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European Netizens Correct 41 Commonly Mistaken “Facts” People Always Get Wrong About Their Countries
Many decades ago, after graduating from high school, students in the US or UK would take a Eurotrip to see the world and find out what was interesting beyond their usual lives. Today, the world has changed drastically, and instead of a Eurotrip, we have the Internet (head's up - no, you can't open your own restaurant for a dime in any European country!)
Today, there are over 50 countries in Europe, each with its own unique culture and traditions, histories and prejudices. We don't always know even our closest neighbors very well, despite the fact that the Internet gives us the opportunity to learn literally anything. So, let this collection of facts from Bored Panda help us satisfy our curiosity!
More info: Reddit
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#1
Germany
If you ask a question, you'll get an answer. Straight, no false smiles, no sugarcoating. It's not harsh, it's honest and effective
Oerff On Tour 5 months ago
If you ask me a question, be prepared to listen to the answer. Whether you like it or not, I will tell you exactly what you implied to wanting to know. If you don't want to know, or aren't interested, DON'T ASK THE QUESTION
RELATED:
#2
Czechia
Czechoslovakia doesn't exist anymore... please😭
Like I genuinely had people correcting me when I told them that I'm from Czechia... I get that we're a small country but still.
I talked with this French guy and when I told him that I'm from the Czech Republic he answered with: "Do you mean Czechoslovakia?"
I just gave up on him...
#3
Finland
We're not rude, impolite, or cold. We just have different social cues and norms, and you don't know how to read or understand them because you're not used to them.
A few days ago, a thread appeared in the AskEurope community on Reddit, the author of which, the user u/gurke0123, admitted that despite the fact that Europeans sometimes laugh at Americans who know nothing about Europe and the countries there, Europeans cannot necessarily boast of extensive knowledge either.
No, almost any European knows the history of their country quite well, various interesting facts about it, too - but how well does, let’s say, the average Portuguese person know the climate of Poland or the literature of Romania? Most likely, not very well. So, the topic starter asked netizens: "What basic knowledge should everyone have about your country?" and has already collected more than 1.2K various comments.
#4
Germany
If you think of sterotypical German stuff, there's a good chance you are thinking of Bavaria. The rest of Germany isn't like that.
#5
Greece
While Greece and many Greek facts are well known globally, there are some basic things that tend to elude tourists or visitors — especially during the spring and summer months.
The heat in Greece, particularly in Athens, can be relentless and even dangerous. Don't underestimate it while visiting, and always pay close attention to weather alerts, especially on hot summer days.
Greece has never had a strong culture of nature walks or hiking, unlike countries like Germany or Switzerland — unless, of course, there was a great taverna waiting at the top of the mountain.Our terrain is also quite challenging. Avoid hiking alone or venturing off the beaten path unless you're fully prepared. Trust me, it probably won’t end well.
#6
Netherlands
I don't particularly care what Jerry from Springfield Illinois does or doesn't know about the Netherlands, but if he wants to go here on holiday he should at least know to stay off the bike lanes.
In fact, in just about every European country there are various, and sometimes widely known misconceptions and stereotypes throughout the world that many natives of these countries are happy to refute (and travel companies, on the contrary, actively exploit).
For example, not every federal state of Germany looks like Bavaria, but the stereotypical image of a German in leather pants holding a beer mug is still very popular all over the world.
#7
Poland
We're not a cold country. In winters we sadly don't get a stable snow anymore because the temperature usually is between -5C and +5C and in summer it's normal to see above 30C.
Also that Polish accent is not Russian accent.
#8
Ireland
I have been quite shocked that there is the odd fellow European that thinks we are part of the United Kingdom.
And this is American specific:
I have come across the odd American that believes they are Irish based upon a genetic test showing 5% Irish result. These people are the same people that tell black Irish people that they are not Irish.
They are also the same people that misrepresent Irish history by saying that we were slaves during the Atlantic slave trade period, that we got over it so black people should get over it too.
James Twong 5 months ago
And also Ireland and Scotland are not the same country but are different but similar countries.
