Travelin' Jones

[livius drusus]

After mentioning a fabulous Lebanese spread in the buffet thread, I found myself wandering around cyberspace reading about Lebanon. I've always wanted to go to Byblos - Phonecians, Greeks, Romans, Mamelukes, the alphabet, one of the oldest if not the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, an enchanting harbour, some of the richest archaeological sites you can imagine, and all of this served with with a swoonworthy side of hummus and kibbee - but there's really no place in Lebanon I don't want to see.

Reading about Lebanon reminded me how much I adored Istanbul. There's something about the combination of Roman, early Christian and Arabic art and architecture, plus the vibrant modern/old culture of covered bazaars filled with spices, samovars, turquoise evil eye pendants and silk prayer rugs which feels like life itself to me.

So right at this moment, I would so love a long, slow cruise along the North African and Middle Eastern Mediterranean, with month-long stops along the way wherever I so desire. Anyone else got a travelin' jones?

[Bella]

Reading about Lebanon reminded me how much I adored Istanbul. There's something about the combination of Roman, early Christian and Arabic art and architecture, plus the vibrant modern/old culture of covered bazaars filled with spices, samovars, turquoise evil eye pendants and silk prayer rugs which feels like life itself to me.
If you get a chance, liv, you could always elaborate on Istanbul for me - Jek's aunt ran a school there for many years and brought back lots of intriguing artwork and artifacts but alas, she is now deceased and I can't ask her questions about what it was like to live there.

I'm gearing up for Europe in October 2005 - my internship will probably take me overseas, and while it's much too early to know exactly where I'll be (or even what my options are) I very much am looking forward to finally seeing more of the world. A year is just too long of a time to wait, though, and I've been perusing websites and books at B&N on my breaks :).

[Ymir's blood]

I'd like to travel around the US and Europe looking at historical sites and landmarks. The Rhine castles of Germany would be nice, as would the lochs of Scotland.

[Dingfod]

I'm thinking about a kabob restaurant tour of Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Godless Dave]

It would be easier for me to compile a list of places I don't want to visit. I want to see the whole world. Doing a Grand Tour of the Meditteranean is one of many trips I want to do.

[AspenMama]

I've always wanted to travel since I could remember. In fact I swore I would never marry or have kids-- I was going to grab a backpack and head to Europe after they handed me my degree. But no-- I had to go marry a gay guy, have two kids and.... etc...

I've been to Wales, England, Italy, Spain, Germany, Mexico and Canada-- briefly. Now I'd like to spend some time in France-- Paris specifically on my 40th birthday-- February 2006! I wish I had the finances to rent a home somewhere on the French Riveria for a month in the summer. I'd like to go back to Italy and see everything I missed last time-- perferably with Liv as my guide. :)

I'd like to take my children to see the Gallapagos Islands. I'd like to take the trains through Ireland and Scotland. I'd like to head to New Zealand, see where they filmed LOTR and try out some wine from the Hawke's Bay area. I'd like to see Thailand, Japan and China. I'd like to spend a week on a beach in Hawaii, a cruise and train tour through Alaska. A trip to the New England states.... There are very few places I woudn't want to go-- mostly those are for safety reasons.

[livius drusus]

If you get a chance, liv, you could always elaborate on Istanbul for me - Jek's aunt ran a school there for many years and brought back lots of intriguing artwork and artifacts but alas, she is now deceased and I can't ask her questions about what it was like to live there.

You know I always have time to shoot my mouth off. :P Let's see... Supercool things about Istanbul include:

The Basilica Cistern: Hundreds of gigantic columns, eroded and moist from 1500 years of water. It smelled so good, all loamy and rocky. I can't really describe it. When I was there in 1980, you couldn't walk on the floor on account of the thousand year's worth of mud, but apparently they scraped that shit up since then and now there's a walkway and everything. I'd love to see it again.

Hagia Sophia: A dome like you wouldn't believe. Justinian built the church in the 6th century (after Constantine's version burned down, and even that was built on top of previous basilicas and pagan temples); but it would be in ruins if not for the renovation in the 15th century which converted it into a mosque. I love seeing the whole span of a region's religious history in one church.

Topkapi: As palaces go, this one pretty much takes the cake. Gorgeous courtyards, gorgeous harem, gorgeous, incredible, awesome jewels in the treasury, and my fondest recollection: silver and turquoise tweezers proffering single hairs from the beard of the prophet in the sacred relics building.

