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To ask what famous landmark or must visit place/thing were you secretly underwhelmed by?

750 replies

Midge1978 · 12/09/2017 23:33

I went to stonehenge this year and whilst I was trying to get in touch with my inner druid, trying to project historical importance and mystery onto the place, I just couldn't escape the feeling that I was just looking at some very old stones and it was actually (whisper) a little bit boring!! Dh thought it was all marvellous though so I have never told him!!!

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PlayOnWurtz · 13/09/2017 21:42

Easily! Trust me I was heartbroken. I love Italy I have always dreamt of going to Rome but it was the most miserable underwhelming weekend I've ever experienced on holiday

TulipsInAJug · 13/09/2017 21:52

Has anyone mentioned Ephesus yet? Truly amazing and spectacular, especially in the evening when all the crowds are gone and the sun is setting - just magical.

I've been underwhelmed by Edinburgh castle, leaning tower of Pisa, Venice (crowded and tacky), and the White House (tiny and grubby).

I did think the pyramids were pretty amazing but not as awesome as the Valley of the Kings or some of the ancient temples around it.

The great wall of China is awe-inspiring. As is the Winter Palace (Hermitage museum) in St Petersburg.

My mum went to Macchu Pichu and was very underwhelmed.

VanillaSugar · 13/09/2017 21:53

I LOVED Ephesus!

Puzzledandpissedoff · 13/09/2017 21:57

Have a look at the reviews for speedwell cavern

I don't think I dare ... it's in my county and notorious as one of the shabbiest tourist destinations of all. It's always a bit sad to see lines of folk coming off the boats after being relieved of lots of money along with their hopes for an interesting visit

Lovely countryside in the area though Smile

HolaWeenie · 13/09/2017 22:01

The Mona Lisa, very disappointing. The tourists crowding in front of it taking selfies didn't help my enjoyment. I've visited a fair few galleries and have enjoyed famous pieces up close and relatively undisturbed, so I don't think it's helped there was a crowd of 30+ people surround it jostling for position.

Nakedavenger74 · 13/09/2017 22:05

Some of these are ridiculously reductive. Hadrians Wall 'a pile of bricks', the Grand Canyon 'a big hole'. Unsurprisingly people who were blown away by them actually took time to experience them (hiking, camping, rafting) rather than just have a quick look two metres from the car hoping for some kind of epiphany.

When you hike Hadrian's Wall knowing it's history, how and why it was built, the ancient stones and imagine those Roman Centurians standing for hours in such a landscape often with the biting wind and driving rain alone for hours it becomes something quite different. Plus the scenery is spectacular.

Having been to many areas of stunning natural beauty (Canada, California, NZ, Australia, Scotland, Nevada) I'm constantly depressed by the hordes of people who barely get past the car park to take a picture, say how unimpressive it is and leave to go and do some shopping. Saying that it frees up the stunning walks for us... barely a soul to be seen.

This is why Lands End is such a massive mess. Loads of people making long trips to see 'some cliffs'. Not enough excitement clearly so they build a bloody funfair there.

I remember an American couple who were miserable they hadn't seen any bears in Canada and declared it a disappointment. Turns out they never moved from the towns/cities as those were 'the attractions'

BBTHREE76 · 13/09/2017 22:08

Sorry to repeat what's already been said but my biggest disappointment was Paris! It was a dirty scummy hole of a place. It's depicted as romantic etc but it was just seedy and dirty.

Blackcatonthesofa · 13/09/2017 22:14

I'm dutch, live in Amsterdam and I don't like the nights watch by Rembrandt. I know that it's our most famous painting and all that but... it's gloomy and ugly Confused

BitOutOfPractice · 13/09/2017 22:14

I felt the same about Paris. Also underwhelmed by Florence. Soooo many cars and rather grubby. Devlin leaves me cold too

Walnutwhiplash · 13/09/2017 22:26

Agree with pp re Florence - the Duomo looks like a bingo hall, all that blingy coloured marble

expatinscotland · 13/09/2017 22:30

' the Grand Canyon 'a big hole'. Unsurprisingly people who were blown away by them actually took time to experience them (hiking, camping, rafting) rather than just have a quick look two metres from the car hoping for some kind of epiphany. '

