Top 5 Countries you have Visited

[Lost Boy]

Let's hear your top five countries that you have visited  (or want to visit)

If you have never gone anywhere and don't plan to, you can just respond that you are a sad sack or something like that.

Here are my 5

• Italy  -  great food, cool stuff to see everywhere, castles, Vatican, ancient Rome, etc
• Japan  -  great food, cool stuff to see everywhere, castles, shrines temples, lush vegetation.
• UK -  Castles, great country side, lots of history, speak English... sorta
• Germany  -  Again castle, good food, more castles, beautiful country side.
• Spain - Reminds me a lot of Montana at least the drive from Barcelona to Madrid.  Laid back, lots to see.  However, couldn't find a coin laundry for the life of me.

[Sunday21]

Portugal! Sinatra, small town with a fairytale palace

Englanf, Isle of Wight, bonchuch-very pretty

Nevis-tiny island in Carribean

Cuba-lovely beaches

[JohnsonJones]

Hmmm....

I don't really have 5 top countries.  Many have things that are good about them and bad, and some of them have things so much better than the others but at the same time has things which are much worse than others.

Saudi Arabia is a great place.  If you are a guest your life and property are many times put above that of your host even.  The penalties for crimes are excessively harsh, but you really don't have to worry about crime that much.  I could leave a thousand dollars on the sidewalk and as long as there's someway to contact me, someone will be trying to give it back to me.  At the same time, many of the rights you take for granted in the US are things that are not granted there.

UAE is another place similar to Saudi Arabia but I'd say far more relaxed in certain areas.  However, with that relaxation comes a rise in certain aspects of undesirable news items. 

Pakistan and India are very modern in many ways as long as you stick to the civilization centers (the cities) but can get very rural very quickly.  I'm not as much a fan of a lot of the culture, but many people there seem friendly. 

I have enjoyed Ireland perhaps more than many other nations.  I'm not sure why though.  I have felt welcome by people when I am there though.

I think that's five...but I'm not sure I can stick with just five if we are accounting for places...

Germany I probably should toss in simply because that's where I have family and I have some background related to there.  People are a little more formal than I prefer though.  There is a certain German attitude, I can't put my finger on it, but a certain attitude where everything is business and a little more formal in some ways unless you are with them drinking.

If on vacation I'd say Spain, Italy, and Greece are all pleasant places.  I actually enjoy going to the beaches and coast there more than I enjoy the US coast of Florida and California.  I feel more comfortable in the coastal areas of the Mediterranean than I have around Florida and California.  Maybe it's because the areas I've visited in Europe don't have the same tourist feel as the beaches and coastal areas I have visited in Florida and California?

Now people may say...why not Israel (feel like I'm a second class citizen?) or the US (I took it that the question was not about the nation that we normally live in...hence no US in my comments).  There are various reasons, but primarily because when talking about my trips around the world the nations I listed above seem to be the ones people get the most interested in and ask the most about.

36 minutes ago, Lost Boy said:

Let's hear your top five countries that you have visited  (or want to visit)

If you have never gone anywhere and don't plan to, you can just respond that you are a sad sack or something like that.

Here are my 5

• Italy  -  great food, cool stuff to see everywhere, castles, Vatican, ancient Rome, etc
• Japan  -  great food, cool stuff to see everywhere, castles, shrines temples, lush vegetation.
• UK -  Castles, great country side, lots of history, speak English... sorta
• Germany  -  Again castle, good food, more castles, beautiful country side.
• Spain - Reminds me a lot of Montana at least the drive from Barcelona to Madrid.  Laid back, lots to see.  However, couldn't find a coin laundry for the life of me.

Spain actually reminds me most like the Southern California coast (actually much of the North Mediterranean does).  The climate seems to be very similar (and probably why wine is a product of both those Mediterranean coastal areas and California as well).  Spain reminds me more of California than the rest of the European Mediterranean areas though.  Maybe it's just because I haven't seen a ton of Montana (outside of Yellowstone at least).

Edited May 18, 2018 by JohnsonJones

[Vort]

15 minutes ago, JohnsonJones said:

Saudi Arabia is a great place.  If you are a guest your life and property are many times put above that of your host even.  The penalties for crimes are excessively harsh, but you really don't have to worry about crime that much.

Except I have it on good authority that the Saudi government stalks you and keeps tabs on your anonymous internet discussion list handles and avatars, looking for any mere mention of pedophilia or sex slavery, and then refuses you entrance or throws you into a dungeon next time you visit. The best solution, apparently, is to loudly proclaim that YOU aren't involved in any such thing, and anyone who uses such examples (even as, say, an argumentum ad absurdum) is an evil pervert. That way, they know you're okay.

