I forgot just one more important memory that has led to further contributions.

11) Peeing for the 1st time out in the open & contributing to a greener envirnomnent on the island of Crete, Greece. This was done in the palm forest of Preveli behind the beach. I was about to do it, when a wild goat came behind me, I looked up & hitched up my pants again & found another spot away from the peeping tom goat! This incident has now given me the confidence to pee in the open when hiking! No inhibitions! Think of the lush greenery u are contributing!

May LOL;

I just remembered another one

11. Doing a nude border crossing between Portugal and Spain and I was sober

This was a nice thread, I forgot about it and reposted my best 10 moments, LOL

1) Picnicing on the Champ de Mars on our first night in Paris and hearing a collective "Ah-h-h" go up from the crowd as the Eiffel Tower began twinkling at dark.

2) Entering Sacre Coeur Cathedral, among all the twinkling prayer candles, and seeing a small group of nuns file into the church and begin singing. It sounded like angels.

3) Tasting my first Nutella crepe!

4) Falling asleep in my bed in Cinque Terre in total silence, with only the swishing sound of the waves in my ears.

5) While going down to the Vernazza harbor for breakfast on the town’s one street, I had to get out of the way of several fishermen carrying their fishing boats on the shoulders down to the harbor to set out for the day. I felt like I had gone back in time.

7) Renting a motorboat in Cinque Terre and cruising up and down the coast by ourselves.

6) Getting my butt pinched in Rome. Not a favorite memory, but definitely a memory.

7) Being attacked by pidgeons in St. Mark’s Square, while my kids laughed and video’ed it. (And having the same teenage daughter awe-struck that she was standing where Ashton Kutcher stood in the movie "Just Married".)

8) Having our Bangladeshi couchette-mate dragged out of his bed at 3 a.m. at the Swiss-French border and hauled off the train for not having a visa. (A rather scary memory.)

9) Wandering alone by car through the hillfoots of Scotland and "discovering" Castle Campbell, in all it’s ruined glory.

10) Treking through a rain forest in Mexico (near Tulum) with a machete-weilding guide and emerging from the underbrush to discover a hidden pyramid in the midst of the jungle – just as impressive as Chichenitza (sp) but tucked in the forest. We felt like we’d discovered it ourselves.

11) Heading up the highway from Calgary to Banff and Lake Louise our first evening and noting the lovely purple "clouds" at the horizon, only to discover they were the &quoturple mountain’s magesty" of the song’s fame.

There’s ten, but no particular order

Christmas Eve in London, sheets of rain, very romantic even though dinner sucked, met up with bf’s roommate and all his 20 ‘brothers’ (African kinship can be different from Americans’)

Hogmanay in Edinburgh

Helicopter ride over Napali coast on Kauai, Hawaii

Dinner with a very nice middle-aged couple in Cambridge, they bumped into us on the street, just wanted to invite us young kids from the States

dodging West Highland cows in Plockton, Scotland

tiny beach to ourselves on Corfu

Hanging out at a crowded pub in Galway, downing Guinness and listening to live music

Eiffel Tower at 11:30 at night

getting lost in Tuscany, getting stuck in a ditch in Tuscany, getting rescued in Tuscany

Walking the lava fields at night on the Big Island, watching the red hot molten rock plop into the sea

Ten more memories (in no particular order) from the guy who started this thread almost a year ago:

11) Sitting above the jungle treeline atop Temples IV and V at Tikal, Guatemala.
12) The drenching "Maid of the Mist" boat ride to the base of Niagara Falls.
13) The Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Military Tatoo.
14) Hanging out with locals at a surprise street festival in Salzburg.
15) Interacting with Mayan children on the boat ride across Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.
16) Swimming in the warm Adriatic Sea off the coast of Lido Island, near Venice.
17) Hiking to the crater atop Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala, only to have the volcano start erupting as we reached the crater!
18) The panoramic view of waterfalls, sheer cliffs, snow-capped peaks (including Half Dome) and glacial valleys from atop Glacier Point, Yosemite.
19) The tall buildings, steep hills, and surprising green space of Hong Kong Island.
20) Every moment of my eye-opening first trip to Mexico City (well, except for the crippling Montezuma’s Revenge).

Jester, I know what you mean about forgetting some threads! I have watched this site for the last couple years dreaming of getting to Europe. I love the search function of this site, a wealth of information from you travel pros to be had there and then to find a gem like this, well it’s cool!

