BootsnAll Travel Community

That thread by Tortuga_traveller on wonders of the world got me thinking... If you had to pick your own personal 'seven wonders' from the things/places you have seen what would they be?

Not in any particular order...

1. Machu Picchu. Or, really, the Inca Trail TO Machu Picchu, which I found ended up making much more of an impression on me than the ruins themselves. Not that Machu Picchu wasn't impressive, because it definitely was, but the hike was the real highlight for me.
2. Fjords of Norway. When I was an exchange student in Sweden, my host family took me up to Kiruna (in the Arctic Circle) at Midsummer to see the midnight sun. We drove from Kiruna to Narvik in Norway, and I remember thinking that everything about it- the mountains (still snowy at the end of June), the tiny bright-colored huts by the inlets, the way we didn't see a single other car for four hours- made me feel like any second we'd see mountain giants stepping out from their caves.
3. Pompeii. Pretty self-explanatory. I've always been interested in Roman history, so I thought this was really cool.
4. Banff National Park. Pretty much the ultimate sense of wilderness and freedom. It's so ruggedly beautiful... I'd like to go back.
5. Himeji Castle. I went to Japan when I was... thirteen? Oddly enough, even though Japan as a whole didn't make a huge impression on me (I think this would be different if I went back now!) I can pretty much pinpoint the visit to Himeji as the one single thing which made me fall in love with traveling. I was totally overwhelmed by it and ended up exploring it for hours.
6. Kata Tjuta. Kata Tjuta is the rock formation you can see from Uluru. We hiked through it before doing the walk around (NOT up) Uluru, and I found it far more impressive than the latter. Really beautiful and a very cool hike complete with rock-scrambling at certain parts.
7. Khan al-Khalili. Market in Cairo. You can get lost in there... just wander around forever. I don't think I'd ever get bored.

1) Simien Mountains in Ethiopia - by far the most stunning physical beauty I've ever seen.
2) Khan-al-Khalili in Cairo. I lived in Alexandria for two years and took the train to Cairo every weekend - stayed in a hotel right in the Khan and wandered the alleys all weekend. It was magical.
3) Seeing the mountain gorillas in Zaire. I realize this isn't really a place, but it's a phenomenal experience.
4) Bolivia. All of it that I saw. Gawd - I loved that country. Can't wait to get back there.
5) Copper Canyon in Mexico. Yes, I love the Grand Canyon, but Copper Canyon is possibly even more majestic.
6) Southern Utah - Zion/Bryce/Arches/Canyonlands - the whole area.
7) Timbuktu. There's really nothing there, but it was so cool to actually be there after hearing about it all my life.

quote:

Originally posted by nancy sv:
1) Simien Mountains in Ethiopia - by far the most stunning physical beauty I've ever seen.
2) Khan-al-Khalili in Cairo. I lived in Alexandria for two years and took the train to Cairo every weekend - stayed in a hotel right in the Khan and wandered the alleys all weekend. It was magical.
3) Seeing the mountain gorillas in Zaire. I realize this isn't really a place, but it's a phenomenal experience.
4) Bolivia. All of it that I saw. Gawd - I loved that country. Can't wait to get back there.
5) Copper Canyon in Mexico. Yes, I love the Grand Canyon, but Copper Canyon is possibly even more majestic.
6) Southern Utah - Zion/Bryce/Arches/Canyonlands - the whole area.
7) Timbuktu. There's really nothing there, but it was so cool to actually be there after hearing about it all my life.

That's an awesome list, Nancy. I'm headed to Bolivia in less than a month, so hopefully I'll agree with your assessment! Utah's national parks are also easily in my current top five things I want to see. ...and I hadn't heard anything about the Simien Mountains before, but I just looked up pictures of them on Flickr and now they're VERY MUCH on that list I just mentioned.

1. Downtown Duluth
2. Split Rock Lighthouse (near Lusten, MN)
3. Mall of America (Bloomington, MN)
4. Gooseberry Falls (near Duluth, MN)
5. Valleyfair (Shakopee, MN)
6. Historic Downtown La Crosse, WI
7. The Minneapolis Lakes

I love Jacob G. Norlund's list because I have seen none of them.

Thanks, Jacob!

quote:

Originally posted by Not the first Travis:
I love Jacob G. Norlund's list because I have seen none of them.

Thanks, Jacob!

Well, I just deleted two of them and replaced them with Mall of America and Valleyfair.

Wow! That's a tough one!
1.Taj Mahal (I had dreamed about it since I was a little girl)
2.Petra (Same reason)
3.Sapa (I was there durind the rainy season and it was all so green! And I had NO expectations...)
4.Machu Picchu
Angkor
Bagan in Burma

AAAHHHRG!!!This is an impossible task for me! I keep changing my mind!!! Over and over!!!I guess I'll have to really think about it... and get back to it later... Sorry!

quote:

Originally posted by travelclown:

Bagan in Burma

Oh gads - I forgot about that one. Now, which one of mine can I take out to fit Bagan in????

