Iceland!

Where in the World: Iceland

The Inspiration: Helping a friend plan a trip (hooray for variety in inspiration!). Iceland is crazy beautiful, due to their economic woes their currency favors American tourists, it's cold but there are lovely hot springs. My friend is planning a couples-y trip, so I might have to plan my own adventure rather than tagging along (being a fifth wheel for the movies can be a bit awkward; being a fifth wheel for a vacation would have, um, significantly more potential for awkwardness). Every time I learn a little more about Iceland, I realize I need to bump it up on my must-see list.
To start being dazzled on your own, I suggest http://www.icelandtouristboard.com/

Roma!

Where in the World: Rome, Italy

The Inspiration: You've already guessed it. Last night we made homemade pizza, and it was alright-- good, actually-- but in Italy it's heavenly. Gnocchi is one of my favorite foods, but since I had it in Rome nothing else has seemed nearly as good. Then there is gelato, which we have already established as one of my all time favorites...

There's more to Rome than the food, of course. In fact, the history is so thick you breathe it everywhere, and can quite literally stumble into something that is centuries old and being ignored for another object of more impressive origins right next to it. I only had three real days in Rome, and was overwhelmed by all there was to see. I realized that I could live there as a tourist for years and still not soak in half of it, but I would love to try.
This is one of the halls leading to the Sistine Chapel; the scope and detail are incredible.

Here I am with the Colosseum! We had to walk a block and a half to be able to get a photo in which we could show the whole building.

This is my brother, B, expressing his enthusiasm for our favorite dessert. The cone in this photo was actually his second one during that visit to the gelato shop. =)

Qatar

Where in the World: Qatar

The Inspiration: Well, to be clear, I'm not sure I want to go. I'm super curious now though, because in the last 24 hours I've heard people talking about visiting Qatar THREE times, completely independently: the first was in class last night, then in my other class this morning (there are no overlapping students, other than me) and then while I was waiting for my latte at the coffee shop today. Isn't that strange?

Here's what I do know about Qatar. It's on the Persian Gulf, in a region of the world where I've always wanted to go, partially because it's full of mystery for me. It's got the second highest per-capita income in the world. It's natural hazards include "haze". There is an 89% literacy rate. It has about 350 miles of coastline, and only one land border (with Saudi Arabia). That all sounds rather lovely, other than the haze and the probably-very-expensive part. However, and this is important, it's quite hot there. According to http://www.qatarvisitor.com/

"Hottest average temperatures in Qatar peak at around 41 Celsius in June and July. Of course, that doesn’t reflect what it is really like to be out in the sun in the middle of the day when temperatures can reach or pass 50 degrees Celsius. It’s also worse in the city, where air-conditioners pump cold air into the houses but hot air into the city. The towns are also located in the coastal areas, where there is greater humidity. Everyone who can leaves Qatar for the summer."

That sounds awful; really, really awful. For reference, 50º C is 122º F. Sooooo, if you're one of those people who loves Qatar, you should tell me why I should want to go there.

Going Visiting

Where in the World: to the Traveling Friends

Inspiration: a variant on the same nostalgia. When I was in Australia, I toured the Melbourne Cricket Grounds and pretended I knew a little bit about the sports they play there. I wouldn't have gone on my own, but B described the MCG as "the Fenway of the Southern Hemisphere," we found it and took the tour. The tour guide was very good, a member of the cricket club, but he assumed that we knew about cricket and Aussie rules football because we were interested in seeing the arena, which wasn't true at all. My knowledge of cricket mostly came from Bill Bryson's "In a Sunburned Country," in which he talks about how little sense there is in the game, and incorporates things like unicorns into his descriptions.

Our group was small, and I asked a couple little questions which the guide clearly found juvenile, but especially because I was the only woman on our tour I didn't want to be *that* girl, I mostly walked around perplexed. When the guide was showing us a practice area that resembled a batting cage but talking about rotating bowlers and wickets I whispered to another visitor, "What does that mean?" and he replied in an Irish accent, "I have no idea. I'm here for the football." Hooray! B and I weren't the only ones who didn't know a thing! Newly empowered by my touring peer's lack of knowledge, I asked a few more questions, and laughed more openly at my ignorance.

The fun part of this anecdote is the original point of today's post; the Irish man, C, chatted with B and me through the rest of the tour, and then we all went for a coffee afterward. He was in Melbourne visiting his sister, and playing in international Gaelic-rules football tournaments, and was glad for the company; my brother and I were glad for variety in our conversation. After that little encounter, we started emailing, and C has now been a reliable pen-pal for two years.

It's the friends like him who I'd like to visit today, the people you meet who are just fun to hang out with, and with whom it would be nice to just have a bit more time. There's the Australian woman who we met on the plane to Singapore, and then had dinner with in London, the Kiwi family who hosted us for a night in Christchurch, the owners of the hostel in the Aran Islands who practiced genuine hosptiality and occasionally traded beds for work, my friend's sister who made the Sydney suburbs exciting. There's a whole subculture of travel where people say, "You know so-and so? Well then of course you can sleep on my couch for a few days! What would you like for dinner?" There are now the couch surfing sites etc., but I'm not sure I'm that open to complete strangers. It's the people I've met on the way who I'd like to see again, whose company is today's dream destination for me.

The Chautauqua Institution

Where in the World: The Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, New York

The Inspiration: Looking for a place to get away with friends that's not too far away. Family friends have had a cabin there since I was little, and I've always been a nerd, so I've always been intrigued by a place that was "founded on the belief that everyone 'has a right to be all that he can be -- to know all that he can know.'" Every day of their entire summer schedule is full of fascinating lectures, concerts, sermons, and art classes in a really lovely setting. Elie Wiesel and Justice Anthony Kennedy are two of this the speakers this year on a stage that has also hosted Franklin Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony, and Ameila Earhart. I'm thinking of going after the summer class term ends and learning just for the fun of it for a few days. If that's appealing to you too, you may want to check out their website: http://www.ciweb.org/

PS: Here's something a bit crazy: spell check struggles with "New Zealand" but is fine with "Chautauqua." How does that work?

Hiking on the Edge

Where in the World: A Rocky Ledge with Great Views; Katoomba Australia would be nice, but Utah could work, too.

The Inspiration: More reminiscing. Two years ago today, B and I had progressed to Australia, and my friends in Sydney took us out to the Blue Mountains to hike for the day.

I believe this was in the area known as the King's Tableland. From here, we went to see The Three Sisters rock formation, and hiked around there. I couldn't get over the fact that there were wild cockatoos in the woods; my friends couldn't believe we were surprised.
It was a fantastic day, and remembering it has me anxious for my next wilderness adventure.

Kiwis have a pretty strong sense of humor.

Now Qantas is by far the best airline that I've taken. However, Air New Zealand "has nothing to hide," and they really make me laugh, so I'm considering them for my next Pacific adventure. One of the funniest airline ads ever: