Please help me make my bucket list

Orkney and Shetland.

Paris

Neolithic structures/caves...every time.

Yellowstone....every time, lol.

What about you? Your other thread last year was about your visit to Alaska and asking what sites to see before they no longer exist. Did you come up with some thoughts from that thread?

Yes, I did get some ideas from the thread-- thanks for asking. I was surprised how many people said "Venice" so I've been considering that one, and now the whole country of Italy is on my list. In the meantime, I just went to Japan in May, so that took a lot of my planning time. My travel window is closing, so I need to make the most of these next few years. Hopefully y'all's suggestions will help me fine tune a bucket list.

• Iceland: all of it
• La Sagrada Familia
• Guernica
• Venice
• Stonehenge (but I was there when you could walk among and sit on the stones)
• Many stretches of the Oregon coast
• Mt. Rainier
• Newfoundland
• The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde
• Florence (the Uffizi, La Specola, the Duomo… and on and on)
• Paris

Probably more… but mine are fairly pedestrian compared to others here who have traveled more extensively. :-)

"My travel window is closing, so I need to make the most of these next few years."

Oh sweetie....I've got at least 15 years on you and I DO see my travel window closing but you've probably got 20 years left, lol!! I DO think it's good to prioritize the harder trips now...or the things that are going to disappear. I never really had a thirst for Antarctica or Machu Picchu but those are probably not within my scope at 75. I AM going back to Orkney and Shetland next summer because it's a lot of outdoors and the tour guide I go with has pretty active tours so I need to do them before I age out.

I'm glad you had a good time in Japan. There has been a lot of Japan interest on this forum recently so hopefully you'll stick around and be able to share your knowledge.

Yes, yes, yes to Italy.

I'd have to agree with Volva that the things that blow me away are what others might find pedestrian but each of us travels our own way and we can only concentrate on what brings each of us joy.

I go for Mont St Michel. Especially if you start with the view from Avranches.

My wife votes for Monet's Garden in Giverny.

I would have to agree with Yellowstone, the Oregon Coast and Iceland. I would like to add Crater Lake, Niagara Falls, Sintra as well as Israel

Moai on Easter Island
Petra
Machu Picchu
Hagia Sofia
The Mezquita
Sagrada Familia
Meteora
Lady Bird Johnson Grove
North Cascades Scenic Highway (at Spring opening)
Lake Louise

. THE GRAND CANYON No pictures can do it justice.

. The Lauterbrunnen Valley

. The Aguille du Midi

. Paris

Teresa,
In 2019 I went to what had been #1 on my bucket list for over forty years, a trip To Egypt! It was everything I could have asked for. Everything after that has been gravy.
But just to add, other bucket list items, albeit further down, have been achieved also....trips to Kenya, Turkey, the Dorodgne region of France, the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Easter Island, and Tierra del Fuego in Chile. The many, many ancient sights in Egypt left me dumbstruck, as well as the loveliness of the Nile as our boat slowly cruised along. The long march of the various groups/societies who occupied what is now Turkey also was awe-inspiring, as were the prehistoric caves in the Dordogne River valley. Likewise, the moai of Easter Island and the chance to experience a bit of what the first explorers of Tierra del Fuego did were thrilling!

Alaska in its size and natural grandeur can't fail to impress, and the Grand Canyon also. But more gasp-worthy than these two is Yosemite N.P. When I first saw it, from Tuolumne Meadows, looking toward Half-Dome, I thought it was the most beautiful natural place I had ever been, and I still feel that way today, almost 60 years later.

I have been so lucky to have been to these places, as well as many others! Would that everyone could be as lucky also!

Botswana safari - I didn’t have a safari high on my list but a friend was looking for a travel buddy. There is nothing like pulling up in a jeep right next to a lion family or watching dozens of giraffes. It was spectacular.

Italy (just about anywhere) - This was my first trip to Europe. I encounter something special everytime I visit. The scenery, the history, and the food!

London - It is my favorite city to visit. I lived there for a year and visit almost every year. I go to the theatre most nights on my visits and spend the days exploring the city. There is just so much to do.

New Zealand - There are just so many places with spectacular scenery.

First time hearing Big Ben toll

Yellowstone; seeing a moose

Mt Rushmore. Took a back road after visiting the park and found a gated dirt road. Got out and hiked and discovered a partial sideview of the monument.

Stonehenge in 1972 ( no one else there except 5 people in what looked like hazmat suits. They approached the interior of the stones and from nowhere were intercepted by guards. They were encircled and escorted away. ).