Ok, after some thought... (in no particular order)

1. The Alhambra
2. Hagia Sophia (Istanbul)
3. The Swiss Alps
4. Tikal Parque Nacional - 2 in 1 here: the ruins and the rainforest (Guatemala)
5. Palenque (Mexico)
6. Fes medina (Fes, Morocco)
7. Charles Bridge (Prague)

1. Lofoten Islands, Norway
2. Guilin/Li River area, China
3. Potola Palce, Tibet
4. Bukhara, Samarkand, and Khiva, Uzbekistan (no way to choose between the 3)
5. Stockholm, Sweden
6. Painted Monasteries of Bucovina, Romania
7. Cairo around Khan al-Khalili (good call on this guys!)

I'm sure I could move a lot of other places into this too if I thought about it longer.

1. Angkor Wat, Cambodia - one of the rare occasions where the attraction actually lives up to the hype.

2. Virunga Mountains/Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda/DR Congo - Probably some of the most beautiful natural scenery I've ever seen. Coming from a place (Florida) that is completely flat and concrete and going to a place that is completely green and hilly and misty and just about everything else you can picture being in this part of Africa... was amazing.

3. Hong Kong skyline - I am originally from New York and for most of my life New York City would have been the skyline of choice for a list like this but after visiting Hong Kong there is no question that it is the coolest urbanscape in the world.

4. The Parthenon - I've always loved Greek Mythology and while it was a bit of a let down to see the Acropolis jammed in the middle of a sprawling metropolis, the Parthenon itself still impressed me.

5. Florence - The entire city should have been considered for one of the wonders of the world. I don't think any other city looks as "authentic" as it should, than Florence. Whatever that may mean... it just feels right.

6. The Sahara - I know naming an entire desert as a wonder is kind of vague but it is the only desert I've ever been to and I felt extremely tiny just getting to experience the outer edges in Morocco. I can only imagine trekking somewhere in the middle of Libya.

7. Andalucia - I had no idea how beautiful this region of Spain was until I woke up at 4:30am on a train to Algeciras while the sunrose over the hills. Seeing the white Spanish homes in quaint little towns along the way tucked away in the hills was one of the first times that I really felt that I will probably find more rewarding experiences when I'm not actually looking for them.

--As a side note, growing up in NY I always considered the World Trade Center as one of the wonders of the world and remember going back to visit when I was about 18 years old and laying down in between the 2 towers on a Sunday evening when the business district was deserted, staring up in amazement thinking how absolutely small I felt.

Of the places I have been so far:

1. Golden Gate Bridge. I see this almost every day, and it is stunning. Even moreso when you can view it with SF behind it. Stunning, breathtaking.

2. Old Town Stockholm. I saw the king and queen here. I had a fica with my friend. I walked through the narrow streets. I loved it, completely.

3. Vatican (St. Peter's, Museums, etc.). Truly amazing. I know the history is rather corrupt, but it is truly an amazing encapsulation of history, power, art, and beauty.

4. Andes. I was cold, but it was beautiful. There were beautiful old pieces of civilization hidden in the crevices.

5. NOLA. I haven't been back since Hurricane Katrina, but the spirit of that city is fantastic.

6. The Mall, Washington D.C. From the FDR Memorial to the US Capitol, I am always amazed by how clean it all is, and how people don't graffiti on anything. And the amount of American history concentrated in a small area is mind-boggling.

7. Barcelona. Parc Guell, Sagrada Familia, Montjuiic, Barri Gotic...If ever there were a place to just wander and wander, Barca is it.

8. Florence. The art! The important pieces of western and Italian history! The Gelato!!

9. The Northern California (and above) Redwoods. If you haven't had the opportunity to see these giant beauties, you are missing out.

10. Killarney, Ireland. Ireland as I pictured it, with friendly people, plentiful pubs, and green as far as the eye can see.

Anniebananie- Fiiiikaaaa!!! Yay, I'm glad someone else on these boards knows what it is. Stockholm is the coolest city ever.

Anniebananie you have exceeded the sacred number of wonders... this is a most grevious sin.

- Pohnpei and Nan Modal, Micronesia One of the most beautiful islands in the world and one of the least known ancient ruins. Think, Machu Picchu meets Venice.

- Temples of Nara and Hiruji Japan The oldest and largest wooden buildings in the world.

- Deer Cave Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia. One of the largest caves in the world and every night millions of bats stream out into the rainforest. Really impressive.

- Easter Island Nuff said.

- St. Louis Arch Screw the Eiffel Tower. I can sit and hang out at the arch all day. It is still the most impressive structure on the planet in my book.

- Hong Kong Harbor from Kowloon at Dusk Watching the light show turn on was one of the most impressive things I've seen.

- Smithsonian Air and Space Museum The museum to top all museums.

Do you mean natural wonders or human made wonders?

they can be either

In not particular order...

Þingvellir National Park, Iceland
Pompeii, Italy
Windward coast of Oahu, Hawaii
Any really old religious structure in Cambodia
Lower Manhattan, New York City
Thames River Walk, London, UK
boards.bootsnall.com

Sorry, I was thinking top ten.
I'll still stand by 'em, though. 10 is the new 7, doncha know?

ps...

quote:

Anniebananie- Fiiiikaaaa!!! Yay, I'm glad someone else on these boards knows what it is. Stockholm is the coolest city ever.

I wish we had a word for it in English, instead of saying, "let's get coffee" when I don't even drink the stuff!