When You Need a 'Mental Holiday', Where Do You Go?

There are many places I go--- Lecieser Square in London, Kew Gardens- the Rose garden esp. For a river walk in Stratford-upon-Avon or Inverness or Innsbruck. The top of Mt. Caringorm in Aviemore Scotland. ... Thanks for a great topic--- see you in a few minutes.... I'm off to........

Enjoy! Send a postcard... ;-)

I have many escapes! One of my current favorites is the hotel balcony in Villefranche-sur-Mer looking out at the bay and Cap Ferrat. (Actually I have pictures on my screensaver of both daytime and moonlight versions of this.)

Another favorite that comes to mind is an espresso and pastry at a cafe in Paris. Or training through the Dolomites on the way from Germany to Venice.

I have a new place. I got to the top of Ullapool Hill last week and I know I'll be mentally visiting it many times in the coming year. ; ) Pam

I picture myself anywhere in Paris.

My answer may change after I go to Italy. ;-)

I watch Big Ben from the south bank of the Thames, as the sun is setting. Last time I was physically there, I made sure I closed my eyes and captured the feeling of that sight. I got photos as well, but am still able to escape to that feeling that I don't get anywhere else.

I didn't realize other people did the same thing!

Hello Mary. Good topic. In the year 2008 a person asked a question like that, here at the Traveller's Helpline/General Europe. . That person said he worked in a small office in a basement (no windows) in a city in a northern state. In the month February, when the light in the sky was dim, and everything there caused him to feel sullen, he asked for suggestions of places in Europe for him to day dream about. There were many replies to that, as I recall. Now, you are asking : what places do people daydream about, during the summer months ? My home is at southwest Florida. During the summer months the air is hot and very humid here, the sunlight is extremely intensely bright. I wish I could travel away from Florida during the summer. I can not do that. So, my "mental holiday" is at a place that has a cool breeze, and a view of a serene blue sea, from a high place. That place is the Cinque Terre in Liguria, Italy. I liked being on the trail that is between the village Vernazza and the village Corniglia. Yeah, I know, Italy has warm weather in the summer. But I would like being up there on the trail, 250 feet above the blue Mediteranean Sea. That would be better than me being in my car that does not have air conditioning, in congested traffic here in Florida. And, I think driving a car here in this part of Florida (Tampa Bay area) is equally as dangerous as driving a car in Italy. I do not drive a car in Italy. They have passenger trains :)

Ron, you have a great memory! I remember that thread too!! To me it doesn't matter what time of year, I regularly daydream of Europe!

Riding in a taxi at night along the Victoria Embankment... Coffeeshop 36 in the back by the window (fantastic view)... Promenade des Anglais at sunset... In a Lufthansa jet listening to the in-flight new age music as I drift off to sleep (eastbound of course)... Sitting on the hill in Greenwich Park overlooking Canary Wharf... I could do this all day.

Ooh - I love 'em all! (And Brad, I've been known to do this all day LOL)

Tami, your last line is funny - I totally understand!

Ron, I spent the first 35 years of my life in East Texas (read HUMID - hot and humid, or cold and humid). My first trip to Europe - during a major heatwave, no less - was so nice! It felt like no humidity! Then I moved to a place with very low humidity. My first trip back to Europe after that was soooo muggy... :-( LOL So I absolutely understand that Italy is a cool respite.

Texas: 98=113 in the shade due to (high)humidity :-(

Calif: 104=98 in the shade due to (low) humidity :-)

I'll live here, and find some way to suffer through Europe (back of hand to forehead in dramatic fashion). LOL

The Scottish Highlands by a nice warm fire drinking a dram of whisky whilst the weather is damp and cold.

Cassis (south of France, about 45 min. from Marseille) on the balcony of our rented apartment overlooking the harbor. Glass of local wine, white peaches, stinky cheese. Heaven!!!

I look at my screen saver - The Rene Miller Wedding Band on the bridge over the Seine.

I have a few: A midnight drive around Florence and a stop at Piazzale Michaelangelo; standing at the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge overlooking the Opera House and watching the cars go by below as the sun sets and night rolls in; walking the trail to/from Upper Lake in Glendalough.

