Just a heads up: you're trying to judge continental European cultural practices by Anglo-Saxon cultural norms, and that's pretty much always going to lead to nothing but misunderstandings. There are many things (like a waiter not coming to your table unless called) that are considered polite in e.g. Germany that would be considered rude in America, and vice-versa. (Source: I've lived in both of those countries.) It's part of the joy of travel to discover which parts of your culture aren't as universal as you assumed.