donnie Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Los Angeles - facking shit, shit, shit!!! Stayed in the centre of hollywood in an amazing hotel with my mates with great weather so it should have been a great boys holiday. Firstly LA really is a dump. The strip in hollywood is tiny, nothing like the movies. The public transport is non existent. Taxi's to the beach and other places cost a FORTUNE and without a car you are stuffed.The clubs are stupidly expensive to get in and once your in they are so pretentious. Its dirty and smoggy. Its just a giant ghetto. Truly the most overrated place in the world. 2) Budapest - im in the minority I know, but it was cold, freezing cold when I went and I stayed in a shit hostel full of hippys so im defo going to give it another chance. However my experience was that the people were cold. Never seen a single local smile and not one was pleasant. Felt like I was in 40's communist russia and everything seemed so derelict. Not to mention the food being ghastly. Wasnt impressed at all. However as most people disagree with me on budapest Im going to give it another chance but in better weather and a nicer hotel. 3) Florence - yes it beautiful but its still vastly overrated imo. Just full of tourists, full of Americans! Its so tiny as well, its just not made for the amount of tourists it gets. Every bar, restaurant, hotel is a rip off as well. Was expecting it to be like the florence in assassins creed, sadly wasnt. The david was impressive but even that was tucked away in a tiny, shitty musueum in a side street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danwichmann Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Dublin is the one that always springs to mind. Overpriced Guinness and none of the 'Irishness' I was hoping for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 i'd agree with Dublin, went there with the gf (to watch the villa) and thought there was surprisingly little that interested me Berlin - for whatever reason, whilst i was there i didnt think i was enjoying myself, seemed a strangely quiet city compared to say london and there was nothing like la ramblas, i can remember walking down unter den linden at about 8pm and passing about 4 other people on the way, no doubt there was loads of people somewhere (potzdammer platz was busy when i went there on my last night) but it was eerily quiet in the centre, i also did probably more walking there than ive done anywhere else after being kicked off the tube for not stamping my ticket at the station i got on which pissed me off, wasn't until i got back and started to think about it properly that i realised how much i had actually liked it Beijing - maybe not for the city itself, which travelling round on a coach was a nightmare, spent hours in traffic, but **** me it was cold! went the 1st week in December, after travelling up from the south where it had been as high as 26 degrees, it was somewhere between -10 and -20 with the wind, it was "foggy" so it was hard to see everything, i was ill after the horrible overnight train to get there, the part of the great wall we went to "where tourists don't go" happened to be that they don't go because it went straight up! half the stuff we went to i couldn't get in the mood for, the forbidden city for example, courtyard after courtyard, in the cold, i couldnt be bothered, by then i also couldnt be bothered with the food by then, the hotel did steak and chips so i didnt leave on the night Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnie Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 I kinda felt the same about berlin. Wasnt sure whether I liked it or not. Seemed pretty quiet when I went and to be honest their is a surprisingly lack of things to do. I was there 4 nights, but I had seen everything I wanted to see in 2 days so was pretty bored. Love the history of the place though. Munich is pretty overrated as well. Decent for a day seeing the beer halls and nice buildings but that's it. Beer is well well overpriced as were the restaurants. Once you get past the german sausages and meatballs, german food is pretty poor. Still love Germany though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Couldn't disagree more with Budapest and Florence Budapest especially , the view from the fishermans bastion over the Danube onto the house of Parlaiment is probably as good a view as you'll get anywhere in Europe ... Makes our Houses of Parliament look like it was designed by Stevie Wonder The basilica , the mattius church , Heroes' square , the Gellert baths ... Heck even the bridges in Budapest are works of art ( Széchenyi , the one with the lions was built by an Englishman ) And as for Florence , it's fair to say I've seen a bit of the world and I'd rate the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore as one of the most beautiful buildings I've seen ... It's worth going to Florence just for that alone ... Get a tour and you find out how they built it and it just becomes even more impressive It's all opinions of course .... