I enjoy hearing the praises of an unexpected find more than the gripes. Have you gone someplace with low expectations and were pleasantly surprised in finding that it far surpassed what you expected?

I will start with an international and a domestic location. Several years ago we had a SwissRail Pass. We spent the night in Interlaken and I kept looking at the big white mountain towering above the village. The next day was free and rather than exploring the village we decided on the spur of the moment to take a one-day loop train ride up the mountain to Grindevald, Junfrau, Lauderbrunen, and back to Interlaken. The Junfrau turned out to be a glacier and the trip was just fabulous for a decision made on the spur of the moment. The images of that Alpine journey are still in my mind.

My domestic surprise was the Paseo del Rio in San Antonio. In arriving for a business meeting I thought the city looked kind of dull. What an enjoyable discovery when I found the riverwalk area below street level. It was pre-Christmas and many school and church groups were out caroling along the river. I enjoyed it so much I went back with my family the next year.

Interesting....we did the same spur of the moment trip up the Eiger/Jungfrau and really thought it was quite special. So very Heidi-ish, pristine, natural, clean as can be beautiful scenery. The Swiss really take care of their land, especially the rural areas. One of my favorite memories in all of Europe.

(Just in case anyone tries to track those places down, it's Grindelwald, Jungfrau and Lauterbrunnen).

When in Hong Kong I always try to pick a clear evening to go up Victoria Peak and look at the city lights. No matter how many times I've been there I am always awed again by the thousands (millions) of lights twinkling on Hong Kong harbor.

I am fascinated by Hong Kong Harbor also. I often go to the top of Victoria Peak. Better, though, is a hotel room overlooking the harbor. I could sit for hours and watch the hustle and bustle back and forth. The thing I never get tired of is having a hotel room overlooking the harbor.

I like watching planes if I have to stay in an airport hotel. I can watch takeoffs and landings for hours!

From the roof?

I am a fireworks junkie. I go out of my way to see them over and over.

When visiting the Epcot Center in Orlando I'll always stake our position out several hours early, even miss dinner while the rest of the family continues their sightseeing.

At the summer festival in our hometown I'll go down to the park with a blanket about noon and spend eight or nine hours saving a good viewing spot for the half-hour show.

Mesa Verde and Durango Colorado. While on a trip to the Grand Canyon my husband suggested these places. I had never heard of them but he usually finds interesting places to go to, so I found a reasonable suite hotel to stay at.

Mesa Verde was very interesting, and turns out to be part of 3rd grade curriculum at my kids school, so both my boys have been able to share their photos and knowledge of Mesa Verde with the class.

Durango was such a nice little town. The people were friendly, the restaurants were good, especially the Durango Diner. It was filled with visitors from all over the world but I felt like I was in a little town somewhere just with the locals. It didn't feel like a tourist town. It was just a nice time and great location for Mesa Verde, rafting, hiking, etc... I have good memories of this area and would like to return. Of course the visit to the Grand Canyon was spectacular but I expected it to be.

Last summer my husband and I, while planning our vacation, just decided to throw all the plans out the window and just head west. We put 8,743 miles on our new car, but it was the most incredible journey we have ever made. We covered almost every western state in the beautiful United States. There is so much to see right here at home. Colorado has some of the most beautiful mountain peaks, second only to the beauty of the Grand Tetons of Wyoming. Utah posesses some of the most overwhelmingly solitare landscape I have ever experienced. And Las Vegas . . . the glorious city of lights that rises to life out of the middle of the dry desert. Not to mention the mysterious quality of Death Valley, California, or the lush beauty of Flagstaff that leaps out of the red stone surroundings of Arizona. We are surrounded by beauty. We don't need to journey across the ocean . . . there is so much right here.

About fifteen years ago we camped at Dead Horse Point State Park overlooking Canyonlands. We needed supplies and were planning to go to Moab to pick them up and be back in time for the sunset. A park ranger told us about the Old Schafer Trail. It sounded thrilling. He checked the clearance of our vehicle and gave us the O.K. We bagged the sunset and took our time enjoying the descent into the canyon. We haven't been back since but still want to do the trail again someday.

We've lived in Mililani since 1984. This last Saturday we visited the Polynesian Cultural Center for about the 12th time while enjoying a mini-vacation at Turtle Bay.

The PCC experience is, dollar for dollar, the best entertainment value on Oahu. We enjoy it so much and will go back again and again.

We saw the Samoan Chief the first time we visited, in 1984. We watched his presentation twice this past Saturday and laughed and laughed. His part in the night show was equally enjoyable. What a professional showman he is! He is simply great! Thanks for those who have provided such a wonderful, wholesome activity.

A sunset from Polihale on Kauai.

Our bartender suggested a small "sunset picnic" on our first trip over in '89, for our 10th wedding anniv. We got spooked half way out the washboard cane haul road and turned around. We stopped and watched from Kekaha. Nice but not Polihale.

The next trip over, we made it all the way and we just celebrated our 10th trip over and each time it's just as beautiful.

As for Europe, dusk from atop the Vatican's Cupola.
Ciao and mahalo,
Kal

I didn't know how pleasant Washington, D.C. was be until I went there on business. I thought that being stuck in a big city for a week was going to be a real drag but then I discovered the Smithsonian Institute and couldn't get enough of it. I want to go back and take my family.

Sunsets on the FL panhandle are a real favorite of mine,I make it down there mostly in the summer.Locals in Panama City say they are even better in Oct and Nov!

Places I've enjoyed more than once and will do again:

Zions/Bryce/Canyonlands/Sedona
Yosemite
Banff & Jasper
Haleakala on Maui
Polynesian Cultural Center
Anyplace on Kauai
Washington, D.C. especially cherry blossoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Colorado in the fall

Places we enjoyed and would love to return with more time:

Charleston
Hudson River Valley, starting at P'kpsie or Hyde Park and wending north with lots of time to explore both sides of the river.
Cape Breton Highlands
Concord Mass
Savannah
Minneapolis/St. Paul
Coast Starlight train northbound from LA
Yellowstone NP