I was in Europe about a year ago, and the visible anti-terror activity in France was striking. Despite the "border free" EU, coming off the train from Brussels you had to walk through a line of police at the end of the platform, basically forming a wicket with only room for one person to pass between each cop at a time. There was clearly profiling going on, with most of the dark-skinned people getting stopped and asked to show ID, open their bag, etc.

Likewise, public trash cans are simply clear plastic bags attached to metal rings -- i.e, you can see what's in it and very little metal for fragmentation (interesting difference where in the US we seem to be going for solid, armored metal cylinders). Lots and lots of cops on the streets (a surprising number of them being women and attractive -- chicks with guns!).

That being said some elements seemed more smooth-edged than in the US. While there was some of the "Jersey barrier syndrome" around potential targets they hand't made Paris ugly and inconvenient in the way we're rapidly doing in Washington, and while their regular police presence was more heavily armed than say beat cops in NY or DC (i.e., submachine guns and "assault" rifles), they tried to look friendly and they didn't have anyone visible in stormtrooper/robocop outfits the way we often do. Still, very clear they took terrorism _seriously_.

Germany was the striking counterexample. Hardly any security even in the federal government quarter in Berlin, able to get right up to ministries, not a lot of cops visible and not very intimidating, same old trashcans, etc.