<BR>Had driven from Provence to Florence with no hotel reservations anywhere. Decided to go to Fiesole instead figuring it would be easier to find a hotel. Found a room at the hotel (Aurora, I think) around 9:00pm. I awoke the next morning at about 6:45 and opened the balcony doors. Below me was the city of Florence lightly coated in a morning fog, except for a beam of sunlight splashing down on the huge red Duomo. It was a truly surreal experience.

as soon as you asked, I knew the moment. although we've had some great travel moments, 20 years ago we were in Australia and had taken a boat to the Barrier Reef...we were out about 2 hrs. and stopped on a quay so we could snorkel. Never will I forget the fish, the colours of them as we snorkeled. I couldn't believe I was there in the first place and that I was seeing colours I never knew existed. a magic moment.

Standing on a bridge on a remarkably clear, sunny day in April, overlooking a park in Paris, watching old men play bocci ball and seeing the daffodils begin to bloom. The clouds were literally rolling above in the sunshine - it was beautiful! Whenever I see clouds rolling - I think of that little bridge

couple of my memories:<BR>Spain:<BR>-late night in medieval spanish town in Costa Brava, watching baby bats flying fast in the night;<BR>-Sitting in the balcony overlooking La Rambla that NEVER sleeps..<BR><BR>I am looking forward my next Italian adventure and hope to experience those magical Tuscany dawns..<BR>

1. Leaving Paris on the night train and waking up outside Vienna to the glowing, warm early morning sun, the onion domed churches, and bales of hay stacked up in the fields.<BR>2. Tasting fois gras for the first time and the sensation of the tiny slivers vaporizing as they were placed on my warm tongue.<BR>3. The sight of Monet’s enormous panels of waterlillies and having them all to myself in the Orangerie Museum.<BR>

Here's a few:<BR><BR>-Crossing back and forth twice over the Charles Bridge in Prague at 2:00 a.m. because I could not get over the simply breathtaking views from both banks. <BR><BR>-Sitting in the Piazza Navona in Rome with close friends from grad school and students and from many other countries sharing wine and stories.<BR><BR>- Hiking Cinque Terre in early April with an old friend. When we got to the end we just sat in a small cafe enjoying the mid-day spring sun on our faces for about three hours.<BR><BR>- Getting up at some ridiculous hour to get a good spot in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls. The city never went to sleep the whole week we were there.

Opening the shutters of the Parador at the Alhambra on my birthday and seeing roses the size of grapefruit, and the ancient wonder of the Alhambra. Sitting at a crossroads alone in rural China, watching the Water buffalo patiently working, and being greeted by a friendly farmer with the universal 'hand wave', eating a souffle 8 inches high in a little cafe in Austria, and many more.

1) Floating in the crystal clear sea off a perfect beach in front of a small family-run hotel in Negril, Jamaica and saying to my husband bobbing next to me: &quot;I've got at least another week of leave...let's just call in and tell my boss we're staying another week&quot;<BR><BR>2) Sitting at the open floor-to-ceiling window looking over the Grand Canal with a glass of Chianti Classico in my hand and raising it in a toast to couple who waved to me from a packed Vaporetto #1 as the sun set in Venice

Coming out of the train station in Venice and seeing the Grand Canal for the very first time. Rounding a corner and coming upon Piazza San Marco for the first time.<BR><BR>Taking a turkish bath at the Paris Mosque Hammans and emerging into twilight with a light rain falling Walking along the river and crossing into the Marais.<BR><BR>Emerging from a small hut on the Island of Kauai having just had a lomi lomi massage for one hour..massaged by two people simultaneously!

