5 Dream Places I'd Like To Visit

Are the years romping along far too quickly for your liking?  They are for me!  It seems like yesterday I hit  60 which was an achievement in itself.  My darling mum never made it to that age, sadly passing at 58.  My dad only got to 63.  Losing both parents so prematurely has always made me think that life's too short, so here I am at almost 64 feeling that as a result, life must be grabbed by the short and curlies.  I have this urgent need to make the most of it so at least I can slide into my dotage knowing that I did some good, and saw some awesome stuff.

So today, it's sunny here in the UK and I no longer feel in hibernation mode. My thoughts turned once again to places I'd love to visit.  I've had this travel 'bucket list' for a number of years and while everything on it remains the same, the order of priority has changed.  Somehow, it seems more important to see certain places than others now. I really don't want to shuffle off without having seen.....

1.  A tour of Canada with my younger daughter, predominantly Prince Edward Island, Jasper and Vancouver.  For some reason we feel an affinity with the the place though neither of us have been.

This is Price Edward Island...

2.  Monument Valley, Arizona (or is it Utah?  I can't be sure.  Someone put me right please!)  I've wanted to go here since I was a kid.  I'm fascinated by native Indians and long to be among them, talk to them, see their work and creativity.  I want to see The Mittens, walk near them.  See the stars in what must be the biggest sky EVER!

3.  The Caribbean.  White beaches, turquoise seas, palm trees, rich colours, laid back people.  I can't settle on one island in particular, so I'll start at Barbados, then island-hop them all!

I know it's a stereotypical view, but one I never tire of seeing.

4.  The Taj Mahal, Agra.  Grumpy Trousers worked in India on several occasions years ago and told me so much about it.  He missed out on seeing The Taj Mahal as he had a 'fiery belly' and had to stay on the work compound on his own, writhing in discomfort and trying to eke out the loo roll!  I know he'd like to see this majestic monument, and I have that yearning to sit on the bench and be photographed like Princess Diana.  That's if I could get near it.

5.  New York  Just a few days in New York would suit me.  I don't think I could hack the crowds and the busy-ness for too long.  But I still want to go. It hacks me off that almost everyone I know has been and I haven't!  I want to see it all for myself; photograph it all; do the tourist thing, see the Empire State Building, The Statue of Liberty, do downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn Bridge for example.  Oh mustn't forget Bloomingdales, Central Park and riding in a yellow taxi.  It will be exhausting and enormous fun!

Any one of these travels is do-able.  Canada will almost certainly happen.  I may have to toss the others into a hat and draw one out.  I don't think I can afford them all!