Where is your "magic place"?
 

I`d like to ask if you have a favourite magic place in Europe or elsewhere. I think about little streets, squares etc., where you could sit, meditate... Place, which has "something","a spirit". Perhaps such place is not far, perhaps it is in your town? I have a magic place on left bank of Tag, where is picturesque view of Toledo in Spain. Another ones are Karnak in Egypt by night and Warsaw Old Town. My husband`s such place are the monumental stairs by the Great Arch in Paris in the quiet summer evening. Where is your magic place? (my English isn`t good, sorry)

Hello Eva! Three places come to mind: <BR> <BR>- The Basilique of St. Clare in Assisi <BR>- Charles Bridge in Prague <BR>- Yosemite National Park in California <BR>There was such a special and different feeling at these places...

Eva, your English is wonderful and so is your question. I also have three "magic" places that while I've been there, all the world gets forgotten...they are: <BR> <BR>1)Amorgos, Greece the Moni Hossoviotissas...a thousand feet up...the single most lovely view that I have ever experienced. <BR> <BR>2)Sagres, Portugal at the end of the cape...the sunset is SPECTACULAR! <BR> <BR>3)Quebec City, Canada the boardwalk behind the Chateau Frontenac. A strollers dream <BR> <BR>Thanks!

Several places come to mind for different reasons: <BR> Hill Country in Texas <BR> Charles Bridge at night in Prague <BR> Jungfrau near Interlaken, Switzerland <BR> <BR>

1. <BR>Assos (Bermakale) Turkey. Down at the harbour and up at the temple on the top of the hill overlooking Lesbos. <BR>2. <BR>Cape Tribulation Far North Queensland. <BR> <BR>Denise

1. Over McKinnon Pass on the Milford Track in Fjordland, S. Island, New Zealand. 2. Through the Grand Canyon in a rubber boat. 3. Dusk at Oxford University on a June evening. 4. Sunrise on Arsuk Fjord, Greenland. 5. Dawn approaching Oran, Algeria, from the sea. 6. The Bay of Naples at twilight.

Several come to mind: <BR> <BR>hiking in the Bernese Oberland with nothing around but ringing cow bells and majestic mountain peaks <BR> <BR>the ruins at Uxmal in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula - particularly inside the Nunnery Quadrangle, surrounded by soaring swallows <BR> <BR>looking across the Vltava at Prague Castle, especially at night <BR> <BR>any backstreet, untouristed part of Paris (eg., early morning on Ile-St-Louis) <BR> <BR>hiking in and photographing the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina during the autumn, especially the waterfalls

In no particular order: <BR>1. Jungfrau region in Switzerland <BR>2. The first glimpse of Vernazza when you hike between villages on the Cinque Terre in Italy. <BR>3. I'd like to second Yosemite National Park in California

The Mayan ruins of Tulum about 1 1/2 hours south of Cancun. Right on the coast. Breathtaking. <BR>

<BR>For me, it's in Switzerland in any little village on a river or lake, with view of the Alps - waking up early, opening the windows, seeing the incredible majestic beauty of the mountains, listening to the rush of the water, birds chirping in the quiet dawn, just breathing in that brisk, fresh mountain air.

My magic place would have to be Itterswiller, France, Arnold Hotel. The view at night of the castle remains amidst the vineyards and hills is something right out of Camelot!

The garden terraces at Powis Castle near Welshpool in Wales in late summer. Glorious, magical, perfection . . . take me there now!

Eva, <BR>For me it would have to be in the Platz behind the Hofburg in Vienna. At night the fountain is all lit up and if it is quiet, the clicking of horses' hooves and the sounds of carriages make you feel like you are back in imperial Vienna. <BR>As second best I would say hiking the trail in the Cinque Terre. If you are lucky you can slip away from the tourists and find a nook to watch a sunset in - beautiful.

