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Posted
11 minutes ago, nycman said:

The Moscow subway is indeed stunning, but I’m not so sure it’s "underrated".

It’s pretty world renowned and in general rated very highly on "must see" lists.

Unfortunately, I doubt most of us will get to see it again in our lifetime.

Sic transit gloria mundi

underrated as in unknown among all other attractions of that city. 

Agreed, I regret so much not going there when I had the chance!

Posted
8 minutes ago, Vegas_Millennial said:

We civil engineers have different priorities then the rest of the general population.  Moscow's subway system is really the only thing special I know about Moscow.

Ahhh…..

Lenin’s tomb is one of my favorite structures in the world. I’m so thankful that post Soviet Russia didn’t tear it down.

In fact, the Kremlin and all of Red Square, is all pretty incredible.

But Saint Basil’s Cathedral is just….odd

I also love the Stalin buildings.

And the Bolshoi is magical.

Hope that’s enough to get you started. Moscow is incredible.

Posted

Yes, Red Square, or as it was known before the Revolution ... Red Square.

I agree that there is much to impress visitors in Moscow. The Metro is up there on the list of those.. Although we in the west know about the Kremlin in Moscow, but kremlin is the word for a citadel in a city so Moscow's isn't the only one in Russia.

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...
Posted (edited)
9 hours ago, edinbrooklyn said:

Overrated:  The Pez Visitor Center, Orange, CT

did have to look this up.....$5 admission includes an "opportunity" to win a "free" PEZ dispenser......($4 for large groups....schedule in advance)

Video monitors detailing the process of how a dispenser is created and candy is made are played on a loop above the packaging area windows.

a 6-pack of Grape is currently on sale for $1.69 (regularly $1.99)

951383-Grape-6pk_76f465ac-f1ea-4bc0-8bb7-cbf2782937be_1024x1024@2x.webp.1332ec9b399d1d2e4327c5de2f918c3f.webp

Edited by azdr0710
  • 9 months later...
Posted

I was in Berlin again recently, and I paid another visit to Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.  Not sure if this place is on most people's radar, but I think it should be if you are a fan of late 1950s-early 1960s modernist architecture.  Amazing deep blue stained glass covering seven of the eight honeycombed walls, practically from floor to ceiling.  Just spectacular.

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Posted

Even though there is still much of Madrid I want to see after being here almost 2 months, I did have some nominations for over/underrated sites …

Overrated
Mercado de San Miguel:  total chaos, went on a Wednesday night and it was still jam-packed.  Any food stand with reasonable prices had a huge line, and one look at the prices of stands with no line explained why no line.  Plus there was almost no place to sit.  I don’t mind standing while having a drink but draw the line at eating a meal.
Reina Sofia Museum:  part of my dislike of this museum is that modern art is mostly lost on me.  It doesn’t help that the layout made no sense, felt like you were in a maze.  While I appreciate the history and tragedy of the bombing of Guernica, the appeal of the painting baffles me, like most of Picasso’s work.  Even though its dedicated room is massive, as expected given the painting’s dimensions, it’s still ridiculously crowded.

Underrated
Ethnic food:  immigrants come to Madrid from all over, especially from other Spanish-speaking countries.  I ate at a Colombian and a Mexican restaurant that were so damn good and very affordable.  I’m one of those people who think cilantro tastes like soap, and it was nice that the Mexican place sprinkled it on lightly, as opposed to drowning the dish like every Mexican restaurant in Las Vegas.  I can’t wait to try a Filipino restaurant here.
Temple of Debod:  an ancient Egyptian temple (~200 BC), gifted to Spain by the Egyptian government for Spain’s help with preserving ancient sites that would be flooded by the Aswan Dam.  It’s an amazing site, surrounded by a beautifully landscaped park.
National Archeological Museum:  it might sound really nerdy but turned out to be quite eye-opening.  It features works from all of Spain’s history, from prehistoric hunting tools to Roman sculptures, medieval Moorish architecture, and Renaissance Christianity.  Did you know that both mammoths and African elephants once roamed (what is now) Madrid?

Posted
9 hours ago, BSR said:

Overrated…
 While I appreciate the history and tragedy of the bombing of Guernica, the appeal of the painting baffles me, like most of Picasso’s work

Die heretic! Die!

Yeah, I like art.

grin

  • 4 weeks later...
Posted (edited)

I went to Cáceres last weekend and highly recommend it.  It’s 3h by car, 3h20m by train, or 4h by bus from Madrid in Extremadura, a region in western Spain bordering Portugal.

While Cáceres has become more popular lately because it’s one of the shooting locations for “Game of Thrones,” it’s still not that touristy.  My fave teacher at the language school recommended it because of its historical center,  one of Spain’s best-preserved medieval towns.  Like Venice or Bruges, you feel like you’ve traveled back in time walking around the narrow cobblestone streets of Cáceres.  There’s also remarkably good eats all over town, some pricey spots but also surprisingly good inexpensive fare.

My secondary motivation for visiting was to find the grave of my tatarabuelo (great-great-grandfather).  He went to the Philippines and lived most of his adult life there but returned to Spain near the end because he wanted to be buried here.  I found out only after arriving in Cáceres that he wasn’t from the city but a small town in the province 25km away.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t go because there’s no bus service on weekends and a taxi would have been 100€+.

I liked Cáceres so much that I plan to return in the fall.  I’ll reserve a rental car to get out to Torremocha, but whether or not I find tatarabuelo’s grave, Cáceres is worth a return trip.

Edited by BSR
Wording

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