#9
Switzerland
4 languages/regions.
The scenic mountains that remind you of Heidi? That's the German part.
Luxury watches and diplomacy (United Nations)? That's the French part.
The part you don't know anything about? That's the Italian/Romansch part.
Some funny facts and misconceptions about foreigners are also a great reason to release additional merch for tourists. For example, the joke that the names of Austria and Australia are rather similar is as old as the world, and the Austrians willingly sell tourists signs saying, "There are no kangaroos in Austria." By the way, in fact, there are kangaroos in Austria - for example, in private zoos.
Sometimes they escape, and then videos of kangaroos proudly jumping across Austrian meadows and fields go viral. For example, this happened about 7 years ago - one of the residents of the city of Kirchschlag in northern Austria met a kangaroo (or perhaps it was a wallaby) - but, curiously, none of the owners of the surrounding zoos reported the marsupial missing.
#10
Italy
We don't just make and export food.
Nor tourism is the biggest part of our economy.
In fact we are a major manufacturing country whose biggest exports are pharmaceuticals and machinery.
#11
Austria
My husband is Austrian and when we were in the US several years ago more than one person asked him about kangaroos. He didn’t know what to answer
#12
Greece
The rest of the country doesn't look like Mykonos & Santorini. I've heard stories about foreign tourists being utterly disappointed when they discovered that Athens looks very different from the Greek Islands 😭.
Also, Ancient Greeks ≠ Modern Greeks, enough said.
Many tourists who visit Greece are sincerely surprised that the locals don’t wear white tunics with amphorae of wine and don’t dance sirtaki at every intersection. Well, firstly, the ancient Greeks, known to us by mythology and Hollywood, lived two and a half thousand years ago, and they are completely different people than modern Greeks.
As for sirtaki, which is now firmly associated with Greece all over the world, it was actually invented by an American born in Mexico. Yes, the famous actor Anthony Quinn, who in 1964 starred in the film "Zorba the Greek," broke his leg on the eve of filming a scene of the national dance, so the only thing he could do was to depict some movements of the ancient warrior dance ‘hasapiko,’ dragging his leg along the sand.
However, resourceful Greeks picked up the idea of sirtaki, and today, this dance is really considered one of the main symbols of the country—along with Metaxa... but we'll probably talk about that another time, and in another article.
#13
France
France is not Paris : in fact France is how much we hate and contrasts with Paris.
France is an agricultural powerhouse, meaning our culture is based mostly on our countryside and not the fantasies tourists have of Paris.
As french we feel pride about our regional identities and particularities and in return we pretty much hate on all the Parisian ideation and clichees (fancy expensive cuisine, snobbish people and overly romantic shit).
Ellinor 5 months ago
Also, really useful tip if you come in France : ALWAYS say "Bonjour" first when you get ANYWHERE. Second if you come to Paris, you are in vacation but Parisians are not and they already have to deal with a lot of things so they don't usually have time for over-friendly tourists. Thirdly, in France we respect our personal space and we don't talk to strangers a lot, so if anyone comes at us with a huge smile they're gonna get a bit of strange looks.
#14
Belgium
No we are not about to split up.
No, we don't want to join the Netherlands or France.
Our national dish is Fries, not waffles.
Auntriarch 5 months ago (edited)
With mayonnaise please (fries not waffles). And then another portion....
#15
Iceland
That we take our weather warnings very seriously. Closed off roads, weather alerts on the news means don't travel. Even if you think you've experienced it all because you live in Canada/Norway/northern US states etc.
In fact, Europe is a huge mix of cultures, traditions, and unique history, comparable to the United States in territory, and significantly larger in population. So we're pretty sure you'll find this collection of facts interesting to read - even if you live in one of the European countries yourself.
By the way, if you want to share some interesting information about your country as well, please visit the comments below, and share your facts and stories there. After all, the more diverse the information, the more interesting it is, isn’t it?
