What travel experience has touched your heart the most?
Jul 18th, 2003, 09:10 PM
#1
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What travel experience has touched your heart the most?
I have 2.
When I came out of the train station and saw Venice for the first time I cried. It was a spiritual feeling. Cant explain it.
Second was when I saw the Eiffel Tower at night. Can't explain it either. Some things just really touch me. Even though I thought Parisian werent friendly like the Italians, I will go back to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower at night again.
When I came out of the train station and saw Venice for the first time I cried. It was a spiritual feeling. Cant explain it.
Second was when I saw the Eiffel Tower at night. Can't explain it either. Some things just really touch me. Even though I thought Parisian werent friendly like the Italians, I will go back to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower at night again.
Jul 18th, 2003, 09:17 PM
#2
It was my first time in the south of France many years ago and suddenly, the pont du gard seemed to emerge from the trees on the road we were lost on. There was not a soul around.It seemed mystical. Years later, I could not believe the activity there.
Jul 19th, 2003, 03:03 AM
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The first time we used a watertaxi to enter Venice. At first it was a dot on the horizon; then it looked like some sort of confection floating on the water; as we got closer the various architectural features packed so closely together were stunning, but such a sensory overload that they seemed indistinct and somehow unreal; finally, the driver cut the engines back and suddenly we were in a canal with real buildings on either side-pedestrians strolling--window boxes overflowing with flowers--laundry hanging--two children waving from a window. I treasure that memory.
Jul 19th, 2003, 03:11 AM
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RufusT, Your description of entering Venice via water taxi should be required reading for all those posters who are trying to find the cheapest way into the city from the airport. They need to know that the money spent for a water taxi entrance might be the best-spent money of their entire Venice stay. Venice was meant to be entered by boat, and I too treasure the memory of approaching in our water taxi and entering the small back canals on the way to our hotel.
Janda, in answer to your original question, my heart was touched most by watching my sons experience Italy for the first time. I loved being able to offer them the places I already knew and loved, and seeing the soul-expanding effect it had on them. The first water taxi ride into Venice was one of these moments, another was standing with them in the Orange Garden on top of the Aventino, looking out over Rome on a beautiful evening. Another was walking into the Accademia and seeing their faces when they first saw the David.
Janda, in answer to your original question, my heart was touched most by watching my sons experience Italy for the first time. I loved being able to offer them the places I already knew and loved, and seeing the soul-expanding effect it had on them. The first water taxi ride into Venice was one of these moments, another was standing with them in the Orange Garden on top of the Aventino, looking out over Rome on a beautiful evening. Another was walking into the Accademia and seeing their faces when they first saw the David.
Jul 19th, 2003, 03:51 AM
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Karen,
I just can imagine the affect this had on your kids outlook on life and the world in general.
I love my country America and still think it is the best place in the whole wide world to live. (of course, I wouldn't sneeze at 6 months here...6 months galavanting around europe each year).
However, Americans do not travel much outside of our glorious country and very little with their children when they are young. I think it limits their outlook and tolerance of the world in general.
It is something that your children will take back with them for life.
I am not trying to be political here, but because I have traveled quite a bit now, I had a much greater tolerance and understanding of european reaction to the recent war. They are real people to me now, and real places, and they are there...right there! We are a half a world away here. (Whether I supported the war or was against it was not an issue when regarding this.)
Karen, you have given your kids one of the best opportunities they will ever be given...
I just can imagine the affect this had on your kids outlook on life and the world in general.
I love my country America and still think it is the best place in the whole wide world to live. (of course, I wouldn't sneeze at 6 months here...6 months galavanting around europe each year).
However, Americans do not travel much outside of our glorious country and very little with their children when they are young. I think it limits their outlook and tolerance of the world in general.
It is something that your children will take back with them for life.
I am not trying to be political here, but because I have traveled quite a bit now, I had a much greater tolerance and understanding of european reaction to the recent war. They are real people to me now, and real places, and they are there...right there! We are a half a world away here. (Whether I supported the war or was against it was not an issue when regarding this.)
