In Europe, stores and restaurants are closed after 2 pm, even clothing stores. Entire cities take breaks from the hours of 2-4 pm. Meals are also very long in duration in Europe as the art and gathering of a meal is very important to the culture. I found this quite inconvenient when I was trying to grab a snack around 3 pm and could not because no store, not even grocery or clothing stores were open. This is also one of the reasons why dinners are so late as well, because people eat large lunches and rest afterwards. The meal times of Europe, Switzerland especially, have been tradition for hundreds of years. It is the way of life. Meals are also very long in duration because no one typically eats alone. Most people eat in large groups and have grand meals and wine. Meals in Switzerland is a celebration of company and life, as my grandmother says. I love great meals personally so I found this custom very enjoyable.