1) Back in the 80s, my first trip to Europe was coming to an end. We were sitting on the steps of the Venice train station at sunset, waiting for the train that would take us back to Munich, and then home. Since the trains were delayed (surprise!) we had a quite a wait, a couple started playing Simon and Garfunkel songs on their guitars, and soon bottles of wines were being shared. It was very bittersweet...the perfect evening. yet sad knowing our trip was at an end. <BR> <BR>2) Arriving in Verona very late, discovering the hostel was closed for the night. Not knowing where to go we were wandering down the street with our overloaded backpacks (naive first time travelers!) When a little old woman appeared, and motioned for us to follow her...and led us for miles to a nunnery! Where we were able to spend the night...her kindness to confused strangers still gives me a wonderful feeling. <BR> <BR>3) The countryside of Ireland... <BR>

One more...the first time seeing the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. - it was three in the morning, on a rainy June night, the silence of the monument, and the reality of all those names. Truly sobering. <BR>

A few of my favorites are as follows. <BR>Wandering the mazelike streets of Venice in the Spring or Fall, hiking in the Alps of Austria, the green countryside of Ireland, <BR>Gaudi's buildings in Barcelona, the concentration camps in Germany, Austria, Czech Republis and Poland, the terra cotta stautues in Xian, Shanghai waterfront at dawn, flying in a small private plane to Milford Sound in New Zealand, swimming in the lagoon at Moorea, St. Basil's in Moscow at night, the Eiffel tower at night from the Seine, the Paris catacombs, Cinque Terre hiking trail in Italy, the operation theatre in the medical museum in London, Grand Place at night in Christmastime in Brussels, <BR>the Grand Palace in Bangkok (the most beautiful man made place I have ever seen), the timbered houses of Rouen, St. Michael's at night from the causeway, the Wasa ship in Stockholm, all three of Ludwig's castles in Bavaria and the St Charles bridge in Prague.

The Alhambra in Seville, Spain. My wife and I visited in April, and it certainly left us breathless. Being Indians, we've seen a few breath-taking structures in our time (the Taj Mahal, I might add, was the LEAST of them). But this was something else again. I'm not normally a romantic man -- 13 years as a journalist makes a cynic of anyone -- but there were long moments in the Alhambra when I felt that I had been transported to another time. I could visualize the Moorish sultans, surrounded by courtiers, walking the spectacular gardens, looking upon the town on the plain below. Over to the right, the magnificent Sierra Nevada rose high into the sky, the snow-capped peaks glistening in the sun. The air was thick with the scent of oranges. <BR> <BR>It was all so beautiful, so moving, it didn't bother me in the least that we were surrounded by fellow tourists (and a few local guides, shouting instructions in three languages). In my mind, we were there just the two of us. Imagination overpowered reality -- and left me with a memory I will carry forever.

The British Crown jewels. St Chapelle near sunset, the interior was blood red. Pergamon Museum in Berlin, several surprises. St Peters Rome when the guide swept a curtain aside and we saw the Pieta in plain view up close. A hotel room with a full view of Rome. seeing the Eiffel Tower close, it is like a spiderweb of steel. The Louvre when i was alone with Winged Victory. seeing the Venus de Milo with no fanfare, The icy slopes of Mt. Blanc glistening like diamonds. the room turning blue when the shutters opened on the Med. Thew olive trees getting smaller in the distance in Spain, not fading in the haze, just smaller.

This thread has brought back so many wonderful memories. The thing that took my breath away was the flowers in Holland. A friend and I went to the Keukenhoff, and it was beyond dazzling. I actually sat down and cried because it was the most beautiful thing I had even seen. The colors were staggering, and I felt that I would be cheated of the memories of the hues if I tried to take pictures. I ended up selling one of my photographs professionally, and it didn't even come close to capturing the intensity and beauty of the gardens. The acres of Dutch flowers litterally made me dizzy- I thought my head would explode from being so visually overwhelmed. I haven't thought of that trip in months- thank you for the memories. <BR> <BR>Pilar

We had just eaten a wonderful meal at a small place called the Cafe Concerto across the street from York Minster in, well, York, England. We stepped out into the street and the bells of York Minster were tolling in all their glory. The beauty of it overcame my soul and senses and more than a memory, it was a feeling that permeated my whole being. It was awesome!

<BR>we should keep this thread going!!!

A cold, damp, dark Christmas afternoon in Lisbon. Why? I was 22 and sitting on a balcony of a cheap hotel with two college friends, drinking rancid port and watching a lone trolley car circle the plaza. It may sound a bit dreary, but it seemed awesome at the time. <BR>

Two items, one long ago, one recent: <BR>In the 1970s, reading the sorrowful messages--scratched on the windows of long abandoned Croick church in a remote Highland glen in Scotland--from families forceably removed from the land during the Highland Clearances following the 18th century Scottish uprisings. The peasant folk were convinced (by the preachers among others) that their misfortune was the result of their sinful behavior. The messages are still visible today. <BR>Second, Christmas Eve 1998: Standing on the flybridge of a transpacific freighter, sailing at last light into San Francisco under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Well... <BR> <BR>After a 14.5 hour flight we land at 9:00 p.m. and got on a shuttle bus headed to our Hong Kong hotel. <BR> <BR>As we're looking around through the windows at this strange place, all the buildings that had been following us along the road suddenly gave way to the most stunning view I had ever seen. <BR> <BR>There was Hong Kong Island sitting a short distance away across Victoria Harbor. The water was glistening, the buildings were lit up, some with huge neon company signs and some with colorful neon tubes, all of which were reflecting there light and color into the water. It was the most unbelievable thing I'd ever seen. Especially because I hadn't been expecting it. <BR> <BR>The drama was heightened by pockets of haze which had an ethereal feel and a few huge buildings, including the Bank of China Tower designed by I.M. Pei (same architect of the Louvre pyramids), lit up in the most dramatic ways possible. It almost looked like a scene from the future I was glimpsing through a crystal ball. <BR> <BR>I go to Vegas often and even Vegas neon paled in comparison to the awesome skyline of Hong Kong Island. I can't wait to go back and stand at the waters' edge to drink in this incredible sight once again.