Later after strolling back to where we were catching our bus I saw a guard and asked about the incident. Was told “ they thought it was their day to ascend into the heavens.”

Visiting Ground Zero the Christmas after 9/11. Eerie and emotional.

Gap of Dunloe in November. Gorgeous Fall colors. No one but me and some sheep as I hiked to the cottage.

Hagia Sophia. Most amazing man made structure I’ve ever seen

Venice

Newgrange

The diverse architecture of Havana. How clean the streets were. Whether they were dirt or paved they were completely devoid of litter. Favorite trip

The Statute of Liberty. Climbed up into the crown.

Hiking to the floor of the Grand Canyon and yes, hiking back out. Ah youth

Hiking to the top of Yosemite Falls in 1973.

Seeing the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights

Getting to see the Endeavor Shuttle on the pad at Canaveral, Then getting to watch it land at Edwards Air-Force base. Also watching it make its way through the streets of LA to where it is housed at the California Science Center

Notre Dame in Paris. Chills when I walked inside.

St Peter’s Rome ( so this is where all the collection plate money went )

Seeing Eiffel Tower light up

Seeing British soldiers in a field as we were driving back roads from Armagh to Belfast in the mid 90’s

How small the US Senate is

And attending the 1989 World Series at Candlestick Park on October 17 and wondering what it would feel like when this section of the stadium breaks off and falls to the pavement below. Section 43 Row 41 Seat 14.

Travel is a privilege. Never forget that!

Edit:
The Last Supper
Edit 2:
The size of The Nightwatch
Edit 3: Watching Mt St Helens blow from the rooftop of the Student Activities Center on the Lower Columbia College campus in Longview, Washington. It was a Sunday and I’d gone in to review some contracts.
Had the radio on. Climb up an interior ladder to the roof. Was a cloudy overcast day but still could see the plumes of smoke, as it exploded et al.

Watched the news later saying a prayer for mountain man Harry Truman whose cabin was buried. He’d staunchly refused to leave. Was also making certain the Cowlitz River wasn’t going to overflow.

Got great 35 millimeter pics of this history making event. Also got a sweet kitten I named Cavanaugh
after Father James Kavanaugh. People along the river had abandoned homes and pets.

completely dumbstruck with awe?

I'm wracking my brain trying to come up with answers while taking your question as literally as possible, because I don't want to give general answers like Paris and Rome. So, my list of jaw dropping moments within a location:

• Elizabeth the First's coffin in Westminster Abbey.
• Bodiam Castle ruins in Bodiam, England.
• Calgary Beach in Mull, Scotland.
• The walk downhill from Beynac Castle to the Dordogne River.
• The Garden of Fugitives in Pompeii.
• The perfectly preserved gladiator helmet at the Naples Archeological Museum.
• The drive between Lake Louise and Jasper, Alberta.

I have been to 83 foreign countries and enjoyed them all. Some more than others.
Since this is under Beyond Europe, I won't list any European sites.

Israel
Egypt- Nile cruise, Abu Simbel, Cairo-Giza.
Safari in Kenya and Tanzania in early August for the Great Migration.
Galapagos Islands in Ecuador
Machu Picchu, The Sacred Valley and Cuzco in Peru
Cruise around the Horn of S. America from Buenos Aires to Chile.
Japan-especially Kyoto
China-Bejing, The Great Wall and Xian, The Terracotta Warriors
Australia

In North America
The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Grand Teutons.
Alaska, cruise including Glacier Bay and tour of Denali
Canadian Rockies tour
The Panama Canal

You should list the places you've already been that left you dumbstruck.

Ah yes, how could I forget, seeing a group of elephants gathered around a few baby elephants? We watched them from a distance, and they watched us (at least the mothers did). The feeling of "It takes a village" came to me at that moment. I haven't been to a zoo since, even the San Diego Wildlife Refuge. There was something very tender about them all, gathered to look after the young ones.
Kenya was an eye-opener!

..."what has left you completely dumbstruck with awe? "

In over 60 years of international travel the single most amazing thing I've ever seen was the Taj Mahal. Like most of us I'd seen photos, videos, and travel programs about it and so thought I was ready for the real thing, but nothing prepared me for the monumental beauty of the site. It's truly indescribable - go there.
If a single destination belongs at the top of any bucket list it's this one.

Evening concert of three musicians playing Vivaldi 4 seasons by candlelight upstairs at Saint Chapelle in Paris.

Teresa, gosh, this is a hard question.

I just asked my husband, and we have been chatting about it for a few minutes now.

