My Bucket List: Part I - Travel

I've always had the travel bug, guess that's why I became a flight attendant way back when.  In the golden ages.  One of the things I'm actively composing is my Bucket List of travel destinations.  These are places I want to go primarily with family but also with friends.  I hope to travel with at least one family member to share the memory and experience.  This will always be a list in progress.  Just like the Winchester Mystery House, it will never be complete by design.   This is one list that I hope continues until my last and final destination, and let's just hope that final destination isn't hot.

Why have a bucket list? A bucket list is a way to help bring clarity to your life. To make you think about what's important to you. To set goals and set priorities. When my husband and I planned to have a family one of our biggest goals was to expose them to a love of travel. They got that bug alright. They love to travel and see new sights. So get your passports ready and plan away. And here are two great sites to help you think about what's important in a bucket list: 43 Things and Barefoot List - Check 'em out.

In no particular order, these are the places I want to go.  And take photos. In some cases, these are places I've been to in another life before having a family.  What's on your bucket list?

1. Paris - with my dear friend, C, and our two daughters.  Our goal is to go the year our youngest children graduate from high school and before we begin our lives as "empty nesters."
2. Mexico - to build houses for impoverished families.
3. Australia - When it's winter here, we'll be enjoying summer down under.  I want to see a koala and visit one of my brother's colleagues.
4. Mount Rushmore, S. Dakota - just because it's there.
5. Maui, Hawaii - Celebrate my 2nd daughter's high school graduation.
6. Lincang, China - Teach English to Chinese students.
7. Beijing, China - walk the Great Wall and see Tienanmen Square.
8. Hong Kong - ride the star ferry with my family and eat lots of dim sum.
9. Fiji - eat fresh seafood by the beach and watch the sunset.
10. Tokyo, Japan - Get shoved in the subway like sardines and eat lots of tempura and sushi.
11. Venice, Italy - Have my husband serenade me as we ride a gondola.
12. Vienna, Austria - Stroll the gardens at Schonbrunn.
13. Bali - check out the surfers at Kuta Beach.  And check them out some more.
14. Costa Rica - Capture some amazing bird photos.
15. Brugge, Brussels - eat at the Den Dyver and have a meal paired with beer.  Have some chocolate and espresso at Dagelijks Brood.
16. Alaska - See an iceberg, polar bear and penguin.
17. Vancouver, Canada - eat Dim Sum in Chinatown and hike in Stanley Park.  Walk the Capilano Suspension Bridge. 
18. Toronto, Ontario - see the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and buy a touristy souvenir.
19. Boston, MA - have a tea party and go on a duck tour.
20. New York City - see a Broadway play and get an actor's autograph.
21. London - Have tea with the queen.  Or with my husband.  Shop Harrod's, see Buckingham Palace and  Westminster Abbey.  Walk the Millennium Bridge. Eat fish and chips and smashed peas.
22. Take a cruise on the French Riviera.  See Nice, France - Lie on the beach and wade in the ocean.  See the sunset.
23. Rome, Italy - attend mass at St. Peter's Basilica.  See the Sistine Chapel.  Toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain.  
24. Austin, Texas - dine and listen to music with my husband at Stubb's Bar-B-Q.
25. Switzerland - Ski in the Swiss Alps.  Zermatt or Camonix?
26. Live for 6 months in Europe.  Start with a flat in Paris.
27. Taipei, Taiwan - shop and eat at the night markets.  See the Palace Museum.  Visit a former student.
28. Go on a safari in The Serengeti
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I am so grateful that I can check the following off my list:

1. Rode "It's a Small World" in Disneyland, Disney World and Euro Disney.  Heard a French girl say "howdy" in Frontierland in Euro Disney.
2. Traveled the world to see Sea World in San Diego, Orlando, and Barcelona.
3. Took our girls to the Grand Opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and rode the Forbidden Journey, Dragon Challenge, Flight of the Hippogriff and drank lots of Butterbeer.
4. Swam with the Dolphins in Discovery Cove, Florida.
5. Celebrated my eldest daughter's high school graduation in Maui, Hawaii.
6. Sent postcards from Paris via the Eiffel Tower on Christmas Day, 2008. Had hot cocoa in the tower as we experienced a black out. Shopped Marchés Noël, ate chocolat crepes in the Latin Quarter, bought an antique book for a friend, and got upgraded to a suite overlooking the Eiffel Tower on New Year's Eve.
7. Attended the Ceremony of the Keys in London, visited mummies at the British museum, rode a double decker bus, shopped Harrod's and bought some British edition books.
8. Drank beer in a pub in Amsterdam, visited our former flat with our girls, had Dutch pancakes for breakfast.
9. Ate Maryland crabs with cousins at Bethany Beach, DE.  Rode go-carts, went water skiing and went boogey boarding.
10. Circled the statue of liberty on the Staten Island Ferry, rode a limo from Times Square to Little Italy, saw Ground Zero, saw Phantom of the Opera and bought an I Heart NY T-Shirt in NYC.
11. Ate burgers in paradise at Burgers in Paradise in Laihana, Maui.
12. Took a first class sleeper train from San Jose to Vail, Colorado.  Skied Vail for a week with great friends.
13. Saw a re-enactment of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, saw the Liberty Bell, and ate in Chinatown in Philadelphia.
14. Flew first class from Maui to San Francisco.
15. Lived abroad in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
16. Celebrated Thanksgiving in Grenoble, France with dear friends.
17. Saw the Tour de France finale in Paris.
18. Ate Belgian waffles in Brussels.  Shopped for diamonds in the diamond district.  
19. Got re-Maui'd.
20. Celebrated milestone birthdays 9, 13, 16, 50 on a cruise to the Mexican Rivera.  Ports of call included Cabo San Lucas, Puerta Vallarta and Mazatlan.
21. Actually went camping and slept in a tent (more than 1 time!)
22. Rode a train from Amsterdam to Paris, and rode the Chunnel from Paris to London.  Went on track 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Rail Station in London.  Stood on Point Zero in Paris.
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