Day 23-Favorite vacation

Dream vacation or real vacation? I'm going with dream for the moment.

I would love to travel across Europe and see all of Italy and all of Greece. Two years ago when I started Latin I had this grand dream of reading the classical works in the countries they came from. I would love to travel around and learn all about the history and the food. For a long time; a nice break from reality.

Day 13-Goals

What an ironic day to land on as I sit here procrastinating the large pile of work sitting next to me.

Goals are interesting because the general ones linger, but the specific ones change on a fairly regular basis. I guess I'm about at a point where my goals are going to become my reality soon, or that is the ideal, but I don't know how to classify them.

I can say with certainty I have the general goal of making a difference in the world. At one point, I wanted it to be a measurable difference. But as I looked back on my recent volunteerism, I think it's safe to say I am well on my way to achieving this one, or possibly already have. In more specific terms, I would like to look back on my life and think that I have had a positive impact on the world. And while not really more specific, some ways I have thought this would play out were Doctors without Borders, pursuing public health policy, working for a non-profit, and most recently perhaps doing Americorps or the Peace Corps.

I know that it is my goal to see as much of this world as possible. This goal worries me the most, because the world is constantly changing and there is so much of it. I have the goal of visiting all 7 continents before I die, and all 50 states before I turn 50 (a goal my cousin and I set when we were younger). There are places all over Europe and Asia that I would like to visit, as well as several places in Africa. I purchased a copy of 1000 places to see before you die last year, and I was overwhelmed the moment I opened it. Many of the places will never be within my reach, and so at some point I will need to narrow this one down so that it becomes more attainable.

I would like to do a climb for cancer and scale the seven summits. Fortunately, these goals can be combined, as well as working towards my goal of reaching all 7 continents (by the way, I have 4 down). This goal is my highest reach (no pun intended), as I would have to overcome several obstacles to do so. The first, unfortunately, is financial. These climbs are not cheap, especially Everest, which costs around $60,000 for supplies and oxygen. The second, is the fact that I am nowhere near in shape for this, and am only getting older. Living 121 feet above sea level does not quite prepare someone for any part of this climb, and although I have found alternate routes for trying to train, it is not something I would be able to try for several years (see previous blog posts for more on this goal).

I want to have a library in my house. Think a la Beauty and the Beast. Filled to the top with all kinds of books; I have started this goal and am well on my way to finding books to stock it on a regular basis. The closest I have seen is this, in my friend's house a little south of here:


I want to be successful in all ways, happiness and financial stability included. I want to figure out where my niche is and reach it, in a job that is flexible with my need to climb mountains and see the world. I think it will take a couple tries to get there, and so I am very comfortable with the idea of multiple jobs. I'm just not sure where to start.

We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation. -Voltaire

There is something magical about walking through a place and knowing that people have walked through the same place for centuries. But I will admit, that I am also somewhat attracted to places with something unusual, and today Dingwall, Scotland wins that award.



Tracing my family lineage back to Mary Queen of Scots I have always been drawn to the castles in Scotland and Wales (of course assuming they would hand me the key to one). But since the last time I went to Europe I spent the entire trip on the tourist map. And while that was a good starting point, I have wanted to return since then to see what life is really like when there aren't millions of cameras clicking and flashing around you on the subway. Scotland has a unique beauty. Its rolling green hills and astonishing historical architecture draws me in every time. It is also only partially a tourist attraction for Americans traveling overseas. The appeal also lies in a country with a coastline as well as a beautiful landscape, something I feel severely cut off from living at the bottom of this large country.



Facts:
Population ~5,000
Dingwall dates its history back to Norwegian Viking Settlers
It is speculated that Macbeth was born here
It once boasted one of the largest castles in its area
It came under Scottish rule in the 1200s
Called the Viking Capital of Scotland



All of life is a foreign country. -Jack Kerouac

It's hard to imagine a bigger desert oasis than Las Vegas.

Let's be honest, it's Friday afternoon, and for someone born at the end of the school year, my birthday might as well be as much of a dream as this is.



This is one of those places I mentioned earlier that other tourists have been to and I haven't as an American. Of course, as a non-21 year old, it is something I can justify not having visited. But really, I would be perfectly happy being here for a significant amount of time (2 years maybe, after graduation, while I'm still kickin') and being "that friend" who can always put you up in Vegas.



And really, as much as I enjoy nature and the beauty of the mountains and desert, I really flourish in busy places. Sometimes I crave serenity, but I have never felt quite as home as I did in New York City. The constant action, the huge crowds, the lights and insanity; this is how I would live if given the opportunity. Always on. Have a great Friday afternoon and drink one for Las Vegas!



Facts:
Las Vegas has more than 35 wedding chapels
Year first casino was licensed 1931
Average cost of filing for divorce in Nevada, in dollars 450
Percent of visitors who end up gambling during their stay 87
Annual visitors to Las Vegas, in millions 36.7
The famous Las Vegas Strip is not located in the city of Las Vegas
There is one operating slot machine in Las Vegas for every 8 residents.
Historically, on the average, approximately 230 marriage licenses are issued per day in Las Vegas
More than 5,000 people move into the Las Vegas valley on a monthly basis.



Travel is only glamorous in retrospect. - Paul Theroux


Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all.

