What took my breath away? <BR> <BR>Getting all psyched up for a dip in the hotel's heated pool (as advertised) after a long day of sightseeing. Reveling in the idea of just diving into the deep-end and being surrounded by the comforting warmth of 76 degree (body temperature) water. Actually walking into the locker room and taking a slightly warm shower to rinse off (as required) and after going up to the edge of the pool and diving in, to discover upon full immersion that it was a bracing 55-60 degrees. <BR>

It's official, I've become addicted to reading these posts, especially ones like this, that speak of people's emotions. <BR> <BR>Germany - I was sitting in a small pub, dark, smoky and with all wood furnishings - I'm talking logs - huge ones. Chatting with barman, I learned it had been a bar for over 500 years. That moved me in a way I never thought possible, talk about history. I was sitting in the same place that someone sat centuries ago - perhaps drinking ale or mead or something. New Englanders like me tend to get comfortable with the fact that we have 'old' buildings and are surrounded by history. But to me, this was just incredible. <BR>Ireland <BR>It was probably just because I was so longing to be there again, flying into Shannon aiport in April brought me to tears. Literally. The lush, indescribable green of everything, the remnants of castles and ancient walls you can see from the air, was simply awe-inspiring. <BR>Switzerland - I was only 15 at the time, but I can still remember the lion monument. The pain depicted on his face was beautiful. I never thought so much emotion could be shown in stone. <BR>Looking at all these posts, I wonder if I'm odd in that it's these particular types of things move me more than the incredible scenary.

Hi, <BR> <BR>well, the first ones which come to mind are: <BR> <BR>Omaha Beach, Dog Green Sector (not far from the cemetery) at 530 AM last Memorial Day weekend. I purposely snuck out of the B&B alone to visit there and walk the beach. Then I motored up the road a little ways to the cemetery and found the gates open - so I had the cemetery to myself too. I stood at the top of the bluff looking out of the vast expanse of the Channel and meditated upon the events of 55 years ago... a very somber yet beautiful moment. The sun was peeping through the clouds and the Channel had a golden hue. That morning will stay with me for quite a while... <BR> <BR>My first visit to Wales, I stayed in Betwys y Coed and got up early to visit Llanberis and take the train to the top of Mount Snowdon & hike down. It was such a beautiful morning, crisp and clear. The higher I climbed, the foggier it got until the sun burnt it all away. I was traveling alone, and it was so beautiful up there I wanted to weep. <BR> <BR>taking a night train from Berlin to Prague (after a 1993 U2 concert in Berlin) and waking up to watch the Czech countryside go by. That is my history - I am Austrio-Hungarian - it was very special to be back in the lands where my great-grandparents hailed from. <BR> <BR>Another night train, this time into the Swiss Alps. Again, waking in time to go through one of the many passes between the mountains (I have no idea which one, now - many years ago) and was just overwhelmed by the quiet beauty of the mountains. <BR> <BR>(you'll see a recurring theme here - my "magic moments" all happen near sunrise.) <BR> <BR>Giverny - I took a whole roll of pictures in barely an hour. and ran out of film. <BR> <BR>ditto Ireland (but I did not run out of film this time). <BR> <BR>I will be going to Italy in September - no doubt there will be many more additions to this post. If I thought on it more right now I am sure I could come up with many others too... <BR> <BR>lovely question! <BR> <BR>Beth

Germany (My first foreign country) <BR>Switzerland (The Alps) <BR>Holland - a country under water <BR>Rome - The history <BR>Athens - The Acropolis <BR> <BR>BUT what has taken my breath away most was here in the good old USA the first time that I found myself standing in the middle of a grove of Giant Redwoods. <BR>That was the most religious and beautiful experiance that I've ever had in my life. <BR>

No particular order here... <BR>Red Square - Moscow <BR>Hill of Crosses - Lithuania <BR> <BR>My first look at the Eiffel Tower <BR>Holocost Memorial in Paris <BR>Mont Saint Michelle <BR> <BR>the Acropolis - Athens <BR> <BR>just to name a few... <BR> <BR>

I have three, I'll try to be brief. <BR> <BR>1) It's been mentioned several times, but the first sight of Venice out of the train station really put a lump in my throat. <BR> <BR>2) Venice again - we have always arrived by train. This February we flew in at sunset. The sun was very low, and a very deep orange, and the mist on the lagoon was purple. Seeing Venice from the air was just like seeing the beautiful etchings of the islands. <BR> <BR>3) My first trip to Paris. We came out of a Periferique (sp??) Tunnel and the first thing I saw was Sacre Coeur. Though it is not my favorite structure now, it was the moment I realized I was really in Paris, so it will always be special.

