Because the OP is now 100% full because of you wonderful people pushing this thread along, I have had to commandeer the first post in the thread for bookkeeping. Hope nobody minds.

so...

13 days
round 52 April 30 (by the skin of her teeth), post 1754

18 days
round 53 May 18th, post 1785

by the way, 12 days from that date is May 30th

Special Announcement - exactly one year later we are up to post 1786 thanks to a lovely note from MariaF

45 days
round 54 July 1st (posting time zone), post 1828

you can really tell that people have started travelling from the US and Canada - it has been more than a full calendar month
45 days from the 18th of May until the 1st of July

41 days
round 55 August 10, post 1857

just 21 days, 3 weeks!
round 56 September the First, post 1887

25 days
Round 57 September 25th, at post number 1,953

15 days
Round 58 October 10th (10/10 reads the same on both sides of the pond), at post number 1,985

1985/58/25-10(15)/pumpkin/3.14159/cdn

11 days, just 11 days
Round 59 October 21st, at post 2,018

11 days, same as last time
Round 60 November 1st, at post 2057

The big thing is Round 60. 60!

12 days, just one more than last
Round 61 November 12, at post 2088

40 days, nearly crawled over the line, by far the slowest
Round 62 December 22, at post 2120

just 11 days, due to a large shift in the Antarctic land mass
Round 63 January 2, 2022, at post 2161

29 days
Round 64 January 31 at post 2191

22 days
Round 65 February 22, post 2222 > all the twos for and by Cyn

just 9 days
Round 66 March 3, post 2251 noted that after all the 2's it is 3/3 today; Janis got us over the line

19 days
Round 67 March 22 (in Cyn's time zone), over the line by Cyn at post 2280

31 days
Round 68 April 6, at post 2312 thanks to Fred (edited due to date typo)

15 days
Round 69 April 21, 2022, at post >> 2345 << thanks to Janis

21 days
Round 70 May 12, 2022, at post 2374 thanks to newcomer CWsocial

16 days
Round 71 May 28, 2022 at post 2404 - Janis has been back at work again

30 days
Round 72 June 27, 2022 at post 2438 - Janis yet again

42 days, 2 days slower than previous record in December 2021
Round 73 August 12, 2022 at post 2479 - Allan

just 29 days
Round 74 September 10, 2022 at post 2510 - Janis again again

just 30 days
Round 75 October 11, 2022 at post 2540 - Janis again again again

WOW - 75!!!!

in only 27 days
Round 76 November 7, 2022 at post 2569 - Mona's Alpine Countries and almost the same time periscope's gorgeous ceramic's

29 days
Round 77 Dec 6, 22 at post 2600 (Cyn going skiing)
passing Two and a half years

43 days - a record
Round 78 Jan 17, 2023 at post 2631 (Avirosemail visiting a Spanish museum)
Happy (belated) New Year

for what it's worth

Nigel

End of introduction

---

---

First Post:

I'll start it off:

A - Albania (shortened for history)

Fun idea, Nigel

A

Andorra: Approached from Latour de Carol in France or La Seu d'Urgell in Spain, the country has lovely scenery. Unfortunately, the capital city, Andorra-la-Vella, is not a great destination itself, being known more for tax-free shopping than anything else.

Oops--you posted again!

B

Bayonne: Very nice small city in the French Basque Country graced with an expansive, river-spanning historic district, a worthwhile art museum and a chocolate museum with a very generous tasting room. I liked it much, much better than Biarritz.

C

Calais

A town on the French coast across the Channel from Dover.

Pretty similar to Dover - both dumps. Calais does have the Burghers of Calais, a sculpture by Rodin. And a strange town hall tower, visible for miles.

I have the "thrill" of passing through, and sometimes stopping at a hotel overnight, every time I drive to the Continent, and back.

Has three good hypermarches.

D
Djibouti
A small country on the Horn of Africa bordering the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. There was nothing redeeming about it. It is very poor and produces nothing. However, in the dozen or so nights I spent there, there was something likable about it and the old run-down colonial style buildings in the main square.

