Rules Countries vs. Not Rules Countries
People actually using crosswalks in Vienna
"Dad, is this a “rules country” or a “not-rules" country?" Ava asked me. We are in Vienna, needing to cross the street. We were trying to decide whether to walk up to the corner or to jaywalk.
Judging by the clearly marked bike lane, multi-lingual signs, brightly painted crosswalks, and walk/stop sights, we walked to the corner. This is definitely a rules country.
We left Sicily en route to Budapest, ready for fall weather and a different culture. Even before we arrived, the layover in Amsterdam was jarring.
All of a sudden, people stood in orderly Iines. All the people working at the counter spoke English (and French and German). The signs were frequent, multilingual, and clear.
So many rules in Budapest. And so much less likely to get run over.
Now all the rules stuff has downsides. In southern Europe and Turkey, COVID tests were clearly being done to help people meet their needs for passes to get in places. In Vienna, they were digging for gold and were going to report you if it came back positive. In most of the places we have been, COVID restrictions were personal (they looked at our vaccine cards or tests) and geared toward keeping people safe. As we moved to more “rules countries” it was all about the impersonal QR code with no flexibility. The kids were turned away from a shoe store in Prague because they had an antigen test instead of a PCR test and Bill was turned away from a winter market in Luxembourg because he had an American vaccine card, but not an EU recognized QR code.
The German rules for recycling and garbage disposal are intense, requiring 4 separate containers and 20 minutes of explanation from our host. The train ticket machines are easy, the inspections frequent, and the fines are high. The most behind a bus has ever been from its schedule is 5 minutes. We continue to be jarred when we go to cross roads at crosswalks and cars wait for us.
Somewhere there is a balance between flexible and functional - and I think we are all increasingly appreciative of how well the US does that.