1. Staying in a 500 year old hotel on Santa Sprito in Florence and having schoolchildren singing in the piazza
2. The amazing scenery driving through Tuscany
3. Mountain biking in the area around Interlaken and having a railway crossing gate come down in front of me so a fighter jet could land.
4. Skiing at Kleine Scheidegg
5. Walking around the latin Quarter at night and stopping for dinner at a fantastic Greek restaurant
6. Drink beer (Kronenbourge 1608)while sitting on the beach in Monaco in the hot sun
7. Lunch, dinner and lots of beer in a very cool pun near Trafalger square
8. Talking to an old guy on a bus in Rome who asked us where we had been and mentioned that he too had been in England, during the war. We asked if he liked it and he responded that he was there as a prisoner of war.
9. Hiking the trails in Cinque terre on a hot September day.
10. Sitting on the train, just watching the countryside go by.

what’s hilarious is that I’m only just now reading Walter’s memories and realizing that jboy and I are part of his #10. hahahaha

1) Getting really really lost in Venice (does that happen to everyone?)

2)Feasting on mexican mushies on bread rolls in the Vondelpark with a small group of friends.

3)Kissing a really nice guy at the Oktoberfest…in a kids playground…behind the big rollercoaster.

4)The first glimpse of Versailles and feeling overwhelmed.

5)Breaking down somewhere in the middle of Romania where there was nothing in sight for miles.

6)80c shots of Vodka in Bulgaria. The whole pub was shaped like a shipwreck. That was mad.

7) Travelling along the Rhine and seeing all the castles and vineyards on impossible slants.

8)Strolling through the streets of Florence and it being entirely different from what I expected.

9)Flying home with only AU$50 to my name.

10)Going to the airport and waiting for my plane to Europe. It’s the most intense feeling hey?

One thing that I really think is awesome about these lists is the fact that many of them could never be planned. They were wrong turns, obstacles survived, unexpected weather, or just simple pleasures. I love it. This is great guys! Thank you for sharing.

Most of mine are hiking connected, but I’ll try to split them later:
In no particular order…
1) A storm in Parang Mountains, in Romania. I leaved after a stormy night, hte day seemed to be nicer, but once on the ridge, a rela storm, thurnderstorms arround and fog, fog and…fog.
2) A hike alone in Bucegi Mountains, by winter. Very strong ice and I was not prepared for this, tones of emotions when crossing steep slopes.
3) Walking in Lyon, by evening…roller-skating in Lyon.
4) A night train taking me to Parang Mountains just before the 1999 solar eclipse. Have meet a wonderful girl, Silvia. Nothing happened then
5) The hike up to Les Boeufs Rouges, in Ecrins, in the Alps (3515 meters) with a great french guy, Benoit. We leaved Grenoble at 01 a.m and start hiking at 3 am, so then we where back to the 2800 m refuge by midday
6) A hiking day alone in Baiului Mountains, descendiong about 2 hours by night….and I’ve heard a strange sound (like steps) ….brrr
7) MountainBiking in Baiului mountains, climbing up by rain for about two hours, then a long descend and muddy villages
8) Hiking in Belledonne Mountains, then a bivouac in the snow (it was in June 2002)
9) The Danube Delta, very fresh memories…
10) A night spend in the company of a nice girl & friend (but not my girlfriend) 5 years ago, in a mountain hut. Just talking, talking and talking all night.
[url=‘http://danubedelta.outdoorholiday.com’ title=‘Holidays in Danube Delta’]Danube Delta[/url]

quote:
what’s hilarious is that I’m only just now reading Walter’s memories and realizing that jboy and I are part of his #10. hahahaha

I’m puzzled Hope, is it this one ??

9) Getting off a 35+hour cross europe bus… just getting off was probably the greatest feeling ever.

Yes, meeting us two is like getting a crack pipe hit while injecting a heroin/coke mix into your genitals during an orgasm when checking your winning lottery ticket while being told your rectal cancer is in remission…. quiet a feeling!

If it’s not number 9, I can’t remember asking Walter for an autograph in Bermuda, do you ???

No particular order:
– walking from Luxemburg to Trier Germany due to transportation strike, my feet hurt so bad but it was worth it
– hiking and caving in Austrian Mountains outside of Grunau
– being with my husband on an completely isolated stretch of beach on the Nicoya penninsula of Costa Rica, I’ll just leave it at that
– paddling the gorges of the Northern Territory in Australia
– Australian open 2005, my first Grand Slam
– Kirri (sp?) forests of Western Australia
– being a totally wild, out of control high school exchange student in Cologne Germany (a lot of lessons were learned!)
– sea kayaking the Sea of Cortez in Mexico
– Sienna Italy
– Road trip with all girls to Banff Canada

This one:

quote:10) Deciding at the last moment to go to Glasgow. Driving up to IJmuiden (the Netherlands), taking a ferry to Newcastle, train to Glasgow, checking in to the hostel, meeting up with friends, finding out you’re attentind a pre wedding bash, having to buy new cloths, getting slightly drunk hoping you don’t offend anybody at the party, being told to fuck off during the cab ride back, meeting some fucked up local after keeping him waiting, missing your ferry back, having your bank card rejected by ATMs for reasons still unknown, walking around with a cheque worth 1100E but not being able to find any place that will cash it, having 31 pounds left when you finally make it to the ferry, getting an amazing deal on a cabin and being able to make it home after all. (33yo)

What made me think Dangerousjohnnybags top ten was Walters ???