E

Edinburgh, Scotland

The capital of Scotland and a wonderful city to visit. We climbed Arthur's Seat for a sunset view of the city; visited the Edinburgh Castle; walked the Royal Mile from the castle to Holyrood Palace; saw the statue of Greyfriar's Bobby; listened to bagpipers playing on the streets of the old city; and visited several pubs for a pint or two. Also makes a great base for visiting other places in the area including Rosslyn Chapel.

F

France-
An amazing country in Western Europe with many beautiful cities, towns and medieval villages.

Wonderful art noted in its cathedrals, buildings, bridges, museums and nature itself.

Have had the opportunity to visit 3 times.
First time as a young adult back in the early 1980’s when there were no lines to go into any of the museums or up to the Eiffel Tower.

Second time, on my first mother/ daughter trip with my mother as we traveled across the South of France from the Spanish border all the way to Italy.
My mother had wanted to take the night train and I convinced her other wise.
I didn’t want to miss all the beautiful scenery along the way! We ended up visiting Avignon and Nice on that trip.

Third trip was with my daughter 4 years ago. We traveled to beautiful Chamonix, Annecy, Provence, The Loire Valley, and Paris.

And now... I can’t wait to go back!

G
Glanum - among many surviving archaeological sites from the Ancient Roman Empire, this one, just south of the town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in southern France, is a delight. It’s small enough to visit in part of a day, but features many things - a remarkable monument with fine carving, a triumphal arch, foundations of houses, remains of the public baths, and a narrow entrance gateway that indicates that access to the town could be controlled, for protection. Roman cities share much of the same layout, drainage systems, and other elements present in modern settlements. I wonder if evidence of our cities will remain 2,000 years from now, short of bits of plastic that could take forever to degrade?

H

Honfleur, France. I've never been there but when I've been researching Northern France for a future trip I thought it may be worth an overnight stop.

Iraklion, the major city on Crete. I've been twice. The first time was in 1978 and the second was in 2014. Need I say that it, the main things to see and where I stayed changed dramatically in those 36 years?

The Palace of Knossos, the primary reason for the first visit, has become a major tourist destination. I think that is mostly a good thing, primarily because it's easier to get around the buildings and see them now.

I don't remember seeing the wonderful Archeological Museum on my first trip. I think it's worth the maximum amount of time you can devote to it.

Honfleur has an amazing bridge. We didn’t stay there, and were just passing through, on the way from Belgium to Brittany. But crossing the mouth of the Seine River, the suspension bridge went way, way up, extremely high over the water. Driving the bridge was like being on an amusement park ride - a little scary, but what views!

J

Josselin - a town in Brittany, France. Its medieval castle is still lived in, but can also be visited. The banner-festooned castle and the town’s half-timbered houses seem like a fairytale setting, but it’s not a theme park, just a beautiful, picturesque town, in a wonderful, maybe less-visited part of France. We were driving through here, too, but stopped for a short visit. It’s on the agenda for a stay, if we make it back to Brittany again!

K
Kortrijk - A town in Belgium, also known as Courtrai by French-speakers. This was a big flax-growing region, so its linen industry was huge, and supplied much of Europe. It’s a great place for a bicycle tour, and like many towns in Flanders, western Belgium, it has a Begijnhof, a particular settlement for women that dates to the middle ages, that can be visited.

We had dinner two nights in the same restaurant, with fries as part of the meal, as seemingly with everywhere in Belgium, and the young lady who waited on us mentioned how much American sitcoms made up the TV offerings there. She had seen a lot of the show Frasier.

K

Kitzbuhel, Austria - We stayed and skied here for a week several years ago. It's a very pleasant town with lots of restaurants and both large and small hotels and gasthaus' . It is a medieval town situated in the Kitzbühel Alps along the river Kitzbüheler Ache in Tyrol, Austria, about 100 kilometers (62 mi) east of the state capital Innsbruck. The ski area is huge - covering several kilometers of runs and lifts. There is quite a diverse selection of easy, intermediate and expert runs. Although we were only there in the winter, I'm sure stays in other seasons would be very pleasant as well.

