Another dumb OT thread: prettiest country you've visited...

[Cusefaninvirginia]

The U.S. for me, especially Alaska, but also Hawaii, Utah, Colorado, northern California, and Wyoming, and Pacific northwest. I still need to hit Montana and Idaho. Other than the U.S., I'd probably say Switzerland and south of France.

 

[bevosu]

When I was a kid my dad was stationed just outside of Munich...we took a drive through southern Germany to Salzburg, Austria.

Got to agree that parts of Austria are beautiful, but southern Germany is no slouch. Bavaria is an under appreciated part of the world when it comes to breathtaking scenery.

In the states? It's hard to beat the rocky coast of Maine.

 

[llandz]

Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia in the 1960s. Many years before the war wrecked it. It was definitely the most beautiful foreign country.
In the US, Sedona, AZ!!!

 

[FireballPhil]

I recently returned from a trip to eight Baltic countries... and I totally (and unexpectedly) fell in love with Norway. The mountains, the fjords, the waterfalls, the pastoral panoramas, the quaint rural villages...were just amazing. I've been to many "exotic" places, and more than 40 countries, but Norway was such an unexpected treat.

Just curious as to what other neat places (that you have loved) that I may have missed -- and would like to visit.

Although I agree Norway is a beautiful country-I was there in 89-I found a lot of the people to be a bit "uppity", which ruined the experience for a lot of us. I have found each country is great in its own way, much of which can also be seen in some way here in the U.S. That being said, many places in Canada are also beautiful, and the overall cleanliness of the different Providences were much greater than that in the USA. Of course it has been many years since I have been up there, so who knows how it has changed.

 

[FireballPhil]

When I was a kid my dad was stationed just outside of Munich...we took a drive through southern Germany to Salzburg, Austria.

Got to agree that parts of Austria are beautiful, but southern Germany is no slouch. Bavaria is an under appreciated part of the world when it comes to breathtaking scenery.

In the states? It's hard to beat the rocky coast of Maine.

I didn't like Maine. Call me nuts, but it just didn't do it for me. A drive through New Hampsire, Vermont, and upstate NY on the other hand...

 

[bevosu]

I didn't like Maine. Call me nuts, but it just didn't do it for me. A drive through New Hampsire, Vermont, and upstate NY on the other hand...

I'm with you on New Hampshire, Vermont, and upstate NY.

You've got to go downeast in Maine...north of Portland...the coast up around Boothbay/Camden and further north. A lot of people go to Maine and they hit the heavily touristy areas south of Portland. It's convenient. Not bad, but not the best of Maine. Some great islands off the coast...like Vinalhaven.

 

[Cuse'91]

Have to go with exotic Thailand too...
Thai massages and food push it over the top for me...

 

[pfister1]

I don't want to sound like too much of a homer because I have been outside the U.S. and realize that there is great beauty elsewhere in the world, but in my mind nothing beats the U.S. especially when you consider the variety from Alaska to Hawaii, to National Parks out west to the Great Lakes, Niagara Falls, and forests of the Adirondacks and Appalachians.

My favorite vacation trip was one we took several years ago; Phoenix, AZ to Grand Canyon (N.P.), AZ to Monument Valley (Navajo Tribal Park), AZ/UT to Mesa Verde (N.P.), CO to Bryce Canyon (N.P.), UT to Arches (N.P.), UT to Zion (N.P.), UT...... The natural beauty of the western landscape is something to behold especially for this easterner.

Zion National Park

Hawaii

Alaksa

 

[stuckinbig11]

Where specifically on the Denali Highway? j/k

Oh, I guess perhaps a third of the way across from west to east, with the whole horizon looking north showing the Alaska range and glaciers. Then again, that scene gets repeated several times (with all different mountains and glaciers) across the 100+ miles of the highway.

 

[RandygoCuse]

This is tough for me because often one city in the country is much more beautiful than another. Cappadocia in Turkey was incredible (much more than Istanbul). If you are ever there, take a hot air balloon ride. It is incredibly expensive and absolutely worth it. I loved living in Japan but Tokyo is one of the ugliest cities ever. However, Hakone is amazing. The open air museum with the mountains in the background is simply breathtaking.

 

[mountaincuse]

Oh, I guess perhaps a third of the way across from west to east, with the whole horizon looking north showing the Alaska range and glaciers. Then again, that scene gets repeated several times (with all different mountains and glaciers) across the 100+ miles of the highway.

Talking about pretty roads in the US, my favorite road is 73 in the Adirondacks running through Keene Valley to Lake Placid.

 

[mountaincuse]

my back door
View attachment 4281

Front door at camp:

 

[Zelda Zonk]

I don't see how it could be anything other than It'ly.
Landscapes, architecture, history. Venice is ridiculous, the coastal towns, built into cliffs...
And, then, i'm partial to Brazil.

Haven't been to the Seychelles or Fiji yet, but i imagine they're spectacular.

 

[BillJay]

Good ol' U.S. - Hawaii is pretty nice...

View attachment 4277

Can't believe no one has replied to this yet but "Hawaii???" Meh, it's just Syracuse in July...

