My Favorite: is a little different.
It’s more about a general feeling than a specific experience. It’s about that feeling you get when you begin to comprehend that just around the corner lies an incredible site you’ve only seen in pictures–and that you’re about to experience it yourself, live and in person.
I’ve been fortunate enough through my travels to have this experience many times. I remember driving up to Sugarloaf, Maine when I was younger. As you drive up the winding access road, this 4,000 foot standalone mountain seems to appear out of nowhere once you make that final turn around the corner (appropriately named “Oh My Gosh” corner). It’s truly incredible.
I had a similar “Wow” moment last year when I traveled to Italy with Explorica and visited Florence. As we left our hotel, we made a left out of the hotel and walked about 5 minutes, then made another slight turn and all of a sudden, the beautiful Duomo appeared before us, standing tall and bright. With all the buildings along the narrow streets, non of us were expecting the massive building to appear out of nowhere.
While both of these “just around the corner” moments were memorable, nothing will ever top the morning I first saw the Taj Mahal while I was on Semester at Sea program. It was in the half-light of 6:00 a.m. that our bus dropped us off a little way from the main gates. After the short walk, we continued through the main gates. Having never been there before, I had no idea how far we were from the building.
We turned left and walked through this archway. And as the crowd began thinning out in front of me, the Taj Mahal appeared. To this day, it is the most breathtaking moment I have ever experienced.