Oh, the Places I (want to) Go!

It’s been too long.  My nomadic tendencies are rearing their multi-cultural heads again.  I am starting to feel the itch to book a flight, pack a suitcase, and head off into the wild blue yonder.  Where would I go?  What would I do and see and experience?

Sure, there are all of the myriad reasons why I shouldn’t dream, shouldn’t go, shouldn’t do.  Kids!  Work!  Money!  And that ever-present pesky consideration we call TIME.  But sometimes it’s fun just to think…what if?  What if cost wasn’t a consideration?  What if I had all the time in the world?  If the kids would magically be taken care of and work would just disappear for awhile, what would that be like?

Travel with me, friends.  The world is our oyster.

Florence

The birthplace of gelato, people!!  How could I not want to go there?  Of course, the Catholic traveler in me would have to visit the magnificent Duomo.  But I’m also a sucker for museums and history and things that are beautiful.  Which means the Uffizi and the Accademia would be necessary stops on my tour.  Honestly, though, simply walking though the streets and piazzas, taking in the sights, and eating my way through the city would be fascinating.

Santorini

The blues and whites, the delectable food, the warm sun, and the endless sea.  Santorini just seems so insanely romantic to me.  And, seeing as traveling with my husband is one of my very favorite things to do ever, it seems like the ideal place to go, just the two of us.  I dream of waking up with the sun coming through French doors that lead to a beautiful balcony that overlooks the ocean.  We have a light breakfast, wander the city streets, go for an afternoon sail, and then have dinner sitting in a square with music playing and twinkling lights and cool, crisp wine.  Delightful.

Lake Louise

I mean, seriously.  How can anyone look at a place like that and not stand in awe of God’s astonishing handiwork?  Ever since I was a little girl reading Janette Oke’s novels about the Canadian frontier, I’ve wanted to see it.  I would stay at the Fairmont, hike around the lake, go for trail rides, and take more pictures than would seem humanly possible.  All the while, of course, wearing all of the crazy gorgeous fall and winter clothes that this Florida girl never gets to wear.  Just give me a cozy sweater, a scarf, a steaming cup of tea and roaring fire…hello, Heaven!

New Zealand

Take my money and call me a hobbit, but please, God, let me see this gorgeous island before I die.  Every time I hear, see, or read anything about New Zealand the commentary is nothing short of outstanding.  The people are kind, the scenery magical, and the food and wine top notch.  And, I guess, since we’d be so close and Greg loves it so much, it would be OK to spend some time in Australia, too.

Great Britain

So, I’d say London, but I really want to see all of England.  And I’d just say England, but I want to go to Wales and Scotland, too!  Let’s be real, OK?  What I’d really like is about two to three weeks to bounce from B&B to B&B from one end of that beautiful island to the other.  And to really make that trip sing?  How about tacking on a week in Ireland, just for good measure?  I am such an anglophile when it comes to books and movies and TV.  What a joy it would be to see some of these imaginary homes of mine in person!  I want to see the waves crash in Cornwall, wander the Scottish highlands, see the palace in London, and stay is some lovely thatch-roofed gem in the countryside.  Honestly, I think this would be my biggest dream vacation of them all.

City Mouse, Country Mouse

Greg is so metropolitan, so confident in how he travels.  Mass transit, crowds, these things don’t scare him.  Me, though?  Give me the countryside every time.  I can only take so much city before I need more than concrete and exhaust fumes in my life.  Maybe it’s that I feel closer to God in nature.  Or that my inner nomad I mentioned above likes to have a little more room to move and explore.  I don’t know!

And, sure, there are some places much closer to home that I’d love to see.  I’ve never been to New England or the Grand Canyon, nor have I seen much of the Rocky Mountains.  But this was a dream post, right?  So, what about you?  Where would you go if nothing stood in your way?  What spot makes your dreams soar and your heart sing?  Who knows?  Maybe we’ll get there, by and by.

All photos courtesy of Unsplash.  (Remember, I haven’t actually been to these places…yet.)