1. Tokyo Tower / Tokyo, Japan
This is definitely one of the most amazing places where I've ever visited. On the lower viewing platform there was a small spot with glass floor: you go stand there, and you can see the ground about 140 meters below your feet. Scary enough, but that was just the first platform. Gotta admit that at first the elevator ride to the second platform at 270 meters didn't sound that good - especially with the elevator having walls of only glass - but from the top, the scenery was definitely worth the elevator ride. There was a sea of lights glittering down below, and somewhere at the Tokyo Bay rose a Ferris wheel with rainbow lights. The platform was dimly lit and quiet, only some sci-fi style music could be heard somewhere on the background. It felt like standing completely outside the rest of the world. This is a place I'll surely return to.
Tokyo Tower from below.
Tokyo nightscape vol.1
Tokyo nightscape vol.2
I don't have any own pictures from here, but for some reason I still remember the place surprisingly clearly. It's kind of a 'lava bubble' developed during a volcano eruption, and on the bottom there is a small pond, which is the only place in the world for certain kinds of albino crabs to live. I think there's also a restaurant and something else built around the place.
In the eyes of a 11-year old kid the place is probably bigger than in reality, but otherwise I remember it being somehow magical. There was hardly any light inside the lava bubble, but there were small lamps or lanterns giving dim light. You could cross the pond by narrow bridges on the sides of the walls, the water was crystal clear and you could easily see the albino crabs on the bottom of the pond. The air was hot and humid.
I remember the whole Lanzarote trip being really great, but for some reason the lava bubble has left the clearest memories.
Lava bubble from inside (www.freshpics.de)
3. Pompeii, ItalyProbably everyone has heard about Pompeii: the city that was buried in ash after the Vesuvius erupted and has because of the ash survived better than other cities the same age until now. In Pompeii there really were almost complete buildings standing, with only maybe roofs or parts of the walls missing. There were pillars, mosaics on the floors and walls, almost clear paintings, and even trails of chariot wheels carved on the streets. The city was surprisingly big, and in the museum related to it there were items found from the city - even plaster casts of the people who had been buried in the ash centuries ago. Those were pretty creepy, but made the whole place even more impressive. On those streets in between the ruins it felt like we had really returned back in time. Have to mention here that related to Pompeii we also visited the top of Vesuvius on the same trip.
Streets of Pompeii.
Inside a house.
Mosaics on the floor.
Trails of the wheels on the surface of the street.
This is maybe the most terrible place I've never been. Nevertheless, I want to go back and see it all again. So Auschwitz is one of the most well-known concentration camps of the Nazi times, and when I went there I was around ten years old. My parents have some pictures from here, but I don't have them, so I looked for some in the Internet.
Most of all I can remember the rooms with the belongings of those killed in the camp: huge piles of kettles, shoes, glasses and other stuff. I also remember the pictures on the walls showing skeleton-like people and children, who once live in the camp. On the memorial rooms there were candles to respect those who died. The frontyard and the buildings were huge, and the only thing we didn't really see were the crematorium, gas chamber and that stuff. Probably better that way.
The reason why I want to visit Auschwitz again is the feeling I remember from there: oppressive, heavy, sinister, silent. I remember the feeling way better than the surroundings. Around a year ago I visited another concentration camp in Germany, and even though that one was also quite oppressive, I believe nothing can feel the same as Auschwitz.
The entrance of Auschwitz and the gate with the big lie - Arbeit macht frei, work makes you free. (www.rnw.nl)
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5. Disneyland / Paris, France
Something happier for a change. When I visited Disneyland I was just a kid, so it felt like quite a wonderland in addition to the fact that I've always loved amusement parks. I have also visited Tokyo's Disneyland, but in my memories the one in Paris is the more magical one.
We had two days to go through the whole area, and it was definitely better than just one - there were lots and lots of things to see and it could take awfully long time to queue for the rides.
The best thing was probably how detailed everything had been made. It was easy to get into the feeling of different rides. We saw dancing ghosts and talking statues in the haunted house, flew above London and Neverland on Peter Pan's ships, watched dolls from all around the world dance and sing in the Little world, and went again and again to the Pirate ships to see the treasure cave and feel the surprising falls with the boat. Something I also remember well is the castle of Sleeping Beauty and the dragon's cave under the castle.
On the area there were more than enough restaurants and souvenir shops, and during the day there were also some performances with the topics of Winnie the Pooh, Mulan and Tarzan. Plus, there were two parades: one during the day and a light parade in the evening, both really beautiful. Maybe one day when I have kids I'll also take them here and experience all the great things again!
Sleeping beauty's castle. (www.disneyfrontier.com)
6. Neuschwanstein / Schwangau, Saksa
On my travels I have visited more castles than I can count anymore, but this is certainly the most impressive one. Probably no wonder that this castle had been used as a model for the castle in Sleeping Beauty, because the place really is quite a princess castle!