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 As for my entry 1) Bratislava ... Full of racist Neanderthals , corrupt coppers and has nothing going for it ... Even the road in from Vienna when you drive is littered with prostitutes 2) Mumbai - few nice parks , the taj hotel ,colonial buildings and elephant island can't save Mumbai from making the list ... Even the traffic makes the airport transfer 2 -3 hours journey time ... A huge disappointment after so many other delights in India 3) I'm struggling now as they aren't many places I haven't enjoyed ... Sheffield would be an obvious choice , Ljubljana was a tad dull but still charming so I'm going for Amsterdam.. Just over rated ... Yeah the canals are nice and the heineken tour gets you some free beer and the Ajax arena is impressive but I cringe every time someone comes up with the idea of going there for a stag do I Must have been about 8 times maybe more( I'm social even if I don't like going there ) ... I'm Still drug free and still hooker free ... Maybe that's why I find it dull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetrees Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 So many better places in Holland than Amsterdam. Delft and Maastricht spring to mind. I've driven through Amersfoort on a couple of occasions and always thought that it should be on my stop list one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legov Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 (edited) i'd agree with Dublin, went there with the gf (to watch the villa) and thought there was surprisingly little that interested me Beijing - maybe not for the city itself, which travelling round on a coach was a nightmare, spent hours in traffic, but **** me it was cold! went the 1st week in December, after travelling up from the south where it had been as high as 26 degrees, it was somewhere between -10 and -20 with the wind, it was "foggy" so it was hard to see everything, i was ill after the horrible overnight train to get there, the part of the great wall we went to "where tourists don't go" happened to be that they don't go because it went straight up! half the stuff we went to i couldn't get in the mood for, the forbidden city for example, courtyard after courtyard, in the cold, i couldnt be bothered, by then i also couldnt be bothered with the food by then, the hotel did steak and chips so i didnt leave on the night I'm surprised. Beijing is a fantastic city for the history buff. Quite shocked you didn't enjoy the Forbidden City tbh. Wear a good coat and try some of the local food, and all will be good. Edited February 8, 2014 by legov Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 (edited) i'd agree with Dublin, went there with the gf (to watch the villa) and thought there was surprisingly little that interested me Beijing - maybe not for the city itself, which travelling round on a coach was a nightmare, spent hours in traffic, but **** me it was cold! went the 1st week in December, after travelling up from the south where it had been as high as 26 degrees, it was somewhere between -10 and -20 with the wind, it was "foggy" so it was hard to see everything, i was ill after the horrible overnight train to get there, the part of the great wall we went to "where tourists don't go" happened to be that they don't go because it went straight up! half the stuff we went to i couldn't get in the mood for, the forbidden city for example, courtyard after courtyard, in the cold, i couldnt be bothered, by then i also couldnt be bothered with the food by then, the hotel did steak and chips so i didnt leave on the night I'm surprised. Beijing is a fantastic city for the history buff. Quite shocked you didn't enjoy the Forbidden City tbh. Wear a good coat and try some of the local food, and all will be good. Yeah add me to the shocked list as well First time I went was in Winter so I can empathise with you regarding the cold and Fog I've been to Beijing 6 times now and still can't wait for the 7th Edit - tip , use the underground rather than the roads ... Pretty much All the big landmarks have a metro station near by Edited February 8, 2014 by tonyh29 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Donegal Donegal Donegal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AValon Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Erm Erm Giza....Who goes to the bloody pyramids of Giza and its overcast. Oh and its crawling with pickpockets, con-artists and 'guides'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legov Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 (edited) i'd agree with Dublin, went there with the gf (to watch the villa) and thought there was surprisingly little that interested me Beijing - maybe not for the city itself, which travelling round on a coach was a nightmare, spent hours in traffic, but **** me it was cold! went the 1st week in December, after travelling up from the south where it had been as high as 26 degrees, it was somewhere between -10 and -20 with the wind, it was "foggy" so it was hard to see everything, i was ill after the horrible overnight train to get there, the part of the great wall we went to "where tourists don't go" happened to be that they don't go because it went straight up! half the stuff we went to i couldn't get in the mood for, the forbidden city for example, courtyard after courtyard, in the cold, i couldnt be bothered, by then i also couldnt be bothered with the food by then, the hotel did steak and chips so i didnt leave on the night I'm surprised. Beijing is a fantastic city for the history buff. Quite shocked you didn't enjoy the Forbidden City tbh. Wear a good coat and try some of the local food, and all will be good. Yeah add me to the shocked list as well First time I went was in Winter so I can empathise with you regarding the cold and Fog I've been to Beijing 6 times now and still can't wait for the 7th Edit - tip , use the underground rather than the roads ... Pretty much All the big landmarks have a metro station near by SIX! Here I was thinking that I was the dog's bollox for having visited it twice (I spent 2 months there the second time around) Yes, definitely use the metro, don't drive. Edited February 8, 2014 by legov Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 i'd agree with Dublin, went there with the gf (to