New video! This time I'm defending Americans against European stereotypes. After all the videos critiquing the U.S., figured it was time to set some of the record straight: ruclips.net/video/_LU3uWl_D30/video.html
Swede here. I love watching this stuff because we take so much for granted and it's good to get a reminder now end then of how good some things actually are in Europe. 🙂
Totally get taking things for granted. As much as I prefer life here, there’s still plenty I like abiut the U.S. that I took for granted. It’s cliche, but you never know what you miss until you don’t have it. But this is why I always value foreign impressions, whether it’s me to Europe or immigrants to the US-or anywhere in the world. New people are often able to see things others can’t because they’ve been looking at it their entire lives. P.S. Love Sweden! Took the night train up to Sápmi a few years ago and wrote about the cuisine up there. Would love to go back. Thanks for watching and commenting! Hope you’ll stick around.
Yeah same. I love bitching about the NMBS/SNCB, but then you hear these Americans talk about their trains and it's an eye opener. We truly hit the jackpot at birth
I have a few friends living in the US. If you have lots of money it's very comfortable, if you earn below average it's a nightmare. The difference is the lack of safety nets. A bad decision or an accident can ruin you.
Irish friend of mine was going to marry his American girlfriend who he met while working in Scotland. He went over to the US to spend a month with her family. Not sure what State. He came back, with the wedding off and the relationship over. The problem? He said he just couldn't live there. I asked why. He replied "because it was a cultural desert".
Sorry for your Irish friend. But I'd push back against it being a cultural desert. If it was what I call an Applebees suburb... sure, maybe. But the whole country? American music and films are enjoyed all over the world. And there are a number of cities I'd happily live in, full of culture. It's the overarching infrastructure issue and lack of social safety net that I can't get behind.
@BaurJoe "American music and films are enjoyed all over the world." Sorry, but it's like bobble gum, it looses its taste in minutest and that's not culture. Culture is part of the society or not and mostly it's not in the USA. Like when a state wanna knock down a 150 year old with distinctly architectural features for a gray block of a data center. Or when your city planing is knocking down everything to build a new mall or whatever. Europeans debate for days on end if somebody restores a painting wrong. USA don't have the considerations needed to qualify as culture. There's no more attention span than what you find with a 5 year old.
@KurtFrederiksen To call all of American culture "bubble gum" when there are films, like Sinners and One Battle After Another just this year on top of a century's worth of cinema and music, tells me you're not likely to adopt anything less than an absolutist view. So, thanks for watching and have a great day!
@BaurJoeAmerican culture is great. The thing is. These movies and music are also available outside of the US. So it's more the lokal unique sozial features that Irish man must have been looking for. And what he was disappointed with.
American music is actually very bad compared to Europe. And good music is often much like food, a part of local culture related to your city in particular. A lot of American movies are also meaningless and without culture, but the good ones are indeed enjoyed all over the world. You need a big OLED TV to watch them, not to live in Hollywood directly. If anything the predominant advertisements everywhere makes watching American movies in America less enjoyable than in the rest of the world. And don’t forget the rest of the TV programming. Do you want to see infotainment alla FoxNews or documentaries on Arte? A proper public-funded TV program is the glue of society, not this Marvel Cinematic Universe bullshit. If it wasn’t for Comedy Central the U.S. would’ve no trustworthy evening news.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Joe Baur, zur Deutschen Staatsbürgerschaft.👏👍 Willkommen in unserer Bundesrepublik, in der natürlich nicht alles perfekt ist, und der Wahnsinn manchmal nur eine Landtagswahl entfernt scheint. Danke für die Einblicke und Ansichten, die Du als gebürtiger US Amerikaner gibst, .
Polish here. You pointed out exactly the same reasons why I would never move permanently to USA. My bike, public transport, health care and safety is enough for me to feel comfortable. And since I experienced communism the culture of buying and consuming as much as possible is an alien concept for me.
As for me, I would miss freedom of Central Europe in the US the most. Everywhere there are fences, barbed wires, country is privatized and impossible to walk (with some exceptions). I have never understood why they call it Land of free, when it is in fact one of the most unfree countries (just behind North Korea and strictly Muslim countries).
Most non- US immigrants have a high sense of pride towards their country of origin, no matter the harsh living conditions. Americans, however, will always be Americans, no matter their new foreign immigrant status. At some point, let go of America...
Notice how Germans, many who have moved away and complained about German beuracracy and immigration affairs, always speaking pridely about Germany in public. Americans will always be the same, no matter their new foreign immigration status...
If you watched, then you saw where I said I’m making another video to demystify living here. I have plenty of positive things to say about the U.S. Just because I wasn’t positive about it in the one piece of content you’ve seen of mine out of thousands of posts, videos, etc doesn’t mean I don’t speak proudly about where I’m from.
@BaurJoeGood stuff, but it also doesn't negate the original premise of this video and your cohorts who have ruined it for others such as you, who may take a more balanced approach. Reference: Southern Germany since 2022.
I left the USA 35 years ago, and every day feel grateful for having dared to leave. I love the diversity and solidarity, that the quality of life is not measured in money-collecting and consuming, but rather more through experiences and enjoyment of relationships. And as a keen bicyclist, the move from the car traffic grid of Southern California to primarily using a bike, and walking, to get around is absolute heaven and has been great health-wise as well.
I lived in Spain for 2 years and not once was I asked what I did for a living. In the US that was the first question. In Europe I feel that they value who you are not what you do.
Hallo Joe, we germans need people like you telling us how good life in germany is. We germans love to complain, see all the bad things ( like Deutsche Bahn punctuality ;-) ) and often forget the good sides of germany. I am german living also abroad ( but not really far - Switzerland ) and one point is very important for me. The culture difference of all these countries. I can drive 1 hour north i am in germany, 1-2 hours south i am in Italy - 2 hours west i am in france and an hour to the east and i get the austrian experience. But one more thing: even as a car guy ( and i am one ) - europe is perfect - fun roads to drive in the alps - autobahn ;-) - and many more. What we europes have to learn is the confidence of americans to praise the country where they live. We europeans should not be afraid to say: "We are the heart of the free western world and are proud of our society, country and democracy!". Ich weiss ich hätte das auch in deutsch schreiben können - mit weniger fehlern - aber ich schreibe gerne in englisch ;-)
Danke fürs Zuschauen und den Kommentar! Die Schweiz ist einfach wunderbar und wir würden gerne dorthin umziehen, wenn wir könnten. Sie passt zu unserem Lebensstil sehr gut. Du bist glücklich!
The Dutch are the same, but also the complaining is what got us all this good things😘🤷🏽♂️ Edit: Criticism leads to improvement USA believes they are the best, when you believe you are the best, there is less need for improvement
German here. Your observations are spot on. I would never ever consider living in the US. Why would I? Been there many times for business, conferences, and even short vacations. Every time I came home from there, I was more convinced that living there would never be an option for me.
And that's great! There seems to be a lot of heat on social media over where people live and who lives in the "best" place. The "best" is going to be super subjective. For some, the US is the best. For others, it's not. And it's great when people are able to live where they want to live.
"I would never ever consider living in the US. Why would I?:" How about freedom? How about a higher standard of living? I'm always amazed at Europeans who come to US and only visit New York or LA or just a few big cities. There is a huge country out there for people to see. Are there a few lousy places. Yes, but just avoid them!
Greetings from little Luxembourg. A bus every hour, everywhere. And it's free. So if you have no income, you can still get around. So amazing. I suppose you already have enjoyed that.
Yes! I learned that during my first visit about 8 years ago. Had such a great time hiking in Mullerthal in the morning/afternoon and then listening to music at Café des Artistes at night.
@s7umpfindeed. Still there are cities (not countries) around europe implementing free transport. So there must be more that just having transport financed by foreign taxes.
@BaurJoe You were very lucky, because free public transport had just been introduced at that time. If you have a Deutschlandticket, you can ride through Germany, a bit into neighbouring countries like to Arnhem, Venlo and Vaals, Salzburg (Österreich/Austria) and Luxembourg.
Belgian here and I'm glad you compared real numbers of trains available in Bonn and a comparable US city. We so often complain that trains are late or cancelled that we forget how lucky we are to have easy acces to them.
Thanks! I also find it to be a double-edged sword. Yes, we’re lucky to have these trains. But it’s also fair to complain when they’re as unreliable as Deutsche Bahn often is. Just because my hometown has awful train service doesn’t mean that has to be the barometer for *all* train riders. It’s just a good barometer for me to remember how lucky I am. Thanks for watching!
German here. I thank you for your view of Europe. Sometimes we forget how good we have it. I wanted to move there because I have family in the United States. When I told them how we live here, that we have health insurance, that we have 24 vacation days a year, etc., the question was whether I am a communist, because I said that I think all this is good. I told them that this is normal here. They dismissed this as communism and said that they do not want to live so unfree. I decided to stay in Europe.
Never forget - the US protected Germany for decades so we dont have to think about real military defending. We could save millions of money and built our social welfare state. I am really thankful for this US covering. 🇺🇲🇩🇪
@SweetLotusDreams It doesn't need me to point out, that was not the intention of the founders. However, if everyone in the US wrote to their Congressman regularly, that would be better than nothing.
European here. I've never had a car. When I was younger I had a motorcycle... but not out of necessity, but because it was cool. And it is quite nifty to have a driver's license just in case. I live in a city of about 40k inhabitants at the moment. And for me, freedom is that within a kilometer of my apartment there are at least 3 moderately large grocery stores, a pharmacy, a gym, hairdressers, trails for running, a nice swimming spot in nature, and a swimming pool. And within 2km there is a bus station, a train station, the city's largest grocery stores, a cinema and so on. This is freedom to me.
I'm in the UK. I'm 50. I've never had a car either. I never bothered with a license. I've always been able to get wherever I want to go on a bus, train, or tram far cheaper than maintaining and running a car. I used to ride a bike everywhere until I got rheumatoid arthritis. If all else fails, I can always walk, even if I walk with crutches.
I remember seeing an article about the 10 years of the new Mans tram lines. They did picture of before/after, including the line parts that are still "mostly" dedicaced to cars. Even there, the tram line has pushed cars away. Ovbiously the tram line buildign was the occasion to also redo the streets, but it was also the occasion to redo the whole city concept. I remember than people protested about the tram because "the bus already exists and it's inefficient" It was inefficient because the bus network was designed to not inconvenience car traffic. Today it's designed so that car traffic doesn't inconvenience the bus lines. And the pictures are telling. cars and dark macadam everywhere. Car-free zones give freedom to pedestrians, but if redesigned well, it also give more freedom to cars since the traffic was redesigned, and less cars mean that the remaining cars have less other cars to inconvenience them. It's not perfect... but leagues better than what it used to be.
Ich glaube Du hast vergessen zu erwähnen, dass die Qualität der Lebensmittel in Deutschland / Europa viel höher ist als das Chemiezeug / Fastfood in Amerika.
I think it is also a lifestyle choice. You can get fast food like McDonald's, KFC etc in Europe, but many people don't eat it as standard, more as a 'treat', if at all. It must be decades since I ate a McDonald's.
@archaeobard1 And still it must hold up to the standards in Europe. Does not mean that eating in an EU McDo is the same as an US McDo, far from that. Like the chicken that can't be bleached.
@READYdot yes. I know in the UK, McDonald's uses British and Irish beef. I'd still not eat it though. The smell that wafts from the 'restaurant' in town when I walk by is like a vat of boiling 'vegetable' oil. Nasty.
@archaeobard1 Honestly, people who exclusively eat junk food and only drink soda weird me out and are typically bottom barrel IQ as well. No wonder so many Americans need mobility scooters, or I guess similarly obese cars that can fit them.
I'm an Irish and British dual national who's tried to find that elusive concept of the 'American Dream' for the past 23 years only to find that it is truly a crock of shite. My American wife has lived and worked in Europe (and other countries farther afield) and would be back there tomorrow if she could do that right now. This year we are leaving the USA and moving to a European country. Joe Baur watching your excellent breakdown on your outlook and experience of living in Germany encourages me and eases the inevitable trepidation that I am going through.
Dane here. I have the option to bike, to take my motorcycle, to grab a bus, take a car, a metro, a lightrail train, or walk. I usually walk. Why? Because even on foot I'm actually treated as a 1st class citizen and infrastructure is built to accommodate the means of transportation that are intuitive for those who live both in rural and urban areas. I love riding my motorcycle, but I'm never forced to do so. I enjoy walking to the city center, but I'm not forced to do it. I can take the swift metro to where I wanna go, but I'm not forced to. I am allowed the freedom to choose at any given moment and not let artificial constraints dictate how I live my life. I'm not rushed by society in making important life decisions, I don't enter adulthood in life-constricting debt, I don't pick jobs based on who offers the most reliable health insurance plan.. I'm actually allowed to live to be the person I am proud of being, rather than survive to become a person society forces me to be. That's a kind of freedom I can't see myself finding in the US (I have family and friends there, been there many times). In the US you're allowed freedoms, but only those that the government has deemed acceptable freedoms within the unchecked capitalist oversight that rules everything. And if you grow up in that system you may not even realize how many real freedoms you're missing out on because you were never even allowed to taste it for yourself first hand. Denmark is not perfect, no country is. I can look at certain things other countries do better, and I'm comfortable with that because I know my nation isn't going to antagonize me for pointing such cases out. It's what I love the most about my country, that we genuinely seek to improve and observe others who figure things out that we may struggle with, rather than "pretending to be the best nation on the planet who can not gain insight from anyone else cus we're the best". Here we're allowed the freedom of objectively assessing our own country's good and bad sides and learn from others when possible.
