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?

Having kids

The Great Barrier Reef. The coral was much more amazing in Thailand and Mexico. V v disappointed!

@the80sweregreat

Thereweretoses, I assume you passed out when U2 came on in the park and had to be helped out by one of the Marshall's ? I don't know why they confiscate water ! These huge gigs are just hard going ( so I've heard) especially when it's boiling hot and drinks are hard to come by easily.

No, I passed out when they announced that the bar was closed as they didn't want anyone drunk! I was the soberest I've ever been in my life. I had been saving myself!!! I was fucking disgusted. I was never as quick to get out of a place as there. I was mad to get back into Dublin before everything closed to get a drink into me! You know what you'd be like when you have the goo on ya?

Expensive champagne. Complete let down. Never tried any that I've liked.

Haha Mr frosty!!!

Yes I fell for it twice! Should have realised if mine didn't work, as a child. Good chance my sons wouldn't either 20 odd years later!

Signing the official secrets act. I imagined I would be shown into a dark wood panelled room, everyone talking in hushed voices, I would be questioned and probed over my commitment to keeping my mouth shut to protect national interests. In reality it was a photocopied bit of paper included in my induction pack, I signed at my desk during a lunch break.

I paid serious money for those tickets too. The equivalent of £120 each I'd say.

I don't know how I forgot my main one. Having children. It has been the single most anti-climactic experience of my life! I'm horrified at myself for having such naive high expectations. They're good kids compared to many and I love them but the experience of becoming a mother and all it entails has been a complete an since utter let down.

Dublin, I expected cosy pubs with live music, people playing the fiddle and just general craic.
What I got was very overpriced restaurants, pubs rammed with hen/stag parties and you couldn't get to the bar. It just seemed bland and a bit soulless.
Ditto Vancouver, where we lived for a while, Stanley Park was great but a night out was really boring and eye wateringly expensive.

The Lovely Bones, everyone was raving about it, I loved the premise and the opening paragraph but gave up halfway through.

Being an adult, as a child I thought being able to go to bed when I want and eat what I want would be great, it's not all that.

Guys this thread is hilarious! Not sure why but it just is! And makes me feel better that it’s not just me that sometimes has these thoughts and feelings. Thanks for cheering me up on a difficult day.

@Whatthechicken

Signing the official secrets act. I imagined I would be shown into a dark wood panelled room, everyone talking in hushed voices, I would be questioned and probed over my commitment to keeping my mouth shut to protect national interests. In reality it was a photocopied bit of paper included in my induction pack, I signed at my desk during a lunch break.

PMSL I also had to do that!!! I thought I was going to be very important. I was allowed to sniff the ink on some shite we had to work on and remember to never put their address on the invoices or into the system. I'm still not sure how they ever got anything from us as we weren't allowed to send anything to them lol.

Hot tub - cost a fortune to buy, a fortune to run and is a pain in the arse to maintain for the 20 mins a week that anyone uses it. Once your in it it’s nice but the whole faff of essentially going swimming in your own garden often puts me off a quick dip. All the chemicals make you smell awful so you need a shower afterwards.
Peloton - expensive overpriced exercise bike where you pay extra to be shouted at by Americans.
Anything Dyson 1 shit, overpriced and breaks after the first few uses. Now own a shark vacuum which is amazing.

@Wandamakestoast

I agree with New York. It was a hot summer, it just seemed to be full of high rise office blocks. We had made the mistake of staying in an apartment near a busy junction and the New Yorkers seem to like honking their car horns ALL NIGHT LONG so I didn’t sleep. I’m from London, traffic noise doesn’t bother me, but why the need to honk horns all the time? I just don’t get it? Also the subway was dirty and not a patch on the London Underground!

I thought everybody knew that visiting New York during the summer is a no no. All those tall buildings and concrete prevent the heat from escaping. I've been to NY twice in the last 10 years and it was fabulous both times First time was before Christmas and second just after. So cold.

NY in the 70s and 80s was apparently a very dirty place and full of unsavoury characters but it's a lot different now.

