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Is anyone besides me a little bit surprised with this?
Topic Started: May 4 2009, 10:00 AM (112 Views)
New Harumf
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Bloodthirsty Unicorn
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090504/lf_nm_life/us_travel_europe
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Ulgania
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A better Zarathustra has never rode a horse
I was going to rage around a little, but saw the (Reuters Life!). Nothing to worry about
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Viva Italia! :lol:

I haven't been to many places beyond Italy so I can't talk but I just have to laugh
Edited by Porcu, May 4 2009, 11:49 AM.
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Nag Ehgoeg
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The Devil's Advocate

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May 4 2009, 10:00 AM
Paris is over-rated. The food in Paris is not great. The best restaurants in Paris are no better than the best places in London (or New York for that matter). On a cost weighted against quality basis, I guess it's a little better than London.

Paris is not a romantic city. It's a city. The Eiffel Tower was something special when it was made. Not so much anymore. The Arc is dull. Paris's historically cultural museums and art galleries are no better (or worse) than London's (which are in English) and a good deal worse than Italy's. If it's modern culture you want (whether present day or modern movement) then Amsterdam is your city, not Paris. If you're going to Paris to visit Euro-Disney... well Euro-Disney is fun and all but it's nothing on Florida. Or Disney Land. Or Port Adventura.

Even fashion wise, Paris is no longer Europe's trendsetter. The people are well dressed. It's very well represented in the fashion circuit, but most American's seem to think that the French wear either designer clothes or sailors uniforms and berets - in truth they dress like the citizens of any other city. Going to Paris and expecting the people to be lined with furs is like expecting the streets of London to be lined with gold. People in the fashion industry go to Paris with reasonable expectations and are not disappointed. The average American woman looking for the fashion capital of the world is in for a big let down. Why? Because Paris is over-rated even in the one thing that it genuinely deserves praise for.

The French are even ruder to foreigners than we English (and we're pretty damn rude). Especially when on their home territory. Especially when dealing with English speaking tourists. Especially Americans. Especially in Paris.

Paris is, with out a doubt, the most over-rated city in the world - not just Europe. And I'm including Mecca, Jerusalem and LA.

London is dirty.
London is horribly overpriced.
London does have the best nightlife.
London has the best public parks.
London has the best attractions (free or otherwise).

I'm surprised Venice got most romantic. I guess it's slightly less smelly than Rome. Köln in the Winter is very romantic (though it's not very impressive as a city).

Dublin is friendly.
Copenhagen's cleanliness is a given fact - it probably only won most clean because everyone knows that it's clean rather than based on actual merit - but I can't think of a cleaner city in Europe.

There's nothing good in Brussels. Even the politically minded will find it dry.
I have nothing to say about Zurich. No surprise it was second most boring.

The poll is telling the rest of the world what every European who's ventured out of their home country already knows.

Not surprised in the least.

Don't let this poll put you off coming to Europe. All the major European tourist cities are worth visiting. Just don't expect a miraculous wonderland after your eight hour flight. Expect cities. Paris doesn't suck (worth visiting once Tour Eiffel and all), people just have unrealistic expectations. It's the capital of France. France for gods sake! Adjust your expectations downwards.
Edited by Nag Ehgoeg, May 5 2009, 06:01 AM.
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New Harumf
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Bloodthirsty Unicorn
Nag Ehgoeg
May 5 2009, 05:59 AM
New Harumf
May 4 2009, 10:00 AM
Paris is over-rated. The food in Paris is not great. The best restaurants in Paris are no better than the best places in London (or New York for that matter). On a cost weighted against quality basis, I guess it's a little better than London.

Paris is not a romantic city. It's a city. The Eiffel Tower was something special when it was made. Not so much anymore. The Arc is dull. Paris's historically cultural museums and art galleries are no better (or worse) than London's (which are in English) and a good deal worse than Italy's. If it's modern culture you want (whether present day or modern movement) then Amsterdam is your city, not Paris. If you're going to Paris to visit Euro-Disney... well Euro-Disney is fun and all but it's nothing on Florida. Or Disney Land. Or Port Adventura.

Even fashion wise, Paris is no longer Europe's trendsetter. The people are well dressed. It's very well represented in the fashion circuit, but most American's seem to think that the French wear either designer clothes or sailors uniforms and berets - in truth they dress like the citizens of any other city. Going to Paris and expecting the people to be lined with furs is like expecting the streets of London to be lined with gold. People in the fashion industry go to Paris with reasonable expectations and are not disappointed. The average American woman looking for the fashion capital of the world is in for a big let down. Why? Because Paris is over-rated even in the one thing that it genuinely deserves praise for.

The French are even ruder to foreigners than we English (and we're pretty damn rude). Especially when on their home territory. Especially when dealing with English speaking tourists. Especially Americans. Especially in Paris.

Paris is, with out a doubt, the most over-rated city in the world - not just Europe. And I'm including Mecca, Jerusalem and LA.

