My 5 Most Memorable Sunsets (with photos)

Cheesy, I know. An article about sunsets. But the pretty pictures are worth it.

1. Zakynthos, Greece It was the end of a really hot, tiresome day. We had rented a quad to explore the dirt roads and hidden beaches of the island. Totally worth it. But during that day, right after we had been for a swim at Daphne Beach, the quad broke down. We had to wait on the side of the road for the guy from the rental service, for close to an hour, until he eventually found us and fixed it. It was hot and I got sweaty and dusty and thirsty and sun-burnt. You can imagine how glad I was when we were riding again, the wind blowing in my hair... until the quad broke down. AGAIN. Just a few kilometers away from our resort. We were again on the side of the road, waiting for the guy to pick us up. As I sat down next to a big billboard, bitching about the repeated series of unfortunate events, my boyfriend points at the sky. Somehow, the quad just so happened to break down in a great spot for watching the sunset. Bitch was silenced, boyfriend was smirking.

Old phone picture, excuse my pixels

People started noticing this beautiful sunset too, and stopped to take pictures and watch with us. We were just there, watching, smiling, front row seats. I don't even remember how long we waited for the guy from the rental company.

2. Porto, Portugal

I was spending the weekend in Porto and my AirBnb host was super nice. She gave us a great tip: go have a glass of wine at the bar of Guindalense Football Club. It's a great place: pretty much a sports bar, but it’s got one of the best views and prices and atmosphere in Porto. It's very simple, hidden under the bridge, therefore not crowded. You might get the same view. I mean, look at this.

This, and a glass of wine.

3. Sahara, Morocco Of course, Sahara is something special in itself. A Morocco vacation is well worth a desert trip, if you can get over the camel farts and the sand getting in all of your holes.

We took a van to Zagora and then from there we had to make it to the Berber camp in the middle of the desert, before dark. Riding the camels into the sunset, while the sand blows like water in the wind, the golden light bathing the dunes, everybody silent, faces covered to hide from the wind...really, one of the best sunsets I've lived to experience. And the evening continued with amazing Moroccan food and traditional music at the Berber camp. I can't describe how amazing the stars look at 4am, out there in the desert. But that is for another article.

4. Iceland

I was visiting my friend in Iceland and we had rented a car, driving along the southern coast. It was a cold early March, and that day the weather had changed a thousand times. Snow, wind, clouds, sun, hail, everything. But the clouds really made that sunset spectacular. Out in the wild, right along the coast, just pink-blueish gradients and reflections on the water. We pulled over to watch and, of course, many tourists soon followed. By the time we left the magic was gone - there were like 30 cars stopped and people honking at each other to make way.

Surreal, if you ignore the honking

5. Seoul, South Korea In the time I lived in Korea, there were many beautiful sights I cherished (and still do). But this particular pavilion at the Gyeongbok Palace is probably my favorite. The first time I ever saw it was during fall, around sunset. I returned to the same spot, a couple of years later, to take the same photo. It's unchanged.