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My daughter and I were looking at travel photos of Rome on the internet. She's already been there and I wanted her perspective on some of the sights. One of the things she said the most was "...there's a great view of X..." and it got me to thinking that there is nothing better than a great view!
What are your favorite views? Not necessarily a view in the classic sense, as in a vista, though it could be, but a visual composition that pleased you and stuck in your mind.
My two favorites are the view up the hill from the narrow street below, to the Sacre Coeur in Paris. That dazzling white church and all those steps up just grabbed me! The other is the vista from the ramparts of Warwick Castle in England. There are no telephone poles or anything of this century to mar the countryside you're looking at. It takes hardly any imagination to peel away the centuries. How about you?
Share your views
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Oh boy. That's a tough one. There are so many! How 'bout a recent one for me? The view of Florence from Fiesole.
The Rhine near Kaub, Germany, with the island fortress of Pfalzgrafenstein in the foreground and the cliffside castle of Burg Gutenfels in the background.
Looking over a field of sunflowers in Tuscany!
Looking at the caldera on Santorini with a whitewashed chapel in the foreground.
Also, poppy fields in Provence.
Sitting in front of a little church in Wengen and looking down the Lauterbrunnen valley.
The view from Mount Pilatus in Switzerland was awesome and always sticks in my mind. You could see cows grazing and it really was so simple, but naturally gorgeous. The lake views near Lucerne are also beautiful views with interesting homes along the banks. I also loved the view of all the little shop signs in Salzburg, Austria. Very quaint.
Looking down nearly every street in Paris or every canal in Venice.
Favorite views:
Watching bustling Amsterdam go by Munt Tower from our hotel window on Queens Day. At home, sitting on "my" beach, right out my back door on the Gulf of Mexico. Sitting in Notre Dame listening to a mass in French.
I strongly agree, Ira!
We got a little "lost" in Scotland up in the Highlands. I have no idea where we were exaclty, but it was in November, around 3 pm (so the sun was sinking behind the hills), and we were in the middle of no where. Talk about being transported through the centuries! All we could see in front of us (we pulled over to the side of the road for some photos) were the hills, a stream, sheep, highland cattle, and heather all with the backdrop of a cold winter sunset. BEAUTIFUL!
topping myself because I like other people's views!
The view from the Great Wall of China on a foggy gray morning. All you saw was the Wall moving back and forth on the top of the mountains. It was truly spectacular!
Nelson New Zealand.....the view of Tasman Bay........turquoise bay meets land & with background of Snowcapped Mountains.
Also have to say... Paris & Venezia are still very mysterious ladies!!
I love the view of Sacre Coeur that you describe. A few more I've enjoyed: the view of Rio de Janeiro from cable car up to Sugarloaf; the Halifax, NS waterfront off the harbour ferry from Dartmouth; the golden pagoda viewed through the pillars of the temple of the emerald buddha at Bangkok's Grand Palace.
YES yes, Flyboy....Dartmouth is a beauty!!!
Two come to mind: The view from the road leading to Neuschwanstein on a cold foggy day...half of the castle was in the clouds/fog and the other half looked simply surreal. The other is the view at the top of the funicular in Interlaken. Stunning.
There are so many! The ones that immediately come to mind... the first time I approached Venice by water, entering the Bora Bora lagoon by ship, evening view of the Bund from the Shanghai Hyatt, Glacier point at Yosemite national park.
Here are a few:
Looking down the Getreidegasse in Salzburg with all the cool signs hanging from the shops, hotels and other buildings.
The stained-glass windows of St-Chapelle
A multitude of views while hiking in the Cinque Terre
The inside of the Weiskirche
Neuschwanstein from the Marienbrucke (spelling?)
Sunrise at Bryce Canyon after a snow storm the night before
The Temple of Aphaia on the island of Aegina set on a hill several miles from anything else with the wind blowing through the ruins and that beautiful blue Aegean Sea in the distance. It gave me more of the feeling of an ancient lost civilization than anywhere else I went in Greece.
The view out my front door - the whole Vézère valley spread out below me, with the red roofs of the farm houses and smoke spiraling from their chimneys, especially in April and May when the fruit trees are in bloom and there is a pink-white fuzz between me and the river.
In Gerace, Italy (Calabria) there are the remains of an ancient fort that they used to defend the acropolis of Gerace. Looking down from that pinnacle on one side is the valley below, which reminded me of Tuscany, but more rugged and rustic. Looking the other way afforded a view of the Ionian Sea. Both views are breathtaking. And not many people know about it.
1. The view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo,
2. The sunflower fields below San Gimingano
3. View of London from Hampsted Heath
4. View of the ocean from my friend's house in the hills of Chiavari (Rapallo)
5. View of the olive groves and of Florence from the Villa Meridiana
The ocean from my bedroom window at sunset.
" 1. The view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo."
Damn, I forgot that one. Whenever I go through my little movie I made of our trip to Italy, my picture of Firenze from Piazzale Michelangelo always gets the oohs and aahs. Considering my photography skills, you KNOW the view must be spectacular.
