As I have stated often...
Aix marks the spot.
((H))

Paris hotels expensive? I can't think of another city with more reasonable 2 and 3 star hotels. But you're right not too many sports bars.

I'm with dibaby and Edward2005 - I thought the leaning tower of Pisa was one of the least dissapointing sites in all of my travels. Photos just don't do it justice. However, I saw it in the mid-80's prior to the renovation and the lean was apparently more pronounced than it is today. And I too was struck by the duomo, the bapistry and the entire square. A dramatic site for me.

The Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain.

Juliet's balcony in Verona. After all of the build-up before getting there, we found it to be small and filled with grafiti. Even as the guard warned not to write on the walls, there were people writing on the switchplates, windows and climbing on a post in the square to get to a higher vantage point to write on the windows. Really a mess, IMO. I know the site is fictional but it is really, really disappointing to see all of the destruction.
Louise

To Anton.....aaaagh ! Sports bars ! That's not what I meant about my (lack of a) love affair with Paris...far from it.
Football and rugby are indeed important to me, and I love a city who's heart beats faster on a Saturday afternoon or when there's an international on, and sadly, Paris is indifferent to all that.
But that's only my opinion....I don't hate Paris, I just can't seem to be able to fall in love with it like so many others have, and I like I have with other cities. Places like Girona and Perugia and Norwich...smaller cities where as soon as I arrived I felt like these cities have a soul ... I felt like I belonged there, and felt like I was instantly part of the fabric of the city.
I respect others view of Paris..in fact I envy those who love the city, and wish I could in the same way. But I can't....it just doesn't have the intimacy that I'm looking for (in a city obviously...:-) )

I haven't been to Girona and Perugia and Norwich yet. I will place them on my "must get to" list. I do think Madrid is great and is one city I want to get back to.

I did love Paris and Rome from the start, but I agree with others about London. I has no charm for me; it's that post World War 2 architecture I think.

MacSporran,

I think you're wrong about Paris being indifferent to football and rugby matches. I remember big crowds in all the sports cafés and bars a few years ago when France was playing Italy, and well the World Cup... Rugby too. Sounds to me as if you just don't like big cities very much. Nothing wrong with that.

It'd be nice to start a 'paralell' post on must under-rated place...now that might reveal some real hidden gems!

Verona. It's overhyped because of the Romeo and Juliet connection, and people crowd around the "balcony", but there really isn't much there.

I was totally unimpressed by New Orleans

We stayed in a lovely hotel just off Bourbon Street.

BUT,

Bourbon Street in the evening reminded me of one of those streets in the Costa Del Sol - full of people on the p**s

The river cruise was interesting for the first 20 minutes after which it wasn't

And I had my pocket picked somewhere

Couldn't wait to leave

Spanish Steps in Rome. Swarms and swarms of people and they're only steps!

Mona Lisa at the Louvre. Underwhelmed me.

Maititom: was it the traffic that killed you at Aix? I thought of you when we were stuck in it for hours (we didn't mean to go to Aix at all but took a wrong turn and there we were). :D

Panama Canal.....boring...after the first locks..