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What's the most interesting place you have visited?

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lewist
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What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#1 Post by lewist » August 23rd, 2013, 8:27 am

This is courtesy of Ken H, who posted it on 'Interview the person below you'. I think it's so good it deserves its own thread. Perhaps we should post links or a short piece to say why it is significant.

My response:
It's a tossup beween Brough of Birsay off Orkney Mainland and Jarlshof on Shetland, which I visited with Humanist friends hosted by AlanC.

KenH's response:
Probably the Smithsonian museums in Washington. My wife had to drag me out of there the couple of times we've been.

Jaywhat's response:
Hard to say, but Ripon has a chance as a woman I know used to live there and I got her to marry me.

Let's hear it for all those other places!
Carpe diem. Savour every moment.

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Altfish
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#2 Post by Altfish » August 23rd, 2013, 8:36 am

Great question...I need to think about this


I'll come back to you later

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Tetenterre
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#3 Post by Tetenterre » August 23rd, 2013, 10:04 am

Great Zimbabwe - a truly enigmatic place.
Steve

Quantum Theory: The branch of science with which people who know absolutely sod all about quantum theory can explain anything.

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Dave B
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#4 Post by Dave B » August 23rd, 2013, 12:18 pm

I suppose I will have to be a bit of a geek and elect the Science Museum. Used to haunt the place as a kid.

Our last visit to London had me spending all my time there in the "through they years" gallery on the ground floor. Would probably take me a week to get through the whole place properly.

The Design Museum would come second. I appreciate the natural environment but it is the creations of mankind, rather than those of random nature, that give me a glow.
"Look forward; yesterday was a lesson, if you did not learn from it you wasted it."
Me, 2015

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Altfish
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#5 Post by Altfish » August 23rd, 2013, 12:19 pm

Think it has to be a remote spot on a river whilst I am fishing; the River Dane above Holmes Chapel or the River Wye at Breadwardine.

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getreal
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#6 Post by getreal » August 23rd, 2013, 11:48 pm

Macedonia.

Utterly facinating.

The completely unfathomable, complex history-from Alexander the Great to Tito and beyond.

Mountain villages straight out of the Middle Ages-unmade roads; not a mechanised machine in sight; buildings seemingly held together with spiders webs and dust. People working in the fields with tools I have seen in our local agricultural museum.

Tobacco drying on the street outside everyone's houses on strange stall like contraptions.

In the autumn people cycling from the market with precariously balanced bulging sacks of huge, blood red, ripe peppers , or pushing them in prams loaded high as they return from the market to make the yearly batch of secret family recipe ijvor. Then the smell of woodsmoke and scortched peppers as everyone makes their ijvor on their outside stoves.

The strange, enchanting sounds of Balkan singing and the excited peals of the bells from from the churches at Easter.

Childern playing safely in the streets at 10pm at night.
Teenagers politely interrupting a game of football to let an older person pass.
Toddlers being indulged by strangers with sweets, juice and kisses.

Theer is an awful lot wrong with the country, but there's an awful lot right with it, too.
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Fia
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#7 Post by Fia » August 31st, 2013, 11:53 am

The place that has stayed with me the longest so far is Varanasi, on the river Ganges, India. At 22, my first trip outside Europe, I was plunged into a wholly different world of the burning Ghats. Fascination and horror in equal measure at first, but it led me to a life-long fascination about human death and the rituals surrounding it.

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Justme
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#8 Post by Justme » August 31st, 2013, 1:46 pm

I spent a few years in Germany while in the military. During my time there we took several tours and one of them was to the south of Germany called Bavaria. There we saw many of the remnants of the Nazi regime, which thankful exists no more. Such madness, such waste and even after that appalling war mankind still has not seen the emptiness of it. Anyway, We saw what was left of an SS barracks and Hitler hideout, call The Eagles Nest, which is set atop a mountainside there. A beautiful view for a man who was afraid of highs.

