I’m not a hypochondriac, but I live in fear of three self-diagnosed travelling syndromes… Are you a fellow sufferer?
Paris Syndrome
The name given to my feelings towards a place I have visited many times and have come to utterly utterly loathe. In the case of the eponymous Paris Syndrome the symptoms were aversion to the smell; the graffiti; the locals; the litter; the strikes.
Why can’t Eurostar link London to somewhere I would want to go back to?
Barcelona Syndrome
The name given to a visit to a city when you get the feeling all the fun is happening in the bar next door, the fun street is the next street over and the edible tapas have been produced in a different kitchen in a different cafe.
Not to be confused with Barcleona Syndrome (Common Variant)
The key symptom to the Common Barcelona Syndrome is that you get mugged in a place but come back thinking the place is wonderful and telling everyone it is your favourite city because you did find the happening bar, the buzzing street scene and had tapas you would sell your children for another sniff of.
Paris Syndrome
The name given to my feelings towards a place I have visited many times and have come to utterly utterly loathe. In the case of the eponymous Paris Syndrome the symptoms were aversion to the smell; the graffiti; the locals; the litter; the strikes.
Why can’t Eurostar link London to somewhere I would want to go back to?
Barcelona Syndrome
The name given to a visit to a city when you get the feeling all the fun is happening in the bar next door, the fun street is the next street over and the edible tapas have been produced in a different kitchen in a different cafe.
Not to be confused with Barcleona Syndrome (Common Variant)
The key symptom to the Common Barcelona Syndrome is that you get mugged in a place but come back thinking the place is wonderful and telling everyone it is your favourite city because you did find the happening bar, the buzzing street scene and had tapas you would sell your children for another sniff of.
The variant applies to everyone I have ever met who has ever been to Barcelona apart from me.
Prague Syndrome
The name given to how you feel about a place you visit at the wrong time of year and with the wrong number of fellow tourists. Sufferers find themselves in a world renowned city or site at the same time as 12 million others. London (my home town) is a busy city, but oh my goodness, Prague in August is something else entirely. It’s also something else in January, when it’s empty and I went back and had the space and peace to fall in love with the place.
Prague Syndrome
The name given to how you feel about a place you visit at the wrong time of year and with the wrong number of fellow tourists. Sufferers find themselves in a world renowned city or site at the same time as 12 million others. London (my home town) is a busy city, but oh my goodness, Prague in August is something else entirely. It’s also something else in January, when it’s empty and I went back and had the space and peace to fall in love with the place.
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