Magic Moments
Just a few magic moments in a trip can make it a success in your mind for the rest of your life. The moon rising over the Jungfrau...being alone at your own private Stonehenge...feeling Celtic pride well up in your non-Celtic soul after hours of traditional music in an Irish pub...meeting your "Old World" relatives for the first time. Do you have a favorite magic moment from your European experience?
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Mount Rigi, Switzerland
Visiting Mount Rigi was one of the most beautiful days of my life. I took trains to Lucerne, explored the city for a bit, and then took the ferry from Lucerne to Vitznau which provides a lovely view of the lake and surrounding mountains, even on a cloud-covered day. From here I took the tram halfway up Mount Rigi to Kaltbad. It was a beautiful view, when the sun came out it was beautiful and warm. We took the aerial cablecar from Kaltbad down to Weggis and back up (though you could exit the ferry at Weggis and go up to Kaltbad that way). When arriving back at Kaltbad we walked around some more, took more photos (I love photography and it's a wonderful setting). Then we took the tram up to Rigi Kulm, the top of the mountain. You can walk up to the summit, get some soup or coffee and a few little restaurants at the top, more photos. You can return back down the mountain to Weggis or Vitznau, but since we were returning to Zurich it was easier (and provided a new route down the mountain) to take the other tram from Rigi Kulm to Art-Goldau and take a train from there to Zurich/Baden.
The day was beautiful and gorgeous and outstanding. The scenery is wonderful, the air so crisp and clean. I highly recommend it. For the more adventurous (or just well-packed with hiking clothing/boots, we had none) you could hike up parts of the mountain, take the tram up the rest of the way.
Plus, if you have a Swiss friend who can purchase a tageskarte gemeinde (a day pass) for you, all of the transportation is covered for only 33CHF for the whole day. Outstanding.
Devon
Ballwin, MO USA 12/29/2011
Paris in 1961
True story. I was in Paris in the summer of 1961 and I was walking along the sidewalks not really with a plan but just kind of meandering and enjoying myself. Well I was walking and I saw this very tan man in a black suit and tie walking towards me. He looked familiar and I concentrated on him trying to see who he was and he and I made eye contact and he smiled and I realized who it was. President Kennedy. I stopped him and not trying to make a scene out of it I just shook his hand and told him I appreciated what he was doing for our country. He thanked me and asked what I was doing here. It was like he actually knew me and wanted to know what was going on. We talked for about two minutes and he even gave me directions to a great restaurant! He then said he had to go and he shook my hand and thanked me for saying hi and walked off. It was incredible. And it occurred so randomly.
Tony
Chicago, OH USA 11/25/2011
Beauty
Going to Paris in late January was just absolutely divine. I was with my girlfriend (in just a few short weeks she'd be my fiance then later my wife) and we made reservations at a very formal but fantastic restaurant for dinner. It was late but being in our 20s after dinner we decided to forgo a cab and walk back to our hotel. As we crossed a bridge over the Seine it started to snow and we stopped and just looked out over the river and at that point I just felt so perfect it's impossible to describe. It was amazing I had the woman I loved in the city I loved and paired with the snow over the river it just made it feel magical. Gosh Paris is just........amazing.
Ryan
Cincinnati, OH USA 10/18/2011
Feeling right at home!
It was our first night in Rome, on a trip to Italy and Croatia I had pushed to make happen. My family, especially my husband, were feeling quite culture shocked and a little overwhelmed. Around the corner from our hotel my husband found a very cool Euro bar - he and our older son hung out there watching the world cup. The other patrons at this bar consisted of 2 students from our local college in Chico, CA; 2 recent graduates of University of Penn, in my hubbie's hometown of Philadelphia, and a Jordanian man who had recently relocated to Davis, CA. Needless to say, my Nor Cal family felt right at home in this company. It's truly a small world!
