An American tourist has sparked online debate after sharing a long list of all the things she dislikes about Europe.
The first clip in @thestrawberryannie’s two-part video series has been watched by over 4.7 million people in a week.
She told viewers: “I’ve romanticized Europe, but after going there three times I feel like I’ve really understood what it really is.” “That way I could make a list of the things I don’t particularly like.”
The headline reads: “This list is based largely on the three-week trip I spent last month in southern Spain, southern France and Italy.”
“Not every city or facility was like this, but we found it to be common. “We still enjoy visiting European countries, but I definitely appreciate the Bucees toilets in the United States of America” - read on for the TikToker’s full list.
An American tourist has sparked online debate after sharing a long list of all the things she dislikes about Europe
No spices
First on their list was the lack of spice.
She said: “I feel like in America we are very cheeky people and we have sauces or dips with everything, it’s part of the food.”
“They don’t have it there, so for example I ordered calamari, they didn’t serve it with cocktail sauce or tartare sauce or even a lemon wedge – there was nothing, it was dry.”
“The food there is so dry that you have to pay extra for the sauce.”
An American commenter added: “No calamari sauces are crazy.” That and no ice cream and pepper. Yes, I would cry if I had to live there permanently.
No shower curtains
The TikToker then complained about the lack of shower curtains:
“There’s no curtain in sight, everything looked like glass walls, but half of the baths, the glass shower area, only covered half of the bath.”
“So you felt like you were getting water everywhere, which wasn’t very pleasant.”
However, this was quickly defended in the comments, with one user writing: “Glass walls are so much better than curtains.”
No washcloths
She continued: “I couldn’t scrub in the shower, I just had to use my bare hands.”
“It’s good, but not really, because I put on a lot of sunscreen while I was there and really wanted to exfoliate my skin at the end of the day.”
“They didn’t give you any washcloths, just a towel and a body towel – that’s all, not like a little washcloth.”
Viewers were shocked by this point, writing: “You wanted to see a public washcloth!?!?!?” and “genuine question: I’d rather die than use a hotel washcloth, even if it’s washed between customers.” Is this normal in the US?”
The TikToker said: “Next, we don’t have free water or free refills at restaurants. “I spent so much money on water at restaurants that I really missed the unlimited giant glasses of cold water in America.”
No free water or free refills
The TikToker said: “Next, we don’t have free water or free refills at restaurants.
“I spent so much money on water at restaurants that I really missed the unlimited giant glasses of cold water in America.”
One commenter advised: “There are actually so many in Europe… you just have to know what to ask for.” “In most of Northern Europe you have to ask for tap water.”
Another added: “Wait until there’s no more free water?” “In most parts of Europe we literally drink tap water and it’s perfectly safe and good.”
No free public toilets
She then explained: “There are no free public toilets either, you have to go to the toilet somewhere you bought something, so I went there every time we went to restaurants.”
“You’d think that because you’re buying something and you’re in a facility, the bathroom would at least be nice — wrong.”
“Wrong, even the bathrooms you pay for are disgusting.” This was the case in Spain, France and Italy.
“Germany is a little better when it comes to bathrooms, but man oh man, those bathrooms are creaky.”
Missing toilet seats
On the subject of bathrooms, she added: “The toilets had no seats, so I had to squat or sit on the bare edge of a toilet. ‘It wasn’t nice.’
READ MORE: I Took a Trip in Vietnam…I Wish Someone Had Warned Me About What It’s Really Like to Be on a Sleeper Bus
Viewers said: ‘I’m sorry.’ NO TOILET SEATS?’ and “I found the public toilets in Austria and Germany to be very clean, but was still shocked that I had to pay for them.”
Someone else wrote: “I went to Pompeii once and the bathroom was a hole in the ground.”
No free hotel breakfast or vending machines
She continued: “The hotel breakfast, which is not free, also sucks, you have to pay extra for that.” Not a good old continental meal.
“There were also no vending machines in the hotels. So if you want a quick snack late at night, you’re in luck because there are no vending machines in the hotels.”
One commenter advised: “The hotel breakfast there is actually good food and not egg powder. It’s definitely worth paying for.”