I agree, this is so off-putting in the American exceptionalist framework. Even if they see the need for improvement it's always "Let's find the greatness that we already had but didn't get to live, because the other party didn't let us" instead of actually accepting a genuine need for improvement. Which would include an acceptance of not having been perfect and probably also never going to be perfect
I'm surprised you didnt put a bigger emphasis on the fact that most European countries have laws that enable your freedom to roam, forests etc. Even privately owned forests. Just go there, pick berries/mushrooms if you want. No charge, no fences and especially no crazy guys with guns shouting "get off my land". Being able to freely enjoy nature, that is freedom to me
@Jays-Dream. You cannot possibly believe that there is a gunman standing behind every tree ready to blow you away when you accidentally trespass? I also get the feeling that you do not know how truly huge of a country the USA is, with millions of hectares of wilderness to roam around in. You can spend a lifetime trekking and wandering the many gorgeous national parks and never run out of places to go.
@Erasmuslovesall You might not get shot at, but they might give you a warning shot in the air, but you never know. I lived in the south and what he said is true, but depends on the area you go hiking at. The Apalachian mountains can be safe but there are places where there are crazy drugged rednecks, ready to blow you apart or fight you if you get into their property by mistake. You have to tread carefully in most of america, but specifically the south. I love the south, but this is one thing I don't have to worry about in Europe.
@Erasmuslovesall I'm aware. I lived in Canada for a while so I can roughly relate to the size of the US. However, the chance of being shot - wether it be because of tresspassing or not - in the US is significantly higher than in my home country. US homicide rate of 4.1 per 100k people ts quite a bit higher than my home countrys rate of 0.8. So even without the tresspassing/right to roam I wouldnt want to set foot on any property/land i wasnt fully sure was open to the public.
I'm from Latvia. When my USA colleagues ask why I do not want to move to USA i tell them that i have 20 days of vacation. No one count how many sick day's i had. My wife has several months pre pregnancy vacation and 1.5 years after. And I have paternity leave for 2.5 month... And they do not ask for more reasons.
Believe me, I get it! Granted I'm independent these days. But when I had a corporate gig, I couldn't imagine sacrificing all my holiday to go back to working more hours in the U.S.
I live in Munich, travel by train in to the Alps in ca 50 mins. Where I then spend the day mountain biking. I love not needing a car. I rather spend the money on hobbies.
I left America 39 years ago and never looked back for a moment. All the reasons above. I don’t own a car. I live part time in Prague. Incredible public transport. My home is in Edinburgh Scotland. Breathtaking, still. I flew from there to Prague last week for €19. A weekend in Italy? No problem. New years in Seville? I was there. THIS is freedom. Oh, and no guns…
In the UK, I can jump on a bus that runs hourly for £3 and 50 mins later be in a tiny village in the middle of a national park, go on a public trail hike and see evidence of ancient copper mining in the hills from over 1000 years ago. Then I can wander back to the village, enjoy a great meal made with local produce and jump on the bus back home as late as 10pm.
What a great video. From here in the Netherlands, I really appreciate that you don't sugarcoat things. I sometimes see videos from American people, living of course in Amsterdam, ans in their video it seems like every rural village has public transportation 10 times an hour and that violence and crime don't exist. Your video at least gives a more realistic picture. Well done.
American, here... My family lived just outside Brussels for a couple of years in the late 1980s, and then Mom & Dad wound up in Den Haag for a couple of years in the mid-1990s. We used to joke, "Hey, lunch in Paris?" and then sometimes did exactly that. Somewhat ironically, we traveled a lot by car -- but that was due in large part to simply planning our family trips the way we always had. While in Belgium, I traveled frequently & extensively on my own or with friends using nothing but trains, an occasional bus, an even more occasional taxi (have I got stories about those taxi rides...!) and then happily doing some walking. Later, visiting my folks in Den Haag, I stayed much closer to the city (but still managed to get to several other places in the Netherlands as well as Belgium & Luxembourg) and once again, it was public transportation that made everything relatively simple and definitely affordable. The entire lifestyle was different, the work/life balance was (usually) better, the medical care was first-rate but astonishingly affordable even for non-citizens, the food was absolutely amazing... Yeah, there were some less than wonderful things, but the positives *far* outnumbered the negatives and *far* outweighed them as well. I'm honestly looking at the possibilities for long-term return to the EU...
Maybe you should hurry, because if Trump and his MAGA outlaws forbid the 2026 primary elections and grab “everlasting” power, you can bet your house that Europe will refuse Americans emigrants into Europe. Visa will return in both directions and Americans will no longer be welcome ( as you already start seeing in Southern Europe and with the US boycott actions all over Europe ) And I think the USA will see a lot more of that coming with the FIFA WC 2026 and 2028 Olympics. Already tens of thousands of European fans have cancelled their WC trip and now the countries are discussing withdrawal from the WC… We”ll see how that ends, but we have a saying “ Loontje komt om zijn boontje” which translates as “ When you treat people bad, you will get what you deserve”
From Ireland, ...I once heard (& btw, from a veteran Californian American!) that the problem with his 'country' was 2 fold. 1. its not really a country...more a hodge-podge of disparate & increasingly divided States spread across a continent... and 2...that, unlike Europe or other continents, America has no 'boundaries' "It's a seamless space," he told me. Boundaries (borders) in Europe means one must constantly adjust one's attitude, one's thinking, one must accommodate for others, their languages, religions, cultural habits etc etc ...going from Portugal to Spain to France to Switzerland to Greece to Germany to Denmark... A European 'gets-it,' that its best to work together...at-times painfully slow, but its the best way. By contrast, America it would appear is at the teenage stage of societal development ( though with Maga thinking, perhaps only at the toddler stage!) and sorry to say, but a long long way behind where Europe is at
@drunkensailor112 every country has its advantages and disadvantages. I moved to Sweden mostly because of the access to nature. And there are not so many people around here. I need my space. In Germany, there is literally no free spot anywhere. People all over the place. Here in Sweden, I have no neighbours, I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. That's freedom for me. When it comes to health care and social security, services, public transport, crime rates, etc, both countries are more or less comparable. But I would actually consider Germany to be the better place in most of these aspects. Regarding jobs, career and income, especially for higher educated people (I'm an engineer), there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that staying in Germany would have been better for me. But I have other priorities in my life at the moment.
I've visited Germany, Austria, France, the Czech Republic, and the one thing that struck me the most, especially in France was that people work to live as opposed to here in the US, where people live to work. Work/life balance in the US is a pathetic joke.
Die Deutsche Bahn ist in meinen Augen generell bedeutend besser als ihr Ruf. Die Probleme hat die deutsche Politik seit den 60er Jahren verursacht, die Lösungen kommen sehr oft von den Mitarbeitenden der Bahn. Sie sind nach meiner Erfahrung in der Mehrzahl freundlich, hilfsbereit, kompetent und halten den Betrieb am Laufen. SIE sind die Helden und das müsste viel häufiger erwähnt werden. KEINER der Mitarbeitenden steht morgens auf und sagt sich, " wo produzieren wir denn heute eine Verspätung".
I’ve traveled on DB regularly for 10 years. There are issues, sure, but I’ve never been a day late 😂 The worst was probably two hours. But it was a lifesaver last week when all flights to BER were cancelled and I could take the train from Copenhagen instead. We arrived a couple minutes early even! 😳
I spent one week in Ireland near Dublin and the entire month of July in Munich and Bavaria last summer. I bought the 58 euro ticket and travelled anywhere I wanted to by tram, U-bahn, S-bahn, regional train and bus for the whole month! (I had a 5-day leap visitor card in Ireland... about 22 bucks. And 16 euro for the train to and from Wexford.) It was wonderful. Not worrying about where to park. Can I have another beer? Oh, sure... I'm not driving home! Feeling drowsy? I'm on the train... I can lean back and take a nap. And every time I visit, I eat and drink whatever I want and usually return to the US a few pounds lighter. It's just a healthier lifestyle. Thanks for the video.
Glad you got to experience it! Ireland was my first European country, too, and changed my whole perspective on life. Thanks for watching and hope you'll stick around the channel!
The need to use car for even short distances and general lack of safety on streets and public areas are the factors why I have personally not felt very comfortable in the US during my visits. To me freedom means, I can open the door and run, walk, or using whatever way to move go to the forest, any street, any corner, any time of day without having to question whether I will stay alive or will I be allowed to keep my belongings. This kind of freedom is not available in large parts of Europe, but here up North it still is. And this is why I have not considered moving anywhere with bigger job market, more clubs, or whatever.
Which countries do you mean? I've seen it in Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Germany (mediocre, they're too car centric), France, Spain, Austria, Slovakia, Czech republic, Portugal, UK, Wales, Scotland (last three good in big cities, mediocre in the country side). I haven't been to any other countries yet.
I'm living in Croatia and would never change my life and my country.. just like someone said here - american dream is living in Europe and I totally agree.. 50s in USA was great, even 60s and 70s but today.. ufff..
I wouldn't say the US was great in the 50s, 60, and 70s-mostly because I wasn't alive and don't know. But I do know that a lot of folks didn't have the rights they do now and we were also in the middle of a pointless war. From an infrastructure perspective, we definitely walked a lot more and took trains. So *that* I would've loved to experience. Sadly Croatia is one of the few European countries I've yet to visit. But I hope to remedy that soon! Looks phenomenal. Congrats!
Hey nice video :) I'm from the Netherlands and i can say that you are spot on. really see that you have been for a long time in europe because you are already talking like an european. And your maintin hiking stuff looks cool :)
What other aspects of U.S. immigrant life in Europe / traveling abroad are you interested in? Happy to make more videos that y'all are interested in! Leave a comment and let me know. In the meantime, thanks for watching and all the comments, folks! I’m sorry if I can’t respond to everyone. But really appreciate y’all taking the time! Hope you’ll stick around and check out some other videos on the channel. Cheers!
How are you coping with everything being dubbed into German here? I've lived in Ireland for over 20 years, visiting the cinema here is painful to me. And not just because of the German, but also because I can't pause the film and get another drink from the fridge. 😂 I get by, because streaming providers always include the original language, as do DVDs and Blu-rays.
The EU is trying to destroy the diversity he praises in the video. The EU is trying to equalize all EU countries and destroy their cultural differences.
@BaurJoethat is very helpful. I tried to find a cinema that would screen Spinal Tap 2 in English, but absolutely no hope. And I was looking in Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Heidelberg, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, not a chance. There's a lot of US army still here, I was hoping one lousy cinema might offer that, but not a hope. We're watching it on Amazon next week, where you have the option of watching the original language. Because dubbing that movie would be a crime.
Dane here. I got about 30% of normal vision. almost totally blind on right eye. Therefor I am unwilling to risk driving a car. I live in a small rural town (takes about 30 min from one end to the other at slow walk. Lengthwise), sadly no trains here. Nearest train station is 46 min. away with bus. BUT we got a bus going to Køge ones an hour. A bus to Næstved twice an hour. And a bus to Vordingborg twice an hour. (+ some other busses I never use, one of them going to Faxe I think. No idea how often though. Sorry) Trains from all 3 bigger towns. So most of the time we can get around just fine without a car. With the heavy snow getting out of town has been a bit risky these last few weeks though. Since there has been days where the busses could not get through, and being stranded a long way from home in freezing cold is not a good idea. HOWEVER we got a Netto, Meny, Rema and Lidl in walking distance + cafes, restaurants, Apothecary, doctors and everything else needed to make life nice. So unless you work outside of town you would never need a car here. No matter how much it snows.
I was very well aware of the advantages living in Europe has over living in the US. I went to the US in 1998 for just one month. I enjoyed it, but prefer life in Europe. Interesting video, though. Subscribed. Greetings from (northern) Italy.
Thanks for the comment and watching! I think I mentioned in previous videos, but I had a feeling during my university years that I might prefer living in Europe, but would want to vacation in US national parks. Ironically, that's what I'm doing in May (after taking the train through northern Italy!). Thanks for subscribing. Glad to have you here!
I live in Australia however I totally agree that there’s no true democracy and freedom in the USA. It’s truly a weird place. It’s like in the song by Doris Day “ Che sera sera” . A daughter asks her mum “ will I be pretty,will I be rich?” and a son asks his mum “ will I be handsome,will I be rich?” There are things in life that are much more important like : being healthy,being loved ,liked and respected by others, being wise, being educated, being satisfied and happy with yourself and your life etc. Just being pretty and rich doesn’t guarantee you any of those things. But somehow being rich,pretty or famous are the most important things to them.
I use to take the Deutch Bahn to work, the price for a ticket went up, up, up at an alarming rate. In the UK, the cost of travel using local transportation exceeded the cost of lodging. If you live there, however, you can get a monthly pass and save a little bit.
It's not "kind of an insurance" (at 3:29), Arbeitslosenversicherung is the official title. It's unemployment insurance. Like, it is just a government-run insurance - nothing more, nothing less. And it's mandatory, because solidarity and also because it's the only way to ensure less wealthy people actually enrol.
