Anyone who is preparing to study abroad or even take a vacation across the border probably has a set of expectations of things they thought they might encounter while away, and many of those things do end up coming to pass, such as language barriers, homesickness, things like that. But there’s always a few odd things that you wouldn’t think to prepare for – some good, some bad, some just kinda unusual. One thing I wasn’t expecting was how much the destinations I visited on the Grand Tour (Italy, France, England, Scotland, and Ireland) catered towards tourists. I was hoping to try as much authentic food as I possibly could while away, but I found it difficult to find real restaurants where locals ate. Most of the restaurants we found served American style food or Americanized versions of local dishes. My tip for anybody planning to go abroad is to do some research before you go on the best places to eat some real authentic food from that country!
