Natural: the view of Nanga Parbat from the plane out of Gilgit. The mountain's 8,000 m: the plane's cruising altitude is 4,000.

Man-made. Angkor knocks Venice into a cocked hat. Venice beats everywhere else by several miles.

WOW to me was the scenery in Alaska and also the Swiss Alps. Can you tell I like mountains!

Bora Bora.

Many good candidates listed here already.

The only place I have seen yet where the whole group said "wow!" was in the Swiss Alps. We had taken a cable car down from Schilthorn to Murren, so we had the feeling we were at the bottom; when we got in the next cable car and it went over the edge of the cliff, everyone but the operator said "wow".

There's nothing on this earth to compare to the Pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx -I was rendered speechless when I first saw them-the Pyramids are 5-8,000 years old--the word awesome does not in any way encompass their majesty or mystery. You can view them 100 times on the Discovery channel, yet be struck dumb when you see them in person.

By contrast, Angkor Wat left me relatively cold. Angkor Wat was built sometime around the 9-13th century-so in terms of the world's antiquities, they're relatively new-as I've said before, I think the Mayan ruins in Mexico are just as spectacular, if not more so.

Not one I would ever wish on anyone, nor would I wish to repeat it...

the eye of Hurrican Andrew...

OK, back to good WOW's...

Standing on top of the Hill of Tara at sunrise, and feeling the mystical power of the island course through me. Yes, it was an incredible, subtle experience, and it WOWed me (still does!).

Since my travels (so far) have been pretty much limited to the UK and parts of the US, that's it for me... but the Great Wall, Pyramids and Taj Mahal are all on my lifetime list! (so was Stonehenge, but that's done already... not a huge WOW but a small wow)

Well, if you're going to the Great Wall-see our thread on where to pick it up on the Asia board-the Great Wall is anything but "Great" at Badaling....

Iguazu Falls, especially the Devil`s throat. What a lot of rushing water!

So many WOWs! Standing in the Nuns' Quadrangle, looking through the arch to the Governor's Palace in Uxmal, Mexico.

My first look at Waimea Canyon in Hawaii.

The Pont du Gard in France. The Unicorn tapestries at the Cluny in Paris.

Sitting on the terrace of our hotel in Sorrento and seeing Vesuvius across the Bay of Naples for the first time.

The four rivers fountain in Piazza Navona in Rome.

These are a few that come to mind, but isn't it terrific there are so many WOWs in this old world of ours? So many we have seen and so many more to look forward to seeing.

Stonehenge

The Berner Oberland knocked me out.
The Grand Canyon makes an impression as well,
And let's include Paris, without a doubt,
that Louvre is impressive as hell.

My first sight of Venice made my heart skip a beat,
And St. Peter's made me say, "Oh boy!"
But if you really want a superlative treat...
Two words: Batavia, Illinois!

(pardon the shameless boosterism, if not the tortured verse)

Two major 'WOWS' come to mind:

First step onto the Campo in Siena, Italy. I cried. (Thought seriously about adding a vowel to the end of my last name so I could claim to be a part of this unbelievably wonderful, rich and fascinating Italian heritage...)

Sitting on the balcony of the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge (Zimbabwe, Africa) at sunset watching the watering hole as the animals came in. Can't remember the exact order but they all have their 'rank' and pecking order and each group gave way to the next. So seemingly civilized for wild animals! I think it was the baboons first, gave way to the water buffalo, gave way to the elephants. Incredible...

Mr-go, great minds think alike..I was going to say the same...
However, I want to add another Wow to the above list..
I can still remember the first time that I visited the mysterious Orient..It was amazing..

I would have to say, Wieliczka Salt Mine, Poland! Very unusual, one of a kind.

The view from the trail above Vernazza

Climbing to Vernal Falls in Yosemite with the mist in your face

Cape Flattery, the most NW point in the Continental U.S., and not tumbling to our deaths

The Eiffel Tower at night

The Alps from our hotel in Grindelwald

That perfect bottle of Brunello in Montalcino
((H))

The beach at Zandvoort an Zee, Netherlands, on a warm Sunday afternoon would satisfy about half of your criteria.