Hi Joe, thank you so much for this RUclips channel and speaking to the different experiences in Europe, you express it perfectly, all your points are exactly my experience. I lived in Spain for two years, I returned to the states at the end of 2024 to support my kids while they went to university, and I have been in mourning ever since. I can't wait to get back to Spain and Europe for all the points you have shared here. 🇪🇸
Hey, I‘ve been living in Germany for over 40 years and really enjoy the quality of life that living here offers. I don‘t own a McMansion, that I only get to see on the weekends, I do think that Americans living in Germany, can‘t speak for all of Europe, benefit greatly from our background. We have a positive and risk-taking attitude and are not troubled by social norms we are not aware of. I also don‘t own a car, and get around mainly on my bike, but now that I am retired, I travel throughout Europe in my Campervan. Something to look forward to!
I should add as someone living in a small village in Germany, cars tend to be a requirement for most things if stuff is done badly. Especially here in this area dominated by VW economically. Of course they want things to be based around cars. Even then the moment you enter a more populated area things get a lot easier without a car. And around my home there are a lot of bike friendly paths to take if you want to get away from the cars and enjoy the surrounding nature. I had the option to ride my bike to school, a 10km trip. I didn't use it because with just walking 3km I had a perfect bus route to school. Ended up being quicker and the walking was still healthy. But with my current work life I am really stuck with having to use my car or when the weather and road conditions are good enough my motorcycle. And unfortunately you do have to go a long distance to get what you need in most cases with just a small discounter nearby in the next village. But that is the only downside for me.
There is someone I know that relocated to Croatia, saying it eas only temporary. Well, she now purchased and is now operating a dance studio after several years living there. I do not believe that ' temporary ' is the proper term. She found her home.
Women don’t count. Their home is where their kids are. They have no loyalty to the place they grew up. Men are making an informed decision to abandon their roots.
@jansix4287 What? Are you saying that men don't have kids? Do you need a biology lesson? Or are you saying that women don't love their parents? I've known a lot more women who can't let go of their mom than men. Or are you saying that women can't be informed? Do... do you think women are children?
As for pedestrian and bicycle zones, while there are some walkways and paths around, there is nothing like in Europe. I myself limit my bicycle riding on roadways. I do not trust cars while driving a car, let alone on a bicycle or wailking. On the other side of the coin, with the latest craze of E-bikes, scooters, and such, I have seen plenty of 'riders' scooting along with little disregard for the law and rules of the road.
Minnesota has some great bike-only paths. And despite being an Ohioan, I only recently became aware of the Ohio to Erie Trail. But they are too few and far between. I also don’t trust drivers!
Those scooters p**s me off. There were a lot thrown in the Rhine some years ago. Many laughed, but then we realized how dangerous it was because of the leaking battery chemicals.
25 years ago I went to the US as a boarding student. thought i'd spend some time travelling to the east coast before heading home again. ended up walking on the freeway. I was 17 years old. we had no idea you needed a car for basically EVERYTHING 😂😂😂
For those wondering about income tax: in Germany, you pay 45% (their highest) for yearly income that exceeds 277.826 euro. In Belgium, our highest rate (50%) is for income above 49.840 euro (not a typo).
But you pay all bundled federal income taxes , not state, city , You will pay more VAT taxes in Europe. Property taxes are cheap compared to the USA. Public transport is cheaper, energy costs are much higher. Healthcare costs will never ruin you in Europe.
Great perspective. American here, lived in the Netherlands for the last 4 years. Came back to the US due to lack of housing, high cost of living, and the fact I didn't learn the language well enough to compete in my chosen field of IT support. As a widower and solo parent, I found it easier to live in NL than the US, despite the challenges. And I miss things about NL which I think are somewhat universal in Europe, including Germany (low healthcare costs, low violent crime--especially low gun crime, and high availability and low cost of public transport). I have been wondering if my experience would have been easier or better if I had chosen Germany. Did you ever consider NL or other European countries? Why Germany?
Thanks for sharing (and watching). I forget if I mentioned in this video, but I didn't pick Germany. Germany, in a way, picked me. We were generally open to most anywhere in Europe, although we had a slight preference for Switzerland (we knew this was highly unlikely) or Spain (because we lived in Costa Rica and felt comfortable in Spanish). But Germany is where I first got a job offer/visa and then it was just a matter of sticking around long enough to get citizenship. Had one of us gotten an offer from the Netherlands (or maybe if I knew about DAFT at the time), I'm sure we would've gone there as well.
Just found out this channel, I'm wondering how the subscribers number is not tenfold. You seem like a nice, curious and educated pal with interesting povs. Hugs from Italy!
In my early 20s (that was 20 years ago) i was in the US for 4 month because my former company send me there for part of my training. And while i recognize the US have absolute amazing beautiful landscapes the general life feels odd. Many people doing there own shit and doesn´t cared much of others outside of there own bubble and always chasing for money and more recognition. That was my impressions of work life and daily life in the US. Germany and europe maybe not perfect and the far right also rise up here but overall i think more people in europe feel more responsibility for there socities, the people around them and the "european way of life" and prefer to live a more "basic" life.
I usually mention in these videos that I've been dreaming of moving to Europe since I was in college. The second part is that I imagined that I'd prefer just visiting the US for the national parks. But then going back to Europe. And since you mention the rising far right... I talk about that in my video I just published, demystifying some of romanticism around living in Europe, from a U.S. perspective. Thanks for watching and writing!
I also am an American living in Germany. I own two little houses on the Rhein valley surrounded by castles. I like it here but fall and winters can get depressing.
The events happening because of our current regime does cause me grief and sadness. I worry that we Americans are looked down on whereas we were once the 'good guys'.
@MichaelPuga-u6o nobody with a brain ever looked at you like the good guys despite the amount of propaganda you are exporting You are just mad the classic American way has hit yourself now instead of some impoverished people in SEA or Latin America
As a European, from Spain, I always have considered Canada like one like us. But like the most civilizated of us! You have a great social sistem wich follow to garantee the basics to reach a life with dignity and oportunities to study and work and reach in your social position due to effort, not to contacts or family. At the end, that's what European countries should have in common, and you are an example for that. What its a pitty and a shameless is that U.S.A. , a country that it's set like THE example for the world, does no share these goals. Maybe It is for that reason that we get so mad with americans, as the way they are taking inspire in our contries to the worst people to steal our rights and freedom.
I live in Croatia and 4 years ago ive broken clavicle, had to get a plate and 6 screws, i was examined in 1 day and within a 1 week had operation. My only problem was bothering my friend to pick me up from hospital. I saw no papers at all and no one said anything to me, they just fixed me and told me to get back in few weeks to make sure im fixed corectly (i even skiped 3rd apointment because i found no need to waste time, not because i had to pay or something).
I am a retired American who lived and worked in Germany in the 1990s. I was not in a big city like you are and needed a car in Germany and all of my neighbors and coworkers had cars. In over 70 years of life I have never encountered gun violence in the US or Germany, but have never lived in a big city in either country . Health care has always been provided by employers and we have never had any large bills, maybe that is just luck . I agree with you about the natural beauty of Europe. In about an hours drive I could be either at Bodensee, hiking or skiing in the alps Switzerland, Austria or Garmish. I loved my time in Germany, and we frequently travel to Europe.
German here, living in a village west of Koblenz. I have 3 damned cars starting in front of the house, one for me, one for my wife, and one for my daughter. Not because I like, but because these are needed to get to different work places, doctors, or buy the groceries. The next store is 6 km away, depending on what is needed it's 11 km or 30 km. Delivery is not an available option except for bread or pizza. Public transport (bus) is available, but only every other hour and depending where one needs to go, it's an odyssey. But still, I would never ever consider moving to the US. I lived for 10 years in the Philippines, and I work internationally. Russia, US and North Korea are no go areas ....
You lived during a very good era and perhaps the golden era of western civilization (we'll see). It also seems like you had a good job, perhaps one that doesn't exist today. I've always lived in big cities in the US and now in Europe. There's always more conflict in the big cities. Multi-cultural, multiple different values competing against one another. It's often aggressive and sometimes violent.
I want to focus on a particular statmement in your comment "maybe it was just luck". Maybe you're willing to hear my thoughts on it, from a European perspective: I do not think it is luck. I'm sure you have worked hard and seized the chances that life offered you. More likely than not, you were also born into circumstances where more chances presented themselves than others might have. But that's just guessing. What's not guessing, is that in a capitalist system that we live in, not everyone can make it where you have. Almost by definition there will be losers. It is a fact of the system. And if you realize that those wins and losses compound over time, because the advantage can be leveraged for more and bigger opportunities leading to more advantage. In many European countries we believe that it is the responsibility of the government to counteract this process, by helping those that need it most, instead of giving to those who have the most. In Europe things like free education, public Healthcare and public transport and public safety by gun restrictions applies to all and benefits all. But it makes the biggest difference for those who otherwise couldn't afford it. In the US, tax deductions, low gas prices but no public transport, private education, availability to guns, employer funded Healthcare benefits those who don't need additional protection and actively punishes and excludes those who do need it. And their children. And their children's children. Instead of working against the compound effects of inequality, the US policy often encourages it even further. And a culture that generally attributes struggle with lazyness and personal shortcomings. I am genuinely happy for you, that you did not have to face this in your life. And there are still many people in the US who still share your experience. But I think people ought to ask themselves what's more important: Having an extra 120 million instead of 100 million, because corporate and top income taxes are low. Or having health and unemployment insurance if I loose my job, vs not having this and maybe ending up on the street. And then ask yourself: For most Americans, which Szenario is more likely?
@khazaddum6570 luck is always a factor, a friend from school was a nuclear engineer with a great job and died in a car accident in his early 30s. There has always been inequality and always will be. The American ethos of work hard tomeans people will achieve different results. Of course a big problem in the USA is greed at the top I agree the American health care system is not good, but in reality over 90% have health insurance. I don't know the facts for all of Europe but in Canada with socialized health care 20% of the population cannot get a doctor and their waits are longer for care. I saw a video recently where there are very long waits for treatment in Austria. There have always been challenges for every generation. My specialty was electronics and the technology and skills needed changed dramatically from when I started in the 70s to when I retired 10 years ago. AI will require many people to learn new skill sets but most will adapt and succeed, just like when computers eliminated jobs in the late 80s. There weren't fewer jobs, they were just different. What saddens me is how many young people are losing hope. I don't know if it is caused by social media where they see influencers displaying unaffordable lifestyles or if they have been raised with different expectations. The biggest challenge for Americans is the government debt. It is like paying for a meal someone else already ate. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and best wishes.
"Health care has always been provided by employers", that's it. That's the US big problem !! Small business people, shop owners, craftspeople etc simply cannot "provide" health care for their employees (sorry that's French feminine but not in English). Health care MUST BE NATIONAL. Lose your job lose your health care - makes NO sense. Why is it any of your employer's business where/who provides your personal health care?? You want to broach the subject of "pre-existing conditions"?? Only in the USA because THERE what is called 'health care' is, in fact, a for profit business.
What? That's insane! Here in the netherlands my transport costs are about 1% of my after tax income. I know I do it cheaply (mostly I travel by bike), so I could imagine it being 5% on average, with outliers of 10%, but 25% is insane.
I couldn't believe that $12k/£9k figure. Including the cost of my truck over it's life so far, I reckon that with that cost, taxes, insurance, maintenance and fuel I spend £3.5 to £4k each year. When I was working and doing 30,000 miles a year, it was far less because I had a company car.
Germany, we even do not hhave to think about that. You get Your paycheck (payroll?) and everything You have to pay like groceries: The price You see there is the price You pay. No extra fees or taxes at the cashier. It is called the Preisauszeichnungsgesetz (inklusive Mehrwertsteuer.)
The cost of car ownership in the USA is nuts. After a few years not driving for various reasons, I bought a car and at this point the projected total costs for a year of owning it will be less than mentioned 11k $, including the PRICE of the car. And it is not an old or low quality car - on the opposite, it's a great fit for my needs, I am the second owner and the first one barely drove it.
@steveunwin830I do not considered myself a person who got the absolute best deal either. Just bought a car at a used car dealership, did all the formalities, paid all the fees and insurance, did little repairs and use the car an avarage amount. But either way, what you wrote is insignificant. When costs of both buying and owning an average car is less than average cost of just owning the car for the same period, the difference is striking. Especially as the petrol(gas) prices in Europe are higher.
5:00 And keep in mind that count any train arriving within six minutes of its scheduled arrival time as being on time and then a train gets cancelled altogether it also doesn't count towards the statistic...
Thank you for sharing your life experience. Millions of people around the world also feel the need to seek a better life. The vast majority are fleeing the violence of wars; many others are looking for better employment, or simply to have a healthy life and not die from a curable disease. Migration has existed since the dawn of humanity. I hope you are very happy in Europe, and I would also like to see those who decided to come to your country seeking a better life treated as human beings and not as animals. From my country, Spain, I watch with concern as your president and his paramilitary police force, ICE, use extreme violence against people, women, and children who only want to live peacefully and better lives. This reactionary and xenophobic wave that we are seeing in the US is also emerging in ultraconservative political parties in Germany, Italy, France, and also in my country, Spain. I wish you all the best.
Thank you for writing and sharing your perspective! I, too, hope everyone seeking a better life can find their home and live with dignity. Regarding your comment abiut the rising far right outside of the U.S… I’m going to talk about this in my next video, uploading tomorrow, that demystifies some ideas Americans have about living in Europe.
