Travels..

[travel-mum]

Travel is my favourite pasttime and subject!
I've been to:
Austria
France
Belgium
Germany
Lichtenstein
Switzerland
Italy
Spain
Portugal
Morocco
England
Scotland
Japan
All of Canada (except the Northern Territories)
All of the Northern and Eastern U.S., as well as the California/Arizona/Nevada/Utah areas.
Loved it all!
Special Japanese memories are:
Bathing naked with my sister-in-law in a Japanese Onsen
Having private Akido lessons by a Japanese Master
Being taken out for dinner by the Agricultural Minister on the Japanese Island of Kiushu
Taking the Bullet train
Being given private lessons on the art of the Japanese Tea Ceremony
Going to a Dragon Festival
Getting a letter from the Mayor of Hiroshima for signing their Petition for Peace
Ringing the Peace Bell in Hiroshima
Seeing the last building standing in Nagasaki after the bomb
Seeing the hill that still exists of the ashes of thousands of people who died after the bomb in Hiroshima
Seeing the Hiroshima Museum dedicated to the bombing

Favourite Memories of Morocco:
The Medina in Fez was like going back to the time of Christ
Seeing a Camel head hanging in a butcher's stall
Trying not to get squashed between the Medina walls and donkeys laiden with carpets
Going to a Moroccan restaurant with belly dancers and entertainers
Seeing snake charmers and monkeys in the market in Marakesh
Watching my sister-in-law get attacked by a monkey and thrown off a camel!
Going to visit a Berber family in the High Atlas Mountains

Favourite memories of California/Utah/Nevada/Arizona
Best thing was getting a private jeep tour of Monument Valley with a Navajo, and staying in their Hogon overnight (It's like an igloo, but made with logs and mud) They also made us a true Navajo dinner.
Seeing Antelope Canyon
Staying in Bright Angel lodge with our room front window just across the walking path from Grand Canyon

Too many other favourite things to mention.

My goal is to travel to every Continent on Earth. I've beeing to every one except South America and Australia, so they're on my list!

A few things I forgot to mention last time:
When we were in Salzurg, Austria, we were looking for somewhere to stay, and a man in a bar recommended a friend of his who owns a B&B. He called up his friend, and the guy came and got us (two couples). It seemed like it was a holiday weekend, and the B&B was closed, but he had a two-bedroom apartment he could let us have, including breakfast at the B&B for about $25 Euros a night per person. It was a ground-floor apartment that included a back yard with a patio set, and even a fridge in the garage. When we had breakfast at the B&B the next morning, we noticed pictures of The Sound of Music cast on the walls. It seems that the woman who runs the B&B had a connection with The Sound of Music. Her mother was a maid of the Von Trapp family before they left during the war! Amazing! They even had pictures of the cast, who had a reunion at that very B&B, and they had a wall of autographs of people who came! We got to talk to the lady, who showed us pictures of her mother with the Von Trapp Family. We were actually in Salzburg to see all of The Sound of Music sights, so this was the icing on the cake!
THEN a couple of years later we were staying at a B&B in Stowe, Vermont with the same couple, and we got talking to the owners. The Von Trapp family now own a lodge in Stowe (but it's very expensive to stay). The owners of the B&B knew Rosemarie Von Trapp, and arranged for us to meet her on Sunday morning just outside the little white church, just before the service started. They said we would recognize her by her hiking boots. Sure enough, she was there and graciously answered the questions we had about her family. That was sooooooooooo cool!

[tasha313]

How awesome. !!!!!

[Dee09]

wow, Great photos! Me? Touristy places when I was a kid with my family like California (San Diego, San Fran, Los Angeles, Anaheim), Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Tijuana Mexico and Hawaii. In Canada I've been to Toronto, Montreal, Saskatchewan, BC and pretty well all of AB. Then California as a young adult: San Fran visiting friends, North Cali/wine country for a friend's lovely wedding. Also Japan, South Korea (got a peek at North Korea from the DMZ), many parts of China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines. All as a single adult, some trips with friends, some alone. Can't say there's a place I'd never go back to, each trip had good experiences I will always cherish. Favorite? I'd say China, it was amazing. The only reason I wouldn't go back to any is because if I had the money and time... and energy, I would want to see Atlantic Canada, Europe, Africa, South America, Australia, New Zealand and India

[travelgeek]

Hi all, long time no see!