My first answer was Antarctica (with National Geographic/Lindblad)....to which he agreed, but then he quickly added, but it was an incredible experience to take the two helicopter flights over Hawaii (seeing the waterfalls along the coast and then the hot lava of the volcano).

If I had to choose which I would encourage you to do before the other: Antarctica because as global warming continues, see it soon. Ice will always be there, but when we see current photos, there is less than when we went well over 10 years ago.

Okay, now my husband is also adding "standing on the continental divide" with a foot in each side in Iceland (also National Geo trip).

Thank you for getting us chatting and remembering.........so many trips...so many memories.

The look on my husband's face as we approached Venice in a water taxi was special, too.

Seeing the cottage in which my grandmother and her many siblings were raised in Ireland had me in awe (never realizing that I would someday step into the "black and white photo" which was my impression of the faraway land called Ireland). And, in my childhood, I never dreamed I would actually ride in a plane.

Circumnavigating the globe (in one trip) was something we also never thought we would do, and we are still struck with awe that we did it. That young girl (me when I was young) would never have believed that!!

Okay, I am going to stop, before I type for pages. So many special memories.

Go!! See! Create memories!

Here are some:

In the U.S.

The view from Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park

The cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park

The Oregon Coast

Driving towards Mount Rainier

The California coast south of Monterey

The Grove of the Titans in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park

Highway 89 on the west side of Lake Tahoe, where it is narrow and winding between Cascade Lake and Emerald Bay

Yellowstone, especially the geysers and colorful pools

Yosemite: both the valley and Tuolomne meadows

The view over the craters in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

In Europe:

My first view of Vernazza, Cinque Terre

The art in Florence and Venice on my first trip to Europe--I had no idea there was so much art in the churches, as well as in the museums

The Pantheon in Rome

Pompeii

Saint Chappelle in Paris

The Sagrada Familia

The prehistoric cave paintings in the Dordogne

Mürren, Switzerland

Other

Snorkeling near Playa del Carmen in Mexico and on St John, USVI

For starters, I'm in awe of all of y'all, who are so kind and helpful that you would use your time and brain cells to help out someone (me) who you don't even know. A sincere thanks to everyone who responded. I have a lot to research!

There was a request for me to answer the same question. These come to mind:

Westminster Abbey, on my first trip out of the country
The ambiance in Canterbury Cathedral
Hiking in the Swiss Alps, with cows' bells ringing in the distance
Being surrounded by about 20+ macaques, who pretty much ignored us, while hiking in the Japanese Alps
A grizzly bear and her 2 cubs casually walking by us on the beach, about 30 feet away, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska
Glaciers (oh, so many), Alaska
Flying in a helicopter over the Chugach Mountains and Knik Glacier, AK, perfect weather
Successfully rolling a kayak in the rapids, (a river in TX)
Swimming behind sea turtles while scuba diving (Caribbean)
Being pulled around by a "wild" dolphin, who came back to me every time I let go, Roatan
Watching a space shuttle launch (Florida)
Great Ocean Road, Australia
Dachau Concentration Camp (awed, but not in a good way)
Sunrise on top of Haleakala (Hawaii)
Seeing sequoias for the first time (Sequoia National Park)
Millions of Mexican Free-Tailed Bats exiting a cave, flying within 3 feet of our heads: private ranch in West TX
Taking pictures at a Jain worship experience after a rigorous climb to the top of the small mountain, southern India
Holding on for dear life in the back of an auto-ricksaw while the driver swerved around all the other auto-ricksaws and cows in the extremely crowded roads: Mysore, India

I haven't been to that many places compared to a lot of other people, but off the top of my head:

1. Snowcapped Mt. Fuji during cherry blossom season in Kawaguchiko
2. Meteora, Greece
3. Sitting in the 2nd row courtside at Wimbledon watching Roger Federer

"Watching a space shuttle launch (Florida)"

Oh wow...forgot about that! Ex-husb and I somehow got into an area that was used for space center employee picnics and watched a launch from there in the early 80's (well before Challenger explosion). The ground shook and we were all in awe.

This is so hard — there are so many places that have wowed me. But I’ll try to list my favorites:

Antarctica
African Safaris
Orkney and Shetland Islands
Great Blasket Island and Inishmore (Ireland)
View from Murren, Switzerland
Yosemite Valley
Canadian Rockies
Glacier National Park
Bryce and Zion National Parks
Dolomite Mountains
Washington DC during cherry blossom season
World War II fox holes near Bastogne, Belgium
Normandy American Cemetery in France
Yorkshire Dales
Stonehenge
Grand Place, Brussels along with many many other market squares and old towns in Europe

Being spitting distance close to a family of Mountain Gorillas in Biwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda. Nothing else even comes close!