@BaurJoe Agh the winters are only temporary my friend, a necessary evil we must endure before the nice time of year. The days are already starting to feel longer now, not too much longer before spring :)
Yeah, Bike, public transport, health, safety. Have always lived in Berlin, but stem from the UK. Been to States three times, Philly outskirts and Chicago. The public transport wasn't bad there, still a bit of a joke compared to most places in Europe, even most of the small towns in Spain I've been to(great bus and train system). I once worked in Köln for a while. Public transport enabled me to travel back to Berlin, door to door in three hours. Pubs,55-minute flight,pubs. One rather upsetting thing about Chicago for me were the homeless folks. We're not exactly handling it brilliantly in Berlin either, but those poor people on most street corners I met belonged in hospital and needed psychological care as well. The homeless folks I meet in Berlin seem to be miles better off. I hope we follow Finland in this regard. Some of the problems are likely to do with the size of States, its (teeny tiny) history of being a frontier country until just 130 years ago and the systemic corruption. I'm wondering what kept that gun culture alive in the US. The Swiss have looooads of weaponry in their citizens posession, but their gun culture is completely different. Still, love the people, but don't think much of the system. Congrats on the citizenship. You can live and work in all of the EU now :) .
I am English /Irish i have lived in the Netherlands. Far form perfect, taxes way to high and very bureaucratic . And the language yipps thank God they all speak great English But I could not imagine going back to London . Love to visit 3 days max . And miss the hills and mountains. But some how this is home .
As an EU resident, these observations are very interesting. EU residents don't see certain problems, and only someone from abroad can point out the pros and cons of living in Europe. Watching TV programs about the USA, I'm amazed at how many restrictions there are in a "free country" where I can't change a wall in my own home or paint my windows the color I like. There are many such strange restrictions in the US, and each state has different regulations.
Thanks for watching and commenting! I think it's always helpful to have an outsider's perspective. The same goes for me, listening to immigrants to the US.
I can change my walls, paint my house, replace plumbing, landscape as I please. I live on three acres in the country and have wildlife roaming freely. Spent ten years in Europe and the only people in Europe that can do what I do are the rich blue bloods. Lived in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Kaiserslautern.
Well, in germany You cannot do everything. There are regulations too for good reasons. Taking out a wall might crash the whole building. (Statik.) Just as You cannot always paint a window in a colour You want. Special not from the outside, where everybody can see it. Inside You can colour everything like You want, if it is Yours and not when You are a tenant.
I moved to Switzerland in 1977. Great video - 100% 1:1 with my life here in Switzerland. We do have a car - an EV. But being an EV in a country with a great infrastructure for EVs, it fits in to my life style very well. As an extension of the other forms of transportation that are absolutely normal, as you explained.
I knew US trains were bad. I didn't know HOW bad they were until I tried to get a Denver-San Francisco (Oakland, actually, but I didn't expect a stop there) and back for a seminar. The first train didn't get there until the seminar was over. It's gotten slightly better, not it's only a day and a half. 2000 Km between two capitals along the transversal corridor, and it still takes more than 30 hrs. Back then (2013) it was an extra day plus.
Bulgaria here. We have mountain and sea. We have forth seasons. We have one time zone. Have pubic transportation in city's and between cities. Guns. You don t need guns. Its not perfect. Still after 30 years is still corrupt. Democracy its having hard time. But its beautiful country food is good. Every country in Europe has unique dishes and maybe alcohol. Beer must be good their. Food is good here. Also we have a lot of herbs. Tea for pretty much everything. In small towns just with walking can get everywhere. Also we have summer vacations. Its mind-blowing you Americans work non stop all year. Like you are on call. That's just insane.
I, living in the Netherlands realize now thanks your explanation how good and free living is here in Europe. And when we follow the actual news from the USA, I thank God on my knees I don't have to survive in Trumpistan!
It often takes foreigners to shed light on the realities of life in a certain place. I learn a lot about life in the U.S. from immigrants who move there. Thanks for watching!
In important factor to me when considering the degree of freedom in a society is social mobility. Social mobility of groups or individuals is defined as change in socioeconomic status relative to their parents or throughout their own lifetime. I guess the "American Dream" represents exactly this. But the fact is that the level of social mobility is much higher in fex the Scandinavian countries than in the US.
What I find most hilarious is, that you, as an "aquired german" (welcome to our country btw, nice to have you) and born citizen of the US, you say that here, in europe, you´re more free to live your life the way YOU want to live it. While I always here from "muricans" (you know the type, the red hats) shout in your face that only the US has a constitution to protect your life ti live as you want and the "freedom" in europe means so much things your are not allowed to do.
Hi @BaurJoe, great video, thanks for that - your point about linguistic and cultural diversity really struck a chord with me; I grew up in Sydney, Australia, but have lived in Edinburgh, Scotland for at least the last 20 years. A standard reaction from locals (not to mention my compatriots) is, why would you want to leave the paradisiacal, sun-drenched shores of Oz to move to dreich, drookit (dreary and wet in the local vernacular) Scotland ? - it's hard to explain briefly to them just what you've said; that you can drive for countless hours in Australia and see essentially the same landscape out the window, whereas in Scotland - and especially with the rest of Europe on your doorstep - you can get as much sunshine as you want (around the Mediterranean) - if you want - as well as so much more; so many different landscapes, languages, cultures, history - for me the most fascinating, concentrated site of interesting, compelling places on the planet. But obviously it comes down to personal preference - Europe is right for me, I don't insist others share my feelings, just that they try to understand them.
Yes! All comes down to personal preference. I try to remind that sentiment to both my fellow Americans, who wonder how someone could possibly leave the 'greatest country on Earth,' as well as Europeans who can't imagine anyone wanting to leave in such a lawless hellhole, like the US. Scotland is wonderful! I have a recent video on the channel covering the West Highland Way tied to my article with National Geographic. Feel free to check it out!
Ad an Italian this is so crazy… We grew up with the myth of USA in 80s and 90s… Many Italians dreamed about living in America… And now it happens to talk to Americans moving here in Italy saying that, despite the ridicously low salaries, the life, the food, the healthcare, the cops and control situation, the people, the culture etc etc… it’s not even comparable. 😮 So many Americans are moving in Europe… especially Nowdays where even in France, Spain, Italy, Portougal etc etc… people are speaking English.
I own a car, but for most citytrips i use my bike. I drive to work in the winter and mostly cycle to work in the summer. If i wanna go to another city i go by car or train. More options is more freedom!
As a Bavarian I would say that Berlin ain’t Germany. It is special in several ways. To be true Bavaria is special, too. 😂 German is very diverse and Europe even much much more. Nice, that you like it here.
@BaurJoe Ich bin auch gerne in Berlin, aber halt nur zwe-i oder dreimal im Jahr. ich bin kein Großstadtmensch, weshalb übrigens meine Sichtweise auf den ÖPNV eine völlig andere ist. Ich wohne 15 Kilometer außerhalb einer Großstadt und bin ohne Auto aufgeschmissen, weil der ÖVPN unterirdisch ist. RUclipsr und Influencer zeigen eigentlich immer das hippe und urbane Leben in Deutschland. Das soll keine Kritik sein, sondern nur die Anmerkung von einem "Landei" 😀
Yes, you're right, Berlin (Prussia) is not Bavaria. When I travel around Germany, I feel better in Bavaria than in the ( DDR), and the German accent in Bavaria is much more pleasant to me than in Berlin.
@BaurJoe Bavaria is beautiful...imo Austria is slightly better.. Christoph Waltz was asked in a Talk Show if it was a cliche' about the Germans having no sense of humour and being often impolite. He replied" That's not a cliche'...the Germans are like battleships, direct..we Austrians on the other hand are kind and polite" makes a pause "but we don't mean it". (I love both the Bavarian and Austrian accents)
New video! This time I'm defending Americans against European stereotypes. After all the videos critiquing the U.S., figured it was time to set some of the record straight: ruclips.net/video/_LU3uWl_D30/video.html
Swede here. I love watching this stuff because we take so much for granted and it's good to get a reminder now end then of how good some things actually are in Europe. 🙂
Totally get taking things for granted. As much as I prefer life here, there’s still plenty I like abiut the U.S. that I took for granted. It’s cliche, but you never know what you miss until you don’t have it. But this is why I always value foreign impressions, whether it’s me to Europe or immigrants to the US-or anywhere in the world. New people are often able to see things others can’t because they’ve been looking at it their entire lives.
P.S. Love Sweden! Took the night train up to Sápmi a few years ago and wrote about the cuisine up there. Would love to go back.
Thanks for watching and commenting! Hope you’ll stick around.
“Get a reindeer” in Sweden?
Oh, misread that so badly. 😊
Lol.
Yeah same. I love bitching about the NMBS/SNCB, but then you hear these Americans talk about their trains and it's an eye opener. We truly hit the jackpot at birth
Hørt hørt!! ❤ 🇩🇰
I could not agree more with you on this as a Norwegian. I have become so much for grateful for the life I am living here.
The new American dream: living in Europe.
Certainly worked out for me! 🥸
I moved from phoenix to nice 5 years ago, never going back to the US even to visit.
You nailed it!
Congrats on the move!
I have a few friends living in the US. If you have lots of money it's very comfortable, if you earn below average it's a nightmare. The difference is the lack of safety nets. A bad decision or an accident can ruin you.
"In america people have dreams, in europe people have lifes."
“Lives” is plural.
In the USA my dream came true after being denied in my European country because of misogyny and an active class system.
@Erasmuslovesallah yeah because there is no class systhem in america lmao 😂😂😂😂
@ErasmuslovesallTell me that you're a liar without telling me that you're a liar.
Nope. In europe people are slaves, in america they are free. goodnight europe.
Irish friend of mine was going to marry his American girlfriend who he met while working in Scotland. He went over to the US to spend a month with her family. Not sure what State. He came back, with the wedding off and the relationship over. The problem? He said he just couldn't live there. I asked why. He replied "because it was a cultural desert".
Sorry for your Irish friend. But I'd push back against it being a cultural desert. If it was what I call an Applebees suburb... sure, maybe. But the whole country? American music and films are enjoyed all over the world. And there are a number of cities I'd happily live in, full of culture. It's the overarching infrastructure issue and lack of social safety net that I can't get behind.
@BaurJoe "American music and films are enjoyed all over the world." Sorry, but it's like bobble gum, it looses its taste in minutest and that's not culture.
Culture is part of the society or not and mostly it's not in the USA. Like when a state wanna knock down a 150 year old with distinctly architectural features for a gray block of a data center. Or when your city planing is knocking down everything to build a new mall or whatever.
Europeans debate for days on end if somebody restores a painting wrong.
USA don't have the considerations needed to qualify as culture. There's no more attention span than what you find with a 5 year old.
@KurtFrederiksen To call all of American culture "bubble gum" when there are films, like Sinners and One Battle After Another just this year on top of a century's worth of cinema and music, tells me you're not likely to adopt anything less than an absolutist view. So, thanks for watching and have a great day!
@BaurJoeAmerican culture is great. The thing is. These movies and music are also available outside of the US.
So it's more the lokal unique sozial features that Irish man must have been looking for. And what he was disappointed with.
American music is actually very bad compared to Europe. And good music is often much like food, a part of local culture related to your city in particular. A lot of American movies are also meaningless and without culture, but the good ones are indeed enjoyed all over the world. You need a big OLED TV to watch them, not to live in Hollywood directly. If anything the predominant advertisements everywhere makes watching American movies in America less enjoyable than in the rest of the world. And don’t forget the rest of the TV programming. Do you want to see infotainment alla FoxNews or documentaries on Arte? A proper public-funded TV program is the glue of society, not this Marvel Cinematic Universe bullshit. If it wasn’t for Comedy Central the U.S. would’ve no trustworthy evening news.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Joe Baur, zur Deutschen Staatsbürgerschaft.👏👍
Willkommen in unserer Bundesrepublik, in der natürlich nicht alles perfekt ist, und der Wahnsinn manchmal nur eine Landtagswahl entfernt scheint.
Danke für die Einblicke und Ansichten, die Du als gebürtiger US Amerikaner gibst, .
Danke! Ich freue mich, hier zu sein.
I think that we just proved to the world that your statement about madness being just one election away is a terrifyingly real thing...
@nairbvelIt always is, everywhere.
Polish here. You pointed out exactly the same reasons why I would never move permanently to USA. My bike, public transport, health care and safety is enough for me to feel comfortable. And since I experienced communism the culture of buying and consuming as much as possible is an alien concept for me.
Ah, yes. The consumerism is something I didn’t touch on in this. Good point!
As for me, I would miss freedom of Central Europe in the US the most. Everywhere there are fences, barbed wires, country is privatized and impossible to walk (with some exceptions). I have never understood why they call it Land of free, when it is in fact one of the most unfree countries (just behind North Korea and strictly Muslim countries).
Most non- US immigrants have a high sense of pride towards their country of origin, no matter the harsh living conditions. Americans, however, will always be Americans, no matter their new foreign immigrant status. At some point, let go of America...
There was no communism in Poland. There was some problems thanks to the western sanctions and manipulations then the looting after USSR fail.
@dv8ugabsolutely! Very well defined!
German here. I love to hear how Americans see the way we live. It´s often kind of eye opening for me. Thank you for the great content !
Notice how Germans, many who have moved away and complained about German beuracracy and immigration affairs, always speaking pridely about Germany in public. Americans will always be the same, no matter their new foreign immigration status...