Great to see this post again. I have two more experiences to talk about: waking up in the bed and breakfast in the Black Forest: green, green, green. <BR> <BR>And then the visit to Chartres: I was with three other ladies who rented the tapes for the self-guided tour. I was so tired, I didn't want to go on the tour, so I walked up front to the choir benches and sat down to listen to the German high school choir practice for their performance. I fell asleep, that half-asleep where you are resting but knowing what is going on, for about 10 minutes, listening to the choir in this perfect cathedral. <BR> <BR> <BR>

I have been looking through these posts and have found only one other person who mentioned the place that took my breath away, so I thought I would agree with her and encourage others to experience it. We were in Holland in May and went to Keukenhof Garden. We arrived just as it opened at 8:00 and for about an hour, we were about the only ones in the place. It was so beautiful with the birds singing, the carillion playing and the sunlight filtering through the trees. The tulips were the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen. I sat on a bench and just wept at the beauty of the place. I would like to go again just to experience the beauty and tranquility .

I find it's different things at different times. Many years ago we visited the Caves of Altimira in Northern Spain and saw the cave paintings there. That to me was breathtaking. They were painted so many thousand years ago and they really seemed to breathe. More recently I was in Toledo, Spain and although I had been there before, it was the first time I visited the Church of St Tome and saw the painting by El Greco of the Burial of the Count of Orgaz. I was amazed at how beautiful it was. The Norwegian fjords at daybreak are breathtaking also.

I hate to do this but after scrolling down 188 responses my hand sorta cramps and I get a little irritable and then get very concrete. For me, it was Altoids (I can't remember if that was one l or 2 lls or 10 or more altoids), but when you talk all day, you need something really strong to take your breath away and I have found that this really helps. I hope you don't mind this contribution and it is not meant to diminish any of the sublime experiences described above, but I just had to tell 'ya.

One month ago today I left on a much <BR>anticipated getaway. I spent 4 days in <BR>Amsterdam and a week in Edinburgh. <BR>A couple of days before leaving I <BR>encountered a severe injury and all I <BR>could think about in the ER was my <BR>trip going down the drain. Bandaged, <BR>slinged and as drugged-up as I was <BR>after release, I was determined to <BR>still go - and I did (although many <BR>thought it ridiculous). It takes more <BR>than that to keep me away from Europe. <BR>Anyway, in Amsterdam I had booked <BR>a luxury (and I mean luxury) suite <BR>in a 17th century canal house overlooking the Herengracht. Sitting <BR>there for those scant few days - <BR>licking my wounds - in that comfy <BR>old chair in front of wide-open <BR>french-door windows that looked over <BR>the parading canal world - healed me. <BR>Well maybe not totally, but it did more <BR>good than any medicine. A totally <BR>unexpected feeling I can only describe <BR>as euphoria swept over me for the duration. The sunlight felt and looked <BR>better than anywhere else. The quality <BR>of the everyday sounds had the same <BR>effect. The old world ambiance of the <BR>city totally enveloped me. I'm so very <BR>glad I went - it's a feeling that I <BR>will never forget. On the flight over <BR>I thought "why am I being punished <BR>like this" but once there it turned <BR>into "what have I done to be so blessed". Incidentally, Edinburgh was <BR>also spectacular but <BR>Amsterdam -- ahh Amsterdam! <BR>(P.S. - in case you think it was a <BR>side-effect of Vicodin or the <BR>coffeeshops, it wasn't!)

1. Florence but not the usual things- sitting in a Pizzeria late one May night overlooking the Piazza between the Duomo and the Uffizi, with all that great architecture and sculpture etched against a velvet black night dky full of stars <BR> <BR>2. Standing on the Cuillin ridge on Skye on a warm sunny September day with the whole panoply of North West Scotland laid out against blue sea and blue sky. 360 degree vision of islands, mountains, beaches, fields and history. <BR> <BR>3.The Commonwealth War Cemetary at Souda in Crete. Ordered rows of small white gravestones most of which are simply labelled "A Soldier (or Sailor; or Airman) of the Second World War" <BR> <BR>4. Chartres Cathedral from a distance.

