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Original poster

What did you think would be more glamorous or impressive than it was?

407 replies

SugarMouseTown · 18/10/2021 11:59

As a kid I thought that being an actor would be fun and exciting and I'm sure it has its moments but watching the behind the scenes videos much of it looks miserable and dull. Especially action movies where they're required to get drenched with every substance known to man and have explosions and fire going off around them.

What didn't live up to expectations for you?

OP posts:

Imissmoominmama · 18/10/2021 13:27

I loved Venice, Paris and Copenhagen .

I didn’t expect to like Eurodisney, but I at least thought it might be impressive- instead I found it as creepy as fuck.

Hotels. Much prefer to rent an apartment.

TellingBone · 18/10/2021 13:39

The Vatican. Apart from the Sistine Chapel [I didn't scream. There were professional 'shushers' standing on platforms otherwise I no doubt would have as per MN tradition] it was tapestry after tapestry after tapestry with the occasional bust on a table.

Tabitha005 · 18/10/2021 13:40

The Ivy restaurant. I found it almost like a 'fast food' experience and somewhere that seems to live on its (hugely undeserved, imho) reputation, without much care or thought going into actually making customers feel special.

The serve was haphazard, impersonal and curt. We were never served by the same person twice.

The food was average and, frankly, the steak I ordered was the worst I've ever been served in any restaurant, let alone one with the reputation of The Ivy (tough as old shoe leather, despite being ordered rare and seemed like a very cheap cut). I had a couple of pieces to make absolutely sure I wasn't imaging just how bad it was and then asked for it to be returned.

Even the cocktails were 'meh'.

There are much, MUCH nicer restaurants within spitting distance of The Ivy (L'Escargot, Rules) that are definitely a lovelier experience all-round.

FKATondelayo · 18/10/2021 13:48

I didn't mind the Vatican but the Uffizi in Florence is a load of shite.

Art galleries generally, especially with children. I'm starting to think paying £20 a head to look at some boring old pictures is the biggest confidence trick / fraud of our time.

FKATondelayo · 18/10/2021 13:50

I mean did anyone really think in lockdown - wow I can't wait for this to be over so I can pay £££ to go into a darkened room and look at a picture of some dead bloke I've never heard of.

Maireas · 18/10/2021 13:52

Paris.
So dirty.

Pootles34 · 18/10/2021 13:52

The Scotland Yard sign! The one that twirls round that they show in news reports? Bloody tiny.

Maireas · 18/10/2021 13:52

Chanel no5.
No more glamorous than L'Aimant or Charlie

Maireas · 18/10/2021 13:54

Tea at the Ritz. Better sarnies at Betty's tearooms.

BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 18/10/2021 13:57

On holiday in New Zealand we took a helicopter flight to the top of a glacier. The flight was excellent but the weather had been quite warm so when we hopped out to walk around a bit I instantly sank to above my knees in soggy glacier. There was a teenage boy on the flight with huge feet and very skinny body and he could walk around fine, but I have small feet and am tubby. Now logically I knew that snow fell and then got compacted to ice by the weight of the snow on top of it but somehow I had expected to walk around on a hard surface, or at least crunchy but resistant snow. It was so far from the exhilarating experience that I expected and I just wanted to get back into the helicopter and get back to the hotel to change into dry clothes.

marmiteloversunite · 18/10/2021 14:02

The Northern lights. They just looked grey to me.

Lizzy1980 · 18/10/2021 14:04

@ProudMaiasaura

New York, genuinely can't think of a single positive about the place but others rave about it. Maybe I'm too poor to enjoy New York properly.

Same here. Had a good time but that was only because of the people I was with. I found every aspect disappointing. I saved beforehand so that I would have plenty of cash for the amazing shopping I’d heard so much about but don’t think I bought a thing for myself, just a few gifts for my parents and sister. Came home with most of the money I’d taken which paid for an absolutely lovely holiday in Greece a few months later. The worst part was that the trip had been very kindly paid for by my friend as a surprise so I had to act like I was thoroughly enjoying every minute of it 😬

Soggychip · 18/10/2021 14:12

Definitely Rome, Athens, Los Angeles and Paris. Just sprawl with masses of graffiti and rubbish and in the case of LA loads of druggies and a sense of impending trouble in quite a few areas.

politics4me · 18/10/2021 14:13

Eden Project is dismal.

The slowest ticket staff in the world and they keep trying to get your email and want you to sign up to things. NO just take my money and let us in ffs!

MsTSwift · 18/10/2021 14:17

How the hell can you say Venice?! It’s stunning. But we went summer 2020 when it was pretty much empty. Best trip ever even teens blown away.

Phyllis321 · 18/10/2021 14:18

A party on a boat on the Thames. It was a bit boring after a while and I couldn’t leave.

Enterthedragons · 18/10/2021 14:21

Bali.
Afternoon tea at The Sanderson.

Geamhradh · 18/10/2021 14:21

@MsTSwift

How the hell can you say Venice?! It’s stunning. But we went summer 2020 when it was pretty much empty. Best trip ever even teens blown away.

Over-hyped, over-priced. It's pretty enough, but there are more beautiful places. Venetians are also a bit famed in the rest of Italy for whining about a) too many tourists (while being happy enough to charge 10x more for a coffee than you'd pay in Rome) b) not enough tourists and they're all going to starve. This also colours my opinion.

Worldgonecrazy · 18/10/2021 14:22

Royal Enclosure at Ascot. It’s huge and not very exclusive. And then you realise that within the Royal Enclosure is the real Royal Enclosure which plebs can’t get tickets for unless well connected.

London Ritz, unlike the Paris Ritz which is amazing.

Modelling. Holding poses which are incredibly painful and awkward in order to look natural. No my spine can’t rotate 180 degrees, and it’s bloody freezing and my skin is screaming from the depth of make up applied.

BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 18/10/2021 14:23

I'm going to see Petra in Jordan in a couple of years, I've wanted to see it for ages and I'm trying not to build it up too much in my mind as I will be gutted if it's underwhelming.

I liked New York and Paris, I was expecting to find it all too much, too unfriendly, too loud and too dirty but felt very comfortable in both cities.

cptartapp · 18/10/2021 14:23

The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen.
The Colosseum In Rome. EL Djem in Tunisia was a far more impressive amphitheatre. Smaller but more intact, way less tourists, and you could climb all over it top to bottom.

FinallyHere · 18/10/2021 14:26

Chocolate Oliver Biscuits.

Russell19 · 18/10/2021 14:27

Capri, Italy. Not at all as glam as I thought

Fluffymule · 18/10/2021 14:30

The Grand Canyon. Flew over it by helicopter before landing in it for an overnight stay at a ranch lodge.

Maybe my expectations were too high or had falsely informed by some of the stunning cinematography in nature documentaries where it looks so impressive.

IRL, from the air it just looked like a big crack in the rocks below, no sense of scale at all.

olidora63 · 18/10/2021 14:30

@MsTSwift

How the hell can you say Venice?! It’s stunning. But we went summer 2020 when it was pretty much empty. Best trip ever even teens blown away.

Same here …we had young children with us as well ! Definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever been too.

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