Thanks for watching! Hope you’ll stick around 😊
If you watched, then you saw where I said I’m making another video to demystify living here. I have plenty of positive things to say about the U.S. Just because I wasn’t positive about it in the one piece of content you’ve seen of mine out of thousands of posts, videos, etc doesn’t mean I don’t speak proudly about where I’m from.
@BaurJoeGood stuff, but it also doesn't negate the original premise of this video and your cohorts who have ruined it for others such as you, who may take a more balanced approach. Reference: Southern Germany since 2022.
I still use Laura Romoso's My German Mother as a good gauge
I left the USA 35 years ago, and every day feel grateful for having dared to leave. I love the diversity and solidarity, that the quality of life is not measured in money-collecting and consuming, but rather more through experiences and enjoyment of relationships. And as a keen bicyclist, the move from the car traffic grid of Southern California to primarily using a bike, and walking, to get around is absolute heaven and has been great health-wise as well.
Congrats! Glad it worked out for you. What country did you end up in?
I lived in Spain for 2 years and not once was I asked what I did for a living. In the US that was the first question. In Europe I feel that they value who you are not what you do.
Hallo Joe, we germans need people like you telling us how good life in germany is. We germans love to complain, see all the bad things ( like Deutsche Bahn punctuality ;-) ) and often forget the good sides of germany. I am german living also abroad ( but not really far - Switzerland ) and one point is very important for me. The culture difference of all these countries. I can drive 1 hour north i am in germany, 1-2 hours south i am in Italy - 2 hours west i am in france and an hour to the east and i get the austrian experience. But one more thing: even as a car guy ( and i am one ) - europe is perfect - fun roads to drive in the alps - autobahn ;-) - and many more. What we europes have to learn is the confidence of americans to praise the country where they live. We europeans should not be afraid to say: "We are the heart of the free western world and are proud of our society, country and democracy!". Ich weiss ich hätte das auch in deutsch schreiben können - mit weniger fehlern - aber ich schreibe gerne in englisch ;-)
Danke fürs Zuschauen und den Kommentar! Die Schweiz ist einfach wunderbar und wir würden gerne dorthin umziehen, wenn wir könnten. Sie passt zu unserem Lebensstil sehr gut. Du bist glücklich!
@BaurJoe am Besten in der Schweiz arbeiten und in Deutschland leben. Ist alles viel teurer dort zum Leben... gibt aber auch mehr Gehalt ;)
Ich bin dabei!
The Dutch are the same, but also the complaining is what got us all this good things😘🤷🏽♂️
Edit: Criticism leads to improvement
USA believes they are the best, when you believe you are the best, there is less need for improvement
German here. Your observations are spot on. I would never ever consider living in the US. Why would I? Been there many times for business, conferences, and even short vacations. Every time I came home from there, I was more convinced that living there would never be an option for me.
And that's great! There seems to be a lot of heat on social media over where people live and who lives in the "best" place. The "best" is going to be super subjective. For some, the US is the best. For others, it's not. And it's great when people are able to live where they want to live.
I had a similar experience.
I was also often in the USA for business, combined with short vacations, and was always ultimately happy to return home😉
"I would never ever consider living in the US. Why would I?:" How about freedom? How about a higher standard of living? I'm always amazed at Europeans who come to US and only visit New York or LA or just a few big cities. There is a huge country out there for people to see. Are there a few lousy places. Yes, but just avoid them!
@Jo-li5pf What places did you visit.
@juscurious-x2c "Freedom?"... Did you watch video? Nobody mentioned LA or NY.
US is a great place to send your kids to school to get sh*t. Hard pass.
Greetings from little Luxembourg. A bus every hour, everywhere. And it's free. So if you have no income, you can still get around. So amazing. I suppose you already have enjoyed that.
Yes! I learned that during my first visit about 8 years ago. Had such a great time hiking in Mullerthal in the morning/afternoon and then listening to music at Café des Artistes at night.
Free travel here in Scotland ,as well as free University etc etc
Good for you, but let‘s be honest: Luxemburg is also a tax evasion haven as far as this is possible within the EU.
@s7umpfindeed. Still there are cities (not countries) around europe implementing free transport. So there must be more that just having transport financed by foreign taxes.
@BaurJoe You were very lucky, because free public transport had just been introduced at that time. If you have a Deutschlandticket, you can ride through Germany, a bit into neighbouring countries like to Arnhem, Venlo and Vaals, Salzburg (Österreich/Austria) and Luxembourg.
Belgian here and I'm glad you compared real numbers of trains available in Bonn and a comparable US city. We so often complain that trains are late or cancelled that we forget how lucky we are to have easy acces to them.
Thanks! I also find it to be a double-edged sword. Yes, we’re lucky to have these trains. But it’s also fair to complain when they’re as unreliable as Deutsche Bahn often is. Just because my hometown has awful train service doesn’t mean that has to be the barometer for *all* train riders. It’s just a good barometer for me to remember how lucky I am.
Thanks for watching!
German here. I thank you for your view of Europe. Sometimes we forget how good we have it. I wanted to move there because I have family in the United States. When I told them how we live here, that we have health insurance, that we have 24 vacation days a year, etc., the question was whether I am a communist, because I said that I think all this is good. I told them that this is normal here. They dismissed this as communism and said that they do not want to live so unfree. I decided to stay in Europe.
I think you made the right call! 😂 thanks for watching!
Never forget - the US protected Germany for decades so we dont have to think about real military defending. We could save millions of money and built our social welfare state. I am really thankful for this US covering. 🇺🇲🇩🇪
What he is outlining are the differences between a highly commercialised lifestyle and one more socially invested.
The US is more of a business than a country, geared for the benefit of the bosses.
@SweetLotusDreams It doesn't need me to point out, that was not the intention of the founders. However, if everyone in the US wrote to their Congressman regularly, that would be better than nothing.
@ThomasArmstrong-i1w Americans can write? Who knew. Yet they returned dear leader TWICE,,,j
@james6901 you know white Americans consistently score higher then every European country on the international PISA science/math tests right ?
European here. I've never had a car. When I was younger I had a motorcycle... but not out of necessity, but because it was cool. And it is quite nifty to have a driver's license just in case.
I live in a city of about 40k inhabitants at the moment. And for me, freedom is that within a kilometer of my apartment there are at least 3 moderately large grocery stores, a pharmacy, a gym, hairdressers, trails for running, a nice swimming spot in nature, and a swimming pool. And within 2km there is a bus station, a train station, the city's largest grocery stores, a cinema and so on. This is freedom to me.
Sounds like you're winning freedom!
Crazy how you european are bragging with the fact that you're too poor to afford a car.
I hope there is a McDonalds and Starbucks 😂😂😂
@raymonddixon7603 Neither. There is a local burger place though. Here, people eat more pizza, kebabs, and Asian food than hamburgers.
I'm in the UK. I'm 50. I've never had a car either. I never bothered with a license. I've always been able to get wherever I want to go on a bus, train, or tram far cheaper than maintaining and running a car. I used to ride a bike everywhere until I got rheumatoid arthritis. If all else fails, I can always walk, even if I walk with crutches.
UK speaking - I think when you have freedom you tend to take it for granted . I certainly don’t feel the need to tell everyone how free I am .
When you might be put in jail for posting unpopular opinions online, you are not living in a free country.
Definitely!
@juscurious-x2cThat happens anywhere now. So?
@jabezhaneNot in Belgium…
@Paul-i5c5n You can go so far...then once you cross that line, they will come for you. Applies to every country.
When I see videos about pedestrian zones than I see freedom from cars .. means the beauty of these places is to see no cars plus no big parking spots.
Hi! Exactly.
Yup! Pedestrianized zones-keeping people safe from cars-adds to my feeling of physical freedom and safety.
👏👏👏
@arnodobler1096 Hi Arno 🙂
I remember seeing an article about the 10 years of the new Mans tram lines. They did picture of before/after, including the line parts that are still "mostly" dedicaced to cars. Even there, the tram line has pushed cars away. Ovbiously the tram line buildign was the occasion to also redo the streets, but it was also the occasion to redo the whole city concept.
I remember than people protested about the tram because "the bus already exists and it's inefficient"
It was inefficient because the bus network was designed to not inconvenience car traffic.
Today it's designed so that car traffic doesn't inconvenience the bus lines.
And the pictures are telling. cars and dark macadam everywhere. Car-free zones give freedom to pedestrians, but if redesigned well, it also give more freedom to cars since the traffic was redesigned, and less cars mean that the remaining cars have less other cars to inconvenience them. It's not perfect... but leagues better than what it used to be.
Ich glaube Du hast vergessen zu erwähnen, dass die Qualität der Lebensmittel in Deutschland / Europa viel höher ist als das Chemiezeug / Fastfood in Amerika.
I think it is also a lifestyle choice. You can get fast food like McDonald's, KFC etc in Europe, but many people don't eat it as standard, more as a 'treat', if at all. It must be decades since I ate a McDonald's.
@archaeobard1 And still it must hold up to the standards in Europe. Does not mean that eating in an EU McDo is the same as an US McDo, far from that. Like the chicken that can't be bleached.
@READYdot yes. I know in the UK, McDonald's uses British and Irish beef. I'd still not eat it though. The smell that wafts from the 'restaurant' in town when I walk by is like a vat of boiling 'vegetable' oil. Nasty.
@archaeobard1 Honestly, people who exclusively eat junk food and only drink soda weird me out and are typically bottom barrel IQ as well. No wonder so many Americans need mobility scooters, or I guess similarly obese cars that can fit them.
I'm an Irish and British dual national who's tried to find that elusive concept of the 'American Dream' for the past 23 years only to find that it is truly a crock of shite. My American wife has lived and worked in Europe (and other countries farther afield) and would be back there tomorrow if she could do that right now. This year we are leaving the USA and moving to a European country. Joe Baur watching your excellent breakdown on your outlook and experience of living in Germany encourages me and eases the inevitable trepidation that I am going through.
Glad I could help, even in a small way! Hope you'll stick around the channel. Cheers!
Cultural diversity in every country is Europe’s greatest richness. Let’s try to preserve it.
The powers that be seem determined to turn Europe into a mirror of Los Angeles.
It’s terrifying, to put it mildly.
Dane here. I have the option to bike, to take my motorcycle, to grab a bus, take a car, a metro, a lightrail train, or walk. I usually walk. Why? Because even on foot I'm actually treated as a 1st class citizen and infrastructure is built to accommodate the means of transportation that are intuitive for those who live both in rural and urban areas. I love riding my motorcycle, but I'm never forced to do so. I enjoy walking to the city center, but I'm not forced to do it. I can take the swift metro to where I wanna go, but I'm not forced to.
I am allowed the freedom to choose at any given moment and not let artificial constraints dictate how I live my life. I'm not rushed by society in making important life decisions, I don't enter adulthood in life-constricting debt, I don't pick jobs based on who offers the most reliable health insurance plan.. I'm actually allowed to live to be the person I am proud of being, rather than survive to become a person society forces me to be.
That's a kind of freedom I can't see myself finding in the US (I have family and friends there, been there many times). In the US you're allowed freedoms, but only those that the government has deemed acceptable freedoms within the unchecked capitalist oversight that rules everything. And if you grow up in that system you may not even realize how many real freedoms you're missing out on because you were never even allowed to taste it for yourself first hand. Denmark is not perfect, no country is. I can look at certain things other countries do better, and I'm comfortable with that because I know my nation isn't going to antagonize me for pointing such cases out. It's what I love the most about my country, that we genuinely seek to improve and observe others who figure things out that we may struggle with, rather than "pretending to be the best nation on the planet who can not gain insight from anyone else cus we're the best". Here we're allowed the freedom of objectively assessing our own country's good and bad sides and learn from others when possible.
I agree, this is so off-putting in the American exceptionalist framework. Even if they see the need for improvement it's always "Let's find the greatness that we already had but didn't get to live, because the other party didn't let us" instead of actually accepting a genuine need for improvement. Which would include an acceptance of not having been perfect and probably also never going to be perfect
I'm surprised you didnt put a bigger emphasis on the fact that most European countries have laws that enable your freedom to roam, forests etc. Even privately owned forests. Just go there, pick berries/mushrooms if you want. No charge, no fences and especially no crazy guys with guns shouting "get off my land".
Being able to freely enjoy nature, that is freedom to me
In my European country you get fined if you harvest anything from the forests under the theory that you take food away from the animals.
@Erasmuslovesallthats still better than being chased off or shot by a guy with a gun if you accidentially entered a private property forest patch tbh
@Jays-Dream. You cannot possibly believe that there is a gunman standing behind every tree ready to blow you away when you accidentally trespass? I also get the feeling that you do not know how truly huge of a country the USA is, with millions of hectares of wilderness to roam around in. You can spend a lifetime trekking and wandering the many gorgeous national parks and never run out of places to go.
@Erasmuslovesall You might not get shot at, but they might give you a warning shot in the air, but you never know. I lived in the south and what he said is true, but depends on the area you go hiking at. The Apalachian mountains can be safe but there are places where there are crazy drugged rednecks, ready to blow you apart or fight you if you get into their property by mistake. You have to tread carefully in most of america, but specifically the south. I love the south, but this is one thing I don't have to worry about in Europe.
