View from St. Paul, after climbing all of those steps...even with a migraine it was spectacular and well worth the agony. <BR> <BR>American Cemetery in Cambridge England - Kind caretaker gently rubbed sand (from Normandy) into the the engraving so that my grandmother could take a photo of her brother's grave (sand made the letters show up in photo). <BR> <BR>Venice. <BR> <BR>

I love nature..., but I never thought a picture perfect image of the Matterhorn would stay with me for as long as it has..., been almost 10 years since that first time I saw it on a clear day in July. I can't wait to go home and look at the picture I took!

What a great (upbeat) thread, Sylvia. Thanks for starting it and to all of the interesting contributions (my travel "wish" list continues to grow). <BR> <BR>I have high expectations and every place that I've traveled has still blown me away. So, narrowing it down is difficult ... Munich really surprised me, Venice and Paris were even better than I ever imagined, Salzburg is a favorite, but a real expectation-exceeder for me this year was how much I liked Slovenia. Both Lake Bled and Piran were great, the people were very kind, and the food was terrific. Oh, and the first time to Europe, flying over the Alps with the sun coming up ... I never dreamed that there was simply a "sea" of Alps. It was incredible. Also, both the people and the variety of France's culture and landscape far exceeded what I ever imagined. I can't wait to go back to France (2003?). Lastly, both the beer and chocolate in Belgium were even better than what I had heard! I could use a bit of both today.

No matter how hyped they are... <BR>No matter how jaded you are... <BR>No matter what the weather or time of day... <BR>No matter how much research you've done... <BR>No matter how much advice you've received... <BR>And no matter how high your expectations... <BR>There is nothing in this world that can prepare you for seeing Paris and Venice for the first time. Nothing.

I friendliness of most Paris residents. I had expected the worst given their reputation. <BR> <BR>This may not be a compliment, but, I found them no worse than my fellow New Yorkers. My view is that Parisians (and New Yorkers) tend to get a bad rap from tourists who are not use to city life and environments, in general. <BR> <BR>City dwellers are probably less likely to have the immediate air of (fake?)friendliness that you can see in most parts of the U.S. That may be taken as unfriendliness by people who are more than happy to tell their life story to a stranger on the line at DMV.

Everyone on the other thread was disappointed in the Anne Frank House. I had no expectations but I was overcome with emotion and cried the whole way through. Being taught that story in religious school, having read her story as a young girl, and then walking through the rooms where she and her family lived, seeing the photos she had taped to the walls, seeing the pencil marks where they marked the girls' growth, moved me. <BR> <BR>It was not crowded the day we were there. I am almost certain we were the only Jews because everyone filed through, impassive, almost bored looks on their faces, and I was surprised at how they didn't seem to be affected by the whole thing.

1. Edinburgh--everything about it. I wasn't enthusiastic about going there the first time and absolutely fell in love with the castle, the people, the sooty, brownish Edinburgh stone used on the buildings... <BR>2. The Egyptian area of the British Museum. I didn't really expect the mummies to be so "real" (you know what I mean) <BR>3. The view from the Eiffel Tower at night. <BR>4. All of Italy--the pastel stucco, the shuttered windows, the laundry hanging from building to building, strollers in the evening in Rome, hering water from the fountains, seeing beautiful young couples touching unselfconsciencously, the food, the food, the food... <BR>Thanks for the memories!

traveling ( I was so scared at first) <BR>Paris <BR>food in Paris <BR>Venice <BR>"David" <BR>Giverny <BR>Musee Marmottan <BR>Musee d'Orsay <BR>Paris <BR>Venice

Dana, I guess I didn't see any of those comments in the other thread. I'm not Jewish, but I found that to be a very moving and emotional experience too. It's hard to imagine what it must have been like to hide in terror from people who would quite willingly send you to your death in a concentration camp.

Northern Wales

As far as a place that surpassed my expectations, there are two that came to mind: Tallinn (Estonia) and Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic). <BR> <BR>Tallinn is a beautiful medieval city that is very tourist friendly--low prices, many English speakers, good sights, varied architecture and deep history. I hope that St Petersburg can evolve its tourist industry to this point. <BR> <BR>Karlovy Vary is the old Sudeten German resort of Carlsbad. It has stunning architecture and wonderful spas.

The Old City of Jerusalem. I'd been in big middle eastern cities before but nothing prepared me for this place. Oh, the humanity. <BR> <BR>The Grand Canyon. I'd flown over it umpteen times but never set foot on the rim until I was well past 40. Wonder of the world, and no mistake. <BR> <BR>The Scottish Highlands and Islands. From Glen Lyon in the autumn to Uig in a storm, wow. <BR> <BR>The US Capitol. Hard not to be moved by the whole scene. Ditto the Vietnam memorial, for different reasons.

<BR>"Peach blossoms" in Van Gogh Museum , Amsterdam,the tenderness and live in the painting made my eyes filled.