Westbound on a troop ship -- The Statue of Liberty. I never thought I would see her again.

I have to agree with maitaitom about the "wow" view from the trail above Vernazza.

Also rating "wows" from me: the Grand Canyon, the Cliffs of Moher, St. Peter's Basicila and the view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower.

USNR: Your post brought tears to my eyes - literally. God bless our troops and those who are willing to lay down their lives for our freedom. All these other sites mentioned are awesome but pale in comparison.

Welcome home...and thank you!

Venice during Carneval

I've actually been 'Wow!' a few times. They tend to be related to individual views or moments rather than to entire places. For example, while I loved Turkey, one doesn't go 'Wow!' at Turkey (Wowing for weeks on end?). But one might (and I did) go 'Wow!' as the sun set blood red while I was standing - glass of red wine in hand - on a hill in the Cappadocian desert.
Similarly, first sight of Lake Wakitipu from the Queenstown waterfront in New Zealand; any Bavarian landscape from any high vantage point; dining at dusk on the Naxos waterfront.

The Northern Lights from Sitka alaska. I BIG WOW!

The Pyramids are up there, but just recently I visited Moscow and Red Square,a definate WOW.

TRAVDIS,
I HAD VISITED MANY OF THE SITES MENTIONED HERE,BUT TO ME MY BIGGEST WOW WAS WATCHING HONG KONG BAY AT NIGHT FROM VICTORIA PEAK.

I am inclined towards Europe and this is obviously the Europe forum. However, since you suggested an exotic place anywhere in the world, I immediately wanted to respond.

I was just reading in a recent issue of the 'Robb Report' that the next biggest WOW place in the world is 'The Palm, Jumierah' located in the Arabian Sea, off the coast of Dubai (Arab Emirate). It is a palm-shaped archipelago about 4 miles wide, surrounded by a crescent-shaped protective breakwater; and is accessible by bridge to the mainland. There will be luxury condos, homes, hotels, marinas, clubhouses, and an aquatic-themed resort built there. The amazing thing is that this is being built totally out on the ocean with nothing there prior -- it is set to open in late 2005. It is being touted as the next "big" thing, with comparisons of Dubai being made to the glitzy, showy city of Las Vegas here in the States. There is another hotel there, the Burj Al Arab, which is the world's only 7 star hotel. Amazing proportions and buildings for such a little-known locale!

USNR,
I think the last time folks came home to NY harbor on a troop ship was after War II. My French relatives have almost forgotton, lol.
M

This one hasn't been mentioned yet: the Geiranger Fjord in Norway. Wow.

Also: Michelangelo's David, Sequoia National Park.

New Zealand! I didn't really know what people meant when they talked about breathtaking views till I went there. And that's saying a lot as I lived in Indonesia for two years, and it is alos gorgeous there! But in NZ, almost around every turn, we were going, 'Wow, that's beautiful'!

Another one, also in Egypt but not related to the Pyramids-climbing Mt. Sinai in the middle of the night-

As you climb and hit the rest stations along the way, you look up, the sky is blanketed with stars, you look down, and the lights below at St. Catherine's Monastery--the Greek Orthodox monastery that contains what the Church contends is part of Moses' burning bush, (it's there- for the believers) in addition to priceless religious manuscripts-(a collection that is second only to the Vatican's) -grow smaller and smaller-

You hear the jingle of bells, and shine your flashlight in the direction of the sound-and a camel gives you a dirty look-but so exotic he looks and even a bit regal with the oriental carpet on his back!

You continue to climb-the peacefulness on this mountain, in the Sinai Desert, is hard to describe-it envelops you-shacks manned by the Bedouin offer you water, chocolate, hot tea, a chance to come into their shack and warm your hands over the hot coals...it's very cold in the desert at night.

