Favorite Quiet Memories of Europe

It was not objectively quiet as I was driving a car, but one of the most alone-all-by-myself, awesome moments was driving my car up and downhill Passo Gavia (14.000ft high) in Italy out of Bromio in the early morning, with stunning views of a mountain and a sensation, every time I stopped with no one else in sight, it was all mine as long as my I could reach!

My short list would include; The tiny village of Crestet in Provence, the only place I've found that looks so authentically medieval that automobiles look stunningly out of place. Sunset there is the definition of peaceful. Savonlinna, Finland. In most respects, just a very pleasant small resort town in far-eastern Finland, just a short distance from Russia. But the 1000-year-old castle on the lake reminds you that you are far from home. As an added bonus, it hosts a big name opera festival in July. There is nothing like hearing Carmina Burana in that setting. A tiny village along the Vltava river a few miles outside of Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic. I can't remember the name now, but that's where our 3-hour rafting experience ended and after we pulled the boat out of the water, I walked around the village while waiting to be picked up. Found a lovely old church complex and poked my head inside. No one else was there and the sun was streaming through the windows...

No doubt, biking through the Loire Valley last spring on my first solo trip through France. The lilacs were in bloom, and it was probably one of the closest experiences I've had to the Divine in my life thus far.

#1 Hiking the North Face trail above Murren (from Allmendhubel to Gimmelwald). Literally brought me to tears it was so amazingly peaceful and beautiful. #2 Biking to Helbrunn Castle outside of Salzburg. It was just fantastic - peaceful, walking through the gardens - my son playing in the playground there, and wonderful scenery. #3 Watching the tide come in during an evening on Mont St Michel. All the day trippers gone - it was magical.

Sitting in a sidewalk cafe in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria having a beer with my wife, and watching all the young women strolling past, some strolling strollers.

Linnae, I've always wanted to do a biking trip in Europe. My family won't do it, so I have to find a way of convincing them I can go by myself. That's the kind of experience I hope to get out of it, too. Jill, We had an opportunity to do the same hike over Mürren, but it was misting rain the whole day and we had to go home the next day. So sad... I'm glad it worked for you!

Hiking through the Odenwald with my wife and dog. It never ceases to amaze me what you can find in this region. A castle ruin, an old border marking, scenic villages, a hidden waterfall, a mountain cabin, an outdoor church, beautiful villages, an isolated hunter's lodge, a scenic rock formation, an old watchtower, etc. I'm amazed this area gets almost no mention in most English-language guidebooks, because It's just to the southeast of Frankfurt International Airport, where most travelers make their entrance and exit from Germany.

My favorite quiet memories are on the islands of Scotland and Ireland, especially hiking on Great Blasket Island and the watching the birds on the cliffs of the main island of the Orkneys. So peaceful and stunningly beautiful, it just filled my heart with joy.

- Hiking to the Abbey of Sant'Antimo outside of Montalcino, just the two of us, cows and sheep for most of the trek. - Torcello island on a cool clear winter day, the snowy peaks visible across the laguna - Spoleto's Ponte delle Torri in early morning as the sun sweeps through the valley and lights up the olive groves

Most of my favorite quiet moments involve hiking with my husband and sometimes my teenager boy ;) -hiking in Val Gardena and Alp di suisi last October, we got the first snow of the season, it was so beautiful! -hiking to Burg Eltz from the Moselkern train station, an easy but very nice hike. -hiking in Monserrat Spain what a scenery! The only thing missing was my dog...

Randy,
Well, I loved my serene early morning walk of the quiet streets of Assissi, starting out from my hotel room down the steep assent into the town square. Only a few people were up - getting their morning cappucino & brioche. I am a newby Traveler in Europe and look forward to many other quiet moments. Oh, also, my bicycle ride along Lago Trasimeno stopping to take photos of the poppy field. Beautiful. I am a birder and of course had to give a listen for the water birds. Spotted a really unusual looking lake duck that looked like a puffin. Fun and relaxing afternoon. Linda

I was going by train from Trier to Goettingen and had to change trains in Koblenz and Frankfurt. The ride through the Mosel River valley was absolutely gorgeous. I heard about the area but had no idea how beautiful it was, with mountains, vineyards, castle ruins, and the train tracks running alongside the river. There were only a few people in the whole train car. Pictures just didn't do it justice.

