Szilvia GombolaSeven blunders of the world
March 1st 2007 07:41
The New 7 Wonders campaign is undertaking one of the largest global polls ever to come up with a new, updated list of the world’s seven wonders.
The Swiss-based campaign is hoping to receive more than 100 million votes from around the world before revealing its list on July 7.
This attempt to update ancient history by ranking the new seven wonders of the world aims to modernise the original seven wonders list made by the Greeks more than 2,000 years ago.
The Greek’s original wonderous list included many sites around the Mediterranean such as the Lighthouse of Alexandria and the hanging Gardens of Babylon. The Pyramids of Giza are the only surviving wonder from that list, which led the New 7 Wonders campaign to embark on updating the list to reflect the last 2,000 years of human achievement.
The idea is to honour the world’s greatest architectural achievements, which by association are also usually the world’s best or most popular tourist attractions (man-made).
Short listed entries for the New 7 Wonders list include the likes of Machu Picchu in Peru; Petra in Jordan; the Taj Mahal in India, the statues of Easter Island; the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro, the Statue of Liberty in New York; Stonehenge in England and the Kremlin in Russia.
This is all well and good and seems like a useful and overdue exercise. But what about at the other end of the scale? What are the world’s worst architectural achievements and therefore by association the world’s worst tourist attractions (man-made). There has got to be just as much interest in this, just as the worst-dressed list seems to each year capture more interest and discussion than the best-dressed list.
I have had a go at my own 7 Blunders (or should that be chunders?) of the World list below, based on my own personal experiences of those attractions that are just not worth it and leave a bad taste in the mouth of time and money misspent.
The list is still pretty scratchy, so would love to hear any other suggestions
7 Blunders of the Word:
• The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy. To me (and many others), this is the world-champion of overrated tourist monuments/attractions. It is a true blunder/chunder with no wonder whatsoever. Ok, the tower is on a slant, it wasn’t meant to, they have preserved it to ensure it maintains its lean and the thousands of tourist who rush to be under-whelmed by it. Do you really need a picture of yourself holding up the tower? That is the only reason for going there as it is out of the way, there is nothing else there and it just sucks.
• The Spanish Steps, Italy. I don’t mean to pick on Italy but what exactly is the point here? It is some steps where people hang-out and claim to be oh so European. So what. There is nothing there except the opportunity to be thoroughly ripped off by surrounding cafes, accommodation, shops. I don’t get it.
• Manneken Pis, Belgium. This little statue of a little boy with a little thingy peeing into a little fountain on a little corner block in central Brussels has little cred. The fact that is arguably Belgium’s most famous tourist attraction says it all about Belgium really. Pis-weak in the true sense of the term.
• Atomium, Belgium. OK so I gave it to Italy and now I am giving it to Belgium. The Atomium monument built on the outskirts of Brussels for the 1958 World Fair represents a unit cell of an iron crystal, magnified billions of times, with cubes, tubes, vertices and spheres everywhere, some of which you get inside and ride the escalators and look out at dreary Brussels. Confused? Exactly my point. What the hell Belgium? Stick to beer, waffles, chocolate and Tintin.
• Buckingham Palace, London. The home of England’s royal family depicts them perfectly – boring, boring, boring. I mean this isn’t a palace, check out some Asian or Russian palaces for real glam. This is just a drab, grey, old, lifeless, featureless nothing, just like its inhabitants really. Throw the changing of guard in for extra boredom. Snooze.
• Madame Tussard’s or any wax museum anywhere. Enough said.
• Any Millennium inspired or named monument, such as Millennium Eye, Spire, Sphere, Ball, Clock, Park, Square, Statue etc etc. Lucky they only come every 1000 years.
The Swiss-based campaign is hoping to receive more than 100 million votes from around the world before revealing its list on July 7.
This attempt to update ancient history by ranking the new seven wonders of the world aims to modernise the original seven wonders list made by the Greeks more than 2,000 years ago.
The Greek’s original wonderous list included many sites around the Mediterranean such as the Lighthouse of Alexandria and the hanging Gardens of Babylon. The Pyramids of Giza are the only surviving wonder from that list, which led the New 7 Wonders campaign to embark on updating the list to reflect the last 2,000 years of human achievement.
Short listed entries for the New 7 Wonders list include the likes of Machu Picchu in Peru; Petra in Jordan; the Taj Mahal in India, the statues of Easter Island; the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro, the Statue of Liberty in New York; Stonehenge in England and the Kremlin in Russia.
This is all well and good and seems like a useful and overdue exercise. But what about at the other end of the scale? What are the world’s worst architectural achievements and therefore by association the world’s worst tourist attractions (man-made). There has got to be just as much interest in this, just as the worst-dressed list seems to each year capture more interest and discussion than the best-dressed list.
I have had a go at my own 7 Blunders (or should that be chunders?) of the World list below, based on my own personal experiences of those attractions that are just not worth it and leave a bad taste in the mouth of time and money misspent.
7 Blunders of the Word:
• The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy. To me (and many others), this is the world-champion of overrated tourist monuments/attractions. It is a true blunder/chunder with no wonder whatsoever. Ok, the tower is on a slant, it wasn’t meant to, they have preserved it to ensure it maintains its lean and the thousands of tourist who rush to be under-whelmed by it. Do you really need a picture of yourself holding up the tower? That is the only reason for going there as it is out of the way, there is nothing else there and it just sucks.
• The Spanish Steps, Italy. I don’t mean to pick on Italy but what exactly is the point here? It is some steps where people hang-out and claim to be oh so European. So what. There is nothing there except the opportunity to be thoroughly ripped off by surrounding cafes, accommodation, shops. I don’t get it.
• Manneken Pis, Belgium. This little statue of a little boy with a little thingy peeing into a little fountain on a little corner block in central Brussels has little cred. The fact that is arguably Belgium’s most famous tourist attraction says it all about Belgium really. Pis-weak in the true sense of the term.
• Atomium, Belgium. OK so I gave it to Italy and now I am giving it to Belgium. The Atomium monument built on the outskirts of Brussels for the 1958 World Fair represents a unit cell of an iron crystal, magnified billions of times, with cubes, tubes, vertices and spheres everywhere, some of which you get inside and ride the escalators and look out at dreary Brussels. Confused? Exactly my point. What the hell Belgium? Stick to beer, waffles, chocolate and Tintin.
• Buckingham Palace, London. The home of England’s royal family depicts them perfectly – boring, boring, boring. I mean this isn’t a palace, check out some Asian or Russian palaces for real glam. This is just a drab, grey, old, lifeless, featureless nothing, just like its inhabitants really. Throw the changing of guard in for extra boredom. Snooze.
• Madame Tussard’s or any wax museum anywhere. Enough said.
• Any Millennium inspired or named monument, such as Millennium Eye, Spire, Sphere, Ball, Clock, Park, Square, Statue etc etc. Lucky they only come every 1000 years.
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