Annhig - It was also on my to do list. Other than the mosque my friend and I were very disappointed. We really wanted to see it as another friend's mother was the mayor of Cordoba a few years ago. It just was not the charming Spanish town I pictured it to be. Having said that I'm still glad I went so now I know.

I was disappointed with London: It was insultingly expensive, and underwhelming. It's also bizarrely designed; I rented a car, and navigating London was near impossible, e.g. the road from our hotel to Heathrow changed names eight times.

However, that was nothing compared to Tangiers, which is hands down the most unpleasant place I have been on earth. The residents were nasty - hostile actually - it was dirty, it was full of trashy flea markets, and there was a menacing ambience. While I'm tempted to blame Islam (I was called a "Dirty Jew", though I'm not Jewish), I have written it off as a "border town." I love Mexico, but Tijuana is a terrible representation of the country. I can only hope that Tangiers is the same for Morocco.

Tcreath,

Not to worry. We are definately going to Rome. I guess it just makes you think ... what if I don't like it. I don't believe that will be the case with Rome. I am not a huge museum person, but I adore ruins.

Besides... you gave me such great advice regarding Berchtesgaden. Seems as if my family is following in your 'travel footsteps'! Where are we going next?

H

After reading Markisenberger's post I remembered also how I hated Tangiers, it was long long ago I was there but it's an awful city, yes. Pretty dirty, unfriendly people always trying to touch you while wanting to sell you something, and scary! I remember we were in a 5* hotel and during the night our bedroom door was opened and we saw a man's hand ( we were 3 young women in the room). One of us screamed and the door closed again!! Ouch!

Ozarksbill--Sometimes it's a good idea to try something (or someplace) you think you won't like. Stretch your comfort zone a bit--and sometimes you'll be surprised and find out that you like something you thought you wouldn't.

Sometimes.

"I was disappointed with London: It was insultingly expensive, and underwhelming. It's also bizarrely designed"

markisenberger - you will need to take that up with the Romans and everyone else who came after them. I really wish people would think about how a city evolved before criticising it for things it cannot help. What are we supposed to do? Rip up the roads and lay them down grid-style to help you navigate? Why do you think we have taxi drivers who take YEARS to learn the road names - you think you're just going to pick it up in a few days???

Hi phieaglefan! I'm so glad my Berchtesgaden suggestion had been made to good use! We truly loved our stay in that area, and I just long to go back. Of course I long to go back to Rome too, so maybe B'gaden isn't in such an exclusive club! ;)

If you love ruins, you should love Rome. DH and I aren't huge museum-goer's either, unless its an archaeological museum or something of that nature. I didn't expect to love Rome, so needless to say I was very pleasantly surprised. Hopefully you will have a fabulous time!

DH and I are off to Croatia in November, followed by a small Ireland trip in February and then Greece and possibly Cairo in September/October. I am an avid travel planner, as you can probably tell!

Tracy

Nice and Cork--maybe because we got lost both places.
However, as far as 'being disappointed' goes, I found Torquay old and dreary and rundown looking. I guess it was in its heyday when Agatha Christie was writing. Of course our room there didn't match up to the recent stay at Tresanton which didn't help. We had dinner in a large dining room with a lot of oldies who had come down from northern England to have a warmer earlier spring.

Tcreath - Wow, I'm impressed. I better start saving my pennies. Croatia is on my list and so is Ireland for that matter. Hubby is Irish. Though... at the rate you're going places, I may need to get a second job!!

Happy Trails,
H

Thanks for not biting your tongue AP!!!

Who rents a car in London???

Before I went to Venice I was told by two friends to skip it because it was awful. I absolutely loved, loved Venice. Did not like Nice, Pisa or Florence and although Rome has incredible historical sites it was not my favorite. However, I loved the Rhine and Monaco. Just goes to show everyone has different views of a country.

Love this thread. Well.... I must confess I was not thrilled with Nice. Florence was way too packed with tourists for me to enjoy the art and architectural offerings.

Trafalgar Square - There's NO PIGEONS! (there's now a ban on feeding them due to health concerns!)

The food outlet(s) in (any) Motorway Service Station in Great Britain:
WHO(!?!) buys those sorry-looking 4GBP sandwiches??

Disneyland Paris ...the scariest ride was "The Maze" - the standard 30-40 min queue before every ride(on a Tuesday in early June!).

Seville,
Santorini-touristy and disappoointing after the rest of Greece was so wonderful, cruise ship mobs.
Any small city where cruise ships stop and overpower the size of the place such as Portofino.

Prague. We were there for four nights in May and while it is a lovely city we found the hordes of tourists took away a lot of the charm. And I do mean hordes - after noon it was difficult just walking around the old town, Charles Bridge, Castle Hill and Wenceslas areas. Too many tour groups and too many drunks.

Add us to those that did NOT fall in Love with Florence. It was nice but... In fact we are not really sold on Italy.

We went to Venice with comments from friends that they didn't like it...we loved it. Maybe it was all the water.

Now our favorite is still Paris.

I was disappointed by the over-crowding condition of Avignon. The town has may unique tourist attributes. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately of the local businesses and tour operators) its success is its worst enemy. It simply becomes too touristic (particularly at the Palais des Papes area) and overly crowded, even during pre-season. Out of 14 days of touring France by car, we found parking in Avignon was most problematic. Even though we knew exactly where to park and never got lost once. I am sure Avignon is a great destination for many, but for me, it does not meet expectation.

Paris. After three years of traveling around Europe we broke down and went because it was only six hours from home. We just didn't find it as exciting as other places we had been (or as clean!). Plus we saw several people robbed around the Eiffel Tower.

I'm surprised at all the people who didn't enjoy Rome. We haven't been but are debating going this fall while back in Germany. Having seen Athens and Ephesus, I don't know if I want to see more "old buildings." Convince me I'm wrong!

I think the the time of year one visits a city has an awful lot to do with one's opinion of it. We travel to Europe during February vacation because it's the only good deal during February school vacation week. I've found many of the cities mentioned very pleasant maybe because they're less crowded, seem cleaner, don't smell, and warmer than New England! Daffodils in bloom in Paris in February !

I found Barcelona to be disappointing.

One trip was enough.