People travel for a variety of reasons, but most of the time that reason is to do/see something. Whether that something is “see the Eiffel Tower”, “Climb Mt. Fuji”, “eat authentic Italian food”, or “watch Manchester United”. I’ve noticed various charms about numerous countries that aren’t necessarily widely known about – and I’ll list my favourite thing(s) about each country I’ve visited.
I had contemplated naming this piece “the best things about each country”, but it’s something I hate other travel bloggers doing as it comes across as definitive and negates individual experiences – I feel it’s more authentic to highlight my opinions on each place as everyone has different observations and opinions.
Spain 🇪🇸
•A country known for its beaches and tourist destinations, I found Spain very welcoming beyond the tourist areas. We visited Montilla in Andalusia during January 2019 as a friend of mine was teaching out there at the time. It is a small town surrounded by vineyards and the locals had heard about a contingent of Irish tourists coming over and rolled out the red carpet for us.
Ireland 🇮🇪
•The ‘craic’ (pronounced crack). Craic is an Irish word with a few meanings. It can mean fun (that was good craic), it can be used as a greeting akin to what’s up (what’s the craic), and it can be used to enquire if the person has any gossip (any craic?). The last has landed a few Irish folk in hot water abroad with people think they were looking for drugs. Irish people’s storytelling, humour, and antics are world renowned and I’ve never experienced anything like it elsewhere.
•Ireland’s West Coast is home to many scenic cliffs and imagery, whilst the Cliffs of Moher may spring to mind, beaches probably don’t, but County Donegal is home to some of the most picturesque sights and beaches imaginable. Murder hole beach, Machaire Rabhartaigh beach and Bunaninver beach are some of the many worth mentioning.
•The people – Irish people are known as been a friendly bunch. And usually you’ll experience them and their craic in full flow.
England 🏴
•Football – England’s Premier League is known as one of the most exciting football leagues in the world. With many of the worlds best footballers on display, you can experience superstar players and a great atmosphere on display.
•The people in England are vastly different depending on what part of the country you are in. I found the people in North England very friendly and welcoming, in contrast to around London where everything is more hectic. When I was in Leeds, I felt people were eager to befriend us (I don’t know if it’s cause we were a group of Irish lads, or if it was because we were just really cool – I presume it was the latter).
•The vibe. Manchester in particular exudes a very unique vibe. It has bounced back from the tragic Manchester attacks to show the world resiliency. The City has adopted the working bee as a sign of its’ community. It has been a symbol of the city since the industrial revolution, but post-attack it has been elevated to the forefront of Mancunian identity.
•Wetherspoons. It seems like every other street in London has a Wetherspoons on it, and we got through as many of them as possible in our 2 days in London. And it’s not just a chain in the capital city. A Wetherspoons pub can be found in most decent sized towns throughout England, occupying interesting buildings. What’s not to love about cheap alcohol and grub?
Poland 🇵🇱
•Food is not something Poland is overly known for, which is a shame – there are Italian and Asian restaurants spread throughout the Western world, but I’ve yet to find a Polish restaurant outside of Poland. I need my fix of perogi (delicious Polish dumplings).
•Soplica is a brand of vodka that specialises in flavoured vodka – imagine Bertie Bott’s Every Flavoured Beans from Harry Potter, but instead of beans it’s vodka. The lemon vodka was a particular nice flavour, and the hazelnut variation tastes like Nutella if mixed with milk!
Portugal 🇵🇹
•The beaches. Like Spain, Portugal is known for its many coastal tourists resorts – with Albufeira in particular being a popular destination for many holiday makers. The beaches and coastal areas in the Algarve region are particularly beautiful.
Italy 🇮🇹
•This one is predictable: food. I love Italian food, constantly eating in Italian restaurants but Italian food in Italy takes it up a notch! A takeaway pizza from a corner kebab shop in Italy is infinitely better than anything you’ll experience at home. Lasagne, pasta, pizza, ice cream. If I lived in Italy I’d need a mobility scooter to get around.
Switzerland 🇨🇭
•Switzerland is so clean. There is no litter on the streets, the water in the lakes is see through. It makes you question why the rivers through other cities are allowed to be so murky with pollution.
