Today at work we were fantasizing about where we would go if someone were to give us a blank airline ticket, and we could fill in the destination. There are several places I would love to visit -- Russia, India, South Africa, Israel, Italy ... gosh, where wouldn't I love to visit? I remember several years ago reading a wonderful book by John Steinbeck called "Travels with Charley". Steinbeck traveled throughout the United States in a camper which he named "Rocinante" after the horse of Don Quixote. He started his travels in Long Island, New York roughly following the outer border of the United States, from Maine to the Pacific Northwest, down into his native Salinas Valley in California, across to Texas, up through the Deep South, and then back to New York, a trip encompassing nearly 10,000 miles. Charley, his traveling companion, was a French poodle.
Ever since I read "Travels with Charley", I have wanted to take the same trip, and follow the same route Steinbeck took. I have been across Canada by train, and going through the Rocky Mountains is always amazing and to use an overused word -- awesome. I have gone through the Canadian Rocky Mountains by train and by car, and I have flown over them, and they are truly majestic.
To me, however, America seems like such an interesting country. As Steinbeck described it, it changed completely from one locale to the next, not only in scenery, but in customs, politics, opinions, accents, attitudes towards strangers, levels of education ... He felt America had become several countries in one. I have always wanted to take a road trip through America, on exactly the route Steinbeck took, and to see how much the country would change from New York to New Mexico.In the blogging world, everyone is from "somewhere else". I would love to hear about your little corner of the world. Tell me a little bit about it. It's so far away from where I am, and I may never get the chance to see it.
48 comments:
This is a great post, I'd thought of doing something similar myself! Here in Georgia most of the land was originally swamp land, sometimes you can still see a bit of it here and there. Everything blooms here and I mean EVERYTHING. There are flowers to look at from early Spring to early Winter, it's truly beautiful. Up North just a few hours it's mostly wooded still and a beautiful sight to behold in the Fall when all the leaves change. Down South a bit, we have beaches. We have a bit of everything here. I've lived in 7 cities in 6 states across the U.S. Georgia is my favorite so far.
Pak Karamu visit your blogs
Well, I'm from Malaysia, a humble country which is located in the South East Asia. To be precise, it is located near Singapore.
Malaysia consists of three different races who live together, namely Malays (the so-called natives in the country), Chinese, and Indians. Although many people from other countries are in awe with the fact that three different races of people could live together in harmonious atmosphere, but to be frank, politic issues often arise within the three races.
Malaysia is very well known of its food galore. We serve variety kind of foods over here. And since Malaysia does not have four seasons like any other European countries do, it is summer-like all year long.
I would love to see the Europe with my own eyes too... Have been dreaming about it, for such a long time. Too long perhaps.
Well , you asked !!! I live in Wiltshire UK near to Stonehenge , and Avebury and other ancient tombs . Very close to Bath (weekends often spent there) and Oxford ( visit 'the dreaming spires whenever I can)and just up the road from London. I live in a little village and from my bedroom window I see rolling fields and 'the Ridgeway' a natural walkway that has been trudged by many people over the milleniums.
Michigan...land of the big waters and disparate people. Bears and wolves to the north and hyenas and crows to the south. A place where visitors come and have a good time but glad when they leave thankful their home is somewhere else.
A place that sits about horizontally center of the continent and political spectrum where no matter your fancy as to type of destination it can be filled.
Want tree's, lakes and, tents plenty O'places same with museums, concert halls, and eateries.
Michigan the place where if you get lost a native will always get you in the right direction by using the back of your hand as a road map.
I have to say that I have always wanted to visit the USA and one of the things I would like to do if I had the time and money would be to travel cross country accross America. Looking at the map it looks like a great route that covers most of the must see places. You need a travel companion?
I'm not going to tell you all about South Africa and what it is like to travel here. You know a bit about the country and being a regular visitor to my blog you have seen so much of the country already. Keep on popping in, cause there is so much more to show you. SA rocks as a travel destination.