Like others, thank you for giving me a reason to reminisce!

Places I’m glad we did while still in good shape:
-The Acropolis and Epidavros- and standing in the midst of places that have withstood time and seeing the Acropolis lit up at night
- The Camino Santiago de Compostela: even just walking part made us feel connected to a storied tradition
- Sicily, especially Palermo with its gritty energetic offering of great food, beautiful architecture and wonderful,people in a compact place and Castelmola, the small medieval town above Taormina.

Other places that we treasure:
-The Alhambra in the Spring first thing in the morning - walking through the gardens, listening to the sounds from the fountains and admiring the serene plantings.
-Venice at sunset
- Chamonix when the clouds roll away and reveal that awesome mountain
- Lake Como: sitting lakeside, especially the early evening soaking up the views and the visiting spectacular gardens during the day
- Pont du Hoc: wondering how anyone survived

And closer to home:
-the San Juan Islands
-the Vietnam War Memorial
- Red Rock Conservation area with an unusual variety of geological formations over the course of a 13 mi,e loop.

Everywhere I have been has had moments I have loved.

I have personally decided that I am no longer making a “list.” Instead, I am going to pick what feels right for the next trip and enjoy that. I won’t make it to all the places in this world, and that is ok. But I will enjoy all the places I make it to. This also is helping me be ok with slowing down, just enjoying the place, and not worrying about missing something. And, with picking second cities, focusing on experience vs checklists.

But, if the experience you want is awe … here’s what has awed me! 1) Notre Dame (my first time in Europe), 2) The landscape of Scotland after climbing a hill in Edinburgh, 3) Monument Valley back country tour. 4) Dry Tortugas National Park. 5) Sevilla Alcazar and Cordoba Mezquita. 6) Flamenco in Sevilla. 7) Pompeii.

Thanks again to everyone who has responded. I'm going over all of your suggestions!

Several responses were about Italy and the coast of Oregon. I have follow-up questions about them:

1. Where do you suggest I go on the Oregon coast?
2. Why Italy? For some reason I'm just not getting it. I've been to many places in Europe (and thoroughly enjoyed them) but I'm kind of wanting to see something beyond museums, art galleries, and cathedrals. Please consider that I didn't really "get it" about India until I actually went there. Now I count it as one of my favorite trips.

Thanks again for your time and consideration.
-T

I have not been along the entire Oregon Coast, just the southern half. It's all gorgeous, but we really liked the area from Florence south to Gold Beach. The Honeyman and Oregon Dunes state parks, and the trio of Sunset Bay, Shore Acres, and Cape Arago are a favorite area.

Regarding Italy, in addition to the great art, museums, cathedrals and churches, there are many other things to see and do. The overall ambiance is wonderful, and the food is great and reasonably priced. Areas like Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast, and Lake Como and other northern lakes are beautiful. We haven't been to the Dolomites, but they sound spectacular.

Edited to add that if I was tired of museums and cathedrals, I could still plan a great trip to Italy visiting some of the locations mentioned above.

Venice. Every. Time.

Same for Alpe di Siusi in the Dolomites. The stunning mosaics in Ravenna. And London, especially Tower Bridge, the Thames Path, and St. Paul’s. Kyoto and Naoshima in Japan

Yosemite, Denali (the mountain itself), the Aletsch Gletscher in Switzerland. The Coast Redwoods in California. And our local mountain, Rainier, never fails to cause awe. We were there last week and will visit again in a few days.

And lots more in Italy. We keep going back and discovering new places, as well as returning to old friends. It has nothing to do with museums—-we rarely visit them. It is about the culture, the history, architecture, lakes and mountains, and yes, the food. Best of all are the people. Get off the crowded tourist path and you will find a warm welcome and kindness in little family-run hotels and trattorias.

[] Ayacucho, Peru: its austere Spanish-colonial beauty, and the city's palpable pride in its indigenous heritage. (Visited in 2004)
[] Teruel, Spain: the stunning beauty of this remote medieval city upon beholding it as I walked in from the train station. (Visited in 2009)
[] The tomb of Mevlana Rumi in Konya, Turkey, due especially to the perceptible devotion of most of the visitors. (Visited in 2010 -- as a tourist, be respectful or don't go there)
[] Kuelap, Peru: the remarkable thousand-year-old ruins themselves on top of their long, narrow mesa, plus the spectacular high-mountain scenery in every direction. (Visited in 2019)
[] Honduras: the view of Lake Yojoa, as I kayaked into it from a creek running through the village of Los Naranjos near the north shore. (Visited 2023)

I truly felt dumbstruck with awe after entering the inner chamber of Bru na Boinne in Ireland.

