Describe your favorite European travel moment (2008)
 

Last year's thread was so pleasant, I thought I'd start the 2008 version. Please tell us about your favorite European travel moment of 2008.

we just went to europe for first time!! i never had any desire to go but my husband's father passed away and we inherited all these weird little pension accounts know one knew about and then got this great cruise deal so it seemed like destiny.
we were walking down street in rome toward trevi fountain eating gelato holding hands and i just got this fluttery heart feeling "i'm walking down a street in rome!!" does anyone else ever feel that way? like christmas morning when you were a kid
i know it's not too exciting but as you get older these days there's not too many of those moments left!

It's hard to choose one, even though we only had 6 nights on the Europe portion of our trip. If I had to, though, I'd say going to a concert at San Chappelle the night of our first full day in Paris. We were there a week after daylight savings time hit, so the light kept changing and the windows became more and more glorious as the concert went on. We'd been in Paris for just over 24 hours and this experience brought us totally outside of our day-to-day and into the groove of our trip.

Full trip report here: http://tinyurl.com/64uxu9

My favorite travel moment of 2008 was a conversation I had with an older Venetian gentleman on the vaporetto. My Italian is limited and his English even more so, but we chatted the entire length of the Grand Canal as he pointed out sights along the way and told me about himself. He is the last member of his family to live in Venice. His mother and sisters emigrated to the U.S. immediately after WWII, and he and his father remained in Venice. I don't know if the decision was for economic or family reasons, but the decision was/became permanent. He has no children or wife and perhaps never married. It was a bittersweet story. He clearly loves Venice and won't be leaving until he departs for Isola di San Michele, but he seemed content and happy. As we parted, he gave me a little bow, a handshake and "buone vacanze e siate felici."

It has to be my birthday dinner in Paris in Sept. at "Le Train Bleu".

A few days before when we took the train to Vaux-le-Compt, my husband excused himself as we were waiting. As it turned out, he went up to the restaurant and ordered a special cake for me. It was more of a "work-of-art" chocolate pastry than a cake.

I have to say that I'm not much for the birthday singing, etc. in a restaurant, but to have a bunch of Frenchmen sing to me in Paris was quite a thrill.

After dinner we walked along the Seine to our apt. on Ile St. Louis and stopped on the bridge to listen to "Tim", the sax player playing "I wish you love".

I'll put that up there as one of my best birthdays ever.

Sitting, relaxing and drinking wine at the Buza Bar (Eighth Wonder of the Modern World) in Dubrovnik.

Enjoying the splendor that is Plitvice National Park and, of course, my near-death introduction to Slivovitz.

Our remarkable dinners at Bellavista in Prague, Pivni KataKomby in Cesky Krumlov, Guliwer in Krakow and Gostilna AS in underrated and lovely Ljubljana.

Every delectable, calorie-laden bite of kremna rezina in Lake Bled.

Sipping wine on the rooftop patio at La Calcina in Venice.

The beauty of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.

A boat ride on a sunny day in Rovinj.

There were others, but I'll stop there.

((H))

Being surprised by unexpected snowfall while exploring the streets of Freiberg together with Fodor's most famous Saxon member.

Walking the park of Schwetzingen palace on a golden October afternoon and observing a flock of wild parrots in the trees above me.

A parade of two dozen Santa Clauses on amazingly decorated Harley Davidsons in the city of Basel on St Nikolaus Day.

We did a cruise in the Med for our 25th wedding anniversary. One of the stops was a two day in Venice where we had high hopes of seeing the city and all the sights, the food, the waterways, etc. Romance in the air! But it rained all day the first day and most of the second. But the great moment was late in the evening of the first night. It stopped raining for a spell and we decided to try going ashore. We took a vaporetto to the area in front of the Doge's Palace. It was after 8 and we were afraid there would be no gondolier working that late since the weather had been so bad. There were two gondolier playing cards at the front of the pier, so we asked if they were still available and one said he was, but it would be his last trip of the night. Awesome, plus his price was almost half the ship excursion price. We boarded the gondola (it was beautiful) and took an absolutely wonderful ride through the "streets" of Venice. I didn't realize how quiet it would be. I won't say I was overwhelmed, but I was definitely whelmed. My bride and I held hands and watched the world of Venice go by and we will never forget it. I won't bore you with anymore details, but it was a number one moment for us.