Now this is a good thread!!! <BR> <BR>TBH

Nice thread Sylvia. <BR>The Netherlands in the spring. <BR>Venice <BR>Rome (Could never have anticipated it) <BR>Hadrians Villa (I was going to <BR>write Villa Adraini but I can't spell it.) <BR>Bavaria <BR>Neuswanstein (even though I had read the biography of Ludwig II.) <BR>Garmish <BR>Oberammergau <BR>Looking back down from high in the Alps after driving those switchbacks in the night. <BR>Looking down to a valley in the Alps, seeing small villages, pastures etc. <BR>Budapest (the moste beautiful city in Europe.) <BR>The Grand Canyan (you can never be prepared for sunrise or sunset.) <BR>Denmark and Sweded (so clean and the women so beautiful in Sweden.) <BR>The most emotional experiances were standing in a grove of giant Redwoods in Northern California, and my first visit into east Berlin. Oposite emotions I might add. <BR>Cheers, <BR>Art <BR>

1)I'm with Elaine on this: traveling ( I too was scared at first). <BR> <BR>2)Wales <BR> <BR>3)Venice -- The first time I went there it was cold and rainy, I didn't speak any Italian and had a lousy map, I was on a rock-bottom budget and not travel-smart, and I didn't enjoy it at all. Years later, I went back for a few days, thinking it deserved a second chance. Total infatuation. Then I went back for a week, then I went back for a few more days.... <BR> <BR>4)The Giotto frescoes in the Capella Scrovegni in Padova. I'd studied them, I'd read about them, I loved them, and I figured they were bound to disappoint. They didn't. <BR> <BR>5)Too many other places to mention.

SO MANY THINGS TO REMEMBER……. <BR> <BR> <BR>1/ MY FIRST VIEW OF VENICE.. STEPPING OUT OF THE TRAIN STATION AND THERE IT WAS,, ALL I HAD EVER SEENED PICTURED BUT NOW I WAS THERE AND IT WAS TOTALLY UNREAL <BR> <BR>2/ A TINY CEMETERY IN FRANCE ON THE SOMME, DEDICATED TO THE DEVONSHIRE REGIMENT, IN THE MIDDLE OF A FARMER’S FIELD, AND THE MONUMENT <BR>“ THE DEVONS HELD THIS TRENCH..THEY HOLD IT STILL” <BR> <BR>3/ AFTER VIEWING WW1 BATTLEFIELDS AND CEMETERIES ALL DAY , ATTENDING “ LAST CALL AT MENIN GATE” IN YPRES <BR> <BR>4/ ALL OF ROME , WENT FOR 3 DAYS AND NEVER LEFT FOR 3 WEEKS AND STILL FELT WE HAD MISSED SOMETHING IMPORTANT <BR> <BR>5/FLYING INTO NEW YORK JUST AS DARKNESS WAS COMING ON AND WATCHING THE LIGHTS APPEAR ONE BY ONE UNTIL THE WHOLE HORIZON WAS A BRIGHT PATCH IN THE SKY <BR> <BR>6/ THE KINDNESS OF TOTAL STRANGERS IN PARIS, SOME MANY MEMORIES OF WONDERFUL ENCOUNTERS <BR> <BR>7/ THE TOTAL PEACE AND CONTENTMENT I FEEL IN STURMINSTER NEWTON,DORSET,UK. IT’S LIKE COMING HOME <BR> <BR>8/ JOHN SINGER SARGENT’S ’GASSED’ AT IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM , THE TRAGEDY OF A WHOLE GENERATION ON A SINGLE CANVAS <BR> <BR>9/ LONDON, ANY TIME ,ANY YEAR, ANY SEASON . I WILL NEVER TIRE OF IT <BR> <BR>10/HAVING A WONDERFUL TRAVEL COMPANION, EVEN AFTER 40 YEARS TOGETHER, THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW TO DELIGHT US AND WE CAN SHARE <BR>

1. Istanbul -- the Galata Bridge at sunset. <BR>2. Auschwitz-Birkenau -- so much waste. <BR>3. San Francisco -- comin' home. <BR>4. The Statue of Liberty -- comin' home. <BR>5. Wrigley Field -- summertime squared. <BR>6. The American Cemetery at Margraten -- where thousands sleep. <BR>7. The Great Wall -- where millions slaved. <BR>8. Hanoi -- how friendly they were to us, the losers. <BR>9. Milford Sound, NZ -- magnificence unbound. <BR>10. The Wilderness Train -- out of Clarkdale, AZ.

Sylvia, <BR> <BR>What a great thread - so many places I want to see now. Heading for Italy next month, so I'll get to see at least a dozen of them. <BR> <BR>The four places so far are: <BR> <BR>1. Ephesus (truly a sight to see) <BR>2. Ellis Island (makes the US seem so young in comparison, but the place I always want to come home to) <BR>3. Vietnam Memorial in DC (it's much smaller than I thought it would be, but much more overwhelming in thought) <BR>4. Eiffel Tower at night

The Cours Mirabeau in Aix - just gorgeous. Sitting in a cafe and having a meal that was so simple and so delectable - eggplant slices with baked goat cheese on top, topped with fresh basil and a little olive oil.