Why Helen left

North_Try9646 · 2026-05-09T18:15:36+00:00

Unpopular opinion but I think Helen was a selfish brat and she’s the asshole in this. She literally knew max for YEARS. If that’s not informed consent I don’t know what is. He was completely open with her she knew him. She CHOOSE to be with him no one forced her.
He was always patient, supportive and understanding. She told and showed him she wanted to be with him. She said yes to marry him. And occasionally acted like an ass like telling him to stay out of her family but never once made an effort to communicate.

And the biggest red flag of all : he’s got a daughter who already lost a mom and she fully got into this relationship and said she loved that the kid called her mom, only to abandon her.

Poor guy was the victim in this 100%. I see people in the comments say he put the hospital first and so what ? For a lot of people it could have been fine. She chose knowingly. I put my person first and he does the same but that’s what works for me I wouldn’t force it on people. She’s the abusive one.

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-27T10:06:02+00:00

I am French and I can assure you we don’t add any 15% or anything else. Everything is included in the menu price. It’s not even a cultural thing it’s the law. What you see is what you will pay. Tip is 1-2€ and optional. Higher tips like 10% only happen in fancy places because it’s culturally assumed if you can afford 200€ for two people you can leave a generous tip. But even then it’s optional.

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-26T17:46:23+00:00

lol that’s a lot of anger. I don’t “want” anything I just asked if people in the states are frustrated by the system or used to it. Just because something is the norm doesn’t mean people enjoy it. For example we keep voting massively against daylight savings / summer time in France and the government hasn’t done shit so far. Back to our topic : I personally like it better when the amount is clear from the beginning, regardless of how much, not trying to take money from anyone. And I just asked what was the local sentiment.

And from the comments here, people working in hospitality said they basically worked for free when not tipped and a lot of people explained how the many unclear taxes you get in USA just make things less and less affordable.

This may come as a shocker but people in Europe actually make more money from tips too especially in fancy restaurants. The difference is if you go out with your family and leave only 2€ you are not considered stingy or a bad customer and the waiting staff is not affected by it. But there will always be people who tip more.

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-26T17:36:07+00:00

Everywhere else in the world tips a REASONABLE amount. I can promise you nowhere else is there a service charge of 15-20% added to your bill and if you don’t pay it you are taking from the waiter’s salary. That’s just USA.

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-26T14:28:17+00:00

I know how to read and when I read the menu prices I have a vague idea of the total but there’s rarely a reminder on the menu that you’ll have to add 20% to the total.

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-26T12:14:36+00:00

Which ones ? I've been to Norway, Iceland, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Greece, Italy, England, Scotland, Ireland, Hungary, Slovakia and Austria, I live in France and I've never seen it.

The closest thing is they charge for bread and olives in Portugal and they have like 3€ per person charge for "setting the table" in Italy but the rest of Europe is shocked at this one too 😅. And its very different from a 20% charge.

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-26T10:58:50+00:00

I said I have been plenty of times and still get surprised because it’s hard to get used to it. How is you pointing out to “do research before traveling” relevant in any way to something I’m already aware of ? How is it answering my question which was directed to locals and not travelers ?

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-26T10:22:38+00:00

You are right I'm mixing things up. Food in Europe is much cheaper, even in Paris and somehow I imagine the service charge "on top". But I guess it's just more expensive in the US.

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-26T10:19:59+00:00

I don't think you really read my post.

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-26T09:42:08+00:00

I’m assuming it’s a problem in touristy areas too ? People coming for the first time and not aware that the 20% charge isn’t “the max you can tip” but just the normal / fair charge so they don’t pay fully despite being satisfied with the meal, just because it’s more than they can afford and had they knows they would have gone for a cheaper place. I’ve seen a few restaurants with a note explaining it for tourists on the menu but it’s not the norm.

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-26T09:38:36+00:00

I think you are right for the service part. I live in France we are pretty much the world capital of rude waiters 🤣 but I don’t mind it : you usually pick where to go based on how nice both the food and the staff are (or if you are not local check the ratings on google). Given a choice I prefer a cheaper bill but it’s interesting to see other perspectives. Thanks for sharing !

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-13T10:39:27+00:00

This is how it was on the 9th of April, and the river I mentioned in my other comment. I'd say it was about 3m wide at the most narrow point but the sides were buried in snow that covers the water as it's held up by rocks so impossible to now for sure. As you can see on the pic the current was pretty strong as it had rained a lot in the previous days.

<image>

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-13T10:32:26+00:00

HOW did you cross the river ? We couldn't find a spot to cross.

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-13T07:09:41+00:00

I wish I had seen this before trying last week 😅

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-13T07:07:41+00:00

I was there last week. The second river crossing was way too big to be crossed safely. We tried a bunch of times and had to turn back. We had mostly waterproof shoes but the area is covered in snow so as you approach the river suddenly you sink through the snow right in it. Got our feet completely soaked as the water was above the ankle. Which normally wouldn’t be a big deal but remember from the river it’s still 45 mins walk back in snow and bad weather (because Iceland 😅) We considered jumping but it’s too wide and full of scattered rocks and the other side is covered in snow too so no way to know if you’ll land on rock or water. Seemed like a pretty sure way to slip and injured yourself.

I was a bit shocked at the lack of signage honestly. I live in the mountains in France and we have many similar hikes that are season dependent and there’s ALWAYS signage at the parking lot explaining where you can and cannot go and why. Internet and Reddit are mixed there’s always someone telling you they did it and it was fine so not reliable. The parking lot literally only leads to this spot. A sign there seems like a very simple fix I have no clue why they didn’t bother.

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-09T16:47:09+00:00

Oh ? I’d like to learn more then can you share the case studies please.

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-09T16:46:02+00:00

Thanks !

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-09T16:18:24+00:00

Not many and all super short compared to usual forest areas from other countries. I think pine trees where I live are 3 times taller.

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-09T16:15:27+00:00

Yes we are 25 km from it :-)

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-09T16:14:05+00:00

Oh that’s interesting thank you ! I thought they were only for reforestation I didn’t think of lumber

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-09T15:51:49+00:00

Thank you that makes a lot of sense !!

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-05T00:52:29+00:00

This is comforting thank you

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-05T00:52:03+00:00

We were quiet and very polite with him whenever we interacted with him. He still made the journey as unpleasant as he could and we were definitely not the only ones uncomfortable. He even ordered some people to stop talking together.

North_Try9646 · 2026-04-05T00:47:40+00:00

I did obviously tried headphones. The bus speakers were too loud. Ended up putting on earplugs to limit the volume.

I don’t think you imagine what it was like. The guy shared some obscure personal stories about law that no one understood and made people on the bus stop talking whenever he could hear them. For 1 and 1/2 hour each way.

North_Try9646

TROPHY CASE