Puzzled ????

-ISA, ICH LIEBE DICH MIT GANZEM HERZEN
-unjustly fined for not purchasing a ticket while boarding (complete bullshit, I bought a ticket on board on my previous train) in Munich
-got my Ray Ban aviators stolen in the music hochschule in Munich
-taking the wrong train back from Munich to Coburg (ended up throwing in another 8.50 EUR for a one-way ticket for another train)
-surprising locals with my knack for speaking a whole motherload of languages and dialects
-Roedental/Coburg, vermiss sie so sehr..
-being Canadian because any American setting foot on European soil is "ugly", period. ok just kidding, it’s just my inner-me typing =)
-puking my 5 EUR Augustiner Weissbier + (approx.) 12 EUR Allgaeuer Mountain Pan (lunch) out (drank on empty stomach)
-when you’re a musician like me, it’s euphoria to take in such beautiful scenery (only when you look back; you just keep wanting more and more of it… like you want all of that in your backyard)
-10. pop is the closest thing you come to when comparing prices to commodities sold in your neighbourhood (neighbourhood being Vancouver)

This is one of my favorite threads on here. I love reading everyone’s memories. great reminder why we all love to travel so much!
1. Musee d’Orsay. Inspired a new-found interest in post-impressionist art.
2. On a solo trip. Alone on my birthday. End up celebrating in a Cuban-themed bar in Nice with a Parisian guy and a bunch of crazy old Norwegians. The Parisian guy, who was about 8 inches shorter than me, thought it was hilarious to tell the Norwegians that we were married and had 10 kids. Him and I then proceeded to go through the list of our "kids" names and their ages. The Norwegians were so drunk that they believed us and wanted to take our picture and were waving mini-Norwegian flags and singing the Norwegian national anthem in our honor.
3. Renting a bike and cycling all along the Promenade Anglais in Nice
4. Playing cards, eating cherries, drinking frappes and talking to a bunch of English people on a small beach on the island of Thassos and they kept insisting that the wind "browns" your skin just as much as the sun does. We whiled away many afternoons this way.
5. Spending a morning alone aimlessly wandering the Trastevere neighborhood in Rome.
6. The small, romantic town of Villefranche. Sitting on the beach there, the whole place just has a golden glow to it.
7. Florence. Where to start. The beauty, the history, the art. I can’t even name a specific thing. Just the whole Florence experience. But I will try to narrow it down—the Duomo, shopping for leather shoes at the San Lorenzo market, being totally tripped out to stand in front of the tomb of Michelangelo in Santa Croce,
8. Vatican—-being in the audience in St Peters Square earlier this year and seeing the new Pope perform his first public blessing since being elected and listening to him talk about his hopes for the Church and why he selected the name Benedict—I am not even Catholic or very religious but this was a historic moment! And spending (literally) 2 hours sitting in the Sistine Chapel in an uncomfortable wooden chair against the side wall right in front of the wall with The Last Judgement and staring at it and the ceiling for an entire 2 hours and still feeling I missed so much. Trying to take "forbidden" photos by discreetly holding my camera near my stomach and aiming it at things and hoping to get something in the pic and still avoid being detected by the guards who kept yelling at the crowd "NO PHOTO, NO PHOTO".
9. Sea-kayaking off the coast of South Carolina.
10. Pere Lachaise cemetary in Paris—-and the little man who popped up behind the grave of Pisarro and scared us to death and told us he was a tour guide there but this was his day off and would give us a free tour. SURE! He was a tiny little man, with long black curly hair and limited English. We told him the graves we wanted to see and the place closed in like an hour so he motions to follow him and we were practically running to keep up to him and he kept yelling "short cut , short cut" as we ran through the cemetary and then he would yell out things like &quotwik pwik cacahuete" which he told us meant "sexy love" and "big orgasm" but we later found out cacahuete is like a chocolate peanut or something and he was being silly. Crazy, crazy guy who was unforgettable. And managed to show us all the graves we wanted to see. We took him to a cafe for a beer after and he still had us laughing.

