What was your single favorite European travel moment for 2007?
 

This year we had fun family trips to Barcelona, New York, Boston, Maine and Disneyworld. As I reflect on the year, my mind and heart return to Barcelona. It's hard to pin down one favorite moment in Barcelona, but I think it was the first lunch we had there...even before the food arrived...drinking cava sangria and eating the best olives I've had in my life...I knew we were going to like the city!

What was your favorite European travel moment of the year?

Being a Eucharistic minister at mass at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome was certainly right up there!

Great topic!

It's really tough to choose, but I think my favorite moment was when we sailed up the fjord into Kotor at sunrise in October. I had aboslutely no idea how stunning the scenery would be ... it literally took my breath away.

Close second was in Paris - it was our first time there - had arrived by train from Venice on a rainy afternoon, and finally after settling in at our apartment in the Montmartre, we were starving. We wandered our neighborhood in the dark, completely intimidated by the French on the chalkboard menus outside the numerous cafes. Hunger forced us into a small cafe, where we stumbled through the items available until a young waitress took pity on us and in a very friendly manner helped us each decide on a pork loin plate. The dinner was delicious with a sauce to die for, and the wine she brought to our table warmed us.

The icing on the cake, so to speak, was when she had a free minute to spare from her waitressing duties, and she came over to our table and drew us a small map on a napkin, pointing the way to some of the out-of-the-way places to see in the immediate neighborhood. What an amazing welcome to Paris!

One most memorable..Istanbul,first day in city, standing outside Blue Moseque when the call to prayer came out over loudspeakers and was echoed by other mosques. It was a cultural moment I haven't forgotten.

Watching my son propose to his girlfriend at the Eiffel Tour.

Having traveled to France many times, our favorite moment of 2007 was arriving at our room at the "Chateau Perreux " just outside Amboise. Stunning---simply stunning!

What a great topic can't wait to read all of the responses.

www.ballet.org.uk/video/versailles_01.htm


"This summer (26 – 28 July) English National Ballet performs Swan Lake in truly romantic surroundings. See the world’s best-loved ballet performed on a floating stage on the Bassin de Neptune in the glorious gardens of the Palace of Versailles. As the sun sets behind the magnificent Chateau, watch the beauty and elegance of English National Ballet’s 64 dancers in this unique and magical setting."

This has to be the highlight of our vacation. It was a most magical evening in a most magical place.

I always love the moment when the plane is just about to touch down (in Europe!)The trip is planned and the anticipation at maximum level.

This year we went to see the tulips in Holland - fantastic. One day in the formal gardens and one day riding thru the tulip fields - now besides all the places I have yet to go, I have added this trip to my list to do again!

Seeing the Ballet Nacional de Cuba perform Don Quixote in the Grand Palais in Paris, last summer -- and then Alicia Alonso herself coming out on stage.

The view from the "top" in Anacapri. Just beautiful.

visited London,Bath, Aix, Nice ( and other places on the Cote) ,Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, Granada.
Many great moments. One I did not expect:

getting out of the cab and seeing Park Guell - felt a jolt of pure childlike joy .

An entire year without having to go to, through, near, or from Heathrow Airport.

Scavi tour followed at a close second by every morsel I ate while in Italy.

Difficult decision! I would have to say being at the Open in Carnoustie, literally inches from players such as Tiger, Sergio, etc. and watching the playoff hole. Weir said hi to us!

Second was coming over the crest of a hill and then - BAM - Bamburgh Castle (England) in all its glory looming in the distance perched high on a cliff. I have been to over 150 castles in Europe, all special in their way, and this castle's dramatic location literally left me breathless.

Visiting the Rodin Museum for the fourth or so time but this time with a special exhibition of Rodin's own collection of Japanese art.

A cheese sandwich shared with my wife on the shore of Lake Lucerne with the cheese and bread chosen by the shopgirl.

Falling in love in Dubrovnik.

First trip to Italy in October...

Coming out of the train station at Termini Rome. My brain was instantly in overload!

But the best was walking down the stairs where Trajan's Column is and seeing in one eyeful the Forum, the Colosseum, Trajan's Market. I will never, ever forget that image!

I cannot wait to go back! :) Merry Christmas, my Fodor friends and Happy Travels in 2008!

Paula

My first trip to Europe in 17 years--where did the time go?

My favorite moment is drinking prosecco and eating the appetizers prior to our dinner at La Giostra in Firenze on my wife's birthday, with the gelato at Vivoli's and Grom a close second.

Meeting with Barb in Mostar and again in Dubrovnik... and no, it wasn't me she fell in love with!!!

Seriously, it was Mostar. I was swept away by its beauty, which surpassed anything I saw in Croatia or Montenegro.

More a series of moments....Taking a transatlantic cruise on the QM2, the Eurostar from London to Paris, picking up my car in Paris, and showing my in-laws Paris, Normandy, and Holland. Along the way, guiding them around the Normandy battlefields, visiting the American cemetery and the Bayeux Tapestry, and celebrating my wife's birthday at a Michelin-starred restaurant in the Norman countryside. We then drove back to our home in Germany, stopping in Cologne for lunch on a Sunday afternoon. We sat in a sidewalk beer garden with a view of the cathedral and that delicious Frueh Beer in the small glasses. I am a proud American, but I LOVE Europe!

Fabulous funky shopping at London Fashion Weekend and then in East End shops!

My second favorite moment was sitting with Julia on our tiny terrace in Mostar, sipping wine and listening to the call to prayer. Truly a goosebump moment.

