We could make a poll on this later, perhaps. We all know of historical sites that have stayed in memory - or have a wish list of ones we want to see for various reasons. So let's hear of your recommendations.

Could this be combined with a quiz? Instead of just giving a name - post a picture?
Here's a couple for a start, two of my favourite places.

Do we have to guess where and what they are ferval?

Sorry ID, as ever I dived in without too much thought there.
Yes, where are they?
And I must apologise to P for my presumption in hijacking this, should it be a separate thread?

Oh well, in that case, haven't a clue about either....

The first one looks like Bam Bam threw a hissy fit and tossed his p(P?)ebbles out of the pram.

I am happy that you like that place ferv, nice.... now if you could tyr hard and remember what it is called, where it is and why you like it then we are reconciled. And ID, kindly put my sling shot and stones back in my pram.

I suppose we could all study the picture and try to work out why ferv likes it so much.... she's the lady with a little trowel and brush? Right? Not the one wih the bull dozer, surely.

(Thoroughly chastened and duly penitent) The first picture is Temple Wood in Kilmartin Glen in Argyle, a spectacular neolithic/bronze age ritual landscape with a remarkable linear cemetry amongst a load of other good stuff. I have spent some happy times there although it always seemed to be raining.
The second is Palmyra in Syria where Queen Zenobia strutted her stuff before being paraded through Rome in golden chains. My companion and I decided it would be a really good idea to walk down from the Arab fort, through the site and on into town in the late afternoon in August. It was warm. We ended up bouncing into town in the back of a truck having been taken pity on by a couple of locals who clearly decided we were nuts.


Having now, I hope, expunged my crimes, the thread can go back to its creator's original design.

You could always begin a seperate quiz ferval, yours is a good idea also.

My silly Flintstone joke aside, I'm intrigued by the Argyle shot. Were all the small stones deliberately placed around the stone circle or is it merely that the large stones have eroded into pieces over the millenia?

Not nearly as widely travelled as you two, I'll need to think about which are my favourite sites from the limited I've seen.

ID, the small stones are probably the remains of a cairn which was erected covering the circle and the later central cist.
The Victorians mucked about with this monument to make it more 'Romantic' so it's hard to be entirely sure. It's just one circle amongst a whole collection of circles, cairns, standing stones, rock art and so forth in the valley. There are superb early carved grave markers in the churchyard and a great wee museum with attached coffee shop.
It's also close to Dunadd where the kings of Dal Riata were inaugurated by placing their foot in a carved foot print on the top of the hill fort.

If you google Kilmartin Glen in 'images', you'll see more.

I must go back to Pompeii and Herculanium. I have been to Egypt a few times but never to Alexandria and shamelfully, considering where I work, not yet to Jordan.

These look really good, medieval walled cities.

Carcassonne in France;



and Avila in Spain;

If anyone else likes walled towns then Briançon in the French Alps is not to be missed. Originally founded by the Romans it was the birthplace of mathematician, astronomer and cartographer Orance Fine in 1494. He was one of the first teachers to popularise mathematics and astronomy for a wider audience - a sort of 16th century Patrick Moore or Brian Cox.





Despite what one might think, the stream running down the middle of the street is not nor never has been an open sewer. It's a necessary feature owing to the mountainous setting of the town. Some say that it's even drinkable.

I was there in the mid-1980s and would love to go back. I would certainly recommend a visit.

Considering I don't like being in places I can't easily get out of it seems a little odd that the place that most fascinates me as somewhere to visit are the underground cities of Cappadocia in Turkey; I think one of the main ones is Derinkuyu.  Cities underground where thousands of people have lived and which still have the obvious rooms and streets and areas of the originals sounds to me like a little contained microcosm of the outside urban world.  (Turkey also has Gallipoli that most NZers want to go to, and many do.)

I've always hankered to visit the Grand Canyon - or Krak de Chevaliers.  Whether I'll ever make such visits come to fruition is another matter .....

I've been to both the underground cities and Krak, each memorable and atmospheric as well as remarkable feats of engineering. Heaven knows when anyone will be able to return to Syria and have the experience we had there; apart from the appalling human tragedy being acted out there, the damage being perpetrated to the historical sites is horrifying. My one regret is that we didn't get to Dura Europos.   

There's still so many places I want to see but I'm grateful for having had the opportunity to visit some, too many, that are presently out of safe reach.

I venture to suggest that the value of antiquities is overlooked in times of serious turmoil. What is the more surprising is that much survives at all. A remark ventured by an 8yr old - at the end of the visit too and still clutching his notes of Fountains Abbey often comes to mind. He had turned back as we made for the coach to look again, "But why did they build ruins, Miss?" I wondered about a very early career change at the time.

Just seen your most recent post, Ferval.  Of course, there are so many places of interest that as you rightly say are out of safe reach at the time of typing. Although times are indeed tough in the UK, while I may not like the Nick n' Dave Show, I do at least have the right to criticise.   Whether they take notice of me is a different matter - unless it could be argued that I would like my local hospital to remain open so that I can visit it if I become sick .......

I'd like to visit Albi in southern France; that's not impossible of course.  I've been to France of course with it being not that far from the UK, but have not been to the Mediterranean coast (I have been to the side of the Pyrenees which are closer to the Atlantic).

Whilst I'd like to visit the Valley of the Kings, Angkor Wat, Macchu Picchu, Petra, the Angel Falls, the caves of Mulu and many other places ... judging by some of the above comments I really think that perhaps I should start nearer to home. I live in the South of France just 50 mins from the Mediterranean coast, yet I have still to visit,

Albi:


Avignon:
 

Nimes:


Aigues-Mortes:


and the Pont du Gard:


....... all of which are UNESCO sites and all are within an afternoon's drive of where I live. Ooops
I think I should really get organised and just go visit as soon as possible.