India - earlier known for elephants & snake charmers. Now it has developed tremendously. I say so bcoz I have travelled to many countries: US, UK, Dubai, saudi arabia, Oman, Singapore, Bangkok, and your very own Canada. Just like in the US, we have a kaleidoscope of different and very colourful geography replete with history and culture. It is the country of Taj Mahal (1 of 7 Wonders of the World), long expanses of beaches - Goa, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu; there are deserts in Rajasthan, vast jungles and wild life in the mountains, and the tallest mountains in the world : the Himalayas. Snow clad valley of Kashmir; we have many rivers in the land-Indus, Ganges, Narbada, Tapti to name a few. We are surrounded by Oceans on three sides: the Arabian sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Bay of Bengal. There are hundreds of indian languages typical of each area. But English is spoken abundantly too. Just like it's languages, Indian people dress up differently in each state. There is the colourful Rajasthani, full of orange & pink and greens; with folk music as its backdrop. Hyderabad is the land of Nawabs (or Princes), with its unique colorful culture. The south is full of earthy bright colours.
Above all its myriad colors and languages, India has its own cuisine varieties ranging from the Biryani, to tandoori; the tikkas, Curry, and mouth watering kebabs. Currently India has been experimenting with fusion cuisine, and the result is only to be tried to be believed. India has also produced world class musicians and classical dancers, and continues to do so. Inspite of THE orscar nominee 'slumdog millionnaire' (for showcasing its slums)this country has inspired the likes of Salman Rushdie, Naipul, and Deepak chopra. No one can forget Mohandas Gandhi for his ideology.
hi,I'm from india,i'd elaborate but someone before me has already already described my beautiful country.
This is a great post(which of yours isnt?:) )I'd like to road trip through many parts of my country that i haven't seen,so many states,cultures and languages fused into one-the indian subcontinent :D.In one of your earlier posts you said,if i recall correctly, that you'd like to visit Goa...well come on over :D!I visited Goa December'07..its heavenly!
I haven't visited the Us.Maybe i'll head over there someday for college or research or something.Maybe..
Other than that i'd love to visit Egypt,Italy and Argentina some day!
Well I'm from South Africa in the province of Kwazulu Natal. The first part of the name is an addition added when the political spectrum of the country changed. Our province is a mixture of weather and environments ranging from really cold to hot and dry but where I stay near to Durban on the coast (about 21 kms away) we have a lush tropical environment. Everything is green and growing like a jungle partly because of a Summer season which has seen rain just about every day. We will have to wait for Winter to see the sun. Winter in our province is usually dry. Where I live is a bit hilly and from my house I have a good view of the surrounding town (New Germany) and the sea in the distance.
Go no where but Botswana Joe, its serene and tranquil.its in Southern Africa mainland.40% of virgin land is exclusive animal and bird land.
We are your neighbour to the north.
We are a piece of land that once was attached to Peru and then broke away to see the world!
We drifted up the coast and partied with Mt Baker, Mt Rainer and probably Mt St. Helens when all the fireworks were happening and then moved on to snuggle up to southern Alaska and western Canada and rest awhile.
We are mountians, bog lands and beaches. We were a "refugia" during the last ice age, having flora & fauna that is found nowhere else in the world.
As long as there have been people we have been inhabited. Haida have been here for more than 10,000 years. We have the largest black bears and the smallest deer and the only predator on the island is man.
We are an island of loggers and fishers, weavers and dreamers, non Haida and Haida, salmon and cedar, ravens and eagles, winds and waves.
We are Haida Gwaii!
i'm from massachusetts, here in new england. yes we have four seasons but we have so much more. theres the ocean, can't miss it. the western part of the state has the berkshires, a mountain range that while its small as ranges go is still beautiful. and history seems to reside around every corner, bye for now....jc
I am from Western Pa. I live on a 90 acre farm, though we are only 38 miles from Pittsburgh.......GO STEELERS!! I have never lived anywhere but PA. Our mountain ranges are nothing like the Rockies, but beautiful just the same. Each section of the state seems to change,as if you are in another part of the country. It's been quite cold, but the spring flowers are starting to break thru the ground, so spring is coming!! We have many museums in the Pgh area, as well as other wonderful exhibits. The only complaint is the roads are constantly under construction!!!
well,I'm from Nakameguro,Tokyo,Japan.And I like Vancouver.Five years ago I've visited Vancover,and someday I want to visit Vancoucver again.
I live in a countryside of soft hills, wide forest-edged meadows, brooks that sing in spring and languish in summer. It's considered a cultural center by the harried New Yorkers who summer here but by far the best concerts are given by the songbirds at dawn.
I haven't traveled much but I definitely want to go to Italy (search out my roots) and then travel across the US and into Canada (especially your neck of the woods). I tease my husband that I'd like to spend our retirement years in a Winnebago! I live in Maryland which is really a mini-US - we have it all - from beaches to mountains. Unfortunately, we also have suburban sprawl.
