Tourist sparks debate after sharing everything that’s wrong with ‘grim’ UK
The UK, like any country really, can be pretty baffling to those who come to visit for the first time.
And Brits have had to occasionally step in a few times regarding people encountering our culture online - with many quick to defend our 'rude' pub names or what we define as a Chinese takeaway.
One tourist has left people with mixed opinions, however, after she shared her thoughts on parts of the UK on Twitter after visiting.
Alison K. Montijin, who is from the Netherlands, recently shared her disappointment with the ‘grim’ UK after visiting for a trip.
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She wrote: “Much of the UK looks and feels like a poor country. We visit from NL, and it's shocking at times.
“Everything's tatty. Dysfunctional, high streets boarded up, trains and buses no shows, broken machines, signs of decay and poverty everywhere. It doesn't have to be like that.”
She then continued the thread by saying that the above case isn’t true for ‘pockets of loveliness’ like most of Cambridge, parts of London, parts of York and ‘well-heeled posh villages’, but stood true to her opinion that the majority is in disrepair.
“But the majority is grim. It is disgraceful how run-down it has been allowed to get,” she wrote, continuing to say that it’s 'all political choice, all fixable'.
She also mentioned the 'ever-growing number of pawn shops, frequently situated next to betting shops' and advertisements for short-term loans with pay on instalment options, describing it as 'really bloody awful'.
Adding: “I cannot wait for the Tories to be out of power.”
And some Twitter users were left somewhat offended by her comments.
One wrote: “York's generally quite nice. Perhaps get out a bit more?” whilst another hit back with a sarcastic: “Yeah & everything is perfect where you live”
A third said that they 'didn't get that impression at all' when visiting from Germany this year, adding that they also went to 'different towns'.
And someone else said that they'd take living in the UK over the US anyday.
However, a majority of Brits actually agreed with Alison’s viewpoint that the UK is in tatters.
One wrote: “Agreed, I live in the North East and our town centre looks like a run down dystopian hell. It's amazing how quickly everything has fallen apart.”
Whilst another traveller added: “Visiting from Sweden at the moment, exactly the same perception. You don’t realise how bad it is until you leave for a bit to somewhere that isn’t entirely falling apart and then come back.”
A third wrote: “You are right. We travel around the UK often and lots of towns are very grim, empty shops, dirty streets, and a feeling of despair.
"The shops that are open are vape, betting shops and pubs. #ToriesBrokeBritain”
And a final person just said: "Yup. Decay."
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Harley Young