Biggest or smallest surprise

How small the Mona Lisa actually is, or how big the Nightwatch, compared to my impressions from just seeing them in print.

I absolutely agree on all 4 mentioned so far. Probably the biggest shock at the Mona Lisa, to say nothing of the selfie crowd with flash all around. And that was about 8 years ago before the big push of tourists from other parts of the world.

I love the detail in the Night Watch. But with such a huge canvas there is plenty of room for detail.

for me the Biggest surprise was Pompeii, I had no idea how big it was, went on a tour with the walking group I was with and it was good but did not get to see the whole site but visited the area again the following year and spent a whole day wandering the whole site, took a picnic and a bottle of beer, just amazing and I hope to go back again.

I was also surprised by how small the Mona Lisa really is !

The Last Supper setting and size. For most of my life I thought it was a framed oil painting. (Clearly I was not an art history major.)

As to smallest, or perhaps better classified as “minimally accessible,” was the gravesite of St. Peter, deep beneath the Vatican where one cranes one’s neck to peek, one person at a time, through a mere crevice to see what is supposed to be there.

I've got a very good sense of direction and so I'm surprised how often I get lost in the historic areas of some towns. I've taken to carrying a small compass with me when I'm in Europe.

I'll go along with the Mona Lisa. It was really crowded that day and I got as close as I could but never really felt anything, which is my fault for not being sufficiently cultured.

Being rather low brow regarding "art" my favorite was the painting of Napoleon crowning himself emperor. I stood in front of it for a long time but my wife never really got it. Funny how that works. I would have enjoyed the Louvre more on a less busy day, as we felt like we had to keep moving to be considerate of others. Most people didn't seem to care about anyone else. Humble brag?

Uncle Gus, Pompeii is on my bucket list. Can you also hike up Vesuvius? I don't really care to see Rome again as last time I was there it was like a crowded sauna.

I used to think I was primarily a "landscape" lover. Hence, my first trip was to Ireland. But then I was surprised at how much I loved Stockholm. I was reaaally surprised at how much I loved and was comfortable in Rome......so I concluded I am also a big (historical) city lover. So.....I was further surprised when Istanbul was too overwhelming for me. I would like to try Istanbul again in a colder month, say under 70 degrees, because being hot makes me irritable.

There are countless examples of things I thought I would love and didn't and on the other side, things I wasn't excited to see and loved.

So, the lesson learned is, go ahead and make predictions, but go with the flow and like what I like.

I was surprised at the size of Lake Bled. It's not tiny, but it was much smaller than I had expected.

How beautiful I found the Alexander Nevsky Bulgarian Orthodox Cathedral to be, in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is one of those buildings I could photograph from all angles, at all times of day or night, wide angle or close up details, in varying weather. The interior was also beautiful and interesting, especially during mass, filled with people, incense and often chanting. Loved the Icon Museum in the basement as well. Ah, saudades de Bulgaria.

I'm surprised the Mona Lisa is famous.

I was somewhat prepared for the Mona Lisa, only due to pictures of the crowds around that give you some scale. I would agree with Allan not too sure why it is so famous. I'm no art buff, about as far away as you can get, but I have seen many other painting that speak to me more. To each there own, I guess.

BigMike to my knowledge you can still hike up Vesuvius. Pompeii is cool, it is really worth a trip to see it. I was only there one day and needed more time. Side note you may want to check out Herculaneum too, I think i will try to see it before or at the same time I get back to Pompeii.

Back to my surprises, St. Mark's Square in Venice seemed smaller than I expected. May have been due to the fact that on my first visit I was sharing it with about 50,000 other folks that day. The Field of Miracles in Pisa was a big surprise for me. I almost hate to say that it is one of my favorite places I have seen it Italy. Many people seem to not think much of it. Again to each there own.

Enjoying all comments. Thanks.

I was surprised that the Little Mermaid in Denmark was even a famous landmark after seeing it.

