Art just mentioned an e-mail he got from the Smithsonian Magazine. It listed a 43 Site Life List of places you should see before you die. That was a bit much to post about so I looked for a shorter list. Well, the Smithsonian did have a condensed version of 28 bucket list sites so I went with that one. I just cut and pasted the list on this post and wrote my opinions in fuchsia.
Portals into the Past
– Mesa Verde This is in Colorado. I don't think we've been here.
– Pompeii, Italy Sigh... We were in Rome and Florence but didn't go to Pompeii. We regret it now.
– Tikal, Guatemala Nope, haven't been there either. We saw Chitzen Itza in Cancun though.
– Petra We did see Petra in Jordan and yes, we agree that was awesome! That's where they filmed Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Feats of Engineering
– Pyramids of Giza Oh yes! This was definitely awesome! I didn't expect it to be so close to Cairo.
– Taj Mahal When our son went to India he said the Taj Mahal definitely lived up to all expectations.
– Easter Island Sounds like a neat place. I'm not sure we need to go there though.
– The Great Wall Oh yes, we're definitely planning to make this trip.
A Matter of Timing
(Choosing the right year, month or even moment can make all the difference)
– Aurora Borealis I'm afraid we'll miss this when we're in Alaska. Wrong time of the year.
– Serengeti Nope
– Iguazu Falls Nope
– Machu Picchu Art and our son, Jon climbed it and said it was awesome.
Triumphs of Vision
– The Louvre Don't ask me how you can see everything there. We were there for a day and with aching feet barely scraped the surface.
– Zen Garden of Kyoto They mean Ryoanji and yes we've been there a couple of times. It's a whole lot smaller than it looks, but awesome perhaps for that reason also.
– Uffizi Gallery It was OK. I remember the 2-3 hour long line to get in more than anything else.
– Fallingwater Haven't been here, but I've seen a ton of photos of it. I understand it's deteriorating.
What would you consider places you should see before you die?
Frankly, I'd add Yellowstone, Cappadocia in Turkey and isn't Niagara Falls pretty awesome? Keukenhof Tulip Gardens? All of New Zealand? The Vatican? Hawaii's Volcano National Park (when there's a lava flow to see)?
Portals into the Past
– Mesa Verde This is in Colorado. I don't think we've been here.
 |
| Petra, Jordan |
– Tikal, Guatemala Nope, haven't been there either. We saw Chitzen Itza in Cancun though.
– Petra We did see Petra in Jordan and yes, we agree that was awesome! That's where they filmed Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
 |
| Pyramids of Giza |
– Pyramids of Giza Oh yes! This was definitely awesome! I didn't expect it to be so close to Cairo.
– Taj Mahal When our son went to India he said the Taj Mahal definitely lived up to all expectations.
– Easter Island Sounds like a neat place. I'm not sure we need to go there though.
– The Great Wall Oh yes, we're definitely planning to make this trip.
A Matter of Timing
(Choosing the right year, month or even moment can make all the difference)
– Aurora Borealis I'm afraid we'll miss this when we're in Alaska. Wrong time of the year.
– Serengeti Nope
– Iguazu Falls Nope
– Machu Picchu Art and our son, Jon climbed it and said it was awesome.
 |
| Ryoanji Temple rock garden |
– The Louvre Don't ask me how you can see everything there. We were there for a day and with aching feet barely scraped the surface.
– Zen Garden of Kyoto They mean Ryoanji and yes we've been there a couple of times. It's a whole lot smaller than it looks, but awesome perhaps for that reason also.
– Uffizi Gallery It was OK. I remember the 2-3 hour long line to get in more than anything else.
– Fallingwater Haven't been here, but I've seen a ton of photos of it. I understand it's deteriorating.
 |
| Kilimanjaro |
Scale New Heights
– Yangtze River Oh yes, we're planning to see this.
– Antarctica Ummm.... that's OK. I'll leave this to Happy Feet. I'm not hunting for COLD places to visit. I can go to Chicago for that.
– Mount Kilimanjaro Art and Jon climbed it. I was content to stay home. I really don't have a burning desire to climb high places unless I'm in a motorized vehicle.
– Grand Canyon Yes, we've been there. I remember it being OK going down and huffing and puffing to get back up again while pressing ourselves against the walls as the donkey riders went by. But, definitely awesome!
– Yangtze River Oh yes, we're planning to see this.
– Antarctica Ummm.... that's OK. I'll leave this to Happy Feet. I'm not hunting for COLD places to visit. I can go to Chicago for that.
– Mount Kilimanjaro Art and Jon climbed it. I was content to stay home. I really don't have a burning desire to climb high places unless I'm in a motorized vehicle.
– Grand Canyon Yes, we've been there. I remember it being OK going down and huffing and puffing to get back up again while pressing ourselves against the walls as the donkey riders went by. But, definitely awesome!
 |
| Ephesus, Turkey |
In the Presence of Gods (Encounter temples so magnificent then could only have been built by divine inspiration)
– Pagan I couldn't figure out where this was so I had to look it up. It's Bagan in Myanmar, once known as Burma. Nope, haven't been there either.
– Parthenon My son, Jon has been there, but not us. He said it was not accessible because they were getting ready for the Olympics.
– Angkor Wat Jon has been there too and says we should go and see it.
– Ephesus We LOVED Ephesus. In fact Turkey was one of our absolute favorite trips.
– Pagan I couldn't figure out where this was so I had to look it up. It's Bagan in Myanmar, once known as Burma. Nope, haven't been there either.
– Parthenon My son, Jon has been there, but not us. He said it was not accessible because they were getting ready for the Olympics.
– Angkor Wat Jon has been there too and says we should go and see it.
