Redartz: Today we have a two-part 'two question'. Or is it one twin question? Maybe the flip side of the same queston? Ahhhh, fie upon it. To the question/s:
1. Back in the glorious days of our youth, what would have been your dream vacation? And did you ever actually take that trip?
2. What is your dream vacation now?
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| The Grand Canyon, taken with my trusty GAF Anscomatic |
For my answer to question 1, I think back to 1971. My dream trip,as a kid, was to travel out west and see the Grand Canyon. My parents wonderfully fulfilled that trip. They packed my brother, sister and I into the back seat (three siblings in a back seat- probably the biggest headache of such an excursion). A couple day's drive took us to Denver, and we got to visit Rocky Mountain National Park.
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| Panning for gold in Colorado |
Over the next two weeks, we saw Arizona (stopping at Four Corners National Monument- a unique spot formed by the intersection of four states: Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico). We spent a couple days at the Grand Canyon- a staggering sight for anyone, let alone a ten-year-old from the cornfields of Indiana.
Granted, a lot of time was spent in the car, but the scenery was spectacular. High desert, mesas, distant horizons. And, Mom and Dad were foresighted enough to provide books (including some Comic digests). The last few days were spent at a family campground along the Meramec River in Missouri. Quite the adventure; it was an incredible experience. An experience, by the way, I'd like to repeat as an adult (yes, I'd take a burro ride down the Canyon; my wife is less inclined to do so). So my youthful dream vacation was made very real.
For question 2: A tough call. Many are the places, globally, I'd dearly love to see. England. Japan. Egypt. Austria. Oh, the list is long. But if I could only take one big trip, it would have to be an east coast visit: New York / Washington DC. Since I was young, I have wanted to visit the Big Apple and see the sights so frequently referenced in those beloved Marvel comics. And so much more: the museums, Broadway, Ellis Island. And while out east, a few days in DC would be wonderful as well. A vast amount of history concentrated in a fairly localized area; again, more museums, monuments, and so on. So yes, on my 'bucket list', you'll find this trip listed prominently.
Okay, everyone; your turn to share. What 'fantastic voyages' did you imagine, or actually take, in your youth? And where would you go now? Oh, and if your dream is New York, let me know- maybe we can get a group rate...
10 comments:
In my youth, b/c me siblings and me received the big hardback Annuals from the UK (Beano, Dandy, Victor, Valiant, Oor Wullie) I/we always wanted to visit the UK and see if people like Colin B, Colin J, Steve Does DC, Sean, Pete, et al. really walked around in dungarees or short pants with suspenders, playing conkers, saying things like "Blimey" or "Jings" or "Ta Mate" as they poached apples or fish whilst eluding an apparently infinite supply of constables and game wardens, LOL!
I eventually got to England a few times in the 80s while serving in Germany. Visited my bro in London whilst he was studying law and fly my Chinook CH47 across the English Channel to participate in an air show at RAF Alconbury near Cambridge in 1987! Didn't see what I saw in the annuals but I did do some punting on the River Cam in Cambridge! Good times.
As a kid, I think my dream vacation, or at least dream trip, would have been to visit New York (city), because that's where all the heroes in my beloved comics hung out, and it was also the setting for so many TV shows and movies. Or really to any big city that appeared in popular culture: Chicago, London, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, Hong Kong, etc. That's because we lived in a pretty rural part of Oregon, so that the nearest pretty big city was Portland (about a half-hour drive from us), and back then it was even smaller than it is today. Except for a few trips to Seattle (which didn't strike me as all that different from Portland) and a brief trip to LA when I was about 11 years old, that dream never really came about when I was a kid.
As an adult, there's still many places in the world I'd like to see, but when you use the word 'vacation,' I understand the term is a time to relax and not worry about anything, so the immediate image that comes to mind is some place warm and quiet, near some water (an ocean, sea, or just a big lake) where I can spend entire days doing nothing but reading. And I've had a few vacations like that since I've been living in Croatia: there's lots of places on the Adriatic coast, either on the mainland or one of the islands, where you can rent out a cottage or house in some secluded cove and just chill.
