In reality, the Eiffel Tower is a tourist mecca with roughly 7 million visitors per year, leaving very few open picnic spots on the lawn, especially in summer.
And if you actually decide to climb the tower, you have to go through security, wait in really long lines, and when you finally get inside, share your view with countless others.
Reality: Great Wall of China, China
However, if you decide to visit, you will not be the only one who knows that the wall is great. You will have to share the narrow walkways with many other tourists, some of which litter or even deface the wall with graffiti.
This is an especially big problem in the most frequently visited section in Badaling. The wall there may not be as clean or impressive as you’ve been led to expect.
Fantasy: The Eiffel Tower, France
Nothing says a Parisian vacation like a tasteful selfie of you and your loved ones having a picnic, with a baguette of course, under the Eiffel Tower.
It’s a beautiful place from which to enjoy the city of love, in all its modern yet peaceful splendor. The 324-meter-high tower is the ultimate symbol of the French capital, and you can’t beat the view.
Fantasy: The Mona Lisa, France
The Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings in the world. Created by Renaissance master Leonardo de Vinci and now hanging in the Louvre in Paris, the woman’s mysterious expression begs the age-old question, is she smiling, or not?
There is a reason this painting is considered a masterpiece and art and culture lovers should definitely add it to their bucket lists.
Reality: The Mona Lisa, France
Sadly, this classic is always thronged with crowds wanting to check it off their own bucket lists. You will have to push through them just to get a quick glimpse or snap a quick picture. And in reality, the painting is behind glass and a lot smaller than you’d think.
Therefore, trying to get close and see if her eyes really do follow you across the room is pretty much impossible.