Memories that never leave.

On our return journey from the south of France, we had booked oursleves into a hotel on the sea front in St Malo to get a night's sleep before catching the ferry the next morning.

What we had not spotted when we booked was that it was "Le Quatorze Juillet" and suddenly the streets in front of our window filled with music and people in celebratory mood; and a fabulous firework display took place right in front of us, the fireworks flaring up from behind the old city walls to then be reflected in the sea. We had the best of views from our bedroom window - better than anyone else I think! All simply fortuitous and such a lovely memory.

One evening I was walking my dogs in the Oxfordshire village where I lived when I spotted a red glow above the treetops. At first I thought the woods could be on fire but then it formed the shape of the aurora borealis. It was magical, but nobody believed me until they heard the local news next day!

Seeing several waterspouts rise up out of the ocean, some large, some smaller. They looked like a whirlwind or a tornado made of water.

I thought the end of the world was coming because the weather conditions in general that day were really weird.

I was sitting at home as a young teenager. It was dark outside and as I looked out of the back window, a yellow shining ball shot across the sky leaving a sparkling glowing trail behind it. It was so unexpected and surprising that I couldn't speak. I just pointed! None of my family managed to witness the occurrence. Later in the evening, the news mentioned the meteorite that burned up in the atmosphere above our area. Although I've seen many shooting stars, that one was really takes the biscuit.

I gave birth to my baby daughter and literally a minute or two later, the sky exploded with fireworks.

It turned out to be the finale of a local festival but what a joyous welcome to this world for her.

Though another mum on the maternity unit said that she had been drugged up and thought she'd been hit by lightening - I think I prefer my memory!

This will be a memory for future years...
We’ve just been in France and whilst there, took a day trip to Le Touquet. The weather was glorious, blue skies and about 25 degrees. We’d just settled ourselves down in our chairs on the beach when all of a sudden the sky was busy with the French equivalent of the Red Arrows, practising for a display taking place on the following Sunday, unbeknown to us. We were treated to a fantastic display, free of charge, and no doubt, a lot less crowded than it will have been on the following Sunday.
The display lasted about an hour and was pretty stunning.
Certainly something we will remember as time goes by.

A few years ago DH and I were on holiday in an isolated cottage in the Highlands of Scotland. DH went to bed but I stayed up to finish my book. After about an hour, I decided to step out in the garden and was amazed at the magnificent array of stars above me. I'd never seen the night sky without light pollution before and was stunned by its beauty. I immediately dragged my husband out of bed to see it and he was suitably impressed too. Better still, a few minutes later, we were treated to a wonderful show courtesy of the Northern Lights.
Pure magic.

Phophorescence in the water
www.google.co.uk/search?q=phophorescence+in+the+water&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#imgrc=wH_DvTV7quadXM:

The best was after a long hot drive in Southern Spain. We were looking for lunch and it was getting rather late in the day and at last we saw a roadside café, very unprepossessing looking, in Puerto Motril. We parked and the 'boys' in the car park were paid off to keep an eye on the car.

We went inside to find a bustling restaurant with the most amazing menu of fresh seafood cooked to perfection. We (4 of us) shared the 'special'. 24 varieties of seafood beautifully presented with carved veg ! It was delicious!

"Annsixty's" post reminded me of a similar evening when we were sitting in our garden and all of a sudden we were aware of about thirty hot air balloons overhead, some of them were so low that we could pass the time of day with the occupants.

Many years ago, before I passed my driving test , I use to travel every weekend across the mountains by bus. One evening the bus climbed to the top and there were gasps from fellow passengers, the mountain , from the peak to the roadside were lilac , no other colour ,just lilac, the bus driver stopped and we all sat there just looking at that lilac world. I have never seen it since and have travelled that road for many a year.

My DS got married in Worcestershire on Saturday 24 July 1999 at a Tudor Manor House with two black swans on the beautiful lake. It was gorgeous weather. A perfect summer's day and they had an outdoor reception followed by a ceilidh in the evening on the lawns.

A perfect day was made even better as the sun was going down by dozens of hot air balloons floating over. Magical!
I can't help wondering if it was from the festival you saw Annsixty?

The day before yesterday, we were up at nearly 3000 meters overlooking the Aletschgletcher in the Canton of Valais. The views all along the glacier were nothing short of magnificent - we have been before, but the weather was perfect [there was even a young woman up there in a bikini top and shorts]! Definitely a sight not to be forgotten. We are so grateful we live near to all these wonderful opportunities.

Oh shysal I'd so love to see what you saw. How marvellous.

A few years ago we visited Uzbekistan. Walking home one evening through old town, moon overhead shining on an ancient edifice, it felt like I was back in Bible times...could've been in the book of Daniel, the Persian-type building, the quiet...we were only there for a moment, on way back from a proper attraction, but I've never forgotten it.

Lying on a sun lounger, in the middle of nowhere in France, late at night looking at the milky way and counting the meteorites. Watching the ISS pass over and waiting another 90 minutes to see it pass again, sky so clear we could see the shape of the ISS through the binoculars.

I was doing a local walk on a country lane and heard a rustling in the trees to my right. Out stepped a huge stag no more than 3 feet in front of me. He turned towards me and we both stood for what seemed like ages and silently contemplated each other, then he simply turned his head and walked into the trees on the other side of the road.

Thankyou all for sharing your unforgettable moments.

I think we have all been very lucky.

We were in Bangkok and had been to Thai evening. On the way back to our hotel around 11pm we passed a man riding an elephant that was wearing front and rear lights.

We were staying in an old farm house in Spain and when I opened the back door there hundreds of glowing lights in the garden. They were magical glow worms!

Annsixty.
Your memory has evoked a very similar memory for me. We lived on the south coast but our work at that time was in Northampton. We had to commute, Friday nights coming back home ...Sunday evenings back to our workplace. On several of the Sunday evenings during the summer time we would often see several hot air balloons around the Oxford area and used to look out for them. We were quite disappointed when we did,nt see any. Had never seen any before then and only one or two since then. This was in the late 90s - 2000.

Decades ago, after going swimming with my Dad in Plumstead, South London we popped into the pub for a drink... it was crowded and bustling. There was a piano in her corner, and an elerley, dry shabbily dressed gent sat down and started to play the most amazing music... it may have been classical.... dad had his back to him and commented on the recording.... he was amazed too ... often wondered about it all since...

Elderly very shabbily!

Standing on the Great Wall of China watching the sun go down with some new friends I had just made on a singles holiday. That was 7 years ago and all 5 of us still meet up and go on holidays together