Edit - oops, there's two K's. That's what happens when you wander away from your draft for a few minutes.........

Sorry, Susan E. If there’s room for two K’s (why not, unless it truly violates Nigel’s Rules?), I’ll leave mine in. Belgium’s a great place, but the downhill skiing’s not great. Austria has it beat, totally. So . . .

L

Luxembourg. To the east of Belgium, it’s relatively small, and I’ve never been. So it’s mysterious and intriguing. So is Lithuania and Latvia. All still part of Travel Dreams.

Since there's two Ks can there be two Ls?

L is for Liverpool. Beautiful waterfront, great museums (especially Museum of Liverpool), two cathedrals, and very friendly locals.

Home of the Beatles. And the best football team in the land!

Montenegro

A small country we visited last September. Kotor is beautiful, especially at night when all the cruise tourists are gone. We hiked for 3 days in Lovcen National Park, hardly anyone there, peaceful and gorgeous scenery. The hike down into the bay of Kotor was brutal but so worth it.

Milan. I know a lot of people say Milan is not worth an overnight stay, but we stayed for about 4 nights after our Village Italy tour in 2017, loved it, and didn't manage to see half the things we wanted to see.

Sure, there's the Cathedral and the Last Supper, but there is so much more! We enjoyed a number of churches, mostly for the art, several museums, and the Sforzesco Castle, which itself is worth a full day. Lovely parks, great restaurants, the canal district... The renovated Duomo museum is fantastic.

We had a lovely time, and when I find myself yearning for Italy, I remember our lovely time in Milan.

Edit to add: Oops, someone sneaked in another M while I was typing!

why not, unless it truly violates Nigel’s Rules?

Nigel's Rules inventor here...

Why not indeed? I nearly popped in a B earlier, for Bath, but saw that B was already taken.

Make yourself at home... 2 is fine, 3 ok from posters posting at the same time, not sure about more than that....

Thanks for asking...

back to your regularly scheduled programming...

and do remember that when we reach Z, we loop around and start at A again...

Naples - count me in the camp that loves this city. The grit didn’t bother me, the people were friendly and one of the few places where the cab we used gave us a receipt like they’re supposed to. The Archeological Museum is wonderful without crushing crowds, Spaccanapoli which has crushing crowds but great things to see and eat, Capella Sensevero, ....and, we got stuck in the middle of a political demonstration and the police kindly let us through the barricades to get out of the way. I hope we get back some day.

Oleron in France, where I was due to be this weekend. Great cycling, oyster beds, fantastic beaches and markets.

Orvieto-when my husband saw my photos of the cathedral(he was in Switzerland at the time), he said "Wow".

Nigel, I went to Albania last Sept. It was very interesting and the tourist infrastructure was better than I expected. And it was nice to go somewhere that openly admits that they like the United States because of aid we have given them in the past.

So when we get there, if there are two U’s, does that count as a W ?

Actually, in Spanish that “W” is considered to be a double-V.

P

Pisa, Italy. I’ve been in the general region, but not to that city. It’s got one famous sight, which apparently draws crowds. Not sure that I’m leaning towards seeing it in person. Anyone else?

N is for Nice....
The Cote D’Azur in the middle of winter like it was meant to be enjoyed in the Belle Époque area. Strolling the Promenade d’Anglais without the crowds, enjoying Carnival in February, exploring quiet alleys and the walls of St. Paul de Venice snapping pictures with no other tourist in sight, no reservation needed for lunch on the square in Antibes, sunshine and mid 60’s, perfection.
I can imagine Nice would not be my cup of tea during summer, nor shoulder season for me. I don’t like the crowds or the heat. I first visited Nice 27years ago on a whim standing on the platform in the Gare de Lyon in Paris, Eurail pass clutched in my hand on my first head spinning trip to Europe back in the heady days of travel sans hotel reservations, plans or advanced study. Awaking in my couchette the next morning, I remember vividly my first glimpse of the Côte d’Azur, breathtaking. Nice is a dream in January and February. Sunny days in the mid sixties make it perfect hiking weather and often you’ll find villages to yourself.

