What are the most interesting places you've ever been?

[piece-itpete]

Agreed about DC being free, I sound like a big enough cheapskate without mentioning it! Lol.

I've visited the war rooms Heck I was dragged all over the place there. The single neatest ww2 site I saw was the underground Nazi hospital on Jersey though, at least through a kids' eyes.

Rob, what is the TOC-H society? Yuo could be a legacy

Pete

[BlueStreak]

Close enough to the Kamchatka Peninsula to see it on the horizon, and the Soviet ships and aircraft that had come to chase us off.

Dave

[merrylander]

The TOC-H was the name given to a soldier's house in Belgium during WW I, just type it into Google, Wikipedia goes into considerable detail.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toc_H

And I got the name of the church wrong, it is All Hallows by the Tower, and that makes a deal of sense.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

Close enough to the Kamchatka Peninsula to see it on the horizon, and the Soviet ships and aircraft that had come to chase us off.

Dave

Yep, been out that way too (on the island of Shemya, AK). If you like isolation, it might be for you. Otherwise, I don't recommend it.

[piece-itpete]

That's really neat Rob. Have you ever been in contact with them?

See Blue, you've got something in common with Palin! Lmao!

Pete

[doucanoe]

I haven't been around half as much as many here but I could probably lay claim to visiting or traveling to ( for work) around 40 or so of our states. Not much of a world traveler but I could add Canada, Mexico and Norway to that mix. Also California if you view it as another country as I do

As crazy as it sounds, one of the places with in a place I have found most fascinating for me was the Wal-Mart in Cancun Mexico believe it or not.

We ended up cabbing out there to pick up some supplies for a condo we were staying in a couple of years back.

I wouldn't say it was close to being the highlight of that trip but I remain fascinated by the experience to this day.

[Brother_Karl]

Originally Posted by finnbow

I had been in Germany for about 3 years at the time and had been most everywhere within driving distance and wanted to experience something completely different. I was living in Fulda, the likely focal point of any Russian invasion of Western Europe, and wanted to see what the "enemy" was all about.

The visit largely confirmed what I thought to be true, having been across East Germany and into East Berlin a few times. The biggest impression was the scarcity of common foodstuffs. A grocery store we went into in Moscow had stacks of bread and dried fish and not much else. Also, the accounting for/spying on western visitors was palpable within the hotels and on any formal tours/outings. We were left alone though as we wandered on our own through Leningrad and Moscow.

I remember the feeling of intense relief when our plane touched down in Vienna after our visit. It was like a burden had been lifted and we'd only been there 8 days.

I'd love to visit such a place. Its just too bad that I was born a couple of years after the Soviet Union collapsed I do plan to visit North Korea at some point in my life, though.

Originally Posted by finnbow

A London site that Pete would go nuts over is the Churchill War Rooms. Very cool.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churchill_War_Rooms

I go to London once every week. Jealous?

[mossbacked]

We've been blessed to have traveled a lot, but I have to say watching the sunrise from 10,000 feet above sea level feet atop Haleakala (Maui) is the one that jumps out.

At first blush it wouldn't appear to be more than a touristy thing to do.

But as you wait. . . bleary-eyed in the darkness, in freezing temperatures, huddled under a blaket or whatever you could find because you didn't think to brink a parka to Hawaii . . . you begins to sense the hundreds of others up there on that giant, rocky, dormant volcano.

It's a very quiet atmosphere, almost reverent. You hear low murmers in the twilight, but nothing too distinct. If you focus though, you begin to notice accents; Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Canadian, native Hawaiian, English, etc., etc.. but it's a common cause, waiting for that first ray of sunlight, that transcends political boundaries.

And when the sun appears the scene explodes into a multi-lingual cacaphony of celebration. Cheers and prayers erupt, the temperature immediately rises and a feeling of elation seems to overwhelm the crowd. It's an awesome experience, like Karma where every good thing you've ever done comes back to you.



Then, everyone stampedes to their cars, RV's, busses and bicycles (trampling children, the elderly and infirm) to begin racing down the twisty 2-lane road leading down to Kula as they curse and blindly pass, nearly killing every car, bike and pedestrian leaving the mountain. The wise linger a bit and check out the visitor center.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by doucanoe

I haven't been around half as much as many here but I could probably lay claim to visiting or traveling to ( for work) around 40 or so of our states. Not much of a world traveler but I could add Canada, Mexico and Norway to that mix. Also California if you view it as another country as I do

As crazy as it sounds, one of the places with in a place I have found most fascinating for me was the Wal-Mart in Cancun Mexico believe it or not.

We ended up cabbing out there to pick up some supplies for a condo we were staying in a couple of years back.

I wouldn't say it was close to being the highlight of that trip but I remain fascinated by the experience to this day.

Did a condo salesman help you bag your groceries?

Chas

[djv8ga]

Originally Posted by doucanoe

As crazy as it sounds, one of the places with in a place I have found most fascinating for me was the Wal-Mart in Cancun Mexico believe it or not.

We ended up cabbing out there to pick up some supplies for a condo we were staying in a couple of years back.

I wouldn't say it was close to being the highlight of that trip but I remain fascinated by the experience to this day.

Glad to see your head is still attached.