Where in the world have you been that was very different to what you’d expected?

[Davespecifico]

For me it was a journey through Montenegro to Kotor. I couldn’t believe the fjords, steep cliffs and cruise ships.

Cairo, Egypt. Not that I expected anything exactly, but it's the only time I experienced true culture shock.

Agree to everyone saying Rome. I had been to Athens before Rome - some reason I expected the same and Athens is quite dirty and chaos. Rome...best place on earth (IMO).

Loved Gdansk & Krakow, like the Polish people.
Surprising: Manila. I knew there would be poverty, but just the crazy mixture of gated estates next to poorer areas, shopping centres with churches in them, crazy mixture of colonial influences.
Surprisingly scary: Reno

Went to Crete with a friend to stay at her Mum's - thought it would just be a nice cheap holiday, but I was blown away! The food was amazing, beautiful beaches, really great. I've traveled a lot (and I'm not from Europe) so was surprised that I was surprised iyswim?

Am howling at the pps who thought Hawaii was too American its IN AMERICA ffs hahahaha

Super thread.
I'm not really well travelled but I was blown away by the magic of Venice. Visit out of season to get a grip on the place.
I also love Rome , Naples , Florence and Sienna for cultural immersion and Sicily for the mix of history.
I have been to the US three times and have been utterly blown away by its physical beauty . Obviously the Californian coast and Yosemite but also Manhattan and Virginia and North Carolina. I adored all these holidays

@cheeseaddict you’re right, Greece’s islands can be spectacular. I’m a long haul stewardess and I’ve been to many exotic beach resorts, and I think you can find some just as stunning in Greece.

Venice - so much more beautiful than I thought it would be. Have been twice - both good times to go - October and January
At the other end of the scale -
San Francisco. Very disappointing. Lots of really grotty, dirty areas and beggars who were not real beggars.

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@Lazi I think you have the wrong thread. Maybe start one in Chat?

For me it was mexico. Somehow I expected it be be deserts filled with cacti and people living in very modest houses . I couldn’t see how I could possibly enjoy a holiday there . Was I wrong ? !we went to cancun and we loved it . Lovely hotels with fabulous staff . Gorgeous white sandy beaches . Perfect blue seas . I could go on and on . I’ve been back a further 4 times and was due to go this July but covid-19 has put paid to that

I liked Paris, but I followed the "no view" rule when eating. If you can see a landmark from your table, the bill jumps 30%. Sunset from the Eiffel tower is amazing, the Ile du Cité is the most romantic place in the world, and the Marais is lovely.

I loved Yellowstone, wonderful scenery, and geysers. And a grizzly! Disappointed in Rotorua, a derelict hotel almost falling into slowly bubbling mud. NY great, Central Park, Top of the Rock, looking down, amazing. Antarctica was unforgettable, pristine, the penguins ignore humans, and are so noisy. But I think the most awesome thing was flying in a helicopter over miles of forest, thinking where is the Grand Canyon, and the earth opens up beneath you. The Colorado river is just a tiny silver ribbon at the bottom.

Carolfuckinbaskins..
Me too
the very first place I ever saw beggars was in Las Vegas in 1978
As well as 65+ women in bright red lipstick and very short togas in the loos in Caesars Palace
telling me it was no life...really strange after being convinced that it would be paradise !
The racism was a shock too , as an English person from Liverpool I was totally unprepared for the open racial prejudice .

Paris ... utterly utterly dreadful , the Louvre was packed with Asian students and the crowds taking selfies by the Mona Lisa were so so disappointing, I would pay to be able to browse the galleries in peace

Morocco is a smelly shit heap unless you can afford the 10 grand a week riads, don’t go on the Berber experience coach trips , rather dangerous and you could unknowingly bring stuff back that will get you into trouble

Cruises- you totally get what you pay for .. I went on a jolly 80’s pop mini cruise and it was just a booze fest
Saved up for a west to east Atlantic crossing and it was bloody great

Brussels and Paris were both awful. It might have been the area of Paris I stayed in (near the Gare du Nord) but it was so unfriendly and intimidating.

Liverpool was great. Lovely city centre and very friendly and welcoming people.

I've travelled a bit and I've found it hard going back to places I really enjoyed when i was younger. I wasn't sure if they'd changed for the worst or I had - but thats definitely applied to San Fran, New York and Barcelona.

Of places I've only visited once I was expecting to be more wowed by Sydney (though I was having a shit time with my BF). And Japan was not as much of a head fuck as i was expecting but I still loved it and would love to go back and see more of it.

I loved Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Madrid, Kenya, and Ankhor Wat.

God, so many.

Amsterdam - beautiful architecture but had a sordid feel to it. I was shocked at the open pissing in the streets. That wasnt in the guide books!

Cyprus - Just barren. Skegness with sun.

Iceland - Magnificent. Beautiful, clean and people were so friendly and happy. V expensive!

Rome - stunning. Loved it more than i thought.

Monaco - dull and small. Resembled a building site.

LA - the poverty was so sad as I wasnt expecting it. The people were so big and tall. The first time I ever saw armed guards at a hotel door too.

Brussels - daytime porn on all the TV channels. The weird roundabout traffic system.

Comments like "Could not find a single restaurant apart from TGI Fridays on every corner. Could not find a cafe/ donut stand/ shop apart from 1 dunkin donughts in a train station. Weird!!!" reflect much more on the laziness of the writer than they do on the city she is disparaging.

On a more positive note, I loved Portugal--especially Porto, the south of Spain, and Sicily.

Pleasantly surprised by Disneyland Florida, love the Scottish Highlands, Norway, Iceland, Singapore, New York, San Francisco, Croatia and anywhere in Italy. Disappointed by Lisbon and always found Paris hard work.

Went to Livingstone to visit Victoria Falls. Expected a prosperous town given the number of tourists. Saw abject poverty BUT, no begging. Everyone did their very best to earn their living, and everyone had business ideas.

I love Rome. I am astounded at the level of history in the buildings in such a small area.

Barcelona. I’ve been many times and love it so much. Amazing food if you put some effort into researching beforehand.

Last time I was there the protests were ongoing and its was fascinating to watch. My teens loved seeing that happening.
Great small boutique hotels that have apartments.

Thailand. I loved it and didn’t see any sex shows where I stayed.
Great massages on the beach for under a tenner. It is where you go in Thailand. It’s not all seedy and partying.

Lyme Regis in Dorset. Packed and expensive and the beach was grotty.

Like lots of others Paris. We went on a college trip and we were harassed everywhere we went. Went back with DH and was just really underwhelmed.

We went to France every year as kids and I just don’t get the hype. My parents love it though.

My favourite city break was Lisbon. You can tell it’s not a wealthy city but the people are so kind and love kids.