ahh.. europe! so many memories.
-first time in Paris and look up at the Eiffel tower, amazing..
-european street names.. navigating my ways in the city with the map in the car, mostly one way street.. trying to look up to see the street name, by the time I look down at the map.. for got the name already because the street name is too long
-driving around the ring in Rome for two hours at night, couldn’t find the exist to the freeway.. they have all the road enter to Rome central, but not out, I have to go for two hours , one cirle to get back to the main out free way.. now I understand the idiom "all roads lead to ROME"..
-have a cought in Autria in the winter, get to the phamacy to buy cought medicine .. which is much higher dose as compare to the US medication.. only two doses and I am well. If in the US, I probaly have to finish two cought bottles before get well.
-get lost in Venice.. and love it.
-get wet in Florence in the rain.. but can’t complain after seeing all the works from the Michael A.
-elevator up the dome and walk up the final stair to the highest dome of the sisten chapel and look down on Rome, imagines how it was like century ago. even if you are not religion.. the chapel and the view are worth seeing the history.
-Belgian waffer in Antwepen.
-get stuck in Fatima because fuel in Diesel in the car instead of gas..( gas station in Portugal.. list gas as diesel, and sompreng as gas) ruin our trip for two days..
-sitting in the double deck bus and look down to crow of people walking around in London..

In no order whatsoever (and not just going to mention Europe):

1) Hiking the Inca Trail in Peru to Macchu Picchu and seeing it for the first time
2) Partying with the locals in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
3) The midnight canoe ride through the Amazon in search of caymans (ok it was terrifying at the time).
4) Hiking around Land’s End in England
5) Luxembourg and how completely surprised I was that I loved it so much
6) The hunt for a hostel in Munich
7) Going for drinks with new friends in Brussels
8) ‘Shopping Day’ in Athens with my sister
9) Visiting the Eiffel Tower for the first time
10) Getting stuck outside in the downpour in Salzburg

Wow….there are so many! In no order..

-Getting dropped off into the "bus cages" in Berlin
-Wandering around Amsterdam for days in a daze
0Sitting at the cafes on the streets of Paris. And finding student bars by night. Sitting for hours and talking over drinks in front of the open door during a rain storm!
-Meeting new friends in Santorini and consuming ridiculous amounts of wine on the beach, "borrowing boats", hiding our chairs, wandering the beach bars, and then ATV’ing the island hungover….worth EVERY second!
-Trying to do laundry while we were camping in Venice…what a mess!
-Getting gelato and the world’s best pizza in Italy
-Immediately getting of the plane my first day and hanging out by the Seine river with some wine!
-Although at the time it seemed to be awful, the ferry and hotel fiasco in Athens. At least it all led to paradise!
-Watching the Sound of Music in Salzburg with tons of screaming school kids and then walking home along the alpine river
-Dancing the night away until 6 am on the Champs in Paris
-Walking around Prage, over the Charles Bridge, and hanging out at the castle
-Standing in San Marco Square, Venice
-Watching the Sunset in the Greek Islands
-Exploring every new city we got to….without a map and completely care free!

My 10

1) Training from Centraal Station to the downtown of Amsterdam. Realizing…man..I am not in America anymore.
2) Singing "Country Roads" about 30 times with a group of Brazilians at a Beer Tent in Munchen (oktoberfest)
3) Living in Geneva, Switzerland for 2 monthes for work…and working in Lausanne. A nice 56 km drive…
4) Befriending and eventually dating a beautiful 23 year old Bulgarian student/bartender who was living in Munich. Living in Geneva definitly helped that cause.
5) Being woken up at 3am on a train from Munich to Prague by Czech border guards with machine guns….scary stuff (at first).
6) Drinking 7 glasses of Absinthe in Prague and then losing my friends for 12 hours…
7) Being in London for the Brazil/Germany World Cup….
8) Being in Cologne Germany when the US lost to Germany..in 2002 World Cup..boy were they happy
9) Going to the Shakespeare bar in Munchen and drinking myself silly with a bunch of Croatians.
10) Being lost on a Dublin bus at 2-3am…only to be misdirected by some local Skin Heads…had fun though

quote:
1) Getting really really lost in Venice (does that happen to everyone?)

2)Feasting on mexican mushies on bread rolls in the Vondelpark with a small group of friends.

3)Kissing a really nice guy at the Oktoberfest…in a kids playground…behind the big rollercoaster.

4)The first glimpse of Versailles and feeling overwhelmed.

5)Breaking down somewhere in the middle of Romania where there was nothing in sight for miles.

