- Chester Beach next to the Wickaninish Inn outside Tofino on Vancouver Island
- Steinbeck's pastures of heaven, the hills behind monterey, california, purple with lupine (this time of year), not a soul in sight, still and silent, views of the ocean to the west, the ridgetops of the ventana wilderness to the south, the landscape a silent meditation

Paris Saint Sulpice... either sitting on a bench or at Café de la Mairie, drinking a Kronenbourg and looking at the fountain.

Sandy

How about sitting on the rocks at Vernazza harbour near sunset, drinking an ice cold beer. Another favorite spot is below an overgrown Japanese cemetary in Hana, Maui overlooking an unbelievable ocean view.

Great question and one which brought back many wonderful memories of past travels ...

Venice during Christmas week. Shops closed, cool and misty, magical just to wander through all the different neighborhoods getting lost.

The first glimpse of the turquoise/aqua/cobalt waters of the sea from the Caldera in Santorini.

The golden stones of Jerusalem, especially in the late afternoon sun.

Winding roads along the coast on the Big Island of Hawaii and, within a half hour, going from the tropics to cool mountain temperatures.

A glass of wine on the rooftop terrace of a restaurant near the central square of Prague, looking down on all the fairy tale baroque buildings and tiny people below.

The National Portrait Gallery and Hampton Court in/near London. If you're a history fanatic, they're heaven. Scratch that, though. I'll take any or all of London.

I have had the opportunity to travel a lot, but my three favorite magic places/moments are/were still in my beloved Brazil:

1. Seeing Rio de Janeiro from Corcovado ("Sugar Loaf"): breathtaking!

2. Walking through the dunes of Canoa Quebrada Beach near Fortaleza, Ceará (Northeast Brazil);

3. Crossing Rio Negro ("Black River"), the major affluent of the Amazon River, in Manaus.

Great to see this topic has been going on for five years. These are the magical places for me and my wife:

1. CHILLON CASTLE, VEYTAUX, SWITZERLAND
while we're riding a ferry along Lake Geneva and coming somewhere from Laussane/Vevey ----- with the snow-capped alps of Dents du Midi on the background of medieval Chillon Castle. All these mirrored by the sparkling purplish waters of Lake Geneva.

This is the most magical for us, ever in this planet !

2. Sistine Chapel, Rome with strong summer sunlight reflecting through the windows of Michaelangelo's frescoes, teasing us to start meditating.

3. Graet Barrier Reef, Australia with all its colours underwater.

4. Radcliffe Square, Oxford University, England --- with its truly medieval setting and cobbled-stone alleyway in the midst of hurried students and academics.

5. Taal Volcano, Philippines ----- amazing. Described as a volcano within a lake within a volcano within a lake, with its purple hues and calming setting. Incredible !

6. Gruyeres, Switzerland is just jaw-dropping while in a train all the way up with chalets along the way and the sound of cow bells ringing and a very distinct cradle-shaped Molesons alps.

7. Sacre Couer Basilica, Paris, in a cable car, downhill ride with pine trees on both sides while the white- glistening cityscape contrasts those rows of evergreen pines trees.

8. Triniti De Monti, Rome with a view of the Basilica of St Peter's Dome along with many other domes and typical Italian red-terracota roofs.

9. Windsor, England also very medieval.

10. Iguazu Falls, Argentina, massive!

ttt......to keep it going

The first or second night in London we just ventured out and took the tube, got off at Tower Hill and watched the lights light up at the Tower. Then we walked down to the Tower Bridge and it was beautiful. We walked across and looked a the view and just happened to catch some fire works that were going off. It was very lovely.

1. Crested Butte, Colorado...after a good snow.
2. Paris...where I first truly fell in love at the ripe age of 42.
3. My own backyard in Arkansas at dusk...listening to the crickets.

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The small resort of Palm Paradise Cabanas in Southern Sri Lanka near Matara. It was unaffected by the tsunami, and interestingly is/was a personal favourite of Tony Wheeler, foudner of Lonely Planet Guides

These places come to mind as magical

1) Canyon de Chelly, New Mexico
2) Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia - the coastline is breathtaking
3) Lyme Regis,England - the cobbled walks, the Cobb, the local people and fish&chips

Definitely the Hill of Tara in Ireland. I stood on the hill, 10am on an August morning, air chilly with the morning dew, looking out at the patchwork quilt that is central Ireland. I could feel the power of the land well up inside of me.

Here are mine (in no particular order):
1. Standing in a tiny church in Eppstein, Germany - the one where all of my ancestors were baptized, married, and buried.
2. Dancing with my 9 month old daughter in St. Mark's Square one beautiful May evening 12 years ago.
3. Sitting in a pub with my husband (now deceased) in front of a roaring fire in a small village in Donegal (Ireland) and the rain "lashing" outside.
4. My first glimpse of "David" as well as my first glimpse of the Grand Canal.
5. The reception room at an orphanage in Nanning, China, where my second daughter was first placed in my arms (8 years ago).

(1) Standing on top of Beinn Mor Coigeach in north west Scotland, watching the fog evaporate before my eyes, leaving a view of hill, sea and islands as far as the eye could see, with two vapour trails across the blue sky forming the biggest St Andrews Cross ever seen by mortal Scot.

(2) Walking along the very top of the harbour wall in St Andrews, right the the very end, in early spring when the Angus hills to the north are still snowbound. Staring at the sea for as long as I want, then, if it's really calm, walking back along the top of the wall. I know there's a rational explanation why the walk back always seems more scary than the walk out, but I'm not clever enough to know what it is. Nine times out of te I wimp out and climb down the ladder to walk back along the main footway.

1. Anywhere in Venice (sigh)
2. Sitting outside of Edinburgh Castle watching the Military Tattoo
3. Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen
4. Almost anyplace on a cruise ship!

Crossing Pont Alma while watching the Eiffel Tower light show with my daughter!

Wonderful Views etc:
1)Bossico - Village high above Lago D'iseo - the "small " lake between Lake Como and Lake Garda in Italy
2) View from the top of Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa
3)View from Fiesole over Florence.

"Magic places"
1) Stonehenge in the fog.
2) St Mark's square , Venice, at 6am - before any other tourists appear.

1. Sitting at an outside cafe in Coyoacan, Mexico on Day of the Dead.

2. Sitting horseback on the top of a hill looking towards the Grand Tetons,Wyoming not a sound.

3. The night view from my parent's balcony overlooking the Inner Harbour in Victoria, Vancouver Island BC with the lights twinkling.