If I had the means, I'd travel by RV all across the continent in the US, Canada and Mexico - for the rest of my life.
I'm in Raleigh, North Carolina, US. The City of Oaks is our tag-line and we have many, many trees and beautiful flowers here, as well as 7 colleges and universities in the surrounding areas. Our economy is still pretty good, as compared to many other parts of the US, and we have a high standard of living. We are 2 hours from the ocean and 3-4 hours from the mountains, making us the ideal vacation spot.
I'm from Istanbul/Turkey and have a great sea view from office in front of me now! :)
But if i had a blank airline ticket at the moment, i'd fly to Greece or any Greek Islands without second think! Or i'd visit you Jo and invite you for a coffee and enjoy it by gossiping about anything:)
Hugs
Burcu
Connecticut! It's that state you go through on your way from New York to Boston. We have beaches and,(yes)some mountains.It's a place of extremes..the wealthy and the impoverished. Yankee spirit survives here. Speaking of Yankees, we have both Red Sox and Yankee fans here, not having a team of our own. Tourist destinations include Mystic Seaport and the Mystic Aquarium and the two casinos if that's your thing.I love to just to drive through the countryside.
I'm the one who always comes through as anonymous because I can't figure out how to post properly. I forgot to mention Connecticut's Charter Oak. We are also called the Constitution State. Our state quarter show the Oak tree where The state's charter in which the states charter was hidden from the British governor. The oak,which was planted by native Americans, in early 1600 as a peace symbol, succombed to old age. I think that there are some descendants of this tree now growing in the state. Dee
Well, you hit the jackpot with this post! I think everyone loves to tell people where they are from. I'm in San Antonio, Texas! I have travelled a lot, but I love coming home to Texas :-)
Mississippi... it has such a negative connotation, and most of it is true, but there's so much more to us than what you see on the history channel. We have some of the poorest counties in the country, with people living like they're in a third-world country, and we have some of the richest people in the country living right outside our capitol in their McMansions with their hummers and mercedes.
I love the culture of my state. I grew up 3 hours from New Orleans, so I very early fell in love with jazz. Now living only an hour from the Delta and Memphis, blues have become a big part of my life. People here are NICE-- they smile at you for no good reason, just because their momma taught them to. The food here... well, it's amazing. Cheese grits, fried pickles, red beans and rice, gumbo, fried chicken, ripe tomatoes with homemade mayo, okra, and sweet tea. No wonder we're the fattest state in the nation too. But boy is it worth it.
My hometown, a town of only 20,000, is centered around a quaint town square and two historic home districts. Nothing's older than the civil war, though-- Sherman took care of that. Racism doesn't really exist in that historical way, with white people being outrightly discriminatory, except in the outer-most fringe of society. It's mostly institutional now, unintentional, built into our social and economic system, but there's tons of people fighting to correct it.
Y'all should visit in the spring or fall if you can help it-- the only people that survive summers down here are the natives.
Massachusetts. The pilgrims landed here and the Mayflower II is still docked in Plymouth Harbor. You can follow the Freedom Trail in Boston. Lots of history here. Home of the Red Sox, the Bruins (best record in NHL), and the defending NBA world champion Celtics. Lots of crazy sports fans. Cape Cod, Duxbury Beach, Rockport, and Plum Island. Lots of amazing beaches. Rain, Snow, Sun, Humidity, Breezy, Freezing. A distinct four seasons, though all of these conditions could occur in one day.
I'm a life long New Englander and a life long resident of Massachusetts (except for a six month stint in Rhode Island). Some days I dream of living on the opposite coats, preferably in San Francisco.
Hi, Jo, if you do decide to take that road trip and detour thru thu the middle of the states you might just come see me! We are in Missouri, just off of Interstate 70. We have a small RV park and I get to meet new people almost daily. We are about 75 miles west of St. Louis and also have our "regulars" who return every other week or so to "get away". Our park is about 40 acres and as we add new sites we try to maintain the rustic, woodsy quality that makes our park a place to get away from the fast pace of every day life. I am originally from south Georgia, with way too much heat and humidity; then was transplanted to Minnesota, with way too short a growing season. We settled in between and I am pleased to have 4 seasons here. Most spring days will find me with my hands in the dirt created more gardens! Come see us!
Well, you know all about where I'm from, because you're from the island, too. But I'll tell you about a place I've been, and which calls to me now, in the quiet hours of the morning.
