r/travel • u/AutoModerator • May 02 '19
Discussion r/travel Topic of the Week: 'Pleasant Surprises'
Hey travellers!
We all read and plan, and finally decide what our next trip will be about. Please share with us those moments when a trip pleasantly exceeded your expectations. From inaccurate negative stereotypes, to simple personal experiences of the place you went to that you didn't expect to be as nice you thought it'd be.
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u/its_a_me_garri_oh May 02 '19 edited Sep 05 '19
Despite my initial trepidations, I will now defend Athens to the death.
It's hot. It's crowded. There's a lot of concrete. But there's so much beauty in between the cracks and so much life.
And if you need green space, the Thisseio neighborhood is full of parks and amazing Acropolis views. Or find one of the innumerable public squares and sit under a tree with old men sipping coffee. Or take the tram down to the beach at Vouglia or Vouglameni or Glyfada.
The way to think about Athens is it's more like an chaotic Asian or Middle Eastern city than a Western city. You're gonna have heaps of immigrants, lots of construction, potholes, graffiti, an indecipherable tram and bus system. Roll with it. Just roll with it. Wander the ouzo bars late in the evening listening to rebetiko. Watch the sunset from Lycabettus Hill. Gorge on sheep's yoghurt with walnuts and thyme honey. Athens rewards you tenfold.
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u/Juggertrout May 04 '19
Thank you for this. I was born in Athens and have a love/hate relationship with the city. You have elucidated the 'love' part perfectly. Athens city centre has a lot more green space than people realise (our city centre is basically a forest), but it's the hidden behind all the ugly concrete buildings. However the suburbs (outside the municipality of Athens) are severely lacking in green spaces, although a big new one was recently opened in Kallithea and another is planned for Ampelokipi.
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May 05 '19
I think a lot of people who complain about Athens being ugly don't get much farther than maybe Monastiraki/Omonoia and the major tourist sites. Actually, every neighbourhood in the city is different, and many of them are quite nice. Plus, Greek people are simply among the friendliest of anywhere I've ever been.
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u/oklahomapilgrim May 02 '19
Honestly, the Eiffel Tower. I was in Paris with a friend, and she wanted to go see the Eiffel Tower straight away. I was fine with going to see it but wasn’t terribly excited-I just expected it to be touristy and overrun and underwhelming, but when I got there and found myself standing underneath it, I actually wept. It was so iconic and I had that “I’m in PARIS moment”. Totally unexpected but a pleasant surprise.
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May 04 '19
I had the same feeling when I went to Paris last July. When walking around Paris I could see the Eiffel Tower peeking over the tops of buildings and it hit me, like holy shit I'm in Paris and in sunk in and I was so happy.
Then going to the very top of the Eiffel Tower, those views are insane. Also the views from the Montparnasse tower are great too.
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u/W8sB4D8s Puerto Rico May 06 '19
I was in the same boat. After visiting practically every major touristy spot in Europe, I was expecting disappointment but instead actually enjoyed both it and the part around it. How could you not enjoy grabbing bread, wine and hanging in a park full of people from all over, while the Eifel Tower sits in the background?
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u/RICH_PINNA May 02 '19
Paris. Read all about Paris syndrome and people being shockingly underwhelmed but as soon as I walked out of Gare du Nord at night I knew I was going to enjoy the city.
Armenia. Not talked about but this country has some amazing food, incredible people, rich history and surprisingly quite a bit to do for how small it is.
Madhya Pradesh, India. Largely ignored by tourists but I just did a motorcycle trip through India and instead of taking the Agra-Lucknow-Varanasi route, it was suggested by different people to go to Gwalior-Orrcha-Khajeraho. Orrcha was one of my favorite places that I visited in India and I feel like MP is India’s best kept secret.
Cairo, Egypt. Egypt in general really, as well as India for the following reasons. “Filthy, loud, overcrowded, chaotic, scammy, touts, etc.” Okay, in the case of women, fine. However these places were not that bad at all. Touts? Please, you’ll get harassed more in Times Square. Filthy? Eh, some parts. Loud? They are cities... in general I expected a lot worse from Cairo, Mumbai, Delhi and enjoyed my time in these places. Varanasi on the other hand... now that’s a complete shithole haha.
Then there are places like Dendera and Jerash which are completely overshadowed by wonders like the Pyramids and Petra and honestly I enjoyed my time more in these smaller off the map places.
Also, Poland. Way better than I was expecting.