We both loved the Mona Lisa. I thought after seeing it that no picture of it has ever captured that subtle smile like she was actually looking at us. My husband was also surprised how much he enjoyed seeing Venus de Milo in person.

Something large in contrast were the Italian Dolomites. A very pleasant surprise how different they are from other mountains we have seen and their magnificence.

Allan, Mona Lisa isn't famous, but the painting is.

Thanks CJ.

If your idea of "art" is Elvis on purple velvet that glows with a black white what does that say about... my friend.

Allan, CJ, and BigMike, she just had a good agent. Same thing happens with a lot of celebrities today.

I'm not educated in art, but I think the Mona Lisa is famous because of the historical context. It was done >500 years ago, using relatively primitive paints and brushes on a piece of wood, with no photographs, computers, scanners, or other modern tools. Compared to the art of that time period, its very different because it wasn't a religious theme, and the subject is not painted in an overly glamorous way. It wasn't that famous or popular at the time. People came to appreciate it later. Plus the painting is actually about 30 inches by 21 inches, which isn't that small. You just cant get close enough to see it - and that was my disappointment with it.

I was surprised how green Poland is. It sounds so stupid to say that, but I guess it was all those dreary Cold War era depictions.

As far as the Mona Lisa goes I was surprised how big it was, having read over and over about how small it was.

This maybe should have gone on the disappointment thread but since this is now discussing works of art I am having a memory from the New York metropolitan Art Museum Circa 1985. We wanted to see a collection of Tiffany Iris stained glass windows. None of the docents seemed to know what we were talking about. When we were finally directed to them, I kid you not, they were leaning against the wall backwards one was upside down and they were not lit from within. Highly disappointing.

BigMike, yes you can hike up Vesuvius and we did so.we were with a walking group so had a mini bus that took us to the car park well up the mountain and I think it took 30-40 minutes to hike to the crater rime. we had lunch in a restaurant further down the mountain and spent the afternoon in Herculeum.

Smaller than I suspected:
Another vote for the Mona Lisa
Trevi Fountain in Rome
The United States Senate Chambers
The Supreme Court Chambers
The Alamo
The Tiles of the Space Shuttle
The Apollo11 Columbia Capsule hanging in the National Air and Space Museum in DC
Stonehenge
Seattle Space Needle
The Queen Mary
Mt Rushmore
Adding: Thomas Jefferson’s Bed. He was 6’2”
His bed at Monticello is small.

Bigger:
The Night Watch
The Last Supper
The Space Shuttle Endeavor
A Saturn Rocket
Bisti Badlands
Hampton Court
St. Louis Arch
Canton Mondays in Canton Texas
The Arch of Titus
The Louvre

The huge span width of the base of the Eiffel Tower. I expected the height but hadn't thought about what it would be like at ground level.

Small surprise: the people on the Paris Metro where not helpful and often rude while my Elderly father With his cane was trying to get in a seat or otherwise navigate the system (had a couple young folks actually jump into seats he was obviously trying to get into...

Bigger surprise, how helpful and nice people on the London Underground (and elsewhere) where to my father in the same situation. I had one completely full train we were getting on where folks got out so we could get on. The crowd parted for us like The Red Sea for. Moses.
They even made sure he did not lose his balance when the train started or stopped. And this happened every time for multiple days on two different trips. Even had the security at a couple places send dad to the head of the line of just walked hiked around/past security. I can not say enough good things about how nice folks in London were to my father. It was a HUGE surprise.

Small surprise: the people on the Paris Metro where not helpful and
often rude while my Elderly father With his cane was trying to get in
a seat or otherwise navigate the system (had a couple young folks
actually jump into seats he was obviously trying to get into...

Bigger surprise, how helpful and nice people on the London Underground
(and elsewhere) where to my father in the same situation.

In Paris, I won't say rude, but I will say indifferent about making space, helping others-it was an everybody for themselves attitude. On the other hand I completely agree about the London Underground. I was there with my wife and Mother-in-Law and while none of us required any special assistance, there wasn't a time when people didn't jump out of their seats to offer it to my Mother-in-Law and usually my wife as well. I had done a trip report about my London visit and I specifically mentioned the experience and said the people of London should be proud.