On a better note we went across the border to Austria and saw the dwellings of Anne Frank, which was interesting and saw some of the places they filmed, "The sound of Music." One of my favorite movies along with "The wizard of Oz." The one place I will always remember was visiting Castle Neuschwanstein, which was the castle Walt Disney used the model Disneyland castle after.
Image
The story behind that is something of a drama, in itself. It seems that when the castle was built the various provinces of Germany had their own king and the one for Bavaria was called Ludwig, which they called The Mad King. I will leave you this link so you can look into this. I'm trying to get away from posting novels that run on and on. You guys have a nice day.
Hate, the offspring of fear cannot exist where understanding reigns supreme

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Ninny
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#9 Post by Ninny » September 1st, 2013, 8:12 am

The museum at Ilfracombe! Packed with amazing items, could spend a week there. So easily overlooked, but a real treasure.

Nick
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#10 Post by Nick » September 1st, 2013, 6:58 pm

Justme, :) I thought Anne Frank's "house" was in Amsterdam... Is there another...?

As for German castles, I once visited one with especially wide stairs, so that the original owner could ride upstairs for dinner, directly he came home from hunting, without having to get off his horse. :D

(Sorry, can't remember which one...)

petemster
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#11 Post by petemster » September 1st, 2013, 8:35 pm

.

Sticking with the German theme, I would suggest the Roman city of Trier.

Reportedly, Germany's first city, and "second" city of the Roman empire,
Trier is currently listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on account of its
twin cathedrals, its extensive Roman remains and, no doubt, its very pretty
town centre.

My wife, Penny, and I have been to Trier in summer and in winter doing the
touristy things. About cathedrals, I find them to be architecturally awesome
but often get taken by surprise to find that they are frequently in use as places
of worship, where religious things take place all the time. Um. . .

Among the many Roman features in Trier is the Porta Negra, a Roman city gate
of huge proportions. It was once used as a Christian church until that nice man,
Napoleon came along and demolished the ridiculous Christian appendages
and restored it to its original awesome appearance.

Maybe even more impressive is the Roman Basilika, now a church, but originally
the palace of the Roman emperor, and later home to the townsfolk and even once
a whole army. It has a single span roof nearly seventy metres long!

For the historically minded, there's also Karl Marx's House, now a museum.
Which reminds me. Highgate Cemetery is another great place.
Maybe that's not exactly the most appropriate choice of word, though.

Anyway, Trier has wonderful Xmas markets, with the customary Gluhwein and
the Flammenbrot, but one year there was a circus in town and they brought the
elephants along to the market, and we were allowed to stroke the great beasts.
Their trunks are really quite soft and spongey to the touch, and their big
intelligent eyes could swallow you up.

And lets not forget O'Dwyer's Irish Bar with its free drinks, karaoke nights when the
university kids vent all their angst - that was before the late, lamented Amy Winehouse
passed away - and the quiz night where the local intelligentsia are challenged by such
fierce questions as : What is the capital of Scotland ???

All in all, though, Trier is quite a place, I'd say.

Pete M.

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Dave B
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#12 Post by Dave B » September 1st, 2013, 8:37 pm

Gloucester is twinned with Trier - somehow it does not quite match up to the image you paint of its twin!
"Look forward; yesterday was a lesson, if you did not learn from it you wasted it."
Me, 2015

petemster
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#13 Post by petemster » September 2nd, 2013, 12:56 am

.

Hey Dave,

Now we are duty-bound to visit Gloucester ! :-)

Pete.

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Justme
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#14 Post by Justme » September 2nd, 2013, 4:12 am

Nick wrote:Justme, :) I thought Anne Frank's "house" was in Amsterdam... Is there another...?

As for German castles, I once visited one with especially wide stairs, so that the original owner could ride upstairs for dinner, directly he came home from hunting, without having to get off his horse. :D

(Sorry, can't remember which one...)
I did visit Amsterdam as well. I might have mixed the two up.
I went there with a couple of freinds and saw the Red Light District which had a museum of sex, for all things.

I also walked into to a coffee shop and saw the biggest bushiest pot plant I've ever seen setting up in a window. Then the guy brought us two menus. One for coffee and one for Hash. Boy, I'd have liked to have visited there in my younger, more stupider days.
Hate, the offspring of fear cannot exist where understanding reigns supreme

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Dave B
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#15 Post by Dave B » September 2nd, 2013, 9:36 am

petemster wrote:.