Travelling is what keeps me going. It is one of the best life learning experiences that I'm happily willing to pay the 'tuition' :D

Where have you travelled?

(I just copied this list from my log on another travel site)

Antigua, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Grenada, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Macau, Martinique, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent And The Grenadines, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City, Vietnam

Approx 525,000 miles flown, in 300 flight segments.

Which was your favourite and why?

Each destination was unique in its own ways. I can't really pick a favorite. However, some memorable experiences:

Argentina - on a wine tour in Mendoza, sipping wine and having lunch with the Andes mountains in the backdrop

Australia - NYE on a boat on the Sydney Harbour.

Vancouver - attending the 2010 Winter Olympics

Iceland - hiking a glacier

United Kingdom - attending the 2012 Summer Olympics in London

France - touring the little villages in Provence

Switzerland - hiking in Bernese Oberland (Interlaken). awesome scenery.

Many more, but will think about them later.

Do you travel with your kids or no?

Don't have any kids

[tasha313]

So interesting to read everyone's answers !! I love it

[lekate]

I just got home from living in Seoul for a year, so there's that.

Trying to decide on my next course of action, do not want to stay here.

[vesper]

I got to ride in the United 787 Dreamliner!! It was dreamy comfortable and if I was able to fly like this, I would gladly go to more places. Planes are a very uncomfortable mode of transportation for me.

[travelgeek]

I got to ride in the United 787 Dreamliner!! It was dreamy comfortable and if I was able to fly like this, I would gladly go to more places. Planes are a very uncomfortable mode of transportation for me.

Hmmm, I've been avoiding that plane as they cram the 3 X 3 X 3 seating in what is normally reserved for their wider 777 cabin. Which equals narrower seats.

[vesper]

Hmmm, I've been avoiding that plane as they cram the 3 X 3 X 3 seating in what is normally reserved for their wider 777 cabin. Which equals narrower seats.

I felt quite comfortable even with the 3x3x3 middle seating. I fly Detroit to Houston a spirit airlines in the middle seat and almost died of sheer discomfort.

[VeeVee]

I love to travel - I love being in a diffrent city, country but I hate getting there haha unless I am in first class I hate planes, not bc I am afraid if them - not at all I just think they are so uncomfortable and small and my skin gets dry, and I get antsy I just want to run down the isles haha

I have been to
Serbia (Or Yugoslavia before it seperated) - 7 times
Vienna, Austria - 1
Sophia, Bulgaria - 1
Cuba - 2
NYC - 1

hopefully in the next couple of years before fiance and I have kids we will go to Frankfurt, Germany (relatives there), back to Serbia, Paris, Bahamas (honeymoon next year).

[travel-mum]

I know what you mean about cramped quarters in a plane! We usually travel economy class. But the last time we went to Japan, the economy class was booked up, so we (two couples) got bumped up to first class! WOW! First class all the way to Japan, with the seats that go all the way down for sleeping, the real blankets and pillows, the champagne, the best nuts and snacks, and the really, really good food! I was told by the stewardess that some of our fellow passengers paid thousands of dollars for a first class flight to Japan, but we got it for economy fare. We really seem to luck out sometimes when it comes to travelling!

[VeeVee]

I know what you mean about cramped quarters in a plane! We usually travel economy class. But the last time we went to Japan, the economy class was booked up, so we (two couples) got bumped up to first class! WOW! First class all the way to Japan, with the seats that go all the way down for sleeping, the real blankets and pillows, the champagne, the best nuts and snacks, and the really, really good food! I was told by the stewardess that some of our fellow passengers paid thousands of dollars for a first class flight to Japan, but we got it for economy fare. We really seem to luck out sometimes when it comes to travelling!

I book my bosses first class tickets to Japan, we are lucky if we pay under $5,000. Lucky you!!!

[travelgeek]

I've found it difficult to fly in economy class after this experience :

http://forum.smartcanucks.ca/143603-...s-added-canada