Jennifer Rossovich
Chico, CA USA 10/08/2011
Magic in Hyde Park
My boyfriend Mike and I are on our first international trip from the USA to London, UK. Yesterday (4 September 2011) we decided to spend a lazy grey Sunday in Hyde Park. After we reached the Diana fountain it began to rain but fortunately we packed rain jackets. We reached the Italian fountains only to find them under construction. I was a little disappointed in the outing so we decided to return to the Hyde Park corner station and find lunch. On the way we found a little raised bed "Allotment" (basically means area to garden). Walked in and spent the next few hours talking to the locals there about organic gardening in urban settings. The smell of the herbs they were growing was amazing and they had chickens! I got to show off my little 10x10 garden from back home in the states from my smartphone pictures. We talked about travel differences between Americans and Brits - the gentleman named Geoff actually has visited more US states than me, the native! So sad! By the time we were finished chatting the rain stopped and it ended up a lovely day. A wonderful afternoon all for the cost of the cheap Oyster card Tube fare.
Jennifer Prichard
Cincinnati, OH USA 09/05/2011
Rosetta Stone
I went to London earlier this year and visited the British Museum. I had been to London very briefly in 2007 but did not have the chance to visit the museum. This time I not only got to visit the museum, but see the Rosetta Stone. Although I do not have a strong history background, I was quite moved by the sight of this ancient and important piece of human history.
Kwong
San Leandro, CA USA 09/02/2011
London Special Tours
Beginnings and ends: start a London tour with RIB jet boat to Thames Barrier...fun, fast and a way to know London from its river. End with a Hairy Goat photo tour of the City..you'll get tips,enjoy your guide and see a part of London few experience!
Cathy Williams
Yakima, WA USA 07/25/2011
Highland cattle in Scotland
Highland cows in the scottish highland fields. I saw Mom resting her head lightly on her calfs neck as she observed us. Protecting her young? who knows but it was sweet and purely scottish!
JS
USA 07/23/2011
Red Poppy Fields
Just back from Scotland and N. England rounding the bend around Hadrains wall and we came upon fields of Red Poppies! I have always admired the postcards but had never experienced it, it is beautiful!
JS
Bay Area, USA 07/04/2011
My dream trip to Paris this May 2011
I've just returned from Paris and it was spectacular!!! Outside Paris, we've visited: Versailles, Giverny and castles Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fontainebleau-and it was really worth it!!!
I also made a short video on youtube if you want to see beautiful places that saw. In discription area, you can also download my pictures that you like the most.:-) Enjoy!
Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWFN3tqmiWM
Enis
Zagreb, Croatia 06/11/2011
Finding Italian Grandmother's Village
Finding my Nonna's house in Morrone del Sannio was incredible. I stood in the doorway to the house where she was born. We traveled from Naples east into the hill country at the base of the Appenine Mountains, found her birth certificate at City Hall and the kind man in the office led us to her house. It was long-abandoned and rather depressing. I walked the alley where she play, visited the yard of the church where she was baptised and strolled through the village that was her home until she came to the US. It was an unforgettable moment and I'm dying to go back and spend more time. I found my grandfather's village too, but it was nearly destroyed by the L'Aquilla earthquake and was all but a ghost town with the main street blocked by rubble and fenced off. See my pictures and read about it on my blogsite.
http://checkthediditbox.blogspot.com/2011/03/find-nanas-village-in-italy-did-it.html
Kathy Gleaves
Seattle, Wa USA 05/08/2011
Tour de France in Nice
Two summers ago, my husband and I spent part of our vacation in Nice, France. One of the days we'd planned to take a trip to Monaco, but the manager of our hotel told us that the Tour de France would be riding through Nice that day for their second stage. I'm a HUGE planner and I'd planned on our going to Monaco that day, but we decided to go with serendipity and wait with the hordes of people along the Promenade des Anglais and watch for the cyclists. I felt like a kid at a parade as various vehicles came through, throwing candy to the crowd, offering bottles of water on this incredibly hot day, tossing Tour de France caps in the air for people to grab ... next, the fire department came riding through squirting grateful people with water. The friendly crowd explained to us the various stages, etc of the Tour de France. Finally we had word that the cyclists were coming ... such excitement! ... They whizzed through in one quick moment, but a magical moment it certainly was!
Dorothy
New York, NY USA 03/11/2011
World Cup Soccer
Last summer I took my first trip to Europe. We had a great time seeing all of the usual tourist locations in Spain and Italy. By far one of my favorite moments of the trip (and of my life so far) was watching Spain play in the World Cup final. My friends and I watched the game in the center of Barcelona on several giant screens with hundreds and thousands of Spaniards. It was one of those indescribable moments in life that probably can't be duplicated.
