Magic Moments
 

What are some of the magical moments you have had while traveling?

I walked into a typical Florentine restaurant and was seated next to a very handsome guy from California. We started to talk, finished dinner, went out for drinks after dinner and are still in touch! I live in NYC and he in LA, but it's nice to have had that experience. I'm sure it won't be repeated.

for me, most minutes are magical for me while I'm traveling, I'm such a sap about traveling. The occasional troubles or inconveniences are quickly forgotten.<BR><BR>Here are just a few of my extra special moments<BR><BR>first arrival in Venice, stepping out of the train station and finding the view literally breathtaking<BR><BR>Musee Marmottan in Paris<BR>walking into that lower level gallery of Monet's masterpieces and finding myself grinning from ear to ear, with pleasure<BR><BR>seeing Michelangelo's &quot;David&quot; in Florence. I went back twice more before leaving Florence.<BR><BR>Monet's gardens and lily pond at Giverny one June, early in the morning, before the tour buses arrived<BR>Stepping onto that footbridge, which I remember now every time I see one of the paintings<BR><BR>

My wife and I were driving through Scotland and happened upon some local guys working their sheep dogs to work the sheep through the various gates and into the fence. They were getting ready for competition. We just sat in the field with them and watched the fun they had and how smart the dogs were. Great thing that you cannot plan for.<BR><BR>The first time we drove into the Alps and saw those mountains. We grew up in flat country and that first sight still stays with us today.<BR><BR>Cruising out of Venice on the 4th of July.<BR><BR>Meeting a couple in a restaurant in Rudesheim one night and spending the entire next day traveling the Rhine with them. They then went their way and us ours. It was a great day and we exchanged cards for a few years at Christmas.<BR><BR>Opening ceremonies at Nuremburg Christmas Market. We just made it as the lights went out.<BR><BR>Terra Cotta warriors in Xian. Still hard to believe.<BR><BR>Too many more to go. Gotta go travel and make some more.

A few of my magical travel moments would include:<BR><BR> - my first view of Venice, Italy as the boat turned into the corner<BR><BR> - looking out my hotel window and seeing snow fall with Edinburgh Castle as the backdrop<BR><BR> - finishing my hike along an unrestored section of the Great Wall and coming across a farmer with a donkey pulling an old cart in a small village in China. He didn't speak any English (I doubt he had ever seen an American) but offered me some fresh fruit and a cold Chinese beer. (I agree with Bob that the Terra Cotta Warriors are also an amazing site!)

ttt

So many, so many....<BR><BR>The birch trees seen through the train window from Moscow to St. Pete...<BR><BR>Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives at sunset on Tishah b'Av...<BR><BR>Riding atop the canal boat on the Mekong in Vietnam...<BR><BR>June snowball fight while hiking in the Swiss <BR>Alps...<BR><BR>(I could go on for so long on this one, but I'd better stop; fortunately, it's only 8 days until my next trip!)

-finding my hotel in madrid after wandering around lost at night for 8 hours.. <BR>-Dancing and listaning too cumbia's (colombian music) in a bangkok bar...<BR><BR>-waking up early in Damascas Syria and watching the old town open.. the smells of breads and sites of truck loads of persian rugs being unloaded..

The first time I ever walked into St. Peter's Basilica -- the vastness and grandeur and Bernini's 66ft high baldacchino were awesome. What a place!<BR>

The most magical? My husband proposing to me on bended knee while cruising down the Nile under a full moon. Hard to beat.<BR><BR>But, the most magical for both of us? Our first sight of the Taj Mahal - brought us both to tears.<BR>

Kissing my wife on the pont neuf!

<BR>Similar to Doug<BR>Kissing my SO under the eiffel tower.on the champs,on pont neuf and every other major attraction.<BR>It is Paris after all!!!!

Glad to see romantics still abound! <BR><BR>Favorites: Predawn walk with husband along the Seine (thank you jet lag)<BR><BR>Sunset on Mont St. Michel.

<BR><BR>Christmas Eve in the Armory Room of the Kremlin, 5 string group, playing Silent Night with the folks on our right singing in German, in front singing in Celtic, on our left in French, and behind us in Russian. With my bride of one month! . . WOW!<BR><BR>Rich

A group of workers on their dinner break in Cavan Ireland. There was traditional music on and one began to play the spooons, then soon several of them were step dancing whilst in their seats. Just the one song, the spirit moved them.

To be a little more prosaic...on every vacation, my most magical moment is at the very beginning...when I'm waiting to board the plane, or pull up to the (first) hotel...wake up the first morning...you get the idea. I'm on vacation already, yet still have my whole vacation ahead of me! It's the one moment on a vacation that I can enjoy the luxury of time...after that, the vacation gets shorter and time gets more and more precious. So I savor those first few moments, wherever I might be.

When we were in Rome last week, we went to a concert at San Nicola in Carcere. A chorus of ten women sang Christmas songs a capella. When the lead singer, a contralto, sang the beautiful Welsh lullaby Suo Gan, there were tears in the audiences' eyes. It was so lovely. Then after the program, she sang it again for an encore. There was a standing ovation for her.

Standing next to the Thames in Windsor, looking up to see Concorde flying over Windsor Castle. What a contrast! Also attending evensong in the castle and while idly looking about, realized we were seated just above the in-floor grave of Henry VIII. I could hardly breathe.

Another vote here for climbing the Great Wall of China. It was always a dream of mine and it finally came true earlier this year. Awe-inspiring views of China. The history that went with it just was the icing on the cake.

So many come to mind...<BR><BR>Sitting in the sun in Plaza de Espana in Sevilla while a group of musicians were playing &quot;Yesterday&quot; and a woman nearby started singing along in Spanish...<BR><BR>The Taj Mahal by a full moon...<BR><BR>Giverny with the wisteria going wild...<BR><BR>Becoming friends with a samloy driver in Penang, Malaysia...<BR><BR>Being blessed by a woman who appeared out of nowhere while crossing the border between India and Nepal...<BR><BR>The Alhambra...<BR><BR>Getting lost while looking for Grasse but ening up in the village of Gourdon... <BR><BR>Being &quot;rained in&quot; in the Chagall museum...<BR><BR>Walking through the ancient streets of Safed...<BR><BR>The first impressions of Paris and Venice...<BR><BR>What's amazing to me is how so many of these memories seem like just yesterday even though my mind is jumping around through years and years. Travel is really rather magical, isn't it?