To ask what you dreamed would be fabulous but is actually maybe a bit shit

[hitsvilleuk]

I think this about lots of things to do with celebrity lives, when I was younger I thought it all would amazing now not so sure.

A particular one I have is that I always longed for a villa on the Italian lakes. We went to a hotel there one year for 5 days ( in the same village as George Clooney ) It pissed down for 3 days. Everything was dark and damp and that combined with the endless queuing for flights and the thought of maintaining a property in another country sort of did for the dream. Not achievable without a lottery win anyway but now I don't even want it.

Anyone else got stuff like this or that they actually got and then thought 'meh'. I seem to have it about more and more things as I get on - I just don't want stuff anymore. Is it just to do with age?

@Mapletreelane

Paris. Smell of wee everywhere, very dirty,.groups of men everywhere either trying to sell you tat or just being generally anti-social, so many beggars on streets and metro. Didn't feel safe at all. Been there four times and each subsequent time tried to keep an open mind but was just disappointed.

I am a huge francophile and speak French and have spent much time is some beautiful places there, but Paris has disappointed me. And I've lived half my life in London so not cityphobic. Puzzles me why i can't see past the bad things and enjoy Paris .

Gosh yes, Paris absolutely stinks of wee, it is like walking through a urinal. I was also harassed everywhere I went, groped, bottom pinched, lecherous men everywhere. Horrible.

@Zancah

Lapland.

Kids scared shitless of Father Christmas, indifferent about the snow, absolutely knackered and hard work because of how overwhelming it all was.
It was an ABSOLUTE fortune too. Thanks kids - a complete waste of time!

Thanks for posting this. Been saving for years to go, feeling like I won't be able to save quickly enough to take my three before it's too late. I can redirect those savings now 😊🙏

Friday evenings. In my mind I picture a fun evening with wine and snacks and a movie. In reality I am so tired I skip dinner and go to bed by 8.

Sat mornings are ace though😊

romantic love

Along the Mr Frosty line - Doodle Bear. That thing did not come out the washing machine nice and clean and just looked like a wrecked bear in no time. Like wise, virtual pets. Once you had “fed” and “played” with them you had to abandon them until they beeped again.

Thankfully I had been warned about LA so when me and my friend went, we stayed in a hotel smack bang next to Disney (sorry I love it disagree with Disney being overhyped - don’t hate me!) then moved to a hotel next to universal studios and just took a quick taxi trip to see Walk of Fame and Hollywood sign, Very underwhelming they were. Much lovelier beaches and towns as we explored the rest of California, plus national parks like Yosemite were amazing.

USA I recommend highly the New England corner. Some amazing national parks and towns to see. Never felt unsafe up there.

Other overrated stuff:

Gel nails. And getting nails done all the time. If lockdown has taught me one thing, I don’t need to constantly be done and in reality gel nails only look good for a week tops anyway because the nail starts to grow and leaves a gap. Only getting them done nicely for holidays from now on.

Likes on social media.

Over priced economy air line seats. I’ve been lucky to have flown a lot and to be perfectly frank, all economy seats are exactly the same, particularly long haul. Go with the cheapest. The food is the same, it’s generally the same chair with a different coloured fabric on each one ~ virgin, BA, aer Lingus, Norwegian....no difference. Just g9 with the airline that offers the best deal and time. Most apparent “added extras” are overhyped and you’ll still get off feeling achy, tired sick and hungry altogether.

Getting my dream job, complete with my own large, fancy office. Even had my full name and posh job title on the door.

Long story short, the job utterly depressed me and made me ill. I’m now a support worker on minimum wage, and I love my job. No fancy office or title though.

Cornwall.

Being a parent is a bit crapper than I thought it would be. I imagined more airbrushed visions of me strolling along the flower-studded downland whilst the children held hands and skipped along in front on the dappled path, their clear laughter ringing across the hillside. The sun is sinking below the horizon, the air is warm & we’re so fucking happy.