Sagrada Familia as the sun set
Mont Ste Michelle at night after all of the tourbusses had left
Dinner overlooking the twinkling lights of Positano - Italy
Swimming around The Baths - Virgin Gorda BVI
Buchart Gardens - Vancouver Island, BC
Nara Park - Japan
A bunch of things about Tokyo - Shibuya, the Trains, the Department Stores, the Vibe
Temples & Cherry Blossoms - Kyoto
Plitvice National Park - Croatia
Stargazing at night - Mauna Kea Summit, Hawaii
Abandoned Copper Mine - Kennecott, AK
San Michele Cemetery - Venice
Traffic "jams" on the Grand Canal - Venice
Bernina Express Train - St Moritz to Tirano

Sad things that left me dumbstruck:
Anne Frank House - Amsterdam
Dachau - Munich
Jewish Cemetery - Prague

1) Norway Fjords
2) Swiss Alps
3) Iceland...

In that order..
Fjords were so special.. every place we go.. it was Wow, wow! Wow!!..

Been blessed with the opportunity to visit many places mostly in North America and Europe. Pondering this question, I have to say seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time is #1. You can’t describe it. You have to see it. Jaw dropping. I remember getting out of the car and mouthing to myself “Oh my God.” And my wife and I are mostly museum people, not the outdoor types.

" ...completely dumbstruck with awe?" Too many places in Europe but a few of them are: Paris, Chateau de Fontainebleau, especially the Courtyard of Farewell, Versailles, Berlin, Gdansk,

In North America: Quebec and Quebec City to be sure.

It's a great question, but I have found that it really depends. What kinds of things are likely to move you personally to awe? For some people it's a beautiful artwork, for others it's natural scenery, for still others it's architecture or historical importance, etc. etc. Furthermore, I find when I travel that a lot really depends on how my day is going - like, am I tired and cranky, or having a great day? Sometimes I show up for the things I most look forward to and find them overcrowded or rained-upon, or I've just caught a cold, or whatever... whereas often my most memorable travel moments are ones I could never have predicted. This is not to say you shouldn't visit purportedly fabulous places, you certainly should, but perhaps don't pin your hopes of awe to any one place or experience overmuch... the journey is long and varied.

The Alhambra - Granada
Malta - the whole island
Sicily - I am in awe at all the beauties of Sicily
Ravenna - the gorgeous Byzantine mosaics
Teotihuacan - Mexico
Lavenham in Suffolk, England with its crooked timbered houses
The London tube system

You asked where to go on the Oregon coast... I can recommend Cannon Beach.
Another area that I don't think anyone has mentioned is Tahiti on a Windstar small sailing ship. It is absolutely stunning.

The Alhambra
The Old Head of Kinsale
The town square of Krakow
The Grand Place of Brussels
The Brandenburg Gate and Unter den Linden in Berlin
Stockholm from the water
The Norwegian railway from Oslo to Bergen
Cruising the Danube
The porticos of Bologna
Venice San Marco as seen from the water
The Water of Leith Walk in Edinburgh
The World War II Museum in Gdansk
Prague
Waimea Canyon
The Grand Canyon
Yellowstone
Brora, Scotland
Auschwitz and Birkenau (for their awful significance)

Where do you suggest I go on the Oregon coast?

From north to south (and this isn't even my actual favorites list - just off top of head):

• Astoria (not on the actual coast but great little town)
• Manzanita (skip Cannon Beach, too touristy)
• Ecola State Park - most photographed part of Oregon coast
• Three capes scenic drive (Cape Mears, Cape Lookout, Cape Kiwanda) and a stop in Pacific City at the end to watch the dory boats land from Pelican Brewing.
• Tillamook (also not on actual coast but you can eat cheese!)
• Depoe Bay to watch the boats enter the harbor and potentially see whales and big waves
• Yaquina Head natural area stone beach and lighthouse
• Yachats and Cape Perpetua scenic area
• Florence area to see the immense sand dunes
• Umpqua Lighthouse
• Shore Acres State Park
• Bandon
• Cape Blanco State Park

You'd need a lifetime to see it all.

Lofoten Islands in Norway. Absolutely stunning scenery.
Copenhagen. Yes, it's a capital city but it had something special IMO.
Base camp on Mount Annapurna in Nepal. Not as difficult a trek as I was expecting but one needs to be reasonably fit to make it.