I lived for a short while in the Langued'oc, nestled in the hollow between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean Sea. The land was dusty and covered with a mix of white stones and tiny flowers. On the mountain crags vultured the great rocky ruins of crusader castles. In the day, the air smelt of freshly baked bread and hot, sun-toasted earth, and in the evenings, the jovial laughter of our neighbours rang across the rolling hills.
Our house had once been a stable. Every room was the same size, and in a long line, with wooden shutters that opened onto a cobbled courtyard. Shuffling down the hall to the kitchen, you could almost hear the clip-clop of horses' hooves echoing down through the centuries.
I'm from Germany, North Rhine Westphalia. That's the west of the Country, it has also been that before the big Reunification of 'both Germanies'.
There's not a lot to say, our houses and Block of flats are always build of Stone. Cologne and the Rhine River are only 20km away from my place, and the terrain is topographically speaking full of small, soft hills.
We have a few minuscule Woodlands here, too. It's hard to describe
I don't recomment Germany as a Travel destination. We don't offer that much. :/
Omigosh, you have no idea how much I love reading about the places where you all live. they all sound so wonderful. I would love to visit them all some day. Well --- maybe, you never know!.
Like you there are many far off lands I would love to visit...but there is so much to see here in this beautiful country of ours.
I have never been to the Maritimes and I would love to go New Foundland....I have never driven through the wheat fields of Saskatchewan...I have always wanted to drive the Alaska Highway and hike the Chilkoot trail having read the book and seeing documentaries on it I think it would be an awesome experience.
I have travelled down through Montana, Idaho,Utah,Arizona crossed over to California made my way home via Oregon and Washington, but there is still so much to see.
But there is always much to see in our own backyard.....
You mentioned before that you have, or had, ties with South Africa and I would certainly give my ticket to you to come and visit. South Africa is also a world in one country. We have everything from desserts to rainforests, flat plains to majestic mountains. Many ethnic groups, cultures, lifestyles, etc. makes South Africa a place of neverending new experiences. We have eleven official languages, not to mention all the different dialects and accents. SA and its are truly a country of contrasts and extremes. So I suggest you use my ticket to come here and experience it all. Even the Rand/Dollar exchange rate is encouraging you to accept my invitation. When you land here, just let my know, I will be there quicker than you can say "Hamba Kahle" to meet you and enjoy a nice chatl.
I live in San Francisco, with its amazing views of hills and mountains, old Victorians and streetcars, and cool fog throughout the summer. I love this city for all its little counterculture niches, and for all the amazingly intelligent, educated, and kind people I've met here.
This was fun reading about all the places people wanted to travel (or actually live).
I too, read the book when I was a kid (part of the reason I knew I wanted to travel and move about our country).
In June of 1993, I decided to take John's book (having already visited the museum they have for him in Salinas - just outside of Monterey, CA where many authors lived), and do the exact journey (plus) he made.
I bought a 26 foot r.v. - it's name was ESCAPER. Because my name is Diane, I had an artist put the letters DIAN in front of the factory-named ESCAPER, so it read: Diane'scaper (he easily inserted the apostrophe right between the e and s of escaper.
From June of 1993 until July of 2000, I lived in the r.v.; traveled all the lower 48 states; then into Canada and Mexico.
I was just amazed at the difference on housing styles; the difference in music I would get on the radio stations - obviously the foods were different because of the food sources that were abundant on the coastal areas versus the foods that were grown locally in the mid-west.
The clothing preferences even varied somewhat; not only based on climate, but what was 'custom' in the area (largely due to where many early immigrants had settled, and they had maintained some of the original traditions and habits).
The nice thing is the housekeeping in a small 'home on wheels'; you don't spend much time at it.
You sleep at night hearing the outside so much more clearly; when it rains, the sounds on the roof are different than in a regular home.
You are much more 'near' the outside elements; you wake up and see animals that normally shun coming near a home, right at your door - somehow the r.v. is no where near as threatening to a coyote or deer, as a home is.
You 'live' in parks; camp next to rivers and oceans; you change the scenery, and never ever get bored.
I would still be in that r.v. (we use it now just for month-long trips); however, my husband's health hasn't been good, so he made me quit with my tour.
In 1993 I set out on my own; lived on my own in the r.v. for 7 years because I wasn't married.
In January of 2000, I got married for the 6th time; by July, my husband had tired of the confines of the r.v. and was more comfortable in a full-sized house.
