By Jeff Salter
Our topic this week deals with Continent / Country / City we’ve always wanted to visit. Scroll back to Iris on Monday, Janette on Tuesday, and Micki on Wednesday to see what they had to say. And be sure to show back up tomorrow for Tonette’s take on the matter.
My title today comes (of course) from the old saying about the three most important aspects of real estate being location, location, and location. Their point, so eloquently hammered into our societal consciousness, is that location matters. Indeed it does.
Though I’ve spent most of my life in Louisiana, I’ve also lived in Kentucky (7 years and counting), Georgia (twice), Mississippi (including birth), Illinois, New Mexico, Iowa, and California. Plus I took two months of Basic Training in Texas and spent a year overseas in Greenland.
I’ve been very fortunate to have visited (or driven/ridden through) approximately 37 of the 48 states in continental U.S. In fact, the only states I have not been to are North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Nebraska, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Connecticut. It would be nice to round out that tally to 48, but I don’t feel a driving need to do so.
I say all this only to point out that I’ve been around the block a few times and have seen a wide range of the beauty and uniqueness which America has to offer. I also went on a Caribbean cruise for about a week and saw some interesting places.
In spite of the fact that there’s no other nation on earth that I’d like to LIVE in, there are several places I’d love to visit … and none too hurriedly. The problem with most of the places I’ve already been to is that we usually had to rush through them. When / if I ever get to the places I’m about to mention, I want to linger and soak it in.
My list
This is not necessarily the exact order, but I’m definitely starting with the region I’d most like to visit: The British Isles. Yeah … England (especially London), the source of so much of the fine literature I’ve studied and enjoyed. And definitely Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.
And though I do NOT want to go through the “chunnel”, I’d like to visit France, especially some of the WW2 battle sites such as Normandy. Paris, of course. Possibly Belgium and the Netherlands while I’m in the region.
Then up to Norway and Sweden … back down to Switzerland, Italy, and maybe Greece. I’d love to visit Israel, but with all the powder-keg tension over there, I just don’t think I could enjoy my time there.
If I still have time / energy / funds left, I want to make my way to portions of the down-under which I’ve seen and heard so much about. I have some buddies now in various parts of Australia, so (of course) I’d want to see them while I’m there.
Question:
Which continent / country / city have YOU most wanted to visit? Or have you already been there?
Angela Schroeder
Patricia Kiyono
Elaine Cantrell
Jeff Salter
Joselyn
Tonette Joyce
Four Foxes, One Hound 
Holy smokes, Jeff, You have been around a lot, haven’t you! And yes, I agree, the small part of the US I went to see was really beautiful … AND for that matter, so is Australia 😉
As already mentioned, I’ve lived in England and Scotland so I can only recommend it. I loved Switzerland, Greece and Italy, and yes, the Scandinavian countries are on the top of my list as well. I have a feeling you’d like NZ as well !
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True, Iris — lots of places and most when I was a kid and my dad was driving. Our family vacations were really his business trips (to conferences) so we had to hurry to get there. Once “there” — the city with the conf. — Mom and us kids could poke around for a few days, but most of the time was in the hot car on the road. We still managed to spend a little time in some of the most beautiful places in America … but the overwhelming memory is how everything had to be cut short.
Yes, I’d love to visit NZ. And since somebody — perhaps you — mentioned it, I’d kinda like to take a day trip to Taz.
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I’ve been to most of the places on your list and they were well worth visiting. I’m at the point where there are three continents (four, if you include Antarctica) that I haven’t visited, so I guess South America, Africa, and Oceania are on my list. I’d like to visit Scotland, too, since that’s my hubby’s heritage.
BTW, if you ever manage to make it up here to Michigan, let me know – there are six Astraea Press authors here, and Jillian is right across Lake Michigan!
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Gosh, Patty. You are truly a world traveler. Except for two quick trips across the Mex. border when I was a kid, I’ve never left the CONUS. Well, there was that year in Greenland, but we flew over all the territory in between.
I’ve been hearing people talk about a small tourist island called Macinaw somewhere off Michigan. I think I’d like to visit there.
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Thanks for the plug for us all, Jeff…you can wait another day for my ideas,(and I have plenty!)
You don’t feel a “diving need”! Very punny! I had a cute little character show up at my restaurant once,He stayed for a long lunch and stayed after everyone left.He had been to every state but Washington,He’d gotten as far as Oregon and meant to keep going but didn’t; I had no reason to doubt him.He gave me a recipe for venison that is the funniest part of the visit.I never used it though.
I hope I amuse you tomorrow.
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glad somebody caught my pun. Ha.
would love to hear more about the venison guy in Ore.
Looking forward to the post of the Friday Fox.
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I had the foresight to write down the recipe and the story that he told that night, so I have it somewhere; maybe I’ll use it in a post someday.Suffice it to say, it was from a woman who wanted to charge him a lot for the recipe, which included “mush-a-h’rooms”, [mushrooms].
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hope you can find it and turn it into a column
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You are so right with your long list, Jeff. There are so many placers out there I’m sure most all of us would love to visit. Like you, I would love to visit all those places you mentioned and I would love to visit the OLD world as in the Middle East, but for all the what-ifs involved, I probably would. It would be so wonderful if this world were a peaceful place where we could go and come as we pleased and would always be able to call everyone we met, “friend.” 🙂
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Yes … it’s startling (& depressing) how many places on earth are torn by war or deadly conflict. There are some small countries in Africa (so I’ve read) that have remained almost constantly in war-like conditions with one hostile takeover after another. No recognizable government to provide any measure of security and the toughest “bully” on the block takes over. Until he/they are toppled by tougher bullies. the impoverished citizens continue to suffer without relief … no matter who’s in charge.
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