When we went to the castle, there was a thin layer of snow covering everything and the day was gray and calm, so the feeling on the gates of the castle on the mountain was like from a fairytale.
Even though the castle is huge, some of the rooms have been incomplete from the times they started to build it, so of course we could only see parts of it. We couldn't take pictures inside, but the rooms were nicely decorated and colorful. The scenery to the mountains and snow-covered woods around was awesome.
Of course it would be great to see the castle again, but I might not want to change the memory of what it looked like on the first time, with the castle and the whole world around being completely white.
Neuscwanstein from the bottom of the mountain.
Scenery to the mountains.
Miniature of the castle, which tells quite well how big it actually is.
I've been to Notre Dame cathedral twice, and it was just as awesome on both times. From the inside it's massive and high as if it would reach for the skies, and there's only little light coming in from the windows decorated with glass paintings, so it's only dim light inside. During the latest visit there was a silent organ music playing on the background, which created a really special feeling. In the treasure chamber you could find so many kinds of stuff from golden relics to old clothes of the earlier popes, pictures and statues of saints and confessionals. Also from the outside Notre Dame looks awesome, and when you visit there you just can't help but to think that Disney's cartoon with the ringer of Notre Dame (I have no idea about the original English name of that movie). When we went to the backside of the cathedral, we could see the water pipes and the statues similar to the movie. Maybe, in addition to the great appearance of the cathedral, also the visions of that Disney's movie make the place so unforgettable.
Notre Dame from the front...
... and inside.
From the treasure chamber.
Even though this is probably just one of the many desert camps in United Arab Emirates and mainly a tourist attraction, it's still worth visiting. It's built like the traditional camps of Bedouins, farmers who used to travel in the desert. We stayed in the camp during our two-day tour to the desert and Hatta village, and arrived there when the sun was setting. We had a filling dinner, rode camels (even though just a little), got henna tattoos, tried shisha (kind of a water pipe you smoke), watched belly dancers and other performances - even tried dancing on the stage with their special skirt, tried a little sand surfing (though it didn't go really well since the hill wasn't steep enough), and finally watched the stars shining over the dark desert. The weather was warm even after the sunset, and it felt great to walk around barefoot on the soft sand.
But the best part definitely was the night: all the other tourists left, so our family was the only one to stay over night. We slept in sleeping bags, on a mattresses made of couch pillows, completely under the stars. One time me and my sister woke up the middle of the night: there was no electricity on the camp so no lights, torches, candles or anything, but the moon was so bright that we could clearly see everything almost like during the daytime. Needless to say that after that experience I totally fell in love with the desert.
The camp seen from a dune.
One of the performers we watched.
Evening at the camp. The area in the middle was for the performers.
Just before the sunrise.
9. Forum Romanum / Rome, Italy
In addition to Pompeii this ancient center of Rome was one of the greatest attractions in Italy. Forum Romanum is located in the middle of the city of modern Rome, so it felt quite interesting to move from the hectic city life to the middle of the ruins. There were still pillars and parts of the buildings and temples of ancient Rome, and above them all rose the Colosseum, which also was certainly worth visiting. The feeling was somehow similar to Pompeii, but what made Forum Romanum interesting were especially the ruins of the temples.
Forum Romanum.
Wall of pillars, which for some reason I remember the best.
10. Salt mine / Hallein, Austria
This was probably unforgettable partly because of its oppression. I've been to mines and stalactite caverns before, but when it comes to this mine, already in the beginning the 'train' trip inside the mountain and thoughts of only rock above us made me feel uncomfortable. Not to mention we had to go down some kind of slides twice to get deeper, same way than the old miners used to, since that was the only way to get down. Have to mention that on the first time I got quite a shock when I realized the length of the slide.
On the other hand the guided tour was really interesting and we could see how the miners had really lived there under the ground. Also there was a small salt lake inside the mountain, and we crossed it with a small and slow boat in the dim light of lamps attached to the rocks. Just like in Tokyo Tower, it also felt like we were completely shut out of the rest of the world. Nevertheless the relief was great when we finally got back to the surface.
The trains used to go in the mine.
From inside the mine.
The slides from down.
In addition to all these I have to mention two things more:
1. Bazaars of Alanya, Turkey, which means the traditional marketplaces and alleys with stalls cheek by jowl. They sell all kinds of stuff: clothes, seasoning, food, jewellery, souvenirs and much more. Though the men can be a little pushy, the feeling is great - so much to see, taste, smell and try.
2. Louvre museum in Paris, France, which is way too big to be seen within just one day. There are items from almost all times and most of the places in the world, not to mention Mona Lisa and other famous things.
I could probably list many places more, but here's something to begin with! Next time it will be a completely new entry then. 8)
★ Maani
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