Thank you, thank you, thank you all for sharing. Each one is a tiny mental vacation, and a reminder of how many more places I want to see and experience.<BR>(And, Patrick, I love that about feeling like you're in a travelogue. That's just the idea about moments like these, I think; the ones that make up for being on the plane for all those hours and for blisters on your feet from walking and for freezing or melting instead of being in your climate controlled home or office...Actually, there's a lot more that more than makes up for these, but I have to keep myself positive here, and my next trip is a long way away!)<BR>

Hmmm... many of them...<BR><BR>Watching the sun set at 11pm on the Isle of Skye, bands of peach and purple over the islands in the sea...<BR><BR>Seeing the Scottish side of the land from Hadrian's Wall, knowing that Romans sat watch here 1600 years ago...<BR><BR>Canoeing through the Everglades in a native-built canoe, seeing Alligators sunning themselves on rocks, grunting as we pass by, and then leaping up to catch the heron trying to sneak past...<BR><BR>And the best travel moment...<BR><BR>Getting off an airplane safely!!!!!<BR><BR>

Seeing beautiful Portofino from the water as our ship approached the harbor.<BR><BR>Waking up on our first day in Spain, looking out at the scenery at the balcony and seeing the Mediterranean Sea and the coast of Africa on the horizon.<BR><BR>Watching my husband stand on the bow of our houseboat as we meandered our way through the thickest fog ever on the River Thames. <BR><BR>

Sitting by the window in the dining room at Chateau Lake Louise in August while a huge snowstorm was going on outside.<BR>Walking on top of Hadrian's Wall.<BR>First view of Eiffel Tower.<BR>Hearing a clock chime in London, looking up and realizing, oh my goodness, that's Big Ben.

Watching the sun go down over mont Ventoux from a terrace at Crillon Le brave in provence.

Driving on a road in the French Alps at dusk and hearing a strange noise. Stopping to find many cows with bells in a meadow below the road. Eating shortly after at a great fondue place in the middle of nowhere.<BR><BR>Clearing the last security guard and settling into a British Airways seat leaving Moscow after a somewhat trying trip to the then Soviet Union (circa 1987).

Mine is a food recollection--my first really spectacular european meal. I call it the time I came to gustatory awareness. My husband and I were in our early 30's and on our first european trip. We had started in Vienna, moved on to Salzburg and then to Innsbruck. We had dinner at the Hotel Tyrol, an elegant old Grande Dame of a place. We ordered the Chateaubriand for two. The tuxedoed waiter brought the meat on an enormous silver tray surrounded by a variety of colorful little veggie concoctions like baby carrots glazed in brown sugar and green beans cooked whole and wrapped in chives with bacon specks and lots more. I was overwhelmed both by the look and then the taste of the elegant meal. I instantly took a heightened interest in all food, watching every dish being brought out from the kitchen and even the dirty dishes being returned. I was hooked. I began reading food magazines, cooking not just to eat but to capture some of the magic of that moment, searching out great restaurants and great chefs, trading stories with others interested in eating really well, visiting Michelin 3 star restaurants, planning travel around not just to include great food experiences. This one experience made me what I am today, a portly but very happy and satisfied searcher after the best meal just around the next corner on the next trip. Bon Appetit!

The awesome view from the terrace of the Stalheim Hotel in Norway. We were standing on top of a German bunker from World War II looking down a river valley with clouds swirling about below us, a lush green in the valley divided by the silvery river and on both sides massive stone mountains jewelled with waterfalls and snow. Check this website:<BR>http://www.norgereiser.nl/start.htm?zomer/zoacc00105.html<BR><BR>The impact of walking into a gallery of the Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen and discovering they had one of the three complete series of Degas' bronzes.<BR><BR>

Small village in the French Alps named Ste. Andre where NOBODY spoke english. I loved every minute of hearing myself struggle with French and having the locals understand me.<BR><BR>Another tiny village in the alps,Gillette,watching the locals play bocci ball with the sun setting.

Walking into the coordinated garden &quot;rooms&quot; at Sissinghurst Castle Gardens.<BR>Snorkeling with sea turtles in Hanauma Bay, Hawaii.<BR>Snorkeling in Guam.<BR>First glimpse of the turquise water near St Ives, Cornwall.<BR>Walking through quaint villages in the English countryside, admiring the cottages and gardens, stepping aside while a farmer herds his cows down the road, and a milk delivery truck drives by.<BR>Seeing the peak of Mt Rainier over the clouds from the plane.<BR>Seeing the Roman acquaducts in Spain.<BR>Sitting in the backyard garden of a B&amp;B, stroking the owner's cats.<BR>An impromptu tour of London from an elderly Englishwoman I met on a tour.

John, someone mentioned to me that St. Andre was the highest village in France. True? And can you tell us more about it. I may be in that area in September.