#16
Spain
For gods sake: the business stop at the middle of the day is **Not. About. Siesta.**
It's just a lunch break, we take a long time off to eat. And yeah, we eat late, roughly at 2 pm. Bite me.
For that Same reason: do not show up at a restaurant before 8pm. The kitchen is **not** gonna be open.
Now onto other things.
in general spain is pretty left leaning. We **were** under an ultra-catholic f*****t dictatorship, but that was 50 years ago. Spain is very different now and mostly characterized by a: "you do you" mentality. AKA "we" don't give a f**k about who you pray to, who you love or... if you jaywalk 🤨
Yeah our unemployment rate is that high and yeah it is actually hard to find a job. Many people work in the underground job market.
Spain is technically a unitary country (like France) but actually works more like a federation (like Germany/the USA). Basically the regions (autonomies) have a lot of power and they routinely butt heads with the central government.
#17
Romania
România =/ Rromania, not all Romanians are Roma/romani and not all Roma/romani are Romanians, however all Romanians can be români.
Not confusing at all, i know.
#18
Slovenia
We are not Slovakia. We got a joke here that if some one decide to bomb us there's a fairly good chance the will bomb Slovakia instead. Jokes aside, Prosciutto di Parma, San Daniele, Jamón Ibérico are great, but we have as good if not better prosciutto here.
Oerff On Tour 5 months ago
Ljubljana is a gem. (Still)Not spoiled by tourism. And the rest of the country is breathtaking. People are out to help and understand foreigners, not ridicule and taking advantage of.
#19
Denmark
The fact that danishes aren’t from Denmark. They’re from Austria.
Jrog 5 months ago (edited)
Eh, a bit more complex than that. The "Danish" comes from the "Wienerbrød", that it's a type of "Plundergebäck", that is a type of Italian Pasta Sfoglia in the formal "Pâte feuilletée" recipe devised by French Marie-Antoine Carême. Pasta Sfoglia comes from the Arabic tradition, and Moorish settlers brought it to Spain and Sicily in the XV century, but the recipe was much older, being brought to Asia Minor by traders and dating back to Roman times where it is documented in the 1st century, but possibly was derived from an older Aetruscan recipe...
#20
Spain
There is a rainy part of Spain, and another part which is cold in the winter and have no beach.
#21
Greece
* We don't worship Zeus.
* Syrtaki was made for a movie, there are more popular dances.
* We don't wear togas, which was a Roman thing anyway.
* Stealing our rocks is frowned upon.
#22
Turkey
Turkey is huge and have big cultural difference from West to east.
Turks do not speak Arabic also we can’t understand it. We just have tons of loanwords.
We are secular by law and it is one of “the 4 unchangeble laws”.
#23
Austria
That no one here has seen "The Sound of Music", it's not a thing here and certainly people don't live like that in Austria.
Honestly, everything else is a bonus. I don't even expect people from another continent to know, we exist at all.
#24
Hungary
Gulash is a soup, not a stew. Paprika is really as common place as in those "React" videos. Hungarian is the 4th hardest language to learn, so when someone just says the smallest of words we are very greatful. We aren't racist or nationalist, only very few people are. The government aren't the people of Hungary, they do not represent the Hungarian stance.There are good food, and beautiful sights outside of Budapest too, please visit other places too!
Fiona Moon 5 months ago
Visegrad (sorry.. Phonic spelling as I was little) is the best memory from my childhood
#25
United Kingdom
The stereotype about British food is from the rationing era during and after the war. British cuisine is perfectly fine.
#26
Netherlands
Although it’s practically legalized, smoking [grass] is not mainstream or commonplace.
At least, not in my experience / bubble.
#27
Lithuania
Russian is not our native language and majority of younger people does not speak it at all.
Oerff On Tour 5 months ago (edited)
Most of the former Soviet countries have their own languages. These were suppressed under Soviet rule, but after their independence, they reinstated their own
#28
England
Our weather isn’t “bad” just because there isn’t blazing sunshine every day. It’s just a part of nature, and our country needs consistent humidity and rainfall to sustain its ecosystems and our way of life.
