Vancouver 🇨🇦 vs Luxembourg 🇱🇺 - Part 1
Vancouver 🇨🇦 vs Luxembourg 🇱🇺 - Part 1
While it's fresh, I would like to capture the differences between Vancouver and Luxembourg that I am noticing. Chances are most of these are not news to you.
First observations...
ℹ️ Disclaimer: these are very subjective, just my own observations. Nothing personal 😉
Contents:
Smoking
Driving with phones (and cigarettes)
Clothing and perfume
Alcohol
Espresso
Bakeries
Groceries
Fuel
Diesel cars
Roundabouts
Narrow roads
👎 Smoking
My biggest pet peeve. Feels like everyone smokes here. All the time. On the go, at bus stops, on patios at restaurants, near the offices, while driving, everywhere. Looks like it's not allowed to smoke inside, but people go outside and the smell still manages to get inside. Many parents with babies(!) next to them are smoking. WTF! I don't understand how Europe, with all its focus on a healthy lifestyle, still suffers from this smoking culture. Sucks big time.
👎 Driving with phones (and cigarettes)
Feels like at least half of the drivers I have seen looking at their phone while driving, sometimes typing with both hands 😳 I think the rules also prohibit this, but drivers seem to not care, at all. The most common sight is when their phone is in one hand, and a cigarette is in the other 🫣 Though I haven't seen any road rage (yet).
👍 Clothing and perfume
Much more diverse choice of clothing. Obvious that people care about their style more. Visually looks more classy and neat. Same with perfume. Noticed how people prefer being non-vanilla. In Vancouver, it was quite a rare occasion. Here - most of the time.
👍👎 Alcohol
Big difference in prices, selection, and availability. You can buy beer/wine/champagne at the gas stations and cafes. People can drink on the streets, in the parks, and even on children's playgrounds. Much more widespread culture of having a drink or two on a lunch break =) Wine is much cheaper, strong liquor is about 30% cheaper than in Vancouver.
On one hand, I love good red wine and more personal freedoms. On the other hand, seeing so many people drinking more often and in more places, I am not sure I like such abundance =)
👍 Espresso
This is not news. Europe is big on espresso culture (did you know it's spelled "expresso" in French? I didn't.). Overall, sizes are much smaller here. Even if you get a cup of coffee (btw, they don't drink American-style brewed coffee), I still notice that the volume is not enough and I want another cup =) Also, fewer sweet coffee options filled with syrups.
👍👎 Bakeries
Many excellent quality bakeries. Absolutely delicious. Dangerously delicious. I've already gained a couple of kilos 🤦♂️ Such a temptation. Need to get my shit together and take control of my routine.
👍 Groceries
The selection is unbelievable. So much variety in different kinds of products and also within the same category (e.g. hundreds of cheeses). Most products are noticeably cheaper.
👎 Fuel
(Slightly) more expensive, maybe 10%. Different standards. For example, the lowest gas has octane number 95, while in Canada we had 87. From what I understand it doesn't mean the 95 is better than 87, as they use different measurements 🤔
👎👍 Diesel cars
Feels like 90% of all cars are diesel. They sound like tractors =) not a big fan. But they are more fuel-efficient and advanced. They don't stink as the earlier diesel cars were. I can recall only a couple of older ones that had smoke coming out of the pipe and had the typical diesel smell.
👍 Roundabouts
Should be a known fact to many. Europe is famous for its roundabouts. I find them unusual but effective. It's an unofficial alternative to 4-way intersections, which require everyone to stop. The roundabouts are more efficient, as in most cases you don't have to make a complete stop.
👎 Narrow roads
Wow. They are narrow, indeed (in the city center). I am getting used to this, but some roads are a bit anxiety-inducing 😆 I admire how big buses navigate through these roads. Masters of their domain 😉
Read Part 2.