Hi Eva, <BR> There are several places that come to mind, but there are three that stick out in my mind more than the others. <BR> (1) Tintagel Castle on the north coast of Cornwall <BR> (2) Minack Theatre in Porthcurno near Lands End <BR> (3) Wengen in the Jungfrau area of Switzerland

Hi all, and thanks topper! Since finding this site around six months ago, I have become familiar with a lot of you,,and now feel very warm and fuzzy about this forum,,,Eva, this is a nice post, and it was good to read about others magical places, and love of travel,,,I, too, am differant person when I travel and hopefully a better one since finding this great"travel lounge"... MUIR WOODS,CA; Montserrat(Spain); Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii; Westminster Abbey, London; top of Duomo in Florence; top of Notre Dame,....so many places so little time.....

Thank you for asking! <BR> The most magical place I,ve been to is the Hill Country Texas- not around cities and certainly without any definate plans. The many clear and cold rivers just beg to be swam in. Some are so cold during the summer you actually go numb! The scenery is a mixture of desolate and vibrant(?) Truly a magical place.

Of all of the places I've been (not as many as a lot of you), my magical place was the first time I stood in the middle of a grove of giant redwood trees. It was a truly magical moment. <BR> <BR>Art

No particular order <BR> <BR>Standing on the Cliffs of Moher with my best friend. <BR> <BR>Coffee and a muffin on the terrace cafe at the Kauai Hilton just after daybreak. <BR> <BR>Sitting inside the ring of roses on the castle grounds in Heidelberg. <BR> <BR>A bench in Cambridge watching the University students

The first helicopter drop in the Canadian Rockies (Caribous) on a heli-hiking trip - on top of the world where few people have been - awesome!!

Germany's Externsteine, midway between Detmold and Paderborn. A site of Pagan worship, co-opted by the church after Christianity's domination of the region. Not to get all "new-agey", but it can produce some powerful feelings on a misty Westphalian morning-tide... <BR> <BR>Also try wndering the Lüneburger Heide (Heath), in the vicinity of Wilsede, on a moon-lit night.

What a great question. <BR> <BR>1)LUNA RUNTUN which stands half way between heaven and earth,between the majesty of a volcano above and the roar of a river below in Banos Ecuador. <BR> 2)The little town called Montefioralle outside of Florence where not many tourist know about. <BR>3)Sina cathedral.

magical and mysterious to me... <BR>-Venice (off-season) <BR>-Bazaar Sabado in San Angel, Mexico City on a Saturday morning <BR>-Sintra, Portugal...take a right at the house where Lord Byron lived and drive into the woods along the mountainside...

- The view from the rooftop garden at the Acropolis View Hotel in Athens was a magical place to me. I'd sit on the rooftop garden in the evening or any time of the day and seeing the Parthenon so close was magical to me. <BR>-Camping along a fjord in Norway and waking up to the early morning and seeing all that glorious scenery. <BR>- Looking from a distance at Segovia castle in Spain is magical to me too. I love that castle.

Thanks for the inspiration....My three, in no particular order, <BR>Northwestern Glacier in the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, on a clear day; <BR>Na Pali from Kokee State Park (and a strong second for the sunset view from Cafe Hanalei); <BR>Lake Titicaca, but I was there a long time ago. <BR>...And the luster of antiquity in many many places in Europe. <BR>Aloha, <BR>k

I am compeletly biased, but after travelling the worls - there is only one magic place in the world for me - New Zealand. A country dreams are made of.

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Here are my magic places: <BR> <BR>1. At the top of Rousillion, Fr. at sunset - the light magically sets the red cliffs on fire! <BR> <BR>2. Assisi - the highest walk way in town is spiritual. <BR> <BR>3. Volcano Nat'l. Park - near any steam vent...makes you remember that the Earth is alive.

Thanks for sharing your magical places, they all brought those tingling feelings, which I enjoy so much when traveling. Here's my moment… <BR> <BR>Somewhere in the Aegean Sea, on my way to Istanbul, Turkey I woke up around 5:30 in the morning and wandered out to the ship's deck where I sat by myself and witnessed the most incredible sunrise. The skies exploding in a magnificent pink, the ocean awoke in the deepest of blues, the small surrounding islands stood desolate yet saturated with spirit. With the earth and air as my only campaigns, I reflected upon my life and began to weep. Everything became clear; life was so beautiful. More importantly, it was at this moment, I became conscious of my love for a boy back home and realized "he was the one." <BR> <BR>We're married and traveling, living happily ever after… <BR>

the Azure Window <BR> <BR>in Gozo, Malta, breathtaking.

