The U.S. News and World Report recently put out a list of the world's "prettiest places." The word pretty is kind of a vague term but I like the idea.
On the list: Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia, the Taj Mahal, the Great Barrier Reef, Borobudur in Indonesia, Machu Picchu in Peru, The Great Wall in China, the Great Temple of Ramses II in Egypt, the Northern Lights, the Palace of Versailles in France, and the Grand Canyon. Of the 10, I've seen four and the rest were basically on my wish list, except for the ones in Croatia and Indonesia. Though, I keep hearing really, really good things about both countries so I might have to add them to my list. (ok, done, they're on my list)
I guess this all comes down to what your definition of "pretty" is.
I've already given my opinion on the Grand Canyon. I didn't really find it all that amazing. Pretty? Maybe. But no more so than the Rocky Mountain National Park or the Yellowstone Lake's West Thumb Basin. Now those are pretty.
I'll agree with Versaille - that was just luxuriously-pretty. And the Temple of Ramses II - that was worth getting up at 3am to see at dawn. And I was lucky enough to go to a college where we sometimes saw the Northern Lights if we stood on the college quad at night (obviously) and waited.
In my humble opinion, I would add the Cappodocia region of Turkey, the Celtic areas of the Scottish Highlands and Irish and Welsh coasts, the Norwegian fjords, the Swiss/Italian Alps, Germany's Bavarian castles like Neuschwanstein, and the Adirondacks, for good measure.
I'm also surprised a Hawaiian spot is not on the list. I've never been there, but again, I've heard really, really good things.
But what do you think, where are the prettiest places in the world?