My husband and I reached the tiny French village on Conques by a bus filled with school children. It was late November and there were no tourists and mild weather. As the sun set we ate a picnic in front of the Conques Abbey while marveling at the beautiful and weird tympanium. Bats started flying around us as it got dark and a monk walked by and wished us Bon Appétit.

Usually the very early or very late hours when most tourists and residents are still indoors. Walking along the Seine in Paris while all the buildings are still illuminated (til midnight), on the Grand Canal in Venice at first light, then watching sunrise over the lagoon from the Piazza. And in Ravenna in February, there were several opportunities to enjoy the wonderful mosaics completely alone.

We left the road and went a few yards to the shore of a lake outside Killarney, Ireland. It was overcast and beautiful. In the English Garden in Munich, Germany we felt alone though there were others, unseen in the trees.

In Venice I went out early to walk around. The piazzas were being swept by broom. All was quiet.

Standing all alone at dawn on the Rialto Bridge in Venice and watching the sun touch the top of the buildings, then make its way down to the Grand Canal.

Perhaps this doesn't answer the question very specifically, but it's interesting to me that I can enjoy so many quiet moments when I am traveling and am surrounded by other people. I find that if I am absorbed in whatever I am viewing, other people and noise just seem to fade away into a background hum. I've had that experience in cathedrals, while walking woodland trails, on boat tours, and many other places while I was in the midst of others. So for me, it may be more of a state of mind than of actual quiet or remove from other tourists.

Honoring the memory of my best friend of 50 years by taking her ashes to Italy. She'd always wanted to visit where here parents had been born but never took the time to go. As I walked along a road winding up hill above Sassoferrato I saw a "NO Bush" slogan painted on a retaining wall. I burst out laughing and tears flowed. She was a life long Democrat and would have loved seeing the sentiment. From atop this hill with a lovely view of the town and surrounding rolling green hillsides, I knew she was home.

Watching the lights go on in the Sassi area of Matera. It turned the entire area into a magical fairyland. Sometimes you could hear a piano, violin or singing lesson echo through the Sassi. We retired to our cave room at the hotel with such joy and wonder at being in Matera and enjoying our peaceful time on the terrace of the hotel. During the morming, we found such enjoyment eating our delicious breakfast on the terrace and listening to the sound of all the birds that filled the skies.
Ahhh Matera and our stay at the Sassi Hotel. It makes me smile to remember it.

Each trip to Europe has so many of those moments for me as I tend to search them out. They are what makes me want to return... a few favorites... watching the sunrise at the Lake of Constance with my daughter early morning walks from St. Remy to the hospital where Van Gogh was sunrise over the Charles Bridge in Prague sunrise in Venice during Carnavale Guess there are too many sunrises to mention (my favorite time of day) @Claudia... what a beautiful story

Claudia, Thank you for sharing that story. It made me smile, too. I'll confess I've had similar thoughts about where I might like my ashes laid, hopefully far in the future, after I have had much more time to discover more favorite places.

Sunset on the Isle of Skye, hiking to the Hermitage near Dunkeld, Scotland and also to Birnam Wood in the same area, staying on a wheat farm near lisieux, Fr in Normandy, a picnic on a chilly day with view of the Normandy beaches, getting lost hiking in the Cotswolds, walking through daffodils on the grounds of the Beguinage in Bruges in early spring too many to recall-all wonderful.

As another poster noted, early or late in many places before or after the crowds have descended, but my absolute favorite was quietly gliding into the Bay of Kotor at sunrise--a little fog in the air, shafts of sunlight streaming between the mountain peaks, dead silence on the water--still brings tears of joy to my eyes when I think about it.

