Europe is great!

As far as continents go, it has the best infrastructure for budget backpacking, the highest concentration of interesting cities, and is the best place to travel as a beginner.

I’ve been in Europe for most of the last 10 months and have loved navigating its many countries, cultures, and customs.

While I love Europe’s public transportation, food quality, nightlife, and familiarity, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a few things that drive me crazy. The following are 7 aspects of Europe that frustrate me to no end.

1. Access to cold water: For a continent that prides itself on being accessible to foreigners, especially people from the US, I’m forever confused as to why it’s so difficult to find cold water. It feels like Europe is rationing ice cubes, especially during the hot summer. Even its residents must also be feeling the pain.
   
   Your best bet is almost always to buy bottled water chilled in a fridge. I do so spitefully, lamenting the cold water that is plentiful back home.
   
2. Paying for water: More water problems. While cities like Rome and Luxembourg City boast free public water fountains, they’re far from the norm. It feels criminal that most of Europe makes you pay for a basic human necessity.
   
   Am I supposed to die of thirst while exploring the city? And shell out another 2 euros for 500 mL of water every meal?
   
   That's always gone in two seconds.
   
3. Paying for toilets: Another basic human necessity that costs money in Europe is peeing. I have decided that I will never pay for a public toilet.
   
   Peeing shouldn’t cost money. But toilets hidden behind a paywall are often the only option when walking around during the daytime.
   
   Thank God for the McDonald’s and Starbucks restaurants I can reliably duck into for free. And shame on Europe for making me search for it.
   
4. Size of food portions: It’s no secret that Europeans are normally skinny. The active lifestyle has much to do with it, but portions of food barely suitable for a petite woman help their case.
   
   Of course, the US is on the polar opposite of this spectrum which contributes to our high obesity rates. But I’ve eaten those US portions for years and made it this far…only to starve myself in Europe.
   
5. Service: I can’t decide if my favorite part of the European dining experience is the 45 minutes of waiting for someone to take my order or the 30 minutes it takes to pay when I’m done. Between both realities, engaging with the European service industry is always a tantalizing proposition.
   
   The rest of Europe should thank Greece for being the continent’s saving grace when it comes to treating its guests right.
   
6. Sundays: Sorry is it Sunday already? You’ll know because every shop, site, and venue within a 20-minute walk is closed. Forget going sightseeing, eating out, or seeing anyone working. (Well, in Europe you can forget about seeing anyone working Monday-Friday too).
   
   In recent years, Europe has made baby steps in the “Open on Sundays” department, but it’s still got a long way to go before it’s anything like the US.
   
   They should take notes from McDonald’s and Starbucks. Instead, they’re following in Chick-fil-A’s footsteps.
   
7. Air Con: First of all, it’s called AC.
   
   Second, Europe clearly doesn’t know what it is. Their geography means most countries only need it a couple months per year, but it seems like it’s always those months that I’m in that country.

All in all, Europe isn't so bad. But it's fun to call them out on things they could be better at.

What are your favorite and least favorite things about Europe? Let me know in the comments!