Eva, Thank you for asking--I was just <BR>expressing the same thought to a friend <BR>last week. He asked about the magical places of Europe that caused me to be <BR>awe struck---here they are in no order. <BR>THE VILLAGE OF OIA ON SANTORINI <BR>POSITANO ON THE AMALFI COAST <BR>THE MEDIEVAL VILLAGE OF MARVAO PORTUGAL <BR>ZERMATT---ON A CLEAR DAY <BR>LAKE ORTA, ITALY <BR>PORTOVENERE AND THE CINQUE TERRE <BR> <BR>

Eva, Thank you for asking--I was just <BR>expressing the same thought to a friend <BR>last week. He asked about the magical places of Europe that caused me to be <BR>awe struck---here they are in no order. <BR>THE VILLAGE OF OIA ON SANTORINI <BR>POSITANO ON THE AMALFI COAST <BR>THE MEDIEVAL VILLAGE OF MARVAO PORTUGAL <BR>ZERMATT---ON A CLEAR DAY <BR>LAKE ORTA, ITALY <BR>PORTOVENERE AND THE CINQUE TERRE <BR> <BR>

Hello Eva: <BR> <BR>For me: <BR> <BR>1. Place des Vosges, Paris <BR>2. The monastery grounds at Paleokastritsa, on Corfu <BR>3. Piazza San Marco, Venice. I know, it's huge and crowded, but if I sit there with a cup of tea or a drink, the bustle dies away and I absorb the feeling of Venice. <BR>

Though there are many specific places I could mention, I'd just like to mention two things that made/make my heart and soul happy: <BR> <BR>1. Sitting at a bus stop bench in Athens looking up at the Parthenon and almost pinching myself and saying, "I can't believe I'm actually here in Athens!" Though a lot was under scaffolding, it was still a spectacular sight. This was back in 1992 and I will never forget just sitting there taking it all in. <BR> <BR>2. See St. Chappelle in Paris! The Amalfi coast of Italy! Montserrat outside Barcelona, ..... All Breathtaking! <BR> <BR>3. Sitting at an outdoor cafe such as in Rome or Madrid, or Barcelona, or Paris, and watching the world go by; not thinking about work or bills or house chores; just sitting and taking in a world that I don't see or hear on a daily basis. Sitting and writing my postcards and my journal. <BR> <BR>Ahhh, I'm a different person when traveling. It's a world that I want to absorb and never leave! Even the sounds of the sparrows flying around church towers just seems so different than at home. <BR> <BR>Traveling is my love!

Eva, I just have to second Bob the Navigator's nomination for Village of Oia on Santorini. I was there in '88 and still the most breathtaking place I've seen. <BR> <BR>Bob, just today I was telling a coworker about this awesome view.

Eva, <BR> <BR>Wonderfull question.... <BR> <BR>A small beach on Achill Island in Western Ireland watching the dolphins play. <BR> <BR> <BR>Kekuka Lake, one of the New York Finger lakes, before everyone is up...quiet and still. <BR> <BR>A winter morning or late evening sun on any landscape, giving it a beautiful golden glow. Again quiet and crisp

I have a few magic places... in no special order: <BR> <BR>1) sitting on a bench on the Monterray coast of California watching the sea lions play in the surf. It is beautiful and relaxing. The sea lions are really fun to watch. <BR> <BR>2) Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies in the winter. Some of the most spectacular scenary I have ever seen in my life. Sitting/hiking there in total silence with the exception of hearing the wind and birds is an amazing experience. <BR> <BR>3) Venice Italy. I just love the city, walking or floating. <BR> <BR>4) Tulum on the Yucatan peninsula. Beautiful Mayan ruins on the coast of the Caribbean Sea. The blue water is beautiful.

I'll start with one... it's hard to choose! <BR> <BR>A short walk from the center of Ohrid in Macedonia is an old monastery church named Sveti Jovan Kaneo [St. John the Theologian I think]. It isn't as large or as intricate as some of the other Macedonian Orthodox churches, but its simplicity and its location make it magic. You can sit on the stones overlooking beautiful Lake Ohrid or look back at the church itself. The second time I visited the church's "guardian", an older woman, remembered me and offered us some rakija, a Macedonian drink of some potency. So there we sat, drinking rakija [at 10:30am!], enjoying the interplay between nature and human creation... <BR>Here's a picture! [because words are failing me] <BR>http://www.ntsource.com/~dhfsbf19/europe98/kaneo.jpg <BR>

I too have several "magic places", all for different reasons. <BR> <BR>1. Amsterdam canals at night - the bridges are lit up like fairyland. It is so atmospheric. <BR> <BR>2. The Amalfi coast. You can just FEEL the history, the mythology. The terrace restaurant of the Villa Maria hotel in Ravello takes some beating as does the Villa Cimbrone with its magnificent view. <BR> <BR>3. Wiltshire, England. It's where I'm from so I'm biased but it's just breathtakingly beautiful--and steeped in ancient history and folklore. <BR> <BR>4. Cobblers Cove Hotel, Barbados. Tropical paradise--excellent service, discreet sophisticated elegance and a truly amazing beach!