I urge anyone and everyone to try this type of living before they get too old to be comfortable - it is an adventure I'll cherish my entire life.
Fortunately, we live close to the Grand Canyon so we will take 3 months in the r.v. and at least get to visit this area; parts of Utah which are also incredibly beautiful.
When I want to visit with photographs, I go to the FlickR web-site and just gaze at the millions of photographs people have put there.
I was born in Michigan, so I enjoyed the post by your Michigander.
My husband is from Massachusetts; love that place - one of the greatest places to find the best seafood/clams, and see some wonderful early architecture in the USA.
I have a young lady friend in Malaysia; her name is Carol, and she writes me frequently about her customs and what it's like to live where she does (I've also checked her location on the web).
My friend who lives in Manila also writes; he keeps a blog and sends me photos of where he lives.
A friend in France does the same with his blog and photos as does a friend of mine in Holland and another in Denmark.
I also built one of my blogs to show where I live; these are my favorite blogs because I love to travel through cyberspace now that I can't spend my time 100% on the road.
http://whyilivewhereido.blogspot.com
My daughter was telling me about a homework assignment that my grandson was given in school about two years ago (when he was 10 yrs.old). He was supposed to write a report on where he would like to travel to and it could be anywhere in the world. My grandson has traveled quite a bit throughout the U.S. because his mom loves to travel (usually by car and camping equipment).
Anyway...for all the places he's been and all the places he talked about wanting to go, he picked the one place that he would like to go....his "Memom's" house (that's me) in Naperville, Illinois. Listed as one of the reasons for this decision..."My Memom makes the best meatballs in the world." This is why that kid is gonna be at the top of my list in the will and he'll be the one to get my meatball recipe. ;-)
One of my favorite places in the U.S. is Upper Maine (the Bar Harbor area) and my favorite city (besides Chicago) is Boston.
Jo- I have actually lived in many US states. I'll start with where I grew up, Phoenix, Arizona. One of the hottest states in the country. We have hardly any rain, lots of dust storms though. The people are fairly friendly, but don't leave your car or home unlocked. Phoenix is one of the highest crime cities in the country. Don't get me wrong, Arizona does have some beautiful areas like Sedona, and the Grand Canyon (though I have never actually seen it.). However I would never recommend it to anyone.
My husband is from Boston, MA. He moved me there in 2002. We lived in a small beach town called Hull. It was full of people that had never been further than their backyard. The town is about 3 miles long and only a little over a mile wide. However, the ocean goes on forever and Boston is only a fairy ride away. If you like REALLY small town life, and don't mind everyone knowing your business, than its pretty nice.
We moved to Burlington, Vermont in 2004. VERY COLD! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful is the only way to discribe Vermont. There are glorious mountains, pretty lakes including the legondary Champlain Lake, home of "Champ" the fresh water monster who communicates with Sonar. Vermont has beautiful Crab Apple trees that bloom wonderful pink blossoms in March and April. Lots of apple orchords in fall as well.
We lived in the lovely beach town of Wells, Maine for about a year. Again, a very cold place, but the summers were beautiful. My Mother-in-law lives there and she has the most glorious garden, full of flowers of every kind. Living in Maine was like living in a dream land. Everything seemed to move so slowly, and the people were so cheerful!
We then lived in Newport, Rhode Island for about two years. Dispite what you may have heard, it's not all its cracked up to be. Very over priced and not much to see. It does have a lot of historic mansions, and there is the famous ghost tour that is done every year for Sept thru Oct, but I found out the majority of the tails are fake and the vendors can have their stores or inns put on the trail with a made up story for a heafty fee. (We lived in one of the Inns with the fake story). There is little to no parking in the town for the amount of tourism they get, and they love to slap fines on any car they can find.
Lastly, the not so lovely Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada. The best word to discribe it is, vile! Unless you're into the cassinos, I would not recommend ever setting foot in this awful dump. There is crime everywhere. The schools are a joke. In fact, the only positive thing I could say about Nevada is the weather. The winters are nice and summer isn't too hot. Spring and fall is lovely. However the trashy people take away from all of that. We can't wait to get our of this state.
I have travelled across the United States and Up and down both coast and with no bias I say it is a pretty incrediable place to travel around.
