Second post here because I realised I have more :
A week swimming in the Galapagos where , on a snorkling day, a lone older pup and I began to “play” together - s/he and I diving, spinning and cavorting in the same inter-species language. The #1, hands down BEST experience of my life !
Swimming above (free, not lured by human food offerings) dolphins off of Zanzibar
Gorilla trek in Rwanda (where, despite warnings to not interact with or touch the gorillas no matter what they did, it took every.single.cell in my body to not reach out and touch the baby who was playing with my shoe)
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Galapagos also requires that level of self control. Most animals are so trusting that it’s hard not to cuddle them.
That also reminds me of a hike in Sumatra to see orangutans. One of them took my friend’s hand as though they were both walking leisurely. We all took pictures and laughed but my friend was a bit impatient to end this idyllic interaction.
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I swam with a whale shark off Exmouth too, it was absolutely amazing. @ziggy
I’ve also played with the stingrays at Hamelin Bay, they followed me around like a dog and lifted their faces up to watch me. It was super cute.
I’ve watched and counted (for a science group) hatchling turtles heading out to sea in Point Samson - that was amazing too.
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I was wanting to be outside since the weather is nice. I found this. It’s close to my petsit in the Paris area.
Axe Majeur is a large monumental art structure located in Cergy-Pointoise France.
It consists of a series of 12 different stations that can be visited along its 3.2km walking path
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The most special event I have witnessed was the 1987 parade in Moscow that celebrated the 70th anniversary of the October Revolution. General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, other members of the Politburo and the heads of foreign states were present on the grandstand of Lenin’s Mausoleum for the jubilee parade. We were ofc not allowed on the Red Square as all the big shots had their places there, but at a place just next to it. It was part of a themed travel tour learning about the Russian revolution, and a lecturer from a university in my country was the tour guide, so very informative. Ofc we were assigned a Russian guide also. It was quite daunting with such a parade of military equipment, and very different from my country, were parades usually are with happy children cheering and singing, parading school by school.
I’ve been fortunate to take part in other special events, close to my heart is the opening of an SOS Childrens Village in Malawi, where we got to meet the families. SOS Childrens Villages has since put heavier weight on the rights of the children in the Villages, which I totally support, so not sure if they do that any more. I would guess not.
I would like to mention other really special experiences, that are easier to do and could be fun tips for this community:
Paris has a fun sewer museum, where you go underground and learn about the water and sewer system in Paris. It was actually super fun IMO, and something not everybody does.
Brussels - everybody have heard of the peeing boy - Manneken Pis. Brussels also has statues of Jeanneke Pis, a girl, and Het Zinneke - the peeing dog. All three are in the city centre and a nice stroll around town (maybe even with a dog!?)
New York - Federal Reserve Bank of New York had free tours, but now unfortunately just open for schools (that might change). There were very few tickets per tour (30??) so we had to be alert when they were published. It was actually much more entertaining than I thought, and the highlight was when we were able to go ten storeys underground! in a small elevator to see the gold vault.
What you might not think about, is that you can have a guided tour of the building of the United Nations in NY. They have different themes and languages - art, garden, children’s tour, architecture, black history, women… So really you could go several times! Had also a nice shop, bookshop, stamps, café and so on. It was a fun and educational experience for us, both the history, tasks and the vibe of this international community. Highly recommend.
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My first thought of the most interesting place I’ve visited is India. Loved it so much the first time - went back a second time. Travelled through the Rajasthan area and then spent two weeks in the backwaters of Kerala. Friends thought I was crazy when I said I was going to India but I found the people so welcoming, the food was amazing and the scenery breathtaking - not to mention total culture shock which was my reason for returning! Before reading the other posts on here, I immediately thought of my favorite pic I took in India - travelling through Jaipur -
this goat hanging out this window. When I read Maggie8k’s post re the goats in Morocco, I thought I’d add my own goat pic on here! India is a photographer’s dream ~ you never know what you will see around the next corner!
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