The August afternoon my daughter arrived in St-Cirq with her cousins to join me and my son, the first time in almost 3 years we'd been back together "at home" there. It was a gorgeous afternoon, and we set an old wooden table out on the terrace and all sat with our feet up on the wall, gazing at the view, sharing stories,laughing like crazy, and drinking wine and munching on baguette and mousse de foie gras and goat cheese and olives. Sweet!

It's hard to pick one or even a few moments out of our 3 weeks in Paris, Provence and the Côte d'Azur. But if you insist ...

We rented a house in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue from a couple who lived on the outskirts of Gordes. When the owners met us to brief us on how the house operated (washer/dryer, etc - all slow travelers know what I mean), we got along famously so they invited us to lunch at their house the following Wednesday.

I had assumed that this cute couple (actually around our age?) was simply a middle-class couple who had bought a house to rent to supplement their income/retirement.

We showed up at their house (actually the husband had to find us and lead us to their house) and walked in the gate. Our jaws dropped! A spectacular house, situated on several acres filled with olive trees and gorgeous plantings, behind Mitterand's former summer residence. Our hosts plopped us down ONE of their terraces and fed us olives, saucissons, bread, cheese, and a wonderful Provençal rosé. We all talked and ate and drank. Then we walked the grounds. Then Muriel led us inside the house to sit at their elegant informal dining room/kitchen that overlooked the Luberon. She and Serge (and their "maid"?) prepared a 3-course lunch and we all ate that and drank more wine, followed by espresso. Then we walked their grounds again and talked. Then sat on another terrace, still overlooking the Luberon, and drank lemonade.

Then we had to leave. What I had thought would be perhaps a one- or possibly two-hour lunch stretched into almost 4 hours. We loved it. Muriel and Serge were obviously not a middle-class couple supplementing their income. Maybe they just enjoy meeting new people, their renters. Maybe not all their renters are similarly blessed to be invited into their home. All I know is that WE were blessed. I'll never forget it.

Sam

We were in London for 2 weeks in July and took a day trip via bus to Oxford. As a C. S. Lewis fan, I planned for us to visit the church where he attended for years and is buried. While we were there taking pictures in the graveyard, a couple arrived and unlocked the church and invited us in. "From across the pond, are you?" began our conversation with this charming couple who were there to clean their church. And the gentleman had been christened, confirmed, and married in the church--and remembered seeing Mr. Lewis sitting in "his" pew! To meet someone who had lived "with" one of my favorite autors was an absolute highlight, plus the couple were just charmingly gracious in their sharing about their lives and their church. (And the same day I met someone who had "rooms" next door to JRR Tolkein! I was sorta in literary history heaven!) The whole Oxford day, except for crowds at lunch, was definitely just about my favorite day of this full-of-favorite-moments trip.

toncasmo--
That is exactly how I felt in Paris!
I had goosebumps for the duration of my stay. Everything was new and magical. My first Laduree macaroon (chocolate!), my expedition into the gourmet food section at Galeries Lafayette (wanted to live there), crossing the Pont Neuf for the first time, standing right in the center of the Ile de la Cite...
Isn't it wonderful to feel that way over something?

Mine is not a warm and fuzzy moment. but a cold and chilling one. Last July on a tour of Germany, we stopped at the fraying rally grounds outside of Nuremburg where Hitler gave his most hateful speeches luring the German people into justifying what would be the Holocaust and WWII. The cement stadium steps and podium from which the Fuehrer spoke remain, without the props of flags, music, and torches of his Nazi nighttime extravaganzas. We all had a chance to stand where his podium once stood and gaze out at the decaying rally grounds that were never finished.