Christine
Barcelona, PA USA 03/06/2011
Gimmelwald
We visited Murren last year, and met a Rick Steve's tour on the cable car to the Schilthorn. Happy friendly bunch! We also hiked through Gimmelwald after a visit to Trummelbach Falls, found a sign saying " cheese for sale" on a farmhouse garden gate, walked in, found nobody - just cheese and a basket to put your money. We then bought cheese and hiking further up toward Murren, still completely by ourselves except for goats, found what we guessed to be Rick's favorite Alpine bench, and ate cheese and oohed and aahed. Priceless! (except for the modest price of the cheese) Thanks again! PS The Eiger guesthouse in Murren was lovely. Just the descriptions in the Scottish owner's whiskey menu were rare unexpected entertainment!
Lisa Ramey
Jaffrey, NH USA 11/29/2010
Unplanned stops - Macedonia
Riding our bikes into the republic of Macedonia, climbing a very steep hill we looked across the road to see a couple of ladies 70- and 80-something feeding wood into a barrel in their yard. We stopped to see what they were doing. With no common language we introduced ourselves, established where we were from, and asked what they were doing. "Rakija!" was their reply. Turns out it was a still, and they were distilling grape wine into brandy or rakija depending on which language you prefer. With big grins the elder, Uba, pulled back the cheesecloth from the collecting bucket, dipped in a shot glass and held it out for us to taste. It was strong and tasty, reallly strong and tasty. You could probably set it afire. They offered us more but I mimed falling off my bike, bringing laughs to all. These encounters, which seem more common when we are on bike, are the magical moments that keep us traveling.
Laura Wanker
Silverton, OR USA 11/07/2010
First Impressions :)
Our first trip to England, just to watch the Burghley horse trials. We had already been pleasantly surprised by the beautifully preserved little villages with all of the church steeples of Lincolnshire. After sixteen hours of travel and trying to drive for the first time on the left, we finally arrived at Burghley park on Wednesday to pick up our tickets for the horse trial. We drove in the south entrance and then through the park to the way out. Coming over the hill crested by ancient trees, we got our first look at Burghley House, glittering in the setting sun, with picnickers sprawled on the flawless lawn. We literally had our breath taken away! It was truly magic, even though my mom spoiled it a bit by her exaggerated astonishment over the speckled, double-antlered deer behind a fence.
Elizabeth
Silverton, OR USA 09/24/2010
Backpacks that allow magic to happen
One of many magic moments on our recent 3 week trip happened at the airline gate before we left. When we checked in we found our flight had just been canceled. There was only one other flight option that day, and we had missed the 30 minute check in, yet we ran to the next concourse, got ticketed but were told we were technically too late, but they would allow us to try to get to the gate.
Thank you Rick Steves' convertible backpack suitcase. With all our gear on our backs (we never could have made it with wheels) we ran to security, then we ran down the long escalator to the train tunnel, and since the train had just left, we ran all the way to the 2nd terminal(500 yards), then up the 200 step escalator, then ran to (of course) the last gate, and finally the magic. The Delta gate crew was actually waiting for us. "We saw that you were flying to Paris and we weren't going to go without you."
Tom Sparough
Cincinnati, OH USA 08/17/2010
Paris
Christmas night in Paris for my wife and I was one of the most magical moments of our life. For those of you haven't been to Paris on Christmas, the whole city with the exception of a few cafe's and a very few restaurants, shuts down so that people can be with their families. My wife and I had bought some microwave meals as our Christmas dinner and were thoroughly not looking forward to eating them as we had been dining on top class French cuisine for 3 days previous. We therefore decided to strike out and find a restaurant. Our salvation came in the Latin Quarter where I had the most amazing hamburger I have ever eaten. Thats right, hamburgers in Paris. From there, we crossed over the bridge, past Notre Dame, turned left at Ru De Rivoli towards the Louvre, and then just as we came to the Lourve we heard saxophone music echoing out from one of the breezeways that lead to the Lourve entrances. We turned down this passage way and recognized La Vie En Rose coming from this mans sax. We continued through the breezeway so that we are standing near the pyramids while still being able to hear La Vie En Rose and took in the beauty all around us. We could see the museum all lit up in front of us, the Tuileries behind us, and the Eiffel Tower off in the distance. As lame and touristy as it sounds, this was a magical moment for us.
