Places to Travel

I like to travel. This may sound funny, but I think it's sort of genetic. Although she was born here in Minnesota, where both my grandparents are from, my mother grew up in Bermuda (birth to 2), Japan (2-5, where my aunt was born) and Germany (kindergarten through graduation.) My grandfather was a military school teacher and in Germany a vice-principal for almost 30 years.

My mother spent the majority of her youth running around Europe and she was an excellent skier as a teen. Even when she was 4 months pregnant with me, she was still hitting the slopes of the Alps.

This is why I think I was predisposed to travel. That and my fierce independence. The first place on my bucket-list of places to visit is, you guessed it, Germany. There's something special about seeing the place where your family grew up. Plus, I might as well start with a place where I can actually speak the language.

(This isn't the most beautiful picture of Germany, but it's of Bitburg, where my mom grew up.)

The second place I'd like to travel is Santorini, Greece. I think it looks like the most beautiful place in the world. A place where people live for and near the water, fishing as the primary trade. Things are simple and pretty and that's all that matters.

The third place I'd like to visit is kind of silly, but still true. I want to go to Disney World (that's the Florida one, right? The California one just doesn't sound as fun.) I never got to go as a kid and do all the "world of imagination" stuff that everyone does. This is probably one that won't get crossed off until I have kids of my own but you can bet your ass that I will revert to a little girl, taking pictures with all the princesses and making myself sick on all the rides. My kids will probably be embarrassed.

Fourth, I want to visit Japan. More specifically, Mt. Fuji. My grandfather climbed it when he was out there. I definitely want to visit Tokyo and see the city, but climbing that mountain and standing where he stood sounds like a great adventure and accomplishment.

Fifth, I want to visit New York City. I want to stand in Times Square, see a Broadway show, ride a carriage through Central Park and all the other silly, touristy things. And then I want to leave. (Baz Luhrman said it best: "see New York City once but leave before it makes you hard.")

Sixth, I want to visit Prague, Czech Republic. I'm not sure why. I've heard that it's a beautiful city rich with culture and history. It's not cliche like Paris, France. It's eastern Europe at it's finest.

Finally, (although I'm sure more will come as I go through my life) I want to visit Phuket, Thailand. Somewhere exotic and exciting where I can lay on the beach, maybe even naked, and just relax. Really, truly, relax.

Hopefully, I can get to these places in my life. Build memories and experience the world they way other people see it.

Sara Evans has a song, "Born to Fly."

I've been telling my dreams to the scarecrow,

About the places that I'd like to see,

I said "friend do you think, I'll ever get there?"

Oh, but he just stands there smilin' back at me.

But how do you wait for heaven?

And who has that much time?

How do you keep your feet on the ground,

When you know that you were born,

born to fly.