Categories: culture
Date: 20 August 2007 19:03:47
In today's crop of silly season reports is the observation that the world's top ten most disappointing sights are as follows:
1. The Eiffel Tower, Paris
2. The Louvre, Paris
3. Times Square, New York
4. Las Ramblas, Barcelona
5. Statue of Liberty, New York
6. Spanish Steps, Rome
7. The White House, Washington
8. The Pyramids, Egypt
9. The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin
10. The Leaning Tower of Pisa
Such a complaint makes one wonder precisely which criteria people were given against which to make their judgements. It can't have been a moan about value for money because, as far as I know, at least four of the sights listed are free. Perhaps some people think the tower in Pisa just doesn't lean at a sufficiently acute angle, Liberty is imprisoned on an island, the Louvre doesn't have Dan Brown (of The da Vinci Code fame) taking you on a personal tour and the Pyramids are just too modern.
I have had the privilege of visiting all these places. I would perhaps leave Times Square off the list of must-sees - I'm afraid it left me underwhelmed. I really couldn't see what the excitement was about (in the same way as the lure of Piccadilly Circus leaves me baffled) but perhaps I'm odd...plenty of people seem to have reason to love it.
Just off to think about my own list of top ten sights. My parents' garden in summer would have to be fairly high up in the pecking order, I think.