I can think of a few: We were at Neuschwanstein early (before opening) in mid-October and hiked the trail past Marienburg for a little while. We were completely alone (but the danger signs were a little ominous). Walking Venice (late October) in the evening. Once you are off the main streets, all you hear is water lapping against the buildings. Salzburg (late September), walking from the center toward the brewery for dinner. As I crossed one of the walking bridges, the view back toward the castle and churches was amazing (probably top sight anywhere). Walking to Burg Eltz through the forrest mid-morning(Mid-September), there wasn't anyone else on the trail. Also be at Rheinfels at opening, we were there early October and it was shrouded in fog. We had the place to ourselves for about an hour, before the fog burned off, we could have been the only people on the planet. Cinque Terra after 9pm in late October - they roll up the streets. Not sure this was a good one, be sure to pick up your bottle of wine from a store when they are still open.

Walking with my wife at dawn in Dorsoduro in Venice, from Zattare to the Customs tower, around to Salute, then the early traghetto over the Grand Canal. Then it went from actual quiet to virtually quiet, as we were around many people but not interacting with them. We boarded a vaporetto just after the sun came up, caught seats right at the front on the right hand side and as we rode towards Ferrovia the light on the buildings was out of this world. We stayed on to P. Roma when we saw the queue for the boat at Ferrovia. There was a crowd at P. Roma but we got some backwards facing seats at the stern and then watched the boat heave with bodies as the world got on at Ferrovia. We then rode back down the Grand Canal with all the day workers - a real experience - and then went back to the guesthouse Don Orione for breakfast. What a special time - etched forever in our memories - and well worth an early rising.

Leaving El Escorial in Spain about an hour before sunset in late November and making a twenty-minute walk last an hour through a beautiful park back to the station. No tourists or even other people...very quiet, birds and black squirrels, nature sounds, fall colors, mountains, and a great sunset. Lounging and drinking a couple of mini-bar beverages at 1 am on hotel room balcony in Manarola in July. Very dark & quiet, bright stars & moon, warm, and little fishing boat lights out on the sea. Maybe an hour outside of Reykjavik...watching huge waves crash up against sheer cliffs dropping straight down to the Atlantic. Sea birds of various types...an old lighthouse up a hill...truly stunning scenery....and nobody around but us.

In Northern Ireland, a stop at a viewpoint along the Antrim Coast road east of Ballintoy in the light of the late afternoon sun, taking in the utterly peaceful panorama of incredibly green meadows, scattered cows grazing, a house here and there, the cliffs and rock formations along the so-blue water, and the misty islands in the distance. Me wondering if there's a better view anywhere in the world. In Ponte de Lima, Portugal, sitting on a bench on a sunny morning in the old village square, when a happy line of first-grade-age girls in their uniforms of white blouses, gray skirts, and navy blue caps came single file into the square, holding hands and led by their teacher. And gave us visitors great big smiles.

We found on oasis of quiet in Paris by the Palais Royale.
We wandered into the garden,where the plane trees stood like sentinels keeping out the noise. We had lunch at cafe there, beautiful and quiet.

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful and inspiring replies. As I read each description, my mind forms a picture of what it might have looked like or felt like, and it inspires me. I hope that all travelers are inspired to plan trips that are conducive to creating great quiet memories to go along with the big splashy ones. Keep those images coming...

I had enlisted in the Army in the late 90's because I wanted to see Europe and my first duty station was Kitzingen, Germany, right outside of Wurzburg. One of my first excursions was exploring Wurzburg which is a magnificent city, one of the hidden gems of Europe. I stayed overnight in the hostel which is at the bottom of the hill below the fortress. Woke up early the next morning - it was Sunday - and climbed up the hill to the fortress garden that overlooks the city and had the place all to myself. I don't know if anyone has seen the view of Wurzburg from up there but it just took my breath away. I sat there quietly taking it all in when suddenly all of the church bells in the city started going off. One of my favorite memories.

