American student divides opinions on a long list of things she likes about Europe
An American TikToker has shared everything she loved about Europe during her trip to France, Spain and Italy.
It comes after she faced backlash for her first video, in which she trashed all the things she didn’t like.
The TikTok by @thestrawberryannie has been seen by more than 216,000 people – she previous where she complained about not enough sauces and no free water, was viewed by 4.8 million people.
She explained, “After I posted that video about the things I didn’t like about Europe, so many people said, ‘I’m never going to travel again,’ so I made a list of all the things I liked about Europe. ‘
Read on for the travel pro’s full list of what she really liked.
An American TikToker has shared everything she loved about Europe during her trip to France, Spain and Italy
The clubs
The first thing that received praise from the American was the European club scene.
She said: ‘Firstly the clubs were clashing, the only thing that was weird was there were a lot of 16 year olds in there smoking cigarettes and I’m like 24 so I was like ‘what are you doing here?’ but otherwise the music was great.’
“They played a lot of American hits and a lot of Spanish hits too, which I think was great.”
Public transport
She also liked that there was plenty of public transport, explaining: ‘Public transport is very good for the environment.
‘If you were just driving, it would take two to three times as long, but I like that it’s quite affordable and good for the environment.’
One commenter advised ‘you’re actually faster on public transport’.
Servers leave you alone
The TikToker’s third thing she liked was that the servers at restaurants “leave you alone.”
She said, “I love that, they don’t keep asking you, ‘Are you okay?’ do you need something?’ which I like because I ask everything when they first come to the table and I never need them again because I’m a simple girl.’
No tips or sales tax
Similar to her last point, she added, “I love that there are no tips or sales tax.
“We’ve come home and the way Americans, every time you buy something, anywhere, they turn that stupid screen around and they say, ‘I’m just going to ask you a few questions.’
“You have to tip when you buy the stupidest things, it’s just crazy.”
Although one viewer corrected her in the comments, writing: ‘You’re definitely supposed to tip in Europe too. maybe not that much, but typically we service people expect about 5-10%.”
She explained: “After I posted that video about the things I didn’t like about Europe, so many people said ‘I’m never going to travel again,’ so I made a list of all the things I liked about Europe.”
Languages
Annie also told viewers that she enjoyed learning different languages.
She explained, “With language, it’s really cool to hear all these different languages and they love it when you try to learn their language and talk to them in their language.
“I would definitely recommend learning hello, goodbye, how are you, thank you, things like that.”
Yachts
Moving on to more niche items on the list, she said she enjoys looking at all yachts:
‘It’s really fun to walk around and look at all the yachts that the rich Americans have along the coast of Europe.
“We just thought it would be fun to point it out to them and say, ‘Oh, that’s the person who owns Walmart.’
Architecture and history
The travel professional continued, “Obviously the architecture, the history and the colors are so rich and if you’re a history person, it’s better than anything America will ever have.
“Those buildings are better than anything in America. The mountains and beaches, no, I think America beat them there.
“Maybe not the Swiss Alps, but yes.”
Walking on cobblestones and various ambulance sounds
She added two more strange compliments to the list: walking on cobblestones and the various ambulance sounds:
‘Walking on cobblestones is fun, I felt like a little person from the Victorian Renaissance.
“All their ambulances sound different and it’s really cool to hear the different little noises.”
Only the army had weapons
She explained that she felt “so safe” in Europe because “the only people tied up were the military and the police.”
Adding: ‘No one else had guns because that’s a crime there, so I felt safe 24/7.
“We even walked home for about 40 minutes in the middle of the night and we didn’t feel threatened at all.”
One European commented: ‘I wouldn’t say it’s as safe and gun-free anymore, but compared to the US I understand your point of view.’
Misuse
She then praised the number of people who use bile instead of cars.
Annie said: ‘There are bikes everywhere, they are so cute, there aren’t many cars so the air just smells fresher and it’s just better for the environment and better for your health.’
Cheap drinks and food
She said: ‘Sometimes the alcohol is cheaper than the water, they really like their alcohol there. Well, I guess we do too,” which seemed controversial.
One shocked viewer commented: ‘There is EXACTLY no country where alcohol is cheaper than water.’
Street markets and ‘fearless children’
Towards the end of her list, the influencer said, “There are cute little street markets and farmers markets like everywhere, and every day it’s just so cute and I love buying things.”
She was also surprised that children were “fearless”, adding: “Kids just walk to school alone, just walking, without parents around.” It’s a safe place.’
More nudity
She continued, “I saw a lot of people without bras, a lot of naked people on the beach, mothers breastfeeding their children in public, no shame.
‘Especially in the south, I have the feeling that it is still a bit taboo in the US, but in Europe they don’t care and I like that.’
Free healthcare
Finally, the TikToker talked about free healthcare, even though it confused her.
She wondered, “Finally, free health care, which is confusing because I talked to a couple from Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, among other places, and one of the girls said she pays $150 a month for health care.
“Then another girl said her taxes are very high, so is it really free if you pay more taxes for it?”
A Spanish viewer explained that ‘health care is free. At least in Spain. As soon as you start working, a small part of your salary goes to taxes for health care.’
An American agreed: “Health care and education are so affordable in Europe that it is almost free compared to the enormous costs here.
“As an American, when you get older and need medications and surgeries, it costs thousands of dollars a year, it’s insane.
“One surgery after the insurance, they still wanted to charge me $160,000!”
Annie concluded her follow-up videos with the warning, “Anyway, don’t take everything I said I didn’t like and decide you never want to go there again because it’s still a great experience and I’ll continue with it.”
“I’m just a spoiled brat of an American and I like convenience and I like comfort and I like my home too.”