Having continental weather on this island is unrealistic from a geographic perspective, and would be a death sentence for our nature.
#29
Scotland
People get confused on what they're allowed to call Scottish people (in terms of nationality), there's a hierarchy on what the most okay is and what is blasphemy.
"Scottish"- Is okay with like 95% of the population, the safest option.
"British"- While legally correct, some people might not like being referred to as such for political reasons, so get permission first.
"The E word"- 0% of the population is okay with being referred to as this, as it is a slur here. You will get [unalived].
#30
Portugal
When saying "thank you" in Portugal don't say it in spanish (gracias).
#31
Norway
In Norway, you don’t speak to random people on the bus, in the supermarket or on the street. Doing so you will be considered weird or even creepy. But as soon as you’re in the mountains or in the woods, it is quite impolite to not say hi to people you pass.
Andrew Keir 5 months ago
That way they'll remember when they met you, where you were and which way you were heading. this helps the search team a lot.
#32
Spain
We are not lazy, and only children and elderly people take naps in the middle of the day. At least in the parts of the country where I've lived... I've had Andalusians on Reddit tell me that taking siestas is widespread down there but I've also had Andalusians get super offended because I said they take siestas, so idk about that.
Working hours are f*****g long. Even in white collar jobs it's common to have to take an unpaid 1-2 hour lunch break so your 9-17 turns into 9-19, and in hospitality and retail they often have split shifts working from morning to night with a break in the middle. As an example, as a waitress I used to work 12-16 and then 19-1am or 2am on the weekends, with only a day and a half off. Retail closes 14-17 because people are eating instead of buying stuff, and restaurants close ~16-19 because no one's eating and they need to rest sometimes.
Michael Largey 5 months ago
When I was very young, I took naps. Now that I'm very old, they take me.
#33
Netherlands
It's really basic, but it's not Holland. It's the Netherlands.
Holland is a region inside of The Netherlands which is a country that belongs to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
#34
England
There are at least 40 different, distinctive accents in the UK.
#35
Croatia
We've been a country for solid 30ish years. Sounds dumb to point it out but those same american videos makes me feel like I have to lol.
Gavin Johnson 5 months ago
Plitvice Lakes were stunning before and after the Split. Pun intended.
#36
Portugal
Everything you eat and drink in a restaurant will be charged. The bread, olives and butter that is on the table will be charged if you eat it. Water, even just filtered water, will be charged. Everything has a price. This is a surprise for many many people.
#37
Ireland
Ireland is still partitioned and does not have full independence. But one day it will be.
Michael Largey 5 months ago
The Republic of Ireland is a fully independent nation. Northern Ireland is ruled by the UK.
#38
Castilla, Spain
- We are not just the Mediterranean with warm weather all year around. We have cold winters, yes cold.
- Flamenco is not a common nor popular thing in a lot of places. Regional identities and folklore are important.
- Shops are not closed between 14:00 - 16:00 because we are all sleeping (Siesta means a nap that's all there is). It's our lunch time, we are having lunch. Businesses use part-schedule to reduce costs and not having to hire more people and have the shops closed later.
#39
Wales
We don’t see sheep all the time, and we don’t all eat leeks.
#40
Hungary
We are not Huns or Mongols and nor were our ancestors.
Jrog 5 months ago (edited)
Except, bot Huns and Mongols *definitely* settled in Hungary. Huns arrived around the 4th and 5th century; the Hun migration into Hungary was the reason the Goths pushed on the Roman Danube frontier, were admitted, then rebelled, won at Adrianople, settled and entered service of the empire, then sacked Rome while their brethren who stayed at home invaded and settled in Northern Italy. Mongols invaded Hungary for a couple of years in the 1200s, but the existing Hungarian populations was already a split group from north-western Mongolian tribes
#41
United Kingdom
The UK is made up of four nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
England is not the same thing as Britain or the UK, and referring to the whole country as "England" or all the people from the UK as "English" is not correct. There is also no such office as "King of England", and hasn't been for more than three centuries now.
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