As one who has read widely in WWII and European history, it was an exhilarating moment. We also saw the hotel where Hitler stayed and the building where the trials were held after the war. But enough of history. We then proceeded to Munich and the quintessential tourist experience – a beer at the Haufbrauhaus.

Crossing the Grand Canal in Venice - standing up in a traghetto!

A romantic dinner in our apartment in Montepulciano - a steak that my husband cooked on the grill on our balcony, a bottle of the local wine, Italian music playing, the fireplace roaring. What a night!

Seeing the fun my hubby had driving the Fiat Panda on the country roads in Tuscany!

Can't pick just one. For Paris:

"Discovering" Chaim Soutine at the Musee de l'Orangerie.

Paris Opera Ballet doing Mats Ek's La Maison de Bernarda.

Spending a Saturday afternoon and getting to see an Arabic wedding in St Denis.

London:

English National Opera doing Handel's Partenope, especially Christine Rice singing Arsace.

Seeing one of Pieter Bruegel the Elder's Massacre of the Innocents.

Spending lots of time outdoors in the sunshine in places like Islington, the City, St James Park, Lincoln's Fields, and Highgate Cemetery. I think I actually came home with a bit of a tan. Who'da thunk it?

Showing my husband Paris for the firist time. He was formerly nuetral to anti-French but during our trip he fell in love with Paris & Parisians.

Some highlights were:

Our boat ride on the Seine

His first sight of the Louvre (we came out of the Metro & he points at a building on the square that has Louvre des Antiquaires on the facade, & says,"There is the Louvre". I looked at him pityingly & said,"No, Honey, that's not the Louvre"

The first sight of the Eiffle Tower from Palais Chaillot

Kissing my Husband at the top of the Eiffle Tower

Like Venezuela - our first Lauderee macaroon

Mine was also not a pleasant one but unforgettable all the same. We were staying in Santander ( Spain) and decided to take a day trip to pretty Santillana Del Mar.
There, we fund the Museum of Torture - a horrific and fascinating exhibit .
The display was large, well organized with detailed explanation of different instruments, their implementation, and description of suffering caused to the victims.
It was one of those times when you are repulsed by what you looking at but cannot turn away.
On a lighter and more enjoyable note, we loved sitting at the counter at Cal Pep on our last day in Barcelona, being treated like friends ( they actually shake hands with you) not to mention having a great meal.

My husband, two daughters and I were driving around Scotland. We had spent the night at the scenic and atmospheric Clachaig Inn at Glen Coe and we were heading for the ferry from Kennacraig to Islay, which would leave in the evening.

Our route took us through Kilmartin Glen, a valley filled with prehistoric remains. We stopped to explore some standing stones in the middle of a field filled with sheep. It was tricky walking around the sheep droppings, and when the light rain intensified, the other three members of the party returned to the car. But I held my camera under my raincoat and kept walking through the gate and across another field, following signs for the Temple Wood stone circles.

The rain let up and I was rewarded by coming upon the stone circles, consisting of two large circles near each other, one of which contained a smaller circle within it and a burial cist. Evidence within the circles shows two thousand years of use by people of very different times, for very different purposes.

Getting a back rub by the lift operator as we were going up the tower on St. Marco's square.

Getting kissed by the restaurant owner after a lovely lunch in Venice.

staring at the glaciers in the Eismeer station on the way upt to Jungfrau. once we reached the top of Jungfrau, i kept pondering on the thought that i am on top of the world in switzerland, the place is so beautiful.

staying at a b & b in rothenburg, the house of the dreaded and powerful former mayor toppler, gasthof griefen, i am actually under the same roof where he used to live.

