The Meh list - not great, not awful, just Meh
Oct 8th, 2013, 12:50 AM
#81
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This is one of those silly threads. To me, most of the USA is pretty meh, apart from the national parks, New York and San Francisco. Oscar Wilde was surely right when he described Niagara Falls as the American bride's second great disappointment. See what I mean?
Europe is not a theme park for tourists. It's a continent where people live, work and travel.
The fact that many places are historically significant and or picturesque is a bonus
The only American tourists I respect are the ones who have longed to visit Europe for years, and have dreamed and planned and researched.
Europe is not a theme park for tourists. It's a continent where people live, work and travel.
The fact that many places are historically significant and or picturesque is a bonus
The only American tourists I respect are the ones who have longed to visit Europe for years, and have dreamed and planned and researched.
Oct 8th, 2013, 07:07 AM
#84
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Whaaaaat?!? Those were real people in Europe not Disney Animatronics? I think most people on this board have cherished and loved the majority of their experiences. Many of us have to edit our upcoming itineraries and it is helpful to have advice. We have family in very small "Meh" midwest towns, I am not personally offended if you do not spend your travel dollars going there.
Oct 8th, 2013, 07:11 AM
#85
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Josser;
Because you dislike the subject of the thread, you;
- Insult Americans with a sexual reference - implying, of course that the bulk of posters must be American ( Imean, who else would be so base, right?)
- Declare Europe is not a theme park - not relevant to voicing an opinion on places one has been and is not enthusiastic about.
- Voice your lack of respect for American tourists - unless they have dreamed endlessly of it and have educated themselves
Classy
Because you dislike the subject of the thread, you;
- Insult Americans with a sexual reference - implying, of course that the bulk of posters must be American ( Imean, who else would be so base, right?)
- Declare Europe is not a theme park - not relevant to voicing an opinion on places one has been and is not enthusiastic about.
- Voice your lack of respect for American tourists - unless they have dreamed endlessly of it and have educated themselves
Classy
Oct 8th, 2013, 07:24 AM
#86
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Why would a person ( from any country) have " to dream for years " about visiting a place to
enjoy it or" deserve" respect for it?
I was born and lived in Europe, (and visit several times a year) but still find number of cities or towns
- Europe is a big place - not particularly interesting or "meh".
The condescending attitude towards" unsophisticated" American tourists is silly and offensive.
enjoy it or" deserve" respect for it?
I was born and lived in Europe, (and visit several times a year) but still find number of cities or towns
- Europe is a big place - not particularly interesting or "meh".
The condescending attitude towards" unsophisticated" American tourists is silly and offensive.
Oct 12th, 2013, 02:11 PM
#87
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Agreed Switzerland, Carcassonne, Inverness.
Add York.
Hesitated to go to Vienna because of the antisemitism rife in Austria past , and maybe present (though i am not a Jew myself). But things like the Freud house, Kunsthistorisches, the cafes, the ancient synagogue excavation, the Kaisergruft, st. Stephen's, and the musicians' and Jewish sections of the old cemetery, made it fascinating.
Add York.
Hesitated to go to Vienna because of the antisemitism rife in Austria past , and maybe present (though i am not a Jew myself). But things like the Freud house, Kunsthistorisches, the cafes, the ancient synagogue excavation, the Kaisergruft, st. Stephen's, and the musicians' and Jewish sections of the old cemetery, made it fascinating.
Oct 13th, 2013, 09:56 AM
#89
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Totally agree re: St Maarten. We hated the vibe. Took a ferry to Anguilla and wished we were there instead.
Sacher torte in Vienna-- what's the deal? It's so dry and tasteless. Although we liked Vienna in general.
Sacher torte in Vienna-- what's the deal? It's so dry and tasteless. Although we liked Vienna in general.
Oct 13th, 2013, 10:49 AM
#90
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"The only American tourists I respect are the ones who have longed to visit Europe for years, and have dreamed and planned and researched."
