I felt the same way when I travelled to Lisbon, London, Paris, Rome, Naples, Amsterdam … Why so much graffiti everywhere and trash all over the nice historic buildings? Dont the locals care about their country? I can imagine how beautiful the cities used to look and historic buildings without all the garbage strewn everywhere, thousands of cigarette butts and graffiti every 10 steps and the feeling the cities are caked in a sticky dust. Almost wanted to take a paint brush and some high power water hose and clean it. My grandeose imaginations of Europe became covered in graffiti, trash and cigarette butts
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Well a lot of Taiwanese end up married and staying in China so it’s not ‘barely any’, it must in the hundreds of thousands . Agree that large numbers would like to retire back in Taiwan but like all emigrants it may or may not be practical.
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They are living cities not just for tourists.
Besides I visited Amsterdam and London relatively recently I didn’t find them dirty at all except for in some nightlife area ‘the morning after’ . Their waterways and air is exceptionally clean compared to Asia.
Graffiti and posters are part of European culture, linked with politics.
Every city is a living city, what does that even mean lol. The only land built for tourists is Disneyland
I guess its dirtier than what I was used to growing up in California. I always imagined London being clean. Went to Paris once in 1999 and it was very,very clean back then, Me and my family were incredibly impressed by Paris back then. I think this is where I got the idea Europe is so clean but Amsterdam still had a lot of Graffiti back in 1999. I don’t care political or not it makes their country look horrible and ragged. Politics and be expressed in better ways than tagging, trashing your home.
I spent 3 weeks in Italy, Id have to say I experienced some of the dirtiest air outside of Beijing/Shanghai there. Besides the countryside such as Tuscany which was clean.
I just went to London a few months ago, definitely not clean and homeless everywhere around Westminster.
Parts of Europe look like a 3rd world country, in fact Portugal does for sure and Naples…When I got back to Taipei it felt like Taipei was definitely first world compared to that part of Europe.
London is not very clean, but compares to Paris and Rome, it’s a few leagues higher. Rome is appallingly filthy and Paris is not far behind. Rome also takes the cake of the worst public transportation of any major city in Western Europe. I guess there are too many ancient ruins there.
I had the same experience in Milan. When I went there I thought I was back to Taipei on a very hazy day. Ew.
Agreed London is definitely cleaner than Rome and Paris of today. Berlin was clean too…I think the cleanest of the major European cities I’ve visted so far, though had its not so nice areas but were still cleaner than Rome
Vienna is the cleanest. It’s the only European city that I’ve been to that checks all the positive boxes. Next to zero homelessness (something you don’t see in most of Europe these days), clean streets, and very little crime.
Honey, even we 3rd world countries are not covered in garbage everywhere. There are dirty places, there are not so dirty places.
Yea I’d like to go there someday and Prague. I guess I had higher expectations of the places I visited in Europe in my imagination based on my past experiences there over 20 yrs ago. Want to visit the Nordic countries too.
Though Rome was dirty, there were nice places I visited such as Florence, Tuscan countryside, Amalfi Coast,.
Its always been like that in MIlan, appalling air quality, probably worst in Europe.
You haven’t been to Stockholm and Scandinavia?
Unless they have gone down hill since last there.
Even Irelands cities and towns are pretty clean these days and the countryside in Ireland and UK incredibly well maintained compared to most countries. The countryside literally gleams in the Summer. When I was a youngster Dublin was the famous filthy ‘dirty old town’.
We have to remember the overwhelming number of tourists in Europe and also rising populations .
I have been to Stockholm and saw quite a few homeless people lying on the street. Nothing compares to Paris or Brussels but I don’t think I saw even one in Vienna.
Yea I dont doubt the countrysides in these countries are nice. Even in Uk, Italy and Portugal the countryside was nice.
You can fish for your supper in the center of Stockholm. It’s pretty incredible.
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You want fishing? Hell I can get you fishing. I can get you shrimp fishing on the 12th floor of a high-rise in downtown Taipei. With scantily clad females baiting your hook.
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Could be a good promotional angle. “Taiwan–Scandanavia with an Update”
Well, if it is the kind of place you’d bring tourists to, let us know.
you can do this in Victoria harbour as well nowadays.
Good to know. Would you eat the fish ?
should be okay, if you can swim there im sure you can eat the fish as well.