A couple other things we’ve noticed: there is no such thing as a right turn on red here. Not really important, especially since we don’t drive, but interesting to see.
The other thing we’ve been noticing is much more interesting. Kids here are, pardon the pun, not treated with kid gloves. Quite the opposite in fact. We routinely see kids going way ahead of their parents in stores and on the street. One day we saw a little boy running 100 feet in front of his mother on the main square. We also see kids wondering off 20-30 feet from parents in a busy mall. It’s really strange.
Parks and playgrounds are also… less “safety oriented”? They’ve got play areas and contraptions in the playgrounds here that wouldn’t be allowed in the States due to safety concerns. A perfect example is a modified teeter-totter. It’s a giant inverted V with a seat at each end, connected to a pole so that you’re off the ground. It tips like a teeter-totter, but also spins in a circle. We tried it out the other night. It’s pretty wicked. Wasn’t exactly fair for Mary Jo though. 😀
Some say that Americans are way too protective with their kids.