6)80c shots of Vodka in Bulgaria. The whole pub was shaped like a shipwreck. That was mad.

7) Travelling along the Rhine and seeing all the castles and vineyards on impossible slants.

8)Strolling through the streets of Florence and it being entirely different from what I expected.

9)Flying home with only AU$50 to my name.

10)Going to the airport and waiting for my plane to Europe. It’s the most intense feeling hey?

( aussie accent) OI OI OI OI OI OI OI OI OI AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE, Oi M8 we go piss on da blooddie hahahah!! DOnkeuy!! PISS ON A donkey !! m8@!! hahaha,
Blooody boomer , fucking dissing de wallabies .HAHAH!! OI OI OI
Me n my M8s goin to da bUsH to see dem bloody boomers!! oi oi oi !!!
LOL, Sorrie M8 if im not making a lick of sence , me and me m8s went had a coupld of brews down at the old fishing swamp!!! OPI OI OI know what i mean?? eh?? OI OI OI AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE OI OI OI

10)Going to the airport and waiting for my plane to Europe. It’s the most intense feeling hey?

That is a very very true statement.

The excitement and anticipation is such a rush!

1. Planning the 1st European Vacation

2. Hearing more languages in 1 day than in your lifetime to that point

3. Figuring out the 1st big Metro

4. Chunnel

5. Walking in the park in Paris

6. 1st German Beer at Oktoberfest

7. Rolling up my pants and walking in Venice during high water

8. Eating at a little Trattoria by the Colosseum

9. Walking up and down the high way because I never got the bus stop right

10. Gelato

Arriving in Ukraine at 8 a.m. local time (an hour earlier than I was used to) via overnight train from Budapest, and having no Ukrainian cash. So dad and I wander around trying to find a place to exchange. Only thing we can find is a newsstand inside the train station. Dad wanted to withdraw from bank account and they only handled cash (which we had no clue he was saying since we didn’t speak Ukrainian and he didn’t speak a lick of English).

The guy who had been talking to him before us asks if we’re American’s and we say yes and he instantly gets extremely excited to talk with us. Translates that it was cash only and helps us exchange straight USD for Hryvna. He actually gave us a ride to the hotel we were heading for at no cost.

At that point my dad figured he was a black-market taxicab(anyone who’d been to Mexico will know what I’m talking about) whereas I thought he was a nice guy. This was due to dad who’s travelled Mexico a bit and me who’s only read up on Ukrainian people. He even offered to give us a tour of the city one of the following days.

On the last day we’re there I convince dad to give the guy a call(he was more interested in talking to my dad) and so we do. He agree’s though says he needs an hour or two of rest first. Turns out he had been on an overnight bus ride to Warsaw for business.

Anyway, he and his wife both show up to give us a grand walking tour of the city and it turned out to be the best tour and company of the entire trip. We bought them dinner in a very posh restaurant(a steal to us, half a months salary to them) and then they gave us even more of a tour. We now have an invitation to stay at their home the next time we visit.

Awesome memory.

1.Being asked for directions in Edinburgh
2.Being asked for directions in Venice (I guess I look like a local everywhere!)
3.Eating Gelato at 7:00am (and 3 more times everyday) in Italy
4.Walking around at night on my last night in Greece
5.Hanging out with the locals in the Spanish steps at night in Rome (and witnessing all the beer bottles rolling down the steps…)
6.Tripping on cobblestones and falling flat on my face after a night of drinking in Edinburgh
7.Finding a Gelato store in Greece the week after leaving Italy
8.All the Greek men who gave us free stuff from their stores
9.Watching the crazy Roman driving and then getting into an accident ourselves
10.Jaywalking in Edinburgh – officially a pro now!

1) Getting on a train bound for Interlaken in the morning then losing my friend as he got off to find food.
2) Realizing the train I was on wasn’t heading towards Interlaken; it was heading for Milan.
3) Arriving in Interlaken at night and finding my friend at Balmer’s sipping a hot cup of coffee waiting for me to show up.
4) Listening to mass / service in Notre Dame. I couldn’t understand it, but it sure was relaxing.
5) Drinking wine and eating chips in the park behind Notre Dame with a friend.
6) Nearly drowning in the Meditteranean on the beach in Nice after running into the water not realizing it was frigid.
7) Sitting on the beach north of the lighthouse in Skagen, Denmark with the friend from #5 drinking a beer and watching the sun set at 10:30pm.
8) A long night of drinking Absinthe at the place next to Karlovy Lazne in Prague, and the next morning of seeing white spots everywhere and being in a lot of pain.
9) Kebabs in Poland and Berlin
10) Sailing to the Shetland islands from Bergen and watching the beginnings of dawn at 2 in the morning.

random order.. all over the world tho. not just Europe..