To keep me from going insane in my tiny office, I use my free time to plan a fantasy trip to Egypt that I may or may not ever really get to take.

But thanks to this help line, I can also answer questions and relive trips to England, Scotland, France, Spain, Italy, Russia and the Czech Republic. Some of the questions here bring up more memories than even my photographs.

Hey, Matt,

As my mother would say, planning that Egypt trip will keep you from 'running the streets' (getting into trouble)! LOL

Methinks you've hit upon a dirty little secret that we may or may not even be conscious of -- I think, no I'm pretty sure I KNOW, why so many people read and post on this Helpline - we're all just reliving our trips, and traveling vicariously through others! WE'VE BEEN BUSTED! We pretend we're here for each other, ever so generously giving of our time, but we know better...;-) Every day, we get to select our luggage - wheels or backpack?, choose how many socks - how often do we want to do laundry?, bring the laptop this time or not?, tote the camera or just buy postcards? Most agree that planning is at least half of the fun, and we plan every day. We just THOUGHT it was for someone else!

We've been busted.

Sitting at a cafe in Paris near the Palais Royale, humming La Vie en Rose. I too am guilty of living vicariously through the posts on this site

I go in my mind to the middle lake in Killarney National Forest. I have a picture of it as my background on my computer.

Larry- interesting you mentioned using your photos as wallpaper on your computer. That is exactly what I do. Hubby is an excellent photographer and I have LOTS of pics to choose from. Right now I have a close up of a lovely yellow rose that we saw outside the bowling pitch in Eaton during a walk one afternoon. Sometimes I put up a picture of Hong Kong Harbor from our round-the-world trip to celebrate his 50th birthday. Other times it's a pic from Scotland, or Austria.... awhhh I'm making myself travelsick again.....

Me, too! When I logged on today, the picture was changing from a hall of Roman emperors' heads in the Louvre to the British cemetery in Bayeux. Right now, it's a wall of tapestries in the Cluny. Isn't wallpaper great?!? Tomorrow, maybe Rheinfels castle or St Charles bridge...I'll have to wait and see.

As Marys post says,, I use this and other forums to escape,,and I am always researching my next trip( and I do learn new things everyday from others) .

I use this board for my mental holiday and am thankful that I have had many fab trips to Europe all my life.

I'm with Mary, Pat & JS...I am always thinking at least two trips out and love to hear all about Europe. I learn a lot from others, and hopefully have helped a few people along the way. I do enjoy hearing first hand information about places and "visiting" these places vicariously through them. If all I wanted to do is read secondhand information that can be googled I would have no need to read the helpline.

Right now its Maui, later today it will be between Florence, Rome and London. I really enjoy reading everyone's responses.

I go to car-free Murren, high in the Swiss Alps. My last time there was a perfect autumn day with the leaves turning gorgeous colors all around me. I sat with a warm cup of hot chocolate and watched the hang gliders soar overhead and then down into the Lauterbrunnen Valley. I can still hear the cow bells ringing in on the hill behind me, and see the neatly stacked piles of wood waiting to be placed on a fire during the coming winter. It is truly my favorite place in the whole world!

I go to the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. Sitting in a comfortable reclining chair in the shade of the beautiful trees with a warm breeze in the air...so relaxing...pure bliss for me.

My screen saver at work now has a lovely picture of the Grand Canal in Venice, taken from the Academia bridge....I relive this scene a lot in my mind. After that it's virtually any view of Paris .... or the hillside of Cortona, Italy.

My screensaver at work is a lovely view of hallstatt in the morning sun, and i can just see the B+B where i already have my room booked for two weeks next year. I can already taste the crunchy semmel rolls with creamy cheese or jam i'll have for breakfast. I imagine myself strolling through the early morning streets, down by the shore, feeding the swans that I'm sure will be there,(I'd better remember to take them a roll from breakfast) before i take the bus over to Obertraun to take the cable car up to the Dachstein, where I will hike through the sunny mountain meadows among the cows.