A solo female traveler has revealed the three European countries she wishes she had skipped.
Travel and food blogger Sooyeon, who stops by @soos.alimentos online, he traveled to 17 different cities, from Porto to Prague and from Seville to Salzburg.
But some of the major cities on her tour left her disappointed.
His list began with the capital of Spain: “First is Madrid; the main reason is that I went to Madrid and Barcelona on the same trip and I feel that Madrid didn’t have that many things to do, at least for me, apart from the palace and the museums.
“If I had to do this trip again, I would probably skip Madrid and spend more time in Barcelona.”
Travel and food blogger Sooyeun backpacked from Porto to Paris and Prague last year and revealed the three cities she would skip if she had the time again.
Madrid (pictured, the Cathedral of Santa María la Real de La Almudena) was first on the list, and the 22-year-old upset some by saying she preferred Barcelona.
Second on her list was Catania, Sicily, where she suggested she didn’t feel entirely safe as a single woman.
Second on Sooyeun’s list was the Sicilian city of Catania.
“I went in hoping it would be a nice vacation in Italy,” he recalled, “but the town seemed a little run down and wasn’t the safest.”
The 22-year-old traveler explained that locals were staring at her and that made her feel uncomfortable.
Finally, and possibly most divisive, was Berlin, where he admitted he would “love to live.”
Sooyeun was particularly impressed by the “cool cafes, shops and streets”, however, she felt alienated from the city by the abundance of museums, especially history ones, compared to other tourist opportunities.
He also admitted that at this stage of his European tour he was “feeling a lot of museum fatigue.”
The food blogger’s other issue with Germany’s capital was its lack of “authentic local food options” compared to a thriving international food scene.
Sooyeun was documenting what she ate in many of the cities in separate vlogs, so she had focused on sticking to traditional cuisine.
One comment suggested that “if you didn’t like Berlin it means you didn’t know where to go,” while someone else said it was a “must see.”
Others insisted: ‘Berlin has much more than history museums.
‘Skip Berlin? You have to be kidding: it is one of the best cities in Europe and there is a lot to do.
‘Sedan? There is a lot to do and see and I didn’t spend all my time in the museum. I’m sorry you missed a lot!’
The backpacker responded that while she knew Berlin was supposed to have great nightlife, she didn’t try it because, as a solo tourist, she felt unsafe going out clubbing late.
There were also many comments in defense of Madrid, and the mention of Barcelona apparently also grated on some nerves.
Sooyeun told her followers on TikTok that Catania (pictured) did not live up to her expectations.
Berlin was the third, and perhaps most controversial, inclusion, and said it was experiencing “museum fatigue.” In the photo: Berlin Cathedral on Museum Island.
While most of the angry comments were in defense of Madrid and Berlin, one TikTok user joked: “I’ve never been to Catania, but I’ll add it right to the top of my list if you don’t like Berlin and Madrid.”
‘Madrid is much better than Barcelona, there is a lot to do!’
“Madrid is much better than Barcelona and people are simply not prepared for it.”
‘Barcelona better than Madrid?’
Fewer people came to Catania’s defense, perhaps because it is a smaller place and a less popular tourist spot than the other two.
However, one commenter joked: “I’ve never been to Catania, but I’ll add it straight to the top of my list if you don’t like Berlin and Madrid.”