1. diving and swimming with turtles in the great barrier reef
2. watching sunrise at Taj Mahal.. being the first in the chamber and listening to the wind echo. Also seeing some guy propose to his fiance.. sweet moment
3. Anytime waiting at the airport for your flight away
4. Laying on the white beaches of the Maldives islands
5. Hiking up the Great wall and seeing the mountain/walls around me
6. Strolling along the Siene river in Paris.. been there 3 times, and love it each time.
7. Having $1.50 meals outside the Angkor Wat in Cambodia (oh and seeing the Angkor Wat too
8. Abu Simbel and Pyramids – seeing those were amazing.. really speechless about them..
9. Sippin’ drinks at a bar on Santorini
10. Being in Melbourne for the Rugby world cup.. Watching my home country Canada play the New Zealand All Blacks.. Pure coincidence we knew about the game. was on some winery tour and met the wives of the Canadian players.. they told us about it and we went..(sure we got beat, but it was good fun).

quote:
random order.. all over the world tho. not just Europe..

1. diving and swimming with turtles in the great barrier reef
2. watching sunrise at Taj Mahal.. being the first in the chamber and listening to the wind echo. Also seeing some guy propose to his fiance.. sweet moment
3. Anytime waiting at the airport for your flight away
4. Laying on the white beaches of the Maldives islands
5. Hiking up the Great wall and seeing the mountain/walls around me
6. Strolling along the Siene river in Paris.. been there 3 times, and love it each time.
7. Having $1.50 meals outside the Angkor Wat in Cambodia (oh and seeing the Angkor Wat too
8. Abu Simbel and Pyramids – seeing those were amazing.. really speechless about them..
9. Sippin’ drinks at a bar on Santorini
10. Being in Melbourne for the Rugby world cup.. Watching my home country Canada play the New Zealand All Blacks.. Pure coincidence we knew about the game. was on some winery tour and met the wives of the Canadian players.. they told us about it and we went..(sure we got beat, but it was good fun).

I’m officially impressed. This guy may be the most well-traveled Eurotripper in here!

quote:
I’m officially impressed. This guy may be the most well-traveled Eurotripper in here!

Thanx Homeskillet.. Would you believe it if i told you i’m an accountant? I count beans for a living.. hahaha
red beans.. green beans… soya beans…

But yah.. all seriousness, i’m an accountant.. but that gives me the time and flexibility to take long leaves during the summer (quiet period)

Although, I think it’s not really where u’ve been.. it’s how much you got out of being those places right? The culture/insight you gain, the fun/memories you have, the amount of liquor you input in your body connected to the number of years you’ve shortened your life by… etc.. It all contributes to the sum of your experiences.

Oh and u’ve been to Ayers Rock, and Brazil.. those are high on my "want to go’ list!

1) hanggliding and canyoning in the alps
2) forced to walk an hour to my hostel cuz there were no banks and i had all of 14 euro cents
3) random trip to slovakia when i was heading to vienna
4) almost watched the woods outside the boathouse hostel in prague go up in flames when someone found out the pollen was highly flammable.
5) Getting completely lost and taking 3 hours to find a Giolitti in Rome
6) Comedy club in london
7) Biking from Doolin, Ireland to the Cliffs of Moher
8) Relaxing on the rocks in Cinque Terre
9) Getting too drunk and losing track of the pub crawl in Munich
10) Any time I just wandered around Rome

Here mine are:

1) Watching the sun set on the alhambra from the wall of Plaza Nicolas in Granada

2) Playing with a tiny hostel kitten in Prague

3) Getting drunk on belgian beer and talking to the bartender for hours.

4) Always, inevitably, running to catch trains.

5) Elton John at the Colloseum and the seventy year old man who could dance better than anything I have ever seen

6) My first taste of a french baguette. Perfection!

7) Taking mushrooms in Amsterdam and going to the Van Gogh musuem.

8) Cruising around the tiny narrow streets in Ischia, Italy with a crazy italian driver and a carload of girls.

9) Those crazy swedes in Berlin

10)Ice cream, ice cream, and more ice cream

quote:

Yes, meeting us two is like getting a crack pipe hit while injecting a heroin/coke mix into your genitals during an orgasm when checking your winning lottery ticket while being told your rectal cancer is in remission…. quiet a feeling!

man, I don’t know if I’m at a point in my life where we could meet. That sounds pretty intense!

