Chrissi's kind of shower head IS great. In America, when the shower head does come off and can be held in the hand, it usually doesn't have a pole to adjust the height. You just put it back up high when you're done holding it.
I like that even in simple, quick food type places in Europe, the food is probably freshly made, with real vegetables and fruit. Not out of a drum or packet.
At our house, we have a smaller bathtub, not one of them big fancy things. We have a front-loading washing machine (that sits under the dryer), and we only use duvets (from IKEA) on all four beds. Two of our beds have box springs, two don't. We don't make ice in our freezer because it takes up too much room, and it's rare that guests ask for it. We have no handles on the kitchen cabinets, and I like it. I don't go to McDonald's, so can't tell you what that's like.
We have four very large grocery stores that never close each half a mile from our house, in different directions. Several more within two miles. I love the small drive thru coffee place nearby. Starbucks won't let you add a tip, if you pay by card, which I think is unfair to the baristas. On the other hand, the baristas there get health insurance if they work at least 20 hours a week. (Of course in France and some other countries, everyone gets health coverage).
We have no air conditioning of any kind in our house, but we live in Seattle, where there are very few very hot days a year.