My worst mistake was to not visit Ventimiglia, Italy until my most recent trip just a few months ago in January. I had always discounted it for a variety of reasons and not ventured the 30 minute train ride from Nice. Big mistake. Awesome daily market (much better than Antibes) the ancient hilltop village with really cool albeit gritty vibe reminds me of the Cinque Terre 20 years ago. Mix up your “oui’s” and “si’s” ordering pasta on the beach while you contemplate the undeniable differences a 20 mile train ride can have.

It was only 4 months ago but seems like an eternity....sigh. N is for Nice.

O

Olite, Spain

Located in the northern region of Navarra, the walled medieval town of Olite is dominated by the Royal Palace of Olite, the former seat of the Kings of Navarra. You park on the outside of the walled part of town and walk in. The town walls are quite impressive and are incorporated with the Royal Palace, more a medieval castle then a grand palace. Walking through the winding lanes of the old town is a delight and 95% of the tourists we meet are Spaniards. We have a quick stop for a taste of the local traditional Sidra (hard-cider), before touring the Royal Palace.

The exteriors of the palace are magnificent and the views of the surrounding countryside are fantastic. The interior on the other hand is sparse and lacking of furnishings, this was due to fire damage during the Napoleonic war, the exteriors were restored but the interiors were yet to be brought back to their original state, which were described as gilded and sumptuous back in the day. Here's a link of some of the my photos from my time in Olite during a road trip of mine across northern-central Spain: https://photos.app.goo.gl/eGELNBMmMJXRVfpy5

Q - Quito

Capital of Ecuador. Splendid old Spanish colonial buildings and some amazing churches. Take the teleferico to the top of the mountain, or take day trips to the Mitad Del Mundo to stand on the equator, or to Otavalo to shop at the Indian handicrafts market. If you enjoy shopping, Quicentro mall was a nice visit. The historic center is easily walkable. Be careful at night since there is a lot of petty crime.

R-

Well, Rome, of course! Doesn't everybody know something about Rome? I have visited several times although not lately. We have been in all seasons and actually experienced snow one late March. It was magical, seeing familiar places in the coating of snowflakes. Experiences:wonderful food tours with Eating Italy, a visit to the Scavi under the Vatican, Nero's house with some Italian architecture students. (no, we didn't understand the guide but we really didn't need to). The roof caved in shortly after our visit and it was closed for a while. I think now re-opened? The cat sanctuary was unique, there among the ruins. I could return a dozen more times and still see new things and have new experiences!

Q
Quechee, Vermont.
Quechee is an unincorporated village famous for a covered bridge with mill and the Quechee Gorge. I have been twice, both more than 20 years ago. Once for a conference and the second time as a family hiking getaway with our young son (a colleague owned a house there). The little town was filled with shops selling artisan products like pottery and jewelry. The scenery is beautiful, especially during autumn due to the sugar maple trees.

(Did it really take me 8 minutes to type that??)

R: Reus

Reus is Antoni Gaudi's birthplace. There's no Gaudi building in town, but there is, naturally, a Gaudi Center or some such. I very much enjoyed visiting two modernista buildings designed by another architect, Domenech i Muntaner--l’Institut Pere Mata and Casa Navas--and walking around the town. It's a very worthwhile day-trip or overnight stop for fans of modernisme.

Reus is close to Tarragona and not terribly far from Barcelona.