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u/W8sB4D8s Puerto Rico May 06 '19
Paris Syndrome might be more tied to diversity of the city than to the actual city itself. Most people who experience the syndrome are Asian tourists who freak the fuck out when they see an Arabic person speaking fluent French.
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u/GreenStretch May 03 '19
My first thought was Kraków, which I'd researched much, much less than the other cities on that trip.
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u/poerre May 08 '19
I'm going to Armenia this summer. Any places you would recommend outside of Yerevan?
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u/Lapinlady May 03 '19
The South of France. We were staying in a tiny town called Baudinard Sur Verdon so we could canoe through Les Gorges du Verdon - an amazing crystal clear lake through a canyon. We were starving because French restaurants close early. We found a little restaurant called Le Chardon, run by a husband and wife. The food was amazing. The best lavender ice cream I’ve ever tasted. We asked if they made breakfast and they said no, but said if I called them in the morning when we woke up they’d make it for us. When we arrived they had a basket of fresh croissants, jam, coffee, orange juice and jam ready for us. We stayed on a farm there and the woman showed us the best way to plan our whole day. After we canoed through the canyon, we drove through endless lavender fields to arrive at our next destination in the south of France. 💗
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u/markvauxhall 50 countries May 02 '19
Malta
I had a stereotype in my head that it was boring and just full of package holidays and old British people.
In fact we had an incredible week there - driving around the island, visiting beautiful hidden beaches and going snorkelling every day, eating incredible food, and exploring the ancient city of Valetta.
Way, way exceeded my expectations.
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u/its_a_me_garri_oh May 02 '19
The Brits tend to self-segregate in gross resorts on the North coast. Everywhere else is ripe for exploring.
The majestic churches facing the sea, the incredible baked goods, the easy bus system around the whole island- I had an absolute blast in Malta. Perfect for culturally inclined, reflective travel.
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u/MRCHalifax Canada May 03 '19
Malta is currently at the top of my list for potential vacation spots next year. I have questions!
I've heard elsewhere that the bus system is excellent, and I can see that the island isn't particularly large. Can I assume that I don't need to rent a car while I'm there, and that I can rely entirely on the bus system and on boats to get around?
My main interests are in castles, churches and temples (i.e., the Ħal-Saflieni Hypogeum). How many days would it take to see the likes of the Hypogeum, the fortifications of Mdina, St. Paul's Catacombs, Fort St. Angelo, the Cittadella, and other major/interesting historical and religious sites?
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u/AnthonyNice May 03 '19
Ok so I'm going to be the counter person, I jgot back from a week in Malta in April. There's certainly lots of good food, history and scenery. However the bus system is a joke. There are stops that are out of service, no way to tell that unless you're told by a local. Busses can be like 30 min late or more. It's common to have to wait out in the middle of nowhere for an hour for the next bus, if you don't plan right. Bring comfortable walking shoes for sure. The driver's drive prettyyy fast, probably too fast for a bus to be driving in a hilly city like Valletta. That being said, Malta is pretty cool.
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u/its_a_me_garri_oh May 03 '19
3 days. Self-driving road travel is a little dangerous- there can be narrow and difficult to negotiate. Many frequent buses go in and out of Valletta. You can just buy a ten-trip travel card. As it's so small you can just do two-hour long trips in and out of the city several times a day (stopping back for delicious snacks)
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u/markvauxhall 50 countries May 04 '19
You don't need to rent a car.
However we found it a heck of a lot more convenient having a rental car - it meant that we could visit more places during a day (not having to wait for buses, or have to take two connecting buses), made it a lot easier to visit some of the more isolated "beach" spots (e.g. St Peter's Pool, and Ghar Lapsi), and ensured that we could always end a hot day with some time in the sea.
If you plan to visit and explore Gozo it's also a big time saving.
If you do rent a car, remember to get a small one (a lot of rental places have Hyundai i10 / i20s), and if you're not used to driving stick shift, pay extra for an automatic gearbox.
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May 02 '19
When my wife picked India, I wasn't excited. I am the trip planner of the family, so it was up to me to decide where in India we'd go. I am typically a nature/wildlife kind of guy, and while they generally say India has these things in abundance, my research was not convincing me that it was in fact true. Most of it that I could find was commercially exploited, overrun with troves of (mostly domestic tourists), or a shell of its former self. The one place I did find that intrigued me, I was advised not to go there because there is rebel activity.
So I switched gears and made it a pretty much 100% cultural & historical themed trip. While I wasn't excited to go, it didn't take long after landing before something about India clicked with me and I started really enjoying myself. Another thing they talk about is the extremes of the sights, smells, colors, people, chaos, etc., and that is all totally true. There was never a dull moment, and even though the trip wasn't always overwhelming in a positive way, it was an experience unlike any other I had, and I came away having very much enjoyed myself, and wanting to return.
