My Top Ten (Part 2)

So, here goes the second half of the top ten places I'd love to visit outside of the United States.  Its kind of amazing it took me so long to write this second half. Thanks to Rachel Moore for inadvertently inspiring me to finish this list.

6. Australia - The Great Barrier Reef:

Let's pretend for a second that I'm not terrified of swimming with sharks and that one of my biggest fears does not include swimming in wide open water.  Ever since that dang Dolphin on the bottom of the pool at the YMCA looked at my funny I have been terrified of swimming in wide open water. But, that doesn't stop me from wanting to visit the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and go scuba diving or even just snorkeling.  I can deal with sharks and eels and those scary creatures for a while to be able to enjoy some of God's greatest creations.

Also, I'm not adverse to seeing kangaroos and koalas - regardless of how cliche that is, hearing Australian accents or taking a hop, skip, and a jump across the pond to New Zealand to spend a "few" bucks to watch the All Blacks play some dang good rugby or maybe take some surfing lessons and learn about the Maori culture.  Bring it on!

7. Africa - Safari Time:

In addition to knowing some beautiful people from this continent that would give me reason enough to come visit, I would absolutely love to take a safari tour.  Yes, I know I've already expressed my mild discomfort around large dangerous animals (i.e. sharks), but, if I can overcome my fear of open water and sharks all at once, why not taking on some lions and tigers and cheetahs as well.  No big deal, right? As long as I'm in vehicle I think my survival chances are going to be pretty high. Besides, if I ever want to do the amazing race I will have to buck up and do amazing and often scary things.

8. Indonesian Islands - So Many Islands, So Little Time:  

Even though the chance is extremely slim that I could actually pronounce any of the places I visit correctly, and I'm not altogether entirely sure I'd enjoy much of their food, I'll admit, I'm a fruit and veggies, Mexican American food kinda girl, I would still love to enjoy the culture surrounding these islands.

You can get the tropical feel, the ancient Indonesian culture, volcanoes and unique experiences with the still remaining and fully functioning tribes that lives among these 1,000 islands. 

9. Dublin, Ireland and Scotland: 

I feel like my list would be far from complete without a trip to Ireland or Scotland thrown into the mix.  First of all.  Have you seen pictures of these places...castles, lush green countrysides and beautiful blue green lakes surrounded by a large blue-green ocean.  Let's be honest. What is not to love?  Bagpipes? Okay, they are sometimes a little much to handle in long periods of time, but I find it hard to believe that the fear of continual bag pipe music would keep anyone away from such a beautiful place.


I almost feel like daring you to find a more beautiful destination although, number 6 would probably come pretty close. If you are still conflicted you may want to check out one of the movies filmed in one of these beautiful countries for further confirmation.


Leap Year, P.S. I Love You, Tristan and Isolde, Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan (Supposedly the beach scenes take place in Ireland - though I've never seen it, or been to Ireland to substantiate these claims). 

 
10. Machu Picchu, Peru:
"Welcome to the mysterious ruins of Machu Picchu, Peru. Prepare yourself as you are about to embark on a.. tour of one of the most intriguing destinations on the planet."  No joke, that is the first two lines of the Machu Picchu, Peru trip planning website.  Um.. yes please! Buy me a ticket, book my flight.  I know half of the fun is doing the climb, but wouldn't it be easier and a little more exciting to just drop me off via.. hot air balloon or... ooh I don't know... parachute. 

I know, I'm kind of complaining again, so I'll stop.  But seriously, this place not only looks beautiful, but its amazing to me that this civilization built in a time with very little or no technological advances was able to build a civilization that was able to stand the tests of time, while with the technologies of today we are hardly able to build things that last a decade.

Here it is folks, part two of my travel list is complete, if you are still reading I'm impressed.   I have included some honorable mentions because to be honest with you, Paris has grown on me as well as Thailand and Beijing, maybe with further persuasion they will make their way up the list.

My Top Ten (Part 1)

Since I am coming close to getting to all of the 50 United States before I hit the age of 25 it is about time to expand my horizons and let you all in on a little secret..so here it goes. These are the first three of my top ten (or eleven) places I would love to visit most in the world outside of the United States (they aren't in any particular order). I got my love for traveling from my Grandparents who went nearly everywhere in the world before my grandpa passed away in his mid 70s.

1. Santorini and Athens, Greece: I mean who wouldn't want to visit the beautiful white buildings and cathedrals, green rocky cliffs and the bluest ocean views, quite possibly ever. Ancient Athens and the Parthenon are nice perks as well. If that isn't enough, how about the mountain of Olympus or the beautiful beaches.  I used to want to study Archaeology and with all of the ancient Grecian ruins and artifacts, this place would be a truly amazing, historical place to get lost in.

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2. Germany & the Netherlands/Holland-  I chose to group these into one because I discovered that if I don't, I really have eleven places I would absolutely love to visit, but then it wouldn't be a top ten list now would it?

German Chocolate, the name Heidi, my family, German Pancakes, all of the delicious pastries and deserts I have heard about and the green rolling countrysides with little towns settled in between them. Hamburg, Cathedrals, the list goes on and on of the great things that are in and come from Germany.   What more could you want?

Holland: Tulips, Windmills, Amsterdam, Haarlem, Futbol (aka Soccer!), canals, old, wooden shoes, riding bikes through fields of flowers, castles, the port cities. Everything is easy to love when its Dutch..

Fun Fact: Did you know there is a city in Holland in which there are no streets for driving, you have to travel from place to place, and house to house on the river ways in a canoe or paddle boat! Love that!

3. London, England. The REAL land of Harry Potter, Big Ben, London Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Abbey Road, Double Decker Buses, a beautifully large ferris wheel, small towns and the beautiful countryside, castles, museums and cathedrals. Enough said.

4. Rome and Tuscany, Italy.  A picture is worth a thousand words, and I have two that I believe are worth about twice that many. Decide for yourself.

5. The Igazu Waterfalls on the border between Argentina and Brazil. Once again in my opinion one picture says it all.  Bonus: In Argentina I can kind of speak the language and there is so much untouched beauty in both of these countries, I will never get bored.