Then we should have a Res Historica field trip when we all come and stay with you, sample your cuisine, meet Doggy-dog and tour the sites in a minibus before spending the evnings arguing about you-know-who while depleting your wine cellar.

What you're trying to say is that MM's wine cellar is a place you want to visit before you die.

Sounds cool to me. I'll check the coffers.

You'd all be very welcome!
Though I'm afraid the wine cellar has already been fairly well depleted by myself

Will we have to eat our cheese with a knife and fork?

Eat?

Temperance wrote:

Will we have to eat our cheese with a knife and fork?

But of course, AND dress for evening dinner too, though I'll leave it to you to decide exactly what historical period you choose to dress for. But whatever epoch you do choose for your dinner-wear, please note that evening dinner is always service à la Russe.

I'll be in the cellar with Titus aiming for the post apocalyptic period of history. You can send the leftovers down. Oh, and a bucket (for the cheese of course).

Seriously, shame on you for not doing that itinerary above, MM. If you like you can make a week long trip out of it and I'll come over and mind the cellar - I mean the house.

Some folk I know organised this, it's just finished so I haven't heard how it went or how many eventually signed up. Fair enough, they're both professional archaeologists but I'm sure you could do something not dissimilar - and for a lot less than £1000. I considered it but my gently collapsing ceilings seemed more urgent. it would be fun......
  [url=http://www.northlight-heritage.co.uk/docs/Alpes-Maritimes study tour flier.pdf]http://www.northlight-heritage.co.uk/docs/Alpes-Maritimes%20study%20tour%20flier.pdf[/url]

Not actually a visit, but I have never seen the Northern Lights, this was filmed in Norway;

The two I'd most like to visit in Australia : HMVS Cerberus & the Puffing Billy railway
In Asia (I hope you'll agree one is in Asia, some differ on this) Borobodur & Angkor Wat
In Europe (just) Hagia Sophia & the Blue Mosque
In the UK - NMM Greenwich, Chatham Historic Dockyard
In the Americas - Chichen Itza & the Nazca Lines

Priscilla wrote:

I venture to suggest that the value of antiquities is overlooked in times of serious turmoil. What is the more surprising is that much survives at all. A remark ventured by an 8yr old - at the end of the visit too and still clutching his notes of Fountains Abbey often comes to mind. He had turned back as we made for the coach to look again, "But why did they build ruins, Miss?" I wondered about a very early career change at the time.

That reminds me of a comic line from a children's book or spoof children's book (Sellar & Yeatman or Goscinny & Uderzo or some such) in which the Romans are lauded for having been 'great at building ruins'.

The mist this morning felt decidedly autumnal rather than vernal and called to mind ruined abbeys (such as Fountains) which to my mind are best viewed in the morning mist or else at dusk. 2 which particularly stick in the memory and which I'd like to visit again are both ones in which the former monastic chapel now serves as parish church amidst the ruins of the old abbey. One is Croyland Abbey at Crowland in the Lincolnshire fens and the other is Dore Abbey at Abbey Dore, Herefordshire at the foot of the Black mountains in Wales. The 2 locations couldn't be more different in terms of setting and yet they both ooze a very similar atmosphere.

There have been some fake ruins built. I'm thinking of the follies of (circa) the Regency era which some wealthy people had constructed in the grounds of their stately homes. Here's a link to an article about a fake Druid temple in Yorkshire:- https://www.britainexpress.com/counties/yorkshire/properties/druids-temple.htm

I'd like to visit Chateau Gaillard in France - I probably have a better chance of visiting there than I have of seeing Krak des Chevaliers.

Whereas the Georgians were famous for building ruins LiR, the Victorians sometimes took derelict ancient buildings and actually further ruined them … to make them look more like ruins. These days things seem to have swung maybe too much in the other direction whereby historic ruins are preserved in a state of ruin almost for the sake of it. Any proposal to restore, renovate or repurpose them is often met with ‘professional’ opposition and a mass of red tape. The renovation of old ruins should be allowed and even encouraged provided that the existing stonework is re-used in situ and in its entirety. 

When visting the ruins of an old castle or abbey and seeing the lug holes in the walls (often 3 or 4 stories up) one can't help but wonder what they would look like with new beams, wooden floors, plastered walls, glazed windows, new doors and electric lighting. One sometimes gets a glimpse of this with buildings managed by, say, Historic England or Cadw in Wales whereby they’ve done just that with one or two of the rooms on the ground floor to serve as maybe a ticket office/café/toilet/gift shop etc complete with cosy, ceiling spotlighting. 

Somewhere closer to home than either the Krak des Chevaliers or even Chateau Gaillard, is the semi-ruined Framlingham Castle in Suffolk. 



Its profile was raised last summer on the 470th anniversary of the reign of Lady Jane Grey. Framlingham was where her rival Mary Tudor was proclaimed and set up headquarters in what initially could have been seen as a forlorn bid for power. On paper, Jane’s father-in-law, the Duke of Northumberland, had all the cavalry and artillery and de fact authority as Lord President of the Privy Council, compared to Mary who had virtually nothing. Facts of the ground, however, shifted rapidly with many in East Anglia sympathetic to Mary and, crucially, with the guns of the navy ships on the river Orwell (only 12 miles south of Framlingham) going over to Mary and evening up the odds somewhat. From that moment on, the already weak support for Northumberland and Jane all but evaporated.