Street food: Everything from fresh cucumbers served with sea salt to kebabs to whatever the local fishermen have caught that morning, grilled and served on rolls with fresh onions and a weirdly delicious mixed pickle juice concoction to wash it down.

Grand Bazaar: Did you know Turkey makes some of the finest leather in the world? It does and you can get it so cheap in the bazaar it almost hurts. You can also get those evil eyes I mentioned, and the spices, and the food, and the carpets, carpets, carpets. We even saw leeches in jars available for the medieval doctor in all of us (they apparently work quite well on varicose veins). Oh, and it just happens to feature beautiful Islamic architecture as well.

People: I have no idea where Turks get a reputation for being assholes (movies? military conquest?), but they aren't. Not even close. I was treated with incredible courtesy and respect, and I was a 7 year old girl. My dad's colleagues not only showered me with presents (and continued to do so for 10 years after that whenever my dad went to Turkey), but they actually engaged me in conversation and showed me things like how to use a samovar and strain the grit out of tea. Everyone from people in the hotel to street vendors to market vendors were enthusiastic and charming. It was a genuine pleasure to spend time with them.

I'm gearing up for Europe in October 2005 - my internship will probably take me overseas, and while it's much too early to know exactly where I'll be (or even what my options are) I very much am looking forward to finally seeing more of the world. A year is just too long of a time to wait, though, and I've been perusing websites and books at B&N on my breaks :).

That's awesome, Bree. I can't believe they don't even have a list of internships, though. Does it change every year or something? I'll keep my fingers crossed that you get Tuscany, but that's just because I've always wanted to go to one of those Tuscan castle cooking schools. :)

[Goliath]

I haven't left the US in 17 years (and that was only for a field trip to Winnipeg in the 4th grade) and I've never set foot off of the North American continent.

Within the US, I'd like to go to Las Vegas, San Fransisco, NYC, Chicago, and Atlanta*. I'd also like to see more of Boston (I was there once during a job interview...nice city, but fucking expensive!).

As far as overseas travel goes, sometime I'd like to visit Europe (mainly Western Europe..Ireland, England, Germany, France, Greece, etc), Japan, some spots in the Carribean (not Cuba, obviously), Australia, New Zealand, and....that's about it.

I have no ambition whatsoever to go anywhere near the Middle East, or to South America or Africa.

* - This city will be checked off of my list in January, since I'll be going to a conference in Altanta.

[wade-w]

Some interesting choices here. I've been to Europe (Mediterranean only, unfortunately), including Istanbul, along with much of South America, some of Africa and all over the Carribean. The French Rivera sucks, imo. Having to spend a month in a house there would be torture. The Costa del Sol is far more enjoyable! Italy was a lot of fun as well, and I'd bet having liv as a guide would make it even better.

I didn't get to see as much of Istanbul as I'd have liked; I was only there for 3 days, and raki and sightseeing don't mix well. However, I did see some of the sights that liv mentioned, and would like to go back sometime.

Greece was also a blast for sightseeing. Standing there at the Ampitheater was incredible. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let you go all the way to the top of the Acropolis to see the Parthenon, but you could get close enough to get a good look. Oh, and if you ever do go to Athens, do NOT go swimming at any of the nearby beaches. To protect the squeamish, I'm not going to say why; just take my word for it.

Africa was hit or miss. I'd just as soon never see Djibouti again, but Mombasa in Kenya was fun, and I was able to go on a photo safari out to Mt. Kilimanjaro.

For a red head like me, most of the Caribean islands are rather boring. Jamaica and Curacao are exceptions, but most have little nightlife; other than sun and beach related activities there is not much to do. The food is very good though.

Of all of the regions I've been to, I'd have to say I enjoyed my South American tour the most. Especially Brazil. The port city of Salvador in Brazil has a very interesting feature: there's a huge cliff that divides the city into two: the main part of the city above, and the port below. They have elevators to take you from one level to the other. The harbor at Rio is the most breathtakingly beautiful natural setting for a city I've ever seen. The view from the Sugar Loaf has to be one of the best in the world.