This has been a really enjoyable thread and I hope it goes on. Have you noticed how, from time to time, people post messages criticizing us contributors - I guess it sounds snobbish to some when we go on about our travel experiences - but they really are priceless events that deserve to be shared and I feel sorry for the cynics who can't understand that. What better form of education than travel, and what better way to encounter the unexpected and the unique things in life? <BR> Anyway, since I last posted a reply to this question (Nov.8), some of the more recent responses have brought other things to mind - especially the singing - like a concert by an English school choir in the Eglise St. Roch in Paris one Sunday evening as we walked back to our hotel from dinner; and seeing a group of tourists who were obviously part of a choir breaking into song in a little church in Salzburg near the Mozart Platz. Other reminiscenses: sitting on the bank of the Thames in Windsor on our last night in England, watching the scullers from Eton glide by as my young son skipped stones across the water; Sainte-Chappelle, as so many have mentioned; looking over at my wife the first time we saw the Mona Lisa and tears were streaming down her face because she couldn't believe we were actually standing there, in Paris, in the Louvre, in front of this masterpiece; coming over a pass in Austria and seeing ahead of us the sky was filled with parasailers - dozens of them catching the wind and drifting to Earth in a farmer's field. Keep writing and sharing - it's a big world out there. <BR>

This has been a good list of stories. <BR>I have gained many new ideas on how to get more bang for the buck so to speak. <BR>If we cannot share our experiences with beauty, then we are in a heap of trouble. I don't think some people understand that we share experiences because we are trying to help others with common interests enjoy their lives to the fullest. <BR> <BR>I know this is a European forum, but being a mountain lover who is too clumsy to risk climbing technically, I have three places: (1) the view of the Bernese Oberland and the lakes around Interlaken from the Faulhorn, (2) a view in Canada of Lake O'Hara from a high alpine ledge a couple of thousand feet above the lake, and (3) the Colorado Rockies from the top of the Mount of the Holy Cross. (I think the sights around Zermatt might rank in there, too, but I selected a cloudy, foggy day to make my visit. Wait til next year.)

Angkor Wat, Cambodia <BR> <BR>Hopefully, it will be safe to return to this magestic, magical site someday soon.

New years day concert in Vienna. Flying over Vienna in midwinter. Schonbron. A multitude of coffee houses and bars (very handy in the middle of winter), Hundertwaserhaus. It was so good I went back the year later <BR>

Being awakened in my Heidelberg hotel room by the scent of the rose nosegay bought the day before, feeling the cold air on my face from the open window and the exquisite warmth of the down comforter....Never wanted to open my eyes. <BR> <BR>Seeing the Colosseum for the first time, rising above the traffic. <BR> <BR>Waking to the sight of the Dolomites after a night train Vienna to Venice. <BR> <BR>Seeing David. <BR>

<BR>Have had the great fortune to visit Europe many times. There is an unforgettable moment each trip...whether a bite of food or a stunning painting. But there are moments, and there are MOMENTS! <BR> <BR>When visiting Torcello in 1990, we left the water taxi to take the foot path to the "center" to visit the wonderful church (cannot recall the name) with moasics someone mentioned on this site. The mosaics, are incredible but it was my walk to find them that was even better. <BR> <BR>There is one residence which I recall on the footpath. An elderly couple displayed vegetables from a table to the few passers by; they were for sale. Selling vegetables in Italy is incidental, but believe me the grocery market in Torcello is pretty slim. These folks were wonderful: they were playing a tape of Tchikovsky"s 1st very loudly. The whole picture of the color of the aged house, the color of the different squashes, tomatoes, and their spectacular roses blooming...complete with the piano concerto. There was even a vividly green colored caged-bird sitting in the window. It was a perfect moment! <BR> <BR>Many people don't have time to visit Torcello because it is remote and takes nearly a whole day, including travel and visiting time. I recommend a morning trip to Torcello, have lunch (there is another restaurant besides the quite expensive Cipriani), then go back to Venice and include a stop at Burano perhaps for dinner. You won't regret it. Each island is different and has special qualities.

Glen nevis, near Fort william, Scotland. <BR>The most beautiful valley in the world. <BR> <BR>I was driving from fort william and discovered the glen by accident. It was in May and the valley was covered with fresh spring flowers. There were also highland cattle and sheep grazing about in the valley. <BR> <BR>A stream flows just beside the hill slopes for about 5 miles reflecting the sparkling sunlight in the waters. I drove up to the end of the valley, took a 15 min walk and discovered a waterfall at the end of the hanging valley. <BR> <BR>It was so beautiful I plucked a daisy from the ground and proposed to my girlfriend. We're getting married this May.

<BR>The view towards the Charles Bridge, from a tiny restaurant, firelight, during an evening snowfall. Like magic.

Arriving in Venice by boat.<BR>Santorini.<BR>Dubrovnik<BR>The Alhambra<BR>Mesa Verde<BR>Attending Church services in Russia<BR>Marrakesh<BR>Aya Sophia in Istanbul