Edited May 18, 2018 by Vort

[Vort]

My five favorite foreign countries I have visited, in no special order, are:

• Italy. Served my mission there. Great language, great food, nice people, whose niceness increases the further south you go. Seriously, you can't go wrong in visiting Italy.
• France. Took my wife there for an anniversary lo these many years ago. You know all the nasty things people say about the French being cold, stuck up, unwilling to talk with you, feigning that they don't understand your imperfect French? Never experienced any of that. I don't believe it. Also, Paris has the best waiters in the Milky Way galaxy.
• Mexico. Amazing place. Hot, friendly, and more foreign than Europe. Seriously. You will get culture shock in Mexico, even if you didn't in Italy.
• Canada. Much like home, except people use kilometers instead of miles, use multicolored money, insert extraneous "u"s in words such as "multicolored", and say "aboot".
• India. Hottest December ever. I was only there two weeks, but it was an amazing experience, the most "foreign" I have ever had.

I would list more foreign countries that are my favorites, but I haven't been to any others.

[Guest MormonGator]

12 minutes ago, Vort said:

You know all the nasty things people say about the French being cold, stuck up, unwilling to talk with you, feigning that they don't understand your imperfect French? Never experienced any of that. I don't believe it. 

All my friends who have visited France say the same thing. That the stereotype of rude French people is way off base. 

[zil]

Turkey (the Mediterranean coast). Gorgeous, great food, interesting ruins.

Kenya - photo safaris.

Prague - best European city.

Helsinki - widest variety of restaurants.

Don't have a fifth, but you could stop in Austria long enough for a pretzel. 

[JohnsonJones]

51 minutes ago, Vort said:

Except I have it on good authority that the Saudi government stalks you and keeps tabs on your anonymous internet discussion list handles and avatars, looking for any mere mention of pedophilia or sex slavery, and then refuses you entrance or throws you into a dungeon next time you visit. The best solution, apparently, is to loudly proclaim that YOU aren't involved in any such thing, and anyone who uses such examples (even as, say, an argumentum ad absurdum) is an evil pervert. That way, they know you're okay.

Many of the freedoms people take for granted in the US are not things that are given in Saudi Arabia.  I'm overly cautious perhaps, and when I'm off on trips I normally avoid unnecessary internet interactions among other things as well. 

There are people that are surprised at the severity of what Saudi Arabia does.  It can be a two edged sword, but one of the good things is that morality as a whole seems to be more cherished there and morality (though enforced) tends to be a LOT greater than what we find in other nations.  The punishments can be excessively harsh compared to what Westerners are used to, but it tends to mean that people watch what they do and say far more than what you see in the West, especially in the US.

It is a VERY different country due to the harshness of the laws.  Religion and Government in many ways are intermeshed as opposed to the US and much of the West were we have a separation of the state and religion.

[JohnsonJones]

34 minutes ago, MormonGator said:

All my friends who have visited France say the same thing. That the stereotype of rude French people is way off base. 

Ironically, I haven't spent a lot of time in France.  Most of that was just me passing through on travel.  I have had some students that were from France but that's a long ways from knowing much about France itself.

Edited May 18, 2018 by JohnsonJones

[MaryJehanne]

I've never been outside the country (yet!), but I can list my top 5 wishlist (not really in order except by location)! (By the way, just 5 was near murder, so added honorable mentions )

• Japan
• China
• France
• UK
• Ireland

Honorable mentions: Italy, Greece, Russia, Thailand

Okay, I spent way to long deciding what should go on this list! Suffice to say it's a possibility I might move some around if I were polled again in the future. 

[classylady]

1. Germany.  Where I went on my mission.  I love the castles along the Rhine and the food. I love the German people. They will be a friend for life, but they need to get to know you first before the friendship can blossom.

2. Italy. Love the friendliness of the people. I love history and ancient cultures. Pompeii was fascinating and love all the Roman ruins. Even though we were there in late September and early October last year, the lines were still awful. The museums are wonderful.

3. France. I know there is a lot of negativity about Paris, but I love it. The museums and Versailles are a must see.

4. Greece. Good food. Great ancient ruins to visit. Fairly inexpensive.

5. South Korea. It’s the only Asian country I’ve visited. Visiting the DMZ was sobering. I loved watching a Korean play. The music in it was beautiful. I’ve had dental work done there. Lots less expensive than here in the States.

Runners up: Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, England, Canada, Mexico, and Liechtenstein (which you can see in less than a day).

On my bucket list: Ireland, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Scotland, Japan, New Zealand, Australia.

