The view from the walls at Aigues Mortes in the Camargue, looking out toward the marshland and the sea; <BR>Emerging from the Waldo Tunnel on US Hwy 101 and being confronted with the Golden Gate Bridge and the city behind it; <BR>An early, early morning walk across Westminster Bridge and up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square; <BR>The view at sunset from the Mount of Olives over the old city of Jerusalem. <BR> <BR>Oh, Bill, <BR>Haven't looked for polar bears from a float plane (but have had a brown bear nudge my sleeping bag through the tent wall) but... fishing for halibut in a 14' Smokercraft off St. George Island in the Pribilofs (Bering Sea) and being investigated realll closely by a bowhead whale the size of a submarine. Felt like we were bait. <BR>

Somle more 'magic' places in 4 continents: <BR>1. Europe : the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca (Spain) <BR>2. America : Copan (ancient Mayan site in Honduras) <BR>3. Asia : The landscape south of Guilin <BR>around Yangshuo(Guanxi province; south of China) <BR>4. Africa : The Ténéré desert (Niger) <BR> <BR>Jef

To me this question isn't necessarily about places that have the most breathtaking view or anything like that, but rather, about those particular places that vibrate with some special energy, or induce daydreams, or make you realize how small you are or how big everything else is, or make you suddenly feel more awake or alive than you ever have before, or a place where the second you set foot there you felt that you had been there before, or a place that for some reason feels more comfortable and homey than your own bed, or a place that makes you feel like you're looking at everything differently than you ever had, or where you feel a spiritual presence, or a deep sense of calm, or a larger awareness of the people and things around you, or that otherwise speaks to you or has some special inexplicable resonance for you. These aren't necessarily the places I've enjoyed the most, or that took my breath away when I saw them, but just places I responded to in a way that is extraordinary. In no particular order: <BR> <BR>Punting on the river Cam, Cambridge, England. <BR> <BR>Takkakaw Falls and Peyto Lake in the Canadian Rockies. <BR> <BR>Dupont Circle, and the west steps of the Capitol, Washington DC. <BR> <BR>One particular trail in Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica (just back -- trip report in Latin America forum).

Lisa, I really like your description or explanation of what this thread is looking for, so in response to that ... <BR> <BR>Just about anyplace with an awesome view of Manhattan; the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge, out the window of the airplane as you are approaching NYC, Midtown or Downtown craning your neck looking up at the buildings, or, absolutely best of all, sitting in a quiet spot in Central Park, but with a view of all the buildings bordering it. The contrast is amazing, I can never take enough pictures! And no place can make my heart pound (with excitement, not fear!) the way Manhattan does!

Lisa--- I reallly liked the way you re-stated the original concept of the question.

Here are a three of my favorite places: <BR> <BR>In Seville at a terrace café at the Guadalquivir, drinking a Tinto de verano and watching the river. <BR> <BR>Also in Seville, El Puente de Triana in the middle of the night, listening and speaking to the river. <BR> <BR>In Salobreña, Spain, Sitting at the top of a giant rock, feeling the sea breeze and watching the Mediterranean. <BR>

-"Caminante no hay camino, se hace camino al andar"- <BR> Antonio Machado <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

This is a wonderful question I have enjoyed all the answers and hope to even check some of these places out for myself. Here are mine <BR>1. The countryside of Wales near Bala - breathtaking, peaceful <BR>2. Kensington Market, Toronto, Canada- where I live but it is so alive and funky <BR>3. Pont Neuf bridge Paris - sitting there watching the sun go down behind the Eiffle Tower - thinking about the wonderful day I just spent. <BR>4. The surrounding area of Fano, Italy - Mountains, Valleys, I never wanted to leave (not just because of the food)

What a lovely question! And what fun to read everyone else's responses. <BR> <BR>Hard to pick but would have to say - <BR> <BR>1) Cinque Terre, Italy - Making that first mountain climb from Monterosso al Mare, up into the hills toward Varnazza, and then turn around and see where you've been. <BR> <BR>2) Jasper Park in the Rockies - Camping along the Athabaska River and seeing bear with their young feeding along the distant shore. <BR> <BR>3) Kuta Beach, Bali - Watching the sunset colours blend between sky and sea. <BR> <BR>Sigh....

<BR> <BR>Gravelly Point, at the north end of the long runway at National Airport in Washington DC. <BR>I could sit there for hours watching the planes land. <BR>It's better when the wind is from the south, since the planes will be landing from the north, and swoop down about 100 ft above your head. <BR>This has always been my secret weapon for fussy out-of-town visitors. Even my mother loved it (just one more plane! Please!) <BR>As an added bonus, there's a beautiful view of the monuments on the other side of the Potomac river. <BR>

1. I have to agree with Gravelly Point, but I've always liked watching airplanes take off and land, anywhere. <BR> <BR>2. For sheer beauty, the very tip of Ocracoke Island, NC, during a sunset. You feel like you're on the surface of the moon. <BR> <BR>3. But for magic, anywhere in Paris. I feel more alive there than anywhere else.

My favorite places that seem to give me alittle bit of magic: <BR> <BR>1) On top of Calton Hill in Edinburgh, overlooking the city, the countryside & the Firth of Forth. <BR>2)Walking up to the top of the hill & from the castle in Salzburg, overlooking the country side & city. <BR>3)Driving up West Washington Ave, in Madison, WI, day or night, towards the State Capitol building. The stature of that building from that approach is magnificant.

1)Canoe Island Lodge on Lake George, NY. a bavarian lodge in the adirondacks. total family haven <BR>2) piazza Di spagna, Rome, on a summer night with friends and a bottle of wine. <BR>3)Kiawuh Island, SC. low country nature 20 min outside charleston <BR>4) the Mall in D.C. at night <BR>sorry these are all in the us!

If there is one place that I would say is magical, it would be Cornwall. I love the dolmens, castle ruins, rugged coastline, and the Arthurian Legends. It is a truly amazing part of England and of the world.

Watching the sunset at Oia, Santorini. I thought I was in heaven.

To the Top

The Grand Plaza in Brussels when the lights came on in the evening; being awakened at 4:00 a.m. by the church bells tolling the hour, and with the moon shining in and a cool breeze blowing through the french doors of the hotel balcony in a village three miles straight up above Montrose in Switzerland; the view from the Nuuanii Pali in Oahu--or most anyplace else in Hawaii, especially with a rainbow.

1. Stourhead house and gardens in England <BR> <BR>2. Old Town Square in Prague <BR> <BR>3. Piazza Navona in Rome

Prague- the arts and romantic feel on the Charles Bridge <BR> <BR>Bali - the multicolor sunset and its reflection on the water <BR> <BR>Inner Mongolia - never ended grassland and wild horses <BR> <BR>Amsterdam - sunshine, bicycles & canals <BR> <BR>Edinburgh - friendly and smiley Scottish people

Here are my 4: <BR> <BR>#1 - Standing in front of the Sphinx, with the Giza pyramids peering over its shoulders (even better, I once stood between the paws, and then walked around the entire Sphinx at gound level!). <BR> <BR>#2 - Standing at the "Window of Appearances" in the Temple of Medinet Habu, across the Nile from Luxor. Few tourists ever go here. You need a good floor plan; this is where the Pharaoh Ramses III would stand. <BR> <BR>#3 - The "Holy of Holies" in the Great Temple of Karnak in Luxor. The only two people who were even allowed into this room were the Pharaoh and the High Priest of Amon. You can stand in the same room where Ramses II stood! <BR> <BR>#4 - Venice...pure magic....