Travel dreams

I've made it this far in November without blog prompts, but Miss Zoot sent me one that I can't resist. In a nutshell, she asks, if money and work were no obstacle, what is your dream one-week vacation? One month? One year?

If I could go anywhere for a week, it would be a Greek/Mediterranean cruise. I visited Greece a few years ago, and always said I wanted to go back, and the right way to do it would be a cruise. I visited a couple islands, but there are so many! The two I visited were really very beautiful, and each has its own flair and flavor. I know I would get some amazing views from the water, and I love that cruises are all-inclusive and offer various kinds of activities. I think any longer than a week or two would be too much time on a boat. Been there, done that.

If I could take a month-long vacation, it would be exploring some of the state and national parks out West. I drive right by Arches earlier this year and was so sad I didn't have time to stop. I think it would be fantastic to go hiking in Colorado and Utah in particular, and I bet there are a bunch of great bicycle trails as well. I've always wanted to go white-water rafting, too. A month would be plenty of time to visit several different places and make a great road trip, without feeling pressured to have too much of an agenda.

I've thought long and hard about where I would go and what I would do with a year. I always said my dream trip is Australia and New Zealand, with lots of hiking and scuba diving, but a year seems an awfully long time for something like that. My number two is currently Iceland, but again, I don't know about an entire year. I honestly look at my life right now and think this is pretty darn close to perfect. I love being able to explore Europe and Italy in particular at our leisure. There are so many opportunities readily accessible! So my answer to this question would be a European tour, spending three or four days in as many cities and countries as possible, soaking up the food and drinks, art, theater, architecture, languages, music, scenery, and adventures as possible. I could ski in the winter and raft in the summer. Bicycle scenic paths and hike beautiful trails. Visit the Louvre and the concentration camps, soak in the museums, and sip wine or beer in sidewalk cafes. I could see a show on the West End and take a train under the English Channel. Listen to bagpipes in Scotland and watch the bulls run in Spain. I want to do it all.