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?

@lidoshuffle

A trip in a balloon. It was like looking at Google Satellite, but colder and more crammed and with added cow pats.

So agree, I did one over the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, it was like standing at a window, don't know what I expected. We had to get up so ridiculously early, we were back at the hotel for the end of breakfast.

Summer holidays from school! As a child I ALWAYS expected it to be exactly like the famous five and I and my friends would be uncovering murders and smugglers and making friends with exotic people from
Far flung places. In reality it was a lot of watching my younger brother and being bored!

@Tobebythesea

Tijuana, Mexico for a day trip from California. Truly horrific.

It did used to be a pleasant day trip from San Diego, thirty years ago but I gather it's one to avoid now.

@RobboCop

I wager that for many it will be 'having the big career job' when they realise that they're now just as stressed and overworked as the average bloke. 😂

oddly 553 posts in and nope that doesn;t seem to be the case

Cristal champagne. What a waste of fortunately not my money.

This thread is making me feel sad! Would it be okay to ask for a few stories of unexpected delights to counter balance all the disappointments?

@fairydustandpixies

Cristal champagne. What a waste of fortunately not my money.

Champagne in general

British Grand Prix, and I assume all the others will be the same, I bought tickets for my late OH's 65 birthday. We spent a lot of time looking at the screens, the cars are going too fast to see which was which! We didn't even feel there was much atmosphere, not like the London Olympics, that was electric.

Live concerts for me, I don't like big venues and I find myself watching the screen and wondering why I'm not at home.

The number of negatives about New Zealand! Just wow. I've lived in the UK for many years and now live in NZ. By the sea. Remote. Breathtakingly, awe-inspiringly beautiful. Black skies at night with more stars than you could dream of. Like being wrapped in soft black spangled velvet. Bananas, oranges, limes, lemons, olives,grapefruit, avocados, grapes, tangelos in my garden, glowing warm in the morning sun. Barefoot, shorts, hats (of course...the sun is not always our friend). At this very minute, I'm on my veranda, gazing at the mist rising over the mountains in the distance, sun sparkling on the lucid blue Pacific. The water here is full of fish for the taking. Kids here don't obsess over electronic games - they sail, fish, swim, go digging for pipi, climb trees. If you want bright lights, mindless arcade games, shopping, spending lots of money - it's not for you. I miss Blighty, but if I had to choose lockdown here or there, I know what I would choose. All 7 weeks of it, as we had. Off to Oz to visit my new grandson very soon.Cheers.

Gosh I love visiting New York and California, Paris, Disneyland and Disney Paris, lots of places. I like them just the way they are with their madness and differences and familiarities all rolled up.

I haven't been whale watching but I have heard from friends that disappointed and sickness is a common theme.

Unbelievably I was heading offshore on a snorkelling expedition when a whale rose upon front of the boat, that was quite a moment. Sometimes the best moments are unexpected.

I also love living in London and in New Zealand for their quirks and uniqueness. To the poster who said NZ has nothing you can't get in the UK, that really is the ultimate in colonialism. Contrary to popular British belief, NZ is not some colonial outpost, those days have long past. I actually feel embarrassed for fellow Brits who go there and whine endlessly thereby confirming the cliche of the whingeing pom.

We had a lovely trip to Disney in Paris, although maybe that was because I had low expectations. Also enjoyed Paris itself. And Barcelona!

Mauritius was my biggest disappointment. I thought it would be so luxurious but the food was a bit rubbish and it rained for about half of our stay, Such a long journey too. Lovely people though.

The White House (I was expecting to be really impressed), Times Square, and Niagara Falls.

@Morgan12

Am I the only one who wants to know what a twinkie smells and tastes like?

Is it cum?

It's cum isn't it?

Yeah...

Like some PPs - Cornwall - I was underwhelmed in my middle aged mum mode - maybe I'd have loved it if I was a cool surfer dude with a convenient camper van I suppose. Ditto Legoland, aka Waspland. And the Grand Canyon - just too big to really take it in maybe - but a completely amazing surprise was the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park which is about a four hour drive north east of the Grand Canyon.

