<p>The last time we were in Europe was 1995. Now, as we plan our trip, I’m discovering more & more of Europe has enacted and is enforcing smoking bans, including London, Paris, Barvaria and Vienna! I’m very surprised and thrilled, since smoke is a huge issue for all of us asthmatics.</p>
<p>I can still reemmber being the ONLY non-smokers in may of the places we were back in 1995. I find this fascinating and hope that it keeps us healthier this trip.</p>
<p>Anyone with feedback on how well the smoking bans are working.</p>
<p>We were in Barcelona in February, there were restaurants that were separated into smoking and non-smoking areas, but the city still smells like cigarette smoke.</p>
<p>In the Munich airport (where we changed planes) they had these little glassed in “smoking lounges.” Our departure gate was right near one of them, and the whole area smelled strongly of smoke.</p>
<p>So from 2 cities I saw, there were attempts to separate smokers and non-smokers but they weren’t very effective. Sorry we didn’t visit any of the other cities you mentioned.</p>
<p>England had no smoking in pubs/clubs, but Spain, Italy, and parts of France differed. The bar I went to in Granada for the Real Madrid-FC Barcelona game allowed smoking. This was just last semester that I went. Overall, I was shocked at the proportion of people who smoked because I never really heard that Europe smoked more, it really was just about everyone. And certainly no stigma was attached as is here, and that’s with MUCH bigger warnings stating things like “SMOKING KILLS” plastered all over cigarette cartons.</p>
<p>I visit a fashion blog that has photos on the street of different people the blogger thinks in fashionable. When she photographs people in Europe I am always surprised by how many of them are holding a cigarette.</p>
<p>Yea, some of the stats I have read place smoking as 1 in 3 people in Europe smoke (or used to). Am curious about how much of an impact these bans have had on smoking rates, since it is such a tough addiction to quit.</p>
<p>I even noticed a difference in smoking in London between April 2007 and November 2009. It did not seem as prevalent and was much more enjoyable when dining out.</p>
<p>I travel to Marseille occasionally on business, and in France the smoking has definitely decreased over the years. But it is not completely gone. You still run the risk that the person at the next table will light up while you are trying to eat your dinner.</p>
<p>It is better than years ago when we used to joke that we had a choice between “smoking” and “chain-smoking” sections in restaurants, but it is still very common to see people smoking on the street and at outdoor cafes. This time of year, it shouldn’t be much of a problem, but in the summer when most of the dining is outside, often in enclosed courtyards, it is still a big nuisance. </p>
<p>I spent last summer working on a project in London, and during breaks several people always left to grab a cigarette outside. The surprising thing was that they were all the younger folks - the middle agers, for the most part, were all non-smokers.</p>
<p>The smoking ban in Bavaria went into effect about a year after we left (we left in 2006 - I think it was to go into effect in January 07, but was being appealed or something.) Even my daughter’s high school had a smoking lounge. The principal was a chain-smoker, and we wondered how it was going to affect him. Half my D’s classmates were smokers. She was shocked in 9th grade, when her physics teacher asked the class if someone had a lighter he could borrow for an experiment, and several students had one to offer. There was a cigarette machine on the corner of the school property.</p>
<p>A lot of the restaurant/bars were upset by the change - In Germany, people don’t eat and leave - they make an evening of it. Cutting the smoking was going to hurt. </p>
<p>Germans are really into healthy lifestyles, so it was always quite a contradiction to see the prevalence of cigarettes. Once I saw a man on a racing bike, in full Spandex, with a cigarette hanging from his lip.</p>
<p>We had grown used to having our clothing smelling like smoke. I was happy to hear about the change. My H has been back a few times, and says it’s really different from what it was.</p>
<p>I was shocked beyond belief when Paris instituted a smoking ban a couple of years ago. I stayed in Paris for a year in the mid 80’s, and I had friends who not only smoked everywhere, but smoked unfiltered cigarettes. If you had told me then that someday there would be no smoking in public buildings and restaurants in Paris, I would have laughed in your face.</p>
<p>^^My mental image of France from before consists of a group of smokers sitting around in the train station or airport and blowing smoke rings at the “Non Fumar” sign posted above them. That sort of summed up both the prevailing attitude and the reality.</p>
<p>Thanks–looking forward to a better breathing stay this May/June. I don’t read anything about Sweden/Scandanavia. I remember my room mates folks from Sweden were chain smokers & they stayed with us briefly & we had to keep ALL windows open for the duration. Fortunately, back then I wasn’t nearly as sensitive to smoke as I am now.</p>