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Venice. Dirty, nasty, awful smelling, dilapidated and overcrowded city. Rotten fish, dirt and trash everywhere.
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Originally Posted by Back to NE
tack·y
adjective
showing poor taste and quality.
Venice Italy is not tacky.
"Tacky" is absolutely the last word I would ever use in the same sentence as Venice. While I disagree 100% with erka (Venice is one of my favorite cities in the world), "tacky" is just flat-out an adjective that should not be applied to Venice. If someone doesn't like it, fine. Just pick a word that applies; "tacky" isn't that word.
I haven't been to the purported birthplace of jesus in Nazareth, which is under Palestinian control, but from what others have told me it is a tacky little nothing that is not worth the time.
The purported birthplace of Jesus is not Nazareth, but Bethlehem. That said, I suspect you are referring to the Church of the Nativity there. I visited there about four years ago and could not possibly have been more disappointed. The church is built over the supposed birthplace of Jesus. I was looking forward to a truly spiritual experience. Instead, I found the site to be commercialized beyond words, and yes -- extremely tacky.
If I can add the "most anticlimactic" attraction, that would be Plymouth Rock. My family took multiple trips to Cape Cod growing up, but my wife had never been. And she wanted to stop in Plymouth and see the rock. When we got there, she just looked at me and said, "You're kidding, right?"
I second your wife's reaction. I could not possibly have been more underwhelmed.
"Tacky" is absolutely the last word I would ever use in the same sentence as Venice. While I disagree 100% with erka (Venice is one of my favorite cities in the world), "tacky" is just flat-out an adjective that should not be applied to Venice. If someone doesn't like it, fine. Just pick a word that applies; "tacky" isn't that word.
Dirty and overrated are probably a better adjectives. Add in infested with pick-pockets, and that about sums it up. My opinion.
South of the Border is a good one but the signs are colorful along the highway :-) My entry is Natural Bridge in Virginia. It's not that the bridge is not pretty. It's the museum, gift shop/ amusement area on the property. 3D 'stuff' including 3D Jesus. At least that's how it was in the 80's when I was there. A friend and I were there for a conference and when we walked out of the building, we were speechless.
It hasn't changed, the Wax museum at Natural bridge is horrible. Adam and Eve? Blonde and caucasian? The portrayal of the Civil War? Shivers. Then, to make up for it it appeared they stuck every leftover wax figures in the last room, including the Obama's, right before the theatre that had The Last Supper which we had to walk through to get out. There hopefully is a positive note. The site was sold this past year. Maybe someone can come in and clean it up, first by getting rid of the wax museum.
The purported birthplace of Jesus is not Nazareth, but Bethlehem. That said, I suspect you are referring to the Church of the Nativity there. I visited there about four years ago and could not possibly have been more disappointed. The church is built over the supposed birthplace of Jesus. I was looking forward to a truly spiritual experience. Instead, I found the site to be commercialized beyond words, and yes -- extremely tacky.
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is interesting and historic: a Byzantine basilica that was built, destroyed, rebuilt and repaired over 1,000 years ago. Different sections of the church are owned and controlled by different sects of Christianity that are often belligerent to one another. In front of the church is a plaza called "Manger Square" which is full of gaudy gift shops and strung with banners and pro-Palestinian slogans ... that is the tacky part.
What difference it is to visit the Deer Park at Sarnath, India (where the Buddha preached His first sermon) or the 1,500 year old Maha Bodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya (where the Buddha attained enlightenment under the sacred Bodhi tree) that are such calm serene places.
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is interesting and historic: a Byzantine basilica that was built, destroyed, rebuilt and repaired over 1,000 years ago. Different sections of the church are owned and controlled by different sects of Christianity that are often belligerent to one another. In front of the church is a plaza called "Manger Square" which is full of gaudy gift shops and strung with banners and pro-Palestinian slogans ... that is the tacky part.
Well, that added to the tackiness, but to me the whole experience was one big negative. I mean it's one thing to have a church built over what may or may not have been Jesus' birthplace is one thing. But when we saw one shrine marking what was supposedly the exact spot at which Mary gave birth and another, four feet away, where she supposedly laid Him in a manger just made me think, "Really? And who decided this?"
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What difference it is to visit the Deer Park at Sarnath, India (where the Buddha preached His first sermon) or the 1,500 year old Maha Bodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya (where the Buddha attained enlightenment under the sacred Bodhi tree) that are such calm serene places.
Yeah, calm and serene was what I was hoping for. I'd never go back, nor would I suggest it as a must-see place. I can understand the reason it's so significant, but the actual atmosphere just ruined it for me.
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