The most interesting part of traveling is getting to know the cultural peculiarities of different countries. Foreigners will surprise you more than once with their cuisine, mentality or rules of conduct adopted only by them. Although sometimes “surprise” is not a big enough word to describe the emotions of things whose existence was not even possible.
Free public transport in Luxembourg
Starting in 2020, you will not be charged a single euro cent for bus travel in Luxembourg.
Public transport is free for both locals and visitors to the country.
The flag of Nepal is not rectangular in shape
In the modern world, there is only one country whose flag is not rectangular, and that is Nepal.
It appeared after the unification of the two standards of the country’s past rulers.
Wooden baths are used in Japan
In Japan, you can stumble upon ofuro baths, which are traditionally made of wood.
The baths are small, just to match the miniature Japanese, but even they fit there only sitting.
The green signal of the traffic light in Japan is blue
If you pay attention to the speech of the Japanese, then for some reason they call the green traffic light blue. And on the roads, the bluest shade of green is used, which is only allowed by law.
The answer lies in the peculiarities of the Japanese language, once the word “blue” meant 2 colors at once, and the designation “green” appeared much later.
Police officers drive a Lamborghini in Italy
The Italian police really dissect in sports cars.
The manufacturer personally donated several cars to local human rights activists, but this is more of an advertising ploy than a common practice.
In Colombia, they dip salted cheese in hot cocoa
The combination of sweet cocoa with salty cheese seems strange, but in fact the taste turns out to be very interesting.
In France, milk is not stored in the refrigerator
We used to keep milk in the fridge, but the French don’t do that.
The point is the difference in technology during pasteurization, in France this process takes place at ultra-high temperatures. And as a result, such milk can be stored for a long time at room temperature.
The longest name in New Zealand
Taumatafakatangihangakoauauotamateathuripukakapikimaungahoronukupokaifenuakitanatahu is the name of the hill in New Zealand.
It is the longest place name in the world and translates roughly as “The top of the hill where Tamatea, a man with big knees who rolled, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as the earth eater, played his flute for his beloved.”
In England, they are chasing the cheese wheel
A popular English fun is to roll a cheese wheel down a hill and then try to catch up with it in a huge crowd.
Scavengers in Ecuador are like ice cream makers in the USA
Surely in the movies you have heard more than once the recognizable melody that ice cream vans make in the USA.
Garbage trucks honk with exactly the same melody in Ecuador.
Dangerous stairs in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, very high and steep stairs are traditionally built, due to the fact that once in houses it was necessary to save every centimeter of free space.
Bra Specialists in Hong Kong
At the polytechnic universities of Hong Kong, you can study to become a specialist in designing women’s bras.
And yes, this is a serious area.
Monaco can be crossed from North to South in an hour
Monaco is a very small country, elongated in length.
You can cross the entire country along its length in just an hour, and on foot.
Italian restaurants charge money for service
After dining at an Italian restaurant and receiving a bill, you may find a strange thing — the staff services will be included in this bill.
But you won’t have to leave a tip.
Masks were massively worn in East Asian countries before the pandemic
The pandemic forced the whole world to wear masks, but it didn’t change much for East Asians.
In South Korea, it is customary to wear them even with a common cold.
Mars bars are fried in Scotland
Yes, the Scots thought of frying Mars chocolates.
Do you like it in batter or deep-fried?
In Italy, cappuccino is a breakfast drink
Italians prefer to drink cappuccino in the morning.
They just associate milk with this time of day.
Bamboo Clothes Dryers in Singapore
A typical picture for Singapore is an open window with a long bamboo pole sticking out of it.
They are used by local residents to dry their laundry after washing.
Water fights in Thailand
The celebration of the Thai New Year on April 13 is associated with massive water battles, in which both old and young people participate.
You will not be able to stay dry on this day.
There are no street signs in Costa Rica
You can find the names of streets in Costa Rica, but you will not find any signs of how to get to them.
In this country, they are used to navigating by sights.
Sauna competitions in Finland
The Finns’ love for the sauna is so great that competitions are organized in the country to find out who can stay in the steam room longer.
Motorways without speed limits in Germany
The speed limit is a strict rule for most countries.
But on certain sections of the autobahn in Germany, this is just a recommendation. And you can drive as fast as you want.
Carp in the bathroom in Slovakia
Visiting the apartment of a typical family in Slovakia before the Christmas celebration, you can stumble upon a carp swimming in the bathroom.
This is how the fish’s digestive tract is cleaned before cooking.
Curtains are not used in the Netherlands
It seems that the Dutch have absolutely nothing to hide, because there are no curtains on most windows in the country.
This is a legacy of Protestant culture.
Hair lightening in Brazil is as popular as hair removal
Usually, women do depilation by removing their hair completely.
Brazilians prefer to bleach them in order to preserve a light down.
Writing in red in South Korea is a bad omen
Once upon a time in South Korea, the names of dead people were written exclusively in red ink.
Tradition is gone, but superstition remains.
Some streets in Japan don’t have names
Japan has a different addressing system. Blocks are marked there, not the roads between them (streets).
The mail address in Japan works like this: country, province, city, district, block, house, person.
Turkey has a dessert with chicken breast
Turks grind chicken breast into pudding, a dairy dessert called Tavuk-geksu.
The dish is definitely for an amateur.
“Smile at the little bird” in the Netherlands
When a person is photographed, almost everywhere they are asked to say cheese to make them smile.
The Dutch instead pronounce lach eens naar het vogeltje — smile at the little bird.
Rotten fish is eaten in Sweden
Surstremming is a national Swedish dish with rotten herring.
Its smell alone can turn your stomach, and it is considered a delicacy by the locals.
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