@Erasmuslovesall I'm aware. I lived in Canada for a while so I can roughly relate to the size of the US. However, the chance of being shot - wether it be because of tresspassing or not - in the US is significantly higher than in my home country. US homicide rate of 4.1 per 100k people ts quite a bit higher than my home countrys rate of 0.8. So even without the tresspassing/right to roam I wouldnt want to set foot on any property/land i wasnt fully sure was open to the public.
I'm from Latvia. When my USA colleagues ask why I do not want to move to USA i tell them that i have 20 days of vacation. No one count how many sick day's i had. My wife has several months pre pregnancy vacation and 1.5 years after. And I have paternity leave for 2.5 month... And they do not ask for more reasons.
Believe me, I get it! Granted I'm independent these days. But when I had a corporate gig, I couldn't imagine sacrificing all my holiday to go back to working more hours in the U.S.
I'm from Croatia. I have 30 days of vacation.
Why do you only have 20 days holiday? Most european countries are 25
@RogerIsationHere in Romania there are 30 paid vacation days a year.
Germans have 20 vacation days by law, but most employers will grant you 30.
I live in Munich, travel by train in to the Alps in ca 50 mins. Where I then spend the day mountain biking. I love not needing a car. I rather spend the money on hobbies.
Life is too short not to have a car.
When in Belgium, a train is late for the statistics if it is 5 minutes late. So when they say that 60% are late, it is not that bad actually.
In Germany a train is late after 6 minutes and here in Switzerland a train is late after 3 minutes😂 (94.1% on time last year)
I left America 39 years ago and never looked back for a moment. All the reasons above. I don’t own a car. I live part time in Prague. Incredible public transport. My home is in Edinburgh Scotland. Breathtaking, still. I flew from there to Prague last week for €19. A weekend in Italy? No problem. New years in Seville? I was there. THIS is freedom. Oh, and no guns…
You have managed to pick two of the most breathtaking cities of Europe! Congratulations!
Prague and Edinburgh!? You win!
In the UK, I can jump on a bus that runs hourly for £3 and 50 mins later be in a tiny village in the middle of a national park, go on a public trail hike and see evidence of ancient copper mining in the hills from over 1000 years ago. Then I can wander back to the village, enjoy a great meal made with local produce and jump on the bus back home as late as 10pm.
I need to do this next time I'm in the UK!
I am 54 living in Germany my whole life… And I never bother to even get a driving license. 😂
Sounds like you're living the dream!
What a great video. From here in the Netherlands, I really appreciate that you don't sugarcoat things. I sometimes see videos from American people, living of course in Amsterdam, ans in their video it seems like every rural village has public transportation 10 times an hour and that violence and crime don't exist. Your video at least gives a more realistic picture. Well done.
Thank you! Like I mentioned in the video, I plan on making another that kind of demystifies “Europe” for Americans. Stay tuned!
Yeah, better is not the same as perfect.
American, here... My family lived just outside Brussels for a couple of years in the late 1980s, and then Mom & Dad wound up in Den Haag for a couple of years in the mid-1990s. We used to joke, "Hey, lunch in Paris?" and then sometimes did exactly that. Somewhat ironically, we traveled a lot by car -- but that was due in large part to simply planning our family trips the way we always had. While in Belgium, I traveled frequently & extensively on my own or with friends using nothing but trains, an occasional bus, an even more occasional taxi (have I got stories about those taxi rides...!) and then happily doing some walking. Later, visiting my folks in Den Haag, I stayed much closer to the city (but still managed to get to several other places in the Netherlands as well as Belgium & Luxembourg) and once again, it was public transportation that made everything relatively simple and definitely affordable. The entire lifestyle was different, the work/life balance was (usually) better, the medical care was first-rate but astonishingly affordable even for non-citizens, the food was absolutely amazing... Yeah, there were some less than wonderful things, but the positives *far* outnumbered the negatives and *far* outweighed them as well. I'm honestly looking at the possibilities for long-term return to the EU...
If a whole family wants to visit Paris from Den Haag, going by car is a lot cheaper than trains. It's different for a single person.
Maybe you should hurry, because if Trump and his MAGA outlaws forbid the 2026 primary elections and grab “everlasting” power, you can bet your house that Europe will refuse Americans emigrants into Europe. Visa will return in both directions and Americans will no longer be welcome ( as you already start seeing in Southern Europe and with the US boycott actions all over Europe )
And I think the USA will see a lot more of that coming with the FIFA WC 2026 and 2028 Olympics. Already tens of thousands of European fans have cancelled their WC trip and now the countries are discussing withdrawal from the WC… We”ll see how that ends, but we have a saying “ Loontje komt om zijn boontje” which translates as “ When you treat people bad, you will get what you deserve”
From Ireland, ...I once heard (& btw, from a veteran Californian American!) that the problem with his 'country' was 2 fold.
1. its not really a country...more a hodge-podge of disparate & increasingly divided States spread across a continent...
and 2...that, unlike Europe or other continents, America has no 'boundaries' "It's a seamless space," he told me.
Boundaries (borders) in Europe means one must constantly adjust one's attitude, one's thinking, one must accommodate for others, their languages, religions, cultural habits etc etc ...going from Portugal to Spain to France to Switzerland to Greece to Germany to Denmark...
A European 'gets-it,' that its best to work together...at-times painfully slow, but its the best way. By contrast, America it would appear is at the teenage stage of societal development ( though with Maga thinking, perhaps only at the toddler stage!) and sorry to say, but a long long way behind where Europe is at
Brit here, you're right. Personally I think there is no such country called the US, just a giant, exploitative business.
@explanitorium6462 true.
We’re slow learners though. We spent a millennium trying to kill each other first.
I left Germany 20 years ago and moved to Sweden. It's funny because I feel that I have more freedom here than I had in Germany.
You're right. Germany is far from the best place to life in europe
Sweden and Germany are 3rd world
@drunkensailor112 Yes, quite possible, but every country in Europe has its pros and cons.
@drunkensailor112 every country has its advantages and disadvantages. I moved to Sweden mostly because of the access to nature. And there are not so many people around here. I need my space. In Germany, there is literally no free spot anywhere. People all over the place. Here in Sweden, I have no neighbours, I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. That's freedom for me. When it comes to health care and social security, services, public transport, crime rates, etc, both countries are more or less comparable. But I would actually consider Germany to be the better place in most of these aspects.
Regarding jobs, career and income, especially for higher educated people (I'm an engineer), there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that staying in Germany would have been better for me. But I have other priorities in my life at the moment.
@mati74 Very fair assessment !
Voll eingedeutscht! Sehr gut und herzlich willkommen!
Danke danke!
Welcome to Germany. Happy to have you here!
Happy to be here!
I've visited Germany, Austria, France, the Czech Republic, and the one thing that struck me the most, especially in France was that people work to live as opposed to here in the US, where people live to work. Work/life balance in the US is a pathetic joke.
LOL, Du bist schon der zweite Amerikaner, der darauf hinweist, dass die Deutsche Bahn im Vergleich zur USA einfach traumhaft ist :)
Ich bin sicher, es gibt mehr Amerikaner, die so denken 😂
Die Deutsche Bahn ist in meinen Augen generell bedeutend besser als ihr Ruf. Die Probleme hat die deutsche Politik seit den 60er Jahren verursacht, die Lösungen kommen sehr oft von den Mitarbeitenden der Bahn. Sie sind nach meiner Erfahrung in der Mehrzahl freundlich, hilfsbereit, kompetent und halten den Betrieb am Laufen. SIE sind die Helden und das müsste viel häufiger erwähnt werden. KEINER der Mitarbeitenden steht morgens auf und sagt sich, " wo produzieren wir denn heute eine Verspätung".
I’ve traveled on DB regularly for 10 years. There are issues, sure, but I’ve never been a day late 😂 The worst was probably two hours. But it was a lifesaver last week when all flights to BER were cancelled and I could take the train from Copenhagen instead. We arrived a couple minutes early even! 😳
I spent one week in Ireland near Dublin and the entire month of July in Munich and Bavaria last summer. I bought the 58 euro ticket and travelled anywhere I wanted to by tram, U-bahn, S-bahn, regional train and bus for the whole month! (I had a 5-day leap visitor card in Ireland... about 22 bucks. And 16 euro for the train to and from Wexford.) It was wonderful. Not worrying about where to park. Can I have another beer? Oh, sure... I'm not driving home! Feeling drowsy? I'm on the train... I can lean back and take a nap. And every time I visit, I eat and drink whatever I want and usually return to the US a few pounds lighter. It's just a healthier lifestyle. Thanks for the video.
Glad you got to experience it! Ireland was my first European country, too, and changed my whole perspective on life.
Thanks for watching and hope you'll stick around the channel!
I feel the exact same after 4 years in Poland with my wife and kids.
Congrats! Poland is great, by the way. Hope to do some trail running in the south this summer!
Glad, you like it in Europe! Stay healthy!
Thank you! 🎉
Schöne Grüße aus Berlin 🫶🏻
Herzlichen Glückwunsch zur Staatsbürgerschaft 🎉
Danke, danke!
Hey - fellow Ohioan here who landed in Europe! (Th UK). Totally relate with your message. Thanks for sharing.
Feel free to yell "O-H!" if you see me around! Cheers!
@BaurJoeI-O!
The need to use car for even short distances and general lack of safety on streets and public areas are the factors why I have personally not felt very comfortable in the US during my visits. To me freedom means, I can open the door and run, walk, or using whatever way to move go to the forest, any street, any corner, any time of day without having to question whether I will stay alive or will I be allowed to keep my belongings.
This kind of freedom is not available in large parts of Europe, but here up North it still is. And this is why I have not considered moving anywhere with bigger job market, more clubs, or whatever.
Which countries do you mean? I've seen it in Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Germany (mediocre, they're too car centric), France, Spain, Austria, Slovakia, Czech republic, Portugal, UK, Wales, Scotland (last three good in big cities, mediocre in the country side).
I haven't been to any other countries yet.
@bramvanduijn8086Generally big cities aren't too great Too many people, too much hassle and dirt but that's my personal preference
@rbmk1000 You're pretty safe in most cities, but I thought we were talking about traffic safety, which I've seen in those countries I mentioned.
I'm living in Croatia and would never change my life and my country.. just like someone said here - american dream is living in Europe and I totally agree.. 50s in USA was great, even 60s and 70s but today.. ufff..
I wouldn't say the US was great in the 50s, 60, and 70s-mostly because I wasn't alive and don't know. But I do know that a lot of folks didn't have the rights they do now and we were also in the middle of a pointless war.
From an infrastructure perspective, we definitely walked a lot more and took trains. So *that* I would've loved to experience.
Sadly Croatia is one of the few European countries I've yet to visit. But I hope to remedy that soon! Looks phenomenal. Congrats!
Hey nice video :) I'm from the Netherlands and i can say that you are spot on. really see that you have been for a long time in europe because you are already talking like an european. And your maintin hiking stuff looks cool :)
What other aspects of U.S. immigrant life in Europe / traveling abroad are you interested in? Happy to make more videos that y'all are interested in! Leave a comment and let me know.
In the meantime, thanks for watching and all the comments, folks! I’m sorry if I can’t respond to everyone. But really appreciate y’all taking the time! Hope you’ll stick around and check out some other videos on the channel. Cheers!
How are you coping with everything being dubbed into German here?
I've lived in Ireland for over 20 years, visiting the cinema here is painful to me. And not just because of the German, but also because I can't pause the film and get another drink from the fridge. 😂
I get by, because streaming providers always include the original language, as do DVDs and Blu-rays.
@jochenstacker7448 I live in Berlin, so all the foreign films are offered in OV. I pretty much never have to deal with dubbing, thankfully.
The EU is trying to destroy the diversity he praises in the video. The EU is trying to equalize all EU countries and destroy their cultural differences.
@BaurJoethat is very helpful. I tried to find a cinema that would screen Spinal Tap 2 in English, but absolutely no hope. And I was looking in Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Heidelberg, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, not a chance. There's a lot of US army still here, I was hoping one lousy cinema might offer that, but not a hope.
We're watching it on Amazon next week, where you have the option of watching the original language.
Because dubbing that movie would be a crime.
@AlJay0032how so? Is anyone prevented from living their culture in any EU country?
Utter bollocks.
Good for you, always nice to see people improve their life. Auch wenns was spät ist, Willkommen und gratuliere zur Staatsbürgerschaft
Danke danke! Ich weiß es zu schätzen :)
We are happy youre with us !
Thrilled to be here!
Dane here. I got about 30% of normal vision. almost totally blind on right eye. Therefor I am unwilling to risk driving a car. I live in a small rural town (takes about 30 min from one end to the other at slow walk. Lengthwise), sadly no trains here. Nearest train station is 46 min. away with bus. BUT we got a bus going to Køge ones an hour. A bus to Næstved twice an hour. And a bus to Vordingborg twice an hour. (+ some other busses I never use, one of them going to Faxe I think. No idea how often though. Sorry) Trains from all 3 bigger towns.
So most of the time we can get around just fine without a car.
With the heavy snow getting out of town has been a bit risky these last few weeks though. Since there has been days where the busses could not get through, and being stranded a long way from home in freezing cold is not a good idea. HOWEVER we got a Netto, Meny, Rema and Lidl in walking distance + cafes, restaurants, Apothecary, doctors and everything else needed to make life nice. So unless you work outside of town you would never need a car here. No matter how much it snows.
