Welcome Wednesday: What's the most memorable place you've ever visited? 🌄

Maria P.
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September 23, 2020

Hi all, it’s Maria from Atlassian’s Social Media Care team, here to say ‘hey’ and welcome our new Community members!

Lately, I’ve found myself reminiscing on some of my favorite trips and the most memorable places I’ve been lucky enough to visit to date. I also enjoy hearing all about other people’s travels and adding new places to my bucket list, so today, I’d love to hear about your travels and favorite places to visit ✈️ 🌎

My family is from Guatemala, and I had only ever visited once, so last spring I took a week long trip to explore Antigua and Lake Atitlàn. Some people call Guatemala el corazòn del mundo, or the heart of the world, and let me tell you - after visiting the incredible Lake Atitlàn, I think they’re right.

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Surrounded by volcanoes, the lake can change from bright green to stormy grey to deep sapphire blue depending on the time of day and the angle you’re looking from - can you believe these photos are from the same day?! It’s amazing to watch the water and the sky change throughout the day, and truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. There's so much to explore around the lake and in the surrounding towns, too. I’m plotting a return trip as soon as I can!

So, tell me - what’s the most memorable trip you’ve taken or your favorite place to visit?

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Loren Siegel
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September 23, 2020

@Maria P_ - I have also been to Antigua and Lake Atitlàn in Guatemala! It's so beautiful and majestic, but since you're adding to your bucket list:

Last year I visited Tokyo, Japan and I loved it so much. I spent 5 days in Tokyo and took a train to Hakone for a day trip to visit an onsen. I loved exploring the different neighborhoods and watching the city come alive at night. My favorite part of Tokyo is the department stores, but not for shopping. In the basement of the department store is a food hall with the most beautiful pastries, candies, and cakes you can ever imagine. I actually got lost in one, but also ended up buying tons of treats to bring home to friends and family. 

I hope to go back to Japan and spend more time exploring the rest of the country one day.  

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Maria P.
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September 23, 2020

@Loren Siegel - wow, I'm sure that was an amazing trip! Tokyo is definitely on the list, and now I know to check out the food halls 🍥

Julia L.
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September 23, 2020

Oooh! I love this question!! I'm not sure I'd want to regularly revisit my place, but it sure was fascinating and I tend to describe it as one of the most alien places I've ever been 👽

From Wikipedia: 

Mono Lake is a saline soda lake in Mono County, California, formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in an endorheic basin. The lack of an outlet causes high levels of salts to accumulate in the lake and make its water alkaline.

The desert lake has an unusually productive ecosystem based on brine shrimp, which thrive in its waters, and provides critical habitat for two million annual migratory birds that feed on the shrimp and alkali flies (Ephydra hians).

I visited the lake a few years back and was fascinated by the huge towers (called Tufa towers!) that form naturally there. This place seems straight out of The Dark Crystal and I love it. We caught sunset there and I felt like I was on another planet!

My picture:

bltFX.jpg

Not my pictures:

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How is this not The Dark Crystal:

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Maria P.
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September 23, 2020

@Julia L_ - SO cool! Definitely alien-looking but so beautiful. Can you swim in there? Not sure if you'd want to though, actually...

Kate C_
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September 23, 2020

Wow, @Julia Lockin I've never heard of this place before - totally The Dark Crystal. I can see the Skeksis and Mystics in those last two for sure! 🔮

Kristján Geir Mathiesen
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September 23, 2020

Malta! I´ve been there twice. Once in the 80's and then in 2014. Amazingly turquoise blue waters. It is like the boats are floating! Megalithic temples of Malta. There are 3 UNESCO world heritage sites in Malta and 7 more on the tentative list! Amazing place.

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Maria P.
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September 24, 2020

Look at that perfectly clear water! How wonderful - added to my bucket list for sure ✍️

Mike Rathwell
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September 25, 2020

I have to say that Malta is one of my favorite places... I thoroughly enjoyed it when I was there. Gorgeous

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Kate C_
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September 23, 2020

One of my favourite places I've visited is Queenstown, New Zealand. I went there for a wedding and I tell ya, standing on a snow-capped mountain, in the sunshine, it was downright magical. Not just the view, but I felt like there was magic in the air. Just incredible. I wish I'd stayed longer, and I can't wait to be able to go back. 🧚

Evidently, I didn't take enough pictures, but here's the view just from our Airbnb balcony:

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Maria P.
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September 24, 2020

What a magical wedding that must have been @Kate C_ 💙 This scenery is gorgeous!

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Muhammad Aqil September 23, 2020

Lahore Canal Pakistan beautiful view.

