Places that are special to you.

[Zulu Romeo]

This year, for various reasons, I have had the opportunity to spend a few weeks in Aberdeen, north-eaat Scotland, a place where I spent most of my early childhood.

Going there, visiting my old neighbourhood, visiting the city centre and looking at the famous local shops there (many of which are still there as I remember them), and going along the beach and the harbour, the memories came flooding back, and I realised that, having spent more of my life here than any other place (my family and I did move around all the time, spending between 5-8 years in any one place), I still have the fondest of feelings about this place, more so than even the places where I spent my teens, University, my adult life, etc.

There were so many memories there, that I even would point out things to my parents about buildings that were long gone, or new, or still there. My old school was recently demolished and a brand new school building was being constructed there, which was very sad in a way, to see my old playing fields now a building site. My old house is still there, and the neighbourhood is still there too as I remember, except with added PVC windows and doors everywhere which gave the place a somewhat surreal look.

As I left the place recently, I remember telling my mum that I would always want to go back here. Not really to see if my friends were still around (many of them are on Facebook and have grown nicely, although I suspect most have moved on to better places) but to live in that place once again. On the other hand, this was at odds with my own belief, probably brought about by my non-stationary life so far, that I should move on to new things myself. Indeed, at one point I felt like I didn't want to leave the place again. But, sadly, life has to go on.

I would say that the only other place that was special to me was Moutohora (Whale Island), a small uninhabited island in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, where I once spent the day with family and friends during the summer of early 2003. It was by far the most peaceful place I had ever been.


Are there any other specific places in the world that remain special to you?

 

[An Officer]

Venice is my spiritual home. I want to make a pilgrimage there every year.

 

[Angry Angel]

Nordkapp (the North Cape). We went there when I was 16 I think with the family during a roundtrip through Scandinavia and what I remember from the experience was that I was in total awe. The whole trip, with so many beautiful sights to see and then at the ultimate point feeling you were on the edge of the world. One day I want to take a trip up north with the motorcycle and try to revisit that experience when I'm in a midlife crisis. Before that I hope to do a similar trip with my family.

I also have very fond memories of Rome. I was lucky enough to go there once after a couple of years of Latin with my high school class and several teachers. We saw so much and had superb guides. Later I got to go there with my sister and had a brilliant time as well exploring on our own.

Stockholm/Sweden naturally, cause it has become my new home and it has so much beauty to explore.

 

[WillsBabe]

Saunton Sands, a beach in North Devon is special to me. I go there to bodyboard in the summer. There's something about the place - the space, the water, the freedom - that makes it really special to me. There is an ampitheatre in Paphos, Cyprus, that I've only been to once but I remember as being an amazing place. Someone told me that there are negative ions there that contribute to a good feeling. Another vote for Venice, too. I love that place. Today I saw a painting of Venice in a gallery. It was technically excellent but somehow, emotionally dead. Venice is such a teeming, vibrant place. I love it.

 

[K'Ehleyr]

I still live in my birth town ~ sometimes I feel trapped but mostly I feel comforted that I know the place, the people and the attitudes inside out.

But my special place is Bognor Regis, that is not something you will read everyday . I just love it. I worked at Butlins there when I first left home on my own at 22, the people are so friendly and eccentric, being a seaside resort seems to draw such characters
One memorable time, when my friend and I were caravaning down there, was a great little pub full of locals, a family came in and their 11 year old son spotted the piano and asked to play, I guy strolled in with a guitar, there was another chap on the spoons and we were all singing and dancing at 4 'clock in the afternoon ~ magic

 

[Mr. B]

I have a rather strong fondness for my hometown and current place of residence, New Orleans. Despite the flaws and problems, I love the people, the food, the music and I love living here.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I guess my most special place would be the White Mountains in New Hampshire. That's where we always went on vacation back in the 60s and it's where I'd live if I could live anywhere. Beautiful country and locations up there. Polar Caves, Flume, et cetera. Just wonderful.

 

[Emher]

I'd say my town of Norrtälje is quite special to me, fits me perfectly and quite beautiful in parts. Stockholm has it charms as well. Other then that the sweeping fields of Östergötland and misty valleys of Västergötland always affect me when passing trough.

And some of you may deem me crazy, but I really loved the bits of Atlanta that I visited a few years back. Granted not the prettiest place in the world, but definitely not without it charms and to me a representation of what the US is. Several places I visited then I must visit again before I take my last breath. Most special is almost the looming, misty forest of Stone Mountain Park that we drove around in about four times when it started raining. And just the fact that I could lay on my back in a pool, look up, and there was the stars clearer then you'd ever see them in Swedish summer.