Hey Dave,

Now we are duty-bound to visit Gloucester ! :-)

Pete.
Gloucester has a very rich history and heritage.

Unfortunately the Victorians demolished most of its medieval history, the architectural brutalism of the sixtiesn got rid of some more and hid the rest behind concrete monstrosities and subsequent councils have done their best to not bother supporting that which remained (unless forced to). They have no real idea what tourism is and have singularly failed to take the lead of York and several other cities that now enjoy a good income from visitors. They pay attention only to those buildings the law does not allow them to ignore and commercialise everything else.

Properly managed fifty years ago the heritage would have made a profit. They have done their best to sort out the two museums, though the Folk Museum only just survived the cuts and both have entrance fees now (except for city residents).

I spent many years as a volunteer for the city archaeology dept and in other ways but now feel totally discouraged by the politics that stop the three voluntary groups involved even talking to one another formally.

Later: sorry, off in <rant> mode I forgot to say; if you do visit Gloucester, petemster, PM me and make contact arrangements and I will do my best to show you the bits of the city I love (and buy you lunch in my favourite lunchery!)
"Look forward; yesterday was a lesson, if you did not learn from it you wasted it."
Me, 2015

petemster
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#16 Post by petemster » September 2nd, 2013, 11:15 am

Thanks, Dave. Will do.

Pete.

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Justme
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#17 Post by Justme » September 4th, 2013, 3:18 pm

petemster wrote:.

Sticking with the German theme, I would suggest the Roman city of Trier.

Reportedly, Germany's first city, and "second" city of the Roman empire,
Trier is currently listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on account of its
twin cathedrals, its extensive Roman remains and, no doubt, its very pretty
town centre.

My wife, Penny, and I have been to Trier in summer and in winter doing the
touristy things. About cathedrals, I find them to be architecturally awesome
but often get taken by surprise to find that they are frequently in use as places
of worship, where religious things take place all the time. Um. . .

Among the many Roman features in Trier is the Porta Negra, a Roman city gate
of huge proportions. It was once used as a Christian church until that nice man,
Napoleon came along and demolished the ridiculous Christian appendages
and restored it to its original awesome appearance.

Maybe even more impressive is the Roman Basilika, now a church, but originally
the palace of the Roman emperor, and later home to the townsfolk and even once
a whole army. It has a single span roof nearly seventy metres long!

For the historically minded, there's also Karl Marx's House, now a museum.
Which reminds me. Highgate Cemetery is another great place.
Maybe that's not exactly the most appropriate choice of word, though.

Anyway, Trier has wonderful Xmas markets, with the customary Gluhwein and
the Flammenbrot, but one year there was a circus in town and they brought the
elephants along to the market, and we were allowed to stroke the great beasts.
Their trunks are really quite soft and spongey to the touch, and their big
intelligent eyes could swallow you up.

And lets not forget O'Dwyer's Irish Bar with its free drinks, karaoke nights when the
university kids vent all their angst - that was before the late, lamented Amy Winehouse
passed away - and the quiz night where the local intelligentsia are challenged by such
fierce questions as : What is the capital of Scotland ???

All in all, though, Trier is quite a place, I'd say.

Pete M.

I remember going to trier, with a friend of mine. He took a picture of a gate that supposedly was from Roman times. I love history.
Hate, the offspring of fear cannot exist where understanding reigns supreme

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Lifelinking
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#18 Post by Lifelinking » September 9th, 2013, 1:16 pm

What a great thread.

I think the Cenotes Dos Ojos in Mexico has to be my answer, so far!

Image
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Dave B
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#19 Post by Dave B » September 9th, 2013, 4:48 pm

Is that picture upside down, LL?

Or was it taken under water?
"Look forward; yesterday was a lesson, if you did not learn from it you wasted it."
Me, 2015

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Lifelinking
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Re: What's the most interesting place you have visited?

#20 Post by Lifelinking » September 9th, 2013, 7:06 pm

:D The Cenotes are best seen when snorkelling or diving and the best photographs are taken underwater.
"Who thinks the law has anything to do with justice? It's what we have because we can't have justice."
William McIlvanney

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