Long flat pillows
Then the TikToker said she didn’t like the pillows:
“There are long flat pillows in the hotels too.” They weren’t that fluffy, they covered the whole bed.
“It was so long and just looked flat, I didn’t get my own pillow, it was just weird.” Sorry, is that rude? “Not strange, different, it was different.”
Large beds are pushed together
She continued: ‘Big beds because couples are just twins pushed together. So if you want to cuddle, one of you is in the gap.”
“You will lie in the crack of the bed.”
Only sheets on the bed
The last complaint for hotel rooms was the lack of a duvet.
She told viewers: “The first week we were there we thought they just didn’t have any duvets or duvets there, but then we realized they just don’t quite make the bed for you.”
“The comforter is kind of in the closet somewhere, you have to find it and make it yourself, and that’s what I think.”
Hot coffee is served in glasses without handles
When she got to the drinks, she said, “They served hot coffee in handleless glasses.
“When we were in Spain, we got coffee and churros at this churro shop and they served it in a cup without a handle.
“So we couldn’t drink it until it cooled because the damn glass was on fire and it was so hot.”
Two large straws in cocktails
As for alcoholic beverages, the American was once again unimpressed:
“They also serve two giant straws in cocktails, whereas in America we serve two of them as short, thin black straws.”
“They put two giant straws, which I thought was funny because I was like, should I drink from both? Because if that’s the case, I’m going to drink it fast.
“Or is it just for decoration, but if so why are the straws so big? I just don’t get it.”
Shopping bags cost money
Claiming that “nothing is free,” she said, “shopping bags cost money. So if you’re a tourist and you don’t have a bag with you and you’re just walking around, all you need is a bag to pay or carry all the things you buy with you because nothing is free.
“Nothing is free there, don’t think for a second that it will be, because it isn’t.”
Fries are really bad
Next on the list is the quality of the fries.
She said: “French fries are really bad, they’re barely golden brown, not even crispy, a bit mushy.”
“I think we had a good chip shop the whole time, so it was kind of disappointing.”
Lemonade is “soda water”
The tourist was also confused by the lemonade in Europe and explained: “Lemonade is just sugar water, so literally soda water with a packet of sugar and they squeeze it like a lime wedge and that’s your lemonade.” I hope you enjoy it.
Fries and salad are the only side dishes
She also noted that the food choices are limited: “French fries and salad are the only sides of literally everything.” I was so sick of the cracker that I thought, can I please have some macaroni and cheese or broccoli or literally anything other than a side dish?
“Even their salads aren’t that fancy because we make our salad here so fancy with all these toppings.”
“Your salad looks like vegetables and the oil and vinegar dressing and that’s it, that’s what you eat.”
Small water glasses
Towards the end of the list, she complained about the “glasses of water” that she said “get old so quickly.”
The TikToker said: “The water is so expensive, there are no free refills, so you just drink this water from this little teacup.”
“I’m so thirsty I couldn’t drink any liquid, no matter how much water I drank, I couldn’t get any liquid in.”
“There’s something in this water, it just doesn’t penetrate the veins, I don’t know.”
No hair conditioner
Finally, her last complaint about Europe was the lack of hair conditioner.
She told viewers: “I think they just don’t believe in hair straighteners. Every hotel we stayed in didn’t have flush.
“It was shower gel and shampoo or a combination of shower gel and shampoo, there was no conditioner anywhere – the hair is dry, that’s all.”
At the end of her video, she explained: “There are a lot of things I liked too, but we were just so homesick after the long absence that we ended up making a list of all the things we noticed that were different than Home.” ‘
However, the video sparked debate in the comments, with Europeans defending their country and Americans agreeing with the TikToker.
Viewers wrote: “I mean I’m only on three on your list and they’re all wrong so far. Will be updated” and “This list is completely false”.
Others agreed: “It’s such a tourist perspective on Europe” and “I’ve got five points and I already know it’s completely wrong.”
Others from the US defended the video, writing: “I couldn’t survive without a farm” and “The lack of flannel is the absolute WORST.”
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