– Ephesus We LOVED Ephesus. In fact Turkey was one of our absolute favorite trips.
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?
– Venice We went to Florence but didn't go to Venice because someone advised us to skip it. That's when I learned you should talk to more than one person. We've regretted it since.
– Amazon Rain Forest Nope, we'll put this on the Bucket List. And yes, Jon has already been there too.
– Great Barrier Reef Nope, haven't been here either. I can't swim so I'll pass.
– Galápagos Islands I've heard this is amazing. I'd love to go there. I'll put it on our Bucket List too.
– Venice We went to Florence but didn't go to Venice because someone advised us to skip it. That's when I learned you should talk to more than one person. We've regretted it since.
– Amazon Rain Forest Nope, we'll put this on the Bucket List. And yes, Jon has already been there too.
– Great Barrier Reef Nope, haven't been here either. I can't swim so I'll pass.
– Galápagos Islands I've heard this is amazing. I'd love to go there. I'll put it on our Bucket List too.
What would you consider places you should see before you die?
Frankly, I'd add Yellowstone, Cappadocia in Turkey and isn't Niagara Falls pretty awesome? Keukenhof Tulip Gardens? All of New Zealand? The Vatican? Hawaii's Volcano National Park (when there's a lava flow to see)?
We loved the Galapagos Islands, and I want to go to other places where there are penguins, but not necessarily Antarctica, although it would be cool, haha. Dick really wants to see Venice, so I'm sure we'll go there.
ReplyDeleteThe Great Wall of China was a thrill to see, and we cruised the Yangtze River.
I've been to the Grand Canyon, and to the Great Barrier Reef, but Dick hasn't.
When we were in Paris, Dick spent a day at the Louvre with his camera while I visited Julie from Sydney Eye, who was also visiting Paris, and I'm so glad I met her.
Very interesting list you've got here, Kay. Food for thought, for sure.
Hi to Art, and all the best to your mom.
— K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
What a great post! I'm going to mark it to read again later! There are so many places I would love to visit...many right here in the US! I hope to travel to Italy, too...it's my dream! ♥
ReplyDeleteDavid wants to see China next summer, as it is very affordable for Hawaii residents. But, I dread the smog and polluted air. Hong Kong was smoggy and it was caused by the factories in mainland China. So, it looks like we will end up in Italy, instead.
ReplyDeleteE X C U S E M E,
ReplyDeleteSmithsonian, didn't you forget Jerusalem???
Who would want to die without having been in the Holy City.
I've been to Pompeii and the Parthenon!
ReplyDeleteI would have to see all the places in the US first that I am anxious to go. We have a pretty marvelous and vast country.
ReplyDeleteThen Ireland, England,the Netherlands and Australia. Tough when you are monolingual.
wow, what a beautiful post,, I love seeing the photos of you and your husband ,, what a lovely couple you are.You have certainly had a wonderful exciting life together and by the sounds of it theres lots more travels to come,,we see the Aurora Borealis from our patio doors in the winter,, the first time is always just breath taking and and quite humbling!!
ReplyDeleteI think my bucket is broken. All I ever want to be is home, with my kids.
ReplyDeletewalt
I can't afford to have a bucket list.
ReplyDeleteWow! That is not for me. I am not a traveler. But, I hope you get to go to all the places you want.
ReplyDeleteI have seen a few of them. The Great Wall, the Yangtze River, the Louvre, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde. It looks as if I have a lot more to do.
ReplyDeleteI guess a half dozen isn't too bad. What a great list!
ReplyDeleteanother GREAT topic, Kay!
ReplyDeleteAloha from Waikiki;
Comfort Spiral
> < } } ( ° >
All of the above. However, traveling is for the young and spry, or while there's still some young and spry still left. For me, asides from pilgrimages, to go to a historical site, etc., just to spend a few minutes there with the rest of the tour, take some pictures, just never really appealed to me. If it's part of the overall tour itinerary of taking in a foreign experience, than maybe, but I ain't about to catch a plane across several continents just to see some kind of special place. That's generally speaking of course, since there are sites like glaciers, Empire State Building observatory, etc., to behold for their grandeur alone. Whereas, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, or to the summit of the pyramids, rafting down the Grand Canyon, bungee jumping off a New Zealand bridge falls under a different category because there you're actually doing something.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Kay .I have bookmarked it .Seems like you have already covered many of these.I would love to see Great walls and Machu Pichu .I am embarrassed to admit that i am the only one in whole clan who have not seen the Taj:(
ReplyDeleteI've been to some awesome places, but not many on this list. I guess we all have our own lists.
ReplyDeleteAt this point, we are not likely to travel very far ever again. Mostly, this is owing to money. We could cash in one of those IRAs but are scared to do so for such a project.
ReplyDeleteI have seen some of the items on your list, such as the Grand Canyon and the Lourve. I spent days in the latter (and weeks in Paris) and still did not make it to all the galleries. Venice, the Parthenon,and Ephesus would be nice if I could find the right cruise (we both have mobility issues). The Elgin Marbles at the British Museum may be as close as I get.
I've visited the Netherlands many times and the gardens are wonderful, but so are the dykes. I suppose we tend to visit the places from whence our ancesters migrated.
When I lived in Hawaii(1968-1969),
I had a trip planned to see Kiluea, but it began fuming, so we did not go.
I have gone out of my way to visit cathedrals in Europe and England. I love ancient places of worship.
This makes me wonder why Stonehenge and Chartres are not on your list?
Good list nevertheless. Dianne
We loved Venice! My only regret was not getting a Bellini at Harry's Bar!
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed this list. Thanks for sharing Kay.
ReplyDelete