Places, sites that were surprisingly memorable?
May 20th, 2002, 05:58 AM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Places, sites that were surprisingly memorable?
Since the "let down" thread is going strong, I thought I would start this one. I'm not asking what your favorite cities are. I would like to know about places that sort of caught you off guard with how memorable and special the experience turned out to be. For example, the Spanish Steps turned out to be much more memorable for my wife and I than we expected. It was just a beautiful night and the water from the fountains was so cold and clear. There were people congregated there, from numerous different cultures, and there was a feeling of comraderie. It was something intangible that I can't really describe, but I loved it.
May 20th, 2002, 09:05 AM
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
I felt that way about the Trevi Fountain but not at all about the Spanish Steps. The latter I thought didn't live up to their post card pictures at all, it just seemed to be a busy semi-seedy plaza. Just shows how we can each have different perceptions of the same place.<BR><BR>As I pushed on to the Trevi Fountain, which was mobbed, I was pleasantly surprised. I was struck by its size, and the enjoyment of the crowd, and the sunshine on the water and sculptures.<BR>Very pleasant surprise.
May 20th, 2002, 10:06 AM
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
- the Alhambra in Granada, Spain<BR>- Ronda, Spain<BR>- the Cliffs of Moher, Ireland<BR>- Capvern-les-Bains, France<BR>- St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, Scotland<BR>- Stourhead Gardens, England<BR>- Bodnant Gardens, Wales<BR>- Criccieth, Wales<BR>- Oxford, England<BR>- Baddesley Clinton, England<BR>- Lincoln Cathedral, England<BR>- Lisbon, Portugal - 20 yrs. ago<BR>- Versailles, France - the town<BR>- Portimao, Portugal - 20 yrs. ago
May 20th, 2002, 10:23 AM
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
In 1999 in Sorrento Italy it rained so hard when we were driving through it literally stated raining lemons. They were floating down the street. We picked up one. Delicious and huge compared to the ones here in the states.<BR> A few minutes later I was in a store and all the lights went out. I was choosing some wine to drink at our picnic later that day at Pompeii. The wine was horrible.We laughed and laughed and said that was a lesson learned. Never pick out wine in a dark store during a rain storm in Sorrento.
May 20th, 2002, 10:30 AM
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
. Gaudi's Casa Batlo (in Barcelona) lit up at night. La Rambla was also a lot more fascinating that I expected it to be. <BR><BR>. The Medici Fountain in the Luxembourg Gardens, in Paris.<BR><BR>. The Pont du Gard, near Uzes, in southern France.<BR><BR>. The Pantheon and Piazza della Rotonda, in Rome.<BR><BR>. Cortona, in Tuscany.<BR><BR>. Campo Santa Margherita, in Venice.<BR><BR>. The Lauterbrunnen Valley, in Switzerland.<BR><BR>
May 20th, 2002, 10:35 AM
#9
Guest
Posts: n/a
1. Glencoe Scotland is unlike anywhere else in the world.<BR><BR>2. Sienna at sunset. Now I know where they got the "burnt Sienna" color for the crayons.<BR><BR>3. The view from the Hohensalzburg toward the Alps.<BR><BR>4. The view from the top of LeBaux.<BR><BR>5. Looking at Ludwig's Newschwanstein Castle lit up at night.<BR><BR>6. Any view of a fine bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape anywhere in the world, but particualry nice when the view is in Provence!<BR><BR>US
May 20th, 2002, 10:53 AM
#11
Guest
Posts: n/a
This is a great thread, so much more positive than the "let down" thread.<BR><BR>For me, in no particular order:<BR>1. Berlin. I had avoided going to Germany for several years for a multitude of reasons. Anyway, my introduction to Germany was Berlin, which I love. I returned for a second time, and I still love it. What an exciting, dynamic city. On the other had, I was "let down" by Munich.<BR><BR>2. I agree with a previous poster about the Pantheon. I saw it nearly 20 years ago. And I was so confused and naive, I somehow had it mixed up with the Parthenon, so I couldn't understand why a Greek building was now in Rome. Anyway, the first time I saw it, my jaw dropped. It is still my touchstone in Rome. I always have to go the Pantheon anytime I am in Rome.<BR><BR>3. Cinque Terre. I had been hearing about this place for years, and I finally went in 1999. Loved it, although I fear it has become much too popular, and I hestitate to return. I envy those people who were there in the 80s or early 90s.