Being married to someone in the military, we move around, and for the past 3.5 years we have been at the most south western point in the US. Ok, yeah, the weather is nice and we don't have to deal with blizzards or anything like that-but I grew up with blizzards, so I'll take a good snowfall over the bright sun any day. SoCal is a good place to visit, but I could never live here longer than a few years. There is no variety, in anything. But we did get rain for four days... which I'm sure is equivalent to a four day blizzard in the Midwest.
My husband said Columbia is beautiful and has great diving opportunities and the water is so clear it's amazing.
Wow! You got me thinking. I grew up on Cape Cod (Falmouth).Lots of trees,beaches,many wonderful miles of bike trails running alongside the beaches.Very friendly and strong people. Lived in Plymouth,Ma as a teenager/incredible cemeteries,waterfront and Pilgrim Plantation. Wonderful and Dark History. Live in Central New Jersey for all my adult life. Beautiful and Historic.Princeton and the County Seat-Trenton. I adore the people in NJ.We have people from all over. "Everyone is from somewhere else".Arts in Newark,Farmland from Somerset to Stockton,Ivy League History-Princeton.Springtime is beautiful!here and all the fresh veggies you can stand Jo! All along the sides of the road on my way home from work. Places I plan to go-Definitely Nova Scotia (My Nova Scotian Great,Great Grandmother chopped her own wood at 97 and died of a common cold at 99),Toronto,Vancouver. I would love to go to Israel,Cali,Columbia (My girl and my sister were both born in Cali),Spain,Portugal,Scotland!!Ireland!! But most of all, travel the United States as did John Steinbeck and get to know my own country even more and up close. Whew!!! John Steinbeck- a stellar writer,without a doubt has given me strength and courage to continue writing and surviving (The Grapes of Wrath) are a reminder of what America has in her history and her strength but isn't that what it's all about? What happens and influences you where you live and travel?? Sorry I strayed
As I was starting my own blog I was roped in by the Blogger plug for your blog and since then I've enjoyed your postings. The Ahmad Jamal clip was a delightful bonus. My little corner of the world is a village in the heart of Italy with somewhere between 68 and 200 residents, depending on who you ask. I'll skip the superlatives but we do have gorgeous scenery, wonderful food and wine, and a great quantity and quality of live jazz.
Awww, Jo, you are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place. When I divorced my husband I lived in Florida and I traveled back home across country to California by car with my 1 year old daughter and my 5 year old son. Now that was an adventure! I joke, but it was actually a really neat experience. It's so fun to see how people live in different states. Even though we are the "United States" each state seems to have such unique and different personality. Our diversity makes us so fascinating!
Have a Super Beautiful and Lucky (lol) Day !
If you're going to follow in the foot steps of John Steinbeck, you will need a canine companion to follow in the paw steps of Charley!
I live in Brisbane, Australia. We are in the subtropics. So it is green and warm all year. We share our city with many birds (including colourful parrots) and lizards, from very big, 5 feet, to small. My person Tim is from Sydney and prefers the more relaxed lifestyle and weather up here. My other person, Mandy, is from the UK and thinks this is paradise.
Funny, I mentioned Steinbeck in my post today, too!
I live in Maryland, a small state founded by Catholic forefathers (and foremothers) squished between Pennsylvania and Virginia, and bordered to the West by West Virginia. We have everything from mountains to the seashore here, and the place is rich with history. We are in Frederick which is in the foothills. We're close enough to drive into D.C. to see the sites, and we're far enough from it to have a much lower crime rate, less traffic, and beautiful farmland.
We moved here in 1997 for work, and we've been here ever since. With the economy as it is, I suspect we'll be here a lot longer, too. Work here is easier to come by than in most parts of the U.S., as long as you don't mind a terrible commute.
Peace - D
HI JO, EVEN I AM AMAZED AT THE WONDERFUL PLACES PEOPLE HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT ON THIS BLOG, AND THE POSTS ARE STILL COMING.
HERE'S AN OPEN INVITATION TO YOU FROM ME. COME TO INDIA AND BE MY GUEST, THEN WE WILL GO ALL OVER INDIA, AS EVEN I HAVE NOT BEEN TO SO MANY LOVELY PLACES HERE....!
SERIOUSLY JO...! IT'S NOT THAT FAR.
I AGREE WITH INTROSPECTION! EVERY PLACE EVERYONE HAS WRITTEN ABOUT SOUNDS WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL...! I'M SO GLAD I ASKED YOU ALL TO DESCRIBE WHERE YOU ARE FROM. I FELT AS IF I HAD VISITED EACH ONE OF YOU, BY THE WAY YOU DESCRIBED WHERE YOU LIVE AND WHERE YOU HAVE TRAVELLED. THANK YOU...!!!! AMAZING! I'M GOING TO READ THEM OVER SEVERAL TIMES.