1. Saint Chappelle, Paris <BR>2. The Parthenon, Athens <BR>3. The Eiffel Tower through a balmy evening fog from The Palais de Chaillot, Paris <BR>4. Canyonlands Nat'l Park, Utah <BR>5. Yosemite Falls, Yosemite Valley at night <BR>6. The Caldera & Fira, Santorini, Greece at night from the northern edge of the town. <BR>7. Paris from the south tower of Notre Dame. <BR> <BR>8. The Holocost Memorial on the Isle de la Cité, Paris. <BR>9. The Jefferson Memorial, Wash. DC late at night after a rain. <BR>10. The Vietname War Memorial Wall <BR>11. The Cathedral in Seville, Spain. <BR>

What took my breath away was a unique travel experience that happened in Spain two years ago. I am a Spainophile, having lived there for two years and always eager to go back. I speak Spanish fluently and my wife is Dominican. On a train riding back to Madrid from Toledo, we decided to listen to Spanish radio on a walkman, and we heard some incredible music. The singers were promoting an upcoming benefit concert in Madrid for a night we could be there. So in Madrid we bought tickets, and on that Friday we made it back from Sevilla on an Ave just a few hours before the concert. We went quickly to our hotel, dropped our things, and rushed out to the small but picturesque theatre. Our seats turned out to be in the second row of a sold-out hall and the concert featured about eight young Spanish singer-songwriters. Just about every one was incredible. One of them turned out to be someone I saw singing by the pond in the park El Retiro on a spring day three years before. This experience took my breath away, and the discovery of so much great music enriches our lives to this day. To think that we discovered all this thanks to a chance radio encounter on the train from Toledo.

That would have to be the first time I took a boat ride in Venice, where the water was soooo beautiful, I felt like I was in a masterpiece painting. Perhaps everything in Venice was beautiful, the San Marco, the little streets, the food, the people, and even the pigeons.

I've got 3 faves: <BR> <BR>1- The Duomo of Florence...for its kickass dome, and just the space and peace <BR>2- Notre Dame de Paris...for the tower and the spectacular view, and the beautiful rose windows. <BR>3- St. Mark's square in Venice by night...for the lively atmosphere and the music

I would say my first trip to Europe this past summer, at the end, my last day of it, in Barcelona...walking through the Barrio Gotic and stumbling across a back portal of the Cathedral. Being a HUGE fan of Gothic architecture for many years(cathedrals especially), I was in heaven! Four rolls of film later, I realized the door was opened, I could walk in! As I strolled through the courtyard I noticed another door, so I pulled on the handle...and I was IN the Cathedral. It had never entered my mind that I could just walk in! All the years I spent looking at books(and online) at the beautiful stained glass, the centuries old gold guilded carvings, the vaulted ceilings, right before my eyes. Tears came to my eyes, I have never been so awed in my life.

In no particular order: <BR>1. The temples of Pagan, Burma. We spent 3 days there and could have stayed a week longer. <BR>2. Swedagon Pagoda, Rangoon, Burma. More beautiful than Wat Phra Khao in Bangkok, and we were the only Westerners visiting. (in 1987) <BR>3. Koh Pi Phi Islands, Thailand, when they were still quiet (1987 again) <BR>4. Petra, Jordan. Wow! Walking out of the canyon and to see this temple.... <BR>5. The road from Srinagar to Leh, Northern India. The most beautiful mountain road in the world. <BR>6. Prague, Old Town Square in 1981. Medieval.. <BR>7. Geiranger Fjord, Norway. <BR>8. Herengracht, Amsterdam on a clear summer morning around 5 AM. <BR>9. San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, view from Marin on a clear, sunny day. <BR>10 Cape Town, Table Mountain, view from the beach at Milnerton.

Interesting to read other replies! For me, it has been the unplanned and unexpected moments. Like opening the window of our hotel in Venice only to hear the sweetest sound of opera coming from S. Maria next door. Or playing with the little children in a small village in central Turkey who were mezmerized by my silver tassel chain. Or scrambling through Geneva using all of our loose change to buy snacks to take on the tour bus before we entered another country (with another currency). Or seeing Paris lit up at night for the very first time. and maybe most of all, coming home.

1/srinagar to sonamarg kashmir <BR>2/gwelin river cruise sth china <BR>3/pisa <BR>4/ st marks venice (inside) <BR>5/ norway norway norway <BR>6/ norway <BR>7/lofoten islands norway <BR>norway is more than awesome , it's gobsmacking. <BR>