No particular order: <BR>1. An outdoor restaurant in Sorrento with a view of Capri in the distance and a cruise ship all lit up with hundreds of white lights. <BR>2. The spectacular trails at Cinque Terre. <BR>3. Emerald Bay, South Lake Tahoe <BR>4. The fruit & vegetable stands in Paris. <BR>I'm with Monica. Travelling is the best!! <BR>

What fun it is reading everyone else's favorite places and thinking of my own! <BR>Here's my thoughts: <BR> <BR>1) Boboli Gardens in Florence, Italy <BR>2) Hawksnest Beach in Caneel Bay on St. John, US Virgin Islands <BR>3) Sunset dinner at Cafe Hanalei in the Princeville Resort, Princeville, Kauai, Hawaii <BR>4) Atop a hill oustide Cambridge, England in the springtime with a wine and cheese picnic <BR> <BR>I also experienced a wonderful moment on Keuka Lake in New York - my husband proposed to me one wintry night at the Snug Harbor Restaunt, and its just beautiful in the winter - the lake was frozen, with a light snow fall and absolutely no one was around. We had the entire top floor of the restaunt and were seated in front of a roaring fire. Its heavenly!

Three magic places: <BR>3. Assisi, Italy <BR>2. The Hermitage in St. Petersburg <BR>1. Lower Kimball Pond in Chatham, NH

Great subject Eva: <BR> <BR>1. Taking a horse drawn carraige up to Neuschwanstein Castle when it was snowing. <BR>2. Walking the cobblestone street and alleys in Lindau, Germany. <BR>3. Fishing in Yellowstone. <BR>

<BR>The Military Tatoo at the festival in Edinburgh. At sundown the towers of the castle light up, white smoke billows from the guns, and the skirl of the bagpipes preceeds the formations of Scotland's regimental bands. You don't have to be Celtic to feel this, but it helps!

Very hard to select only three, but... <BR> <BR>1) the view over the bay in Kalkan, Turkey, a tiny fishing village growing much too rapidly http://caroledunn.com/kalkan <BR> <BR>2) Mirepoix in southern France, a tiny and delightful town that no one knows, not even many French ... also Cassis <BR> <BR>3) Orvieto or Spoleto in Italy

<BR>Thanks to all for your answer. I have been to some places you mentioned and now remember them with similar feelings. <BR>Like for Monica and Linda travelling is my love too. <BR>Some of you wrote about the places I haven`t visited yet, but I hope I will be able too see at least a few of them soon and maybe I will find the same "spirit" in them. <BR>Maira, L inda, Dan -you wrote about the Charles Bridge in Prague. I will have to visit it, as it is the nearest of all the places you mentioned. Eva <BR> <BR>

In random order: <BR> <BR>Assisi, Italy - The view from Hotel Giotto overlooking the valley below is amazing, breathtaking and soul moving <BR> <BR>The interior of any Gothic cathedral - I get goosebumps every time I enter one. I can FEEL the presence of God within them. I've never been able to feel that way in any other type of church. I love York Minster, Chiesa di Santa Chiara and San Francesco Basilica in Assisi, Duomo in Siena and the Duomo in Milan. My next trip will be to France so I can visit ALL the major Gothic cathedrals there. <BR> <BR>The Lake District, England - nature at its best <BR> <BR>Grand Palace Hotel in Varese, Italy - Situated atop a small hill overlooking the nearby Lake Como, the classy and charming hotel was the best surprise of my trip to Italy last year. The hotel was surrounded by nothing but tall, green pine trees, the sound of birds chirping and the wind cascading down tree branches ... ah, how wonderful! <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

ahhh, memories....!

