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British Mensa Travel Special Interest Group |
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My
Seven Wonders of the World We asked SIG members what they would class as their Seven Wonders of the World - the seven most awe-inspiring, beautiful or otherwise noteworthy sights they have seen on their travels. Here are some of their replies: Helen
Krasner Helen Krasner (issue 46, summer 2002) My Seven Wonders of the world, in the order I saw / experienced them: 1) The Grand Canyon Seen about 30 years ago while taking a "driveaway" car from New York to Los Angeles, never forgotten. 2) The Taj Mahal at dawn We arrived while it was still dark, and watched the dawn come up over it with no-one else there. 3) Macchu Picchu Seen from above when walking the Inca Trail, back in the 1970s when very few people walked it and there were no maps or organised tours. We staggered to the top of some steps, looked down, and there was this city. We felt like the first people in the world to have seen it. 4) The road to Zhangmu in Tibet It goes from the Tibetan plateau right down to the border town of Zhangmu, cutting through the mountains next to a deep gorge. Above are the mountains, so high you can't see the top; below is the gorge, so deep you can't see the bottom; the bus hurtles round the bends at top speed, and there I am standing in front drinking in the view, thinking I'm probably going to die but not really caring. Quite stupendous. 5) The Victoria Falls Seen from the Zambian side, where you can walk so close to them that the whole world is a mass of roaring water. Dry clothes to change into afterwards would be a good idea, but I never think far enough ahead for that. 6) The total eclipse of the sun in Perranporth, Cornwall, in 1999 The sky was overcast until two minutes before totality, then it cleared and we saw the whole thing. Unlike anything I've ever experienced before or since. 7) A completely circular rainbow Seen while flying myself in a helicopter from Swansea to Shobdon in Herefordshire. I've been told it's called a brockenspectre, though I can't find the word in a dictionary. I found myself flying through the middle of this complete circle of rainbow for several minutes. An absolutely fascinating experience. Glen Strachan (issue 45, spring 2002) Seven Wonders of the World - in no particular order Fatehpur Sikri & Taj Mahal, Rajahstan, India Nuuk, Greenland Sydney from the Harbour Bridge, New South Wales, Australia New York skyline from Empire State Building, USA Great Wall of China Cape Town & Robben Island from Table Mountain, Western Cape, South Africa Western Wall, Jerusalem, Israel All of that and my real wonders are my wife Flora and our children Lorna and David who made sure that I never had to visit these places alone. Tina Hammond (issue 46, summer 2002) 1) Red Square and St Basil's, Moscow The first time I ever saw this was a sunny August day, and I came out of the Metro to a brilliant blue sky and the sight of the multi-coloured St Basil's, an almost fantasy building right in the middle of one of the 20th century's most infamous, yet still intriguing, capitals of the world. 2) Sydney Harbour The sight of this thrills me every time I see it, even when living in Sydney. Viewpoint is not important, whether it be from the air, the train from the western suburbs or from central station, or even via bus or ferry. An unbelievable medley of harmonious beauty any time. 3) Meteora, Greece How people live in these, almost Osama bin Laden, caves baffles me. A tortuous coach journey to the top was richly rewarded with fantastic views and an insight into alternative lifestyles. 4) Guilin, China The startling obelisks are like a cross between a childhood lunar landscape and the age of the dinosaurs. So beguiling that I invested in a large silk painting of them, which still adorns my wall over ten years later. 5) Rome All of it, just for the history and culture, a curious mix of the very ancient and the very modern polluting world we inhabit. 6) The entrance to the Grand Harbour, Valetta, Malta First seen at daybreak, the golden sun bouncing off the deep orange rocks and houses, a quite stunning sight. 7) Hong Kong harbour at night The bright neon signs reflected in the deep waters are a photographer’s dream. Maybe the size, shape and siteing of the buildings was done by a Feng Shui expert?! 8) Milford Sound, New Zealand (If Rome is not acceptable) A quite unimaginable calm and serene deep blue valley, so close to 'busy' Queenstown, and half a world away from its large Scandinavian family. PS - my husband - a member of Mensa, but not TravelSIG - has listed Sydney Harbour, St Basil’s / Red Square, Lake Tahoe, Grand Harbour in Valetta, Hong Kong Harbour at night, the Amphitheatre at Ephesus and Borobodou. Plagiarist! Celia Talbot (issue 47, autumn 2002) 1) The Antarctic Iceberg panorama and visiting Scott's and Shackleton's huts. 2) Rotorua in New Zealand, with the Bay of Islands and a cruise through the Hole in the Rock. 3) Niagara Falls - the sheer wonder of the size and volume of so much water crashing down from a tremendous height. 4) Lake Tahoe in California and the magnificent sunsets and sunrise over the Nevada mountains. 5) The