Lake Tahoe is majestic. It is a clear lake that is 693 square miles and 1645 feet deep. It is the largest alpine lake in North America. The lake never freezes but is very cold -even in summer. Where I live, on the North Shore, it is at 6,300 ft. altitude. At that altitude it takes time to acclimate. When you first visit, you need to drink plenty of water. You feel kind of slow and tired for a few days. After visiting the Canadian Rockies this fall, I have to say - they are also majestic! The Sierra Nevada mountains are different, but very beautiful. Come visit!
I have just read a purported esoteric history of the Egyptian Sphinx and would visit that (from what I have read at Crystal links) and visit also the Vatican.
I come from a beautiful country - New Zealand - tucked away beneath Australia! I love in city called Dunedin, in the south of the South Island. I been to a few places in the world but I always love coming home. My place has beaches (cold!!!) bush, hills, mountains, rivers lakes - you name it we have it!
We want to do a road trip across America one day, but with arrival of new baby, wont be for a while. My brother and sister inlaw live in Canada so we want to visit there first of course! NZ is a lot like Canada apparently!
I read "Travels With Charley" in high school and then again in college. Such a wonderful book. I think most of us want to take a long road trip at some point in our lives. Just a few years ago, while visiting friends in Sag Harbor, I asked to be driven to see his home. After all those years, I had to see the home in which he lived and wrote that book.
Hi Jo, like your Iowa friend, I'm not too far. My town is Jacksonville, Illinois right smack dab in the mid west, 60 miles northeast of St. Louis--which I love and go there a lot! We are a small town of about 18,000 people, but we have much to offer here, like two private colleges, one state junior college, many state institutions: Illinois School for the Visually Impaired, Illinois School for the Deaf, Jacksonville Developmental Center (a large campus & facility for developmentally disabled adults).
We have manufacting plants here such as Pactiv that makes the zipper bags (like zip lock bags, but with the zipper) and they make a trash bag, we have the country's only Ferris Wheel Factory (Eli Bridge Co.), We have Capitol/EMI Records and EMI Christian Music, Nestle (makes coffee creamer), AC-Humko (makes salad dressings and other hyrdonated oil (yuck) prodcuts--used to be called Kraft Foods. And we have some smaller manufacturing plants as well. The community is heavily involved in arts, with an Art Association, we even have a Symphony!
But it's like a big prairie..all flat! Lots of farmland, much of the country's corn comes from this state and soybeans.
Just 30 minutes away is Springfield, our state Capitol--home of Abe Lincoln...lots of Lincoln Sites there and pop. of 110,00, so it's nice to be in such an affluent small town, and also be within driving distance of anything you need. We are right in the center of Illinois.
I however grew up in extreme southern Illinois in a small town on the Ohio River, across from Kentucky, so I am somewhat southern! And that part of the state is absolutely beautiuful being in the Shawnee National Forest.
Having divorce and remarried parents I got to move back and forth, so I lived in Phoenix, Arizona, and went to high school in a little north east town in Mississippi, just 30 miles from ELVIS's birthplace.
I don't plan on staying here forever! Hoping to retire in when the time comes to Lake Tahoe, Nevada area or Hawaii!
Thanks for this post, I enjoyed reading everyones response!
Oh, lastly, I volunteer to maintain a myspace website for my town, which is
http://www.myspace.com/jacksonvilleillinois
We have 2 famous residents! Ken Norton former boxing champ in the 70's, and the Father of Modern Dentistry had an office here in 1856, Dr. Green Vardiman Black.
Other details on my town at the myspace, hope you all visit my town's myspace for more info!
Hi Jo. I live in Bristol, UK. It's a really fun, relaxed city where there's always a lot happening and it has a lot of history too. I love being in the midst of all the bright lights and mishmash of cultures. That said, within 20 minutes you can be in the middle of the countryside or, in not much longer, at the seaside. I grew up about 30 miles away in a national forest called the Forest of Dean and it's still one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. My parents are still there so I go back often to visit.
My favourite place that I've ever been was Tuscany, Italy but I have a lot left to see. I really want to go to South America, especially Peru. And there's a lot of the USA I've not yet seen but my sister lives in North Carolina so hopefully I'll see some of it with her.
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