What an interesting role "topper" plays in this ecosystem - - bringing up these tasty morsels from the bottom of the pond and putting them back into circulation: <BR> <BR>An obvious theme is how the "magic" intensifies at night for some places - - <BR> <BR>playing in and around the fountains at the Palais Chaillot with the lights of TE twinkling above... <BR> <BR>or just lie, literally right on the ground, in the grass in front of la Sagrada Familia at midnight in June, and look at one man's quest to reach uo with mortar and stone to the heavens <BR> <BR>ditto for the already-mentioned illuminated bridges and canals of Amsterdam... <BR> <BR>and another "second the motion" for the unbelievable sound and moonlit vision of falls at Yosemite in April when the snowmelt is at its peak and the crowds are still delightfully less crushing... <BR> <BR>a late-night gondola ride, in search of all of Cananova's haunts and conquests... <BR> <BR>or the pageantry and phenomenal horesmanship at the bloodless bullfights in Lisbon - - a good reason to be sure you hit this city on a Thursday night! <BR> <BR>A different kind of magic awaits at the end of the night, when sunrise brings a new day, and you can have the world all to yourself, out strolling as the world wakes up... <BR> <BR>in Temple Bar, where last night's empty kegs await pick-up and replacement by their refilled cousins <BR> <BR>in the town square of Ulm, right in front of the giant Munster, when the market springs to life every Wednesday morning <BR> <BR>in hundreds of little bakeries throughout Italy, with just a little sign over the door - - il forno - - where flour, water, salt, oil and yeast are transformed into "le pizze" del giorno, and just about everybody in town drops by to pick up their daily sustenance <BR> <BR>and even in midtown Manhattan, where there never really is a quiet hour before the dawn, but 4 a.m.'s shuffle gradually gives rise to the everyday hustle and bustle of another day in Gotham <BR> <BR>Still, magic can be found in broad daylight too... <BR> <BR>especially in castles... and wanna-be castle-like dreams built by Hearst, Coty and others, like at <BR> <BR>San Simeon, California <BR>Asheville, North Carolina <BR>Burg Eltz, Germany <BR>Schloss Linderhof, Germany <BR> <BR>What's unbelievable is how many wonderful places are actually open for you to put a roof over your head, like at: <BR> <BR>Chateau d'Artigny, France <BR>Parkhotel Wasserburg-Anholt, Germany <BR>L'Abbaye at Talloires, France <BR>Pleasant Hill, Kentucky <BR> <BR>Thanks, "topper" for letting me share... <BR> <BR>

My favorite 3 places: <BR> <BR>1) Vernazza and the cinque terre. The people, mediterranean sea, and beautifully colored houses and umbrellas make you forget all about work. <BR> <BR>2) Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria. <BR> <BR>3) Ile St Louis in Paris <BR>

Some of my favorite "magic" places around the world: <BR><BR>-a walkway overlooking the roaring power and bouncing rainbows at the very brink of Iquazu Falls in Argentina <BR><BR>-overlooking the lush Arung River gorge in the center of Bali; the view from my hotel room <BR><BR>-Gaudi's bench at the park in Barcelona <BR><BR>-the Ganges, in a slow-moving boat at Banares, after a rosy dawn visit to the Taj Majal <BR><BR>-the View of Infinity in a Ravello garden <BR><BR>-the tiny, water-colored fishermaen's island of Procida in the Bay of Naples <BR><BR>-Vermont village commons on a crisp fall day <BR><BR>-the nature preserve--the river walk-- by my house

Here is one that you haven't heard of or at least I don't think you have. <BR>Flying in a float plane on the south shore of Hudson Bay looking for Polar Bear and Beluga Whales. <BR>I would be most interested if anyone has

Floating down the Colorado River through Canyonlands National Park on a raft <BR>

Only 3? Hmmm.. <BR>1)The magnificence of Torres del Paine in Southern Chile with its beauty and diversity, <BR>2)The Monasteries at Meteora at sunset..or sunrise..or anytime during the day! 6 Monasteries perched thousands of feet high on giant rocks in Northern Greece, <BR>3)A walk through the jungle to spend sunrise at one of the ancient Mayan temples at Tikal in Guatemala.

For the sake of a typical topper topic <BR>let me add another I missed earlier. <BR>Has anyone ever seen a sunset at Cape <BR>St. Vincent near Sagres Portugal. The <BR>ancients considered this the end of the <BR>world. Consider staying at the lovely <BR>Pousada nearby--a view to kill for.

I have a bias for Prague and I saw the most amazing sunset the other day. To solve world peace and other little problems, I go sit on the benches just next to the Rudolfinum, overlooking the Vltava River. The sky was partly cloudy, red, streaked with the colors of the sunset, the Prague Castle perfectly framed in brilliant colors. Wow. There's some magic in this city, no doubt about it.

Eva, your question made us all remember special places. These are my best: <BR>- the ruins of Coba, in Yucatan-Mexico (sitting at the top of Nohoch Mul, an old piramid in the middle of the green forest; or looking at the sunset at Lake Macanxoc) - unforgettable; <BR>- the sunset at Land`s End, Cornwall, England; <BR>- Corcovado-Rio de Janeiro (this is where I live !) early in a cloudy morning, when the clouds suddenly disappear and disclose the Christ against the blue sky - breathtaking.