I was very well aware of the advantages living in Europe has over living in the US. I went to the US in 1998 for just one month. I enjoyed it, but prefer life in Europe. Interesting video, though. Subscribed. Greetings from (northern) Italy.
Thanks for the comment and watching! I think I mentioned in previous videos, but I had a feeling during my university years that I might prefer living in Europe, but would want to vacation in US national parks. Ironically, that's what I'm doing in May (after taking the train through northern Italy!).
Thanks for subscribing. Glad to have you here!
I live in Australia however I totally agree that there’s no true democracy and freedom in the USA. It’s truly a weird place. It’s like in the song by Doris Day “ Che sera sera” . A daughter asks her mum “ will I be pretty,will I be rich?” and a son asks his mum “ will I be handsome,will I be rich?” There are things in life that are much more important like : being healthy,being loved ,liked and respected by others, being wise, being educated, being satisfied and happy with yourself and your life etc. Just being pretty and rich doesn’t guarantee you any of those things. But somehow being rich,pretty or famous are the most important things to them.
You are absolutely right and... Nice video ! 👍👍👍👍👍
Thank you! Hope you'll stick around the channel :)
I use to take the Deutch Bahn to work, the price for a ticket went up, up, up at an alarming rate. In the UK, the cost of travel using local transportation exceeded the cost of lodging. If you live there, however, you can get a monthly pass and save a little bit.
It's not "kind of an insurance" (at 3:29), Arbeitslosenversicherung is the official title. It's unemployment insurance. Like, it is just a government-run insurance - nothing more, nothing less. And it's mandatory, because solidarity and also because it's the only way to ensure less wealthy people actually enrol.
Hi Joe, thank you so much for this RUclips channel and speaking to the different experiences in Europe, you express it perfectly, all your points are exactly my experience. I lived in Spain for two years, I returned to the states at the end of 2024 to support my kids while they went to university, and I have been in mourning ever since. I can't wait to get back to Spain and Europe for all the points you have shared here. 🇪🇸
Thank you for the kind words! Appreciate you being here - and hope you can come back sooner rather than later!
Hey, I‘ve been living in Germany for over 40 years and really enjoy the quality of life that living here offers. I don‘t own a McMansion, that I only get to see on the weekends, I do think that Americans living in Germany, can‘t speak for all of Europe, benefit greatly from our background. We have a positive and risk-taking attitude and are not troubled by social norms we are not aware of. I also don‘t own a car, and get around mainly on my bike, but now that I am retired, I travel throughout Europe in my Campervan. Something to look forward to!
Sounds like you're nailing your retirement years!
I should add as someone living in a small village in Germany, cars tend to be a requirement for most things if stuff is done badly. Especially here in this area dominated by VW economically. Of course they want things to be based around cars. Even then the moment you enter a more populated area things get a lot easier without a car. And around my home there are a lot of bike friendly paths to take if you want to get away from the cars and enjoy the surrounding nature. I had the option to ride my bike to school, a 10km trip. I didn't use it because with just walking 3km I had a perfect bus route to school. Ended up being quicker and the walking was still healthy. But with my current work life I am really stuck with having to use my car or when the weather and road conditions are good enough my motorcycle. And unfortunately you do have to go a long distance to get what you need in most cases with just a small discounter nearby in the next village. But that is the only downside for me.
There is someone I know that relocated to Croatia, saying it eas only temporary. Well, she now purchased and is now operating a dance studio after several years living there.
I do not believe that ' temporary ' is the proper term. She found her home.
I think that's pretty common for Americans who move "temporarily" abroad. Suddenly, years have gone by and you have no plans to go back.
Women don’t count. Their home is where their kids are. They have no loyalty to the place they grew up. Men are making an informed decision to abandon their roots.
@jansix4287 What? Are you saying that men don't have kids? Do you need a biology lesson? Or are you saying that women don't love their parents? I've known a lot more women who can't let go of their mom than men. Or are you saying that women can't be informed? Do... do you think women are children?
@bramvanduijn8086 Woman are not emotionally bound to the place they grew up.
French here
It's always interesting for me to discover points I hadn't thought of.
🙏
Thank for being here! Appreciate it 🙌
As for pedestrian and bicycle zones, while there are some walkways and paths around, there is nothing like in Europe. I myself limit my bicycle riding on roadways. I do not trust cars while driving a car, let alone on a bicycle or wailking.
On the other side of the coin, with the latest craze of E-bikes, scooters, and such, I have seen plenty of 'riders' scooting along with little disregard for the law and rules of the road.
Minnesota has some great bike-only paths. And despite being an Ohioan, I only recently became aware of the Ohio to Erie Trail. But they are too few and far between. I also don’t trust drivers!
Those scooters p**s me off. There were a lot thrown in the Rhine some years ago. Many laughed, but then we realized how dangerous it was because of the leaking battery chemicals.
25 years ago I went to the US as a boarding student. thought i'd spend some time travelling to the east coast before heading home again. ended up walking on the freeway. I was 17 years old. we had no idea you needed a car for basically EVERYTHING 😂😂😂
For those wondering about income tax: in Germany, you pay 45% (their highest) for yearly income that exceeds 277.826 euro. In Belgium, our highest rate (50%) is for income above 49.840 euro (not a typo).
Austria up to 55%.
But there is also health insurance which is quite costly.
It's always the folks that just think "wow you pay 45% of your total earnings in tax?!?" that make you facepalm.
But you pay all bundled federal income taxes , not state, city ,
You will pay more VAT taxes in Europe.
Property taxes are cheap compared to the USA.
Public transport is cheaper, energy costs are much higher.
Healthcare costs will never ruin you in Europe.
@ccatterymuch more to be precise, up to 23%
Loved the end, yes they are present, over here in France as well. But we fight them everywhere we can.
Glad to hear it! 💪
Great video! I could not agree with you more about public transport versus having to own a car. The whole video resonated with me. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure! Happy to have you here :)
Watching from Spain!
Saludos, amig@! Gracias por ver el vidéo y el comentario!
Great perspective. American here, lived in the Netherlands for the last 4 years. Came back to the US due to lack of housing, high cost of living, and the fact I didn't learn the language well enough to compete in my chosen field of IT support. As a widower and solo parent, I found it easier to live in NL than the US, despite the challenges. And I miss things about NL which I think are somewhat universal in Europe, including Germany (low healthcare costs, low violent crime--especially low gun crime, and high availability and low cost of public transport). I have been wondering if my experience would have been easier or better if I had chosen Germany. Did you ever consider NL or other European countries? Why Germany?
Thanks for sharing (and watching). I forget if I mentioned in this video, but I didn't pick Germany. Germany, in a way, picked me. We were generally open to most anywhere in Europe, although we had a slight preference for Switzerland (we knew this was highly unlikely) or Spain (because we lived in Costa Rica and felt comfortable in Spanish). But Germany is where I first got a job offer/visa and then it was just a matter of sticking around long enough to get citizenship.
Had one of us gotten an offer from the Netherlands (or maybe if I knew about DAFT at the time), I'm sure we would've gone there as well.
Just found out this channel, I'm wondering how the subscribers number is not tenfold. You seem like a nice, curious and educated pal with interesting povs. Hugs from Italy!
Thank you! Hope you’ll stick around 🤓
In my early 20s (that was 20 years ago) i was in the US for 4 month because my former company send me there for part of my training. And while i recognize the US have absolute amazing beautiful landscapes the general life feels odd. Many people doing there own shit and doesn´t cared much of others outside of there own bubble and always chasing for money and more recognition. That was my impressions of work life and daily life in the US.
Germany and europe maybe not perfect and the far right also rise up here but overall i think more people in europe feel more responsibility for there socities, the people around them and the "european way of life" and prefer to live a more "basic" life.
I usually mention in these videos that I've been dreaming of moving to Europe since I was in college. The second part is that I imagined that I'd prefer just visiting the US for the national parks. But then going back to Europe.
And since you mention the rising far right... I talk about that in my video I just published, demystifying some of romanticism around living in Europe, from a U.S. perspective. Thanks for watching and writing!
Nice piece. Alternate perspectives are always valuable.
Thank you! Couldn't agree more. Appreciate you watching and writing. Hope you'll stick around the channel!
I also am an American living in Germany. I own two little houses on the Rhein valley surrounded by castles. I like it here but fall and winters can get depressing.
Think of Minneapolis. It will cheer you up that you are not enduring the weather and the ICE. ;)
Man, I miss the Rhein valley! Went on so many hikes around there. But yeah… I can do without the winters!
Not as depressing as a Fascist States of America, Michael and Joe.
The events happening because of our current regime does cause me grief and sadness. I worry that we Americans are looked down on whereas we were once the 'good guys'.
@MichaelPuga-u6o nobody with a brain ever looked at you like the good guys despite the amount of propaganda you are exporting
You are just mad the classic American way has hit yourself now instead of some impoverished people in SEA or Latin America
Welcome in a real free World! 😊
Canada here My wife had to go to the ER last week. Total time there 4.5 hour, and 31$ for parking. That is it.
As a European, from Spain, I always have considered Canada like one like us. But like the most civilizated of us! You have a great social sistem wich follow to garantee the basics to reach a life with dignity and oportunities to study and work and reach in your social position due to effort, not to contacts or family. At the end, that's what European countries should have in common, and you are an example for that. What its a pitty and a shameless is that U.S.A. , a country that it's set like THE example for the world, does no share these goals. Maybe It is for that reason that we get so mad with americans, as the way they are taking inspire in our contries to the worst people to steal our rights and freedom.
I live in Croatia and 4 years ago ive broken clavicle, had to get a plate and 6 screws, i was examined in 1 day and within a 1 week had operation. My only problem was bothering my friend to pick me up from hospital. I saw no papers at all and no one said anything to me, they just fixed me and told me to get back in few weeks to make sure im fixed corectly (i even skiped 3rd apointment because i found no need to waste time, not because i had to pay or something).
Welcome to Germany, brother. =)
Danke danke!
I am a retired American who lived and worked in Germany in the 1990s. I was not in a big city like you are and needed a car in Germany and all of my neighbors and coworkers had cars. In over 70 years of life I have never encountered gun violence in the US or Germany, but have never lived in a big city in either country . Health care has always been provided by employers and we have never had any large bills, maybe that is just luck . I agree with you about the natural beauty of Europe. In about an hours drive I could be either at Bodensee, hiking or skiing in the alps Switzerland, Austria or Garmish. I loved my time in Germany, and we frequently travel to Europe.
German here, living in a village west of Koblenz. I have 3 damned cars starting in front of the house, one for me, one for my wife, and one for my daughter. Not because I like, but because these are needed to get to different work places, doctors, or buy the groceries. The next store is 6 km away, depending on what is needed it's 11 km or 30 km. Delivery is not an available option except for bread or pizza. Public transport (bus) is available, but only every other hour and depending where one needs to go, it's an odyssey. But still, I would never ever consider moving to the US. I lived for 10 years in the Philippines, and I work internationally. Russia, US and North Korea are no go areas ....
You lived during a very good era and perhaps the golden era of western civilization (we'll see). It also seems like you had a good job, perhaps one that doesn't exist today. I've always lived in big cities in the US and now in Europe. There's always more conflict in the big cities. Multi-cultural, multiple different values competing against one another. It's often aggressive and sometimes violent.
I want to focus on a particular statmement in your comment "maybe it was just luck". Maybe you're willing to hear my thoughts on it, from a European perspective:
I do not think it is luck. I'm sure you have worked hard and seized the chances that life offered you. More likely than not, you were also born into circumstances where more chances presented themselves than others might have. But that's just guessing. What's not guessing, is that in a capitalist system that we live in, not everyone can make it where you have. Almost by definition there will be losers. It is a fact of the system. And if you realize that those wins and losses compound over time, because the advantage can be leveraged for more and bigger opportunities leading to more advantage.
In many European countries we believe that it is the responsibility of the government to counteract this process, by helping those that need it most, instead of giving to those who have the most.
In Europe things like free education, public Healthcare and public transport and public safety by gun restrictions applies to all and benefits all. But it makes the biggest difference for those who otherwise couldn't afford it.
In the US, tax deductions, low gas prices but no public transport, private education, availability to guns, employer funded Healthcare benefits those who don't need additional protection and actively punishes and excludes those who do need it. And their children. And their children's children. Instead of working against the compound effects of inequality, the US policy often encourages it even further. And a culture that generally attributes struggle with lazyness and personal shortcomings.
I am genuinely happy for you, that you did not have to face this in your life. And there are still many people in the US who still share your experience. But I think people ought to ask themselves what's more important:
Having an extra 120 million instead of 100 million, because corporate and top income taxes are low. Or having health and unemployment insurance if I loose my job, vs not having this and maybe ending up on the street.
And then ask yourself: For most Americans, which Szenario is more likely?
@khazaddum6570 luck is always a factor, a friend from school was a nuclear engineer with a great job and died in a car accident in his early 30s. There has always been inequality and always will be. The American ethos of work hard tomeans people will achieve different results. Of course a big problem in the USA is greed at the top I agree the American health care system is not good, but in reality over 90% have health insurance. I don't know the facts for all of Europe but in Canada with socialized health care 20% of the population cannot get a doctor and their waits are longer for care. I saw a video recently where there are very long waits for treatment in Austria.
There have always been challenges for every generation. My specialty was electronics and the technology and skills needed changed dramatically from when I started in the 70s to when I retired 10 years ago. AI will require many people to learn new skill sets but most will adapt and succeed, just like when computers eliminated jobs in the late 80s. There weren't fewer jobs, they were just different.