Years ago my teacher forced me to read a book that not only did I not appreciate, but actually hated with every fiber of my being. As a child I was permanently scarred to the point where people talking about Antarctica brought up bad memories. It was only within the last year and a half, when my younger sister read the same book for the same teacher, that I really appreciated the magnitude of what I had read. During the years of Antarctic exploration, Ernest Shackleton will be remembered for his heroic story when he endured an entire winter as his ship become packed in ice and crushed. The miraculous part of his story is that every member of his crew lived to tell about it.



Yesterday, after extensive research on my future trip to Everest, I discovered that one popular adventure trek is around South Georgia Island and the Antarctic peninsula. I couldn't believe this name had popped up in my life again. But this time, instead of bringing dread and anxiety, it brought about a sense of adventure that I have recently been unable to squash. It's amazing to think of a time of exploration, when we really had no idea what lay outside of our immediate surroundings. I feel like personal discovery is becoming rare because anything we want to know we can look up on the internet. But as I embark on this project I find myself feeling as though the internet is inadequate: simply put I want more. I want these experiences. And even if I am not the first the land has seen, it will be the first time I have seen it.



Facts:
Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, and driest place on earth.
Antarctica is 10% of the earth's land area
The center of Antarctica is the largest desert in the world.
No permanent human residents are known to have ever lived on the continent and even today only temporary scientific communities exist.
The continent has no government and is not owned by any country. Many countries have claimed the continent at one time or another. Currently, a treaty exists that grants the continent its independence from any such claims.
The polar bear does not live anywhere near Antarctica.



Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. - Robert Frost


A desert is a place without expectation.

I have spent my entire life in a state surrounded on three sides by water. Mountains, plains and snow all turn me off. So imagine my surprise when I entered into a place with fewer than 200 millimeters of rain per year, and not a beach to be found. I suppose you could argue that both places have a lot of sand, but either way all were shocked when I called back and said "My favorite place in Israel is the desert!" My mom said, "ok..." and I promptly responded with, "Did you know there's water and green in the desert?" Perhaps not my brightest moment, but I can honestly say that when I return to Israel this will be the first stop on my trip, and perhaps the last stop when I settle down in life.



When we visited the desert, our tour guide had us sit at one spot and just reflect on everything. She pointed out that the desert is the place where every major character in western religion has had a life changing moment. Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammed all had religious experiences in the desert. Monks used to live in the desert to bring themselves closer to these prophets as well as God. And whether or not you believe in a higher power, there is something very humbling about a place where nothing can live but perpetually survives itself. It is simply a place where you can be, without the distractions you find in other places.



And, as previously mentioned, there are waterfalls and streams in the desert.



Facts about the Negev
There are three craters in the Negev that look as though they were created by a meteor. They were created by the movement of the oceans in the area eroding mountains and hills in the area.
The main city in the Negev desert is that of Beersheva
85% of the desert is used by the IDF as training ground
The canyon of Ein Avdat houses much flora and fauna in the Negev and holds natural springs and waterfalls



I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be. - Douglas Adams

it all begins here...

So granted, this may defeat the entire purpose of my travel blog, but I feel like it would be wrong to start with anything other than the most special place on earth to me...exactly where I am.

Of the three places that have more importance to me than any other on this earth, I can honestly say that Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida brings about a spiritual, emotional, mental and life-changing experience more than any other place I have ever been. Yes, I will admit I am a diehard Gator fan. But in this place more than any other, I can just sit and be. Every time I give this tour stop I find myself tearing up. I study there, I run there, I just exist there, and most importantly, I celebrate the best Saturday afternoons of my life there every week of fall semesters. Ok, so it's corny, but if you get the chance, I'd highly recommend visiting one of top stadiums in college football sometime if you get the chance.






Gainesville itself is of course a place very dear to me as well. It is more of a community than anything else, and I am beyond proud to have grown up here.

Fun Facts:
Home to Florida's oldest and largest university
Home to Gatorade-invented at the University of Florida
Famous Residents: (past and present): Bo Didley, Tom Petty, Don Felder, Bernie Leadon, River Phoenix, Malcolm Gets, Harry Crews, Marty Liquori, Gabriel Schwartzman, Peter Taylor, Mary McCauley, Joe Haldeman, Bob Vila, Maya Rudolph, the members of Sister Hazel (Tom Petty went to my high school...Go Canes!)
Sister Cities: Novorossiisk, Russia (since 1982), Kfar Saba, Israel (since 1998), Qalqilya, Palestinian Territories (since 1998), Duhok, Kurdistan, Iraq (since 2006)
Was originally named Hogtowne

So I'm going home, back to the place where I belong, and where your love has always been enough for me. -Daughtry

Don't listen to what they say. Go see.

I am not going to lie, I am not a traveler. I am more like a stayer. I would love to travel, but there are always things standing in my way. Money, fear of flying (fear=phobia), fear of the unknown, inability to leave things behind, etc. I have traveled a little bit, around the states, Canada, Brazil, some of Europe and recently Israel, but unfortunately it has been very sparse and limited. I was excited to figure out that I had been to four continents, but unexcited to realize that I had been nowhere on the tourist map of the USA (besides Miami to fly in and out).

So I decided every day this semester I will highlight somewhere I would like to go. Maybe by doing so, I will find out enough information to actually make it to these places and eventually become the world traveler I hope to be.

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. -Saint Augustine