My first view of the Piano Grande in Umbria, near Norcia. What a valley! I could not believe such a place existed. It took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes. What a wonderful world we live in.

Single favorite European travel moment - was in Switzerland when we stopped off on the side of the road to watch the Swiss locals bring the cows down from the mountain while on our way to Atzmännig.

Dunno if it's the second best moment, but a bit bittersweet - visiting the housing area I had lived in as a child in Germany.

The medieval parade followed by the Palio d' Asti horse race in Sep in Asti. Here are a few shots to capture the moment--do not miss the final turn pic.
http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...172&page=3

The American Cemetary at Normandy.

Really, I couldn't pick just one either...a series of images comes to mind...watching the lights go on at the Eiffel Tower, the magic fountain in Barcelona, the underground concert in Mallorca, the villages in Costa Brava, the Parador in Cardona, the boys' choir in Montserrat...most of the trip was magical.

Happy holidays all!

Two really...

In The Hague in April with my sister, both of us are huge Vermeer fans. We were hunting for The Girl With a Pearl Earring and got lured toward the wrong space looking for it, realized it, turned around and WHAM were face to face with her. We grabbed each other and gasped with delight. It could not have been scripted better!

And a long night in Rome eating a tremendous meal family style with two new friends I just met on tour at the Vatican and about a dozen local diners. What a fun, crazy and delicious night. (Rome has lots of wonderful, impressive sightseeing aspects, but this stands out as my favorite moment of the week there!)

Carnival in Rottweil

Walking the mudflats in Cuxhaven at low tide

Strolling through the back streets of Regensburg

Walking with my husband by the Ouse on a suddenly sun-drenched afternoon in February. It was stunning.

Our very first visit ever with our kids to Europe in July!
I think our favorite moment was visiting Montreaux, Switzerland.

We're headed to Ireland in a few months--ready for more exploring!

I agree with the American Cemetery at Colleville - it is breathtaking to see it for the first time. On a par with my first view of Mont St. Michel in the distance from a French county road.

But this year, it was on the Canal St. Martin boat tour - our first time, after many trips to Paris. There was a moment, waiting at a lock, and the water pouring in, as I stood at the front of the boat, when I was simply "there," having fully “landed” in the City of Lights on that particular visit. These unbidden moments are one of the most pleasurable parts of travel. They cannot be sought, and they cannot be prolonged, so I am most grateful when they appear.

I can't narrow it down to a single moment. But one was similar to missypie's - sitting in a beautiful placa in the Barri Gotic of Barcelona, eat our first tapas and enjoying the people-watching.

Another special moment was in the tiny village of Monforte d'Alba, in the Piemonte, with the wonderful, friendly owner of the B&B we stayed at. He had driven us to a vineyard for a tour, and we were admiring the view over the countryside. I asked him something like, are you originally from Monforte, and he replied (in Italian), no, my birth village is over there, pointing to another tiny village, about one ridge over. His comment really struck me, and I've thought about it a lot. Just something about the Italian culture, and understanding how, to Giulio, he wasn't from "here," he was from a place that's only about 3 km away, but to him, that's an entirely different place.

Drinking hot spiced wine and sailing down the Danube at night watching the lights of Budapest from the top deck of our riverboat.
The "I can't believe I did it moment" - renting a bathing suit and going to the public baths in Budapest and sitting in a hot pool outside on a cold day.

Buying amazing sandwiches of incredible creamy buffalo mozzarella and spicy salami on fresh foccacia at Volpetti and taking them up Avantine Hill (stopping to look at St. Peter's through the keyhole) and devouring them in the orange grove park with the most amazing view of the Rome before us.

A close second was St Marc's square at sunrise, empty except for me and my husband and a lot of pigeons. Then we walked through a million tiny streets to a little cafe and sat outside sipping our cappuccinos as the locals came and went and Venice woke up. Heaven.

Seeing my first real Enzian (an alpine wildflower) on a hike in Switzerland. . . and having my whole family there with me to share the moment (and many more wonderful moments on the trip).

They grow right on the ground, so I had to lie down in the grass to get a full-frame shot with my macro lens. Now our photo album has a shot of my son taking a picture of me taking a picture of the flower. All surrounded by that gorgeous Swiss scenery, including the fearsome Eiger and snowy Jungfrau in the background.

My DH and | had just travelled to Chiusi from Rome by train. A new experience in Italy for us. Not only had we gotten on the right train, our rental car was waiting for us just across the street from the train station, our new GPS was turned on (and worked!)and we were on our way to Montepulcino. We arrived at sunset at the most charming apartment with a view over Tuscany. The wine was unpacked, the fire was lit and all my hopes for a magical experience in Tuscany were fulfilled.

A carriage ride through the streets of Amsterdam in February cuddled under a cozy blanket and drinking hot chocolate.

Not a single moment but just being able to show my niece why I love London & enjoying a rather raucous pub dinner with a dear friend & his family who came down from Derby.

Being at the top of the Windsor wheel (like the London Eye but maybe a third as big and situated in a park next to the River Thames where it is much smaller in Windsor) with just my sister and me in our pod and looking out over the very misty and drizzling English countryside and the swans down on the river and up at the castle and down at the train station and over at Eton and ... you get the idea. Lovely, just lovely.

Or maybe it was standing on the Hungerford Bridge with my sister, and we were looking toward Big Ben waiting for it to sound off 10:00 p.m. and her getting misty and saying she would never have seen any of it if I had not taken her to London.