 

[Timonen]

It wasn't one of my favorite places to *be*, but I've been to a bunch of places and Rio is the easy answer for me re: beauty. The confluence of beach, giant peaks, jungle, and insanely busy metropolis all on top of each other feels like it shouldn't be achievable but there it is. Plus the people are all so insanely gorgeous. He'll, their SLUMS are so aesthetically interesting that tourists flock to them to see.

 

[suttree]

This is tough for me because often one city in the country is much more beautiful than another. Cappadocia in Turkey was incredible (much more than Istanbul). If you are ever there, take a hot air balloon ride. It is incredibly expensive and absolutely worth it. I loved living in Japan but Tokyo is one of the ugliest cities ever. However, Hakone is amazing. The open air museum with the mountains in the background is simply breathtaking.

I may lose all karmic credit and be docked 300 likes for agreeing with a man with "goduke" in his title (unless he's talking about Raoul), but I'm glad somebody finally stepped up and mentioned Turkey. Yes, I've been to the aforementioned places in Switzerland, many places in Italy, the coast of Ireland, Hawaii, etc.--but the incredible history, texture, and visual beauty of Turkey--varying widely from the Aegean Sea Coast to Cappadocia to the breathtaking Istanbul--belongs on anybody's bucket list. And God help me, but Randy's also right about the hot air balloon trip in Cappadocia. Photos are available through a simple Google search, but seeing it in person was absolutely unforgettable.

Great ideas from the rest of this thread. Thanks, all.

 

[cto]

I may lose all karmic credit and be docked 300 likes for agreeing with a man with "goduke" in his title (unless he's talking about Raoul), but I'm glad somebody finally stepped up and mentioned Turkey. Yes, I've been to the aforementioned places in Switzerland, many places in Italy, the coast of Ireland, Hawaii, etc.--but the incredible history, texture, and visual beauty of Turkey--varying widely from the Aegean Sea Coast to Cappadocia to the breathtaking Istanbul--belongs on anybody's bucket list. And God help me, but Randy's also right about the hot air balloon trip in Cappadocia. Photos are available through a simple Google search, but seeing it in person was absolutely unforgettable.

Great ideas from the rest of this thread. Thanks, all.

I may be the only person in the world who did NOT like Cappadocia. It was hot and arid and dusty ... and, in its own way, very touristy. The "neat" stuff about it (i.e., the caves) you can see on the internet. I would spend more time in Istanbul (or on the Greek Isles) and forego Cappadocia.

 

[Bortukal]

Jordan is flipping awesome. Petra and the Dead Sea should be on everyone's bucket list.

 

[suttree]

I may be the only person in the world who did NOT like Cappadocia. It was hot and arid and dusty ... and, in its own way, very touristy. The "neat" stuff about it (i.e., the caves) you can see on the internet. I would spend more time in Istanbul (or on the Greek Isles) and forego Cappadocia.

That's interesting. Did you actually go underground into the twelve- and seventeen-story underground labyrinths, plus the faerie towers with the iconic wall paintings (frequently with the eyes put out)? I didn't even mention those--and I was certainly grateful to be my compact 5'6" in parts of that claustrophobe's nightmare--but that was also great. Maybe my suffering in Texas made the arid climes less of an ordeal?

I agree that Istanbul was tremendous (and Ephesus was no slouch), but I'd never forego Cappadocia. It's a built-in three-banger, each one enjoyably different from the last.

 

[cto]

Jordan is flipping awesome. Petra and the Dead Sea should be on everyone's bucket list.

I think the Dead Sea is in Israel. At least it was when I visited it two years ago.

 

[Bortukal]

I think the Dead Sea is in Israel. At least it was when I visited it two years ago.

Not all of it

 

[DNABB5]

I am in love with the Italian dolomites/ Lake Country. We stayed in a monastery that was literally built onto the side of a mountain. 1200 years ago. Maddona Del Corona.

We were looking for a winery and just followed a truck with a pile of freshly picked grapes on it to La prebenda and met the vinter and got glass after glass gratis, he even broke out grandpa's own summer sausage made from what I gathered was some sort of deer. We also were there right during chestnut season and there is nothing like fresh roasted italian chestnut.

Also a quick note that I will never forget. The whole region you know was under Austrian rule until the great war, and every little village has a rotary. In the center of Peschiera del Garda was a nice fountain/monument to the men of the town that fought against the Prussians, but what was really interesting was the added pictures underneath that circled the fountain of names of those people/families who were Nazi symathizers/facists. We determined the captioning was damning, like these families are dead to us, do no business with them, they are not our own. I though that was very interesting.

Another place would be Chamonix Fr. Man, I did not know the Alps were actually taller than the rockies, but they are. From the valley to the peaks the Alps are more impressive. I did not know that until I saw it with my own eyes how much steeper and taller they were. Took the Aiquille du Midi.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

The wife and I honeymooned in Greece and started our trip on Crete. We both loved it there. The prettiest place on the island is Samaria Gorge which we hiked and had a great time. There is a part of the hike where you come around a corner and there are thousands of rock cairns which just blew us away.

The drive into Zion National Park on the way down from Bryce Canyon is probably my favorite in the US. Although driving down from Anchorage to the Kenai Peninsula is amazing as well.

 

[Texas Otto]

Ireland

 

[CuseCPT]

Turkey. Istanbul is gorgeous as is the coastal area around Bodrum. Can't wait to go back.