Most under/over whelming touristy thing you have seen ?

[cisamcgu]

....
Sagrada Famiglia in Barcelona.
What a mess. A kid could have designed a better looking cathedral.

Did you go inside ?

 

[slowmotion]

I really enjoyed the trip up the Eiffel Tower.

 

[Blue Hills]

Anyone who is tired of Lincolnshire is tired of life.
Lincoln Cathedral just won the Cathedrals World Cup for best Cathedral. The Lincolnshire Wolds beats the Cotswolds into a cocked hat. We have some of the finest beaches in the UK here in Lincolnshire plus more nature reserves than any other county in England.
As far as other over/underwhelming places go..
Taj Mahal at dawn.
Breathtakingly beautiful.
Donna Nook between late October and Christmas for the seal pups.
Amazing.
Sagrada Famiglia in Barcelona.
What a mess. A kid could have designed a better looking cathedral.

Lincoln cathedral is on a great site for sure. And impressive. And it has the imp.
Spose the unkind might say that it's commanding prescence is partly because of the flatness surrounding it for miles.
Am intrigued by your beaches point - no angle to an honest question - can you kindly list some?
Not going to cheek lincoln - once strategically played hard to get there, all was fine by the time i'd driven up to yorkshire.

 

[screenman]

Anyone who is tired of Lincolnshire is tired of life.
Lincoln Cathedral just won the Cathedrals World Cup for best Cathedral. The Lincolnshire Wolds beats the Cotswolds into a cocked hat. We have some of the finest beaches in the UK here in Lincolnshire plus more nature reserves than any other county in England.
As far as other over/underwhelming places go..
Taj Mahal at dawn.
Breathtakingly beautiful.
Donna Nook between late October and Christmas for the seal pups.
Amazing.
Sagrada Famiglia in Barcelona.
What a mess. A kid could have designed a better looking cathedral.

Not forgetting the brown sea and high prices everywhere, and that huge grey sky.

 

[Chris S]

The Horseshoe Falls in Llangollen - they must be all of 3 feet high!

 

[jefmcg]

Cathedrals World Cup? A Twitter poll about English & Welsh cathedrals set up by an 'architecture fan'. What a prestigious accolade..... not.

They didn't even manage to 'win' it - they got the same percentage of votes as York Minster.

I don't follow football: so it that how they decide the actual World Cup?

 

[tony111]

The new Wembley stadium( underwhelmed)

 

[ColinJ]

My sister thought that the Icelandic Phallological Museum was, er, unusual ... I'm not sure if she was overwhelmed, underwhelmed, or both at the same time!

 

[Profpointy]

[QUOTE 5043808, member: 43827"]The Derwent Pencil Museum is worth a visit if ever you have 30 seconds to spare on a rainy day in the Lake District.[/QUOTE]

That was on my list to visit. Is it not that good then ?

 

[Profpointy]

Two tourist towns: Bourton on the Water - twee and pretty granted, but very tacky town containing nothing but jumper shops and tour buses.

Stratford on Avon - great to go to the theatre, but not worth visiting as a destination.

For what it's worth I was very impressed by the angel of the north, and the brick train in Darlington too

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Underwhelming: Englandshire

 

[jefmcg]

Any points for a resort setting up their own disappointment? One of the big attractions near Melbourne is the Penguin Parade. It's simple and magical. There is a colony of (little/fairy) penguins, and during breeding season they pair, and one of the pair stays with the eggs/chicks while the other heads off into the wild ocean to fill their belly with fish. So each dusk, these tiny penguins are washed onto the shore by the rough ocean, scramble upright and head into the dunes to find their families and feed them. And they don't mind the a crowd on the beach, or flood lights. It's all very cool and perfect.

But sometime in the 90s they build a "penguin lifestyle centre" with lots of information about penguins around the world and images of emperor and king penguins and all the others. So now the crowd on the beach instead of marvelling at the tiny aquanauts (and it's a dangerous adventure, with lots of predators), they are instead disappointed to not see any giant antarctic birds.

 

[pjd57]

The Budda's tooth in a temple in Sri Lanka.

Underwhelming doesn't cover it.

 

[Profpointy]

Any points for a resort setting up their own disappointment? One of the big attractions near Melbourne is the Penguin Parade. It's simple and magical. There is a colony of (little/fairy) penguins, and during breeding season they pair, and one of the pair stays with the eggs/chicks while the other heads off into the wild ocean to fill their belly with fish. So each dusk, these tiny penguins are washed onto the shore by the rough ocean, scramble upright and head into the dunes to find their families and feed them. And they don't mind the a crowd on the beach, or flood lights. It's all very cool and perfect.

But sometime in the 90s they build a "penguin lifestyle centre" with lots of information about penguins around the world and images of emperor and king penguins and all the others. So now the crowd on the beach instead of marvelling at the tiny aquanauts (and it's a dangerous adventure, with lots of predators), they are instead disappointed to not see any giant antarctic birds.

View attachment 383359

Been there, in its earlier incarnation, and it was indeed magical. They chalk-up the penguins' home-time on a board and right on time they all come waddling up the beach. Then, one loses his nerve and turns back, so they all get spooked and scurry back. After two or three false starts up they come to the dunes and their burrows. Really wonderful to see

 

[Piemaster]

Portmeirion. My wife was distinctly unimpressed - an opportunity to look at some houses from their front gates. I missed the 'experience' as they don't allow dogs - I had a great afternoon with said dog on Blacksands beach instead.
The Pencil Museum. Expected 'ironically crap'. Just got 'crap'