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The entirety of the area surrounding it and the river walk are a huge tourist trap, but that's to be expected. I legitimately really like the Ripley's Haunted House + Museum and the Guinness World Records Museum that are directly across the street from it, they're pretty cool.
In the US? The Smithsonian museums totally make for a worthwhile visit (though the really good stuff is out of the city a ways at the Udvar-Hazy Center ).
Yeah, you're right in this regard. It's actually a point of contention for me when people discount the inherent amazing characteristics of physical things due to the intent of them existing.
I have been to Paris once and, as such, only went to the Lovre once...
But went quite late and underestimated how MASSIVE it was and how much stuff it actually contains, absolutely fascinating stuff... ended up not even seeing the Mona Lisa. In fact, missed out and entire wing of the museum due to time.
So, I've been to the Louvre and didn't see the single most famous painting in the place...
But I did see Gabrielle d'Estrées et une de ses soeurs, without even trying to find it, so the meme value sort of made up for it.
So you went just down the road to Salisbury Cathedral?!?!
What do you mean exactly? The location they were placed on? Their size? Something else?
I suppose the immersion aspect and that pictures still don't always do the places justice.
Sagrada Familia, for example, is beautiful, but I haven't see a single picture that captures how truly stunning it is both inside and out.
I came to say this. There's a fucking rotary in front and it's in the middle of the city. So weird.
I hate to say it, and I'm only half serious, but the Coliseum in Rome.
Its honestly beautiful. But the Airbnb we stayed at was like 10 minutes up the road from it, so we passed it like 4 or 5 times a day, for 4 days.
"Its just a stone" was our favorite thing to say about it.
Its honestly beautiful. But the Airbnb we stayed at was like 10 minutes up the road from it, so we passed it like 4 or 5 times a day, for 4 days.
"Its just a stone" was our favorite thing to say about it.
Least disappointing was Alcatraz and the audio tour. Like, whoa. I would normally avoid that kinda touristy shit like the plague but there's a reason it's won a ton of awards. You get a dramatic narrated tour featuring real voices of former prisoners and a kind of documentary drama that plays out. The place itself is fascinating, views are spectacular and the night tour is different but just as cool. Back when I went you carried around a clunky unit with headphones. May be better these days.
London had a ton of quite lame historical attractions. Too many to list. Buckingham Palace is probably the worst because you are just one of a thousand idiots staring into a gigantic front yard that's irritating because your taxes paid for it and it's a fantastic reminder that anything Tories argue the Royals do for tourism dollars would be better and more efficient without expensive delicate inbred socially tone deaf German and Greek aristocrats living in it - and you'd be able to see the inside too. On the other hand there's far more upside historically in the City - and the museums would make up for it anyway.
Most surprisingly amazing and gorgeous (but not technicallly historical) was Zion canyon. The Grand Canyon's photos don't do it justice but they do a much better job than photos of Zion can. In real life they're both jaw dropping, but Zion is more surprising because of the gulf between photos and reality.
Kyoto is gorgeous in places and because it's a big Japanese city, it's dense with fascinating, entertaining or interesting stuff, but the general nature of the city is pretty dull. Unless you're at a castle or a palace, it's just a bleh sort of city, although the rivers and mountains make it more interesting geologically than Tokyo which is just buildings.
Lombard Street is dumb, but it's ABSURD that people who CHOSE to buy or rent on that street sued and tried other actions to stop traffic and tourists driving down it. Like, you knew EXACTLY what you were doing when you moved there, and it's expensive as shit, so there's no way you were forced to live there. Although I thought this story was a funny inversion of that. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...y-their-taxes-so-someone-bought-their-street/
London had a ton of quite lame historical attractions. Too many to list. Buckingham Palace is probably the worst because you are just one of a thousand idiots staring into a gigantic front yard that's irritating because your taxes paid for it and it's a fantastic reminder that anything Tories argue the Royals do for tourism dollars would be better and more efficient without expensive delicate inbred socially tone deaf German and Greek aristocrats living in it - and you'd be able to see the inside too. On the other hand there's far more upside historically in the City - and the museums would make up for it anyway.
Most surprisingly amazing and gorgeous (but not technicallly historical) was Zion canyon. The Grand Canyon's photos don't do it justice but they do a much better job than photos of Zion can. In real life they're both jaw dropping, but Zion is more surprising because of the gulf between photos and reality.
Kyoto is gorgeous in places and because it's a big Japanese city, it's dense with fascinating, entertaining or interesting stuff, but the general nature of the city is pretty dull. Unless you're at a castle or a palace, it's just a bleh sort of city, although the rivers and mountains make it more interesting geologically than Tokyo which is just buildings.
Lombard Street is dumb, but it's ABSURD that people who CHOSE to buy or rent on that street sued and tried other actions to stop traffic and tourists driving down it. Like, you knew EXACTLY what you were doing when you moved there, and it's expensive as shit, so there's no way you were forced to live there. Although I thought this story was a funny inversion of that. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...y-their-taxes-so-someone-bought-their-street/
The Winchester Mystery house felt a lot like a let down. There's not really any furniture anywhere, and you can't explore it freely like a museum, so it's just one empty room after another with occasional weird stuff. Gift shop was cool, though.
Stratford Upon Avon was also way more touristy than historical.
(Winner for me is Golden Gate Bridge but my dad's idea to hike across to it from a non-authorised bus stop only to find it covered in fog might be to blame).
Most of the actual historic events happened in the bordering towns. Salem's a really nice city with great shops and restaurants but 90% of the witch-related stuff is a tourist trap.
