Places that were a let down

[DarcyDear]

Have you ever been anywhere on holiday and felt it wasn’t what you thought it would be? My friend is just back from New York and absolutely hated it. I’ve never been let down by a holiday but I remember being really taken aback at the levels of poverty and homelessness when I visited Los Angeles in my youth.

On reading your post I thought ‘yes it was fab and really authentic when I went in my early twenties twenty years ago’ … then I remembered how old I am now and it was actually 40 Years ago! 😮😅😅😅

@TheAmusedQuail you mentioned living in “nearly all” of your hated countries

which ones have you lived in?

The only place I have been I didn’t like was Sunny Beach in Bulgaria. It was chosen by a family member and we went along with it. Every other holiday I have been on I have loved including the ones that have only been chosen to make life easy with young kids because I have always known roughly what to expect.

We went to San Francisco 14 years ago and absolutely loved it. It has a special place in my heart because we unknowingly went as a couple and came home with an amoeba sized stowaway on board who is now 13! I’m saddened to hear how much it’s changed since we went.

I've experienced the same. When people mention Paris, I remember loving it when I went - then realised that it was 50 years ago! I expect it's changed a bit since then, and even if it hasn't, the things I appreciate now aren't quite the same as the things I loved when I was 18.

My point is I just don’t see how you can write off an entire country, even if you did live there for a bit in ‘2 different areas’. Of course you would have good knowledge and an opinion on the area you actually lived in, but not the whole country (unless the country is San Marino or something). Your stealth (ish) bragging is also super tedious, perhaps your colleagues moved to get away from you 😜

I haven't lived in Greece, although have been on holiday to Rhodes, Corfu, Crete, Athens. But have also travelled as a tourist to other countries and enjoyed them. Not the topic of this thread though.

No stealth bragging at all. Working overseas wasn't particularly aspirational pre Brexit. I know loads of people that did it and a lot who are still overseas. It used to be very very easy to do with open borders.

It honestly wouldn't cross my mind as something to brag about. I only mentioned it in relation to you because your interpretation of me was that I was ignorant of other cultures, which despite being rude, also couldn't be further from the truth.

Incidentally, while in Switzerland I holidayed in Verbier and Zermatt, as well as travelling to Basel. Lausanne and Geneva. Very pretty, but I have zero desire to go back.

I love Switzerland. I’d happily live there, it’s just so darn beautiful. Maybe it’s my age (sixties) as I don’t need have a night life or thrills and everyone’s indoors by 7pm lol. My favourite thing in the whole world is walking along the promenade in Montreux, no where else beats it for me.

I did live there many years ago but can’t afford to go back.

It is beautiful, I agree.

People in real life are always amazed when I say I didn’t like Barcelona. I didn’t enjoy the Ramblas or the city as a whole. I haven’t felt any desire to go back.

You listed Mallorca, US, Greece and Switzerland

which of those have you lived in?

Hated Amsterdam.

Was surprised by Vegas and really enjoyed it, couldn’t get over how clean it was!

London - over commercialised, dirty, crowded, and virtually every person is unpleasant or unfriendly. I've been a few times over my 50+ years and never liked it as a child, an adult or a nearly OAP, going for different reasons over the years, but never been impressed. It just seems to get worse as time passes and it was pretty grim a few decades ago!

When you came to London… where did you go and for what purpose? Theatre?

Can you not tell when someone is trying not to out themselves online?

Take the hint!

Nowadays it means you own County Wicklow. Or something.

Ok so none aside from Switzerland

got it

@NonHighStreetClothes we go to Stockholm most new years and used to go to Malmo a lot when we lived in Copenhagen - I love love love Sweden - I can see it wouldn’t be for everyone, if you want perpetual sun, palm trees and lots of holiday style nightlife then it wouldn’t be for you - but I found it friendly, ordered and very high standards!!

Whatever you want.

Let's put it this way, I've lived in 7 different countries.

Whereas I assume you've only ever been a tourist. Now bog off.

Maybe you need a holiday?!

Defo not to Switzerland et al.

Where ?? Sounds lovely

Good grief no

Somewhere super relaxing for you

I took it that that poster possibly meant they had one Irish, one British parent. Or that they have Irish ancestry but grew up in UK.

But if that's the case it's an inaccurate use of the term Anglo-Irish which is a reference to the English Ascendancy in Ireland in colonial times

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Irish_people

But perhaps i'm wrong & that poster is the daughter of The Knight of Glin etc

@TheAmusedQuail I don’t like Switzerland much either and I’ve been lots with work to different bits and also Nannied there for a while mid 90s both ski resort and Zurich . I found it stuffy, formal and things always ‘shut’ - plus an awful lot of drug issues in some bits. I’ve had shop doors shut in my face at 12.25 because the owner was’shutting for lunch’ several times and on no account would they serve me . It’s also enormously expensive for often very average quality and whilst alpine parts are indeed beautiful a lot of it is I think suprisingly austere and not friendly . Give me Bavaria any day and that’s noted for being snooty too !! I think it’s possibly very different if your only experience is a ski trip in Grindelwald or a few days in Geneva - actually being round the cities ? Certainly I wouldn’t pick it myself, Zurich was better - but even then still very expensive and a bit dull and all about expensive purchases and I’ve preferred other places