Inspired by the disapointing / scariest place thread... what place surprised you?

[Micheme]

So I have been reading all the post on the places that disappointed people and have been shuddering over the scariest places you have visited threads.

I thought an uplifting thread might be good. So what place did you visit that totally surprised you in a good way.

We travelled to China in 2004 to adopt our daughter and was totally taken aback by the beauty and splendor of China. I am embarrassed to say I was a tad wary about what it was going to be like. They still are a communist country so i was expecting red guards, demonstrations, soldiers everywhere, dark and dreary. But Beijing and Shanghai were beautiful. The people were amazing and so friendly. You can see progress being made everywhere and how things are changing (they still have a long way to go but it is happening). So it was truly an eye opening experience.

My favourite memories are little things that made it spectacular.
Trying to order McDonalds in Bejiing and laughing hysterically with my mom and the cashier over the happiness french fries can bring.
Shopping in Anhui in a huge supermarket and being frightened by a huge eel jumping out of the numerous live fish tanks they have. And laughing when some passerby just scooped the thing up and put it in their shopping cart.
Watching my mom eat Chicken skin chips by accident, she thought they were plain.
Watching a wedding in progress and the colours and spectacle of it all.
Watching all the local people act like tourists at the historical spots.
Laughing at the locals trying to get us in their pictures. They would idle up behind us or next to us and then they would wave at the camera and click.... who knows how many chinese families saw pictures of this red head from Canada.
And of course the first time I saw the face of my daughter, it was the same as the pictures i had fallen in love with for over a month.


What place did you go that you were totally surprised you in a good way?

 

[Planogirl]

I was shocked by a little town in Arkansas by the name of Eureka Springs. I didn't really know what to expect but I loved everything about the place; the setting, the food, the shops, the people. It's become one of my favorite places now.

I was also surprised by how much fun we had in St Pete, FL. I expected nothing but retirees but I found a much busier place than I expected. I wouldn't spend a lot of time there but a few days was nice.

 

[scubamouse]

Micheme - I feel the same way about Russia your DD is gorgeous!

We adopted DS from Russia in 2001 and went to western Siberia and Moscow. I was stunned that I could get pepsi and corona beer in Siberia. It was bleak but so historically rich!

Moscow is an amazing city full of so much history. I never thought i'd be inside the Kremlin but it is stunning - the art and jewels and the history. People were friendlier than I expected too.

 

[Micheme]

Thanks scubamouse, i think so too but i am mommy biased

Wow Siberia now there is somewhere not many people venture. I would love to visit Moscow, such rich history it would be like standing in a time machine. The architecture, the people wow...

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Mine would have to be Destin, Florida. I lived there for awhile and nothing beats being able to leave your doors unlocked... not to mention the sheer beauty of it. The only bad thing about living there, was when Spring Break hit. The college kids were beyond obnoxious.

Every morning after dropping my DD off at her middle school, I'd go out of my way and take old hwy 98 back home, just so I could see what the ocean looked like that day. Some days it was all I could do to stay on the road, because it would be so pretty in my rearview mirror.

Saying goodbye to that place, when I moved back to Texas, was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

 

[barkley]

disney's animal kingdom. i did not want to go-i hate zoos and anything that holds animals in unnatural performing venue (sea world, marine world...). i also did not want a "mickey mouse africa/asia" experience.

i was blown away at how nicely this park was done-the landscaping and the authenticity of the surroundings realy impressed me. i was pleased to see animals in large, natural environments (and none being toted around with a leash attached to a trainer). i was also impressed that for the most part viewing the animals was done unobrusivly. i def. plan to spend a couple of days there on our next trip. that said-i will avoid at all costs the one area that felt entirely out of place: the amusement ride/carnival area. i'm looking at this going "what were they thinking?".

alaska-i knew i would like it, i did not know i would fall in love with it. no words can used to convey the scope, beauty, awsomeness.

 

[Cindyluwho]

For me it's the same place that I was so afraid of; Belarus! While the city of Minsk was downright communist scary, the countryside was gorgeous.

Every little town was surrounded by a fence, every town had a different fence design.
In every single village we stopped at, as soon as someone would figure out we were Americans they'd get on the phone and the next thing you know there would be people coming up to us, hugging us, giving us presents.
Each town had a little town cemetary with a monument to folks lost during the war, Belarus was ravaged and lost a great percentage of it's population during WWII.

Yeah, I wanna go back!

 

[BelleMcNally]

When I was studying in France (mostly around Paris), I spent a week in Normandy. My father had always been a WWII history buff, and the family members on his side (gradfathers, great uncles, etc) had served in the army and Navy (the other side of the family only survives because a few people made it out of Europe at the time), but I'd never really gotten into any kind of "Modern History".

The Beaches of Normandy completely changed my mind. They were so breautiful and...holy...there's really no other way to describe it.

But the part of the trip that really surprised me was my own reaction to the American Military cemetary at Normandy. You can't imagine the staggering number of crosses and stars of David on that cliff overlooking the beach...

I was already emotional from looking at the dates on the crosses and stars, none of the fallen much older than I, many younger--then I came across two older French women. They were walking through the graves, patting them and saying (in French, obviously), "Thank you, boys. Thank you, little boys, for freeing us."

I lost it. I sat down in the middle of the cemetary and sobbed.

I've never been more moved by a place in my life; it changed me.

I also learned that the vast majority of people who visit the cemetary and lay flowers and stones on the graves are not Americans.

Maybe I'll post some of my photos tomorrow...

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

The Beaches of Normandy completely changed my mind. They were so breautiful and...holy...there's really no other way to describe it.

I snipped a lot of your post for brevity, but I just wanted to tell you that I got chills reading it.

My sister's (now deceased) FIL fought in that battle and I remember how hard it was for him to watch Saving Private Ryan. That movie has always stuck with me and I can only imagine how seeing it in person would be nothing short of profound.

I would love to see those pictures.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Oregon! I could not believe how beautiful the coast is. I can't wait to go back!

 

[ottawa-newbie]

Believe it or not, I was the most surprised by our first trip to Disney World this past November!!! I was expecting a great trip, and it was so much more than that for me!!!

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

Tallinn, Estonia.

I was in Tallinn for 3 or 4 days as part of a hockey trip. I (along with most of the other guys on the team) had never been to Estonia, and had only heard vague things about the country. We went to Estonia after 3 or 4 days in St Petersburg, Russia, and the difference was night and day ... in St Petersburg, we basically stuck to the one street near our hotel, and didn't really do much exploring (save for a guided tour, but that's not quite the same). Once we got to Estonia, we walked pretty much all over Tallinn ... Lots of cool shops, and amazing scenery. We also found the locals to be VERY hospitable, and very interested in actually talking to us.

One of my favorite pictures from that trip, taken from a plaza not too far from one of the rinks we were playing at:

 

[American Scrapper]

San Juan, Porto Rico. We went there on a Disney Cruise last year when we were re-routed due to hurricanes, and I don't know what I expected, but it was truly a beautiful island. I would love to go back again during a planned trip to do some other exploring.

Kathy

 

[MinnieM21]

Oregon! I could not believe how beautiful the coast is. I can't wait to go back!

I'm glad you enjoyed Oregon.