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u/CheeseWheels38 CAN --> FRA/KAZ May 02 '19 edited May 02 '19
inaccurate negative stereotypes
An Italian mechanic saved my ass on a mid-summer road trip. The plastic piece that controls the cold/hot air balance in my car was broken, the guy found the problem and when he realized I couldn't wait until the replacement arrived he pulled one out of another car and put it in mine. Plus he only charged me 20 EUR. Without that fix, we were just going to go home instead.
simple personal experiences of the place you went to that you didn't expect to be as nice you thought it'd be
I hate the actual act of flying. While bored and reading the Turkish Airlines magazine or something on the plane I saw that they give you a cake of you fly within three days of your birthday or anniversary. Our return was close enough to my wife's birthday so I let them know. After dinner the flight attendant brought over a cake and some tea. It was a pleasant surprise for my wife and I got to eat some cake too.
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u/swollencornholio Airplane! May 07 '19
Ha that second experience reminds me of the lady who was awarded some big cash prize since she was the first one in 15-20 years to catch something in the fine print that says if they read it they could be awarded a prize.
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u/ThirdRockTourist @3rdRockTourist, thirdrocktourist.com May 02 '19
I've had a few like that. I'd always heard that Serengeti was overrated in part because it's "overrun by tourists". Honestly, driving into the park, my family and I dropped our jaws at the vast expanse and just observing animals. We spent 3.5 magical days there, and honestly, we could've spent more without being bored because of all the diverse wildlife and terrain.
I think some of the other natural wonders, like Macchu Picchu, or some ancient archaeological sites are like that too, at least for me. Everyone sees them in pictures but actually physically seeing these things, is a wild experience.
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u/m4dswine May 02 '19
Ireland. It blew my mind, especially the west coast.
Let me explain - I'm from Cornwall, UK. We have beautiful cliffs and landscapes. Imo the most beautiful in the world. They are dramatic and green and craggy and so many things. The sea is azure blue, its unreal.
So I kind of thought "huh, Ireland won't be that different". I was so wrong.
We went because my husband was studying remotely with the Uni of Limerick, and had to do exams and stuff each year. 2nd year I decided to go with him and then have a couple of days in Ireland and go and visit his mother who lives in the SE part.
We drove up to Galway for a walk around and lunch then drove back along the coast road taking in the Cliffs of Moher along the way. We stopped often to take pictures. It was stunning. We saw black backed gull pairs, which are enormous.
As a massive GoT/ASoIaF fan I could really see where GRRM drew a lot of inspiration from.
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u/GoRestless May 05 '19
Woah this is tough one.
I really enjoyed Kuala Lumpur, the food was incredible - I wish I could've eaten more. The morning I arrived in KL, I immediately searched for some place that offers a breakfast. It was still very early so the choice was limited. In front of one café, was a guy standing with a cheesy smile. "You want some food?", he asked. I usually would not have stayed at that place (I need my time to make up my mind and don't want to get pressured) - and yeah I stayed at that place. While looking at the street with the crazy morning traffic in KL, I had a delicious breakfast and loads of coffee. At some point, the chef came even out of the kitchen and was very excited about the fact that I liked the food and we had a nice conversation.
Another unexpected place that totally exceeded my expectations was Bologna (Italy). It was such a chill place when I visited no masses of tourists - of course there were some people here and there but it was a really great place to visit. And Bologna has some damn good food to offer https://www.gorestless.com/destinations/love-bologna
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u/Courtez87 May 08 '19
New Hampshire, USA- Went in the Fall to see the colors change and see some pumpkin festivals. It was an amazing trip, we went from the Ocean front town of Portsmouth all the way up to the White Mountains. People were friendly everywhere and one couple invited us to a party at their house. We are still Facebook friends to this day. The scenery is amazing and now my Aunt and Uncle live there, it is wonderful going back to visit them!
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u/too_drunk_for_this May 06 '19
Marseille, France. My goodness, what a city. What people. And no one outside of France knows about it!
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u/W8sB4D8s Puerto Rico May 06 '19
Brussels tends to get shit for being "boring" and I was advised in multiple instances to travel elsewhere. I genuinely had a good time and enjoyed the locals. Sure, it has some pretty lame touristy attractions, but once you get past that it's pretty relaxed. The city isn't big and there are some flakier parts, but it was a breath of fresh air from the other major EU cities around it.
