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?

[Squidelicious]

Lockdown Easing.

I haven't slept in days due to furloughed neighbours throwing parties with loud music every day of the week. I am so, so tired.

[TravellingSpoon]

@GettingUntrapped

Went whale watching in New Zealand. I was so seasick (most others on board were too). Couldn't wait to get off and never, ever do that activity again.

We did this in Mull and it was awful, we were all so sick and we didnt see a single whale.

[ImaHogg]

Having a conservatory. It was bloody expensive to have built. It’s so bloody cold in the winter and costs a small fortune to heat and so bloody hot in the summer. Over the 15 years we’ve had it, it’s been a playroom, a dining room (where we had to eat with sunglasses on in the summer and coats in the winter), a gym, a chill out room, absolutely nothing has worked. And it is an absolute draw to every sodding insect known to man, I’m forever hoovering up ants, dead flies, spiders and a whole colony of bloody wood lice (all dead never seen one alive!!).

[RedactedTaeFeck]

I always wanted one of those little plastic shopping trollies with the fake food. We weren't well off and DM had decided not only was it is a shit waste of money, I was also about 2 or 3 years taller than average so it would have been far too small for me as well. I lusted over that bloody thing. Anyway, as an adult I don't even like doing the shopping!

[Superstardjs]

The Lion King and Matilda musicals.
Disneyland in Florida.

[TheTurn0fTheScrew]

it kills me saying this, and on the whole I love Italy, but Florence. Insane levels of queuing despite having booked stuff from back in the UK a month earlier (without doing that you'd not even be eligible to stand in a queue). Plus we got scammed into overpaying in a gelateria, which apparently is pretty standard for Florence and didn't endear me to the place further.

[jessstan2]

Plenty of things. Often the fantasy is better than the reality, that's life. However we move on and there are lots of good and interesting things.

[Mintjulia]

The Maldives. Very limited on food and activities. A good place to go if you're exhausted and need a week asleep in the shade followed by a bit of light snorkelling, but otherwise meh!

[Cottagepieandpeas]

I’m loving this thread.

“Marriage. Also agree with Mr Frosty.”
That’s a definite highlight
Maybe marrying Mr Frosty would work? Could he grind his own ice?

I always wanted, but never got, stuff like that. (Basically any toy that was advertised on television).
I remember really wanting a Girl’s World - I think that’s the one - with growing hair.

Totally agree about Legoland. Had to queue forever. The best bit was the water play area (although I didn’t know about it beforehand so had to buy a towel + T-shirt from the shop there!).

[Truthlikeness]

Agree re Paris. I've never saw the appeal and I'm a complete sucker for a European city break.

Northern lights - hours spent driving around trying to find them, followed by a lacklustre display and possibly the coldest I've ever been. I still enjoyed it but nothing like I'd imagined.

A Twinkie. Do not eat this!

I can almost never get the appeal of having to sit down for 3 hours and watch other people do something (sporting event, concert, play etc). I've tried quite a few over the years in the hopes it would click but invariably I end up bored. (ok - I make an exception for the London Olympics and Hamilton.

[Tightwad2020]

Australia.

Actually, with subsequent visits, it is growing on me. But I was expecting some kind of paradise when I first went, and alas, I found it a bit dull and suburban, the weather wasn't great, the beaches were fine, but you couldn't get in the water safely, Sydney had cockroaches everywhere...

Subsequent visits have been much better (being with someone willing to do more and spend more helps), which is just as well, since my husband is Australian and wants to return there to spend his old age. We'll be in SA, rather than NSW or Victoria, much better.

[SarahBellam]

Cream - the Liverpool nightclub in the early 90s. I thought I was absolutely cutting edge. Terrifying- everyone was off their heads (I was very naive about drugs and didn’t realise they were all on E) and I couldn’t dance to the music, it was far too loud and too fast.

[wizzywig]

Marriage

[osbertthesyrianhamster]

Vegas. Why? Just why?

[madmara]

Leather seats in my car. Turns out they're just seats. And a bit cold to sit on on winter mornings.

[TableFlowerss]

@Justaboutawake

Mr Frosty. Waited 22 years for that useless bastard

Same - I got my kids one and was really excited as I was always desperate for one and what a disappointment and a half.

[Wigeon]

@GettingUntrapped

Went whale watching in New Zealand. I was so seasick (most others on board were too). Couldn't wait to get off and never, ever do that activity again.

Me too! Whale watching off the east coast of the USA - apparently the time of year meant we had to go really slowly so as not to disturb the whales breeding (fair enough), but that meant we were out in the choppy Atlantic for about 5 hours, approximately 4 of which I was either being sick over the side of the boat or feeling so ill I had to sit on the floor as still as possible with my eyes closed. Along with about 70% of the other passengers.

Amazingly, DH and the DC were largely fine!

We did see whales for about 10 mins though. David Attenborough documentary in my sitting room next time all the way....

[CatherineCawood]

Popeye Land in Malta. The biggest load of shite in 1 square km I've ever seen. DH still laughs about the tirade I wrote in the visitors book.

Nasty pool area in need of revamp or a deep clean. The al fresco eating area outside the cafe was swarming with flies, I've never seen anything like it. Utterly swarming. You couldn't eat there it was impossible to keep the flies off your food. Soon found out why it was so easy to bag a table!!

Boat trip which was part of the entry fee was run by the most miserable man I've ever clapped eyes on.

Disgusting and disappointing.

[Wigeon]

I love Paris (been several times), and Disneyland Paris (been once) and Legoland (been once, with the fast track queue thingies, totally worth the money) though!

[TSSDNCOP]

Vegas. I wanted 50's rat pack glamour.

[AudTheDeepMinded]

Another vote for Glastonbury. It was mostly shit. Pissed down for 90% of the time. Full of twats (who stands in a crowd and puts up a fucking umbrella so no-one can see the stage?). Over-priced food. Spend ages slogging through knee deep mud to get from one stage to another, to stand at the back and watch a performer the size of an ant. Left early (good job as loads of cars stranded by the mud for hours the next day), and watched Sunday's performances in the living room at home, much better!

[RaiseTheBeastie]

Paris was horrid, one of the worst places I have ever been, made mych worse by the aggressive men trying to sell you bracelets or model eiffel towers

Now the twice I've been to Paris this was actually one of my favourite bits because of 'the game'.

Did you encounter the police turning up? We've seen it 3 times - a few police cars screech up, 10 policemen come tearing out, all the sellers of tat gather up their towels in a split second and make a run for it, looking totally unconcerned, whooping and laughing as they race away towards the tower, down the steps. A couple of them had massive grins on their faces, the police looked a mixture of resigned and irritated. No one got caught!

It was like watching a sketch show each time, so much so I wondered if it was actually put on a bit for the tourists, but apparently not! But very entertaining 😂.

[Cam2020]

Mr Frosty. Waited 22 years for that useless bastard

😂😂 Oh, the utter heartbreak of not owning one as an 80s child. Somehow everyone's parents seemed to know someone who'd bought it for their kids and told them just what a useless bastard it was. I never knew anyone who actually owned one for that reason.

[Chunkymenrock]

Marriage and having a family. Also Venice.

[Crabwoman]

@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 .

There is a illness called 'Paris Syndrome' which is particularly noted among Japanese tourists who get to Paris and find that it is vastly different from what they were expecting. It apparently causes various extreme psychological symptoms.