1)the monastery on Amorgos
2)our view from the pension in Lisbon
3)boat trip around Capri
4)wedding in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine
5)Amsterdam – each of the 3 times
6)beach house in village in Latvia
7)train from Andalsnes to Dombas in Norway
8)cheap beer and tapas in Salamanca
9)getting a working permit in Germany
10)Bruges

1) First time solo travel to Europe, spent hours walking around lost in Paris (see #3)
2) Paris: Walking alone along the Seine near Pont Neuf
2) Paris: Having a nic fit looking for a tabac shop on a Sunday in Paris – I’ve since quit smoking
3) Pompei: Walking around Pompeii in 40C heat sans hat, all those poor dogs seeking out shade.
4) Paris: Walking along rue Cambon and seeing Karl Lagerfeld (et al.) walk into the Chanel shop
5) Berlin: Brandenberg Tor/gate for New Years Eve
6) Amalfi Coast: Walking up and down the roads in Positano, trying to avoid the dragonflys and crawling lizard things (i forget what there called)
7) Venice – travelling on valporetta (sp) during an evening rain shower.
8) Rome: Following some nuns in crossing the chaotic streets around the piazza de repubblica
9) Geneva: Internet cafe with funky keyboard.
10) Prague: St Charles area surrounded by German school groups

too many really to sum up in 10 – obviously many ‘wandering’ memories.

Not in any particular order:

- Drinking wine and eating wonderful, stinky cheese on Pont des Artes until midnight in Paris with hostel buddies
– The stiff wobble to the bathroom in the middle of the night after hiking through the Bavarian Alps during the day
– Sharing a hotel room with a girl I met only moments before because there were no single or hostel rooms left
– Camping in a tiny Mexican village where the closest telephone was 30 minutes away and drinking Mexican beer for four days straight
– Jumping on the train for an impromptu visit to Salzburg just because I could
– Accidentally ditching my overbearing cousin a museum to tour DC solo (the beginning of my "I can do this" adventures)
– Having a French waiter hit on me by offering to pay for my trip to the pay toilet downstairs
– Getting caught in the rain while in Pere Lachaise
– Chugging a beer while standing atop the bar at YoHo in Salzburg
– Doing the jitterbug in the street with a total stranger at Mardi Gras in New Orleans

I love this topic because it is making me think back..

in no order:

1. the train ride from Barcelona to Madrid and all the stuff I thought about on that ride..

2. Visiting Stone Henge in the rain

3. Having a random rendevouz with another backpacker at all hours of the night in Londons Hyde Park. lol.

4. Sneaking on the water taxi in venice without paying.

5. bunking up with other backpackers in rooms and beds way too small.

6. Walking around Marseille looking for a hotel for 3 hours in scortching sun with my bag on.

7. Getting doused by the tide coming in while sleeping on the beach in Barcelona.

8. Sitting on the end of the Slip Docks beside a row of yaghts in Cannes talking about life with my sister.

9. Tanning on a fountain in the middle of a *star intersection in Rome.

10. The owner of the B&B we stayed in San Sabastien Spain… having an entire conversation with him. He didn’t speak a word of English and we didn’t speak a word of Spainish.

11. Eating mc donalds everyday because I knew what I was going to get.

In no particular order:

1. I was standing on a hill in Ireland that ran along River Shannon. It was the complete "Ireland dream"- green, beautiful, untouched- so I dropped my sack and rolled down the hill. While I had lots of people looking at me funny at first there was suddenly a race to roll down the hill. I have a great video of it, too. I started a trend that day…

2. Dancing in a Greek restaurant in Athens, breaking plates and endulging in way too much Ouzo…

3. The Ghost tour in Edinburgh that takes you into the underground vaults of the body snatchers… very cool tour with the exception of our strange Scottish tour guide who had an unfortunate spitting problem

4. Sitting on the Spanish Steps in Rome when I was 17 and watching an enormous Facist rally suddenly commence. It was scary at first but it was educational at the same time. It was during this rally that a minor earthquake hit as well. Needless to say it was a full day.

5. Standing at the Trevi fountain and some gypsy trying to sell me some silly little trinket, when I said no he threw a &quotowder bomb" at me. A powder bomb is a balloon filled with something like flour that explodes and sprays powder everywhere. Seeing as that I was wearing black I wasn’t very happy

6. The Vatican- that in itself is a great memory. PJP II was there and he gave his little wave from his apartment window. For a Catholic it was very inspiring being that close to him. Plus the Sistine Chapel is truly spectacular as is the Pieta.

7. Attending Easter mass in Kenmere, Ireland. Incredibly traditional and very moving.

The last 3 are not in Europe but are just as amazing both location and experience wise:

8. Living in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico for a summer. Beautiful town, beautiful country, wonderful people.

