This Ought to Make Search Strings More Interesting!

The other day, this post over at The Blue Zoo made me remember a picture I took last year. Europeans and Americans have a very different take on sex and nudity; this is an "Erotic Megastore" located next to a children's toy store. There are actual displays put up in that store front and nobody blinks an eye--no Germans, anyway! That is just something you wouldn't see in the U.S. (Except maybe Nevada, of course! Ha!)

It's not just Germany, though. It's all of Europe! While wandering through Luxembourg during our first year living overseas, we passed a coffee shop (a.coffee.shop) that had a HUGE picture of a naked woman on one wall. A little distracting for me, but nobody else seemed to even notice. Over time, I didn't notice those things as much either. It got to the point where even the red hearts in the windows (signifying an available "lady of the evening") or the women parked along one of the area roads waiting for their customers really didn't get our attention all that much. It's just part of the culture.

Isn't it amazing how things that are normal in one area of the world (or country or state) can be considered so outrageous in others? What outrageous things have you seen during your travels? Is there anything considered normal where you are now that surprises you?