Travel thread

[Morrigan_Dubh]

I would really like to know what the other members of the board's travel experiences are, and to where they would like to travel.

I didn't leave my native country, Ireland, until I was 20. Then I went to Japan and spent a few months with a host family in a place called "Takasaki".

After that I lived in Shinjuku, Tokyo for 7 months participating in an internship.
During this time I was very lucky to be brought on the company holiday (!) to Cairns, Australia - 4 days of white-water rafting, bungee jumping, snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef.

I went back to Japan a year later for another year, participating in the JJET ET programme in a tiny village called Kiyone, in Okayama.

Once again I got to go to Australia during this time, as an interpreter for Kiyone Youth Group. I spent 6 days in Sydney (including Christmas day on Bondi Beach!) and 4 in the bush a few hours outside Sydney, caving and hiking.

I've spent time in Barcelona in Spain, Basel in Switzerland (for Dr. Albert Hofmann's 100th birthday!), Tour and Paris in France, and attended the Carnevale in Venice. The latter was the most incredible experience and I'd really like to do it again!

My dream trip would be to travel down the west coast of the Americas, from Alaska to Chile, travelling by motorbike.
I'd love to visit Iceland, East Europe, Kenya, New Zealand, and Bhutan too.

So tell us about your travel/holiday experiences and wishes...

[Mistress-Liriel]

I have always wanted to go to Japan. You are so fortunate! I was even learning Japanese for a while, but now only remember some basic pleasantries.

I would also love to visit Ireland, Scotland, and Australia, in no particular order. I love castles, and would love to take a very long train tour throughout Europe, stopping to visit some various castles.

I have been to England once, but only for a short stay over. We travel to East Germany twice a year. In less than two months, we are taking a non-stop flight to Berlin, then from Berlin to Frankfurt (Oder) to visit family. We are going to take a mini vacation (about 4 days) to Zurich, Switzerland by train. We'll visit friends and check out the area for potential relocation from the US.

[Morrigan_Dubh]

I'd love to live in Switzerland. It seems like a fascinating place to live. It'S got such a wonderful history too.

[A Simple Poet]

I, too, would love to visit Switzerland. And also Prague, France, Germany, and all of the UK. I would not rule out Italy, Japan, New Zealand, or even Egypt.

Unfortunately, I have never made it outside the North American Contienent and I doubt I ever shall. So I would like to go to Montreal, Stratford Canada, and British Columbia. Ideally, I would live in Seattle or some place in semi-rural New England but I am stuck in the Hell of Florida because my wife does not want to move from her family.

I have been to D.C., Williamsburg, Upstate N.Y. (a few times ... near Syracuse), St. Louis, Chicago, Chattanooga, St. Augustine, Key West, & Miami. All of them, excluding Chicago (and perhaps D.C.), were nothing to write home about

[Morrigan_Dubh]

Originally Posted by A Simple Poet

I, too, would love to visit Switzerland. And also Prague, France, Germany, and all of the UK. I would not rule out Italy, Japan, New Zealand, or even Egypt.

Unfortunately, I have never made it outside the North American Contienent and I doubt I ever shall. So I would like to go to Montreal, Stratford Canada, and British Columbia. Ideally, I would live in Seattle or some place in semi-rural New England but I am stuck in the Hell of Florida because my wife does not want to move from her family.

I have been to D.C., Williamsburg, Upstate N.Y. (a few times ... near Syracuse), St. Louis, Chicago, Chattanooga, St. Augustine, Key West, & Miami. All of them, excluding Chicago (and perhaps D.C.), were nothing to write home about

Sad to hear you are stuck in Florida... Although, at least you have good weather
Tell me about your Chicago experience... what made it stand out above the rest?

[Queenofdarkness57]

I have been to Greece, Paris, Canda, Syria, Jordan, Katar, Dubai & AbuDhabi, and Czech. I enoyed my stay in Pairs most, it was lots of fun and really interesting( sightseeing...). I can't really count Canada as a place I visited since I was born and used to live there.

[Blushing Heliophobe]

Wow, you guys have been to a lot cooler places than I have

I grew up in CA and only left once to go to Portland for a band parade (oh yes, I was a band nerd.)

