Back  in the 80’s,I had 6 weeks of vacation from work, so  I travelled to a few countries in Europe. Had a grand times, It was an unmatched mix of vibrant local cultures, world-famous culinary traditions, and centuries of preserved heritage. Travelled the U.K for 2 weeks and the European counties for a month. Loved every minute of my vacation. The experience was amazing.

At the beginning of this year I was in a Hospital in Germany for 19 days bcs of a broken knee. You know what it costs me? 10,- Euros. That's it. Anything other (surgery / rehabilitation training/ wheelchair etc.) were covered by my health insurance. I pay 14,6 % of my monthly income automatically for my health insurance, like taxes also you know? So it's not for free but it's calming to know you don't get a massive bill after a hosptal stay or a doctors visit like it is in the US.

If you ever travel to Sweden, you’ll see that pretty much all stores are open on Sundays. There are many countries in Europe where things don’t close just because it’s Sunday, but if you take Norway, for example, pretty much everything is closed on Sundays. It all depends on which country you’re visiting :)

In the mid 70's I worked for Rockwell International...but in Warwickshire, not far from Stratford on Avon..
We worked ridiculous hours.....7:30am-8:30pm most days.
On month ends we'd work through to the early hours.
But the Americans had a different pace and they put in overtime but only "enough" so we picked up their slack.
It was very inefficient, I made improvements...but I was just a newly qualified 21 yr old accountant..
In the end I thought this is insane and resigned.
The CFO and European CFO begged me to stay and decided to moved me to the States.
But what was I giving up ?
My beautiful surroundings, culture, way of life and loss of access to my parents.

So I stayed in England.
By 46 I'd retired myself to an old farm in Brittany and I'm in heaven.

About the public Transportation, it is not that we, in europe, choose car or pubkic transportation. It is more a car AND public transportation decision.
I love driving a car but sometime i choose public transportation for  example when i am having a drink

Eye doctors are definitely included. Sure, designer glasses are not included. But, dentist is only covered partially (if at all), incentivizing people to take care of their teeth.
People in Europe are unlikely to start discussions, or even just say hi, with strangers. But, neighbors do actually know each other quite well, typically :goodvibes:
And sure, "Europe" is too big for generalizations, but these are quite universal :yougotthis:

Where we care about our neighbors by maintaining good relations and sometimes even friendship, that happens in southern Europe, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece, I don't know Cyprus and Malta but I have been told that they are also very open people.
Totally different from Northern Europe.
You have a whole week to go shopping for clothes, because you are going to want to go on a Sunday? when people are resting, having fun, spending time with family or doing what they like most.

Picture this: you’re in France and we run into each other on the street; as an American, you’d give me a silly, forced, insincere smile.
I, as a Frenchman, would think: "Simple-minded."
Now, suppose you’re a neighbor and have a problem at home—a power outage, for instance. You ring my doorbell, and naturally, I go to help you.
In the days that follow, when we cross paths, we smile and greet each other; we know one another now. That interaction isn't forced—it’s natural.
That is the difference between the US and Europe.

14:50 One thing U.S. citizens never understand is that THE WEEK HAS 7 DAYS - you DO NOT have to shop every day.

You can plan so that you only shop every other day for example - that's how we do it in my home. Sometimes it can go 4 or 5 days between shopping.

And we ALWAYS plan so that we DO NOT have to shop on Sundays. You know it's closed, so it's on the back of your neck. And the people who work in that store should also be allowed to have the day off. To be able to meet up with friends who ALSO have the day off - all of them.

it's simply the right to be human that is upheld.

I passed my 60th birthday recently and was pleasently surprised to learn that now prescribed medications are now free. Usually there is a fee-per-item usually less than £10, but now even that is gone.

There is a system behind all that. You should never really be able to stop working, so you need to consume as much as possible, go to college first to get a lot student dept and then work in a low paid job to never get out of that dept or else just get into medical dept because your poisoned by your food. And then also die before you get your pension.  
That is more or less how "modern slavery" works where they make you believe you are free and have the best life while in the end you are constantly just working more and more to make the billionaires of your country even richer.

Francesca, You are still so young... But this is a great time to go out and gather your own experiences. I am German, but from 'the other side,' former East Germany. At 22, in 1986 I had my first job abroad in Vietnam. A year 'far out there.' It shaped me. Over time, I was in Angola,  Ukraine, and Latvia. After 1990, I invested my time and money to see what had interested me before the fall of the Wall, but was unreachable for us. My advice: If you can, do it, whenever you can! No matter how you later decide what you want to do... form your own judgment and don’t be afraid of making mistakes. There is a saying that helps: 'The journey is the goal.'

All shops are closed here on sunday exept for retaurants, cafe's and grocery stores.. the grocery stores are open from 10:00 til 20:00 for american brains 10 am til 8 pm we get 8 weeks vacation plus vacation money + regular pay !!!!

I think the pandemic isolated a lot of people around the world. People who are a bit introvert and were isolated for a long time often struggled to become more social again afterwards.

1:42 To me as a Swede, it feels totally ok that some people's lives revolves more or less around their work. I.e. if we think about skilled scientists, artists, and such. So it depends on your craft, what you actually do for a living, as well as on your personality, family situation, etc., even in Europe :)

Well... 7:01 dentist and eye doctor is basically not included neither in public health care in Spain at least, or at least for adults. Now some people is trying to make it "free" (included) at least for children. Apart from that well, it could be better, but it could be much worse too.

Some of the best I've seen. Thanks!

Good video as allways ❤ and nice seeing you again 😊

For a US citizen, the concept of a family sharing the same general practitioner, who refers patients to specialists (such as cardiologists, pediatricians, ophthalmologists, or ENT specialists) for specific or serious issues, is almost unheard of, this is the role of the family doctor whom we visit twice a year for routine check-ups. All of this is covered by the free National Health Service (*SNS* in Portuguese). The state budget annually allocates funds to sectors such as health, education, defense, infrastructure etc. contrary to the common American misconception, taxes here, are not actually higher, there is a tiered system where the tax rate increases with income. While there is, naturally, always room for improvement and a constant push for better conditions, the system works, and the services are generally good.

I have 26 working days of annual leave that I am required to take; my employer strictly enforces this because the company would face a fine if inspected. To ensure the time off is truly restorative, one of the leave periods must last at least 10 working days, while the rest can be taken at one's discretion. There is a half-hour break for a meal, and the employer is required to provide a clean canteen for staff working on the production floor.