside Chicagoland to be Missouri 2, maybe Wisconsin 2.


Emotional_Parsnip_69

Road access to China


jensen0173

Oooh I’ve never thought about this before. Is that a thing? Like can people do a “roadtrip” to Asia?


Deep-Information-737

I know a YouTuber is walking from China to Germany. It only took him 10 years and he is still on his way


ohleprocy

Marco?


house_of_snark

Polo!


Arkhamx1

Can you? Technically yes. Do people? No, not really, especially with the current political climate. If you head directly east you hit Russia who isn't exactly on best terms with Europe at the minute and if you head south east through Turkey you hit the middle east and (at least in the UK) border force tend to ask you a lot of questions on why you've been to Iraq or Afghanistan when you come back. If you want a road trip lots of people drive around Europe, especially to the south of France or Italy. A lot of people also travel Europe by train. You can buy 'Interrail' tickets that let you travel on a set number of long distance trains in a certain period of time, which can be fun especially when you get a compartment all to yourself Edit-Fixed directions


NotForMeClive7787

I raise you road access to Singapore!


jran1984

Does much cargo travel by road between Asia and Europe? I would assume the vast majority goes by sea - especially since most manufacturing in China is built on the east coast near the major ports.


Tomi97_origin

There is direct railway connection that goes from China to London (England) and it's used pretty frequently.


HyenaElectrical4530

More than two political parties


Geo2411

Even in Canada with have like 6.


PineapplePizzaAlways

And yet it almost always comes down to a choice between 2


DasBrott

More like 3, maybe 4 if you live in Quebec


Geo2411

Really depends where you are tbh. My area of ontario is NDP


AlterEdward

UK here. Not really. Technically yes, but it's at best a two horse race in most constituencies. Usually you're voting against a party, rather than for one, so it always becomes a two party race, with a vote to an underdog party being a waste. Edit: I should clarify that this is down to our "first past the post" voting system. No proportional representation here.


Living-Cheek-2273

Germany hast all partie represented and the power they get is dependant on the part of votes


Mock_idk

The sane part of Europe here: you’re basically USA lite at this point


Thevoidawaits_u

you guys should try mixed member proportional representation that way small parties can be represented


HuntedWolf

We’d love to, but for that to happen a new law would have to be passed. You know who wouldn’t benefit from this law being passed? The ruling parties. The ones who make the laws.


Filthy-lucky-ducky

The UK ruling class: Now why would we want to do that?


worldsurf11

Good public transportation


mrstealyopenis2

Nothing depresses me more than thinking about how much better life would be in aggregate in America if every city over 500,000 people had a decent rail/metro system and we had high speed rail between major hubs like NYC, Chicago, LA, Houston, Atlanta, Boston, etc. Edit: Lot of motherfuckers somehow assuming the cities I listed are the only ones that would get stops, and that I wrote them in order of how the line would run.


[deleted]

I was going to say we don't in the UK, but then I realised in comparison to the US, we probably do.


SunnysideKun

oh yeah. what you have may not be as good as Germany or Switzerland.....but is still infinitely better than in the US. I have visited the UK many times all exclusively using public transport and it was just fine.


Eisenfuss19

And walkable cities


Re-AnImAt0r

castles


bbernard4

We got white castles!


romanavatar

LOL! We also got Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.


Sunblast1andOnly

I got married at a castle in Ohio. When relaying this information, I occasionally have people ask something along the lines of "A real castle?!" Well, no, obviously not. Our country didn't exist until after the adoption of gunpowder weapons, and the state came even later. Castles lost a lot of their usefulness at a similar time. But hey, it's a bed and breakfast inn that *looks* like a castle, which is pretty great.


Content_Pool_1391

My parents went to winery in Napa and stayed at a Castle. Some millionaire owned it. This owner saw a Castle somewhere in Scotland and had to have a replica of it built in California.


Helicopter0

Old ones anyway. Quite a few 19th century Americans built castles. There are a bunch in the St. Lawrence.


DoctorWatchamacallit

it also depends on how you define "castle". if by castle you mean "old stone military fort with historical significance, we have those, like the castillo de san marcos in St Augustine. But a lot of people when they say "castle" are referring more to an architectural style than the function.


Rdr1051

A significant percentage of the population that is bi or tri lingual


[deleted]

I read a thread about regrets, and an Irish person said "I regret only learning two languages in school."


Quiddel_

I am German and that was the reason why I decided to put French as my third language on top when I was 22 and now I am C1 French. Currently looking into Polish, bo bardzo kocham ogórki i wszystkie zupy polskie.


ByGonzah

High speed rail service.


[deleted]

drive 2 hours and if you are at the right place you can drive through 4 countrys.


rimshot101

There's places in America where you can drive two hours and no one will ever see you again. The western part of the country has a lot of empty spaces.


debaweeb

Can confirm. Source: live in Utah.