London is dirty.
London is horribly overpriced.
London does have the best nightlife.
London has the best public parks.
London has the best attractions (free or otherwise).

I'm surprised Venice got most romantic. I guess it's slightly less smelly than Rome. Köln in the Winter is very romantic (though it's not very impressive as a city).

Dublin is friendly.
Copenhagen's cleanliness is a given fact - it probably only won most clean because everyone knows that it's clean rather than based on actual merit - but I can't think of a cleaner city in Europe.

There's nothing good in Brussels. Even the politically minded will find it dry.
I have nothing to say about Zurich. No surprise it was second most boring.

The poll is telling the rest of the world what every European who's ventured out of their home country already knows.

Not surprised in the least.

Don't let this poll put you off coming to Europe. All the major European tourist cities are worth visiting. Just don't expect a miraculous wonderland after your eight hour flight. Expect cities. Paris doesn't suck (worth visiting once Tour Eiffel and all), people just have unrealistic expectations. It's the capital of France. France for gods sake! Adjust your expectations downwards.
What you have written all makes perfectly good sense. When I visit a city - any city, I expect it to be a big city first, like Chicago or New York, with, on the surface, very little difference.

When I think of London (I've never been) I think of people in black suits and hats and umbrellas walking around. I think of "old" as I do think of every European city. I think of stuffy and proper too. I also think of great museums, the changing of the guard, Hyde Park, and tons of history. That's why I would go there - that and for the night life.

When I think of Paris (I've never been) I do think of people in striped shirts and barets sitting in outdoor cafes sipping on wine with cheezy accordion music playing in the background. I also think of sewers, for some reason. I think of Notre Dame, the Eiffel thingy, and that art museum the "loo-oo-ve-re" or something like that. I also would expect snobby people, being ignored and being cheated.

Rome, (I've never been) I think of art, art, art, and the Pope, and men pinching girl's asses, and fountains. I also think of pickpockets and thieves. I also think of it as a very expensive city, for some reason, maybe because you got to pay to go into churches!

Madrid is the favorite European city I have been to, and it was, basically, another big city, but with cool sites and great night-life. Second was Amsterdam, just for its quaintness (it's small compared to other big cities) followed by Köln which was suprisingly friendly, clean and "sexy", much more so than Amsterdam. I felt safe in every part of Köln, moreso than other cities I have been in.

I wish I could be more of a world-traveler, and now that my house has sold (yey!!) I can start saving money again and travel again soon!
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Tristan da Cunha
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Science and Industry
The only 3 European cities I've been to are Paris, Geneva, and Zurich. I liked Zurich and Geneva better than Paris. I liked the Germans' stuff better than French's stuff. Geneva is French of course but it's clean and orderly unlike France proper.
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Al Araam
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Demigod of Death & Inactivity

I'm really not at all surprised. I've been to Paris far more times than I desired to, and there really isn't much of anything spectacular there. And then there's the fact it's populated by the French. I honestly don't see what the appeal is, but I don't doubt that there will always be a certain glow surrounding Paris, particularly for Americans.

Venice is another story. I've been to Venice only once, and that was for a relatively short period of time. I found it to be beautiful and, best of all, different. If I'm going to travel thousands of miles, I don't want to see a glorified version of my hometown. I want to see something unique, and Venice provided that for me. As was mentioned, French food is not that good, but Italian food definitely is. I don't think I've ever eaten a disappointing meal in Italy, but perhaps I've just been lucky.

Rome is also fantastic. I would much rather spend a day in Rome than a week in Paris. The food, people, history, and art are much more to my liking.

Cologne is also a beautiful city, although I've only had the opportunity to spend a little more than half a day there when I was in Bonn.

When it comes down to it, most big European cities are functionally identical to big American cities, other than the fact they're populated by Europeans. In my opinion, if you really want to go somewhere different, try somewhere a little ways off the beaten path. I remember Dubrovnik, Croatia as being a beautiful city that didn't make me feel like I could be back home, and there's definitely something to be said for that.
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New Harumf
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Bloodthirsty Unicorn
Kiev-Volhynia
May 7 2009, 08:55 PM
When it comes down to it, most big European cities are functionally identical to big American cities, other than the fact they're populated by Europeans. In my opinion, if you really want to go somewhere different, try somewhere a little ways off the beaten path. I remember Dubrovnik, Croatia as being a beautiful city that didn't make me feel like I could be back home, and there's definitely something to be said for that.
I think that is what I found interesting about Madrid. Yes, parts of it could be plopped right down in Chicago, and no one would blink, but look in other parts and it is soooo different from an American city. Spain itself is perhaps the most non-American like country in Western Europe because of its interesting mix of cultures - a clash of Moorish Islam, Western Sephardim, crypto-Jews and Rabid Catholics, and Madrid is right on the Border of it all. The food is remarkable as well - just as distinctive, varied and unique as Italian cuisine - and, of course, the wine flows freely!
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