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Title says it all really. What are the most beautiful things you guys have ever seen? My thing is the sunrise over the Swiss town of Täsch, which at 1500 meters above the sea is breathtaking. Seeing the sun go over the mountain ridges is something I will always remember.

Standing at the top of the tower of the Vatican on a perfectly clear day, able to see right the way to the alps, was pretty darn impressive. The building itself is a close second. Third would be the Collesseum, a hugely impressive structure.

On a more mundane note, the moon seen from a clear spot with no cloud cover is about as good a view as you can get.

Was actually once in a life time experience to see one in the wilds of Eastern Afghanistan.

Cool picture Jihadin, mine was being at 15,000 feet in Himalayas and waking up to crystal clear morning and seeing the mountain range.

While cliche, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say The Wife walking down the rose covered pergola on our wedding day.

For the world around us, it’s hard to go wrong with going to the top of the nearest mountain and looking around. I’ve done a lot of skiing in the Green Mountains of Vermont, and some hiking/mountain climbing in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Breathtaking views.

Winterscapes just past sunset are another thing I love. The rich velvet blue of the sky, contrasting with the stark black of trees and the white snow.

The usual things like pretty sunsets on the west coast over the mountains, my wife on our wedding day, etc., but I have another moment that I'll always remember as being uniquely beautiful and touching.

I was fortunate enough to participate in the Nijmegan Marches in 2010 as a part of the Canadian contingent. The whole experience was awesome and I'd do it again in a heartbeat, but what I remember the most was on the last day during the last few klicks through the city of Nijmegan. Much of the Canadian contingent had met up at a checkpoint prior to entering the city so all the smaller teams would march together to the finish line. Out of the 4 odd lanes running through the city, only about 1 and half were being used by the marchers; the rest of the street, bike lanes, and sidewalks were packed by cheering people. Every window, every balcony, even the roofs were full of cheering people. Flags of various countries were being waved, roses were being handed out, and hugs were being exchanged between us and the crowd.

It was just so loud and crazy. This entire city just shuts down and turns into a combination of huge party and support group for people doing a not light task (it was fething hot). I can't remember another time I was so overwhelmed by the support of everyone in that crazy awesome country. My feet were toast, my joints hurt, and I had sweat through everything I owned, but I don't know if I've ever felt that good since.

It was a beautiful human experience.

Getting drunk with everyone later was equally awesome, but distinctly less beautiful. The women were beautiful though. I also remember a group of drunk college students still partying at 4am when we stopped off one of the days who changed their music from party beats to our anthem as we walked by. Good people. 11/10, would pass out in the streets of Amsterdam again at 3 in the morning.

I've lived a full life... the birth of my children rank up there. The view of Kyrgzstan from the the top of a mountain, on horseback. The Oriasi Gorge, anytime of the year. A sunrise on Lake Michigan while fighting a salmon on your line.

I could go on and on. There is so much beauty in the world. People should get out more.

My reflection in a mirror


For pretty landscapes, it was pretty severe winter when the Swallow's Nest near Yalta was entirely frosted with snow and the sun was sinking behind it in the Black Sea, and the whole world reflected the orange light. I still regret not having a camera with me.
This one is a bit like it, but without snow and not nearly as awesome:

A close contender is a snowy winter night a few years back, where I was all alone walking home and it was quiet. Despite the snow the cold didn't bother me.

Quadruple 360 degree no scope on operation metro.

I jest.

sleeping on a boat in the Bahamas looking up at the stars while approximately 50 miles from any light source at all for me probably. I could not believe how many stars there really are in the sky that you could see. I felt like I was looking up at the sky from hundreds of years ago before light pollution.

An extremely close second would be swimming with sharks in the Florida keys. One of the most terrifying but amazingly beautiful experiences.

Chicago 2003. Lasalle between Division and Chicago. I was walking back to my dorm from work. The snow had just come down hard and fast but had just slowed. it was only 9PM and downtown, but for a brief time there were no cars or people around. Most of the signs of modern life were obscured enough that it all looked like something from a 1930's picture.

I don't know if it was the most beautiful thing ever, but it was a kind of magic for a few minutes.

My quarterback getting a playoff game winning first down on a bootleg because I read the defense, and decided to block a guy I wasn't supposed to according to the play.

Hong Kong at night when viewed from the water.

Times Square at night.

The Grand Canyon.

The Giza Plateau.

The Taj Mahal.

Pretty much all of Istanbul.

-My kid's births.
-Sitting up on top of our building, and watching the wall of sand in a sandstorm approach (Perhaps my view of it would be shifted if I had actually been in it, but I lucked out there)
-The first "real" thunderstorm in Northern Iraq that I experienced... The thunder itself literally shook our buildings, and the lightning turned night into day. This one's a bit bitter sweet, because the storm itself took down one of our birds, and a couple soldiers that I vaguely knew/had dealings with were in it.