When I went to basic training, I went to Texas. Then I got stationed in Florida - it was SO nice there. I miss it. I went on TDY (a 'fun' deployment, sans sand) to Virginia, to training in North Carolina, and another TDY to Nellis AFB in Vegas. That was fun!

Then I got stationed in England where I live now. I live in East Anglia. About 2 hours from London.

I'd like to visit Ireland. We want to go back to the States but if we got another assignment overseas we think it would be cool to go to Okinawa.

[Morrigan_Dubh]

Originally Posted by Queenofdarkness57

I have been to Greece, Paris, Canda, Syria, Jordan, Katar, Dubai & AbuDhabi, and Czech. I enoyed my stay in Pairs most, it was lots of fun and really interesting( sightseeing...). I can't really count Canada as a place I visited since I was born and used to live there.

Oooh I loved Paris too. I only saw a tiny bit of it though, as I only stayed one full day. I will be back there soon, hopefully. I visited the Per Lachaise cemetary and saw Jim Morrison's and Oscar Wilde's graves, amongst many other wonderful graves. It's a hauntingly beautiful place. I would like to visit the Denfert-Rochereau Ossuary and Montparnasse cemetery.

Oh I'd also love to visit Greece. Although I imagine all the locations from Greek mythology are tourist-ized.

Where was your favourite place out of the middle eastern places you visited, Queenie?
And where would you like to visit next ?

[Morrigan_Dubh]

Originally Posted by Blushing Heliophobe

I'd like to visit Ireland. We want to go back to the States but if we got another assignment overseas we think it would be cool to go to Okinawa.

Depending on my circumstances in the future (I just found out that our company is making huge lay-offs...off to the rant thread I go!) I might be able to act as a guide for you if you visit Dublin! Although I'd recommend you skip Dublin and go straight to the west coast for a more romantic and more authentic "Irish" experience.
I imagine Okinawa would be fantastic. Tropical as hell. I never got a chance to visit it while I was over that way. It's supposed to be very different from the Japanese mainland, though, with very different customs, cuisine, language-idioms etc.

[horrorgirl]

I am originally from California and I have lived in Maryland, Oregon and now Washington state. I have been to British Columbia, Maui, Mexico, and to England twice. I have driven through Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennesse, and Virginia.

I would like to go to England again and some other undecided European countries.

[angel_dark_demon_bright]

Originally Posted by Mistress-Liriel

I have always wanted to go to Japan. You are so fortunate! I was even learning Japanese for a while, but now only remember some basic pleasantries.

I would also love to visit Ireland, Scotland, and Australia, in no particular order. I love castles, and would love to take a very long train tour throughout Europe, stopping to visit some various castles.

Liriel, you took the words right out of my mouth.

[Wise Child]

Northern England is the furthest I've ever ventured - I don't even have a passport. That's all set to change next year though. The plan is to take my first flight in a deathrap - I mean, plane...

As you can tell, I am in no way shitting myself and am sure everything will be just fine. Just. Fine.

[angel_dark_demon_bright]

The farthest Ive been from home was ohio. The first and only time ive ever left the state. X_X

[Nike]

Originally Posted by Morrigan_Dubh

Oh I'd also love to visit Greece. Although I imagine all the locations from Greek mythology are tourist-ized.

Not all of them, and it depends much on the time you're travelling there. Personally I'd recommand February, March, April or May. It's the time where Greece is green and flowering, too, and not just brown and burnt.

Well, places like the Acropolis will always be crowded and always in restauration process. But Delphi is still a beautiful site and Olympia (ok, if you have bad luck you can hit a day when it's crowed by tourists *shipped* there in busses also in the good months, but it's still beautiful. Stay there for a night, visit in the morning and probably there wont be many people, if any at all). Aegina is always beautiful, too, the temple of Aphaia and Colonna, Epidauros....there are plenty of places to go.

From Athens you can easily go to every island you want to. Just go to Pireas and get into a ferry. If you're not heading to Mykonos or Santourini you'll never have to worry much about finding accommodation before you get there. We've done that a lot during the time I've been working on the Kerameikos excavations - we just got to the harbour, got into a ferry and spent our weekend out of town.

And even in Athens you can go to places that still have a certain spirit, like the Kerameikos, the ancient graveyard of Athens. It's a park, there are even turtles living there (quite a lot, actually).