Karen, you have given your kids one of the best opportunities they will ever be given...
Jul 19th, 2003, 04:04 AM
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Janda,
I was so touched by karen's experience that I forgot to post my own...lolol..
Janda, I know I have told this on the board before....
I have had so many "moments", seeing london for the 1st time, the Highlands of scotland(wow!), walking thru Hyde Park and Westminster Abbey. I am a historical fiction and romance reader....my reading experiencecame alive after that 1st visit.
However, if we are talking about a soul affecting experience, it would have to be my 1st visit to paris and the Sacre Couer. I have copied and pasted my previous telling of this below:
"I will forever cry and tear up when I look at my photos of the sacre couer
in montmarte...I met the most wonderful women in her 80's that walked to the church everyday and sat on the bench at the bottom of the terraces.
I had just finished visiting the chapel and had walked down the terraces. I was sitting at the bottom and was taking a minute to just take the view in....and I sighed. I knew that if I was 90 and looking for a place to meet my maker...this was it. Life could not have been anymore peaceful. I felt a warm hand on my arm....a wonderful parisian lady was sitting beside me...I had not even noticed when I sat down..and in a heavy accent she said "I know!!!". She said that she wanted to live many more years, but if she had to pick a place where she left this world, it would be sitting on that park bench looking up at the view of this cathedral and wonderful terraces. I had not said a word about my own feelings! I could not have agreed more!"
This place and this memory of a such an important shared moment will be with me for the rest of my life. My only regret is that I did not get her name. If I ever go back to paris I will be visiting there at the same time of day to see if she is still there.
I was so touched by karen's experience that I forgot to post my own...lolol..
Janda, I know I have told this on the board before....
I have had so many "moments", seeing london for the 1st time, the Highlands of scotland(wow!), walking thru Hyde Park and Westminster Abbey. I am a historical fiction and romance reader....my reading experiencecame alive after that 1st visit.
However, if we are talking about a soul affecting experience, it would have to be my 1st visit to paris and the Sacre Couer. I have copied and pasted my previous telling of this below:
"I will forever cry and tear up when I look at my photos of the sacre couer
in montmarte...I met the most wonderful women in her 80's that walked to the church everyday and sat on the bench at the bottom of the terraces.
I had just finished visiting the chapel and had walked down the terraces. I was sitting at the bottom and was taking a minute to just take the view in....and I sighed. I knew that if I was 90 and looking for a place to meet my maker...this was it. Life could not have been anymore peaceful. I felt a warm hand on my arm....a wonderful parisian lady was sitting beside me...I had not even noticed when I sat down..and in a heavy accent she said "I know!!!". She said that she wanted to live many more years, but if she had to pick a place where she left this world, it would be sitting on that park bench looking up at the view of this cathedral and wonderful terraces. I had not said a word about my own feelings! I could not have agreed more!"
This place and this memory of a such an important shared moment will be with me for the rest of my life. My only regret is that I did not get her name. If I ever go back to paris I will be visiting there at the same time of day to see if she is still there.
Jul 19th, 2003, 04:04 AM
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Seeing the rows upon rows of crosses at the American Cemetary in Normanday and realizing most of these men were really just boys who hadn't even begun to experience life.
Second while on a tour of Kenya, seeing scantily clad little kids on a heavily potholed road, throwing dirt into the holes as your vehicle approaches, and then sticking their hand out for money. While poverty exists in this country, it doesn't even come close to the poverty in the 3rd world.
Second while on a tour of Kenya, seeing scantily clad little kids on a heavily potholed road, throwing dirt into the holes as your vehicle approaches, and then sticking their hand out for money. While poverty exists in this country, it doesn't even come close to the poverty in the 3rd world.
Jul 19th, 2003, 06:27 AM
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Not at all spiritual but my very first trip abroad was to Austria. We had lunch while travelling through Bavaria. Well, you know what teenagers are like, in a permanent state of starvation.