Charlie, of all the things you listed, we did at least play Conkers. We didn't do it much because Conker Season doesn't last long but we did it while we could.
As for holidays, like Edo, as a kid I would have wanted to go to New York because of the Marvel connection and because I like skyscrapers. Also, I couldn't get my head round the island thing. It seemed to defy logic that a city could have islands in it. I was like, "Shouldn't each of those islands be a separate town or something?"
Nowadays, I'd probably want to go to Shanghai or possibly Tokyo because they're on the other side of the world from me.
Hmmm, this is probably just one question for me, since my tastes haven't changed that much. But it's hard to pick just one, so I'll mention a few:
I've always wanted to see Australia, despite the fact that EVERYTHING there can potentially kill me.
With the dreaded Canadian winter coming up, I'd like to go someplace warm ... the Caribbean, Hawaii, Tahiti, even Arizona or Nevada would be nice.
And I've always wanted to go on one of those trips to Rwanda where you go out into the jungle and see gorillas in their natural habitat; that'd be cool, although I think it's insanely expensive, so I won't be doing it anytime soon.
I'm not really a "city" person (crowds freak me out a bit) but I wouldn't mind seeing Montreal (which is plausible) or Paris 9which probably isn't).
Charlie- I envy you your opportunity to visit England. I'd love to go there, but at this point intercontinental travel for me is unlikely. Maybe one of these days.And punting? Very cool.
Edo- good point about the ramifications of 'vacation'. A holiday spent in restful, reflective surroundings is certainly to be wished for.
Steve DC- Tokyo and Shanghai would be great choices. What an experience that would be. Oh, and not to sound dense and uninformed (although in this case I am uninformed), what is Conkers?
Mike W.- Ahh, the Caribbean. Perhaps on a cruise, with lengthy stops for diving, beach lounging and exploring. I'll sign up with you...
Conkers... well, it'd be best to Youtube it. Here is a better link!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TFel_9QgGo
Colin B advised that UK youth are not as passionate about the sport as they used to be. Also that the chestnuts used are "horse chestnuts" which are toxic. It's a fascinating sport and I think a small town in the USA could put themselves on the map with a "world championship."
Redartz, Conkers is a game in which you get a horse chestnut, put a piece of string through it and then swing it forcefully at your opponent's horse chestnut in an attempt to smash it to pieces. You can harden your nut by baking it or by soaking it in vinegar.
In my experience, you tend to end up inflicting more damage upon yourself than on the nut, thanks to them being as hard as rock and virtually impossible to control. It is definitely a sport for masochists.
September 1972, the Brady Bunch went to Hawaii. To my six year old brain, it seemed so far and so $$ out of reach for our struggling family. But what a place: surfing, palm trees hidden caves and ‘tabu’. I was riveted by the three parter, especially since it had Vincent Price in it!
After years of vacationing in the Caribbean, I decided to take my family for a two week trip to Oahu and Maui. It was literally something I waited my whole life to do. And it was magic. We stayed at the hotel from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and it didn’t disappoint. The North Shore was everything I expected and more.
Things went great until the fourth day, when my wife got the call that her long-suffering MS-stricken mother was on death’s door. We had actually postponed several vacations as her health had moved from rehab centers to hospitals to long term care centers. She passed the next morning and we had to cut short our trip.
We promised ourselves we would come back for Christmas, but that was over four years ago and we have yet to return. One day...
Yoyo
Frankly, I never had one as a kid, other than to visit Cape Canaveral in Florida, or perhaps New York to envision Spidey swoopin' over my head.
As for nowadays..? I would love to return back to Europe to sightsee, I lived in Giessen for 3yrs while stationed there back during the cold war. :)
As a kid (also inspired by The Brady Bunch) I would have said the Grand Canyon or Hawaii. I still have not made it to either.
Nowadays, I am a homebody. But I do love vacationing Puerto Rico. As a kid it was a family obligation, but as an adult who can rent a car and choose when and if to visit extended family? It is great! Of course, with the current situation, who knows when I'll get a chance to go again.
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