Another breathtaking sight was when I visited the Grape Festival in Meran (in the Sud Tyurol in Italy. This was a great and fun German festival mit wurst, beer and umpah bands. Taking a break, I walked out on the river walk. Returning through the beautiful woods, and looking up to the huge mountain height I saw that it was snowing heavily. Here I was in my comfortable shirt watching a small blizzard not 3 miles away! Beautiful.

On a foggy spring morning in Greece last year, setting out by car from Olympia south into a land that time forgot; climbing up into the mountains on a winding, one-lane road with just us and herds of untended goats; looking down into valleys that were once the pinnacle of civilization but which now bear no impression that man has ever set foot upon this land; driving through these mountains for an hour without ever encountering another car, certain we were lost, and then rounding a corner and seeing... the temple of Bessae. <BR> <BR>It still takes my breath away to think about it! <BR>

It not only took my breath away but instilled the "wanderlust" in me. As a young sailor ,20 years of age, standing on the flight deck of the carrier Intrepid at dawn as the coast of Portugal loomed out of the mist. <BR>My first visit to a foreign country, way back in 1958, a sight still etched in my memory. A close second is waking up in Atami, Japan , raising up from my tatami and walking to the balcony to see the surf crashing against the rocks 50 feet below. I've been back to Europe many times but next year will mark my return to Japan.

Wow! You are making me want to revisit places I've been as well as desire to go those places I haven't. Please keep them coming! <BR>BTW I'm NOT wes <BR> <BR>

Just returned fron 3 weeks exploring Italy. The most breathtaking sight was upon entering our hotel room No# 21 of La Tonerrella in Sorrento as the Sliding glass door opened upon the setting sun and the view of Naples, Mt Vesuvius and the Sorrento coast line. <BR>Simply Awesome !

Some breathtaking experiences: <BR>Western Ireland, Western Scotland, San Sebastian and Ronda in Spain, The beaches north of Royan in South western France, the mountains of "Rondane" in Norway (most breathtaking walks I ever have experienced), the view from the mountain of Floeyen in Bergen/Norway (my home city), Sierra Madre in South Western Mexico, The inland of Sri Lanka, Prague, Brugge in Belgia, Amsterdam, Puerto Angel in Mexico, Trinidad and Old Havana in Cuba, Louvre and Versailles in Paris and last but not least: The Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Nils <BR> <BR>

<BR>There's a lovely river valley between Reading and Oxford in England with truly gorgeous walks along the river and in the hills. best place to start is Goring-on-Thames. Wind in the Willows and Three Men in a Boat were based on this area. If you go there, make sure you visit the Fine Food Club shop in the high street which sells nothing but British speciality foods and is a den of temptation!

The highlightgs of my first trip to Europe were both created by Michaelangelo: David at the Accademia in Firenze, and the paintings of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. They were both simply awsome!

I've never been affected like I was when <BR>I first saw the Acropolis in Athens. It literally took my breath away.

After a long overnight flight, and negotiating the train and subway, I stepped off of the Metro in Rome to be directly confronted with the looming mass of the Colosseum. WOW. Something so awesomely, massively, spectactulary ancient right there. Later the same day I managed to wander into the Forum by mistake. Almost everything I found that day I found by accident, not having deciphered my map yet, and all of it was incredible.

This is a great question -- it really brings back wonderful memories! I had 3 defining moments on my very first trip to Europe (Italy) 3 years ago. First, after many hours of travel, arriving in Cortina at night, waking up and throwing open the shutters to see the snow-covered Dolomites turned pink in the sunrise through clearing storm clouds...boarding the vaporetto, turning down the Grand Canal and seeing the bobbing gondolas, colorful shutters and great domes of Venezia -- wow, we're really here! The greatest of all, entering the Accademia 30 minutes before closing, and stopping , speechless, dead in my tracks before Michaelangel's David. We had him all to ourselves, no one else was there. We whispered. <BR>

Three moments I'll never forget: <BR>1. While in Switzerland a few months ago, I went with a friend to the Schilthorn. Just the process of getting there was fun - trains, a funicular, and two lifts-, but nothing had prepared us for the thrill of being at "the top of the world" on a mostly clear day with just enough wispy clouds to make bits of the mountains disappear and then reappear from moment to moment. <BR>2. On a rainy day, I went with German friends to the Vierzehnheiligen church in northern Bavaria. We walked to the top of the hill, where we found what seemed to be a large but simple church building. Then we walked in, and the baroque elegance absolutely took my breath away. <BR>3. During Holy Week in 1996, I was staying with a Spanish family whose home is in the historic area of Salamanca. While all of the Holy Week processions were beautiful, the one on Good Friday night was especially impressive. Even at midnight, the streets were full of people of all ages, watching in silence. The procession included a small band, but except for their music, the only sounds were a slow, steady drum beat and the shuffling feet of the hundreds of marchers. They were dressed in completely black outfits that, other than the color, were like those the KKK used to wear. Each marcher carried a huge white lighted candle that reached almost to the ground. The climax was a "float", carried on the backs of some of the men, with a life-sized figure of the Virgin Mary surrounded by candles and flowers. The whole experience was mystical beyond belief. <BR>

Another *special* experience... <BR>We were returning to Venice from a 2 week Greek cruise on a small Epirotiki ship [the Orpheus]. It was early in the morning as we headed for the docks near the Accademia. <BR>What was in front of us was the blue of the sky and the calm blue of the water [different]divided by Venice's skyline, which was mostly yellow in the early light. Accompanying us were flying fish who soared and plunged as we slowly made our way in. It reminded us of Turner's paintings of Venice. It was a very peaceful, yet overwhelming half-hour or so... <BR>