Sitting in our camp at a place we called "Camp Wildcat" growing up, chilling around a campfire, and looking up to see a sea of stars. There were so many of them that the "regular" sky didn't look any different than the milky way, and you literally could not find the North Star.

-Less than a half hour away from there was the Pacific Ocean, and seeing a "perfect sunset" over the water while sitting on the beach was pretty spectacular as well.

Just one thing really comes to mind. One evening last December. The sky was pretty much filed with clouds, but there were breaks through where you could still see the sky. The sun was setting in such a way that the sky seemed a burnt orange, and rays of light broke down through the gaps. I was looking at that over a group of hills off in the distance, these shafts of light coming from above, and you just have to take a moment to consider it.

I've not seen much of the world, but I know those moments are something special.

My wife while she was in labor. Just seeing her going through all the work to bring our child into this world.

It's threads and discussions like this that, well, tend to help convince me I'm an emotionally detached jerk.

To be honest, I've been pretty darned lucky, I've seen plenty of amazing sights in my life. From the ruins of Pompeii, sunsets over tropical islands, sunrises over the Scottish hills, the Avro Vulcan in flight, the Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum, Niagara Falls and probably loads of other places I can't even remember. And that's the thing, I can't even remember them. They just didn't make that much of an impact on me. - Heck I probably would have forgotten them if I didn't have souvenirs or photographs.

And, to be honest, that's really horrible.

In actuality, if you were to ask me about the most beautiful thing I've ever seen? I'd probably say something like seeing the USS Enterprise-E in the cinema for the first time in Star Trek First Contact. Or, it'd be seeing Gandalf arriving at Minas Tirith in Return of the King, again for the first time in the cinema.




Incidentally, one thing the tourists guides don't tend to mention about Ancient Roman sites... The sculptors were... What would be the most PG way to say this... Fixated upon finding novel ways to scuplt things as symbols of male virility, if you get what I mean....

Seriously... Everywhere. Coat racks, door handles, everywhere.

A truly satiated smile on a woman's face.

Ah, I forgot one. Hard to beat the magnificence of a Supermarine Spitfire in flight. Whether it's flanked by a Hurricane, a Lanc or anything else, the sight and sound is pretty spectacular.

Looking down from the clifftop at Santorini.

A few things spring to mind here. Manila Bay on a Saturday night:

this is a stock picture, I'm writing this from my phone so have none of my pictures

The views from the Grand Canyon, the view from Victoria Peak in Hong Kong:



And the crystal clear waters of Boracay Island:

This.


My daughter.
She turned one last week.

Congrats, Marv.

I've one more to add:

Sitting outside my countryplace, with no artificial lights whatsoever, and looking at the skies. Being able to see the Milky Way was beautiful.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Orlanth wrote:
Looking down from the clifftop at Santorini.

Mm.

A cloudy day and a mist covered castle in Japan.
The desolate island of Torcello near Venice.

First time I saw my baby boy. He was soooooo tiny! He's 2,5 months old now. God, he grows quickly!

Others: Climbing up Ben Wyvis in a thick, thick fog, only to have it lift when I'm at the top. No spoilers for such an awesome view, it all became visible all at once without having seen much of anything on the way up.

@ Orlanth: If you ever do decide to walk the Nijmeegse Vierdaagse again, give me a shout; I live there, and for the time being I still have a guest bedroom. You can walk the route on your own though; I much prefer the festival, live performances and parties throughout the week surrounding it!

My gym is on a cliff overlooking the entire monterey bay.
Its just so beautiful

I went swimming with Whale Sharks once. Wonderful, peaceful experience.

 d-usa wrote:
My wife while she was in labor. Just seeing her going through all the work to bring our child into this world.

Yup.

Didn't think I'd ever be one of those cliche' spouters, but it really was.

Seeing her smile at me is up there, too. Melts my heart.

I haven't traveled nearly enough, but the sun rising over the crystal blue water in the Bahamas is up there for me as well.

The night sky, at my parents holiday villa in Almeria, south east Spain.

Its in a quiet little mixed neighborhood of foreign owned holiday villas and local Spaniards in a small valley in the mountains about an hour from the coast. I think the nearest town is Albox. There are no streetlights, and so theres zero light pollution. I've never seen clearer skies. Late at night, we'd just sit outside drinking, reading, and watch the stars. Even watched the International Space Station fly overhead once.

I don't get that at home. I live in the Northeast of England, so for most of the year the sky is overcast. And even when they're clear, I live in a town, with lots of streetlights, so theres light pollution.