All of my experiences at the Greek islands at the Agean Sea, with the exception of the city Rhodes new town on the island Rhodes, and airports. Riding in an airplane (airline flight) from the airport on the island Chios (in northeast Agean Sea) toward the Athens airport, the airplane was at a low altitude above the south side of that island. Looking down, I saw one of the Medieval "mastic" villages on that island. That village, made in the 1400s, or 1300s, is totally enclosed by a white circular wall. It was built like that for defensive purposes, because pirates went off of their ships, walked to villages to commit thefts and murders, ...The round village had only one entrance, the road into it curved, causing difficulty in penetrating the town. Looking down at that little white round village, it looked the same as it looked 600 hundred years ago, or 700 years ago. No motor vehicle. No electricity wires. No telephone wires or poles. It was an astonishing sight. And I can relate to what D.D. said : "I can enjoy quiet moments whan I am travelling and am surrounded by other people...". In October of 2011 I was at England, at the Hampton Court Palace, located south of southwest London. When I was planning that trip to England, I decided to not go to Hampton Court Palace, because I own a book of big color photographs of the rooms in that palace, I thought "I see Hampton Court Palace in those photographs, therefore I do not need to go there".
I did go to Hampton Court Palace, and I am glad that I did, because looking at a photograph, a person does not feel the atmosphere (environment) in a place. Being in the room that has big colored glass windows, in the part that was occupied by King Henry the 8th, I felt a good mood. (I did not think about King Henry the 8th). I was glad I decided to go to that place. It was near the beginning of my time in England.

Watching a sunset in a dazzling sky from The Rock.

Our first trip to Paris was last May. My wife and I were in a laundromat washing some clothes. She went back to our hotel while I waited for the last load of clothes to dry. I was sitting in front of the dryer, watching the clothes spin around while an older gentleman sat a couple of chairs down from me doing the same. Then he said "Paris is a beautiful city and we're sitting here watching clothes spin around." I laughed and we started talking. turns out he was originally from Denmark, but had an apartment in Paris. When i told him I was from the L.A. area, he told me about his trips there. We spoke for about 30 minutes, then his clothes were done and off he went. Not your typical quiet moment, but I remember it because it was unexpected. You never know where those memorable moments will turn up.

In Vernazza, Cinque Terre, if you stay in one of Gianni Franzi's rooms, you get to use their perch set into the side of the cliff overlooking the sea. It is very quiet and peaceful, not to mention amazingly beautiful. After being in Paris, Rome, Sienna and Florence, it was a welcome respite from all the crowds and noise. I pray that one day soon Vernazza will recover and be ready to welcome us all back.

Some additional wonderful walks: Westonbirt Arboretum not far from Bath-just beautiful; the woodland garden surrounding Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal;Glendalough in Ireland with the enchanting stream that runs through it with grazing sheep nearby; the walk along the river from Cahir Castle to the Swiss cottage (southern Ireland). Seeing Giverny early before the crowds arrived will always be a special memory

- In Venice, laying in bed in the morning with my wife in a romantic room, overlooking a nice courtyard behind the B&B, listening to the birds and the occasional bell tower ringing it's bells, and the fresh breeze coming in the open window. - I did three of the four Cinque Terre hikes by myself, just soaking in the quietness of nature, the vineyards, stone walls, breathtaking views of the Ligurian Sea. - Slightly off-topic: This may sound strange, but I "connect" with a place sometimes when I fall asleep there. In upstate New York I once fell asleep for 20 minutes on a path when taking a hike. I'd never felt more peaceful or connected to nature. Pete

Yes Peter, I understand. And I do not think it is strange. I liked the experience of dosing off to sleep, for 20 Minutes or so, on a path in a forest or ...

Weesp is a small town 10 minutes east of Amsterdam on the train. There are no sights, just a historic town center. Even in the summertime there are no tourists... Just you, the ducks and the fishermen. Grab a lunch and sit on the canal bank and watch the boats go by. A great break from the craziness of Amsterdam.

There was a moment that strikes me profoundly in mid-July 2010. I was sitting on a bench in Riomaggiore about 200 metres from the beginning of the via d'amore. I sat for about a half hour and waited for the sun to go down over the Mediterranean. The pictures that I took at that moment are stunning and the peaceful quiet that I was gifted.....wow.