•The views are breathtaking. As our plane flew in over the alps; I looked out the window in amazement – Switzerland is famed for its lakes, mountains and breathtaking views – and rightfully so.
France 🇫🇷
•Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world, every street in the city centre houses beautiful, beautiful buildings which house mundane offices, or apartments. Paris is a delight to walk around to just gaze at the architecture.
•Sirop de Picon is a caramel flavoured aperitif popular in north east France. When mixed into beer, it enhances the flavour leaving a delicious caramel flavoured beer.
•The idea of eating snails isn’t one that’s overly appealing. But once you try Escargot there’s no going back. Usually cooked with garlic, and with a texture similar to garlic mushroom – trying escargot was one of my favourite things about my most recent trip to France.
Germany 🇩🇪
•I have written extensively about Beer before, and Germany produces some of the best beer. Famed for Oktoberfest and beer in general, Germany’s place at the top of beer rankings are deserved, and their wheat beers are a personal favourite of mine.
•German style Christmas Markets have popped up all over the western world inspired by those in Germany and throughout continental Europe. Visiting Germany in winter was a big drawing factor for us to experience the markets in Germany, sampling a range of food and drinks. Berlin has dozens of markets, while every German City will have at least one to satisfy locals appetites/thirst.
•The quality of football in Germany is of a similar standard to that in England, however the passion from the fans is unmatched. German fans will sing from kick off until well after full time; and the added bonus of being able to drink in the stands is a huge plus.
Belgium 🇧🇪
•Belgians will argue with you that they make the best beer (and it’s a very hood argument to make). A range of flavoured fruit beer, their own take on wheat beer and just how nice they’ve make their standard lager (Jupiler) justify the Belgian claim to best beer.
Netherlands 🇳🇱
•The Dutch have made valuable contributions to electronic and dance music, with Tiesto, and many of the other top DJs hailing from the land of Oranje. The extent to how ingrained dance music is to Dutch culture is hard to explain – family restaurants are prone to play heavier dance music such as ‘hardstyle’ or ‘gabber’ and it is a sight to behold.
•Amsterdam is famous for its recreational cannabis use, and many tourists go to visit the famous coffee shops – though there are coffee shops scattered throughout the Netherlands with most major cities offering the national plant of Jamaica.
Slovakia 🇸🇰
•I cannot stress how cheap Slovakia was to visit. A huge pizza to fill 2 costs less than €5, a round including beer, wine, and two vodka red bulls cost €3.60, it is home to the cheapest capital city in the EU for buying a pint (70c prices). With An amazing place for your happiness, and wallet (not so much your liver)
•Zlaty Bazant ’73. This is my favourite beer so far. And I’d return to Slovakia for this beer alone.
Czechia 🇨🇿
•Vzorkovna is a bar in Prague, and it’s simultaneously the oddest and most intriguing place I’ve ever drank in. The seating in the bar is a mixture of benches, bunk beds and swings. There’s a sign at the door warning that the premises isn’t responsible for any injuries (or death) that occurs inside. But you enter another world once inside. There is an Irish Wolf Hound roaming the bar, and a very lax attitude inside with a mixture of locals and backpackers all mixing. I recommended the bar to 2 friends who were inter-railing about a month after I’d visited Prague and they had experienced people inside getting haircuts. A fantastic, strange bar.
•The last of the famous beer countries – birthing Pilsner and dozens of brands, Czech beer is widely regarded as some of the nicest in the world and there’s a very tasty reason why people flock to this side of Europe in droves for stag parties.
•Trdlo is a pastry ice cream cone with a cinnamon sugar taste, and it is a MUST try if you visit the Czech Republic.
Austria 🇦🇹
•Vienna is known as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and it lives up to its reputation. The city centre is home to many ornate buildings, opera halls and picturesque buildings. Vienna additionally is home to numerous palaces.
Scotland 🏴
•Buckfast is a tonic wine originally brewed by Benedictine monks in Devon. It has become popularised by Scots and Irish alike, being much more widely available in the 2 Celtic nations than in England where it is actually made, and although an import – it has been taken into Scottish hearts.
