 a decision.
I’ve driven thousands of miles in California, and I still find wonderful, beautiful, unique aspects of it. I tend to think of the entire state as that triangle of Yuma, San Diego and LA, when that’s probably the least interesting corner of the state.
I’d go visit my grandmother in rural Virginia in the spring and conveniently forget to tell the rest of my family that I am there for about a week. I’ll help her catch up her gardening because she hates it when her landscaping does not look like a magazine cover. Then I’d cook dinner and show her I still remember what she taught me.
THAT sounds like a trip you must take, even if you have to drag a kid or two along.
I would have to say Scotland,England,Ireland and Wales and then the rest of Europe. My father worked for a Airline(on the ground, not in the air) and whenever we would see a contrail across the sky, we would wonder where the plane was headed and the adventures awaiting the people on board. Have had wunderlust ever since, that’s why I love reading, there is adventure with every turn of the page. Thanks Grace for adding to my wunderlust!
First time I went to Europe, I flew stand-by on Icelandic Air for about $200. The weekend I spent in JFK before I got a seat was as much adventure as the following month in Europe. I hope if you do go, you won’t start off flying stand-by from New York.
To be refreshed and rejuvenated: the beach. Always, the ocean. The sound of the waves, the immensity of the horizon, the feeling of sand between by toes: I love it! I’m a big fan of the mid-Atlantic seaside, but there’s something to be said for warm and drinks with umbrellas, too.
To travel: I’ve had a hankering to return to the south of France where I spent a semester 20 years ago. It’s such a lovely and history-filled part of the world. Itinerary to include Aix, Marseilles, Nice, and maybe a jaunt through the Luberon, where my house-father used to like to take us for hikes. Airfare is a little dear these days.
Dream trip: to sail the Nile in a house boat and visit all the great monuments along its shores.
My dad is an ocean guy, and was able to retire with a 270-degree view of the Pacific from his living room. I go there and think, “When is all that water going to take a notion to cause mischief?” It’s pretty, I suppose, but not the kind of pretty I like best.
My ancestors were “persuasively escorted” to the sea’s edge in 1500’s France. There is a town there, still bearing my family name. I want to go there.
I wonder if they emigrated to Ireland, as some Huguenots did, where they became my ancestors? My mother’s maiden name is Lavelle, which some claim is a variant of the Irish O’Mavel, but it sounds suspiciously French to me.
My ancestors went to Switzerland first.
Lavelle is a lovely name! But you’re right. It sounds kinda “Frenchy”.
I love new horizons and grand experiences, but now that I live in Oklahoma any extra money goes to taking me across the ocean to my beloved green island home of England.
Abi, I can see why. The contrast between OK and Merry Olde must feel excruciating long about July. But then, there aren’t enough cowboys in England, are there?
Indeed there are not, although my brother-in-law is a proper Canadian cowboy who now roams the meadows of Hampshire! I would like to say how reading your books make me feel as if I’ve been home, if only for a bit.
Glad you enjoyed “The Heir,” and hope the rest of the Windham series lives up to Westhaven’s standard. I met a wonderful taxi driver in Aberdeen on my last visit. Lovely old guy who drove me all around Royal Deeside. He recounted a friend’s experience, of working hard for decades, and saving up for “when we retire.” All the travel plans were for “when we retire.” The friend’s wife ended up with early dementia. The only place they traveled together was the long, hard road to her complete dependency.
See you in Copenhagen?
Would love to go back to Ireland (also an Irish citizen) been twice still haven’t seen everything I wanted to. Also Scotland to practice my Gaelic. My daughter and I have been learning Scottish Gaelic. would love to spend time just speaking.
I recall this about you, and you’ve planted the idea in my head I should be studying Gaelic too. I enjoy languages, but that one… I’m told its TOUGH. But then, you could just sit in the local shibeen, quaffing ale, and listening, couldn’t you? Might improve the translation rate.
Thinking about popular vacation destinations on the Pacific ocean… I remember one very stormy winter night at Rocky Point Restaurant on the Big Sur coast. The swells were huge. We were all sure the 20 foot waves crashing/splashing 40 feet high on the rocks were going to come up and eat us all alive. They didn’t. The building is still there. I’m heading back, on a stormy night, if I can. There is nothing more satisfying than being face to face with the magnificent power of nature … well, except for reading a good book.
Now, Leigh, I drove the PCH, because everybody said, “You must see Big Sur…” Hmm. For a few miles, the SoCal coast bore something of a resemblance to Maine or Oregon, but the trees resonated with me far more than the same old, same old ocean.
And the lack of guard rails REALLY registered with me. Won’t be doing that again.
Give your nephew a chance to settle in, and then find the money, Bonnie. Scotland in summer is not to be missed, particularly not when you have somebody who can drive you around on the wrong side of the road, and all you have to do is pick out which pub to stop at for lunch.
Once upon a time and two kids ago I had the chance to live in the UK for two years. My husbands job took us (along with our two young sons there)to a small village named Bowden, outside of Manchester. What an experience! We were able to travel all over Europe – All around England and Scotland, Ireland to kiss the Blarney Stone (tacky – but it must be done), to Germany to explore a Christmas market, to Finland to meet Santa, A cruise to Italy and Malta. Well you get the idea. In the 10+ years we have been back in the U.S. I have only managed to make it out of Ohio a handful of time. The perfect recharge would be a small cottage in (insert England, Scotland or Ireland here) where I could stay for at least a month – to rest, get to know the locals, and visit a few pubs. Maybe in the next chapter of my life!
I would definitely go to Paris. I love how if you leave the country, people feel like they can’t contact you unless it is absolutely necessary. If we are somewhere in the US, my husband still does work, which doesn’t help make a vacation enjoyable in my opinion!
I love Paris and I would love to walk, eat and explore some more. It sounds like absolute freedom, which would be very rejuvenating!
I enjoyed Paris, but I wasn’t prepared for how HOT it can be. I guess that’s why we’re supposed to see it in springtime rather than high summer. I enjoyed the cats especially.
I would tour the British Isles. I have numerous Irish roots in my family.
My sister has traced our roots back into the 1700s, and most of my people at least passed through the UK for a few generations. I’m more Irish than Scottish, but I think Gaelic culture generally has formed a lot of the bones of what we think of as “American” values.In a world that has lost all color, a single leaf faithfully holds on. There are no people, only a drone of sound amidst wandering thoughts without plot or narrative. A wind, a drop of water, the soft crackle of a phonograph - all are shadows of an immense silence composed of nothing more than unspoken words. This silence is foreign to music. Nevertheless, it is on this silence that music gently leans.Have your asphalt work in Brighton completed by the finest experts from Spade Concrete in a professional way today. An attractive looking asphalt in Brighton, TN is the want of every house owner! An attractively made concrete job around Brighton, admits you to enjoy nature from the comfort of your townhouse. There's many ways that a house owner might use to increase the value of a home in TN; one particular process is to build in the most awesome and tough concrete on the street. A experienced pro in Brighton from Spade Concrete will have it built in quick and conveniently; so you alongside your family can institute taking pleasure in it without any delays.
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