LahoreCanalPakistan.jpg

Maria P.
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September 24, 2020

@Muhammad Aqil - what a great photo! This looks so beautiful and peaceful 😌 I'd love to take one of those boats down the canal!

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Tanya C September 24, 2020

Yay! This is a great thread already.  

My most memorable place to visit is Scotland!  There isn't enough room to post every amazing photo but here is a sample of one of my favorite spots.  I was stationed in Scotland in the early 90's while in the US Navy.  The country is amazing and the people are so nice and just great to listen to.  I longed to return and was able to in 2017 for two weeks as a birthday present.  I was able to show my husband all of my favorite spots and to visit many cities and sights I'd missed out on while there with the Navy.  I wish to some day retire there and spend my days restfully in a cozy seaside town.   

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Kate C_
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September 24, 2020

Scotland is so great! I spent much too short a time in Edinburgh in 2017 and it was such a pretty, fascinating & fun city! Would love to go explore more - we were trying to go to Islay (my husband, for the whiskey) but it's more remote than you think and we didn't have enough time!

 

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Maria P.
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September 25, 2020

@Tanya C wow, that castle is so beautiful - and what a view! I would love to take a trip throughout the UK sometime and definitely spend ample time in Scotland.

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Tanya C September 25, 2020

@Kate C_ - We were also thinking of hitting Islay but didn't have time.  My husband I did several whisky tours in the Inverness area.  Such a great time. Now I want to go back!

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Mike Rathwell
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September 25, 2020

I am fortunate, where in a past life, I found myself on an airplane about every 2 weeks and if I traveled in the USA (I am in California), it was unusual. The Boss and I also travel extensively for pleasure (or at least did before the zombie apocalypse). As a result I have been on every continent on the planet except Antarctica and seen a great many UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

It is extremely hard for me to pick a "favorite" place. I have found all the places I have been to be fascinating and endearing. When The Boss and I travel, we also try to be part of our surroundings which, I think, worked out as we have been asked how long we have lived in <insert place on the planet here> many times. However, if I had to pick a "favorite", I would have to call it as Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

There are stunning places all over the world but, for me, the difference is that Angkor Wat is still "alive". For example, if one visits Hagia Sophia, you see a stunning building with an amazing 2000 year history. However, when we were there, it had turned into a tourist destination in the "don't cross the velvet rope" category.

Conversely, while Angkor Wat is "only" ~1000 years old, it is still alive. The monks are still on the temples. When there, one can climb to the top of the main temple mountain to watch the sunset. The sheer scope of the entire archeological park with temples scattered across ~40 sq km, is staggering. There are kilometers of dioramas carved in stone in extremely fine detail. I saw miter joints in huge stone elements that are better than I can do with wood. S. E. Asia is all wonderful (The Boss is Vietnamese so we are kind of "at home" there albeit I have small problems with people understanding me. They see a big ugly white guy and start listening in English until "oh, wait... that's Vietnamese" and it's fine after that). With all that, however, Angkor Wat is a place anyone should visit and experience.

I shall have to resize some more images so they will fit here. Consider; Lara Croft Tomb Raider was filmed there... and it really looks like that.

507 Angkor Thom North Gate.JPG599 Ta Prohm.JPG738 Angkor Wat.JPG740 Angkor Wat.JPG618 Ta Prohm.JPG651 Angkor Wat Sunset.JPG

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Maria P.
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September 25, 2020

@Mike Rathwell thanks for sharing these wonderful photos! What a serene and gorgeous place. Definitely adding to the bucket list 📝 And, how cool that you've traveled to so many wonderful locations - I'm sure you have a ton of great stories!

Mike Rathwell
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September 28, 2020

I am indeed fortunate to have had travels like that. I hearken back to my earlier statement; I find it impossible to have a "favorite". The different places and the people in them are all unique and wonderful. A handful of rather interesting things that come to mind:

  • Hearing some of the best live 70s rock and roll in a dive restaurant in Belgrade, Serbia. Sung in Serbian
  • Piloting a 10m sampan through the Cần Thơ floating market
  • Hands on with an actual Enigma Machine in Fredericia, Denmark
  • Riding the (at the time) only commercial mag-lev train in Shanghai, China
Maria P.
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September 30, 2020

Amazing! You're so right - every place is totally unique and there are so many great experiences to be had worldwide 🌎 Thanks so much for sharing a few of your memories with us!

Remco de Ket September 29, 2020

Although I haven't been back there for very many years my birthplace of Curacao is the most memorable for me.

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Maria P.
Community Manager
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September 30, 2020

Whoa - so pretty ✨ I hear the beaches there are incredible, too! Welcome to the Community, @Remco de Ket 😄

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