9. Homer, Alaska- Alaska is such a breathtaking place. There is so much that has never been touched by modern developers. In Homer you can watch the "eagle lady" every morning feed hundreds of bald eagles in their own environment. You can take a water taxi to an island and camp out. Highly recommend an Alaskan vacation to anyone.

10. Hawaii- Oahu and Maui- loved them both but what isn’t there to love!?

I will be studying abroad in Vienna and Leiden this coming semester so I will hopefully have a whole new set of memories to share!

Damn only 10????? Ok, well here goes…

1.) Bang’n Amber (a fellow American heading to Europe) on a Lufthansa flight to Munich.
2.) Bang’n Maria in a gondola in Venice while the gondolier sang a romantic venetician song.
3.) Bang’n Inga and her twin sister Helga outside a nighclub in Stockholm.
4.) Bang’n Imka on top of the Dom in Koln.
5.) Bang’n Svetlana in a taxi cab in Minsk.
6.) Bang’n Daniella at a hiking trail in the Swiss Alps.
7.) Bang’n Tatiana on a park bench in Vilnius.
8.) Bang’n Katrina underneath a tree at VondelPark in Amsterdam.
9.) Bang’n Stefi in the WC at a bakery in Oslo.
10.) Bang’n Tiffany (another fellow American backpacker heading home) on a Lufthansa flight to Chicago.

If only this thread was "top 50" travel memories…

In no particular Order

1. Sitting in the woods of St Mere Eglise before the sun come up imagining the place just being littered with 101st Airborne
2. Hirering out Scooters and zooming all through rome/Italy for 3 days
3. Getting drunk and passing out in the gardens somewhere in vienna.. Man that WODKA is shocking
4. Playing a55hole with the maori boy in paris where every loss meant a shot of vodka…. Wish I had of known he was an expert player
5. Hiking the Chasseral in Switzerland, only to get lost on the way down, with the sun going down, wandering the woods of the alps.
6. Sitting on a train from Dresden to Germany, only to watch 1 by 1 every passenger get off at stops, then see the driver get off… we found ourselves in some remote train stop, alone on the train without a driver….
7. Sleeping outside the trainstation in florence because every train was booked, and due to some holiday every hotel hostel was fully booked… man those homeless folks do it hard
8. Selling hash on the paris sidewalk so i could buy alcohol to sit up at the church (sa cracur?????)
9. sitting in the gas chamber at auschwitz and feeling the cold air rush through
10. Standing on hitlers grave ( the bunker and area he got cooked )

Im working in england for 6 months in a pub down southampton way, hopefully afterwards ill have enough dosh to continue my treck around hte world where i can post another 100 top stories.

Top travel memory? This old site. But now most of us have relocated to greener (and self controlled) pastures at www.eurotrek.net. Come join us!

-A

4. that shady hostel in slovakia. both seeing it and being in the town square looking for the hostel and having the owner come up to us and say "i’m gabriel!". i think that was his name. something like that.

Is it worth visiting "that shady hostel"???
Is it clean??? How far from the center and the airport???

As I’ve been reading through these amazing experiences that words can not quantify; it made me reflect on my own top ten. Thank you everyone for reminding me of the great times that I’ve had traveling.
As a preface, most of my traveling was done while attached to the United States Army.

1) Having to pull guard watch on top of Mount Sinai with a below 0 wind-chill so that the entire group could wake up and see the sunrise. The next morning was completely cloudy.

2) While on a patrol, being hit by a Land cruiser while driving a Chevy S10 in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt. The Land cruiser was the first of a caravan of seven who were all filled with tourists.

3) A friend and I spending nearly the last of our money to be able to go into one of the Egyptian pyramids. After squatting and walking down the midget sized pyramid hole and breaking into a tremendous sweat we arrived into the pyramid’s room to find that it was no bigger than my living room.

4) Watching two Egyptian men and one young boy powder hides in an alley in the streets of Cairo.

5) Ordering 15 shots of Tequila for $15 US in Elat, Israel. The next round of 15 came and I asked who bought it and the bartender said it was on him.

6) Waking up still drunk in Petra on the morning we are supposed to leave just to realize that I had lost my Military Passport the previous night.

7) Getting into and running through the Egyptian museum 20 minutes prior to it closing just to have pictures of things I didn’t have time to experience.

8) Being less than 40 feet away from the Pope as he gave a speech at the base of Mount Sinai.

9) Learning to snowboard for the first time at Whistler

10) Getting a flat tire on the way back from Rocky Point, Mexico and a "Green Angel" showing up and changing it within 15 min of it happening.