No matter what destination your travels take you to, sunsets seem be a reason for people to gather, drinking in the cloud art and colorful sky. Sunsets form rituals. On my recent boating vacation sunrise and sunset were the big events of the day. We set our daily rhythm and schedule around them, and I watched other travelers and animals do the same.
Sunsets seem to be the cue for vacationers to gather for dinner, take in those happy snapshots for family photo albums, retire from the day and hunker inside boats, houses, hotels, restaurants for pre-sleep activities. 'Tis our cue for winding down. And the soft-light hues are radiant, often an explosion of colors like a big bang punctuating the day's end. No two sunsets are alike. I'm sure of it.
Best sunsets from my travels (based solely on personal opinion, as there's no way to be objective about such ethereal, transcendent beauty):
- Ia on the island of Santorini, Greece
- 2nd Beach in the Olympic National Park
- Sucia Island in the San Juans
- Marinas anywhere (picture shown is at Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands)
- Jerusalem
- Via del'Amore in Cinque Terre, Italy
- Kauai's western-most beach (I can't recall the name)
- Manuel Antonio Beach, Costa Rica
- Kerry Park, Seattle, WA (amazing cityscape and Puget Sound views for sunset)
- Rehoboth Beach, Delaware (for the memories alone)
Where have you seen the best sunsets? If you're planning a group trip in the near future, notice if sunsets create rituals for your family or friends.
One of my favorite places to watch a sunset is from the area by the Netherlands Carillon in Washington DC. There's a large expanse of grass for a picnic, and you can sit there and watch the sun go down as the lights on all the monuments come up.
http://www.flyawaycafe.com/washington-dc-netherlands-carillon-anniversary/
D.C. just has a whole other "feel" at night.
Posted by: Mary Jo Manzanares | September 16, 2006 at 03:58 PM