{Bucket List}
I’m a big list person. I have scraps of paper scattered about, multiple half-full notebooks, and cryptic text messages sent to myself. I find that lists help me achieve goals, so it’s no wonder that I created a travel-oriented list. So without further ado, my bucket list:
1. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
2. Try to sink myself in the Dead Sea.
3. Snow ski in Dubai.
4. See Christ the Redeemer in Rio.
5. Bungy jump in New Zealand. (Chickened out in November 2011)
6. See the NYC skyline from the Empire State Building.
7. Take a gondola ride in Venice.
8. Take in the beauty of the Taj Mahal.
9. Vineyard-hop my way around Napa.
10. Drink mojitos in Miami.
11. Eat key lime pie in the Florida Keys.
12. Spend the 4th of July in Washington DC.
13. See the pyramids in Egypt while riding a camel.
14. Watch a performance in the Sydney Opera House.
15. Lay on the beach in Bali.
16. Eat my way through Singapore, ride the Flyer, and drink a Sling at Raffle’s Long Bar.
17. Explore Cape Town.
18. Eat curries in Bombay.
19. Go to the summer Olympics…anywhere!
20. Eat sushi and see the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo.
21. Gaze at the night skyline of Hong Kong from a boat on the harbor.
22. Walk along the Great Wall.
23. Gawk at Victoria Falls near Zambia.
24. Shop the magical bazaars in Casablanca, Morocco.
25. Go from Europe to Asia in a matter of minutes…in Istanbul.
26. Eat a steak in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
27. Travel through the Panama Canal.
28. Go to the Globe Theater and watch a Shakespearean play.
29. Press my luck on the edge of the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland.
30. Listen to Mozart in Salzburg, Austria.
31. Eat chocolate and waffles in Brussels, Belgium…better yet, chocolate waffles!
32. Pick out diamond earrings in Antwerp, Belgium.
33. Lay on a Croatian beach along the Adriatic Sea.
34. Explore Prague.
35. Attend a World’s Fair.
36. Eat croissants while drinking wine and smoking a cigarette at a sidewalk café in Paris.
37. Explore the Louvre, see the Eiffel Tower, & have a portrait painted by a Parisian artist.
38. Antique shop the flea markets in Paris.
39. Drive a ’57 Chevy in Havana.
40. Eat tapas and drink Spanish wine in Barcelona.
41. Spend October touring Germany.
42. See Gibraltar…what the ancient Greeks and Romans was the edge of the known world.
43. Visit the Acropolis, Parthenon, etc from Greek history and mythology.
44. Find myself in Mauritius.
45. Visit Vatican City, attend an audience with the Pope, and take the Scavi tour.
46. Stroll along the Danube River in Budapest.
47. Wake up with an Irish coffee, a Guinness with lunch, and an Irish whiskey at dinner…all while exploring Dublin.
48. See all things ancient Roman…Coliseum…Forum.
49. Visit Petra in Jordan.
50. Check out David and go shoe shopping in Florence.
51. See the Duomo and shop the Versace store in Milan.
52. Cruise the Greek islands.
53. Eat pizza in Naples.
54. Throw a coin in the fontana dei Fiumi in Rome.
55. Walk the Spanish Steps in Rome.
56. Wear a mask at Carnival in Venice.
57. Watch the Palio in Siena.
58. Explore Malta, where Calypso, the beautiful temptress, kept Odysseus for four years.
59. Play blackjack IN Monte Carlo, Monaco.
60. See Auschwitz in Poland.
61. Visit Anne Frank’s house, the Red Light District, and a hash bar in Amsterdam.
62. Catch a photo of my reflection in Cloud Gate in Chicago. (May 2012)
63. See a genuine Viking ship in Oslo.
64. Explore Iceland.
65. Sit at a wine bar drinking port while trying to understand Portuguese in Lisbon.
66. See Dracula’s castle in Romania.
67. Kayak the bays of the Philippines.
68. Soak in the history of Red Square in Moscow.
69. Play golf in St. Andrews, Scotland, the birthplace of golf.
70. Tour the Edinburgh Castle.
71. Watch a bullfight in Madrid.
72. Admire the beautiful people in Stockholm.
73. Buy a clock in Geneva, Switzerland.
74. Try some cheese in Zurich, Switzerland.
75. Ski and take a train through the Swiss Alps.
76. Scuba dive in Fiji.
77. See the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.
78. Tango in Buenos Aires.
79. See the Big 5 on safari in Kenya.
80. Deep sea fish in Cabo San Lucas.
81. Visit the Mayan Pyramids in Mexico.
82. Helicopter-hop the Hawaiian Islands.
83. Drive the Pacific Coast Highway from San Diego up to San Francisco in a ’66 Mustang.
84. Go to the Kentucky Derby, wear a big hat, and drink a mint julep.
85. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.
86. Attend Carnival in Rio. (February 2012)
87. Hike a glacier in New Zealand.
88. Make the Forbidden City no longer forbidden to me in Beijing.
89. Zipline the rainforests of Costa Rica.
90. Fight the madness that is Bangkok.
91. Tour the Tower of London and ride the London Eye.
92. Drink limoncello on the Amalfi Coast.
93. Talk to the statues on Easter Island.
94. Stare at the turquoise waters of the Seychelles.
95. Hike to Machu Picchu in Peru.
96. Fly over the Great Barrier Reef.
97. Explore the western Thai islands.
98. Walk the Freedom Trail in Boston.
99. Hike the Patagonian Mountains.
100. Actually win money in Las Vegas.
Obviously there is a lot to see and do around the world, and I can only begin to touch on all the wonderful places. I would love to hear some of your ideas. Who knows? Maybe some of them will make it on to my list as well. There’s no rule at stopping with 100.