Zach
Fresno, CA, CA USA 08/05/2010
Traditional Irish music in Clifden, Ireland
Griffins Pub in Clifden, Ireland drew us to it with the welcome sound of lilting traditional Irish music wafting out its open door during our post-dinner stroll. The talented musicians (mostly guys in their late teens) were terrific. Give them a listen if you're in town.
(The musicians at the pub were we'd dined played American oldies. That actually was our experience at almost every pub we visited during our recent two-week stay in Ireland.)
Lynne
Bedford, NH USA 07/30/2010
Magical Evening
We called oursselves the "dirty dozen";6 couples (5 Brits and 1 Yank). We had all become good friends as we traveled across the length and breadth of the Iberian penninsula in our RVs. We explored the regions on our scooters during the day and at night sat around a roaring fire and shared all that we had--dreams and aspirations--food and wine.
On one especially lovely evening someone got out a Glen Miller CD and began to play it, and on that beautifully glorious night we twelve forgot all about the past and cared nothing about the future as we danced together under sparkling Portuguese stars.
Michael Hixson
Mendota Heights, MN USA 06/15/2010
An angel in Civitavecchia, Italy
Our trip did not start right. First of all, I left the Gorillapod that my husband bought for this trip. After we were dropped off at the airport, that was when my husband realized that he left his pocket money with our eldest son, (he was left incharge of the house and his two other siblings + pet) & what my husband has was the money intended for the kids to use in our absence. On the plane, the TV monitors on our row were not working. Upon arrival at the Flumicino airport, we paid for round-trip train tickets instead of one-way. When we reached Civitavecchia, it was already dark and there were no taxis around to take us to our hotel. The directions from the train station to the hotel seems easy, but we had a hard time finding the street names of the place (some of the streets have signs on the corner of the building, some do not). My husband and I were tired and sweaty dragging our luggages on those cobblestone streets when we happened upon a young family. Asking for directions, we couldn't understand each other since they spoke no English, so we tried our best with sign language. At least we understood when they said 'sorry', so we went on our way again. We found someone who told us to just go straight. As we were again dragging our luggages (it seems like forever), a small car stopped next to us. It was the man we were trying to communicate with earlier (now without his wife and small child). In sign/body language & broken English (& Italian in our part), we understood that he came back for us to take us to our hotel. At first we didn't want to impose, but he was insistent. Apparently, the hotel was still quite far for a walk than we thought. We would have been roaming the streets all night long since the hotel was quite hard to find. Before he left, I was teary-eyed saying 'thank you' to him while gesturing my hands towards my heart. My husband gave him a huge hug and said 'thank you, angel." I knew then that our trip was going to be alright.
Carmita
Vacaville, CA USA 06/02/2010
Rome
First trip to Rome, 1999, didn't know who Rick Steves' was, so stood in line to get tickets for the Vatican Museum for 2 hours, so tired I could barely stand due to it being my last day of a 2 week whirlwind tour of Europe, followed a huge group of nuns through the museum, and walked through a small door (not realizing where I was) and found myself in a small chapel. Flashback 20+ years, I am in middle school and I have a very passionate art teacher who spent a lot of time teaching us about all the great artists. Her ability to make art come alive made a young girl dream about going to Rome to see the art for herself. It took me 20 years, but I finally made it, and I didn't even know it. Everyone in the room was standing still and looking up, (you can tell how tired I was because if you have ever been there you know there are signs along the way to show you how to get to this particular chapel). I looked up and when I saw "The Creation of Man" by Michelangelo I realized where I was and started to cry. The Sistine Chapel was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen. For years I had dreamed about seeing it and there I was.
Most of the art had been cleaned and they were working on one of the corners so there was scaffolding up. It was amazing to see the difference between how it looked before and the vibrant colors after they cleaned it. This magic moment is hard to top for me. I am so happy that I will be going back this summer and now that I have done my Rick Steves' research, I know how to skip the ticket line!