The seas between Argentina and The Falkands (or Malvenas, depending on your politics) are another natural wonder. At night, they glow with a bright green phospheresence, and on a clear night the contrast between the glowing sea and the stars shining like you cannot see anywhere on land, with the Southern Cross as the centerpiece, well, let's say it's something that has to be seen to be truly appreciated. No words of mine could possibly do it justice.

The Straits of Magellan were interesting from a historical perspective, and it's easy to see why the passage was so rough for sailing vessls. We went north through the Chilean Intercoastal Waterways. Incredible views, much like the coastline of Alaska or Norway, except even more rugged if that's possible.

/me sighs nostalgically

I've not made it to Northern Europe or the Orient. I'd like to do both someday.

[livius drusus]

It's Mamma Livius who's the real money tour guide. I am but a pale shadow of my mom's splendour. I do know people, though, and that's key, especially Mrs. Nancy DiConcilis, great artists, historian, the queen of the off-the-beaten-path Roman walking tour, frequent contributor to ancient Rome shows on the History Channel and my substitute teacher in 4th grade. What she doesn't know about Rome ain't worth knowing.

Wade, did you happen to visit Bahia during your stay in Brazil? That's definitely on the short list of my travelin' jones.

[wade-w]

Wade, did you happen to visit Bahia during your stay in Brazil? That's definitely on the short list of my travelin' jones.

No, just Recife, Salvador and Rio.

[JoeP]

Why do so few of you include Africa in your dream destinations? Is it because of the wars, AIDS, malaria, yellow fever, lack of infrastructure (roads, airports), and crime? Chickens. (And I don't mean that in a complementary way, Livius.)

For those of you drawn by geography, you have not travelled until you've seen Table Mountain, the Victoria Falls and Kilimanjaro. And then there's the rift valley lakes in Kenya/Tanzania, Etosha in Namibia, and a ton of other things. For those of you drawn by wildlife, you must admit Africa's the destination. The migration in the Masai Mara; elephants, white rhino, lions, leopard, cheetah, and hundreds of other mammal species in South Africa alone. Gorgeous and exotic birds. Fascinating plantlife - including the unique fynbos, one of the six floral kingdoms of the world, if you're into that. Not to mention jungles and rainforests. If you're into antiquity, how about the cradle of mankind? In Farren's back garden, almost. These are just the things I've seen. Then there's Olduvai Gorge. And the Great Zimbabwe ruins. The Okavango delta in Botswana. Zanzibar. Microlighting over the Sahara. Great apes in Uganda/Rwanda.

Travel brochure over. I haven't spent nearly enough time in any part of the world, even though I've visited much of Europe, a bit of Russia, Australia and North America. I think my next priority would be central & south America, and Asia. I'd like to visit Japan. And Iceland. And Alaska. And New Zealand. And. And.

[wade-w]

I do believe I did mention (and misspell) Mt. Kilmanjaro in my first post.

[Roland98]

Why do so few of you include Africa in your dream destinations? Is it because of the wars, AIDS, malaria, yellow fever, lack of infrastructure (roads, airports), and crime? Chickens. (And I don't mean that in a complementary way, Livius.)

Acutally, I tried very hard to get some time/money to visit a friend while she was living in Jo'burg. Didn't have a chance, but she visited a lot of the sites you mentioned while living there (though notably, not Uganda/Rwanda). I'd love to do some field work over there; still might try sometime in the future, but not till the kids are a bit older.

[JoeP]

I do believe I did mention (and misspell) Mt. Kilmanjaro in my first post.
You did mention it - you're the "so few". :yup: :appl: :appl:
And you spelled it correctly, I just mistyped it in my post.

[JoeP]

Why do so few of you include Africa in your dream destinations? Is it because of the wars, AIDS, malaria, yellow fever, lack of infrastructure (roads, airports), and crime? Chickens. (And I don't mean that in a complementary way, Livius.)

Acutally, I tried very hard to get some time/money to visit a friend while she was living in Jo'burg. Didn't have a chance, but she visited a lot of the sites you mentioned while living there (though notably, not Uganda/Rwanda). I'd love to do some field work over there; still might try sometime in the future, but not till the kids are a bit older.
Field work? So you're actually attracted by the disease and germs? :D

Well, if you visit Africa before I visit America, you have a tour guide! And accommodation. Somehow.

[Goliath]

Why do so few of you include Africa in your dream destinations? Is it because of the wars, AIDS, malaria, yellow fever, lack of infrastructure (roads, airports), and crime?