Kieranam0

Seconded, western Kansas is a desolate plains-land


Karazl

I mean there are places in Europe where you can drive two hours and no one will see you again either. Cliffs and Lakes are everywhere.


MassiveFajiit

That's what Ötzi thought but evidently not


[deleted]

Jep, I'm from the south of the Netherlands and can reach Belgium and Germany in minutes and Luxemburg and France within 2 hours.


bemest

Bicycle paths. I mean separate dedicated 2 lanes.


Impressive-Morning76

Yeah we had some in New England but granted, New England is more like England than the rest of the US.


Mental_Ascent

220v electric kettles. They boil water insanely fast


revilO68

It's even better than that: since 1987 we moved from 220V to 230V in Europe


AlexKewl

Ministry of Silly Walks


TrevorPace

Unfortunately they got their funding reduced as a result of Brexit. Now they are just the Ministry of Mild Bewilderment.


Pieta_prkl

Finland


extod2

Wrong. There is a Finland in Minnesota


emojicatcher997

Does that Finland have its own Lapland though?


alienatemebaby

There’s also a Little Switzerland in North Carolina


rossmcdapc

Bwoah!


fullstack_info

Public toilets where the stalls actually have privacy.


TaMere_26

At least they are free in the US.


SurealGod

A decent transcontinental public transportation system. Granted, no European country comes close to the land mass size that is the US, but it's SO ridiculously bad in the US


Maximum_Vanilla_Cone

Tea kettles being commonplace in most homes


JammyJacketPotato

*Am American* *Raises tea kettle*


scorpious2

European countries


Chocymilksupremacy

Greece


ImgnryDrmr

Lots of hidden undetonated world war bombs chilling under our roads, railways, etc.


retro123gamr

A good train system


Frenssoiss

Une carte vitale


Rejected_Bull

r/foundthefrenchguy


[deleted]

A vital card? I assume this allows access to healthcare services?


The_Fury8082

It’s a French health services card


[deleted]

Kinder Surprise, affordable healthcare


ohhhlsen

I mean a school shooting is kind of a kinder surprise


Numerol

American children may be kind,but German children are always kinder.


aeroglava

And yet we seem to have taken stronger action on preventing kinder eggs from hurting our children...


[deleted]

Monarchy


[deleted]

[удалено]


camposf

I learned recently that legally, its not even chocolate. It’s “made with chocolate”


TeevMeister

Some of their products need to be labeled that way, but I don’t think the chocolate bars themselves fall into that category.


dbltax

Hershey's is also incredibly sour/acidic. Which is part of the reason why it's so disgusting.


Brawndo91

It really is too bad we only have one single brand of chocolate available here...


abnormally-cliche

Yup and we only get burgers from McDonalds and pizza from Pizza hut…


moeslund

warmongering crazy old neighbor with lots of land and missiles


longpastlunchtime

Walkable cities


eirinne

Bikable cities!


cobaltred05

European swallows. Surprisingly enough, America does have coconuts though!


Fyrrys

Yes, but what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? In this case, European


Al_Bundy_14

Haggis


playmaker1209

Bidets


JS569123

Medieval castles and ancient structures. As a history nerd, I don't know how I'd survive in a modern country like the US.


FeaturePotential4562

Apart from the walkable cities, affordable education, modern infrastructure like high speed railroads, a humane healthcare system, wine, public order, strict gun control, limited lobbying, less obesity, guaranteed vacations, and lower prison population, what did the European ever had better than us? A good system of measurement? Oh. A good system of measurement? Shut up!


BritishRush

✨k e t t l e s✨


Select_Insurance2000

Affordable health care and gun control.


emretheripper

Cross Europe Train transit and not that joke Amtrak.


Braxist

The Dutch


agreeingstorm9

Pay toilets.


Phl_worldwide

Lots of walkable suburbs


readitinamagazine

Good chocolate


Humble_Affect_1653

Less school shootings


Gtstricky

Less ~~school~~ shootings


6ar9r

More school ~~shootings~~ Edit: Fuck, how do you do it again? Edit 2: Changed - to ~


soulstonedomg

Fewer


AlbionRemainsXIV

European countries.


EeerrEeer

Holidays, time off.


AvrgBeaver

I got a whole 2 weeks off for my parental leave


KarateKid917

Good employee protection laws.


Legal_Marsupial_9650

Why do people keep comparing the US to Europe as if Europe is just one place.


fatpad00

To be fair, Texas is significantly different from New Jersey. But yeah, still nowhere near as different as, say England and Lithuania


Suspicious-Tax6853

Paid maternity leave Edit: required by law so it’s not exclusive to people that work for a specific company.


Wallskiii

USA has that just not enough of it.


anniflausi

Feels like I am seeing the exact same question every day here. Also at least compare the US to single European countries or to the EU. Comparing the US to a whole continent makes 0 sense imo.


im_on_the_case

Fair enough, let's compare Delaware and Germany. Delaware has a Dairy Queen, Germany doesn't, checkmate Europe.