I was at the Ethnographic Museum In Riga in September.
http://www.ltg.lv/english/brivdabas.muzejs
whilst wandering around all the lovely houses and churches we saw several school groups.We stopped at a little cafe place for a coffee and a snack and a group of the kids heard us talking and approach my friend and i and asked if they could pratice their English with us.They were a delightful group of kids (Most about 12 years old)and we spent a delightful 20 minutes or so chatting about where we were from and why we were visiting their country.
Their command of English was outstanding,a couple of lads wanted to know Scottish swear words ,but we kept them secret.
a delightful time was had.

Starting our weekend in Berlin at Solar bar (Stresemannstraße 76, 10963 Kreuzberg) the other weekend.

A red-illuminated glass lift on the outside of the building takes you up to the 17th floor, where the glamorous (but not pricey) bar restaurant is set on two floors with a huge outlook right over the city centre.

It was my friend's first time in Berlin and therefore a really nice travel moment. The city-night-views made a lovely start to a fabulous weekend.

One travel moment that made me laugh:
Me and Mrs Muck went to Madeira for a week, we knew it was a lovely place where many retired people love to go too.

We are both mid 40's and weren't phased by that at all.

But were surprised at Madeira airport when the staff came to pre load all the elderly and disabled people travelling with wheelchairs.

We discovered that there were only about 12 people walking, the rest were in a queue to be 'pre boarded'.

The sight of that huge queue of wheelchairs and their pushers still raises a chuckle.

:-)

Muck

Sitting in a beer garden in Munich on the last night of our Germany trip. My husband and I took my younger brother with us (24) and he absolutely loved Germany. Sitting outside, eating delicious food, drinking our beers and reflecting on our trip made for the perfect finale.

Tracy

Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia the morning after a snowstorm. We had the place to ourselves - I've never seen anything so spectacular and serene. Our 4+ hours spent at Buza Bar on a late afternoon in Dubrovnik is a close second.

It would have been a first visit to Ireland, but filial obligations took me to Florida instead, and that turned out to be the right choice.

This is a nice thread.

Mine is pulling the trigger on tickets for next year. :)

When my wife was impressed after I had about an hour conversation with an older German gentleman who didn't speak any English.

When my wife was impressed that I drove through cities and towns in Italy without getting a scratch in our leased car.

When my daughter, who speaks no Italian, somehow communicated to three older ladies, who spoke no English, that it was her birthday and they gave her birthday presents.

When my teenage son was told not to lean on the 500 year old walls in Wurtzburg by the pretty German tour guide and he understood what she was telling him (and actually stopped leaning on the walls).

Learning that kids can thrive living on only pizza and gellato.

I guess I should add my own. The most peaceful moments were (1) sitting on the rooftop balcony at our hotel in St. Goar Germany, looking at Reinfels Castle and the Rhine, and (2) riding the chairlift up a mountain to begin a hike in Mittenwald.

BUT, there are moments in every family vacation that we'll laugh about forever. Here is our most memorable moment, as described in my trip report:

"Our next destination was an "up close" view of the Lorilei. We followed the twisty, narrow road, guided by the signs up to the top, not wanting to go to the visitor's center, but just to admire the view. When we arrived, there were police everywhere and it seemed to be quite busy. An officer directed us to a rather distant lot...well, we thought, it IS a Saturday. We turned down a narrow lane, with cars heavy in front and behind us. Then we we able to see THOUSANDS of cars, parked all around in fields, with no way to turn around. (The surprise.) When we arrived in the lot/field, we told the guy we had made a terrible mistake and were obviously in the wrong place. He said this was an open air Jack Johnson concert, but laughingly told us to drive over and park by the 3 other cars "that have the same problem as you." All of us were laughing so hard-including the other lost souls in the other three cars. After a while the guy gave directions to one driver and told the rest of us to follow him and we made our way though fields and finally to the road down the mountain."

Of course, now that the kids and I know who Jack Johnson is, we wish we'd stayed!

