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Top 3 most disappointing places


donnie

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Malta - like being in gods waiting room

 

The Greek Islands that i've been to (Cyprus & Crete) have been disappointing, and Portugal to be honest. It's all just very baron, the beaches aren't anything special (in the main) and the places are littered with rubbishy sports bars. I don't know why I thought it would be any different (it's pretty obviously going to be the case in the Algarve), but I had some high hopes for Greece.

 

 

 

Interesting as I'm looking at Malta and Cyprus as part of my annual summer  trip  ( also Greece and Albania )

 

Cyprus appeared to have loads of interesting historical stuff  , Malta not so much so , but it seemed to have enough to warrant going to see it

 

plus of course a few beer spots in the evening

 

I'm only in each country for 2 days so are you saying there is Nothing to see or just not enough for those strange people that spend 2 weeks in the same place ?

 

 

I should qualify my post by saying my itinerary (or lack of) was at the mercy of my (then) mother in law. There are, infact, many many amazing places to visit in Cyprus , but just don't do it in the heat of summer because it gets unbearable. I do still stand by my criticism of the natural environment though, very baron with few geological features and pretty sub-par beaches. It's not a scratch on Turkey in terms of the scenery on offer. If you were after a true taste of Greece, then I suspect there'd be better options, anything you do find in Cyprus tends to be very heavily influenced by the tourist trade.

 

(PS I'm aware it's not technically Greece, but you know what I mean).

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Malta - like being in gods waiting room

 

The Greek Islands that i've been to (Cyprus & Crete) have been disappointing, and Portugal to be honest. It's all just very baron, the beaches aren't anything special (in the main) and the places are littered with rubbishy sports bars. I don't know why I thought it would be any different (it's pretty obviously going to be the case in the Algarve), but I had some high hopes for Greece.

 

 

 

Interesting as I'm looking at Malta and Cyprus as part of my annual summer  trip  ( also Greece and Albania )

 

Cyprus appeared to have loads of interesting historical stuff  , Malta not so much so , but it seemed to have enough to warrant going to see it

 

plus of course a few beer spots in the evening

 

I'm only in each country for 2 days so are you saying there is Nothing to see or just not enough for those strange people that spend 2 weeks in the same place ?

 

 

I should qualify my post by saying my itinerary (or lack of) was at the mercy of my (then) mother in law. There are, infact, many many amazing places to visit in Cyprus , but just don't do it in the heat of summer because it gets unbearable. I do still stand by my criticism of the natural environment though, very baron with few geological features and pretty sub-par beaches. It's not a scratch on Turkey in terms of the scenery on offer. If you were after a true taste of Greece, then I suspect there'd be better options, anything you do find in Cyprus tends to be very heavily influenced by the tourist trade.

 

(PS I'm aware it's not technically Greece, but you know what I mean).

 

 

thanks  ... I thought Turkey was very decent so I'd be surprised if many places can top that ( not just Istanbul but I did Ephesus , Troy and Gallipoli as well )

 

I'm not fussed about beaches , it's more to look at the tomb of Kings ,the amphitheatre and what not ... if we can get some decent night-life as well then that is a bonus

 

Going to  Athens as well so it will be interesting to see how it stands up to somewhere like Istanbul

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Malta - like being in gods waiting room

 

The Greek Islands that i've been to (Cyprus & Crete) have been disappointing, and Portugal to be honest. It's all just very baron, the beaches aren't anything special (in the main) and the places are littered with rubbishy sports bars. I don't know why I thought it would be any different (it's pretty obviously going to be the case in the Algarve), but I had some high hopes for Greece.

 

 

 

Interesting as I'm looking at Malta and Cyprus as part of my annual summer  trip  ( also Greece and Albania )

 

Cyprus appeared to have loads of interesting historical stuff  , Malta not so much so , but it seemed to have enough to warrant going to see it

 

plus of course a few beer spots in the evening

 

I'm only in each country for 2 days so are you saying there is Nothing to see or just not enough for those strange people that spend 2 weeks in the same place ?

 

 

I should qualify my post by saying my itinerary (or lack of) was at the mercy of my (then) mother in law. There are, infact, many many amazing places to visit in Cyprus , but just don't do it in the heat of summer because it gets unbearable. I do still stand by my criticism of the natural environment though, very baron with few geological features and pretty sub-par beaches. It's not a scratch on Turkey in terms of the scenery on offer. If you were after a true taste of Greece, then I suspect there'd be better options, anything you do find in Cyprus tends to be very heavily influenced by the tourist trade.

 

(PS I'm aware it's not technically Greece, but you know what I mean).

 

 

thanks  ... I thought Turkey was very decent so I'd be surprised if many places can top that ( not just Istanbul but I did Ephesus , Troy and Gallipoli as well )

 

I'm not fussed about beaches , it's more to look at the tomb of Kings ,the amphitheatre and what not ... if we can get some decent night-life as well then that is a bonus

 

Going to  Athens as well so it will be interesting to see how it stands up to somewhere like Istanbul

 

 

We went and spent a day at the Amphitheatre and it was very good, but the 45 degree heat took the enjoyment out of it a little. We actually did the Tomb of kings aswell, which again was very good, but severely lacking in shelter from the sun! Personally, it wouldn't be enough to warrant a trip out there from myself, but for someone more interested in History it could tip the balance.

