World Travels!

So if I had a Jamie Sullivan-esque list of things to do in life, visiting every country in the world would be on there! Well, maybe not every country. If it came down to missing out on either Latvia or Lithuania…I would probably be ok. But still, we have this whole planet full of different people, and different landscapes, different wildlife and ecosystems, crazy history…and how many people can fully enjoy it? Not that many. So, my plan is to backpack it someday. At least through Europe. Maybe when I get married, that will be my honeymoon (sorry future husband, you better be as crazy as me). Or, it might be fun to grab a couple friends and do the couch-surfing route. Anyway you roll the dice, here is some of the stuff I want to do:

• Italy: I definitely want to see the Colosseum (aka, the original Horseshoe), the canals of Venice, and Tuscany. Prettiness!
• France: Ok, so the French don’t have the best wrap, but that’s one language I kind of know so I might as well use it. Besides, I want to rent a bike and pedal the Champs-Elysees wearing a yellow t-shirt while sporting a livestrong bracelet! Of course, if I’m in France, I will have to appeal to my romantic side and check out the Eiffel Tower by moonlight, and sit at cafe’ while reading A Tale of Two Cities.
• England: Sooo, Prince William….how you doin’?
• Germany: One word-Audobon. I want to drive as fast whatever car I rent can go! When I’ve had my fun of cruising at a billion km/hr, I’ll find a restaurant and discover what weiner schnitzel really is.
• Sweden: Yes, it’s the Mother Land…or, at least my mother’s land, and I’ve already been there. But they do have some sweet castles, viking ships, and lot’s of horses! Visiting the family would also be cool 🙂
• Greece: Oh my word! For anyone who is as obssessed with the Olympics as I am, well, this is a given. Going to Athens is a must in my life, and not just for the history of the Games, but also to see what an amazing civilization the Ancient Greeks had going. I also need to find some cool looking ruins near a big hole and yell “This is SPARTA!!” (massive kick)
• Spain: I will admit, I’m not completely up on all the touristy things to do in Spain, but hey, I’ve seen pics of Madrid, and it looks pretty sweet.
• Austria: I need to see Vienna. Hands down. Gorgeous city; brilliant musical history; Maria von Trapp.
• Scotland/Northern Ireland: Yay for visiting Deborah!! Plus, there are more amazing castles in both countries, and if I were to go to Scotland, well, there’s another movie I need to recreate a moment of…freeeeeedddooom! And hey, not gonna lie, I want to hear a guy say my name with a fabulous accent.
• Portugal: I’ve wanted to go to Lisbon ever since I had to write a paper on Portugese culture in 8th grade. I can squeeze it in.
• Denmark: They have some of the sweetest citites sitting right on the North Sea. Adorable architecture on harbors, and I really need to try some of their cheese. Food Network had a whole hour devoted to it a few months back, so now I need to go there to try some. It doesn’t hurt that the Danish people are the tallest in the world. Yay for tall people!
• Costa Rica: I totally want to go back! Swimming in a river in a rain forest with toucans flying overhead, picking your own cococuts, being woke up at 5 am by howler monkeys-now who doesn’t love that 😉
• Chile: Upon arrival, check out the coast lines…penguins!
• Amazon: Yes, I realize this is not a country, but it goes through multiple countries and I want to be able to see as much of the surrounding rain forest as I can without being disruptive the natural environment.
• South Africa: At least two parks I know I want to hit, and hey, it would be sweet to see where Este is from!
• Rwanda: Oh buddy, now here is where I would reach my life’s pinnacle. Mountain gorillas! Apparently, it’s $500 a trip up to see them, but it would be so worth it!
• Indonesia/Southeast Asian Islands: So much diversity on the animal front! Orangutans, komodo dragons, all sorts of monkeys (and snakes, but let’s avoid those…)

So maybe my reasoning for wanting to go to each country just proves how uncultured I am…which I would say is all the more reason to jump on a plane, get Euro rail pass and and just keep trekking for a couple months.

So considering my financial state at the moment (not a lot of money in being a professional student), I’m guessing my grand adventure is still a few years off. Plus I need to budget money for London in case Chicago doesn’t win as Olympic host city for 2016. (The winter games are in Canada, but I’m not that into them..well, I am, but nowhere near my devotion for the summer games.) But even if Chicago does get it, I still might go to London just to see Michael Phelps rock all over again. He might not have that steam in 8 years. And maybe the London Olympics will kick off my tour of Europe!

Well, now that you all know of my aspirations for becoming a world traveler, I think it’s time for this lady to hit the hay. Night y’all!