The highlight was a dish of wonderful fried potatoes. A fatherly waiter grinned at the shiny clean plates and said "Gut?". There was a chorus of "Sehr gut!". The waiter then went off and brought back another huge dish of fried potatoes to loud cheers.
The highlight was a dish of wonderful fried potatoes. A fatherly waiter grinned at the shiny clean plates and said "Gut?". There was a chorus of "Sehr gut!". The waiter then went off and brought back another huge dish of fried potatoes to loud cheers.
Jul 19th, 2003, 06:28 AM
#12
Ryan, I should have added the row of crosses at the American Cemetary.I snapped a picture and later I was to see a film,I think the title was, "Saving Sgt.Ryän." The opening scene showed the crosses at the exact same angle that I photographed. So many unknown left a sad impression.
Jul 19th, 2003, 06:41 AM
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The first touching moment was when we arrived from Paris on an overnight train in La Spezia. It was dawn. I got off the train and heard the lady announcing arrivals and departures in that beautiful Italian language at that tiny station. I walked over to the ledge and looked down at the sea and the rocks and felt like "I finally made it!" I'm tearing up now!
The second moment was when I went to the American cemetary outside of Florence. When I told my co-worker I was going to Italy, she asked me to do a favor, if I had the time. Her grandmother had lost her brother in WW2. Grandma had said "My brother came to me in a dream and told me not to cry anymore-that he was safe and happy-he was in Florence". When I called the cemetary I told him who I was looking for. He said "He's here!" I took a picturesque bus ride with locals outside the city. I was the only one to disembark at the cemetary. I was the only visitor there. I took pictures of his grave and the surroundings. I took a pencil and a piece of paper placed it on the headstone and rubbed the pencil on the paper to get an impression of his name, rank, and date of birth and death. Her grandma was poor. Many years prior, she had given a tour guide $1,500 for an upcoming trip to find her brother, but it had all been a scam, her money was gone and she was never again able to to raise the money to go. Her grandma died about a year after I returned from the trip. She was happy to have found her brother. I no longer work with that gal, but I'll never forget her or the experience. I believe God had brought us together. It was an honor and a blessing to have been a part of the whole experience. BTW, the men at the cemetary were so wonderful and accommodating.
The second moment was when I went to the American cemetary outside of Florence. When I told my co-worker I was going to Italy, she asked me to do a favor, if I had the time. Her grandmother had lost her brother in WW2. Grandma had said "My brother came to me in a dream and told me not to cry anymore-that he was safe and happy-he was in Florence". When I called the cemetary I told him who I was looking for. He said "He's here!" I took a picturesque bus ride with locals outside the city. I was the only one to disembark at the cemetary. I was the only visitor there. I took pictures of his grave and the surroundings. I took a pencil and a piece of paper placed it on the headstone and rubbed the pencil on the paper to get an impression of his name, rank, and date of birth and death. Her grandma was poor. Many years prior, she had given a tour guide $1,500 for an upcoming trip to find her brother, but it had all been a scam, her money was gone and she was never again able to to raise the money to go. Her grandma died about a year after I returned from the trip. She was happy to have found her brother. I no longer work with that gal, but I'll never forget her or the experience. I believe God had brought us together. It was an honor and a blessing to have been a part of the whole experience. BTW, the men at the cemetary were so wonderful and accommodating.
Jul 19th, 2003, 07:41 AM
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I have tears in my eyes reading half of these!!
A few I didnt memtion.
Seeing David.
Seeing The Pieta.
Seeing the Amalfi.
Seeing The Primavera.
Seeing the Mona Lisa.
Seeing the little canals
of Amsterdam.
Early one morning in the south of France on a canal boat we were on a desertered stretch of canal where we had tied up the night before, the wind was howling fiercely and the sky was red. Over to the right I could see a fisherman way in the distance standing on a rise. His coat was almost to blow off of him. He stood there none the less and continued fishing. An amazing site. You know something really stange is that memory is very soothing to me. Evem with the sound of the wind so loud, the remoteness of the place was it seemed so calm.
