Sunday Scribblings #146 - Pilgrimage

Sunday Scribblings asks, "Is there something you'd like, in your lifetime, to go far to see?"

In 1999, as a senior in high school, I went on a Foreign Language Department trip to Greece and Southern Italy. Being Italian/Sicilian, Greece was just a stop-over on the way to my true destination. Something happened, though, when my feet touched the ground in Athens, Greece. The winding roads, Botanical Gardens, the modern city built around the ruins, and the Acropolis looking over the city captivated me. Before we left Athens, we took a day trip to three Greek islands where I truly fell in love. So much in love that when I returned home I told everyone that when I retired it would be to the Greek islands. Then we rode through the mountains visiting different places along the way, The Oracle at Delphi among them. Italy was lovely, too. We stopped in a town with houses built of stone that were reminiscent of igloos. We went to the island of Capri and ventured into the Blue Grotto. We spent hours in the perfectly preserved ruins of Pompeii. Then Rome, the Vatican, the Pope's window and the piazzas when I had my portrait drawn for $7. A dream.

In 2006, Mr. B&B and I were planning our wedding which meant planning our honeymoon. We thought of Monaco and the Italian Riviera. We entertained the idea of Ireland (we both have a bit of Irish in us) and England. We talked about Spain or Venice. There really weren't any places we didn't consider except for the poles.
In the end Mr. B&B had a burning desire to go to Istanbul. I said that would be great as long as we stopped in Greece first.

In 2007, we honeymooned. First stop, Santorini. Second, Mykonos. Third, Athens. Finally, Istanbul before heading home. Unbelievable. Now we both like the idea of retiring to Greece, specifically Santorini.

I am a wanderluster. It is difficult to pick one place and expound on why.

Having lived in New England my whole life, I'd like to explore more of the United States. I've lived in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. I've seen Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, D.C., Florida, Nevada (Hoover Dam, Las Vegas), and Arizona (Joshua Tree Forest, Grand Canyon). Yet there is so much I have not seen.

I'd like to be a citizen of the world.

Places I'd most like to visit:

U.S.: California

Canada: Prince Edward Island

Europe: Ireland, Sicily, Spain

Central America: Costa Rica

South America: Ecuador

Africa: Morocco, Egypt, South Africa

Asia: India, Indonesia (Bali), Japan

Australia: Queensland (Great Barrier Reef), Kangaroo Island

Phew! Long list. Wanna know why I picked a specific place? Just comment or email and I'll write a post about it.