Stratford Upon Avon was also way more touristy than historical.
(Winner for me is Golden Gate Bridge but my dad's idea to hike across to it from a non-authorised bus stop only to find it covered in fog might be to blame).
Most of the actual historic events happened in the bordering towns. Salem's a really nice city with great shops and restaurants but 90% of the witch-related stuff is a tourist trap.
Agreed. Mystery House is trash. GG Bridge is amazing. Best views are from the bluffs on the north west side - lots of great hikes there too including the extended buts from Dipsea. We went one night to watch this happen (although I think this story is a later repeat event) where the tolerances including tides and bouyancy meant the cranes could get as close as four feet from scraping.
Towering cranes pass under local bridges
A ship carrying three new container cranes arrived at the Port of Oakland this morning...
Zadar is a lovely place and I'd recommend anyone to spend a night if travelling Croatia. Built around a Roman forum, fresh great tasting seafood, quirky sea organ and light up floor and I had an amazing view of all of it from the £10 hostel dorm I had to myself.
Unfortunately I stayed two nights, I've never been so bored travelling as I was that second full day day and following morning. I'd done everything I wanted to do the first afternoon/evening.
You may wonder who is rating it, well it won an award for top European destination or something in 2016, so that's why it's most overrated. It also looks so much more fun on social media.
Unfortunately I stayed two nights, I've never been so bored travelling as I was that second full day day and following morning. I'd done everything I wanted to do the first afternoon/evening.
You may wonder who is rating it, well it won an award for top European destination or something in 2016, so that's why it's most overrated. It also looks so much more fun on social media.
The city was largely built up around what was left of the Alamo which is what makes it so weird.
I guess the Big Ben. Wasn't that big. I've only been to London once during a school trip and didnt get a good impression. Guess I need to go back someday and explore it in a more relaxed way.
Most impressive for me were WW2 locations in Normandy, like Point du Hoc and the American Memorial. During that holiday I also watched Band of Brothers for the first time.
Most impressive for me were WW2 locations in Normandy, like Point du Hoc and the American Memorial. During that holiday I also watched Band of Brothers for the first time.
Agreed. Mystery House is trash. GG Bridge is amazing. Best views are from the bluffs on the north west side - lots of great hikes there too including the extended buts from Dipsea. We went one night to watch this happen (although I think this story is a later repeat event) where the tolerances including tides and bouyancy meant the cranes could get as close as four feet from scraping.
Towering cranes pass under local bridges
A ship carrying three new container cranes arrived at the Port of Oakland this morning...www.sfgate.com
I'm in the opposite opinion for Winchester Mystery House. Place is so fucking bizarre, especially since it's the work of someone who took its intent so seriously.
Agreed, the line for the Mona Lisa took forever, the Louvre as a whole was incredible.
Another disappointing one for me as a youngster was the Blarney Stone; queue up to lie down, lean your head back and kiss a rock
As someone said above one that 100% lived up to expectations for me was Notre Damme, stunning place
As someone said above one that 100% lived up to expectations for me was Notre Damme, stunning place
Honestly, the Vatican museums were just so obnoxious because they cram just so many people in that you're literally being fed down a hallway, shoulder to shoulder with hoards of people like you're taking part in a protest. I couldn't really see the ground.
And so besides having to line up for far too long, once you're in, you can't even take anything in because you're constantly moving with the crowd. You only get a glancing look at all of the beautiful art.
You get to stop for a few minutes in the Sistine chapel and then you're once again ushered all the way out. Very frustrating.
And so besides having to line up for far too long, once you're in, you can't even take anything in because you're constantly moving with the crowd. You only get a glancing look at all of the beautiful art.
You get to stop for a few minutes in the Sistine chapel and then you're once again ushered all the way out. Very frustrating.
Folk want a rollercoaster around stonehenge or some shit
Actually I guess that's what Alton Towers is... they had an historic site and stuck a bunch of rollercoasters in it
Angkor Wat is so crowded that even though it really is an incredible architectural artifact it's really hard to enjoy it and take in. Happily, there are other sections of the Angkor ruins that are much less trafficked and just as cool, so if you're visiting the area try going for some of the more hidden areas.
Holy shit Plymouth Rock yes.
I was trying to think of a good one and this is it. Plymouth Rock fucking sucks. For one it's just a stupid small rock in the shit opioid capital of Plymouth. Second it's not even real. The pilgrims didn't crash into it.
Winner
You walk from your Riverwalk hotel like 100 yards away, shrug your shoulders, then go get drunk at an overpriced tourist trap afterward.
Am I missing something? What's the point of the zoomed in part?
Palace of Versailles - Wikipedia
The fact I went to the Louvre the day before going to the Palace may have biased my judgement a little bit tbh.
This.
i love historical places and find them facinating and can usually set my expectations accordingly.
thankfully ive seen stonehenge multiple times as its on the way to my cousins, but you have to stand so far away from it and at the end of the day it is, and i usually hate this phrase, just a pile of rocks
its much more interesting discussing how they go there, rather then what is actually there,
It is but it's not really a whole day thing.
You're probably going to end up in an expensive bar or restaurant eventually
I see what you mean. I dunno, I find the Alamo pretty awesome, but I admit that it's not worth traveling from, say, Moscow just to see it. It's easier to justify seeing it when you live in, say, Austin.
The liberty bell was pretty underwhelming. At least it's free.
Internationally, Tiananmen square was also pretty meh.
Internationally, Tiananmen square was also pretty meh.
