# What places in the world have brought tears to your eyes? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 10, 2011, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153 "2011-08-10T01:53:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/61 "2011-08-12T04:39:08Z")
It would be interesting to see the ratio of men to women in this thread. Some of the names are obvious, some not so much and sex isn’t a question asked in the profile, so how can we do this? Thanks Q ---
**Author:** ![Khan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3ab097/32.png) [@Khan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khan)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/62 "2011-08-12T07:25:20Z")
> [@sunstone](#): > > I’ve seen lots of wonderful places - Glacier National Park… I get misty just thinking about it. Not just because of the scenery, but also the memories. I have many good memories from being there with my family, but a few of our visits were during some difficult times for me. Those visits were quite healing. What stands out the most is driving in on US 89, winding around the seemingly endless foothills until we’re overlooking Saint Mary valley and those familiar peaks come into view. I haven’t been there in 8 years. I wonder how it’s changed? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/63 "2011-08-12T07:34:35Z")
In the Dolomite Alps when I went to Italy, as soon as I crossed the Brenner Pass. I was emotionally moved because of my ancestral heritage, seeing the motherland for the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/64 "2011-08-12T07:41:04Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The live all-nude lesbian group sex show in Suzie Wong Bar in our Soi Cowboy red-light area. Just bee-yootifal, man. 😉 Christ dude, I have to resist the urge to kill you in fits of jealousy. First it’s blowjob bars, now this, where will you stop in your quest for awesomeness? ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/65 "2011-08-12T08:04:43Z")
I want to echo **Shamozzle’s** sentiments regarding Dachau. I had been to Buchenwald and saw its huge pits, but Dachau and the ovens stunned me. What caused the tears there were the school children, who, on a day trip, went over the entire grounds and pulled up every blade of grass which grew inbetween the gravel. This because nothing should ever again be allowed to grow on those grounds. When the kids aren’t there, there’s a machine which has propane gas under its chassis which is driven over the grounds and burns the grass away. Thanks for the reminder, **Shamozzle**. Q ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/66 "2011-08-12T13:11:31Z")
I’ve seen some incredible views but its never made me cry. Some places have made me cry but only when I was Tear Gassed. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/67 "2011-08-13T06:34:04Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > I want to echo **Shamozzle’s** sentiments regarding Dachau. I had been to Buchenwald and saw its huge pits, but Dachau and the ovens stunned me. > > What caused the tears there were the school children, who, on a day trip, went over the entire grounds and pulled up every blade of grass which grew inbetween the gravel. This because nothing should ever again be allowed to grow on those grounds. > > When the kids aren’t there, there’s a machine which has propane gas under its chassis which is driven over the grounds and burns the grass away. > > Thanks for the reminder, **Shamozzle**. > > Q You’re welcome. I’m a ravenous photographer when I travel, but that was the one place where I left the camera in the bag and didn’t snap a single photo. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/68 "2011-08-13T09:53:13Z")
Flying over the mountains of south Greenland, on a clear day, on our way from London to Chicago. The pilot took a show of hands and brought the plane to the lowest legal limit. I’ve never seen anything like it: thousands of vast glaciers held back by snow-clad rock, spilling through and splitting in aquamarine clefts before falling into the sea as icebergs. There was a tear in my eye not just for the majesty and beauty, but also the privilege of seeing something few others will ever get the chance to see. I didn’t cry, but driving over the ridge of South Island in New Zealand had me stopping the car and shouting “holy fuck!” repeatedly. What an astonishing country. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/69 "2011-08-13T23:04:25Z")
Seeing the Parthenon in person up close was pretty amazing. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/70 "2011-08-14T07:21:12Z")
Ditto to the USS Arizona. I worked in New Orleans during the Katrina cleanup, “my” territory was the 9th ward and the lower 9th ward. I spent half my first day fighting tears. It’s bad enough on TV, but it was heartrending in person. ---
**Author:** ![Melysnl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@Melysnl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melysnl)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/71 "2011-08-14T08:57:20Z")
Without a doubt, the Cathedral in Cologne. I’ve never seen anything else so spectacular. Nothing else even comes close. Other than that I’ve seen some gorgeous beaches in Hawaii and the Caribbean. ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/72 "2011-08-14T09:10:08Z")
I’ve [posted about it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=10546726&highlight=Sevilla#post10546726) here before - the [Cathedral de Sevilla](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seville_Cathedral) in Spain. Which is weird, because I’m as hardcore atheist as they come - I have absolutely no belief in the supernatural, or a higher power. But this church was so beautiful, and the view from the top of the bell tower so breathtaking, that I did get a bit of a lump in my throat. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/73 "2011-08-14T11:59:38Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Christ dude, I have to resist the urge to kill you in fits of jealousy. First it’s blowjob bars, now this, where will you stop in your quest for awesomeness? One of the girls in the Lolitas chain quit and has become co-owner of a new BJ bar called Lollipop1, meant to rival Lolitas and hiring only the most skilled staff. I have not sampled the wares myself but have heard they’re bringing tears to quite a few guys’ eyes, heh. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/74 "2011-08-14T16:51:59Z")
The first time I went to the “Wall.” ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/75 "2011-08-14T23:02:45Z")
The first time I went to California, I drove out of SFO and down I-280. It was one of those days when the sky is totally blue except for the fog blowing over the mountaintops to the west. I didn’t cry, I laughed, but the feeling was exactly what the OP is after. I moved there a few years later but it never looked as good as it did that day. ---
**Author:** ![OneMissedPost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@OneMissedPost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneMissedPost)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/76 "2011-08-14T23:10:50Z")
**Palm Springs, California** I went on vacation there with my family when I was a kid. Everything was beautiful there. The weather was perfect and a gentle breeze was blowing against the palm trees. ---
**Author:** ![tesseract](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@tesseract](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tesseract)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/77 "2011-08-15T04:50:44Z")
At Arlington National Cemetery. I know that many (most?) who are buried there are did not die in action but rather at a ripe old age. However, just the rows and rows and rows of them…knowing that many of them had to represent those who did not come home, and all of the wives, and children, and fathers, and mothers, and husbands, who mourned them…I very unexpectedly broke down into tears. The Holocaust Museum in LA. Victory Day in Lutsk, Ukraine. (May 9). It marks the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in the Second World War. It is a national holiday in Ukraine and I think most of the former Soviet republics. In Lutsk the whole town gathers at a square where there is a WW2 monument. There are ceremonies and such. At one point people come up one by one (well, several at a time) and put flowers on one of the monuments. Over and over and over again, I saw these old widow women wearing their husband’s medals, weeping, and walking up to place a flower or a bunch of them on the monument. All these many years later they weep. There are the old veterans, too, in their uniforms, the ones who came home. Very moving. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/78 "2011-08-15T17:46:33Z")
Waimea Falls in Hawaii. The Grand Canyon. Gettysburg. ---
**Author:** ![FrancisCastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@FrancisCastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrancisCastle)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/79 "2011-08-15T19:03:34Z")
Rocky Mountain National Park. It was like not being able to breathe and taking a huge breath at the same time. Granted I haven’t traveled much in my life, but that was the most amazing place I have ever been. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153/80 "2011-08-15T19:49:27Z")
I didn’t cry, but I did spend a lot of time looking around just utterly lost in thought and contemplation. Olduvai Gorge and the Rift Valley. It’s not even especially breathtaking or gorgeous (but pretty and scenic in its own way), but we _came from there_, you know? Humbling to think of. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-places-in-the-world-have-brought-tears-to-your-eyes/592153.md?page=5)