Those are some of the reasons, yes. Africa seems like a wonderful place to go...to die.



Chickens.



Grow up. This isn't an elementary school playground, and humans are creatures of sufficient complexity so as to not automatically do something because of a lack of fear of doing said thing.

[wildernesse]

I'm always ready to hit the road--I've been salivating over the American West for the past year. (This is nothing new.) I'm always trying to get out of town--little jaunts here and there.

But I would love to run all about the world--during stretches of boring-ness at work, I would toodle around websites where people who had taken a year out of their life to travel the world! Drool.

Poor RA.

[Dingfod]

They got chickens in Africa? :eek:

I plan on crashing your party Joe, right after I make a ton of money driving a truck in Iraq for a year. I'll get a couple of kabobs to go, man. See ya then. :D

[JoeP]

They got chickens in Africa? :eek:

I plan on crashing your party Joe, right after I make a ton of money driving a truck in Iraq for a year. I'll get a couple of kabobs to go, man. See ya then. :D
Chickens, yup, and potatoes too.

[AspenMama]

I'm always ready to hit the road--I've been salivating over the American West for the past year. (This is nothing new.) I'm always trying to get out of town--little jaunts here and there.

But I would love to run all about the world--during stretches of boring-ness at work, I would toodle around websites where people who had taken a year out of their life to travel the world! Drool.

Poor RA.

Well if Colorado is far enough west for ya-- then you and hubby are always welcome here!

[Farren]

Frigging dupe post and no way of simply deleting it. Cursed bb.

[Farren]

Why do so few of you include Africa in your dream destinations? Is it because of the wars, AIDS, malaria, yellow fever, lack of infrastructure (roads, airports), and crime? Chickens. (And I don't mean that in a complementary way, Livius.)

For those of you drawn by geography, you have not travelled until you've seen Table Mountain, the Victoria Falls and Kilimanjaro. And then there's the rift valley lakes in Kenya/Tanzania, Etosha in Namibia, and a ton of other things. For those of you drawn by wildlife, you must admit Africa's the destination. The migration in the Masai Mara; elephants, white rhino, lions, leopard, cheetah, and hundreds of other mammal species in South Africa alone. Gorgeous and exotic birds. Fascinating plantlife - including the unique fynbos, one of the six floral kingdoms of the world, if you're into that. Not to mention jungles and rainforests. If you're into antiquity, how about the cradle of mankind? In Farren's back garden, almost. These are just the things I've seen. Then there's Olduvai Gorge. And the Great Zimbabwe ruins. The Okavango delta in Botswana. Zanzibar. Microlighting over the Sahara. Great apes in Uganda/Rwanda.

Travel brochure over. I haven't spent nearly enough time in any part of the world, even though I've visited much of Europe, a bit of Russia, Australia and North America. I think my next priority would be central & south America, and Asia. I'd like to visit Japan. And Iceland. And Alaska. And New Zealand. And. And.

Glad you mentioned the Cradle of Mankind site.

As Joe says, the frigging Cradle of Mankind, site of the (allegedly) oldest find of humanoid bones in the world, is round the corner from me. I drive past it on the way home from my new job.

Why don't some of you freethinkers with an interest in anthropology swing by our neck of the woods some time so Joe and I can wine you and dine you and show you around? The tiny province of Gauteng has an larger economy than the rest of Africa combined, so I assure you there's lots to do in the Joburg/Pretoria conurbation alone, never mind the rest of SA.

[AspenMama]

As Joe says, the frigging Cradle of Mankind, site of the (allegedly) oldest find of humanoid bones in the world, is round the corner from me. I drive past it on the way home from my new job.

Why don't some of you freethinkers with an interest in anthropology swing by our neck of the woods some time so Joe and I can wine you and dine you and show you around? The tiny province of Gauteng has an larger economy than the rest of Africa combined, so I assure you there's lots to do in the Joburg/Pretoria conurbation alone, never mind the rest of SA.

Wine and dine? If you put it that way.... :cincin:

Okay, I was trying to find a travel smilie but the closest one was when I used the word trip and got this:
:strip:

[JoeP]

Frigging dupe post and no way of simply deleting it. Cursed bb.
The rules: can't delete the post and can't delete all the characters (minimum 10, I think): are there to foster creativity. Just as you experienced now :P :P