May 2011: Sitting alone in the dead quiet morning before the tour groups arrived in The Church of Ayios Konstantinos and the Trasfiguration of the Savior at Arkadi Monastery watching the incense holders swinging from the ceiling. Afterwards I walked through the almost deserted grounds and silently took in the memorial to the 800 Cretans that died in a gunpowder blast(rather than be captured) that also killed 1500 Turk invaders. Since then watching and reading the news of huge sacrifices of life for beliefs makes me see times really do not change as much as folks like to think.

Going to a Gregorian chant mass at San Giorgio in Venice...taking an early morning vaporetto to the church and walking through an empty church to the abbey chapel in back, guided by the sound of brothers chanting. Afterwards, the brothers kindly invited us to stay for the mass. I loved that experience and often think of it.

We had taken our then 11 year old daughter on a "big bus" tour of Austria. (That was how we 'did ' Europe then have learned better now). Note- our daughter had just started to play the violin. We were in Salzburg the first week of August and Festival was just starting. After supper, we wandered around Old Town. As we were getting ready to head back to the hotel when we heard beautiful music that seemed to be moving through the town. We were near one of the Bridges. As we turned to look over the river back towards Old Town, we saw the Chekoslovkian National Orchestra walking into the main plaza. We sat on the bank of the river and listened to a wonderful free concert! She loved it, we loved it!

So many. A favorite memory was sitting on the wall of a bullring in Monsaraz (walled city in Alejento region of Portugal) with my then 10 year old son. It was Easter Sunday and all we could find to eat were potato chips - he declared it the best Easter dinner ever!

Hearing the monks chant at S'antimo Abbey near Montalcino in Tuscany. Also in Tuscany, walking along the wall outside San Quirico and finding capers growing between the stones in the walls.

Sharing all of these wonderful memories, I wish it was possible to have an interactive map with a pin on each location mentioned and when you click on the pin, you could see an image or sound clip or video clip that attempted to document what each of us saw/heard. Communicating the feeling would be impossible, but this would at least get us part way there...

#1 - Touring Burg Eltz near the Mosel River, in Germany. Last tour of the day on a Sunday; practically had the place to ourselves! #2 - Walking through Schwetzingen Palace Gardens in the evening; again, no one else around, and we had a key to the back gate, loaned to us by the owner of our B&B just across the street. #3 - Verdun Battlefield - it was drizzly day, so everyone else must've stayed in their rooms! Some nice walks at the Ossuary, Ft. Douament, a nice lunch at a countryside cafe, where the dog greeted us at the door. #4 - Ypres, Belgium, evening walk around the town ramparts; again, very few other people at that time of day. #5 - Coffee and rolls in the misty dawn in the garden of our B&B located on a farm outside Villers-Bocage, Normandy; #6 - Coffee and cakes at the Tuileries Gardens, Paris; feeding crumbs to sparrows, who flew up and perched on your finger to eat them!
#7 - Picnic lunch (from items purchased from a small street deli) at Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, while listening to an afternoon symphony concert at the gazebo! (okay, this last one was full of people, but it was a total accident we just stumbled onto). Nice to reflect on these moments again. Thanks for asking!

I love your thought posts. You always come up with great questions. For my answer - I have two - both hikes. The first one was the hike from the Lauterbrunnen Valley to Gimmelwald. After we took the cog-train up the ridge, we walked all the way to Gimmelwald with almost no other humans present (other than our stop in Mürren for lunch). It was really peaceful and one of our best days in Switzerland. We really loved hearing the cowbells before came around the corner and saw the field full of cows. It was a really great day. My second hike was the day we did the first 4.5 miles of the Cotswold Way from Chipping Campden to Broadway. It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon and a wonderful hike. It was a little less secluded along the way, but we had several areas where it was us and the sheep. Another great time away. Not sure that we'll have one of those days when we spend a week in Paris - hopefully we'll find a few respites. :) Thanks again for the great post!

