Impressive...as in things that I have experienced that have left an impression on me. Here's a few of the more recent events in my life that have left lasting marks on me:
-Climbing the Ziggurat at Ur and looking out over the Iraq Southern Desert. Running my fingers over cuneiform writing that was thousands of years old. Feeling the hot brick beneath my hands.
-Walking the ruins of Babylon. Seeing the remnants of ancient walls, and feeling disgust that Saddam had the audacity to build on top of them. Touching the Lion of Babylon. Thinking about the civilization who built it and the civilization that exists there now.
-Flying over slums in Baghdad in a Blackhawk. Seeing how people lived in filth and hopelessness right next door to impossible luxury. Smelling the scent of human/animal waste, smoke, and trash from 300 feet in the air. Reflecting on how lucky I am to live where and how I do, and wondering if humanity as a whole is going to make it.