What problems, ideas or questions first got you interested in algebraic geometry? Obviously, a lot of people are very interested in algebraic geometry. I suppose this means it is a fascinating area. However the few times I have tried to read introductory books and/or articles in the area, I haven't been able to "get it" or even to see what all the fuss is about. It seems pretty technical.
A few questions for those who are involved in algebraic geometry:


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*What was your first exposure to algebraic geometry, and did you immediately like it? If not, what made you go back and study it later?

*What problems, ideas or questions first got you interested in the field?

*Can you recommend a strategy for breaking into the field such that the material will seem as well-motivated as humanly possible?


For me it was plane curves. At school, the more of them I met, the more I wanted to meet. You change the polynomial a bit and the curve changes in a surprising, often unpredictable way.
I love old books on geometry, like Coolidge Plane Algebraic Curves, Enriques-Chisini Lezioni sulla teoria geometrica delle equazioni e delle funzioni algebriche.
And there are newer ones, of course, like Harris Algebraic Geometry First Course, Clemens Scrapbook of Complex Curve Theory.
From geometry comes the mystery and the richness, like interesting behavior, strange scenarios that can occur. 
And then we need to efficiently manage the information we are gathering about our geometric objects and make sure our thinking is tidy. At the same time, we'd like to have freedom to express and imagine interconnections between our geometric objects. This is what Grothendieck's machinery is there to help with. 
Hartshorne didn't work out for me. I used Mumford's Red Book in the beginning. 
By the way, there is a very good new book out by Bosch, called Commutative Algebra and Algebraic Geometry. Bosch can save quite a bit of time, imo.
