Last month I met my parents in Iceland for a week of travel and an epic reunion. We hadn’t seen each other in over two years; since my 2-year-old was a baby, since we used to travel, since Corona was just a beer you drank on Cinco de Mayo. 

At the end of June 2021, Americans were finally allowed to enter Germany. But by the fall numbers of infection were rising again in Germany and there was gloomy talk of another lockdown. It was a rollercoaster of emotions as restrictions shrank and then swelled and I pessimistically rationalized that we could at least meet in Iceland if they couldn’t continue on to Berlin. Luckily, parameters changed as Germans continued to be vaccinated and the restrictions on Americans visiting stayed lifted. So it was a purely joyous occasion meeting in Iceland. I got to see my parents and spend a week in the land of fire and ice.  

Not to say travel was the same as before the pandemic. Hyde covered many of the regulations you now need to follow when traveling abroad in his helpful article, “Traveling to Germany in Covid Times“. For an American based in Berlin to travel to Iceland, the regulations were straight-forward. I had already been vaccinated so I only needed to provide proof of a Schnelltest or Burgertest (also known as rapid antigen test) – still free if you are coming from Berlin. My son didn’t even need a mask on Iceland Air (just a bunch of snacks and toys I packed for the plane). For my parents – Americans coming from the USA – they had the additional step of acquiring a PCR test which was hard to find for them in Washington State. 

Nevertheless – we made it, there and back. And while we were rejoicing at being together again, a few things came up that struck my American family as funny, but seemed completely normal to me after 10+ years living in Berlin. Here are some things that had me cocking my head and saying, “Is that weird?” – Different Appliances in Europe and the USA edition. Help me decide if these are common household things my parents just haven’t seen or if these are things that are common in Europe and not in the USA. 

Toaster Bread Holder

Toaster & Electric Water Kettle PHOTO: Erin Porter

The first morning we woke up on the Icelandic Horse Farm (yes – our AirBnBs were an experience in of themselves) we set up about preparing a simple breakfast. As my mom tried to pop bagels in the toaster, she paused, “What is this?” 

It was the metal rack that sits atop the toaster and keeps the toasted bread from falling out when it pops up. Simple…right? Turns out it is something my American parents had never seen. The past two toasters I owned in Berlin had it and I didn’t even think of it as strange. Sure, sometimes the toast gets caught underneath and the wire rack is burning hot and I have no idea what this thing is called, in German or otherwise. 

Is this weird, European, or have my parents just never seen one before?

Electric Kettle 

We rented a friend’s apartment for my parents stay in Berlin, an absolute lifesaver as we are currently outgrowing our 3-room (2-bedroom in North American) Wohnung (apartment). But we were scandalized to find what she was missing.

It was a lovely Altbau studio in the Seitenflügel (sidewing), but it had its oddities. The owner, another American, had recently moved in and I was shocked to find that while she had a French press for coffee (perfectly respectable) there was no Wasserkocher (electric kettle). Far more common than an actual kettle you keep on the stovetop, this is what I now consider an expected item. My parents had to boil water in a pot to make coffee. How uncivilized! 

There was also the matter of living in a semi-renovated Altbau. There was a large cupboard in the kitchen I opened to find the water heater, as the light flickered. I closed the door, lights back to full strength. I opened again and noticed the light switch  was impacted by the opening of the cabinet door. Hilarious! I was delighted by this misstep in renovation. My parents – less so.

Shoe Horn

Like many homes in Germany, there was a basic shoehorn hung next to the door of our holiday home in Iceland. Again, I got the “What is that?” We have never owned one, but I instantly knew it was a shoehorn. Omnipresent in every proper European home, I was surprised it wasn’t obvious. 

My American abroad household doesn’t utlize shoehorns or hausschuhe (house slippers) in our Berlin home, but the two things are so common I’ve come to assume we are the weirdos, not that this is a subtle culture clash. I  realized with a jolt that these things aren’t all that common in the USA my expectations of normal are falling somewhere in between. 

How Ovens Work in Europe versus the USA

Another household item that gave my parents pause in Iceland is the oven. I was once again surprised it wasn’t just the difference between celsius and fahrenheit that were confusing to my American family, but the functions themselves. 

Our landlord recently replaced our ancient oven in our Berlin apartment and I am thankful to now have all the modern amenities of pop-out knobs and options of being heated from the top, bottom, convection and more. These knobs proved mysterious to my parents as they puzzled on how to turn it on. You needed to push the knobs and have them pop out before you could select the heat and setting. Also, once you made the selection on setting you needed to further select “ok”. Absolutely wild how English has slid in everywhere when you travel, even into appliances. The pop out handles are brilliant for determining which burners have been on, and to ensure you’ve turned the heat off. Good terms to know are Ober and Unterhitze (over and under heat), as well as Heißluft (convection). 

So now I have to ask, have you run into any of these appliances or features before and not known what to do with them? Let me know – are we are hopeless or is this just another example of those small differences of life abroad?