Travel Part Six of Six - Public Places and Parks

In my observation, I am not of the opinion that Europeans value their parks and public spaces more than Americans. I mean, it is very certain that Europeans value the fact that their parks and public spaces exist, but I am not convinced that they are especially concerned with maintaining them clean and free of rubbish any more than the American population is. There are many destinations which are absolutely more valuable to the European population than others, but such natural locations usually are of some historical significance. Therefore, the government puts a price on admission and charges patrons for the right to visit.

As an example of a park/public space that was not very well maintained, there is a small grassy area alongside the Seine River. It’s about a kilometer in length and about twenty meters wide. The view of the river and the opposite shore is beautiful. On the whole, the area is very picturesque, but it smells awful. The park is widely used as a litter box for the dogs of Paris. I seriously had to cover my nose with my sleeve and control my breathing in passing. The smell was absolutely revolting. Occasionally I would run into dog poop on the roads as well, which I found to be revolting as well and irresponsible on the part of dog owners.

Now, contrast that with Quinta da Regaleira, a cultural heritage site near the Castle of the Moors in Sintra, Portugal. The park is a world heritage site, and as such entry comes at a price. Four euros, to be exact. The park is a value at that price, however. It’s very well kept and very clean. It’s also very amusing. It’s almost like a medieval amusement park. There are intricate tunnels underground for exploring and miniaturized turrets and castles to climb on all over the park. There are ponds and paths and deep wells to play in. It’s a place almost out of a fairy tale, and it was one of the places I made sure we visited when Cody, Scott, and I went to Portugal. It’s obvious that the Portuguese value such a place as the Quinta. There’s no dog poop anywhere.

So, I would suggest that the value that Europeans place on their public spaces and their parks varies with the individual, just like it does in America. Obviously the person who leaves his dog’s poop behind doesn’t value the quality of the public space very much. Similar examples can be found in America, and therefore I conclude that no significant difference exists. But, in absolute terms, Europeans do value that their public spaces exist and that they are of good quality, just as Americans do.