Actually it’s me, crawling around half-naked on the living room floor changing shitty nappies whilst eating scraps of food that the baby/toddler/6 yr old didn’t want, washing my hands free of said shit, wondering when I’ll be able to drag them to the local park as it’s always bloody raining. No sun in sight. No fucking money because I’ve dropped hours at work to raise them. Living like an unpaid domestic servant. Constantly breaking up fights/feeding/entertaining/consoling.

I’m not sure I would be able to recommend it in all honesty, not now, whilst I’m living the reality. Perhaps when they’ve grown up a bit and I don’t have shit on my hands All.The.Time. Then I’ll look back fondly on those Elysian moments and advise people to live for each day, because it passes too quickly. At the same time as strolling along the warm hillside, watching my grandchildren skip merrily along the path in front........

Havent read RTFT.
The mona lisa was quite underwhelming.

mousetrap. .always wanted this game as a kid..dd got it one year..It is shite!

I really wanted a ' Katy kopy cat doll ' aged about 7 or so. Mum saved hard all year for Christmas as dolls and toys were not that cheap in the 70s.
Doll was rubbish, she didn't ' kopy cat' like the ads at all and was a bit underwhelming and sad. Ended up in the loft I think and probably over the tip years later. Tiny tears was much better.

@Nannewnannew I've always wanted to go to the New Forest but that sounds horrendous

Paris the city didn’t disappoint me. But the level of sexual harassment was off the charts compared to London.

Jazz

Madam Tussaud’s was expensive, hot & shit.

Saw GnR on the Chinese Democracy Tour, shit & expensive

Cannes though is a nouveau riche shithole tho, with leathery women in leopard print leggings and Chanel earrings.

Nothing can kill the view of the sea though (well the high rise blocks can so stand with your back to them).

Went to see Cats for a special birthday once. Seriously underwhelmed and a bit freaked out by the actors leaping around the audience. Never got DH back to a musical after that.
However, I love Wicked and think the story is so cleverly done; I’ve seen different nuances each time I’ve seen it.

Barcelona - food underwhelming but stunning scenery.

Loved Rome but very disappointed by the Trevi fountain. The pictures don’t show how tiny and crowded an area it is.

I agree with Paris - we went there with the dses, on the way home from holiday. We had enough time for lunch in a pavement cafe, and a trip to the Musee D’Orsay - but the dirt, the traffic and the sheer number of people abso-fucking-lutely every-bloody-where, especially on the Metro, reduced me to abject fury.

By the time we got to the Musee D’Orsay, I was in no frame of mind to appreciate Art. I said, between gritted teeth, “DH - take the boys to look at something. I am going to sit over there and try not to spontaneously combust or kill someone.” At that precise moment, I didn’t care if I saw nothing at all.

I also agree with adulthood - specifically parenthood. I thought being a mum would be lovely, and that I would be really good at it. I wasn’t. I did alright - the boys all survived their childhoods, and grew up to be happy and fulfilled - but I can’t help thinking that was despite me not because of me.

Steak. It was talked up as the most delicious thing. But even the most expensive fillet perfectly cook is like eating someone’s arm.

Los Angeles was a let down, as was Florida. I went as an older teen thoroughly expecting it to be completely fabulous, and it really wasn't. I guess it's only fabulous if you actually know people who live in the massive mansions and can attend lavish parties in them. When I think about it now, I realise you don't actually ever see much of LA in the movies/TV shows set there, infact you don't really see much of the US at all, unless it's New York or San Francisco or the Grand Canyon. There's a reason for that I guess. I'd love to see more of the US, but I wouldn't go back to LA or Florida.

San Francisco. My expectations were so high and it is just a rather unattractive modern city full of homeless people. No sign of flowers in my hair.

I would also say both Dublin and London

Dublin is truly awful.

@Sarahtrue11

Now we need a thread about "what is the best thing you ever did, best place you have ever been to"

I agree! Will you start it, please?

Adulthood

And Christmas.

the sheer number of people abso-fucking-lutely every-bloody-where, especially on the Metro, reduced me to abject fury.

Hmm you wouldn’t like London then.