Unlike Allan, I don’t have a good sense of direction, so I was surprised on a 10 day visit to New York City that I never once got lost. That city’s layout makes perfect sense. Uptown anyone?

Wow. I must really look decrepit; I'm nearly always offered a seat in the Paris Metro, and I'm there 2-3 times a year. Even my husband is offered a seat, which used to upset him, but now he accepts graciously.

Not so much the size of "the Night Watch" (which used to be bigger - they cut a strip off of theright hand side) , but that it was basically the staff portrait, and that there are several others even larger.
The image from the Reichsmuseum websire shows thie

Not so much for the size, but one of my biggest surprises was how much I enjoyed the BMW Museum in Munich. I put it on our itinerary as a favor to my husband. I think I enjoyed more than he did - I'm still talking about it, and we were there in 2015.. It was like the Tate Modern with cars and motorcycles.

1- How small the Sistine Chapel was. I was expecting a "cathedral" size room.
2- How big were the extermination camps of Auschwitz/Birkenau.

I am not exaggerating we actually had a 20 something woman knock my dads walking stick/cane while diving into a seat on the Paris Metro.
In general the people I dealt with in France were dry nice, But those that were more anonymouse such as strangers on a train or the cleric/attendant behind a counter at the train station and such tend to be less then friendly and the younger generation on mass transit were just down right rude.

First trip to Austria and Germany for business in 1994, I was in Munich, did my touristen duty and went to the Hofbrauhaus, ordered some great food and a 1 liter mug of beer. Minor Problemo, I wanted to get another beer, so I held up my index finger, and was greeted with 2 more Liters of beer. What a great memory. My trip back to my hotel had some issues.

I read that the reason the Mona Lisa became famous is that it was stolen. A small surprise (I was expecting the ML to be small) was the huge, nay, enormous, (and mostly overlooked) painting on the opposite wall, the Wedding Feast at Cana by Veronese. As a side note, I went to the village of Cana a few years ago. Sadly it's nothing like the painting. . .

Another small surprise was a visit to the USS Hornet in Alameda CA (yeah, not Europe). I never realized how huge an aircraft carrier is. Highly recommend a visit if you're in the Bay Area.

CJ - thanks for a fun thread.

I am also enjoying all the comments. I also like when you all list something I have to look up.

I was at work yesterday, dreaming of travel, and thought how big a surprise a good tour guide can be. I have been all over the states and never dreamed of needing to use a tour guide, but now I think that was a mistake. We went on a bus tour in Italy back a few years a go (not RS, not my pick), and I learned my lesson on that trip. We have used many guides from that time on. All guides are not created equal though, and we have had a few stinkers, but overall they are worth it.

Biggest-Grand Canyon There's just no way to take in it's vastness without seeing it with your own eyes.
Smallest-the Alamo, even though I had been warned
Tallest-Cathedrals-their size is overwhelming, and when you consider when they were built! Obviously, I haven't been to the Pyramids.

I found it interesting that two of my choices were both in the US, even though I've been to Europe 15 times.

Allan and Douglas: Not surprised but impressed: Parisans were extremely courteous to mt dad- always offering him a a seat.
Biggest Surprise: how much I loved Russia and esp Moscow- which I expected to be grey, dank and oppressive. .Loved it- warm, energetic and the art was amazing.
- Italy- again was surprised at how much I loved this country esp Florence on my first trip

Smaller than I thought and remembered: The Kunt??Museum in Vienna

The Mona Lisa has been said.
Fun topic

Biggest surprise-
my first glimpse of St. Andrews golf course-so panoramic . I had watched so many televised tourneys from the course, and was expecting to be underwhelmed. However, I was amazed at how open and flat the area is, and how you can see holes #1 and #18, against the backdrop of the beautiful coastline. No tv camera had quite captured the totality of that view.