Oh, I took time to experience the Grand Canyon, but I'd been to a number of other canyons that blew me away far more. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, for example. Not as large, but just, more impressive IMO.

expatinscotland · 13/09/2017 22:34

'I remember an American couple who were miserable they hadn't seen any bears in Canada'

The last fucking thing I ever wanted to see in Canada or any other place is a bear. We did see a crowd of tourists chasing after and cornering a young moose in order to photograph it whilst in Grand Teton park, tried to inform them that it was pawing the ground and lowering its antlers because it was likely to charge, but none of them spoke English so we just carried on.

strawberrisc · 13/09/2017 22:34

The Pyramids in Birkenhead. Big fucking let down.

To ask what famous landmark or must visit place/thing were you secretly underwhelmed by?
PetalMettle · 13/09/2017 22:42

Rome is run down that's certainly true

MaroonPencil · 13/09/2017 22:47

Re the White House debate, I think the issue may be that when you imagine it, you imagine the top pic but the view you get from the street is the second photo. Just driving past, it looked much smaller than I had thought. It is also,possible that I had got it muddled up with the Senate in my mind...like being disappointed in 10 Downing St because it isn't the Palace of Westminster.

To ask what famous landmark or must visit place/thing were you secretly underwhelmed by?
To ask what famous landmark or must visit place/thing were you secretly underwhelmed by?
MongerTruffle · 13/09/2017 22:49

Anything to do with Paris is overrated (and I say that as a French teacher).

MSLehrerin · 13/09/2017 22:54

The Little Mermaid
Edinburgh Castle
Madrid (full of beggars and dirty)
Barcelona (don't get the hype!)
The Algarve (lovely beaches but the rest of the place is like a poorly organised and dirty Spain - which I love. Great golf courses though, too!)
Bruges (see Barcelona)
Disneyland Paris (found it creepy - don't ask me why!)
Phantasialand in Germany (another creepy theme park. Is it me??!)

Places I've loved:
Berlin
Munich
The Austrian lakes and mountains. Simply stunning.
The Vendée area of France
Copenhagen

BonnieF · 13/09/2017 23:09

Maroon

I agree about the White House. It isn't that small, it's just dwarfed by the Capitol, which is probably what many people are thinking of before visiting Washington.

dnwig · 13/09/2017 23:19

Venice.

The Eden Project.

I like Edinburgh though wouldn't pay to go in the castle.

deadringer · 13/09/2017 23:26

Haven't rtft but I was really disappointed with pompeii. I learned about it as a child and was always fascinated by it. It was such a let down to visit, it was just a bunch of ruins. I mean I expected that, but I thought that they would have had lots of ash covered artefacts, human remains etc but apparently they are all in museums. There was a ruin of a house, but I couldn't get any sense of how it would have looked, if they had just had a picture or something that showed how it might have looked it would have been more interesting. Even a mini museum with clothes and utensils from the period (reproductions obviously), but there was almost nothing to look at.

SirRaymondLuxuryYacht · 13/09/2017 23:26

The Holy Stone of Clonrichert. Although I've heard it's been upgraded now.

UrsulaPandress · 13/09/2017 23:33

Nothing to look at in Pompeii? I must have gone to a different one.

GrockleBocs · 13/09/2017 23:48

I liked a lot of the things mentioned like The Great Barrier Reef, Vegas, NY, Sydney Opera House etc. I love a good museum too.
Things that disappointed were:
The Mona Lisa. Tiny, dark and far away.
The Guggenheim in NY. To be fair we'd spent hours in MOMA and the visiting exhibit at the Guggenheim was niche.
Tulum in Mexico. We ended up in a US tour group with them all fainting at 300 year old beams and we got the giggles.

EamonnWright · 13/09/2017 23:53

I didn't know how to take Pompeii. I'd a picture in my head from Latin in school that obviously couldn't be replicated.

Similar to La Rochelle in France.

BoysofMelody · 14/09/2017 00:00

Empire state building. I was neither over or under whelmed, I was merely whelmed. I think - much like the Mona Lisa - you've seen it reproduced so many times that there's not the freshness of seeing it for the first time. I remember thinking 'yeah looks like it does in the films'

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