Edited May 18, 2018 by classylady

[anatess2]

10 hours ago, Vort said:

• France. Took my wife there for an anniversary lo these many years ago. You know all the nasty things people say about the French being cold, stuck up, unwilling to talk with you, feigning that they don't understand your imperfect French? Never experienced any of that. I don't believe it. 

Well, first my mom's wallet got taken out of her high-falutin' hotel room in Paris.  So, she had to get emergency papers to replace her passport.  Good thing my dad was still this super old-fashioned guy who uses traveller's checks so they were able to cancel all the checks and have them replaced.  They talked to the manager and the manager treated them like they set up a "stolen wallet" story to fool the hotel management into giving them money.  They tried to get help from the Embassy but the Embassy adviced them to just let it go since everything that got lost was replaceable and dealing with the French government is difficult.

Then they left their group for a day to go on a side-trip train ride to Lourdes (important place for Catholics, quite popular) and so they asked the guy at the ticket station for directions to go to Lourdes in English.  He was reading a newspaper... he looked at them, spoke something in French, and went back to his newspaper.

I'm not one for conspiracy theories but, the stories my family share about Paris compared to my husband's family seems to indicate they don't treat Filipinos the same way they treat Americans.

Edited May 18, 2018 by anatess2

[Guest]

Here are five  places I've been.

1) Mexico.  I've been to slums in the city.  I've been to rural areas that seemed "poorer" but were nicer than the slums of the city.  I've been to vacation spots for tourists as well as a jungle area outside of Mazatlan.  No one ever told us where we were.  So I have no name for the place.

2) Canada.  I've been to British Columbia, and Quebec.  Nothing in between.  Vancouver seemed a lot like Washington State.  Gas prices were really high.  Quebec was a quick business meeting.  No time for tourism.

3) Korea.  I was born there.  But I can only tell you about the city life in the slums of Seoul while the South was still recovering from the war.  It sucked.  Korea didn't really start emerging as an economic power until after I left.  So, it is probably a lot better today.

4) UAE.  I only visited Dubai.  Airport to Hotel and back.  I did get to go around the city somewhat.  Phew!!! Talk about wealth.  They love to show it off too.  But I found it interesting that while the big stuff was glamorous, the little details were left behind.  They do a good job to copy the wealth of America -- and let's face it, they are dang wealthy -- but they fail to get the details right.  We're much less wealthy, but in the end, I believe we're better off.

5) Afghanistan. Desert.

....

Just kidding.  Truthfully, a LOT of the inhabited areas of Afghanistan are just arid terrain.  But there are green areas.  However, the green areas (that I visited) weren't heavily inhabited.  I really had no explanation for this.

[anatess2]

I can't list a top 5.  Each country I've visited have their own thing.  They're different places so I expect different experiences.  I'm not a very good tourist.  I prefer to "live" in the place (even if I just stay for 2 weeks or so) instead of "touring" the place.  But, out of all the places I've visited, I have to hand it to the great old US of A.  Living in the USA just seems soooo much easier than anywhere else.  I call it the land of countless possibilities.  I love the United States of America.

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

I'm not one for conspiracy theories but, the stories my family share about Paris compared to my husband's family seems to indicate they don't treat Filipinos the same way they treat Americans.

They don't like Americans either.  In the front, the waiters and stewards are all smiles because it is a service industry.  Sales clerks will be nice and polite because they need to sell something.  As soon as the Americans are out the door, they will huff and puff about "Yet another puritanical hypocrite who doesn't care about anyone else but Americans."

They have to be nice so we will spend money there.

Korea does the same thing.  A friend in the military was also a returned missionary from Korea.  It was because he spoke the language fluently that he was given priority for assignment there.

He went into a store to browse.  While browsing he heard the conversation of the clerks.  They were complaining about how they have to deal with these "Americans".  They admitted that Americans were the primary source of income, so they continue to be polite.  But sometimes they wished they could deal with more Korean customers.  They then went on a long American bashing fest.

As he brought his item forward to the counter, the clerks both smiled brightly and spoke very polite broken English.  He asked them in perfectly fluent Korean why they would speak so badly about the customers that supported their business.  

You can imagine all the apologies.  This man and they guy with him walked out with more free stuff than the stuff that they actually had to pay for.  He said that this happened a lot.

[Lee]

1) Denmark I played pro soccer there for 18 months and I loved the culture and the people

2) Italy my wife and I toured Italy on our honeymoon and for a small country it is amazing how much every city varies. We felt like we were in a new country every time we changed city. 

3) Israel there was a mix of ancient history and modern history, as well as, lots of culture. 

4) South Africa parts of South Africa were beautiful and other parts were derelict dirt tracks. The wildlife was incredible and the food is the best food I have ever eaten. 