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u/swollencornholio Airplane! May 07 '19
Amsterdam. I went 10 years ago prior to the worldwide movement towards legalization and thought it was going to be an incredibly cliche'd city loaded with tourists looking for joints and other than that it would blend in with the other cities I had visited in Europe. Incredibly surprised by how charming the canals are and the quirky dutch history.
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u/confusionlover May 08 '19
Worldwide legalization movement? Where outside the US is it happening?
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u/swollencornholio Airplane! May 08 '19
Europe speaking nobody is as far along as the US but they are moving towards it:
It's legal in Italy on technicalities and you'll find tons of weed stores in Rome but they sell as collector items/not to be smoked...
Very relaxed laws in the Czech Republic and Portugal for small time recreational use
Legal to do it privately in Spain.
Decriminalized in Portugal.
Medical marijuana is legal in France, Switzerland and Germany, though both fairly strict on recreational smoking. France passed it in 2014 and Germany in 2017.
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u/theguyfromuncle420__ Every populated continent! May 08 '19
Just got back from Cuba, nothing like what the media makes it out to be, those people not worried about the US at all. They content living their own lives and are very friendly, honestly one of the nicest groups of people I’ve ever experienced
Lost passport though :( with all my stamps and UK visa in it
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u/CantLookUp United Kingdom May 08 '19
Angola. I knew pretty much nothing about the country before I went other than "there was a civil war there recently-ish", so had no real expectations going in.
It was a stunning country, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Highlights include Kalandula Falls - an amazing sight at any time, but particularly under the full moon - and Tunda Vala.
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u/LetsGoGuy May 08 '19
Salzburg Austria. It was the conclusion of a 2ish week trip around Germany and into Austria at the end. It was the final day there before we headed to the airport the next day. I loved everything about that day, but my favorite moment was around lunch.
A bunch of my friends split off to get lunch and, God knows why, decided they wanted McDonald's (American McDonald's is trash and I know other countries have it better but I mean, it's still McDonald's.) I said screw it and went off on my own and found this small little cafe. I was like the only customer, and this lovely old lady took my order. I sat there, in this cafe, watching through the door as I had a small little meat roast with mashed potatoes. For dessert, I had a slice of Sachertorte and a cup of black tea. I even had the time to read a chapter or two from my antique copy of "A Tale of Two Cities." It was that moment that it clicked how amazing travel could be. I mean, everything up to that point was superb, but that just put it over the top. It only got better from there and I was super happy that was how I ended my trip in Austria.
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May 08 '19
Santiago, the second biggest city in Cuba (not the capital of Chile). We flew into Cuba and spent some time in Havana (which I didn't particularly like) and then Trinidad (which I did like). I'd booked our flight out from Santiago, not knowing anything about the city except that it was on the other side of the country and therefore would give us an excuse to road trip it from one end to the other.
Loved that city. Favourite city in Cuba (out the few that we traveled to). Far away better than Havana.
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u/Exploding_Antelope Canada May 09 '19
What! I love Havana! So much history! So much style! And Santiago is just... kind of a city. It’s there. It’s mostly grey. It has buildings and roads.
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u/SugarcubeMarshmallow May 09 '19
I just got back from Nepal where I injured my eye and had to cut the trip short. The staff at my hotel not only preemptively wanted to refund me for the unused nights, but went WAY out of their way to try to find a hospital that could treat me, including the concierge calling his uncle, a doctor in the military, to see if he could examine me. It didn’t work out and I had to leave back to the US, but I can’t think of a single thing more that they could have done to endear me to the country.
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u/Exploding_Antelope Canada May 09 '19
Just starting a trip through Peru and Lima has surprised me as a city. I thought of it as just the big city gateway to the more interesting mountains and jungle but I’m staying in Miraflores and it’s a superb neighbourhood. So many good restaurants and market shops, gorgeous parks, clean and pleasant streets, and the awesome malecon, cliffs, and beaches.
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u/pinguinito123 May 03 '19
Honestly...the US. And I'm American. Once I got into travel, I became so obsessed with foreign destinations that I kind of disregarded my own country. But holy crap this place is gorgeous. I spent last summer in California (after living my entire life on the East Coast) and drove cross-country there and back, making stops where I could. I came away with a much deeper appreciation for this country - it has so much to offer, and its diversity is truly incredible. Regardless of my problems as a citizen, I've really learned to value the US as a travel destination. Just because I don't need a passport to go somewhere doesn't mean that it can't give me the same thrill that a foreign country can.