Smallest-
Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Charlottesville, VA. I love the architecture of the house, but was amazed at how small the rooms actually were.
[Also note, especially given the current political scene- the attention given to the "real" builders of the house, their sacrifices and inequalities, included in the docents' tours.]

For BigMike—

One of my biggest surprises was sitting in my delightful hotel room opposite Domplatz in Erfurt with the window open during Oktoberfest, listening to the singing coming from the beer tent when the band/crowd began a spirited rendition of John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads.

Ok, Dave invoked music....
Listening to a busker in the London tube start a familiar Beatles tune and having to remind myself OF Course, the Beatles are British

Now that music has been brought into the conversation I’ll add hearing the 1971 Coca Cola ad song “ I’d like to teach the world to sing” sung by a choral group waiting to board their train in Munich.

It was 1972 and my first trip to Europe. Made me smile.

15 minutes later as I was walking to board my train I heard my name being yelled. I look up to see a college classmate from a departing train smiling and waving.

Remember thinking “dang, it really is a small world! “

BTW if you don’t know the ad it is on YouTube.

Claudia, I wonder if, a few years later, the choral group would’ve been singing “I’m a Pepper, You’re a Pepper,” maybe along with some dance moves??

Small- Speaking of soft (and harder) drinks, it’s surprising to be reminded that the 1/3 liter cans that pop and beer come in are smaller than the 12 oz. cans in the USA.

Big- And on the other side of weights-and-measures surprises, I have to remind myself that a single kilogram is actually pretty big - getting more than 2 lbs, of fruit, olives, or other things at a farmer’s market means a large amount, when a single pound is often a standard measurement at home for a generous portion.

On the topic of music -
Walking into the cathedral in Salzburg and hearing a girls choral group singing Edelweiss, from the Sound of Music. We saw some of the girls a bit later and discovered they were from Scotland.

More on music. Hearing an amateur choir sing “Bianco Natale” (White Christmas) in the cathedral of Taormina on January 6. Their rendition of some Negro spirituals was another surprise. Music IS the universal language.

A big surprise to me was when I took my Mother on a bucket trip to Paris and the visit to the Louvre. She was in an electric wheelchair we took for the trip and as she slowly worked her way closer to the Mona Lisa through the crowds we agreed to meet later, it didn't do much for me. But as I ran around to see a few things before we met up again I took an elevator and must have punched the wrong floor. It let out into the "Big Canvas" room directly. It was a gut punch to step out into that wo expecting them.

The other thing that grabbed me was taking a flight of stairs down to another level and on the mezzanine was the "Winged Victory of Samothrace" statue. Otherwise known as the Goddess Nike. I was the only one there and for some reason that reached inside and...

Visited it again last year and it didn't have the same effect. Might have been the crowds sitting around it having snacks and ignoring it. Though I saw Monet's Waterlilies in that special building they had for them. I had to turn off the Guide/Art-teacher we had on the headphones and just look. You can see shifting patterns of light and shadow that move. Quite impressive.

Dave, I've heard Country Roads in England, Germany, and Ireland. Quite popular wherever drinking is involved. I wonder if John Denver's song is among the best known American songs, period. It is fun to sing, especially while drinking.

And the German festival random beer drinking song we’ve heard belted out on several occasions (Goslar 1982, Freiburg, 2002 and Leipzig 2019) has been Living on Tulsa Time, pronounced Tool sa 😉

Wow, great job all. Very good to hear each story. Some of the posts spur my memory, especially the music ones.

Another thought that came to me is I'm surprised at how friends and family react when they hear we are leaving the U.S. again. Most are so worried about our safety. It almost always make me laugh. I usually tell them that the most dangerous part of our trip, generally, will be the trip to the airport.

BigMike, I wonder whether part of the appeal of Country Roads is the reference to West Virginia (Mountain Mama)?

Mona, I don’t suppose they’d stick with an Oklahoma theme and break into singing “Okie from Moos-kogee?”