watch the villa) and thought there was surprisingly little that interested me Beijing - maybe not for the city itself, which travelling round on a coach was a nightmare, spent hours in traffic, but **** me it was cold! went the 1st week in December, after travelling up from the south where it had been as high as 26 degrees, it was somewhere between -10 and -20 with the wind, it was "foggy" so it was hard to see everything, i was ill after the horrible overnight train to get there, the part of the great wall we went to "where tourists don't go" happened to be that they don't go because it went straight up! half the stuff we went to i couldn't get in the mood for, the forbidden city for example, courtyard after courtyard, in the cold, i couldnt be bothered, by then i also couldnt be bothered with the food by then, the hotel did steak and chips so i didnt leave on the night I'm surprised. Beijing is a fantastic city for the history buff. Quite shocked you didn't enjoy the Forbidden City tbh. Wear a good coat and try some of the local food, and all will be good. Yeah add me to the shocked list as well First time I went was in Winter so I can empathise with you regarding the cold and Fog I've been to Beijing 6 times now and still can't wait for the 7th Edit - tip , use the underground rather than the roads ... Pretty much All the big landmarks have a metro station near by SIX! :shock: Here I was thinking that I was the dog's bollox for having visited it twice (I spent 2 months there the second time around) Yes, definitely use the metro, don't drive. If it makes you feel better you've spent longer there than I have It sounds weird but I almost feel I know my way around parts of Beijing like I know my way around London !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legov Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Did you have a lot of trouble communicating with the locals though? (I'm asssuming you don't speak much Mandarin) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Did you have a lot of trouble communicating with the locals though? (I'm asssuming you don't speak much Mandarin) Same as I get by anywhere really ... Some locals speak English those that don't you communicate via universal gestures and lots of smiles We went to a small restaurant in the back streets of Beijing one day and no English menu or spoken by the staff ... We just Pointed at stuff on the menu Thought I ordered spare ribs they turned out to be sheep legs ... Pointed at something resembling a chicken the waitress looked at me as if to say "you sure ? " then took me over to a tank with the biggest frog I've ever seen in my life in it But yeah I survive Actually found Japan the hardest place to communicate ,in terms of my lack of ability to learn languages Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legov Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Actually found Japan the hardest place to communicate ,in terms of my lack of ability to learn languages Oh yes, I don't usually like going on packaged tours, but Japan was an exception, because of how hard it was to communicate with the locals there. As for Beijing, knowing the local dialect was pretty cool me and my friends got to discover a lot of little corners by ourselves. In particular, there was this ramshackle stall near our hostel that sold lamb skewers. Used hair-dryers to fan the flames of the grill, kept their sauce in old Coke bottles. Very very down-to-earth place. Some of my friends and I still wax nostalgic about that stall to this day best skewers I've ever had, and it isn't even close. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legov Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Pointed at something resembling a chicken the waitress looked at me as if to say "you sure ? " then took me over to a tank with the biggest frog I've ever seen in my life in it Was there a picture of the dish on the menu, or did you have to rely on an iffy English translation of the dish's Chinese name? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Sheffield would be an obvious choice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Pointed at something resembling a chicken the waitress looked at me as if to say "you sure ? " then took me over to a tank with the biggest frog I've ever seen in my life in it Was there a picture of the dish on the menu, or did you have to rely on an iffy English translation of the dish's Chinese name? Yeah it was pictures we just couldn't work out what it was ... Frog would have been my 975th guess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Actually found Japan the hardest place to communicate ,in terms of my lack of ability to learn languages Oh yes, I don't usually like going on packaged tours, but Japan was an exception, because of how hard it was to communicate with the locals there. As for Beijing, knowing the local dialect was pretty cool me and my friends got to discover a lot of little corners by ourselves. In particular, there was this ramshackle stall near our hostel that sold lamb skewers. Used hair-dryers to fan the flames of the grill, kept their sauce in old Coke bottles. Very very down-to-earth place. Some of my friends and I still wax nostalgic about that stall to this day best skewers I've ever had, and it isn't even close. Come out of bar street ( yeah bit touristy ) but the local there was selling chicken skewers ... Again some of the tastiest grub ever Hard to get a decent Beijing duck there though ... They make it far too oily / greasy and not like the version we get back in the UK ( yeah I know , I know ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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