The list keeps on going with “Random things that make Ireland and America so different!”
I wasn’t expecting such a large response from people when I wrote part 1 of this article. If you missed it, check it out here. When my husband, son and I traveled to Ireland last week we were shocked at some of the random things that made our countries so entirely different. In part 1 of the series I covered the following:
- Irish people LOVE their poached eggs! It’s true. No where do they ask how you want your eggs. Scrambled? Ya right, you’ll never see that at a restaurant there.
- There Are NO Shutters On Irish Homes I don’t know why, but I’ve never seen shutters on any of the homes in Ireland. I also never saw one house made out of wood. They were all cement blocks or stone. It was so different compared to the homes we have in America.
- They HATE giving out napkins Maybe I’m used to going through the Dunkin drive-thru and them giving me 20 napkins. But in Ireland, they only give you one. You have to ask for more, and when they come back with “more,” it’s only one more.
- You Can Only Buy Medicine In One Place In America you can buy over the counter medicine almost anywhere. But In Ireland you can only buy it from a pharmacist at the pharmacy. That was a very interesting experience when looking for a fever-reducing medicine for our son.
- NO Tipping! In Ireland, and most of Europe, you don’t have to tip. In fact, it’s not encouraged or even expected. The first night out was really weird. I had a guilty conscience not leaving a tip. But that quickly disappeared and the rest of the trip was so much more enjoyable just knowing that I was paying for my meal and not having to put another 20% on top of it.
So What’s On Part 2 Of The “Ireland is Different Than America” List?
Now that you’ve seen what was on part 1 of my list of “random ways Ireland is so different than America,” here’s part 2 of that list. Once again, let me know if you agree with me at all or if I’m missing something entirely!
5. Strollers Are Not Called Strollers
It was weird at first, but strollers in Ireland are not called strollers. Instead, they are called a “buggy.” The first restaurant we went to the hostess said to us, “Oh, you can put your buggy right by the table next to you if you want.” It made me giggle. I had never head of a stroller called a buggy before, but I kind of love it.
Instead, Irish people call this a “buggy.” One person even commented at how cool my UPPAbaby snack and drink holder were on the buggy. They had never seen anything like that before. It’s funny though what people call certain things in different countries, right?
4. The Showers Are So Weird
I am totally regretting not taking a picture of any of our bathrooms at any of the hotels we stayed at. They were so weird because NONE, I repeat, NONE of the showers or baths had full-length shower glass or a curtain that covered the length of the shower/bath. The glass only went half-way down the bath. So half of your body was exposed to the cold bathroom air the entire time you took a shower. And not just that, water would splash over the floor every time we took a shower. Why don’t they just have glass or a curtain the entire length of the shower? I literally have no idea. Someone please help me with that answer.
But honestly, they weren’t much different than a bath from the 1800’s! Because the glass/curtain barely even covered the length of the tub. I was always freezing taking a shower and water went everywhere. (Sorry, this is the only photo I could find of a bath that was similar to what I was referring to).
3. Other Words That Are Very Different
This might be a “Europe” thing, but no one calls them restrooms or bathrooms. Instead, they’re called “toilets.” So, if you have to go to the bathroom, look for the signs that say, “toilets.” On similar note, silverware is called “cutlery.”
I asked someone at a hotel for silverware, and they looked at me like I had five heads. So then I said, “Utensils?” And they were still confused. Finally I asked for a fork, spoon and knife and what’s when they said, “Oh, you want cutlery!” Who would have thought it would be such a different word.
2. Street Lights? Rarely Saw Any!
In Ireland, they love a rotary, aka a roundabout. We didn’t see many street lights, unless we got to a larger city. Of course they existed, but they prefer a rotary to control the flow of traffic. And I will say, a rotary does make you slow down when there’s one every few miles!
Both my husband and I think that Ireland is the most beautiful place we’ve ever visited. And this is the reason why. There’s something so quaint and beautiful about the rolling green Irish hills. This was taken on our way into Dingle. It was one of the prettiest stops on our trip!
1. Bars Are Not Legally Required To Serve You Food
I can’t tell you the amount of times we went into a bar thinking and assuming they would also have food for us to eat. We quickly learned that not all establishments served food at all. Not even a hot pretzel! I’m not sure if it’s a legal requirement to serve food at a bar in America, but it seems like every place you visit they at least have small snacks. In Ireland, you can just walk into a bar and drink alcohol….all day if you want.
I feel like we had to have our son hold a Guinness while in Ireland. Obviously he didn’t drink any. But we did take him into many bars to listen to live music. Did you know that kids can stay in bars until 9pm? Then at 9, they have to go home and go to bed! (Or son never made it that late).
Bonus: There's Laundromats At Gas Stations
I’m not sure why we packed so many clothes, because we could have just stopped at a gas station to do our laundry! I’m not even kidding. There were 24/7 laundry machines at many (not all) of the gas stations in Ireland. And they were always going, so obviously people were using them. Sounds like a good business if you ask me. We should have them available at rest stops in America!
Then no problem! You can get both at many gas stations in Ireland. I have never seen anything like this in America. But they always seemed to be busy.