I'm sure the rest of American tourists are crushed to learn they're beneath your lordship's notice.
We travel in Europe because we live here and we hate flying. And, until recently, because we could travel with our dog almost everywhere (she's now blind and too old to enjoy it like she used to).
What's not to like? Beautiful scenery, wonderful food and wine, mostly nice people (barring exception like Lord Josser above), and immensely practical mass transit to many great destinations.
But, with the exception of the wide-ranging mass transit networks, we felt the same about the U.S. when we lived there. Beautiful scenery, wonderful food and wine, mostly nice people. And many great destinations.
There have been some European places that didn't resonate with us (Amboise and Maastricht, for example), but that's just personal taste. I don't think the less of people who love them. And we love Switzerland even though it's a meh experience for others. (We also lived 5 years in Brussels and enjoyed it immensely, even though it seems to be on the top of the "meh..." vote count)
It's interesting to see which destinations click (or don't click) with other Fodorites.
I'm sure the rest of American tourists are crushed to learn they're beneath your lordship's notice.
We travel in Europe because we live here and we hate flying. And, until recently, because we could travel with our dog almost everywhere (she's now blind and too old to enjoy it like she used to).
What's not to like? Beautiful scenery, wonderful food and wine, mostly nice people (barring exception like Lord Josser above), and immensely practical mass transit to many great destinations.
But, with the exception of the wide-ranging mass transit networks, we felt the same about the U.S. when we lived there. Beautiful scenery, wonderful food and wine, mostly nice people. And many great destinations.
There have been some European places that didn't resonate with us (Amboise and Maastricht, for example), but that's just personal taste. I don't think the less of people who love them. And we love Switzerland even though it's a meh experience for others. (We also lived 5 years in Brussels and enjoyed it immensely, even though it seems to be on the top of the "meh..." vote count)
It's interesting to see which destinations click (or don't click) with other Fodorites.
Oct 13th, 2013, 04:38 PM
#91
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I am not sure my American self has researched this enough to be worthy of answering this entertaining thread.
I pray that I have researched my European vacations enough to be deemed worthy enough of a visit by Josser, but feel that encountering Josser might be the "meh" part of the trip.
I pray that I have researched my European vacations enough to be deemed worthy enough of a visit by Josser, but feel that encountering Josser might be the "meh" part of the trip.
Oct 13th, 2013, 06:08 PM
#92
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Quite frankly, I am so relieved that the Immigration Officer when I landed in Europe for the 1st time didn't check to make sure that I had, "longed to visit Europe for years, and have dreamed and planned and researched."
I would have had to hang my head and shame and say, "Lo siento pero no." As I gathered up my one little brown bag and re-boarded the airplane.
My friend had persuaded me to go and I simple said, "yes." No research, only faith. No dreams, just the feeling that the Universe was behind me.
We've all met the folks who generalize by saying things like; "all French people are..." or "all Americans are..." or even "you know those..."
We've just met another, that's all.
I would have had to hang my head and shame and say, "Lo siento pero no." As I gathered up my one little brown bag and re-boarded the airplane.
My friend had persuaded me to go and I simple said, "yes." No research, only faith. No dreams, just the feeling that the Universe was behind me.
We've all met the folks who generalize by saying things like; "all French people are..." or "all Americans are..." or even "you know those..."
We've just met another, that's all.
Oct 15th, 2013, 02:14 PM
#94
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For what it's worth, you can fly into MEH on your next trip to Europe—that's the airport code for Mehamn, a village in far northern Norway (71°01′44″N 027°49′35″E).
And had this thread been started sooner, I might have tried to visit Méh utca (Méh Street) in the Budaliget area of Budapest when I was in Hungary. It's a dead-end street, of course. (méh = bee in Hungarian)
And had this thread been started sooner, I might have tried to visit Méh utca (Méh Street) in the Budaliget area of Budapest when I was in Hungary. It's a dead-end street, of course. (méh = bee in Hungarian)
Ack and Cranachin!