Cant wait to hear more of your replies.
A few I didnt memtion.
Seeing David.
Seeing The Pieta.
Seeing the Amalfi.
Seeing The Primavera.
Seeing the Mona Lisa.
Seeing the little canals
of Amsterdam.
Early one morning in the south of France on a canal boat we were on a desertered stretch of canal where we had tied up the night before, the wind was howling fiercely and the sky was red. Over to the right I could see a fisherman way in the distance standing on a rise. His coat was almost to blow off of him. He stood there none the less and continued fishing. An amazing site. You know something really stange is that memory is very soothing to me. Evem with the sound of the wind so loud, the remoteness of the place was it seemed so calm.
Cant wait to hear more of your replies.
Jul 19th, 2003, 08:02 AM
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I've enjoyed reading these stories.
Mine is very recent. On July 9th, my husband and I renewed our wedding vows for our ten year anniversary on a gondola in the small canals of Venice. We each wrote our own vows of what our marriage has meant to us over the past decade, and neither of us knew what the other was going to say. It was very moving for both of us, and meant so much for the occassion to take place in such a beautiful, magical city.
After the ceremony and an hour long ride, we debarked at St. Mark's Piazza for the traditional Venetian wedding stroll. It was so beautiful with the Basilica, Doge's Palace, and other beautiful architechure surrounding us, not to mention the pigeons all around.
We then took a private launch to have a wonderful dinner at Hotel Cipriani, as well as an after dinner drink in the piano bar. We were one of the few patrons in the bar that night and my husband asked the piano player to play "You Look Wonderful Tonight" in my honor.
The whole evening was absoulutey magical and a dream come true for both of us. It is something we will treasure for the rest of our lives, as will we treasure the unique city that is Venice.
Mine is very recent. On July 9th, my husband and I renewed our wedding vows for our ten year anniversary on a gondola in the small canals of Venice. We each wrote our own vows of what our marriage has meant to us over the past decade, and neither of us knew what the other was going to say. It was very moving for both of us, and meant so much for the occassion to take place in such a beautiful, magical city.
After the ceremony and an hour long ride, we debarked at St. Mark's Piazza for the traditional Venetian wedding stroll. It was so beautiful with the Basilica, Doge's Palace, and other beautiful architechure surrounding us, not to mention the pigeons all around.
We then took a private launch to have a wonderful dinner at Hotel Cipriani, as well as an after dinner drink in the piano bar. We were one of the few patrons in the bar that night and my husband asked the piano player to play "You Look Wonderful Tonight" in my honor.
The whole evening was absoulutey magical and a dream come true for both of us. It is something we will treasure for the rest of our lives, as will we treasure the unique city that is Venice.
Jul 19th, 2003, 08:19 AM
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Mizzeve,
God! Yes...I have read every book by Gabaldon and am waiting for the next one! [-o<
This is a classic example of reading originally from an armchair and then after my 1st trip to Scotland, reading them again and having a completely different reading experience. You can't read about the Highlands and really picture them in your mind until you have seen them in person! The battlefields...oh...such a loss of humanity!
Jamie and Clare...
Mizzeve, if you ever want to talk about reading email me at
[email protected]
God! Yes...I have read every book by Gabaldon and am waiting for the next one! [-o<
This is a classic example of reading originally from an armchair and then after my 1st trip to Scotland, reading them again and having a completely different reading experience. You can't read about the Highlands and really picture them in your mind until you have seen them in person! The battlefields...oh...such a loss of humanity!
Jamie and Clare...
Mizzeve, if you ever want to talk about reading email me at
[email protected]
Jul 19th, 2003, 08:28 AM
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oh and PS...I want to find an original UK edition of "The Outlander". I hear it was called "Cross Stich" when it was first published. I would love to find it in hardback, but even a paperback would be nice!
Am I just dreaming here or what?
Am I just dreaming here or what?