Dave/Big Mike/ I was at a Beer festival in Prague (well I go to loads of beer festivals there). an all female band called Crazy ladies were doing a set and did Country Roads in Czech and English, went down a storm with everyone singing along and dancing on the benches and the tables much to the consternation of the security staff, even the wait staff were singing and dancing along. when they finished they just started the song again and the whole place went wild.They played that song every set they did during the 2 week festival.

Surprisingly small--- Apollo Mission Control room in Houston

Surprisingly bigger-- Grand Canyon..... knowing its BIG and having seen many photos, was nonetheless surprised when seeing it in person

I was in the stands at the 1989 Fiesta Bowl belting out “Take Me Home, Country Roads” along with the rest of the Notre Dame student body as we watched the Irish take down West Virginia and Major Harris for the national championship. Most fun I’ve ever had singing it (sorry, BigMike).

Biggest surprise: the Swiss alps. Can’t even fathom the size, and overwhelmingly beautiful.

Smallest: the height of ceilings in old buildings (Palazzo Ducale upper floors, Mt Vernon staircases) and the small size of really old tombs. People used to be short!

Thank you, DebVT. I respectfully remind you Major Harris was injured during the first series of the game.

Of course, "If ifs and buts were candy and nuts we'd all have a wonderful Christmas." But if...

Yes, but he came back in.... obviously suffering, but he gave it everything he had; no quit in that guy. Yes, had he not been injured, maybe a different outcome.

Many great memories from that game (including the singing), but one that really sticks is how NICE everyone from WVa was after the game. Many “congratulations” and “great games” from passers-by, and they bought us drinks at the bars afterwards. A class act.

And... to bring it back around to the original topic....

Biggest surprise from that week-long trip to Arizona was how freaking intense the sun is in the desert. A planned long hike became pretty short.

Smallest surprise: how little a bottle of Kahlua costs in Nogales, Mexico.

And the German festival random beer drinking song we’ve heard belted out on several occasions (Goslar 1982, Freiburg, 2002 and Leipzig 2019) has been Living on Tulsa Time, pronounced Tool sa 😉

Mona, I love it!!

Let me second and third German beer and wine festivals. The oompah bands are really the driving force here.

The important thing is to eat the chicken to absorb the liters of beer you will be drinking. Thinking back I don't know how I hung in there. One liter nowadays and I'd be definitely tipsy. Did I say that? "Tipsy?" If I start describing certain men as being "a bit of a dandy" please stop me.

@Kim you’re from Oklahoma, correct. You should definitely go to a festival in Germany on the chance of hearing Tooool sa Time.

DebVT ... Go Irish!

Biggest surprise ... distance from the water to the bluffs at Omaha Beach ... how any of those brave men made it without getting shot up is a miracle

Smallest surprise ... Bran Castle .. not really small, just thought it would be bigger

One of our largest surprises in terms of physical acreage was the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in England. Vast outdoor space of open fields, dotted with works by Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, many more. Also being enjoyed by grazing sheep & cows!

My biggest surprise was loving Italy even more than I anticipated. The culture, art, architecture and the food.! OMG the food! I think about our trips there everyday. I am so very grateful to have experienced it

Guernica. I watched Rick's video about it several times, learned about it at school, and tried to be awed with it - it didn't happen. Left me cold. But then I am rarely moved by modern art.
What surprised me though, was the photos leading to the Guernica room. So many people just walked right by them. They are the reality of that time. The photos of the tortured souls living the nightmare. This is the medium and the reality that moved me where Guernica could not.

Mona Lisa is famous only because she was stolen round the same time as photographoc posters appeared, so her image got pasted all over France. Consequently became the most well recognised painting in France. She is a beautiful painting but doesnt warrent the fame she has acheived.

I have two smallest.
1. Fenway Park (Boston). I'd only seen it on television until I went to a game there with my grandfather at approximately age 11.
2. Small world: On my first trip to Paris, age 21, my neighbor from Hicksville USA, was staying on the other side of the same block, purely by chance. I spent more time with her in Paris than I ever did at home.