JOdy

This has been a very thought provoking post. <BR> <BR>In Italy-- the forum, maybe it's just too big to take in <BR>Trastevere- <BR>Spanish stairs- couldn't even see them for the people sitting on them, but if you get out before 8 Am it does improve. <BR> <BR>In France- Venus de Milo- just another statute , but without arms <BR>The interiors of the Loire chateaux- the outside glorious but the insides of most uninteresting <BR> <BR>IN UK- stratford on Avon- I can see tee shirt shops at home, <BR>Stonehenge- so commercialized it is hard to appreciate or even to see <BR>Land's end- same as above <BR>I also remeber visitng Chester, worcester York, Lincoln over 25-30 years ago, they werre wonderful. Now everything has been "mallitized" and the charm is no longer there. I realize these are living cities and everything has to change but I'm afraid it has not been for the better. <BR> <BR>One of the least mentioned and I found absolutley charming sites in UK is stokesay castle outside of Ludlow. Excellent presentation, and all from the effort of 1 person to preserve it. <BR> <BR>Never been and never want to go to Madame Tussards or the London Dungeon!! <BR>everyone has to do the changing of the Guards at BP once, but Horse Guards is better, but there is a nice little guards museum right alongside that is delightful. <BR> <BR>The most moving sites I have ever seen are th WWI battlefields and cemeteries in France and Belgium, totally unbelievable in scope and poignance. Tears flow freqently. <BR>

Art

Overrated - Paris, it is a relatively new city by European standards (was completely rebuilt just 200 years ago.) All of the buildings in central Paris are 4 floors tall and have no architectural value. I think that a lot of people are hyped by all of the movies etc about Paris. It is not a very pretty city at all. The art works, however, are great and not to be missed and yes the seine area is pretty, but there are much prettier ones in other cities.. <BR>Also overrated is the Alhambra. The gardens are great but going through a bunch of empty rooms, trying to figure out haw they were used was a major disappointment. <BR>Most underrated Pisa, It was the source of the law of the pendulum and the law of falling bodies which were part of the source of Newton’s mechanics and the lows of the universe. <BR>Also underrated was the Picaso museum in Barcelona. Yes, it only contains his early work, but what work. He had life perfected by the age of 15. His progression of the Blond girl from La Maninis to cubism was also great and you could see where he was going. <BR>

Beg to Differ

Paris isn't my favorite city, but I then was unaware that it was "completely rebuilt" 200 years ago. They sure did a good job of making Notre Dame, Palais du Louvre, and those old churches and hotels particuliers look older than that. <BR> <BR>Also, sorry that Holocaust history doesn't "grab" the tourist in search of excitement. It sure "grabbed" a bunch of my aunts and uncles in Poland, so they're not around to contribute to this thread.

Lucy

I must admit I'm very easy to please & very little disappoints me as I'm just so excited to be somewhere different...however, I must admit I must also nominate the Leaning Tower of Pisa. After 5 seconds looking at it I was 'Now what...'. Although having said that, once it reopens to the public it will probably more interesting given it will be a more interactive experience.

nancy

I know some have stated that they feel the Torre di Pisa is over-rated,but <BR>We very much enjoyed Pisa, the city was quiet and lovely, the Arno with the houses on each side picturesque. <BR>And the Torre is a beautiful and amazing structure. <BR>But, there is more to that area than just the Torre. <BR>The Baptistry is a lovely and astounding building. <BR>The ceiling construction ; the cone shape with the dome built around it, has given this building amazing acoustical characteristics. <BR>Plus, it's historical contributions.

TBH

Rooben, <BR> <BR>Let's get real here, dude. <BR> <BR>I'm an honest to goodness "West By God Virginia" Mountaineer. However, let's be honest...Morgantown ain't no Paree! <BR> <BR>TBH

Jean Valjean

<BR>The Alhambra overrated? Wow! It is amazing how different people can be... I, for one, thought that the "Palacios Nazaries" was one of the most amazing sights I had ever seen. <BR> <BR>Overrated: The Roman Forum, it requires too much imagination. ("This brick is all that is left of a magnificent temple dedicated to Jupiter! Try to imagine it...??) <BR> <BR>Mona Lisa. Any print will do. <BR> <BR>"The Persistance of Memory". Quite dissapointing. <BR> <BR>Swiss chocolate, German beer, and French fries. <BR> <BR>Underrated: Brussels in particular and Belgium in general. Belgian chocolate, Belgian beer, Belgian fries, Spanish seafood and Provence. <BR>

ingrid

Delos in Greece, which had 4 stars in our tour guide; the Grand Canon had only 3! Can you imagine how disappointed we were. <BR>Ponte Vecchio in Florence (what a disappointment); the leaning tower was better than I had expected (much more leaning).

Alice

I agree with the folks who mentioned the Spanish Steps and the Copenhagen mermaid (so small and with an industrial <BR>area in the background so it doesn't even make for a good photo). My husband was very disappointed in the Lorelei. We spent some days in this area and literally every time he saw it from land or the water he spoke of how insignificant it looked and how amazed he was that anyone gave a rats ass about it. <BR>

monet fan

Since there are 10,000 paintings (i'm being conservative) of "madre con bambino" in Italy I suggest that everyone after the first 100 are overrated and overdone. 99% of Italian art is SOOOO BORING becasue of this...to say nothing about dark and depressing....