An interesting site is Eleusis - it's in the area of Athen's refinery. Few tourists are going there, most of the time I've been there we've been all alone, and it's an interesting contrast between ancient and industrial world.

Very beautiful and almost non-touristic at all is the site of Akrokorinthos, it's on a hill close to the town of Corinth. Beautiful scenery.

I liked Tiryns, too, and Mycene - spring is the ideal time to go there - the air is smelling of orange and all the wild cherry trees (there are growing a lot of these in that area) are flowering.

The sites that are hardly mentioned in the tourists guides are absolutely non touristic - usually they are in the middle of nowhere and you'd need to rent a car to go there. It's worth it

I guess I better stop now


I've travelled most of Europe (some scandinavian and a part of eastern Europe is still missing), Turkey, and Marocco...for work, studies, and fun. I enjoyed every place I've been to, I'm glad I've seen them and lived there.

Where else I'd wish to go - everywhere I find an opportunity to work or places I've got friends to visit

[Queenofdarkness57]

Where was your favourite place out of the middle eastern places you visited, Queenie?

Dubai and Abu Dhabi were awesome. I had a great time there. It's all modern and oh-so fun. At first you get the impression that it's one of those boring arabian countries and people ride on camels, but it's actually not. Plus I met a lot of tourists there from Jamaica, Russia, Nepal... I loved it, I can't wait to go back.

And where would you like to visit next ?

Oh my God what a question. heh. I'm DYING to go the states! I'm 90% sure I'm travelling to the states this summer. Plus, I would love to go to Italy and Brazil.
I often dream about Hawai, but I'm saving it for my honeymoon

[Queenofdarkness57]

Oooh I loved Paris too.

I LOVEEE Paris, It's um PERFECT. How could stand being there only 1 day, I spent 2 weeks there and couldn't get enough of it! J'adore Paris!

[Sanctus Dei]

I seriously can't wait until I can afford to travel abroad... but here's my out of state and beyond list...

Spent more then a day in:
North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin, South Dakota, California..

Drove through:
Kansas, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, Missouri...

Out of the states:
Jamaica and Mexico

Not too much for travel but every experience was wonderful!

[TwistedKitsune]

Originally Posted by Morrigan_Dubh

I imagine Okinawa would be fantastic. Tropical as hell. I never got a chance to visit it while I was over that way. It's supposed to be very different from the Japanese mainland, though, with very different customs, cuisine, language-idioms etc.

I've never been to Okinawa, but my first nihongo no sensei (Japanese teacher for those of you who don't speak Japanese) was from Okinawa, sometimes she would be wicked and go off on rants in Okinawa dialect Japanese, it's nearly unintelligible it's that much different from your standard "tokyo dialect" Japanese. And she was constantly showing us pictures and such from there, it really is a -gorgeous- island! I'd love to go there!

I'd also love to go to Ireland, Scotland, France...hell, most of Europe. I'd like to take better advantange of the wonderfully diverse state I live in and do some road trip style traveling through California, and actually, most of the US.

I'm a terribly boring person. Born and raised in California, I've only been on a plane once in my life and that was to go to my uncle's wedding when I was almost two. There was a plane change in Idaho, and the wedding was in Chicago. Other than brief forays into the Nevada side of Tahoe, that is as far from my home as I have strayed.

[A Simple Poet]

Morrigan wrote:

Tell me about your Chicago experience... what made it stand out above the rest?

Believe it or not, I favor gloom and cold weather. Being in Florida is literally hell. Chicago reminded me a lot of how Gotham City is portrayed. It has an aging, urban feel with (for lack of better terms) Gothic buildings and the pulse of night ever beating ceaselessly through the active streets. The fact that Chicago is so different from where I live now is probably what I liked about it the most.

[Circle V]

Let's see:

I've lived in Texas, Washington, Bolivia, and Argentina.

I've travelled extensively (by car, mostly-- almost every weekend, during certain periods of time) within Bolivia.

I visit Arkansas, Florida, and New Mexico frequently-- Arkansas and New Mexico each approximately every year.

I've visited Ambergris Caye, Belize, approximately a dozen times-- every year for Easter up until I moved to Bolivia.

While I lived in Bolivia, Buzios, Brazil, temporarily replaced Belize; I went there 4 times.

I've driven to Yellowstone from Texas twice. It's four days, one way.

