Most under/over whelming touristy thing you have seen ?

[Yellow Fang]

When I went cycling around Yorkshire a year ago, I stopped off in Haworth, where the Bronte sisters lived. I was surprised it had all been turned into Bronteland with cobbled streets and old gas lamps. Actually it was only a couple of streets, but one of them was quite long. I had a beer in the pub where Branwell Bronte got pissed in.

 

[Spinney]

Himalayas. A trek many years ago, staying in tea houses. Nearly every afternoon it would rain, so we'd get to our accommodation damp with no view. After drinking quite a lot of lemon tea or ginger tea (I go teetotal at high altitude), then going to bed at around 8 (and usually the last one still awake!), I invariably had to get up for the loo in the middle of the night.

The loo is always outside. Longjohns, down jacket, flip flops. Do my stuff then stand in gobsmacked awe because the clouds had gone, the moon was full, and there were snowcapped peaks all around and a sky full of stars - all the more impressive for this being the first time I'd seen this particular view because of the clouds. Gawped until my toes were in danger of frostbite.

Same experience on quite a few nights.

 

[Spinney]

I can....ahem!.... see why.......

Yeah, me too. The fine detail in the carving of the veil. Difficult to believe it's stone.

 

[Tin Pot]

Underwhelming:
Nottingham. I'd thought it was a big city.

Singapore.

Most British 'attractions' are "oh, right" rather than "wow".

Overwhelming:
The Alps
Sydney Opera House
Corcovado
Foz da Iguaçu
Ionian islands
Maldives
Manta Rays
Great Barrier Reef

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Going to japan was a mind blowing experience

Such a fantastic place to visit and Tokyo was everything I wanted in life

It was so good when we came back in 2016 I cancelled disney world and we went back
in 2017

I want to go again already

 

[slowmotion]

I wasn't at all keen on the Anne Frank House, Amsterdam. It didn't rest easily with tourism on a massive scale.

 

[J1888]

Mannekin Pis was indeed crap.

Cologne Cathedral knocked my socks off. The scale, the grandeur, wow.

 

[Spinney]

[QUOTE 5044446, member: 9609"]you went to the Himalayas and the most memorable moment was having a poo ?
that is one serious under whelming moment.[/QUOTE]
The view outside at night, you fool, the view! Snow capped peaks, sky sprinkled with diamond stars, silence, just me and the huge awesomness of the mountains...

 

[lazybloke]

I love waterfalls, but the most underwhelming attraction I've been to, by a mile, was Hardraw Force. It cost 50p each for a look in 1991, and it was like a trickle from a sewage pipe.

I did that visit in the previous decade on a very wet holiday; I seem to recall the waterfall being impressive at the time, but now the memory is 'soiled' by an image of Kevin Costner's bum.

Malham Cove as a waterfall might be interesting.

 

[Nigeyy]

Underwhelming: the Grand Canyon.

Yes you read that right. Hours spent driving there, and for the first 5 minutes the view was breathtaking. After that, I (much to my shame) got a bit bored and started to think about the long drive back.... I know I'm in a minority but it's the truth.

 

[Dave 123]

A thing we did this year was go up the Walkie Talkie building in London. Luckily it was a clear day and you couldn't fail to be impressed.

Ely Cathedral also does it for me, outside and in

 

[Blue Hills]

The Mermaid in Copenhagen harbour didn't exactly knock my socks off.

I think the fame of that thing comes from a simpler age when folk hadn't travelled much.
I remember an acquaintance from the 80s going on holiday to copenhagen. Remember thinking/asking aloud, "why". He confirmed that it was a small statue in the harbour area.

 

[Blue Hills]

A thing we did this year was go up the Walkie Talkie building in London. Luckily it was a clear day and you couldn't fail to be impressed.
View attachment 383407

Ely Cathedral also does it for me, outside and in
View attachment 383406

Yes the walkie talkie sky garden is worth a visit. And free. And great views for sure. But was better when it first opened. The peace was soon shattered by japanese tourists with selfie sticks. And from the outside i personally consider the building an ugly fist on the london skyline.

 

[Spinney]

[QUOTE 5044474, member: 9609"]I knew what you meant and it did sound like a very special moment. I often think the most overwhelming moments happen when you least expect them, I always find the big attractions are so over hyped that I am often totally unimpressed.
I did have a special moment on a hill once, the forecast had been good but it was just cold and wet, I had a long trudge in to a hill by the name of Bynack Mor in the cairngorms, it just seemed such a waste of time wandering about in low cloud, and as I sat in the cold gloomy fog at the summit I suddenly noticed the shape of the sun, then some blue sky, then I was sitting in warm sunshine on a little island surrounded by a sea of cloud, other little islands could be seen all around - it was by far the best inversion I have ever seen, just wonderful when the unexpected happens.[/QUOTE]
I thought you did! But not quite 100%.
Done Bynack Mor - the cloud didn't lift. But one new year's eve...we made ourselves go up Grisedale Pike in the cloud, and this happened - absolutely magical day, didn't want to go down. https://www.walkingchat.net/threads/weather-inversions.94/

 

[Blue Hills]

The first time I saw Trafalgar Square I burst out laughing. It always looked big and impressive on Blue Peter, but it's tiny!

I wouldn't say it's tiny. Its sort of london square size. Were you watching blue peter on drugs? From outer space?