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Going Blind: Creating a Visual Bucket List

Hello again - thanks to all who have helped me fix up the itinerary for a 22 day trip through Europe (I wish I could do more - but money is the root of my cause :).

The reason I'm doing it all in one go (cheaper without the airfare to each segment should I do them separately) and time. I was diagnosed with Usher Syndrome Type 1 (born deaf, have balance issues starting around teen years, and now losing vision). My vision is going faster (more so in the past year than the past five years combined) hence the need to go out and do a "visual" bucket list.

This is where you guys come in - take a look at the list and tell me if there is anything I should add to the list. The first half are the sights that I will be able to check off on the upcoming trip, and the second half are "would-like-to-if-I-had-more-money" and that is where you guys can add onto.

Thank you.

Trip 1:
Big Ben/Westminster Abbey
St Paul Cathedral
London Eye
British Museum
Tower of London/London Bridge
Louvre
Eiffel Tower
Notre Dame
Montmartre (view from Sacre Coeur)
Versailles
Glockenspiel at Marienplatz (Germany)
Neuschwanstein Castle (despite the love/hate relationship I'm seeing on these boards)
Salzburg old town (I'm a Sound of Music fan)
the Alps
Venice (the city itself)
Florence: Uffizi, Accademia, Duomo, etc
Rome: Coloseum, Forum, Pantheon, Trevi, Steps,

And now, the would-like/should-see list:
Norway: fjords and the Northern lights
Rotterdam (to stay overnight on the SS Rotterdam)
Switzerland: one of the mountains and a railway/cablecar/funicular ride
Prague: Astronomical Clock, city
Vienna: Schonbrunn, city at night, etc.
Budapest the city itself.
London: National Gallery, V&A Museum, British Library (had to cut them out for timing)
Munich: Deutsches Museum (the inspiration of my favorite science museum in Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry)
Sail on the RMS Queen Mary 2 from Southampton to NYC. (I'm an ocean liner aficionado as well).
LEGO factory (do they do tours?)
Playmobil FunPark and factory (Zirndorf, Germany)
Disneyland Paris
Catacombs (either Paris or Rome)

Keep in mind I have no interest in seeing the Balkans but feel free to convince me to do so.

Fortunately, I've covered most of my must-sees in the US (including many national parks: Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Bryce, Zion, Arches, Yosemite, Smoky Mtn, Rocky Mtn, Appalachian Mtns) and cities (Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Portland, Salt Lake City, Denver, Washington DC, Orlando, Miami/Key West, Charleston, Atlanta/Savannah, and many smaller towns along the drive. Did Disney World/Land, the Queen Mary, etc.

Posted by
33754 posts

Please see your first post for my contribution.

Posted by
11507 posts

Wow.. long list.. a bit complicated for me to go through each one and comment.. but my first thought on seeing the title of your post was :
Swiss Alps.

I love cities like Paris and London.. but for sheer visual beauty I think the Alps are stunning.. its one of those places where I can shut my eyes and say " this is an image of my "happy place" " !

One other note.. I have been to the Catacombs three times now. Not because I wanted to.. because of a deal I made with my then 13 yr old son ( traded him Catacomb visits for Cathderal visits.. lol) .. then my hubby.. and just a few weeks ago, my 19 yr old daughter.. begged to go.
OVERRATED.

If you have to skip somewhere.. skip that.

Posted by
7175 posts

European entries in the Top 50 of Lonely Planet's recently released Ultimate List.
(I have highlighted some possible additions to your list)

Colosseum, Italy
Alhambra, Spain
Aya Sofya, Turkey
British Museum, England
Sagrada Familia, Spain
Santorini, Greece
Dubrovnik old city walls, Croatia
Piazza San Marco, Italy
Acropolis, Greece
Chateau de Versailles, France
Charles Bridge, Czech Republic
Lake District National Park, England
Louvre, France
Eiffel Tower, France
Pompeii, Italy
Old Town Square, Czech Republic
Hermitage, Russia
Bay of Kotor, Montenegro

Posted by
922 posts

I'm so sorry you're losing your vision. It must be extremely frustrating, and I hope your eyes hang in there long enough for you to be able to see everything on this list. (I also wondered if you were deaf based on the "asl" in your screen name. Now I know!)

