Visiting the old continent may sound like a dream come true. For years, films have shown us a glamorous and sophisticated Europe, where you can find some of the most gorgeous landscapes and exquisite cuisine. However, these facts are not entirely true. There are a lot of downers when it comes to a holiday in Europe.
Let us begin with their cuisine. Most people believe that food in Europe is gourmet and exclusive, nonetheless, London has been voted by many tourists as the city in Europe with the worst cuisine. Europe’s cuisine is way over-rated, and for that very same reason it is charged more than it is worth.
And while on the subject of prices, it is important to highlight that visiting Europe can be extremely expensive, a fact that is worsened by the current financial crisis. The exchange rate does not benefit those tourists traveling with dollars, especially in London, which is one of the most expensive cities in Europe.
Streets in Europe are dirty, and filled with dog poo. The cities are highly polluted, and since most people in Europe smoke, you will find it very difficult to breathe in clean air. Most buildings are out-dated, and poor looking. In fact, Warsaw, the capital city of Poland, has been voted as the city with the ugliest architecture.
Europe’s crime rate is increasing, and most cities have their own pickpocket armies. So it is very difficult to go for a walk at ease. You have to be very careful, which makes your time in Europe less enjoyable, since you cannot relax. There are also lots of con artists waiting for naive tourists to fall in their traps.
In places like Italy, the laws can be quite different to what you are used to, thus you may end up paying large sums in fines, for doing something that is legal in other places of the world. For example, walking on the streets with an alcoholic beverage is considered to be illegal. Furthermore, sandcastles are illegal in some places of Italy.
Europe is known as one of the most unfriendly places in the world. In some countries, like France, people are not willing to help you, unless you speak their language. People in Europe tend to be cold and distant, and similarly, employees such as hotel receptionists are often rude.
Most European payphones do not have coin slots. They only have calling cards slots. So in the event of an emergency, if you do not have one of these cards, you can be in serious trouble. Plus, payphones are used as public toilets, they are dirty and smelly, and very difficult to find, since there are not many.
So, my advice here is not to believe everything you see on movies or television. You may end up spending lots of money in a glamorous holiday, which may turn out to be a dirty, expensive and unwelcoming experience. If you have high expectations about your European holiday, you will most probably end up being disappointed.
By: Julian Lenox
About the Author:
CEO of Advertizia, Julian J. Lenox comments and reviews websites for Travel and Tourism Top 100, a keen Travel and Tourism websites examinations warehouse. Learn more at Best Holidays In Europe.