Thanks Cary, As a few others on this thread have pointed out, it is possible to have a nice quiet moment/memory in an urban setting. It's harder, perhaps. But not impossible. Part of the secret is getting up really early and being places before most people. Another part of the secret is just being in the right frame of mind. If I was in Paris and looking for a "moment", I would ask someone in the know where a nice residential neighborhood was, take the Metro there, and just stroll aimlessly. You'll have a great time in Paris.

Standing in the American Cemetery, gazing out onto the Channel and reflecting. Standing in the dark green Ardennes, staring into a foxhole, and reflecting. Walking on an overlook above Omaha Beach and seeing a single red poppy. Putting my fingers into the Holy Water fonts at St. Peter's and Notre Dame and reflecting how many other fingers had done the same. Standing on the Accademia Bridge gazing, reflecting. Walking out onto Mary's Bridge and seeing Neuschwanstein. Standing atop the Arc de Triomphe at night, watching the sparkling La Tour Eiffel. Standing in Lauterbrunnen Valley, looking up. Evensong at Westminster Abbey, and thinking of all that has happened there over the centuries. Staring up at the Pantheon oculus and down into the Colosseum pits. Sharing a Nutella crepe on a Paris sidewalk. Standing in the crowd of well-wishers just in front of the Buckingham Palace gates and cheering the royal family on the queen's official birthday. Don't recall the noise, just the vision of that group on that balcony. A sunset stroll down a quiet Tuscan lane between a vineyard and olive orchard, followed by a quiet prayer at the candlelit Grotto at lane's end. Oh, my, I can go on and on.

Waking up early in Wengen hearing cowbells ringing as the cows were led to a higher pasture-the cow procession as the hotel owners described it. Driving through farmland in Wales- We were given permission to drive through about ten miles of land provided that we stop to close each gate between farms so we proceeded on through some quite rugged land. There was a huge sigh of relief when we checked our rental car for scrapes and dents.

My favorite quiet moment was arriving in Venice after the night train and standing in front of the Doge's Palace at the lagoon watching the sunrise. So peaceful, so serene, so picturesque. It made sleeping in that sleeper car actually worth it!

Randy, My favorite moment was a freezing 2002 December night in Venice, sitting on the Rialto Bridge at 4:00am, with my wife and another couple. We sat on the railing and hung our feet over the Grand Canal, holding on to each other. Sat there until our rears were numb. It was so clear and quiet. And to think that Michaelangelo submitted a design for building the bridge, but lost to Da Ponte. And for my wife. Another cold 2004 March night in Naples, watching the moon rise over snowcapped Mount Vesuvius. We were drinking wine, all bundled up, out of glasses that the restaurant let us take across the street to the seawall. Good times....good times.

-My wife and I in a rowboat on the 'pond' in the Parque del Retiro (near the Prado Museum) Madrid. -On a sunny day strolling along the trail from Sennen Cove to Lands End. -Well ahead of any tours - the 2 of us wandering around the seaside Roman ruins at Bolonia (north of Tarifa), Spain.
Early starts work for us. Happy Travels!

Wandering around Avignon, France, we walked into the courtyard of the Palace of the Popes, and a man was playing "Ave Maria" on a pan flute ... took my breath away. On the same trip to France ... on a drive-it-yourself barge down the River Baise, we floated under an old stone bridge near sunset and entered the lovely village of Nerac. It looked like a fairy tale village from the 1800's. Again, breathtaking. Some years later, on our first day in the little village of Cavtat, Croatia, we were headed back to our hotel when we saw people standing and sitting, facing the steps of a church. We stopped too, and just then an a cappella choir stepped out of the church and started singing. A beautiful little bay behind us, a starry night, and the clear strong voices of the choir ... it was magical.

In my 20's walking through the deserted side streets of the Latin Quarter in Paris at 7:30 on a Sunday morning, on my way to Mass at Notre Dame - where I met Pierre coming from the other direction - we went together to the Mass and ended up in a two-year long relationship.

We had dinner at Jacques Cagna for my husband's birthday and were treated with such friendliness and attentiveness that we returned a few nights later. Upon that arrival we were greeted like old friends and then escorted to the private dining room -- just for two. It was such a memorable experience. Am eager to return.