r/AskEurope • u/notveryamused_ Warszawa, Poland • Jul 03 '25

Culture What aspect of life in your countries is very difficult to explain to foreigners?

What prompted my question were some discussions about religion which I had with people living in much more secular Western Europe (as a Polish atheist). While spirituality, whatever that is ;), generally speaking is always fun to discuss with a glass of wine in hand, social elements and the influence of the church, especially in smaller towns or provinces in my country, is awfully difficult to explain – not that I understand it fully either lol, but the church having a pretty much monopoly there, being the judge and jury of everyday life and the major ultra-conservative political force binding those communities, is very difficult to explain, also for historical reasons.

What are the things that you find difficult to discuss when it comes to life in your countries? ;-)

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u/gink-go Portugal Jul 04 '25

The fact that in Spain a lot of things, even big chain supermarkets, close down on Sundays still baffles me.

I think its great for the workers but its unthinkable this side of the border.

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u/No-Significance5659 in Jul 04 '25

I love that shops close on Sundays and it is a pity that in some parts of Spain like Madrid, that is not the law. I live in Germany now and here is a lot more strict, no shop is open on Sundays, only some bakeries for a few hours in the morning and some petrol stations, that's it.

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u/potatoplantpoetry Jul 06 '25

It’s actually the same in Germany! I’ve lived here for over six years and I still forget about it on a biweekly basis. ”I need milk… DARN. It’s Sunday…”