Sherry
Colorado Springs, CO USA 04/26/2010
Rome
A special night in Rome will forever leave me recalling that night we danced under the stars with the kindest people we have ever met. We walked among hundreds of people - families - into the romantic Roman summer night and at about 10 p.m. we came to a fair at the Castel Sant'Angelo. My three children ages 5, 7 and 9 years of age danced under the stars under the shadow of the castle to wonderful Italian music. Lovely local men and women were dressed in native clothing and taught my children the traditional dances and paired the children with children from other countries. It was fantastic, fun, lively and wonderful to see everyone coming together in the joy of dance -great music - kind warm hearted Romans loving dance and our children. Italy was a dream come true and this was a night my children shared joy within the Italian culture.
Caroline
Lynnfield, MA USA 04/20/2010
Magic Moments
While visiting Heidelberg, Germany, we stayed up very late at the sidewalk (really the narrow street) in front of our hotel. We conversed in fractured German and schoolroom English with a man named Heinrich who was sitting in his chair, tilted back against the wall of the hotel reading the newspaper. We talked of everything imaginable and drank prodigious amounts of beer right along with "Henry"....The exact same thing happened the next night when we returned to our hotel and sat at the street tables until after midnight, again talking with "Henry" about our travels, our families, our education -- you name it, "Henry" was interested. On neither night did our conversation pal leave before we did -- both nights as they stacked the chairs on the tables. On Sunday morning as we were checking out, I noticed "Henry" sitting in a corner of the dining room, still reading his newspaper. I jokingly asked the young man at the desk if "Henry" ever goes home. His reply? "Oh, Heinrich owns the hotel." I was blown away when we were charged for only one night at the hotel. I approached "Henry" and told him he would not be in business long if he did not collect what was due him. He replied that we were "different" from most Americans that had visited his hotel. We hadn't called in the middle of the night to say our room was too hot/too cold, our pillows were too hard/too soft, the toilets were noisy, etc. We also had not asked for bacon, eggs and pancakes at 11:00 in the morning. I asked him if "...people really did that sort of thing...? And he replied, "No, not people, just Americans!" I was immediately embarrassed for every other American in the hotel. But I'll never forget the conversations at the street-side tables until the wee hours.
Ed Whitby
Allentown, PA USA 04/04/2010
Paris at night
A short walk to a small Italian restaurant in Paris (yes, we had Italian in Paris) where the owner was gracious and food marvelous. A stroll to the Seine followed by a tourist cruise on the river, applause as the Eiffel Tower sparkled every hour. Paris at night, the city of love.
Tom Iarossi
Encinitas, CA USA 03/21/2010
And around this corner...
My first trip to Europe was to Rome. I had a planned itinerary all written out, and did not realize how walkable Rome is compared to a city like NYC. I had not seen the Colosseum yet but had a planned tour coming up a few days into my trip. I went to dinner one evening and as I was walking back to my hotel, the sun was starting to set, making the ancient buildings and ruins look so beautiful and without realizing it, I turned the corner and there it was. The Colosseum. It stopped me in my tracks. It really hit me then how wonderful and huge it was. I spent a long time staring at it, taking in the details and got some really nice shots with the sun setting behind it. I was also so surprised at how close to the main road it was and wondered how many people go rushing by it, not appreciating it. That was a magical moment. One I will never forget.
Colleen
Orlando, FL USA 02/23/2010
Paris
Since I first started taking French classes back in 6th grade, I dreamed of going to Paris. We even got pen pals from France and I corresponded with mine for more than 10 years. In 10th grade our school offered a trip to Paris and Rome and I was all set to go- deposit paid and all. Then there were bombings in the Metro and with the security measures the trip was subsequently canceled. Fast forward 20 years... we were visiting friends in Brussels and, knowing we were SO close by train, I just had to get to Paris. I never knew if we'd ever be back. We went for the day and walked/rode all over the city, yet my magic moment was seeing the Eiffel Tower. We emerged from the Metro, walked around the corner and there it was... finally! My eyes welled up, sap that I am, as I realized a dream had come true.
Andrea
Montgomery, NY USA 02/10/2010