May 20th, 2002, 11:10 AM
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
Longleat - the silliest idea of a place, but the whole experience just tickled us pink.<BR><BR>Glen of Antrim - I had no idea that a glen was a magical place.<BR><BR>Valley of the Temples in Oahu - on an island that is so profoundly beautiful, this place is mouth-dropping.
May 20th, 2002, 11:21 AM
#13
Guest
Posts: n/a
Santa Chiara, our first evening in Rome this past April was spent entirely in the Piazza della Rotonda, marveling at the Pantheon, drinking vino rosso, and wathing the constant flow of interesting people.<BR><BR>A few comments about Cinqueterre. I was there for two days in 1987 and then finally returned last month. Aside from the Liberation Day weekend hordes (which absolutely PACKED Vernazza) on that weekend, the only places where I really noticed that many more people were on the hiking trails between the towns. Vernazza itself seemed very much like I remembered it from fifteen years ago. <BR><BR>At dinner at Gianni's in Vernazza one night, we ended up talking to a Swiss woman from Zurich who owns a bar on the piazza. She said that she felt tourism began to dramatically increase only within the past ten or so years.
May 20th, 2002, 11:56 AM
#15
Guest
Posts: n/a
I didn't post this at first, because Siena didn't really catch me by surprise. I was expecting it to be breathtaking, and it was. But the one defining moment of my last trip to Italy was a night in Siena. My wife and I were sitting outdoors at a very nice restaurant in the Piazza del Campo (don't have the name handy). We shared carpaccio and seafood pasta. We ordered a vernaccia and sat facing the Torre del Mangia, its burnt color contrasting strikingly with the deep blue of the clear moonlit sky. While we sat there, a trio came up and began playing "Lara's Theme" from Dr. Zhivago, which is my wife's favorite movie. When we first started dating, I bought her a music box that played "Lara's Theme." Hearing it played in Siena, under those circumstances, was too much for her and she got teary-eyed. It was a moment I will never forget. Absolutely perfect. THAT is what Italy can do to you.
May 20th, 2002, 12:00 PM
#16
Guest
Posts: n/a
Thanks for this thread. The other "let down" thread was really, really annoying!<BR><BR>A few of my favorites include:<BR><BR>1. Eating dinner at the Golden Bear restaurant in Berchtesgaden watching the sun dissapear behind the snow covered Alps at 10:00 in the evening during the summer<BR><BR>2. Walking the entire distance around the Schluchsee in the Black Forest. Eating picnic lunch and drinking beer on the meadows above the Schluchsee<BR><BR>3. The Golden Pass train from Lucerne to Montreaux<BR><BR>4. The boat ride to the Isle of Wight. <BR><BR>5. St Bartholomew on the Konigsee in Berchtegaden<BR><BR>6. Camping in Obersdorf, Germany. The town of Obersdorf.<BR><BR>7. Hiking in Valduz Lichtenstein<BR><BR>8. The Rhine River cruise around Boppard and Bingen<BR><BR>9. Any Volksmarch (Competitive Walk) in Germany, Switzerland, or Austria.<BR><BR>0. The Tirolian Mountains away from all of the tourists. Going Austrian is a great choice<BR><BR>1. Any of the small town wine and beer fests that very few tourists can get to.<BR><BR>2. Doing the Saltmines in Berchtesgaden along with the Eagles Nest and the Konigsee in Berchtesgaden.<BR><BR>I could go on and on and on......<BR><BR>Happy Traveling<BR><BR>
May 20th, 2002, 12:16 PM
#19
Guest
Posts: n/a
A candlelight concert at St.Martin in the Field...we got to see the famous creme-de-la-creme chamber group from the Academy at St. Martin in the Field. <BR><BR>The Tower of London: the warders who give tours are delightfully entertaining.<BR><BR>The cathedral at Chartres: Meet near the bookstore at noon for Malcom Miller's English language tour.<BR><BR>Watching the sun set from any bridge over the Siene in Paris. sigh.