A little hamlet outside of Forcalquier, France. Lying on the grass on a bluff, hand in hand with my life's partner, summer evening with the Big Dipper just above us, pouring down its sweet and universal magic all over our lives.

Dal Lake, by Srinigar, in northern India <BR>is heaven on earth. Staying on houseboats made from sandalwood, on a lake which does not allow motorized craft is wonderful. You get rowed around in boats where you get in and basically sit or lie on mattresses (not a gondola, but the same idea). At night with complete silence except for the ripple of the water, and the Himalayans in the distance, it is magical. As darkness descends and the stars are visible, the atmosphere is wonderful. I'm glad I went when I did, because it is now restricted because of racial and political difficulties.

1. Standing on the beach at Dover, looking over the choppy, murky water of the channel and knowing my grandfather crossed that water 40 years ago as a soldier - then looking over my shoulder to give him a smile. <BR>2. standing in front of Abbey Rd studios <BR>with my dad <BR>3.anywhere on the paths of the cinque terre - where my wife and i spent a magigal 4 days

Wow--this is a long thread! <BR> <BR>1. Hiking up the Picos de Europa mountains in northern spain, surrounded by green, then stumbling on a natural spring well at the top. <BR> <BR>2. In Siena, the view from the top of the tower in the main piazza is pure magic. <BR> <BR>3. Everywhere in Taoromina. <BR> <BR>3.

My magical places: <BR> <BR>Zermatt, Switzerland <BR>Crested Butte, Colorado <BR>Monchsberg in Salzburg, Austria <BR>Fall(season)in Somerset, PA

Getting bombed out of my mind on whiskey on the back deck of my beach house at Topsail Beach, NC on a clear,sunny blue day with a brisk ocean breeze in my face and a beach with at least a couple of young ladies who fill out their bikinis in delightful ways.

Florence, at night, from a garden terrace above the town, a bottle of red wine with between the little woman and me.

What a great topic. <BR>1. Sunrise at Taormina, Sicily from the Rooftop of the Hotel Isola Bella. As the pescatori, perhaps unaware of the exquisite beauty of their surroundings, make their way out to sea for another day's toil. The way the colors shift and dance, the shimmer of the water, the perfection of it all. <BR>2. The Isle of Capri at night. <BR>3. The village of Castle Combe, Wiltshire, England.

Harry brought to mind a (couple, three, four...well, five or so great memories...) ...mostly off the coast near Almada-Lisboa... lived there for a year <BR> <BR>Thanks, Harry, for your candor!(sp?) <BR>lol

Whoooops! didn't mean the bikini thing... lol <BR>Was thinking more the great scenery and mood....oh, and that Portuguese wine...

see it...?

Sharan, I agree with you. No Bikinis. <BR>I didn't remember posting on this a year ago. I mentioned a grove of giant Sequoias. I would also say that another magic place would be in my mind as I think about my past travels and looking forward to the next places. <BR>

What a lovely, lovely thread. So many places left to go see..I wish for everyone to reach their dreams. <BR> <BR>Top 3? Tough: <BR>1. Waking up on my honeymoon in Villa d'Este to see Lake Como bathed in the early morning light, mountains beckoning in the background and birds chirping happily. <BR> <BR>2.Absolute silence like I'd never ever heard before somewhere on the top of the Black Mountains in Germany. <BR> <BR>3.Palazzo Sasso, Ravello...our first night there, we saw the lights of a cruise ship docked in the bay, fireworks going off in the night sky, and the sweet chords of a music festival wafting up to our terrace. <BR> <BR>sighhhhh

Tuolomne (sp) Meadows above Yosemite Valley <BR> <BR>Eating a toasted salame sandwich on Siena's Campo in the sun <BR> <BR>Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill Kentucky <BR> <BR>Cherokee Park in Louisville, Kentucky <BR>

River, lake, sea, ocean, any big body of water.

It is not an easy question but... <BR> <BR>The first sight of Grand Canyon from South Rim road. <BR> <BR>Lagoa do Fogo in Sao Miguel Island ( Azores Archipelago ). Really awesome. <BR> <BR>A snowy day touring the white villages in Southern Spain. <BR> <BR>Prague´s Charles Bridge at night. <BR> <BR>Voringfossen ( Norway ) at dusk ( about 11: 00 pm ). <BR> <BR>Albarracín pink-coloured town and walls at dusk. <BR> <BR>La Mer de Glace from Le Montenvers final station ( French Alps ) <BR> <BR>Every place in Iceland. <BR> <BR>The same for stormy Arizona in summer. <BR> <BR>Brugge´s Cathedral area almost alone, just the water flowing under the bridge. <BR> <BR>A "Festa" at night in Three Villages ( Malta ). <BR> <BR>First glimpse arriving at Venice. <BR> <BR>

A quiet bridge, suspended over glacier water in Interlaken, Switzerland. I met a fellow American at our place of lodging and he invited me out to walk with him. It was raining and we still ventured out with sweaters and wraps. We hiked to a castle ruins and looked out from a small tower. On the way back, we stopped on a covered bridge and just listened. There were cows bells in the background, the water was forceful and white, and a little old lady with her dog walked by us with a pointing finger. She thought we were getting a little too familiar! It's a memory I'll never forget. And hope that I can relive.

