Destination Anywhere

It is 15:21 CET and I am four hours into a flight from London to Halifax. It is usually this stage of a flight where I have eaten, watched a movie, and I become seriously bored. That’s when random thoughts tend to enter my head and today is no different. I’ve made several things to do lists, and I’ve had my two beers – I’m driving at the other end. So, I am going to scribble some random thoughts about overrated and underrated cities and countries that I have been to….and the next few on my hit list.

Top 3 Most Overrated Places

Lisbon – I generally make the best of most cities and countries that I visit, but Lisbon was highly unattractive to me. Down the coast, there were some cool places, but the city itself left me distinctly unimpressed and I thought it was a little scruffy if I am honest. This was back in 2004, and judging by the road works and construction going on, there was a fairly major overhaul of the city going on. The truth is, it desperately needed it. I am prepared to give it a second chance, but I hope it has raised its game since the last time I visited.

Dominican Republic – I cannot be too scathing about this place despite having to spend a larger than usual percentage of my time in the washroom in Dom Rep – I was not the only one neither. It was a fantastic holiday, and so so relaxing. That all said, the advice generally given was not to leave the resort where you were staying which is fairly understandable if safety is a concern and I was not prepared to test my skinny 18-year-old physique against some of the big Dominican boys. The experience in the resort was pretty good, and we had a great time – but for me, rather than fly for ten hours and for a fair amount of cash, I would sooner stay in Europe, find somewhere warm and stay in that resort for half the money, a fraction of the travel time, and spend more time by the pool than in the loo.

Milan – From the outside, you hear plenty about Milan and it being so central to the fashion world. That is not a key factor for me sadly, but I did expect a fair bit more glamour than I was presented with when I spent three months there studying. I accept the history in the centre of the city, but at the same time it is pretty darn scruffy. It probably did not help that the time I spent there and the other visits I have made were in the winter – not many cities look great when it is cold and miserable, but Milan certainly did not. There are many positives to Milan, and it was above average in my ratings largely due to the fantastic eating options, but I consider it to be fairly overrated in the grand scheme of things.




Top 3 Underrated Places

Barcelona – This may not be the case for many people, but I actually think Barcelona is underrated by a lot of people. I only really got to know it intimately when I lived there for a year. It has everything and I defy anybody to come up with a better, more complete city than Barcelona. When I was there, they had major petty crime issues, and that has improved in the last few years at least. Likewise, their football team was garbage when I was there, and they have turned pretty good. Those issues aside, I genuinely believe it has everything – weather, history, culture, beach, nightlife, shopping….the list goes on. Most people think highly of Barcelona, but it beats NYC and London for me, and it is the World City Champion in the Esteva Book.

Germany – This is a fraction bit ambiguous, but I am sticking the country as a whole as I have been to loads of cities in Germany and the truth is I have not found a bad one yet. Is it a huge tourist destination compared to neighbours? Not in the slightest. Would I whisk my lady for a romantic weekend to Germany? Probably not. But it is a fantastic country with plenty of great cities. Plenty of good beers, plenty of history, plenty of greenery to bbq or play football, and a great vibe to cap it off. Did I mention the beers? The people in particular are probably the best thing about Germany. Not many English admit to that but the truth is, the English and the Germans are incredibly similar, it is just that nobody wants to accept it.

Halifax – I’m not talking about the cosy Yorkshire town nearby Leeds, more so the one in Nova Scotia, Canada. This was the first Canadian city that I landed in and spent a short amount of time there, and I love the atmosphere in this city. There is a big student population there which almost certainly contributes to it, but it has a more intimate feeling to it than some of the other vast Canadian cities. It helps that there is a sensational pizza place called Salvatore’s and it helps that I am landing there in ninety minutes and I am famished. But that aside, it is not one of those cities which grabs the headlines, but it is a cool place to visit and to live and for that reason, it strikes me as being underrated.



The Top 5 Unvisited by Rob City/Country Hit List

Montreal – Unquestionably one of the places I have to visit in the next 12-18 months. I will admit that it is partially because I want to see a big boxing of UFC night there and sample some of this amazing atmosphere and spirit. Heck, I would even go watch the Habs for a bit of that. Nobody I have met has had a bad word to say about the city, and I have a feeling that it is a city that I could fall for.

Denmark & Norway – I like cold weather. I like beer. I like hard working football players who are not particularly talented but try their best. Denmark and Norway are on the list.

Boston – Isn’t Boston just a cool city? That is what everybody keeps telling me. HJ and I have talked about a classic American road trip at some point and this would be one of my key cities to spend some time in. I think it is fairly safe to stop at traffic lights in Boston too, which is why it ranks ahead of Baltimore on my list – I’ve watched too many episodes of The Wire. A big sporting city and a bit of Irishness never hurt anybody.

Australia – Another generic one like Germany – maybe there is a theme here. Countries and people who traditionally have big banter and rivalries with England, are ones I enjoy most. I would argue the same here also, I suspect part of the thing with the Aussies is that they are more like the English than they would like to admit and vice versa. This is one honeymoon possibility for me. I could never live there – it is too far from my football team, and errrr….the family. But it is one place I would love to visit and experience despite the massive spiders.

Chicago – Same as Boston – see above bar the Irish influence I guess.