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I liked Malta, enjoyed wandering around all the fortifications in Valletta and managed to catch the carnival there as well. Parts of Gozo were like stepping back in time, which was interesting as well. I had the impression Mdina would have been cool as well, but was somewhat spoilt by the fact it pissed down all day while I was there. 

yes, Mdina is very good on a clear day

 

I have a bias for Valletta, I was there when they won the Maltese league for the first time in a few years, the players rolled into Valletta on a flat bed truck, trundling slowly down the main street with the worlds biggest sound system. I managed to get on the truck to join the players in a rousing chorus about their rivals Birkikara. The song was ever so moving, the lyrics will stay with me for ever:

call from Valletta players on truck: Birkikara!

crowd response:  Shit!

call: Birkikara!

response: Shit!

call: Birkikara Birkikara!

response: Shit Shit!

 

repeat....

 

brilliant little restaurant called Rubino, Valletta. Rabbit Stew a speciality. But he only really opens when the mood takes him!

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Buffalo is without a doubt a **** sack of shit 'city'.

Wolverhampton. Coventry. Utter shitholes.

Less said about Buffalo the better. That goes for the majority of New York state actually.

Niagra Falls probably the worst place I've ever been. Horribly tacky place, loads of crack head locals and the falls themselves were unimpressive compared to others I've seen.

Didn't like Buenos Aries either. Felt like I was in a non descript European capital. I also got robbed on the subway & an apparent "must do" on the itinerary was wandering round a graveyard full of mangy cats. Fockin crap.

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I liked Malta, enjoyed wandering around all the fortifications in Valletta and managed to catch the carnival there as well. Parts of Gozo were like stepping back in time, which was interesting as well. I had the impression Mdina would have been cool as well, but was somewhat spoilt by the fact it pissed down all day while I was there.

yes, Mdina is very good on a clear day

I have a bias for Valletta, I was there when they won the Maltese league for the first time in a few years, the players rolled into Valletta on a flat bed truck, trundling slowly down the main street with the worlds biggest sound system. I managed to get on the truck to join the players in a rousing chorus about their rivals Birkikara. The song was ever so moving, the lyrics will stay with me for ever:

call from Valletta players on truck: Birkikara!

crowd response: Shit!

call: Birkikara!

response: Shit!

call: Birkikara Birkikara!

response: Shit Shit!

repeat....

brilliant little restaurant called Rubino, Valletta. Rabbit Stew a speciality. But he only really opens when the mood takes him!

Agree with Malta. Absolutely love the place.

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Should add seville to this list. Really didnt enjoy it at all considering I love spain and it's highly recommended.

Found it very boring at night. A severe lack of restaurants and the bars are very dull. I liked the architecture, but for me seville is more of a day trio rather then a 3 day break. Very Meh!

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Every person in my circle of friends and family that has been to Barcelona has been mugged, this numbers 5 or 6 of them, is this peoples experience too or were they just very unlucky?

 

There was a program on Channel 4 about this recently, they have a huge problem with muggings in Barcelona, enough to put you off going at all.

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It's never violent muggings, it's always pick pockets, scams and tricks.  You just need to keep your wits about you and thoroughly read up on everything before hand.  At night time don't look like a lost tourist, at day time keep your hands in your pockets.  I've been twice and never lost anything.

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one of my early travels i was on a crowded  tram in Prague and as we went around a corner i just heard a faint click and looked down to see a hand going into my camera case  ... never felt a thing and but for the click he'd have got away with it ..instead he got a punch on the nose for his troubles

 

early lesson and i always make sure i don't leave a bag hanging over my shoulder or wallets in the back pocket etc as a result  ... so far so good , touch wood B)

Edited by tonyh29
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Every person in my circle of friends and family that has been to Barcelona has been mugged, this numbers 5 or 6 of them, is this peoples experience too or were they just very unlucky?

 

when i went there were 3 of us in a club, 1 lad left and got mugged, all of his money! (dickhead i know) said it was 5/6 prostitutes ganging round him flirting, 2nd lad left about half an hour later, got mugged didnt know how, cash and camera, i left about half an hour after that... nothing!

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Every person in my circle of friends and family that has been to Barcelona has been mugged, this numbers 5 or 6 of them, is this peoples experience too or were they just very unlucky?

 

I only know one person that's had his pocket picked in Barcelona, and he was hammered at the time. I've spent plenty of time stumbling around drunk and lost in that city without any problems. 

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I'm lucky in that I haven't been anywhere that I have actively disliked. Few quiet places, like Helsinki, Chiang Mai and Malta, but they're not bad or disappointing. Spent a few hours in Dublin and saw nothing that would make me want to go back.

 

There are things about certain places i'm not keen on... like the traffic in Jakarta or Manila, or the cost of beer in Paris but they are just minor gripes. 

 

Overall I guess I've been lucky.

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