All my (short) life I wanted to visit Europe. I wanted most of all to see Neuschwanstein, Ludwig's castle in the clouds in Bavaria. I passed up the chance to go as a high school backpacker and once child #1 came along I thought the dream was gone, if not for ever then for many many years. <BR> <BR>Another chance came along and we grabbed it. I remember so vividly walking up the steep paved slopes behind the castle and reaching the Maria Brucke. Walking out on it, turning around and KAPOW! - there it was. Soaring, majestic and absolutely so much more wonderful than I ever dreamed it would be. I didn't ever want to leave. <BR> <BR>There have been many trips and many more wonderful sights since then, but that mental picture will always hold a special place in my heart because at that moment all I could think was "I made it. I really and truly made it." <BR> <BR>Mrs. turnip is under strict orders that when I finally fall off the truck (turnip truck that is) to scatter my ashes while standing on that very bridge. <BR> <BR>Cheers, the turnip

Turnip, <BR> <BR>Too Funny!!! I too, always wanted to go to "The Castle"... ever since I started traveling to Europe. <BR> <BR>As it goes... <BR> <BR>The first time I passed up Neuschwanstein, I decided to go instead, from Innsbruck, thru the dolomites, to Venice for a look-see... <BR> <BR>The second time, from Munich, missed the train stop... <BR> <BR>Third time, got sick in Munich, and just couldn't do it! <BR> <BR>I'll get there. Just you wait and see.

Ireland, especially, Inishmore (Aran Islands) and the Dingle Peninsula <BR> <BR>Eating breakfast and people watching at a sidewalk cafe in Paris <BR> <BR>View of the Manhattan skyline from the river <BR> <BR>

New Orleans. It's been six years since I've been there but, as they say down there, I've got the Bayou in my blood. Paris would be next. I hope to be going back to Paris in September. I have a strong feeling that Spain is calling me and will become one of those places. Just a hunch.

A difficult question, as the more I travel, the more magic places I discover. <BR> <BR>Older favorites: <BR>Connemara in the West of Ireland <BR>Donegal in the North West of Ireland <BR>The Ring of Kerry (minus the throngs of tourists and does not include Kilarney) <BR>Moses Mountain in the Sinai at sunrise (I don't think I could ever face that climb again - thank GOD I took photos) <BR>Every other site I visited in Egypt Luxor, Dandera, Valley of the Kings/Queens) <BR>Paris: The Marais, The Pont des Arts, (actually - most of it) <BR>Prague: Charles Bridge, the Old Square <BR>London area: Richmond Park, Chelsea on Sunday morning <BR> <BR>New discoveries this year (in Spain): <BR>Segovia <BR>Barcelona: L'Eixample area, Bari Gotic <BR> <BR>In June (hopefully): <BR>Siena, Lucca and parts of Florence <BR> <BR>Regards

Wow, I've been to many amazing place, but the key word here is 'magic'. In no particular order: <BR> <BR>-waking up to the view of the Himalayas from Gorepani in Nepal <BR> <BR>-Petra, Jordan, with the sun shining on the massive stones <BR> <BR>-Bellagio, Lake Como, with the mist over the lake and the geraniums blooming bright red <BR> <BR>-sunset in Santorini <BR> <BR>How fortunate we've been to be able to travel.

Great question/thread. Travel in and of itself is always magical to me. Some really special places/moments: <BR> <BR>France: Chateau de Beynac has the most spectacular/magic area where one can sit and view the Dordogne River valley and just reflect on the glory of life and travel. <BR> <BR>The steps in front of Sacre Coeur in Paris at dusk <BR> <BR>Italy: Saint Mark's Square in Venice at night with one of the many orchestras playing Andre Bocelli in the background <BR> <BR>England: walking late in the evening among any of the back streets in London's Mayfair district -- takes you back in time <BR> <BR>Sitting listening to the choir at evensong at King's College, Cambridge <BR> <BR>Innsbruck, Austria or London, England at Christmas time <BR> <BR>John