I visit Vancouver, Canada, for day trips often. I'd love to live there...

I've been to California once.

I visited Kauai, Hawaii, this Easter.

I've been on two Caribbean cruises.

Last summer (for my vacation/move) I visited several locations within Texas; Arkansas; Disneyworld, FL (for the third time in my life); went on a Disney cruise in the Caribbean; and visited Key West, FL before arriving in Washington. I rented a beach apartment for approximentally two months before moving into my current house.



...Guess what my parents spend their money on?


I've still yet to visit the east coast (not counting FL) and most major US cities, and I haven't been to Europe since I was little. I haven't been to Asia (though plans for Thailand are in the making), Australia, or Africa. My dad has promised to take me to visit Harvard if he's ever sent on a trip to Boston.

I want to visit Chicago, New York, San Francisco (again), Boston, and New Orleans. I want to get to know Seattle.

[Morrigan_Dubh]

Originally Posted by Nike

Not all of them, and it depends much on the time you're travelling there. Personally I'd recommand February, March, April or May. It's the time where Greece is green and flowering, too, and not just brown and burnt.

Well, places like the Acropolis will always be crowded and always in restauration process. But Delphi is still a beautiful site and Olympia (ok, if you have bad luck you can hit a day when it's crowed by tourists *shipped* there in busses also in the good months, but it's still beautiful. Stay there for a night, visit in the morning and probably there wont be many people, if any at all). Aegina is always beautiful, too, the temple of Aphaia and Colonna, Epidauros....there are plenty of places to go.

From Athens you can easily go to every island you want to. Just go to Pireas and get into a ferry. If you're not heading to Mykonos or Santourini you'll never have to worry much about finding accommodation before you get there. We've done that a lot during the time I've been working on the Kerameikos excavations - we just got to the harbour, got into a ferry and spent our weekend out of town.

And even in Athens you can go to places that still have a certain spirit, like the Kerameikos, the ancient graveyard of Athens. It's a park, there are even turtles living there (quite a lot, actually).

An interesting site is Eleusis - it's in the area of Athen's refinery. Few tourists are going there, most of the time I've been there we've been all alone, and it's an interesting contrast between ancient and industrial world.

Very beautiful and almost non-touristic at all is the site of Akrokorinthos, it's on a hill close to the town of Corinth. Beautiful scenery.

I liked Tiryns, too, and Mycene - spring is the ideal time to go there - the air is smelling of orange and all the wild cherry trees (there are growing a lot of these in that area) are flowering.

That all sounds wonderful, Nike. Very inspirational! Thank you. I had an obsession with Greek mytholology, and therefore Greece, when I was younger, but it has faded quite a bit. Your description has piqued my interest in seeing the places where all these mad things where supposed to have happened, however. Not to mention the remains of one of the most intriging ancient civilizations in Europe.

Eleusis had slipped my mind. I am very interested in the "Eleusinian mysteries" and would definitely love to visit that area, just to see the general site of these mystical rites.

[Morrigan_Dubh]

Originally Posted by GeishaGirl

In San Francisco, I participated in the Bay to Breakers run. So much fun. I ran with my brother the whole way, and it was a blast to see all the charactors running around.

Hehe this looks like a blast. I just googled it. Came across the bare-to-breakers website too.
I really, really want to go to San Francisco too. My cousin was living there for years and by the time I got the courage up to go stay with her (I was shy and I hardly know her) she was packing up to come back to Ireland. Damn shyness.

[Nike]

I'll upload some photos when I'm back home

[Morrigan_Dubh]

Originally Posted by Nike

I'll upload some photos when I'm back home

Excellent! Anyone else have any photos from their travels?

Sanctus, Jamaica? Another place I'd love to go. How did you find it? (don't say anything about 'on a map'... :P)

Simple Poet, Chicago sounds like the kind of place out of which I'd get a kick too I can understand Florida isn't the gothest of places, but you've got alligators, right? They're pretty freakin goth.

[Niels]

Wow, it seems that lots of you have been to great places! For me, it's been Switzerland, Austria, Italy (Rome, most beautiful city I have seen so far. Absolutely gorgeous! A must for every art-lover!), France (Disneyland... -.-; ) and Germany, ow, and Spain (Barcelona)!

Anyone of you who has been to The Netherlands? I wonder what foreigners think of it...