Grand Canyon - flying over this incredible rock formation, with the
infinite variety of colours and shapes 6) Mount Pilatus and Jungfrau - standing at the top and seeing the beautiful landscape vista all around. 7) One's
first visit to the Chelsea Flower Show - mind-blowing and
completely unforgettable Lynn Hurton (issue 47, autumn 2002) 1) Stonehenge at sunset I was lucky enough to experience a Mensa group tour provided by English Heritage. Inside the stones at sunset, with a 'real' druid in costume nearby, is absolutely mystical. A real end of this world experience. 2) The Milford Sound, New Zealand This is often described as the eighth wonder of the world and, whether experiencing this miracle by coach, boat, foot or plane (or all four), one cannot fail to be really overawed. 3) Ayers Rock, seen from the clouds Up to now, I have only flown over this monolith, but it was incredibly impressive from a great height. I can't wait to get in closer. 4) Paris, from the top of the Eiffel Tower, at night I love the view and it is SO romantic. Oh, happy memories... 5) The Lake District... WHEN THE TOURISTS HAVE LEFT. Sheer peace returns - poetry in motion! 6) Interlaken, Switzerland When in the town itself, surrounded by sheer beauty, the song Climb Every Mountain springs to mind. What clean air, too... 7) The Ile d'Aix, France A mere ferry ride from La Rochelle, but a world away. It's simplistic in its beauty and watch out for the wild orchids amongst the wasteland... These are my favourite seven at the moment, but Australia beckons soon, so maybe I'll change my mind. Thomas Felsch (issue 49, spring 2003) 1. Jungfraujoch (Switzerland) - the eternal ice in the middle of Europe. In midsummer you are standing in an elevation of 3500 m on the Sphinx surrounded by snow and ice and have the fantastic view on the Aletsch glacier and the surrounding four thousand. 2. New York (USA) - unfortunately we will not have the chance to enjoy this marvellous view again. The view from Empire State Building towards the sea of downtown skyscrapers including the World Trade Center, especially at night, is unforgettable. 3. San Francisco (USA) - the view towards San Francisco with Golden Gate in the foreground is simply overwhelming. You can enjoy this view from Marin Peninsula north of the Golden Gate Bridge on the way from the bridge west to Point Bonita. This scenario may be topped by upcoming fog from the sea when only the bridge-heads of Golden Gate are visible. 4. Jasper
and Banff National Park (Canada)
- the Icefield Parkway between Jasper and Banff offers spectacular 5. Exumas (Bahamas) - this island chain with 360 mostly very small islands stretches south of Nassau for about 100 miles. The view straight down from a Cessna shows the intensively turquoise sea with spotted islands embedded in an amphibious landscape formed by the ocean-current - really surrealistic. 6. Aswan (Egypt) - a very romantic impression can be experienced in Aswan looking on Elephantine Island in the River Nile and the Nubian desert in the background during sunset when the whole scenery is dipped into deep orange. 7. Three
Gorges Dam (China) - a wonder of a different kind. The largest construction
site in the world serves to create the Three Gorges Dam which banks up
the Yangtze River for 400 miles near Yichang. The construction site covers
an area of six square miles, with about 30,000 people at work around the
clock. More than 160 million m³ of material is moved in total. The
bus carries you for miles through a landscape completely turned inside
out David Whiting (issue 51, June 2003) 1 Potala Palace, Lhasa - its white walls shine like the sun, and its red moss has an eerie surreality. 2 The Treasury at the end of the Siq, Petra, Jordan - emerging from a narrow gorge one is suddenly confronted with a magnificent facade which even more amazingly was carved from the top downwards. 3 Geysir, Iceland - where blistering hot water just below the ground erupts like volcanoes. 4 The Royal Palace on top of Lion Rock, Sigiriya, Sri Lanka - builders' materials were hoisted up virtually vertical rock faces hundreds of years ago. 5 The Terracotta Army, Xi'an, China - thousands of soldiers, plus horses, chariots etc, and each one is unique. 6 The view from the Old Town across Charles Bridge towards the Castle, Prague - sheer magic. 7 The Mosque, Cordoba, Spain - a magnificent gigantic structure in itself, then a cathedral was erected in the middle after the Moors were driven out of the city. All these were chosen from among the thousands of places I have visited so far. I felt that I simply couldn't get enough of them, taking pictures of them or simply viewing them from every angle. |