Caitlin

"The Persistence of Memory" is of course housed here in NY. Dali doesn't move me much, but I do find POM technically impressive, given the amount of detail and the shading, considering it's only around 8x10". <BR> <BR>Have to disagree with Art about Paris not being pretty--it is, to me (not the boulevards full of big-box buildings, obviously). It was actually particularly pretty under gray skies and rain. <BR> <BR>I found the crowds elbowing up to take flash photos (or videos!) of the Mona Lisa without even looking at it pretty hilarious. Luckily, I knew what (not) to expect.

Mary

Topkapi Palace. I was underwhelmed, liked Dolmahance Palace much more. Same goes for Notre dame, Sacre Coeur just blew me away, especially the reason it was built. Most of London, although I really loved Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. I guess sometimes some of these places can't live up to my expectations. About Anne Franks house. We saw it in a day it was 93 degrees with humidity. Maybe I was distacted by the heat, because I didn't think much of it or Amsterdam till I got home and started telling friends about it. Now I want to go back, because in retrospect, all that recent history in that plain little house, really made me think how lucky I am and my children to live in the good ole USA, insteaD OF eUROPE IN THE 30S and 40s.

shorty

Sorry Art, <BR>4 stories tall seems just about right to me

euro

The Grand Canyon, just a big hole in the ground, Niagera Falls especially on the USA side, I've seen better in Wales, the Rockies, not a patch on the Alps. Any American city apart from San Francisco. Yellowstone Park, I can see geysirs in Iceland and the scenery's more exciting.

Janine

Have to admit I was disappointed with the Sistine Chapel. So small and so crowded with people. They were in the process of restoration while I was there. The unrestored sections just seemed so dark, while the restored areas seemed unnaturally bright and garish. I actually found some of the hallways and galleries leading up to the Chapel of more interest. <BR>On the other hand, I loved the Tower of Big Ben and also the Mona Lisa. Even though I nearly passed out in front of it (more from the crowds and illness, than overwhelming emotion, however!!)

Bjorn Alvik

Extremely overrated: Bosporus, Loire Valley and of course the little Copenhagen sculpture thing

Mags

Oh well!!! I agree with most of you about the actual sights/sites. What we must try to remember is perhaps just what they have depicted and with a bit of previous reading BEFORE we set off on a trip we would probably appreciate the history some more. Just read this site and posts like this one then do your homework. A lot of disappointments will be avoided. I had seen the mannequin pis several years ago and like most of you was disappointed. On a recent tour although I tried to 'hint' to the group that it was nothing to see (not wanting to seem like miss 'know it all" ) We proceeded to the statue, myself included, and it was not surprising to see the looks of disappointment on the faces. But then how do you stop tourists from looking for the 'tourist attractions' ??? <BR>Also I agree that once you have seen three or four of the more famous churches/catherdrals they all start to look alike. For me the natural wonders like the Alps, the little lakeside villages etc etc some of which I can't even remember the names... were much more awe inspiring than the 'tourist' things. <BR>The wonders of Southern Spain. The Alhambra and the other sites in Cordoba though are must sees in my books. I only began to research this area about a month before our trip but since returning I have done so in more detail and the history is awesome. It all comes down to taking a little time to research. Tour directors only barely touch the surface. Afterall they are talking day aafter day and while they do a great job they can only do so much. Happy research .M

Art Major

Also dismayed by display of Mona Lisa. It's covered with a somewhat murky amber-colored protective plastic box that makes it impossible to see the colors as they really are. It's small and surrounded by lots of other paintings, and you can't get close enough to it to see it at the proper distance in the proper detail. <BR> <BR>On the other hand, I never thought that much of it to begin with. Winged Victory -- even surrounded by 100s of tourists -- is breathtaking when you first see it from the bottom of the staircase. And taking some quiet moments in the ancient Mesopotamian galleries is memorable -- esp. if you know the significance of the Code of Hammurabi. <BR> <BR>Studied all those crucifixions, Madonnas, altar pieces, etc. in school. Know why they're significant. Still bored except by a couple of them. Remember that they were "utility" pieces -- every church and palazzo chapel had to have one; every artist had to know how to make them; every art patron had to own at least one. They were churned out less because of artistic inspiration than because of economic, social, or ecclesiastical necessity. <BR> <BR>Going up tall things always seems to be a Big Deal, but one surprise was the Wash. Monument vs. the tower in the Old Post Office Pavillion in Wash. DC. With the obelisk, you stand in line for hours, you get up top, and it's a pretty good view but mainly of the river and airport. In contrast, there's rarely much of a wait at the PO Pavillion, and the tower is right in the middle of downtown, looking right into the White House grounds, etc. -- in my view a much bettter view.

Mike

Rocamadour. Some truth in the last syllable.

bud

Not to offend, but hands down New Zealand.