Bucket List – Australia

This week our bucket list destination is Australia, the land down under!  I have wanted to visit Australia for as long as I can remember, and it was long before the Crocodile Dundee movies came out. I think it was koalas that first sold me, being the teddy bear aficionado that I am.  Give me a break I as only ten!  But since then I’ve learned a lot about Australia and all the glorious places I’d want to visit like the Sydney Opera House, Ayers Rock and the 12 Apostles to name a very view.  But in order to have a trip like this I think I’d need to plan for at least a month. Australia is huge, and I’d want to tour the continent and see as much as possible.

Of course no trip to Australia would be complete without visiting the Great Barrier Reef.  The last time I snorkeled was in the Mediterranean and it was years ago, but snorkeling in the Reef would definitely be a dream come true.

One of the best things of Australia – at least for those in the northern parts of the US and all of Canada right now – may be that it’s summer there.  There is a reason it’s called “down under.”  And that is definitely a plus with the frigid temperatures we’ve been experiencing.  So in order to warm you all up let’s visit Australia today.

The Sights:

Sydney Opera House	Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
Ayers Rock	The 12 Apostles
Watch out for the Kangaroos!	Philip Island Nature Preserve

Related Links:

Visit Australia:  http://www.australia.com/

Sydney Opera House:  http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/sydney-opera-house

Great Barrier Reef:  http://www.greatbarrierreef.org/

The 12 Apostles:  http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/twelve-apostles-marine-national-park

Ayers Rock:  http://www.australia.com/explore/icons/red-centre.aspx?channel=paid-search&tacampaign=us-local-fy2014&campaign=167-destinations-broad&message=brand&publisher=google&website=google&adgroup=australian-icons-broad&keyword=google-ayers-rock&matchtype=broad

Melbourne:  http://www.visitvictoria.com/

I hope this little taste of Australia has whet your desire for more.  I’m determined to visit this beautiful country and spend as much time as possible there to see it all.  I hope you all have a great weekend.  Next week we’re headed off to Greece.

  ♥ ♥ ♥

Bucket List – India

TGIF! Today we’re going to India, it has been a travel destination of mine since the first time I looked through one of those View Master toys and saw a picture of the Taj Mahal on the 7 Wonders of the World reel.  I remember thinking how beautiful it was and how romantic the stories.  Yup, even when I was a little girl, I was a romantic at heart.

As I got older and learned more about how large and diverse India was and it added to my desire to travel there.  It’s a huge country, and there are several different languages spoken. I’ve learned from friends, that even other Indians don’t speak all the languages so they sometimes converse in English.

The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife,  Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth in 1631.  Her death left him so heartbroken it’s said that his hair turned grey almost overnight.  Construction on the amazing structure began the following year and wasn’t completed until 1653.

Besides the glorious Taj there are a multitude places of beauty and significance.  There are many Temples that are both historic and contemporary sacred architecture.  These temples draw inspiration from a variety of religious denominations. Many Hindu temples across the south are important places of pilgrimage.

If you’re into the metaphysical you can take a Yoga and Meditation trip.  Begun in India hundreds of years before it became popular worldwide, it helps center your soul and find your balance.  There are all kinds of tours that are offered which will leave you feeling refreshed and more in sync with your body.

Besides all there is to see you can’t forget the flavors.  Food is as varied as the terrain and as wonderful.  Whether you like sweets, or hot you’ll find it all.  From drinking coconut water from a coconut as you’re walking through the streets, or sitting down to an elaborate meal.     Just thinking about the lovely curries has my mouth watering for a taste.

I hope you enjoy our Bucket List Friday’s and today’s trip to India. I’d love to hear from y’all with some of your bucket list destinations. Next week we’re off to Australia – another far away place filled with wonder.

Related Links:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/things-to-do/temples-and-monuments-in-india

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/things-to-do/meditation-and-yoga-in-india

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/tours/adventure/rajasthan-depth-varanasi

http://www.worldluxurytourism.com/destinations/india-things-to-know-before-visiting-the-country.html

Bucket List – Tuscany, Italy

The new year has brought a bunch of new “series” for my blog.  I’m happy to introduce you to Friday’s Bucket List and for the first “trip”  we’re going to Tuscany!

Tuscany has been a long time dream of mine, and I hope to make it there in the next year or two.  The wineries, the gorgeous scenery, the food, and the people.

Seeing movies like Love Actually, Letters to Juliet and Eat, Pray, Love only served to fuel the fire and cemented Tuscany firmly on the bucket list.

Taste Trail in the Val di Merse  — Gently rolling hills, olive groves, and vineyards!  What could be better?  This area is located in the southwestern part of the province of Siena between Tuscany and the Maremma coast.  It’s enclosed in the valleys of three rivers, the Merse, the Cecina and the Elsa.  Tell me you don’t want to hop on a plane right now too?

Wine Trail of the Pisa Hills — Through the Tuscan countryside filled with small downs and trails through farmlands, hills and valleys.  Just imagine riding a bike through this beautiful area.  Near the sea shore and more small towns with great wine and food.  There is definitely a pattern here right? Just about any time of year would bring a varied and beautiful landscape to enjoy.

Olive Oil Trail of Monti Pisani — This visit would take you through the Pisa Hills which divide the plains where the cities of Pisa and Lucca are located.  The trail itself would take you through the Pisa side including the towns of Buti, Calci San Guiliano Terme, Vecchiano and Vicopisano.  Besides olives, also grown in this area are chestnuts, mushrooms and honey is raised.

I’ve enjoyed my research for this little trip through Tuscany, and now my mouth is watering for more.  Next week we’re off to Paris…ooh la la!

I hope you’ll share some of your bucket list vacations – which of course will most likely add to my list!  But for now I must say Ciao!

October Already?

Fall has always been my favorite season.  When my girls  were younger and we lived far north of Florida, I used to take them apple and pumpkin picking, we’d go for hay rides, trick-or-treating, and we’d bake a lot–a whole lot.

Homemade apple sauce and apple butter, cookies, bread, apple sauce, muffins, you name it and we probably baked it.  Once October came the house was always filled with aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, apples and pumpkins. All the flavors that heralded the coming winter months. There was nothing like it!

Autumn is different for me now. In Florida October is still warm, the leaves don’t change (well not until January), we can still get hurricanes, and you actually need to carry a bottle of water with you when you go trick-or-treating!  That was a learning curve our first year here, for sure!

In a few weeks though I’ll be up north, well more north than here, for my daughter’s wedding. It’s going to be a wonderful time and full of happiness, but I am also looking forward to the autumn  weather, and hopefully if I’m lucky, I’ll even see some beautiful fall foliage.

Before we know it Thanksgiving, Christmas, and then New Years will be here.  I remember as a child hearing my parents say that the older they got the faster the years went.  I also remember thinking I wish the school year would go a lot faster.  *grins*  Of course, now that I am “older” I have to agree, the years do seem to fly by.

This year I’m going to try to slow it down a bit.  Savor the memories of this month, the scents in the air, the colors, the happiness,  and the changes…

How about you?  What’s your favorite season?  What are some of your fondest memories?