My older brother and I went to Assisi this past June. The view from our hotel balcony was so beautiful that my brother cried! (He's not the crying type!) The green, quiet, serene, expansive landscape below was so sublime, it felt like heaven. It looked (and felt) like the whole world was right in front of me. <BR> <BR>The Duomo in Milan literally knocked the wind out of me. I had to stop and breathe deeply for a while because I got dizzy. Glorious spires (135 of them) on a course to touch the clouds, peaceful interior, colorful stained glass windows and soaring vaults! Wow!!! <BR> <BR>Going inside the York Mister was an experience I will never forget. As soon as I walked in the doors, the choir started singing this quietly magnificent hymn. The chords soared throughout the whole cathedral and gave me goosebumps! <BR>Lastly, I stayed in a hotel situated on top of a hill in Varese (Italy). From my hotel balcony, I could see a portion of the lake (Varese or Como, not sure) peeking out from the tops of pine (?) trees and blue moutains rising protectively on the left. The only sound I heard was the blessed chirping of the birds in the trees. I never tired of that view and looked at it again and again.

<BR>First went to Europe at 17. My most profound moments occured in Florence. Woke in the middle of the night to the sound of pouring rain. We were staying in a convent high on a hill overlooking the city. We had arrive in the middle of the night. I can still recall sleepily opening up the window--it was just after dawn--and seeing the whole expanse of Florence below me, the sweet smell of rain, a cool wind blowing after all the heat of Rome in summer....I fell in love with Florence from that point on.

Few tourists go to Verdun. Outside the town lies what must be largest military cemetery in all of France, perhaps the world. Its main building is called the Ossuaire, a sprawling marble structure at the crest of a long slope covered with crosses and Moslem gravestones (many French North African troops were killed there in 1916). At the building's base, stretching from one end to the other (about 100 yards) are small windows. Ossuaire -- a place for bones. Look through those windows and you will be shocked, your breath will feel as if it was sucked out of your body. Because stretching as far as the eye can see are bones..human bones... thousands upon thousands upon thousands. The mortal remains of young Frenchmen who were never identified, just collected, and now displayed for generations to come. Grim? You bet. Breathtaking? Yes, but then it represents only a fraction of the dead of Verdun.

I'm bringing this back up for several reasons. First to see if my post posts [It is obvious this thread has been stricken by the Fodor's 'ghost in the machine']Second to remind people that even if your post doesn't post you should be able to use your back button to get to the screen where you typed your post and then cut and paste it to someplace else until the shost is OUT of the machine. Of course if THIS doesn't post... <BR>

My husband and I returned last night from ATHENS, GREEK iSLES AND TURKEY. <BR>seeing picture of the places we went to see just didn't do the scenery and emotional experienc justice. each person will have a silghtly different response. for me, seeing the caryatids and parthenon were for me, totally unexplainable I just cried. <BR> The hill where Paul preached to the Athenians was so slippery from being worn over several thousand years , gave us a fantastic view of the city of Athens. Another moving experience was to be at Ephesis in Kusadasi, Turkey, where I took over 2 rolls of film. Seeing the color of the mediterranean sea is so awesome it makes you want to jump into it. views from atop Santorini are unbelievable as is the voew from Cape Sounion. Had a great experienc. very busy. One word about Money. We had a difficult time obtaining money from ATM' withe plus or cirrhus. there were very few on the islands and in Istanbul. take lots of travellers checks, personal checks and cash, it wiil make your life easier. email me for any further advice. <BR>

There are so many great stories here! <BR> <BR>Mine are my most recent. <BR> <BR>Although I lived in Germany in the 80's, nothing stands out like my last two trips to Europe. <BR> <BR>The first, my wife and I honeymooned in Bavaria in July, '97. She had never been <BR>to Europe and she was enjoying all of the sights, but the one that stands out is our drive from Munich into Garmisch one morning. It was foggy and overcast when we left and as we got closer, she was busy reading our maps and I was watching the Alps rise before us. I said nothing and as the sky was clearing, she looked up and noticed her surroundings. Her expression of delight, I will not forget. The Alps rose so majestically before us! I got goosebumps. <BR> <BR>The second was on our trip to Paris last January. We arrived in the morning and went straight to our hotel to eat and rest for awhile. We awoke in late afternoon as the sun was going down and headed out in the unlikely 50 degree evening air, going to the Metro and the destination was the Eiffel Tower. We arrived at our stop at Bir Hakeim and came out onto the street. Hmmm, no tower. I said that I thought it was close by and we proceeded to walk two blocks east. On a corner, I said that maybe we were on the wrong side of the river, that I didn't remember exactly where it was. There was no response. My wife had just stepped around the corner and was looking up at the tower which stood just above us and was all aglow in the clear night sky. She told me: "There it is!". We just stood there looking at it. What a sight. <BR> <BR>Those are two of my fondest. <BR> <BR>Here's to many more for all of us.

Two of my most memorable experiences: The breathtaking view of Lake Como from our balcony at The Villa Edy in Tremezzo, Italy. And the sight of all those old caskets with King Ludwig and others just sitting on the floor in the crypt in the basement of St Michaels? Cathedral in Munich. We paid one DM each and were totaly blown away by the sight at the bottom of the stairs.