What's the most fascinating place you've ever been?

[ImaLumberJack]

Just read through the disappointing famous places thread, and it got me thinking of the morning at interesting places. For me, it's either Siem Reap (especially Angkor Wat, but all kinds of other things too) or Rome (which made it onto the disappointing thread a few times ). How about you?

It's funny how the same place can provoke such a different reaction..my parents loathed New York. Thought it was dirty, rundown and oppressive.

While it can certainly be those things, DH and I absolutely loved it. Felt like being in a huge film set with so many things to explore in every corner. Fabulous.

Glacier Bay, Alaska. Actually all of Alaska but that part was particularly special.

A real true wilderness and just true natural beauty. Amazing to learn the story of the natives that fled when the glaciers came pouring down the mountains and how scared they were when John Muir persuaded them to return.

Think I would get on well with John Muir as I also loved Yosemite which has come up a few times!

Oh and Japan! I loved it but only had a week there in Tokyo and Mount Fuji national park. I'd love to go again and visit Kyoto and see some of the countryside.

Vienna...I could go again and again and not get tired of it.

The Tower of London..it has such an amazing history, and I am sure Little Ease did exist.

Don't know if it counts as a 'place' per se, but being on board, and getting the tour, on either of the nuclear submarines on which dh served was fascinating.

Central China.

Iceland. Just wow...

Another vote for Cuba - really fascinating country, stunningly beautiful, and yes, in a bit of a time warp but with very well educated populace, living in (often) poor conditions - making a buck on the black market wherever possible due to all the restrictions. That was about 2002.

Naples. Was expecting to hate it and only went to visit Pompei, but fell completely in love with it. Went back for a week and loved it even more.

Grand Canyon, we were on a ranch a couple of hours away so felt we ought to go, mind blowing. Will definitely go back.

MaryBoBary, thanks for posting that. It looks gorgeous and very tranquil.

Bhutan was extremely beautiful and truly unique. I loved the Himalayan landscape and Buddhist architecture, The national sport is archery, the national animal is a strange beast called a takin and the country measures Gross National Happiness. It’s traditional to paint a giant phallus on your house for good luck. Marijuana grows like a weed and is fed to the pigs. The rice is red and hot chillies are eaten as vegetables, not spices. I’d love to go back.

Bodie
Jerusalem
Wistman's Wood
Venice

Death Valley

Winchester Mystery House

Lencois maranhenses, a National Park in northern Brazil. Just a sandy desert with lakes but stunning

The Western Cape

New York absolutely blew me away - I expected to dislike it or at best be underwhelmed but it was so much better than I imagined. Such a vital, exciting, loud, multicultural,crazy place.

The Hoover Dam
White Sands, New Mexico
Montserrat Monastery in Barcelona
Savoca, Sicily

Havana
The Alhambra
Rome
Pompeii
Ischia Castello and the nun's graveyard
the troglodyte village at La Roque St Christophe in the Dordogne
Neuschwanstein castle
A silver mine in Kutna Hora - Czech Republic
The Salt Mines near Krakow

This will sound like the ultimate wanky answer but I am endlessly interested in the street-by-street history of my unremarkable bit of London - who was living there, how they ran their lives, how we inhabit the same spaces differently from one another.

Not at all in my opinion! I would find that fascinating. I think I remember reading about a house and it's various occupants through the ages. I love things like that.

Zanzibar! I highly recommend!

Rome. Pompeii, Vesuvius and the Colosseum were amazing. Had guided tours for them and the facts I learnt were fascinating.

Rye is beautiful.

Hiking the Bright Angel trail in the Grand Canyon. I was over come several times in a non screamy type manner. So much beauty and space.

Literatu Street in Vilnius