5) England mainly London but other cities were nice too. Feel like I have to say England as I am half English but it probably isn't my 5th favourite.

Special mention: Jamaica, loved Jamaica never wanted to leave.  

[Lee]

12 hours ago, Sunday21 said:

Englanf, Isle of Wight, bonchuch-very pretty

 

The Isle of Wight! Seriously! My mom would make us go there to visit family over the summer and there is nothing to do. Why do you like it? 

[Sunday21]

1 hour ago, Lee said:

The Isle of Wight! Seriously! My mom would make us go there to visit family over the summer and there is nothing to do. Why do you like it? 

Yes! I know what you mean..there is a lot of nothingness but if you pick carefully, there are some beauty spots. I used to visit relatives by marriage there and they took me to some amazing places. You need to know where to go eg bonchurch.

[Midwest LDS]

That's tough there are a lot of great places. But here are my five in no particular order.

1. Norway. I have never been anywhere more beautiful. The fjords, especially early in the morning when the mist is up, are breathtaking.

2. France. The food is exactly as delicious as everyone says, and I love all of the old churches and castles.

3. Italy. Another place with delicious food on every street corner. Plus it was the heart of the Roman Empire, so for a history nerd like me, it was pretty close to heaven.

4. England. I loved everything about England, especially seeing the field where the Magna Carta was signed, and watching the Royal Family ride by right in front of me during the Queen's birthday.

5. Canada. Everyone, (except the border guards lol), is so nice and I love the coastal cuisine in Newfoundland and BC.

6. Greece. I had to list one more! The food is delicious, and it was so cool walking on the rock where Paul gave the Sermon on the Unknown God, and seeing the ancient temples.

Edited May 18, 2018 by Midwest LDS

[Grunt]

• Colombia
• Ecuador
• Poland
• Curacao
• Cuba

[Vort]

1 hour ago, Lee said:

Italy my wife and I toured Italy on our honeymoon and for a small country it is amazing how much every city varies.

For the record, Italy is about the size of California. When I hear "small country", I think Belgium or Luxembourg. For a European country, Italy really isn't small.

[Vort]

2 hours ago, anatess2 said:

I'm not one for conspiracy theories but, the stories my family share about Paris compared to my husband's family seems to indicate they don't treat Filipinos the same way they treat Americans.

Frankly, this may be a racism thing. When I was in Italy (early '80s), the Italians, friendly and polite though they were, did not hesitate to inform me about how racist we Americans were. Doubtless they cleverly deduced this from all the Hollywood portrayals of racism -- ironic, really, since the intolerably preachy Hollywood has long been one of the most racist places in the US.

Funny thing, though: At that time, Italy had a lot of refugees and immigrants coming up from western Africa, primarily Nigeria and Ghana. Some very nice people, too. (Though I as a missionary found myself in the middle of a drug bust once when visiting some Nigerians...) But the point is, you have never heard more implicit and unconscious racism than among the Italians when they were talking about the African refugees and immigrants. Stereotypes and unkind comments abounded. I once mentioned this while getting lectured on American racism, and learned that the Italian version was much different -- it was not racism, you see, but just honest comments on people invading their home.

So, anyway, I don't think French love Americans. They were polite to me, but not fawning. If anything is going on here, I suspect it's good old European racism -- something that does not exist, by the way, and if you don't believe it, just ask the Europeans.

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, Midwest LDS said:

1. Norway. I have never been anywhere more beautiful. The fjords, especially early in the morning when the mist is up, are breathtaking.and seeing the ancient temples.

OH!!  You evoked the parrot sketch!

PINING FOR THE FJORDS!

[Vort]

2 hours ago, Lee said:

Special mention: Jamaica, loved Jamaica never wanted to leave.

Led Zeppelin had a hit song called D'yer Mak'er, pronounced "Jamaica". The title was based on the creaky old pun:

- I took my wife to the Caribbean.
- Jamaica?
- No, she wanted to go.

[JayKi]

1) Mexico I enjoy the culture a lot and I went on many amazing excursions. Is the 2nd best country in Central America. 

2) Brazil went to watch World Cup there 4 year ago and had best time, was vibrant and friendly 

3) England only second country I live in and the amazing sites in London are best I seen in city anywhere. Is full of amazing monuments and museums and skyline is incredible. 

4) Spain Barcelona was so nice, especially las ramblas and sagrada familia. Also, like Seville, Cadiz and Malaga. 

5)  Switzerland is so pretty especially lake Zurich and the Alps are good to ski in, is was exactly how I imagine it. 

 

I couldn't say Costa Rica because I live there but is my favourite country.