The Best of 2011 (and 2010)

As the year is winding down, I wanted to put together a bit of a 'Best of' list with some of the highlights of our 2011 travelling. However, since I didn't do this last year and we saw some pretty cool things, this is more of a 'Best of the last 1.5 Years.' I don't know that Justin 100% agrees with me on these...but that's why he needs to get his own blog! :) So, here we go:

Best...

Church (outside): Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn, Estonia



- honorable mention: St. Matthew's, Budapest, Hungary



Church (inside): St. John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta, Malta



Mosque: Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey



Other religious site: Akshardham Temple, Delhi, India



- honorable mention: Akbar's Tomb, Delhi, India



Palace Complex: Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey



- honorable mention: Alcazar, Seville, Spain



Castle: Raglan Castle, Wales



- honorable mention: Caerphilly Castle, Wales



Statue/Monument: Heroes' Square, Budapest, Hungary



- honorable mention: Cumil, Bratislava, Slovakia



Building (tie): Plaza de Espana, Seville, Spain



Building (tie): Fisherman's Bastion, Budapest, Hungary



Cave/underground structure: Kaymakli underground city, Cappadocia, Turkey



- honorable mention: Hypogeum, Malta



Market (tie): Souq, Marrakech, Morocco



Market (tie): Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey



Road: Nurburgring, Germany



- honorable mention: mountain road, Morocco



Bridge: Dom Luís Bridge, Porto, Portugal



Boat trip: Archipelago, Stockholm, Sweden



- honorable mention: Canal cruise, Copenhagen, Denmark



Public Transport: Buses, Malta



View: Lake District, England



Skyline: Tallinn, Estonia



Coastline: Malta



Natural wonder: Northern Lights, Reykjavik, Iceland



Natural site: Sahara desert, Merzouga, Morocco



- honorable mention: Fairy chimneys, Cappadocia, Turkey



Animal friend: Moroccan tour guide, Marrakech, Morocco



- honorable mention: goat in Kerala, India



Overall most impressive site (tie): standing between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia, Istanbul, Turkey



Overall most impressive site (tie): Taj Mahal, Agra, India