- Lake Wanaka, New Zealand, and the surrounding area, from 4000 feet while skydiving. A big adrenaline rush, but I managed to actually enjoy the view from up there
- A breathtaking sunrise from my bedroom in New Zealand. Never seen anything like it.
- Sunset on the Grand Canyon. Actually, any view on the Grand Canyon!
- Delicate Arch in Arches Nat'l Park, Utah, and the view you get from up there. Amazing stuff.
- Any view in Iceland, especially the
Jökulsárlón (glacial lagoon) really impressed me.
Plus lots of others....I like the view of the Gulf of Trieste and of Istria when driving to Trieste.
Every now and then even Venice does manage to strike me with a nice sunset; and when I happen to be going around by boat at night (say 1 or 2AM), the view of the Grand Canal with all the illuminated palaces becomes a bit magical even for me. Also, when I have to fly, I love going to the airport by watertaxi, it's expensive but the view is nice!
Federico
I travel a bit, but my favorite view is flying home over NYC. The buildings are incredible, the twin towers used to reflect the sunlight! The view that impressed me the most was flying in at night when the blue light beams were set up as a memorial for the towers (they shot up into the sky) and the Empire State Building was red, white and blue.
"Lake Wanaka, New Zealand, and the surrounding area, from 4000 feet while skydiving...."
Doh! I meant 4000 METERS which equals 12000 FEET. Can you tell I need some sleep
Federico
The view of Mt. Etna with the Greek theater in the foreground and the sea on your left in Taormina.
FEDERICO...Venexiano....
Hey...I've been looking for someone to take me around Venezia in a boat!!!
STCIRQ tell us more..............please...please....!!!
Bailey, I would love to, but unfortunately the boat(s) I mentioned were not mine...my family used to have one, but we've since sold it - it's a big burden to maintain if you're not fully dedicated
Federico
Several of my favorites have already been mentioned. But two others:
the view of the Abbaye de Senanque with the lavendar fields in bloom in Gordes, Provence and
the Houses of Parliment in London at sunset from across the Thames.
Wow, great question!
I have to agree with the view from Warwick Castle, I did feel transported back in time! Another time transport moment was walking through the medival forest near Kinloch Rannoch in Scotland. Another timeless view in Scotland: watching the puffins land/fly/dive from a small island off the coast of the Isle of Mull.
I just picked up pictures today of a place found off the road near Grenoble, we found a field of sunflowers in full bloom adjacent to a shaded walnut grove - the blue sky sprinkled with clouds, the yellow flowers and canopy of leaves from the trees - magical!
The views at the top of Haleakala in Hawaii
The views along the Glacier Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper
The view from the Boboli (sp ?) gardens in Florence
Looking back at Broadford Bay on the
Isle of Skye near sunset
And also on Skye - The Cuillins (sp?) with clouds racing across them
Beaumaris Castle with mainland Wales in the background
The view from Harlech Castle towards the ocean
The view driving into Lynmouth, England from the north
The Parthenon (first glimpse and illuminated at night)
Delphi
Wastwater in the Lake District
The views from the top of the Zugspitz (sp?) in Germany
The Pitons in St Lucia
The incredible turquoise blue water around Provo in the Turks and Caicos as viewed from the plane for the first time.
Indian Head Cove Bruce Peninsula National Park near Tobermory Canada - viewed for the first time just coming out of the trees
Also near Tobermory - the flowerpots on Flowerpot island
Clayquoit (sp?) Sound, Vancouver Island
Looking out across San Francisco Bay to the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time
The Range of Light, Yosemite
So many more but I am tired of typing
Of course, JanT already mentioned one of my premier views - looking down from the Gerace acropolis across the valley below - and also the sheer drops from the castle entryway.
Let's not forget the Faraglioni of Capri, or all of Capri for that matter.
The Amalfi coast at every turn.
Mt. Sirino in Basilicata.
The Raganello gorge near Civita, Calabria.
The Bay of Naples with Vesuvius dominating.
The Sorrento coastline.
Too many vivid memories to mention!
thought this was a nice one to top!
The Borghese Chapel in Santa Maria Maggiore in Roma.
Flying into Mexico City, seeing the city from the air is absolutely mind-boggling.
Flying into Caracas at night, the nights on the ranchitos give you the sensation that you are flying into a black black sea full of little glowfish.
Flying into Iceland is like landing on the moon.
OK, so I like the window seat. . .
Standing on the top of the Rock of Gibraltar on a clear, sunny day, I swear that I saw the curve of the earth.
My ex and I stopped on a highway in Albacete en route to Madrid from Alicante and were completely surrounded by Sunflowers at full attention.
The view of back porches from my terrace in Barcelona. To explain, behind my apartment, you can see inside of a full city block, which hides a fabulous mansion. It is very strange, and it took me ages to find out where their street entrance is located.
And, finally, on a sunny day, I love to be in the tiny, dark streets of Barcelona's Barri Gotic and look up to see the sky.
Claire