Exploring the scenic Kastro area and climbing up to the old, abandoned upper part of town in Monemvasia, off the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece.

You can read about it (and see pix) here: http://www.onelittleworld.com/greece_7.html

We took our adult children to London in March. We arrived in the city and had to kill some time before we could get into our flat. Decided to walk towards Buckingham Palace. We were rewarded with the "Changing of the Guard" parade. When I saw the looks of wonder on my dear children's faces, I started to cry...my children finally got to see my wonderful London!

Celebrating my birthday in April in Rome with 3 American pals, a German pal, and an Italian friend. The non-Italians were treated to a kind of overview tour of the city, going to the Forum, the Trevi Fountain, and various churches, so there were lovely "photo ops" for the group. The dinner that evening with all of us was absolutely jubilant, especially so in light of my 2007 illness.

BC

Going to the Hofbrauhaus in Munich with a bunch of people we met in our hostel.
We found a huge tabel to fit all 10 of us and sat and drank beer and had pretzels.

How cool is it that 2 girls from Ohio met 4 guys from Pittsburg, PA, a girl from Iowa, and 3 guys from NYC and we all had a great time getting to know each other for that one night in Munich.

Before departing for our hostel we all joined each other in singing Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. Those poor Germans....probably thought we were crazy!

Baking speculoos in Belgium in the chateau d'Harze. My friend Karen and I attended a morning workshop with 6 other persons in the mill of this beautiful castle, under the supervision of a pastry chef. We had a lot of fun, even though cooking is not really our cup of tea! We were not on a cooking tour but our tour leader from French Escapade had put up that workshop on the itinerary and I am really grateful she did. It was not too hard or too long; while the cookies were baking we had a tour of the nearby Bread museum. This workshop was really a highlight for me because I never thought I would do that when I signed up for this tour. I highly recommend visiting Belgium because it is not popular but it is a great country to discover!

I think mr_go already captured one of my favorite moments...trudging through the waist-high spring flowers atop Monemvasia, practically alone, and contemplating how this was once a thriving city of tens of thousands of people.

Others:

Visiting a restaurant in Aeropolis on the evening of Greek Independence Day and being practically the only guests (and only tourists). There was no menu; we were invited into the kitchen, where we saw what was cooking and pointed out our dinners (little English spoken here). And it was good!

Sitting at the bar outside Pension La Calcina on the Zattere near sundown, sipping wine, and watching the endless and varied water traffic on the Giudecca Canal.

Watching my nephews experience the wonders of Italy for the first time--their first trip out of the US.

Gazing down on the Tuscan landscape from atop one of the towers in San Gimignano.

Throwing open the windows in our rented villa outside Montaione and seeing the rolling hills in early morning light.

Standing with a big crowd of Romans clustered around a TV positioned outside of a restaurant on Via del Governo Vecchio--silent and following every move in the big game against Spain (Euro 2008). From our nearby apartment, we later heard their cheers and groans during the penalty kicks.

Okay, now make me stop....

Being cuddled by a Polizia in Florence.

The green grass and orange poppies of Palatine Hill.

Buzzed from wine and jet-lag, gazing at the Pantheon at sunset, and knowing I will visit Rome (with my Hubby next time) for as long I live...

Had to jump in here. First trip to Switzerland in May, 2nd time in Europe. Stayed with friend in Geneva. Nice city, next day took a train to Montruex. Got off train, spoke no French whatsoever, asked someone to give me directions to the "lake". Walked down very, very steep stairs, walked across the street and stood there with my mouth open. The most beautiful glorious lake with the alps in the background on a beautiful sunny day. It took my breath away. Took the cog wheel to Roche de Naye, got off train, went out of station, again, took my breath away with the views. Will never forget it.

Sitting in the courtyard of the Louvre on a late April evening, watching people. The weather was perfect, and everyone seemed so glad to just be outside.

Bookmark, because we didn't make it to Europe this year, but love hearing the wonderful moments others had.

:-)