Places or Buildings that blew your mind.

Osboro

Well-known member
As a counterpointn to the thread on disappointing places.
Blew my mind/ totally delivered.....

The British Museum.
First went just after the roof was put on. 25 years ago or so. Had to run back and drop a fiver donation in the pot( a lot then), that was before I saw any exhibitions. It literally took my breath away.

Venice
In November, in the rain, flooded squares walked / paddled for miles. ( bumped in to Johnny Depp, which was nice.). Un-worldly Magnificent. Been back in summer. Would go again and again, but winter time only.

The Pantheon.
No wonder the visigoths stayed away in fear. Inside and out are superimposing

Rome.
Walking endlessly in alleyways around the centre historico. Being amazed by the smaller churches looking more pagan than anything else. The size of some of the forum buildings. Victor Emmanuals wedding cake, right in the middle.

Ground Zero. New York.
Everything seems to quieten. Entering the square after a few busling hours of NYC is a really sobering experience.

Florence.
Astonishing. Made me ashamed of my poor education .

The Thames
On a river trip packed with foreigners made me realise what a magnificent cityscape London is.
 
Guardalavaca, Cuba - I am going back some years now but we visited Guardalavaca after getting our camera stolen on our complex (cockney lad) and was trying to buy a new one. We stumbled across a small market and walked down some steps onto a beach that had one bar (shack) at the bottom and miles of white sand and palm trees, blue sea, and no one else on it. It was honestly like the Bounty advert.

Having our camera stolen was the best thing that happened to us.
 
The Old Town, Warsaw. Flattened completely by the Germans in WW2, they rebuilt it as it was prewar (or as near to it as possible).Statues of resistance men and women everywhere. Goosebumps on my arms walking around there. What brave people the Poles were.
 
Grand Canyon - Sheer size of it, lack of proper health and safety but what can you do, put a fence up around the whole thing?
Arsenal stadium - When i walked in, i remember just thinking this place is incredible, prefer it to Wembley. I havent been to Spurs new place but imagine id be overwhelmed even more so.
Pyramids of Giza - Surreal that place. Very touristy now, alot of beggars too but the size and engineering that went on.
Auschwitz - Size of the place, the stories, the silence and the feeling you get when you're walking around, very scary very intimidating place.
 
New York - I've been probably 20 or 30 odd times, including a spell working there, and it never fails to take my breath away. It feels like stepping onto a film set every time you go there.

Las Vegas - It's basically Disneyland for adults, and IMHO the most honest US city - it basically screams "come here and spend your money and have a great time" with no pretention of culture.

London - Still the greatest city on earth, and it never fails to amaze me that I get to work and socialize in it whenever I want. So much history, culture and contrast between say Knightsbridge and Shoreditch means you never get bored of it.
 
Taj Mahal. They hype it up loads but in fairness it is pretty mind blowing when you actually lay eyes on it.

And yeah auschwitz, for other reasons.
 
The Buddhist temples of Moulmein, Myanmar.. a step back in time and into your soul
Auschwitz.. all for the wrong reasons.. how could this happen?
The Pantheon. Rome. For its perfection.
Grand Central terminal, New York.. for the sheer size of it.
Inside the chamber of the great pyramid of Cheops.. literally crushes your mind.
 
The green line in Cyprus. Winding through Nicosia in a land that time forgot since the Turkish invasion of 1974. Very eerie and though provoking. I also recently visited the Ghost Town of Varosha near Famagusta Cyprus. Once closed of to the public. Empty hotels, shops and houses since 1974.
 
There's a church in Malta (can't remember it's name now it's been a long time i think i was about 15) and it had a bomb in front of the altar. I had a relative who lived there, she told me the story that apparently in ww2 the church was packed for a Sunday service....the bomb came through the ceiling and slid along the floor...came to rest and didn't detonate so all those people survived. The church itself was beautiful and it and its story has always stuck with me.
 
Grand Canyon National Park - The pure size and magnificence of this place completely blew my mind. The colours are incredible as well. Getting off the beaten track and exploring it by foot was a delight, as was the multitude of wildlife including a massive Elk casually wandering about near our accommodation.

Iceland - Wonderful place with fantastic scenery and really friendly locals, we went in January and were lucky enough to see the northern lights. Got home to find out we were expecting with our first child so will forever be a special place for us.

Auschwitz - For the wrong reasons, the scale and vastness of this bleak, horrendous, murderous place was staggering.
 
Back
Top