Your bench?

The Einstein bench at the Rosengarten, overlooking Bern and the river.

That special bench " in just the right spot." ...exactly.

Two come to mind...the bench that is part of the Johanniskirche in Lüneburg in the immediate area called, "Bei der St Johanniskirche."

The second spot is on the grounds of the Chateau de Fontainebleau, one of the benches around the Greek mythology goddess Diana

My first "bench" is the town wall in Volterra, near the entrance to the town where the buses drop off, from where I can watch the swallows wheeling in the pink sky at dusk over the medieval city.

My other "bench" .... was.... a chair about 2/3 way back in Notre Dame de Paris, where I sat for two hours one winter's evening, as the day turned to darkness, the colors of the high stained glass faded away, the huge gothic columns looming above twisted in light and shadows, and the echoing sounds around me stilled. There was no time and... eternity... in each moment.

Two come to mind, both in Paris. First is a bench in the garden on the Ile de Cite by the Henry IV statue. The other was a bench in Pere LaChaise cemetery where I had a wonderful picnic one day, it's so peaceful and green and has some lovely views from up on top of the hill. I did a lot of bench picnics and just plain bench sitting and people watching all over Paris.

My "Happy Place" is Gimmelwald, Switzerland and I suspect that my favorite bench is also Rick's. I love that view of the Alps!

So many wonderful benches in our travels, most with fabulous views, but when I was reading your post, the first one that came to mind was a bench outside a cathedral (or maybe it was just a large church) in Ghent. My husband was climbing the bell tower, and I was waiting for him on a bench...........church bells started to sound at 12:00 noon, not only from that particular church but others in the immediate area...................I sat on the bench, closed my eyes, just listing to all the church bells for a few minutes. A magical, peaceful moment.

When he returned, I asked if the bells were loud up there.....yep!

Untersberg mountain outside of Salzburg. We got to the top on a cable car then walked half an hour. Sat on a blanket on the grass overlooking the mountains. Not a bench but a sitting spot!

In Granada high up in the Albayzin or Sacramonte there are tiny squares or just like...corners with views over the Alhambra. Sometimes there are benches, sometimes you sit on a wall. These are things you stumble on, I couldn’t tell you exactly where but it’s just magical.

Siracusa, Ortygia waterfront road, right where it curves around so you see the sea, buildings, and the tiny little beach.

Rental apartment roof terrace with perfect view of Toledo cathedral

Nafplio waterfront, with view of the island castle.

Yes, a wood bench on Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) at Parc de la Perle du Lac in Geneva. It is VERY special to us. What a great topic!

I've only been to Europe once, but so far my favorite "bench" is the lovely Mirador de San Nicolas plaza in Granada.

Phenomenal views of the Alhambra, great restaurants right next door, fast-paced guitar strumming by barefooted Roma, artists meticulously painting onto canvases, local merchants hawking trinkets.

Truly a magical place to rest one's weary legs.

Ah, benches to remember,
I'm usually so focused on doing, that sometimes I forget to stop and see. Thanks for the reminder.

Here's a couple of my favorite memories:

Piazza di Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy. - On hard slabs of stone between two obelisk we sat and had a beer on the last evening of our trip. It was so lovely none of us wanted the trip to end, it was a bit sad. We weren't even bothered by the young rowdy guys, with the guitar and terrible wailing, on the adjacent slabs. A storm was approaching, and the city lights reflected off the low clouds that seem to be held up by the church facade. The cloud cover created an eerie glow across the piazza that somehow matched our somber mood. This was also the same bench that I sat on when given a demonstration on perspective sketching, by my professor, on a study abroad trip with Auburn, some 20 years earlier.

Hotel breakfast room window, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. - Wow just wow, the morning bicycle commute in Amsterdam is a must see. It's a constant stream of bikes in both directions like marching ants. Amazing! Babies is seats on handlebars, baskets full of goods, holding coffee, talking on cell phones, all within inches of each other.

Luxembourg Gardens Lawn, Paris, France. - Ok, it's not a bench but. Sitting on the lawn, I was mesmerized by the view, it was like a Van Gogh painting. The colors, the lines, the light, all accentuated by the setting sun. Orange hues of light played with the magenta flowers and danced over green grass. The smell of fresh espresso mixed with the scent of vanilla ice cream, wafted from a nearby vendor, somehow matched the surreal composition. It was like the smell of clean water, not what you expect from a dingy city. The sounds of the kids playing in a playground and the happy conversation from nearby, filled the air with tones of mirth. It was like the air was thick with smiles. My senses were overtaken by the beauty of this place that is Luxembourg Gardens.

Now isn't this why we travel, for the memories!

Wow, I'm enjoying the responses! Send me to Volterra, Bern, Paris, Toledo, Florence - on bench picnics, morning breakfast rooms, listening to church bells or guitar strumming - all magical. Thank you!

The bench outside Walter's in Gimmelwald would be world-class except for the shed blocking half the Jungfrau.

Mine is a bench on Monteliusvagen on Sodermalm in Stockholm, a bit before the black church heading towards the Slussen area, looking across the water to Gamla Stam.

My bench is located inside the little petting zoo on Margit sziget in Budapest--it's under a shady tree and affords a lovely, close-up (15' or so) view of the nesting storks when I visit in May, and rabbits and squirrels as well as about 20 other types of birds nearby. Soothing bird calls and the chance to sit quietly and observe my favorite birds in my most favorite city--even in damp weather, almost better because then I have the little zoo all to myself.

My "bench" experience last year in Rome was not so scenic, was not even on an actual bench, and is probably not repeatable. I can't recommend the location, but it was all mine and I'm keeping the memory.

We'd just spent two great weeks in Puglia with our preschooler and baby grandchildren and their wranglers. Now that we were in Rome and without our 9-passenger van, we were schlepping two carseats, a travel cot, diapers, a special pillow, a bunch of other kid and baby stuff I have now blocked from my memory, and a folding travel toilet seat.

The kids and our daughter-in-law were exhausted and starting to lose it as we exited the train station in Testaccio, and I was limping and slow, so I parked myself on a stone wall facing the pyramid and surrounded by all the awkward, heavy gear while they hurried ahead to check into our airbnb apartment. I was so completely at peace and happy just sitting there for half an hour, all by myself and back in our favorite and familiar area of Rome. The traffic whizzing by did not matter, nor the tourists trying to take photos, nor the weeds and trash and general shabbiness, nor the uncomfortable seat. I guess, when you just love a place (or a person), all the negative stuff can just melt away.