Top Five Foreign Natural Wonders

Recognizing that while America may be a beautiful country, there any many other similarly gorgeous places in the rest of the world, today's list is my top five natural wonders outside the United States. It may be somewhat limited by the fact that the majority of my travels are confined to cities, so I don't get into the wilderness all that much. Nevertheless, here we go.

1. Milford Sound, New Zealand
Hands down, this fjord on the west coast of New Zealand is the most awe-inspiring natural sight I have ever seen. It must be experienced by boat. You sail out from the port toward the Tasman Sea, proceeding along 1500-foot high cliffs rising straight out of the water. Milford Sound is one of the world's rainiest places, resulting in an ever-present primeval mist sitting on the surface of the water. The true highlight comes from the 300-plus waterfalls that spring into action when it rains. Milford Sound is nature's fury at its greatest.

2. Dead Sea, Israel
Something is strange when you're descending down into the Martian landscape that is the Israeli desert and you see a sign marked "sea level" when you have over a thousand feet left to drop. The desert is touched by rain but once a year. The Dead Sea itself is just plain bizarre. The high concentration of salt results in a liquid noticeably more viscous than water in which it is impossible to sink or even to float on your back.

3. Aegean Sea Islands, Greece
Haphazardly sprinkled all across the Aegean Sea are lush, green, hilly islands, breaking up the smooth surface of a crystal clear body of water. The vistas from atop many of these islands, particularly the island of Hydra (which does not permit motorized vehicles) is simply spectacular. The escape from the hectic metropolis of Athens provides what is truly a night-and-day contrast.

4. The Alps, Switzerland/Italy
Mankind has indeed managed to conquer the Alps, but it took some incredible works of engineering to do so. If you take a train or a car through the Alps, you'll experience an incredible array of trestles, tunnels and cliff paths as the road snakes its way around these craggy megaliths, covered year round in snow. And the mountains go on and on. It's not like one crossing one ridge gets you to the other side. The Alps are a veritable minefield of mountains that require a good two hours on a high-speed train to traverse. Imagine what it must be like on foot.

5. Bellagio Region, Italy
The smooth, clear lakes of Northern Italy sit nestled among the foothills of the Alps, their banks punctuated by pastel-colored villas positioned so perfectly, you swear you are looking at a painting. The places just breathes relaxation.