Then near dawn, you start counting the 3750 Steps of Repentence-many pilgrims from all over the world speaking many different languages, are doing the same-with the cacaphony of languages, it sounds a bit like everyone is together in the Tower of Babel-and then, sunrise over Mt. Sinai-various religious groups at the summit, an Israeli group singing songs in Hebrew, a Christian group from Nigeria, and the lovely voice of the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer. As the dawn breaks over the mountains. turning them from purple to pink to yellow to gold, you think somewhat corny things, like, this is what is meant by the fellowship of mankind. Although I can't really claim such an experience was life-altering, it was definitely a huge WOW.

Mikemo: your French relatives SHOULD remember. If they take the trouble, they can visit such places as the U. S. cemeteries above Omaha Beach or others in eastern France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Thousands and thousands and thousands of white marble crosses and stars of David -- reminders of young live lost and a debt that your relatives can never repay.

Perhaps because I'm from flat land and not generally a hiker, I second the hike to Vernal Falls in Yosemite N.P. Add the hike to Iceberg Lake in Glacier N.P.

In Europe, the village of Oia on the northern tip of Santorini overlooking the caldera.

The Library of Celsus in Ephesus and walking there where Paul walked and taught.

Istanbul.

The Pocomoke River on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

No question about it, PARIS! I think
for any FIRST timer going to Europe or
anyehere really over the top of norm,
Paris for sure will blow your mind. We are going back in May for sure! and I still feel like being there was a dream!

Taj Mahal, Macchu Pichu, trekking near Annapurna in Nepal (sorry -I saw the Pyramids- but it didn't do much for me)

Moorea, Tahiti
A Stunning, Wow!

USNR and others:
You should know if you have been to Normandy, that the FRench keep our cemeteries in their hearts forever, and keep them pristine. I wish that our veterans cemeteries were not left to rot in many cases, mudded over, and I have been on commissions to alleviate that problem, but the news media does not seem to care. Of course the news media continually tries to do a job convincing Americans that the French will insult them...nothing of course could be further from the truth...I think that the french are the most courteous people on earth, absent possibly those from Tibet...amazing just how /Americans return from France and all say the same thing..."ya know, those French were really nice to me".
Too bad that America has so much propaganda going on in the media these days, it used to only be for Vietnam and through the USIA, now it is mainstream, hope we are not going the way of Russia...
Yes, the French have reminders ALL OVER their country re: war, fallen heros, etc. So do the Belgian French. They named squares and streets after Patton and MacArthur and the "Nuts" guy in Bastogne. Heck, even newly married couples in Bastogne throw nuts at their wedding....there was an article recently on here that discussed how several California people visited a village in FRance, and the mayor asked them to town hall and gave them a proclamation thanking them for freeing france from the occupiers in WWII. The Americans were amazed, since they were not born at that time, but still treated as honored guests.
Hmmmmm....do we honor our veterans like that?

I agree definitely with the person who said stepping out of Venice's train statin and seeing the canals and the architecture of the buildings and just this fairy tale gorgeous floating city. Arriving that way is great.

For sure when I trekked alone in the Himalayas, already at 14,000 feet and still there were those unparalleled peaks above me.....

Going to the Taj Mahal super early in the morning when a full moon was still up....

Back country snow-shoeing in Colorado in the winter at 11,000 feet

The first time I drove the Big Sur coastline

The first time I saw Positano and Capri

Seeing Michelangelo's David and getting teary about it

And, I know this is getting quite Italy focused but the first time I wandered around Rome at age 19 was a big WOW for me - love the history!

Grand Canyon. Bryce Canyon and Arches National Park in Utah. The Great Wall and the mountains/hills rising out of the Li River in Guiling, China. The view of Siena, Italy at sunset from the park right outside the city.

USNR, your comments remind me of family members that returned from the Pacific Theater and sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge and into SF Bay. They too never thought they would see "their" bridge again. They talked of tears streaming down their and their shipmates cheeks.

God bless all our veterans. **==

Driving through Death Valley at night in November a few years ago we had to stop the car to get out and look at the stars. We must have been there for about 20 minutes, it was the most amazing experience. Living in London - and the UK in general - you just don't get to see the sky on a clear night without some form of ambient lighting.

Tallulah, I had that experience once also. I tend to love the desert but I will never forget that night. There was even a full moon. Breathtaking!