Cape Town – Have you ever travelled half-way around the globe to see a specific world monument or site, and found yourself a little underwhelmed by the place, especially when you place your dream destination in full context with its actual surroundings.
Sometimes the context could be just as amazing as the site itself, like the way in which Central Park in New York sits amid one of the biggest cities in the world! Yet, other times the context kind of spoils it, like when you realise that the ancient pyramids of Giza are about a stone’s throw away from a massive modern city.
Sometimes it’s the amount of people who flock to these places that spoils the ancient sites. Whatever it may be, it’s best to anticipate a destination with ALL it’s surroundings before you set out to realise that idyllic dream in your head.
Here are the world’s most iconic, and most visited sites, shown in all their photographic splendor, and also in proper context to the destination its in.
1. Arc de Triomphe, Paris
The Ideal:
#Napoleon wanted to turn #Paris into #Rome under the #Caesars , only with louder music and more marble. And it was done. His #architects gave him the #ArcdeTriomphe and the Madeleine. #encoreproductions #bigfruitfilms #b3tta #travel #traveling #TFLers #vacation #visiting #instatravel #followme #instagood #trip #holiday #photooftheday #fun #travelling #tourism #tourist #instapassport #instatraveling #mytravelgram #travelgram #igtravel
A photo posted by Mr_encoreuk (@mr_encores_productions) on Feb 19, 2015 at 5:24am PST
The Reality:
2. Central Park, New York
The Ideal:
Quanto vorrei essere in questo posto meraviglioso e non pensare a nulla???? #newyork #centralpark #love #ungiornociandróancheio
A photo posted by Barbara Marchetti ?? (@banny_93) on Feb 19, 2015 at 3:55am PST
The Reality:
????????????????????????????????????????? #USA #Newyork #centralpark #citypark #Unitedstates
A photo posted by ???????? (@payfreya) on Feb 19, 2015 at 4:36am PST
3. Mona Lisa, Louvre Museum, Paris
The Ideal:
#monalisalouvre
A photo posted by Louise Putterill (@laputterill) on Feb 14, 2015 at 9:28am PST
The Reality:
Not quite sure if Leo meant for the world to see her like this… #monalisa #artisdead #ipadinmyway #louvrecrowds #parisliving
A photo posted by Conner Jay (@pathosphoto) on May 9, 2014 at 6:51pm PDT
4. Forbidden City, Beijing
The Ideal:
Tbt: #Throwback #ForbiddenCity #Beijing #Temples
A photo posted by MichaelLu (@mickeeeeel) on Feb 12, 2015 at 3:08am PST
The Reality:
5. Acropolis, Athens
The Ideal:
#Athens #Greece #Acropolis #amazing #Parthenon #follow4likes #blacknwhitephotography #instanight #instalifo
A photo posted by Black N White Pictures (@blacknwhite.gr) on Feb 18, 2015 at 1:10pm PST
The Reality:
6. Niagara Falls, Canada & USA Border
The Ideal:
The Falls. #NiagraFalls #exploredaily #vscocam #galaxyS5only
A photo posted by Micah (@worldchanger12) on Jan 29, 2015 at 9:39pm PST
The Reality:
7. Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
The Ideal:
?????????? ???????????????!#?????????#????#?????#spain#SagradaFamília#SagradaFamilia
A photo posted by Mariko (@asariko22) on Feb 8, 2015 at 8:29am PST
The Reality:
8. Brandenburg Gate, Berlin
The Ideal:
#BrandenburgerTor #BrandenburgGate #landmark #berlin #Symbol #deutschland #germany #tor #gate #architecture #europeanarchitecture #europe #geschichte #tagsforlikes #photooftheday #picoftheday #igersgermany #igersdubai
A photo posted by Norvster™ (@norvster_bn) on Feb 11, 2015 at 2:17pm PST
The Reality:
9. Taj Mahal, Agra, India
The Ideal:
#Tajmahal
A photo posted by Afiq Jusnaidi (@afiqjusnaidi) on Feb 19, 2015 at 5:33am PST
The Reality:
Cosa de niños , Agra , india
A photo posted by Ivan (@neuronasesina) on Feb 17, 2015 at 2:53pm PST
10. Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England
The Ideal:
#Stonehenge #WorldHeritageSite #England #Travel #love
A photo posted by Grace ?? (@gracious_) on Feb 19, 2015 at 2:08am PST
The Reality:
11. Pyramids, Cairo
The Ideal:
?????????
A photo posted by Hazuki Uno ?? (@hazukianything) on Dec 27, 2014 at 12:16pm PST
The Reality:
12. Great Wall of China
The Ideal:
#GreatWallOfChina #HighDefnition #repost
A photo posted by Jeromin Rebatet (@jeromin) on Feb 14, 2015 at 2:50pm PST
The Reality:
on the #greatwallofchina with the rest of the Chinese population. #china #Beijing #wanderlust #mytravelgram #travelasia
A photo posted by Jianiwanders (@jianiwanders) on Feb 17, 2015 at 5:30am PST
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