Even though I knew intellectually that Europe has a very different culture from Canada, I was shocked by the obvious differences upon our arrival into the Dusseldorf airport.
Most of the European women wore stylish heels and skirts with an elegant blouse and scarf.
When
I travel, I always look and feel as if I had slept in a gutter.
These people, however, looked pristine.
The men followed the same trend as the women, wearing crisp, unwrinkled shirts, nice pants, and shoes.
In my sensible travel clothes, I immediately felt shabby and underdressed.
This feeling intensified as the 6-hour lay over continued and I continued to see their clothes.
When we were continually addressed in English, my mother and I decided that our clothes gave away our Canadian identities.
Another cultural disparity is the attitude of the border guards. We’ve all experienced the surly, frowning, brusque, and angry men that stamp our passports in the States. In Dusseldorf, they were friendly, joking amongst each other, and with us, and we were treated like actual humans—not like suspected terrorists. A friend in Athens yesterday suggested that the Americans are over-alert because they are worried about their abilities and that the Germans are relaxed because they are confidant.
2 comments:
Yes, traveling in Europe can make one feel a bit under dressed. Thanks for the updates, it will be fun to see how you adjust in the coming months.
I've been checking out "what women are wearing in Paris" (love this fantasizing about a possible trip!), and one site said that in France it would be considered insulting if you went to the Post Office in sweat pants and a T shirt. Hmmm. I remember noticing this difference when I first went to Europe in 1966, to Ireland. Everyone looked "dressed up" to me, though they clearly were not well off. I concluded that they had one or two nice outfits that they took very good care of, and wore in public (this would be mothers with a toddlers in strollers, too), whereas we had way too many clothes that were essentially disposable. This is even more true now. I guess the compromise for us is to find things that are sensible and comfortable, but still look not too casual. It isn't fun to stick out in this particular way...
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