Perhaps you've already been, but I would add Keukenhof Garden when it's in bloom (usually sometime in April and May, I believe). I'm not particularly a garden person so wasn't at all excited when my Best of Europe itinerary in 2010 was changed to add Keukenhof instead of the flower auction and outdoor museum. But by the end of the visit - and I think we had nearly 3 hours there - I was fervently wishing for just another half hour. It's an absolute riot of color and shape and texture, and the lovely thing is that it's not an attraction just for foreign visitors: the Dutch themselves were out in force the two times I've been fortunate to visit.

Best of luck!

Posted by
14649 posts

I will add the stained glass at either St Chapelle or Chartres. At St Chapelle our Rick Steves guide suggested that when we got to the top of the stairs to the upper chapel where the stained glass is located that we keep our heads down until we got toward the center of the chapel then look up. Unbelievable.

I also agree with Pat about Switzerland. The Lauterbrunnen Valley was gorgeous. The view from the top of the Schiltorn over to the Eiger, the Monck, and the Jungfrau was heart-stopping.

Wishing you good luck on your wish list.

Posted by
1806 posts

If I was in your situation, in addition to much of what you listed above, I would also aim for the Irish countryside and coastal regions - the Burren, Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands, Skellig Michael. In Northern Ireland, Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-rede rope bridge. Skagen, Denmark. Amsterdam (bridges and canals lit up at night). Scotland (Isle of Skye).

In the U.S., I'd want to add Grand Canyon and Sedona, Outer Banks, Big Sur, Seattle & surrounding area, Alaska/Denali, Philadelphia, Cape May, Vermont/Green Mountains, New Hampshire/White Mountains, Berkshires (during Autumn), Cape Cod, Block Island, Coastal Maine, New Orleans.

Elsewhere: Aside from some parts of Arizona here in the U.S., some of the best night time star sightings I have ever seen in my life were in Australia and New Zealand - I'd want to see those again. Australia (Uluru, Great Barrier Reef, Kangaroo Island/Remarkable Rocks, Great Ocean Road/Twelve Apostles, Fraser Island, Tasmania, Christmas Island); New Zealand - South Island (Fiordlands/Milford Sound, Punakaiki, whale and dolphin watching off Kaikoura, Otago Peninsula/Nugget Point Lighthouse, Fox & Franz Josef Glaciers, Abel Tasman National Park) and Stewart Island. China (Great Wall). Galapagos Islands, Easter Island, Machu Picchu.

Posted by
1928 posts

You have a great list planned! If it were me losing my sight I would push Switzerland/Berner Oberland to the top. For me, it is a sensational delight. The views are amazing of the magnificent alps (unbelievable!), green grass, blue sky (on a good day) , the smells of grass and cows, the sound of cowbells (which I know you will not get to experience) and crispness of the air. It is my top choice for natural beauty. For man made beauty, I chose Paris and Italy.

It is nice that you have your list and that you are accomplishing your list. I have done the same thing since I suffer from MS. You must live for today since you don't know what tomorrow will bring. Good for you! Go for it!

Posted by
3398 posts

I would add Monet's Gardens at Giverny in all of their spring glory!
I love the view at night of lower Manhattan coming across on the Staten Island Ferry - not Europe, I know, but still pretty amazing.
The train ride from Oslo to Bergen over the mountains is spectacular!
My favorite fjord in Norway is the Geirangerfjord - cliffs, waterfalls, and mountain farms.
The drive over the Trollsteigen Pass near Geirangerfjord is one of the most spectacular roads I've ever been on.
If you can get to Zermatt on a clear day, take the gondola up to Glacier Paradise - stunning gondola ride and the views are unmatched in the Swiss Alps.
Mont Blanc in Chamonix is also quite spectacular.
Take a boat ride up the Danube in Budapest at night - no one lights up their city like this city!
I love that you're doing this and I hope that you have enough time to check everything off your list and have the memories to "look" at whenever you want!

Posted by
1073 posts

Don't forget to add Yosemite National Park to your "bucket list." Yes, I know this a forum pertaining to Europe, but to never see Yosemite.....

Posted by
3428 posts

I'd add Windsor castle and Kew Gardens to the London list.

And the Highlands of Scotland
Oslo Norway- the Viegland sculpture garden
Hong Kong
Lots more- I'll add them as I think of them.

Posted by
1717 posts

And I would add Windsor castle and Kew gardens when you are at London, in your next trip. In your "bucket list" or wish list, I add Dresden in Germany (south of Berlin). I think Dresden is one of the most charming towns to see in Europe.