What saddens me is how many young people are losing hope. I don't know if it is caused by social media where they see influencers displaying unaffordable lifestyles or if they have been raised with different expectations. The biggest challenge for Americans is the government debt. It is like paying for a meal someone else already ate.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and best wishes.
"Health care has always been provided by employers", that's it. That's the US big problem !! Small business people, shop owners, craftspeople etc simply cannot "provide" health care for their employees (sorry that's French feminine but not in English). Health care MUST BE NATIONAL. Lose your job lose your health care - makes NO sense. Why is it any of your employer's business where/who provides your personal health care?? You want to broach the subject of "pre-existing conditions"?? Only in the USA because THERE what is called 'health care' is, in fact, a for profit business.
Bravo
One thing about car cost in USA: it's after-tax income!!
The car cost is about 25% of the average person's pay!
What? That's insane! Here in the netherlands my transport costs are about 1% of my after tax income. I know I do it cheaply (mostly I travel by bike), so I could imagine it being 5% on average, with outliers of 10%, but 25% is insane.
I couldn't believe that $12k/£9k figure. Including the cost of my truck over it's life so far, I reckon that with that cost, taxes, insurance, maintenance and fuel I spend £3.5 to £4k each year. When I was working and doing 30,000 miles a year, it was far less because I had a company car.
Germany, we even do not hhave to think about that. You get Your paycheck (payroll?) and everything You have to pay like groceries: The price You see there is the price You pay. No extra fees or taxes at the cashier. It is called the Preisauszeichnungsgesetz (inklusive Mehrwertsteuer.)
No wonder people are ready to fight for free parking spaces.
WTF. IS that for real.
What a really awesome video. Glad you made the jump and live in Europe. Will check out your other videos :)
Awesome, thank you! 🎉
@BaurJoe No probs mate, subbed and followed your insta too. Hope you're doing well :)
The cost of car ownership in the USA is nuts. After a few years not driving for various reasons, I bought a car and at this point the projected total costs for a year of owning it will be less than mentioned 11k $, including the PRICE of the car.
And it is not an old or low quality car - on the opposite, it's a great fit for my needs, I am the second owner and the first one barely drove it.
He was talking about the average cost. By definition, some people will pay less, and some will pay more.
@steveunwin830I do not considered myself a person who got the absolute best deal either. Just bought a car at a used car dealership, did all the formalities, paid all the fees and insurance, did little repairs and use the car an avarage amount.
But either way, what you wrote is insignificant.
When costs of both buying and owning an average car is less than average cost of just owning the car for the same period, the difference is striking.
Especially as the petrol(gas) prices in Europe are higher.
5:00 And keep in mind that count any train arriving within six minutes of its scheduled arrival time as being on time and then a train gets cancelled altogether it also doesn't count towards the statistic...
Thank you for sharing your life experience. Millions of people around the world also feel the need to seek a better life. The vast majority are fleeing the violence of wars; many others are looking for better employment, or simply to have a healthy life and not die from a curable disease. Migration has existed since the dawn of humanity. I hope you are very happy in Europe, and I would also like to see those who decided to come to your country seeking a better life treated as human beings and not as animals. From my country, Spain, I watch with concern as your president and his paramilitary police force, ICE, use extreme violence against people, women, and children who only want to live peacefully and better lives. This reactionary and xenophobic wave that we are seeing in the US is also emerging in ultraconservative political parties in Germany, Italy, France, and also in my country, Spain. I wish you all the best.
Thank you for writing and sharing your perspective! I, too, hope everyone seeking a better life can find their home and live with dignity.
Regarding your comment abiut the rising far right outside of the U.S… I’m going to talk about this in my next video, uploading tomorrow, that demystifies some ideas Americans have about living in Europe.
@BaurJoe So I think it's a good time to subscribe to your channel. See you in the next video.
Thx for sharing very insightful
Thanks for watching! Hope you'll stick around the channel.
Deutschland is my first love!
I generally love it outside of winter 😂
@BaurJoeyes, that was my main gripe while living there!
@BaurJoeso, considering moving back to Europe, but not sure where i would go just yet.
Lots of good options, I'd say!
@BaurJoe Agh the winters are only temporary my friend, a necessary evil we must endure before the nice time of year. The days are already starting to feel longer now, not too much longer before spring :)
Agree, hard agree. Sincerely, your Berlin neighbor who's not going back.
Thanks for watching, Nachbar!
Yeah, Bike, public transport, health, safety. Have always lived in Berlin, but stem from the UK. Been to States three times, Philly outskirts and Chicago. The public transport wasn't bad there, still a bit of a joke compared to most places in Europe, even most of the small towns in Spain I've been to(great bus and train system). I once worked in Köln for a while. Public transport enabled me to travel back to Berlin, door to door in three hours. Pubs,55-minute flight,pubs.
One rather upsetting thing about Chicago for me were the homeless folks. We're not exactly handling it brilliantly in Berlin either, but those poor people on most street corners I met belonged in hospital and needed psychological care as well. The homeless folks I meet in Berlin seem to be miles better off. I hope we follow Finland in this regard.
Some of the problems are likely to do with the size of States, its (teeny tiny) history of being a frontier country until just 130 years ago and the systemic corruption. I'm wondering what kept that gun culture alive in the US. The Swiss have looooads of weaponry in their citizens posession, but their gun culture is completely different. Still, love the people, but don't think much of the system.
Congrats on the citizenship. You can live and work in all of the EU now :) .
Thanks for commenting and watching! Yes, we're very excited to take advantage of potentially living elsewhere in the EU someday :)
I am English /Irish i have lived in the Netherlands. Far form perfect, taxes way to high and very bureaucratic . And the language yipps thank God they all speak great English
But I could not imagine going back to London . Love to visit 3 days max . And miss the hills and mountains.
But some how this is home .
As an EU resident, these observations are very interesting. EU residents don't see certain problems, and only someone from abroad can point out the pros and cons of living in Europe. Watching TV programs about the USA, I'm amazed at how many restrictions there are in a "free country" where I can't change a wall in my own home or paint my windows the color I like. There are many such strange restrictions in the US, and each state has different regulations.
Thanks for watching and commenting! I think it's always helpful to have an outsider's perspective. The same goes for me, listening to immigrants to the US.
I can change my walls, paint my house, replace plumbing, landscape as I please. I live on three acres in the country and have wildlife roaming freely. Spent ten years in Europe and the only people in Europe that can do what I do are the rich blue bloods. Lived in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Kaiserslautern.
Well, in germany You cannot do everything. There are regulations too for good reasons. Taking out a wall might crash the whole building. (Statik.) Just as You cannot always paint a window in a colour You want. Special not from the outside, where everybody can see it.
Inside You can colour everything like You want, if it is Yours and not when You are a tenant.
Schön Dich hier zu haben, viele Grüße und Glückwunsch!
Danke danke! Ich freue mich sehr, hier zu sein :)
I believe the car culture here in the US is literally destroying us. I really feel for the housebound elderly.
And Americans are constantly being harassed by cops and 'highway patrol' while driving.
@twolegsnotail. Hello, 42 years in the USA and what you aver is not true.
And young people before driving age have to rely on "parent taxi".
@HolgerJakobs Yeah, parent chauffeur more like. Poor kids are strapped down in car seats for most of early childhood.
I moved to Switzerland in 1977. Great video - 100% 1:1 with my life here in Switzerland. We do have a car - an EV. But being an EV in a country with a great infrastructure for EVs, it fits in to my life style very well. As an extension of the other forms of transportation that are absolutely normal, as you explained.
Thanks for watching and the kind note! Glad to have you here.
I knew US trains were bad. I didn't know HOW bad they were until I tried to get a Denver-San Francisco (Oakland, actually, but I didn't expect a stop there) and back for a seminar. The first train didn't get there until the seminar was over. It's gotten slightly better, not it's only a day and a half. 2000 Km between two capitals along the transversal corridor, and it still takes more than 30 hrs. Back then (2013) it was an extra day plus.
I’m sorry you had to experience how bad it is firsthand 😂
@BaurJoe Oh, I forwent the privilege and got a plane.
fly
@Dave-x3yI did. Pain in the ass
Bulgaria here. We have mountain and sea. We have forth seasons. We have one time zone. Have pubic transportation in city's and between cities.
Guns. You don t need guns. Its not perfect. Still after 30 years is still corrupt. Democracy its having hard time. But its beautiful country food is good.
Every country in Europe has unique dishes and maybe alcohol. Beer must be good their.
Food is good here. Also we have a lot of herbs. Tea for pretty much everything.
In small towns just with walking can get everywhere.
Also we have summer vacations. Its mind-blowing you Americans work non stop all year. Like you are on call. That's just insane.
I, living in the Netherlands realize now thanks your explanation how good and free living is here in Europe. And when we follow the actual news from the USA, I thank God on my knees I don't have to survive in Trumpistan!
It often takes foreigners to shed light on the realities of life in a certain place. I learn a lot about life in the U.S. from immigrants who move there. Thanks for watching!
Subtitle: How Joe Baur becomes Josef Bauer ✅😂
You know the ''European way of life''
In important factor to me when considering the degree of freedom in a society is social mobility. Social mobility of groups or individuals is defined as change in socioeconomic status relative to their parents or throughout their own lifetime. I guess the "American Dream" represents exactly this. But the fact is that the level of social mobility is much higher in fex the Scandinavian countries than in the US.
What I find most hilarious is, that you, as an "aquired german" (welcome to our country btw, nice to have you) and born citizen of the US, you say that here, in europe, you´re more free to live your life the way YOU want to live it.
While I always here from "muricans" (you know the type, the red hats) shout in your face that only the US has a constitution to protect your life ti live as you want and the "freedom" in europe means so much things your are not allowed to do.
There are no "Red hats" screaming in anyone's face. That is the Liberal Democrats specialty. Get it right.
The thing is we have a beautiful constitution, but only in paper. Goverment doesn't obey it and haven't since many many many years
Hi @BaurJoe, great video, thanks for that - your point about linguistic and cultural diversity really struck a chord with me; I grew up in Sydney, Australia, but have lived in Edinburgh, Scotland for at least the last 20 years. A standard reaction from locals (not to mention my compatriots) is, why would you want to leave the paradisiacal, sun-drenched shores of Oz to move to dreich, drookit (dreary and wet in the local vernacular) Scotland ? - it's hard to explain briefly to them just what you've said; that you can drive for countless hours in Australia and see essentially the same landscape out the window, whereas in Scotland - and especially with the rest of Europe on your doorstep - you can get as much sunshine as you want (around the Mediterranean) - if you want - as well as so much more; so many different landscapes, languages, cultures, history - for me the most fascinating, concentrated site of interesting, compelling places on the planet. But obviously it comes down to personal preference - Europe is right for me, I don't insist others share my feelings, just that they try to understand them.
Yes! All comes down to personal preference. I try to remind that sentiment to both my fellow Americans, who wonder how someone could possibly leave the 'greatest country on Earth,' as well as Europeans who can't imagine anyone wanting to leave in such a lawless hellhole, like the US.
Scotland is wonderful! I have a recent video on the channel covering the West Highland Way tied to my article with National Geographic. Feel free to check it out!
Ad an Italian this is so crazy…
We grew up with the myth of USA in 80s and 90s…
Many Italians dreamed about living in America…
And now it happens to talk to Americans moving here in Italy saying that, despite the ridicously low salaries, the life, the food, the healthcare, the cops and control situation, the people, the culture etc etc… it’s not even comparable. 😮
So many Americans are moving in Europe… especially Nowdays where even in France, Spain, Italy, Portougal etc etc… people are speaking English.
I own a car, but for most citytrips i use my bike. I drive to work in the winter and mostly cycle to work in the summer. If i wanna go to another city i go by car or train. More options is more freedom!
Amen! 🎉
As a Bavarian I would say that Berlin ain’t Germany. It is special in several ways. To be true Bavaria is special, too. 😂
German is very diverse and Europe even much much more.
Nice, that you like it here.
Bayern ist auch ganz schön, würde ich sagen. 🤓
@BaurJoe Alles südlich der Elbe ist Norditalien 😜
@BaurJoe Ich bin auch gerne in Berlin, aber halt nur zwe-i oder dreimal im Jahr. ich bin kein Großstadtmensch, weshalb übrigens meine Sichtweise auf den ÖPNV eine völlig andere ist. Ich wohne 15 Kilometer außerhalb einer Großstadt und bin ohne Auto aufgeschmissen, weil der ÖVPN unterirdisch ist. RUclipsr und Influencer zeigen eigentlich immer das hippe und urbane Leben in Deutschland. Das soll keine Kritik sein, sondern nur die Anmerkung von einem "Landei" 😀
Yes, you're right, Berlin (Prussia) is not Bavaria. When I travel around Germany, I feel better in Bavaria than in the ( DDR), and the German accent in Bavaria is much more pleasant to me than in Berlin.
@BaurJoe Bavaria is beautiful...imo Austria is slightly better.. Christoph Waltz was asked in a Talk Show if it was a cliche' about the Germans having no sense of humour and being often impolite. He replied" That's not a cliche'...the Germans are like battleships, direct..we Austrians on the other hand are kind and polite" makes a pause "but we don't mean it". (I love both the Bavarian and Austrian accents)