I concur with LA. Was expecting exciting, vibrant, Hollywood! What I got was a giant retail park - I was half expecting to come through it and finally get into the exciting city from my expectations. But nope, miles and miles of architectural retail park masquerading as a city. With a few skyscrapers in the middle.

I wasn’t prepared for LA to be actually made up of lots of smaller different cities. When we got into a taxi at the airport the taxi driver asked us “Which city?”

We walked several blocks, unsuspecting innocent tourists that we were, and people stared like we were insane. NOBODY walks in LA. Car is the absolute king.

San Francisco, on the other hand, was lovely.

Loving this thread.

I really like New York, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Mauritius and the musicals Wicked and Matilda.

Disneyland Paris was meh but I wasn't expecting anything else. Also Barcelona, not my favourite city but not horrific.

I hated Cats, Mr Frosty was a huge disappointment.

I was really disappointed on my first trip to the Caribbean where the hotel room was a whitewashed breeze block cell with chicken wire windows. The view was phenomenal though and I love the Caribbean, it just wasn't the luxury I imagined first time.

Agree about spa days as well - been a couple of times with friends, and I was bored to tears. My Mum wanted to pay for her, me and my sisters to go for a Spa weekend and I point blank refused - a whole weekend would actually be torture.

Ooh love our hot tub used it pretty much daily since 2017😁

I saved for 3 yrs for Rome. The company with my friends was brilliant but didn't enjoy the city. Felt hounded everywhere people too close and hands on, being sold shit everywhere I went. Also just didn't feel as magical as I dreamt.

Living with a man. Don't get me wrong, I love him and he's a great bloke (most of the time) but I'd be quite happy living on my own 😆

I've lived in Dublin and it is a rare sort of place. I only went out Mon-Fri (inclusive) with work colleagues. Straight after work. If we wanted to pick up men we'd go to Temple Bar and pick up some drunken Englishmen.

If you want to experience Ireland, you need to go to the wild west. The south coast, or the south eastern coast. You could also drive all across Ireland through little small towns and you'd come across a pub with two fuckers who are still drunk since Sunday and keep avoiding their gaffer's calls. With the jukebox playing and maybe a pool table.
It's only really the tourist towns, I'm thinking of Dingle especially which would have music 7 nights a week. A lot of places would only have it on at the weekend maybe one night. The problem with live music is that it tends to attract a crowd, so it can be packed. If you don't have that, then you won't have a crowd.

Very rarely would you find a spacious pub nowadays with live entertainment also.

Yes holidays with children are clearly not the same. The stress of packing everything, entertaining babies and toddlers on a plane where they kick off/scream/want to run/puke all over. And then it's basically same shit, just closer to sea, but without any home comforts. I use to sneer at AI holidays, what's the point - well, much, much point with a baby!
Holidays with about 7-year olds are amazing though, to see them discovering all the new things.

I also love my Dyson, and sodastream. We rarely use the syrups, just make carbonated water, but some of the cocktail ones are really great, especially if you want to cut down on lockdown alcohol consumption levels.

US as such has been a disappointment. It's always advertised as the land of the free, meritocracy where anyone can be what they want to be, just need to put some effort in. Well that's massive bullshit, isn't it.

@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 .

I love Paris despite everything you pointed out being true.

My disappointment city was Rome. I’m still not sure why and on paper I should love it. Part of the issue was I when I went in winter assuming that it would be half empty compared to high season like Venice and Florence were. It was nearly as rammed as in early summer and someone was trying to sell me something or scam me everywhere I went. At least the guys in Paris mostly leave you alone if you don’t make eye contact or say no. The hawkers in Rome literally get in your face and it wad too much for me.

@Bluesheep8 Im sorry i have to disagree with you about Molton Brown products. The Orange and Bergamot range and the Indian Cress shampoo and conditioner are just beatiful. Yes they are expensive but i only use birthday and Christmas money to buy them and i wait for the offers and take advantage of them too. They make me happy.

I love Amsterdam. I really must try to see more of the Netherlands.

Rome, couldn't seem to get to grips with it at all. Love cities but couldn't stand Rome.

London. Always an exciting thought then an exhausting, dirty, let down.

The last episode of Lost.

I loved Paris and wanted to return, not been for over 15 years, but am reconsidering after this thread!