Also agree on the Notting Hill Carnival - went years ago - so packed you couldn't see anything, loads of litter, quite a frightening experience in the end trying to hold the hand of my companion so as not to get separated but so many people that it was really difficult to keep hold of them. Will never go again and certainly wouldn't take a child.

Loved the lanterns at Christmas at Longleat one year though. Just lovely. Loved the beaches in Norfolk and Lincolnshire - in no way had I expected world class beaches in the good old UK!

Agree with Morocco, although might feel differently if we had stayed in a beautiful riad but unfortunately we were in a camper van. We were there for a month and travelled all over but it was all really really hard work - the scams, the hassle, the groping, the heat, the dirt, the diarrhoea, the fellow backpackers (mostly twats), the massive massive culture shock!

The White House! We got up at a silly hour to make sure we could get tickets, this was in the late 80s when you could go round it. It is so small, when we walked by it we thought it couldn't be the real thing and when we were inside even some Americans were underwhelmed, a Texan commented on the famed East Room, Gawd, mah den's twice the size.
In Copenhagen we went to see the Little Mermaid but couldn't find it. Eventually we noticed a group of people and went over with the intention of asking them directions, only to realise they were looking at this little figure.

Butlins. We drove past the one in Skeggie every year on our way to our boring caravan on a boring site. I dreamed of going to Butlins, begged my parents but it was always a no. Finally got to go with my DD as an adult. What an absolute shit hole.

I’m with you about Las Vegas @TSSDNCOP, that’s exactly what I wanted too! I just found it really depressing. We did see Cirque du Soleil there though, which was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. Not in a rush to ever go back, but DH loves it.

I can see both sides with Paris. I’m always disappointed too, mostly because it’s just harassment central, but some of the off the beaten track places are so beautiful.

I’m always disappointed by music festivals, I’ve just stopped going now and accepted that while I love music and live gigs I just don’t have the people or filth tolerance for festivals!

I'll say the Olympics. I've been to two - Sochi and PyeongChang (I write about winter sports for a living). In theory, it's great - visit somewhere new and exotic, and experience the pinnacle of the sports in question.

In reality, while the competition was fine, the overall Olympic experience is bollocks. Everything happens within an Olympic bubble, there's little or no opportunity to do anything away from the Games (like, y'know, spend a morning browsing the host city) and I came home from Korea feeling that I'd really only seen an airport, a hotel, shuttle buses and ice rinks. All in all, a solid 7-out-of-10, but I was hoping for 11-out-of-10. I'm not optimistic that Beijing will be an improvement next year (COVID permitting)

Yeah, I know it's a serious first-world problem. But the thread is about things that weren't as good as anticipated, and this stands out for me. Give me the grassroots, passionate enthusiasts doing it for the love of the game; the elite levels are an unattractive cash cow redeemed by intermittent flashes of magic.

"@Chillychangchoo I would much prefer to be sitting your side of the fence. You’re not missing much, but you’re doing so in relative comfort. You’ve managed to pull yourself out from poverty by hard work. Yes it’s not the be all and end all but your kids will still be better off for it."

We have lost more than we have gained. People and community are worth more than our house and gardens. This house and it lands are nothing without people and community.

My DC have gained on one hand and lost on the other.

Any product that claims to make oven cleaning an absolute breeze

@Anotherlovelybitofsquirrel

Yup Cordless Dyson. £600 wasted.

Yeah, I also fell for that one. The fucker is still sitting in the garage, ironically collecting dust.

Places - Florence
Lake Garda /Como
Edinburgh (overpriced)

Wicked the Musical (2 good songs but so old fashioned)

Barcelona- stayed in a lovely hotel but struggled to find decent places to eat or drink nearby

Dh (and my) favourite restaurant in the world is in Barcelona.

There's loads of really good places to eat but most aren't in the tourist areas.

Its like most places but Barcelona seems to be particularly bad for it. Dont eat on the main street. Eat on a side street or one a few blocks off the beaten track.