A little beach in a cove on the south side of Crete, with not sand but fine grained pebbles. Gorgeous.

And a couple of places I've never been but must go to at some point: Kyoto, since I feel an incredible affinity with the old parts of that town every time I see photos or videos of it. And the Maldives, since it seems like the most gorgeous place on earth.

 

[Finn]

The pond (a small reservior actually) behind my childhood home, surrounded by the woods and meadows and the Mass Pike. I miss it and I'd probably never walk around like did as a kid.

 

[Da'an]

Uckfield, a little village in East Sussex (in England) is where I grew up.

I still have dreams where I've gone back there, even now, 15 years after moving away.

 

[Ashu]

Rome, I love the history and the culture. I need to make more trips out there.

Also, any just about anywhere I am with a loved one. i could be just about anywhere in the world and itd mean nothing if I were to do it alone.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

For whatever reason, every time i go out for a drive i end up in my old neighborhood, so i guess that's special to me.

 

[Michael Chris]

There are a few places. Where I played basketball as a kid. My childhood home. The baseball field (which has been built over) where I played little league. The park by my old house.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

You know what's sad? As a child, i had a babysitter. Like i said upthread, i would drive and head back to the old neighborhood. I can't remember which house was hers. She was my babysitter for years and i can't remember where she even lived. 'Course that was almost 20 years ago. Shit ... that WAS almost 20 years ago.

 

[Aurian]

I love London, so very much.

 

[An Officer]

The Serengeti. Very powerful experience. For a moment, I felt part of the fabric of nature... a strong sensation of home. A very real epiphany moment.

 

[DarkHelmet]

My current house, where I returned to after marrying my wife and two years later brining my newborn son home. Never forget those two days.

My neighborhood here in denver where I grew up from age 4 to 19.

Ghent, Belgium. Very special.

A certain intersection on a specific time and day. Life changing is all I will say.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

^^^Indeed on that second part.

 

[Jadzia]

One place that is special to me is the seaside town of Cleethorpes, on the east coast England, in the county of Lincolnshire.

Throughout my childhood, the family would visit here about twice a year, and stop for a few days at a time. It was the first seaside place I ever went to, and is my most visited seaside place.

It is special to me for a variety of reasons. I suppose first and foremost it was a regular little holiday for us. Secondly, it was the first place away from home that I got to know my way around like the back of my hand. Thirdly, it had more personality than the town I grew up in. Also, I felt I had a lot more freedom there than I did at home.

The advantage of having somewhere to stay there meant we weren't tied to any schedule, nor did we have to do everything together as a family.

We'd spend hours strolling along the length of the sea front and along the pier. Running up and down Ross castle half a dozen times. We'd spend hours playing on the sands, paddling in the shallow water, building sand castles, and collecting shells and pretty pebbles to take home with us.

One day we'd go to the boating lake with a few rounds of bread and feed the ducks. Another day we'd do the crazy golf, or go to the swimming baths, and then spend a few hours touring the amusement arcades wasting our pennies on the slot machines, and trying to grab those cuddly toys with the robot arm that never works. I remember my father would always want to play the wild west shooting games, which used air rifles that activated various animated models that sprayed water at passers by. And of course my mum would always get hit by it much to her displeasure.

Then at dusk, when all the day trippers had gone home, my siblings and I would walk our dog along the sea defence wall enjoying the relative quiet, except for the sound of the waves, and the glimmer of the moonlight off the water.

For our self catering arrangements, we'd savour the quirk of there only being sterilized milk in the shops instead of the usual kind, together with the availability of free "scraps" from most of the chip shops, which was unheard off in other parts of the country.

Also, the candy selections were new and unusual. Aside from the abundance of candyfloss and icecream and walking sticks full of smarties, we would enjoy a kali and licorice fest on a night with what little money we had left from the amusements.

Then came the highlight of the week -- the legendary sunday markets, with the constant but satisfying background noise of "not £20, not £15, not even £10." and where my mum would invariably come home with a 30 piece dinner service or a set of 10 saucepans, that is just the thing you'd buy on holiday.

So I have a lot of happy memories of the place. I always enjoy going back there and arousing all these old memories.

Photos of the area can be found here in my album.

 

[WillsBabe]

^ I ejoyed reading your post, Jadzia.

Another place that is special to me is Croatia. I'm not going to go into why, but my husband and I went there at a particular time in my life and I will always have an abiding fondness for it because of the way I felt when I was there. I want to go back but I'm scared to because I know that I won't feel the same within myself if I do and I don't want that to spoil the original time there.