Rome
Capital of Italy. Known as the eternal city.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Colosseum is there with the Arch of Titus nearby
By appointment only tours of the Attica Pharmacia Della Scala
Palazzo Farnese tour
Casa Portico d’Ottavia on Villa Della Reginella
Ponentino Pizzeria
Osteria del Oegno
Giardino Romano
Cat sanctuary
Basilica de San Clemente

St. Malo, France
Beautiful walled city in Brittany with crazy tides.

Terri, innUmbria. Found it with our daughter during our first trip to Europe. We put 7,500 km on our rental car during our month over there

T
Thailand

I have visited this fantastic country twice 3 and 4 decades ago. The Buddhist temples were beautiful, the canals were full of life, the young men usually spent 2 years as monks so you could see them everywhere in their saffron robes, the food was spicy and delicious, and the people were some of the warmest that I've met. I don't know how much it has changed.

U, an easy one: United Kingdom.
Literally hundreds of memorable places.
London is an obvious one, the traveler could spend a month, or a lifetime, exploring this city. Just one of hundreds of London unforgettable places would be The British Museum.

V

Vinga, a small island off the coast of Gothenburg Sweden. We went there to see the historic lighthouse and had a wonderful visit with one of the few locals. Fortunately we were on a tour and had a Swedish speaking guide to translate for us.

W

Warwick. I loved castles when I was a boy and so coming to Warwick Castle brought out the 8 year old boy in me. Running along the ramparts and climbing the steps inside the towers was a highlight of our 2 week adventure in England a couple of years ago.

I'm also a big fan of Bernard Cornwell's Last Kingdom series and so seeing the plaque about Aethelfaed was memorable.

Could we cheat by using Aix for X?

I bet someone can do Xi'an. I haven't been there. Or to the floating gardens of Xochimilco outside Mexico City.

X

Xàtiva Castle in Valencia, passed by it once. The ancestral home of the notorious Borgia family, of Renaissance fame ;-)

Y
Yucatán Peninsula, México. Famous for it’s impressive Mayan Pyramids and ruins, such as Chichen-Itzá, Uxmal, and Tulum, and it’s beautiful coastal resort, Cancún.
I haven’t been there since our honeymoon in 1987!

I’m sure Cancún has become highly touristy and crowded.

Z
Zaragoza, the 5th largest city in Spain.
Located in the northeast of Spain roughly halfway between Madrid and Barcelona. About a 90 minute high-speed train ride from Madrid.

I’ve read that Zaragoza has two magnificent cathedrals and a beautiful Moorish palace, the ALJAFERÍA PALACE, an 11th-century Arab palace with amazing architecture consisting of ornate arches and intricate lace-like mudéjar decorations.

You’ll also find some great museums and an ancient Roman theater.
And the food is supposed to be absolutely delicious.

Zaragoza is on my bucket list ; )

Fantastic choice Priscilla! Zaragoza is my pick for one of the most underrated cities in Spain, like how Barcelona was 30-40 years ago, in terms of foreign tourism.

A
thenosbigs already said Aix, another Provençal city worth visiting.

But to start the second round, how about a double “A” city, Aarhus, Denmark (aka Århus, if that counts). Our big Scandinavian trip in July/August has now been postponed, so Aarhus and Denmark are still on the bucket list. Still waiting for a reply from the Copenhagen-Oslo ferry company about our unusable reservations. We’ll see when, and how, Aarhus is reached in the future.

I'll stay in the US for:

Bok Tower Gardens, in Lake Wales, FL. It's a giant garden and bird sanctuary showcased by the 200+ foot tall tower/carillon. The gardens were designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, who also assisted with the National Mall and the landscaping around the Jefferson Memorial and the White House. It's a great place to go and enjoy nature.

For C, Carrick on Shannon Ireland. Went with my son for an overnight to stay with my friend's daughter and left five days later. It has what I think is the second smallest church in the world a fantastic story about the tiny church. Told my son it is the custom to buy a round in the pub and gave him a fair amount of money. The next day when I asked for money back he had none. I think it was 100 pounds.. he bought a round for the entire pub. The next day in the same pub I can still remember walking past the bar and a couple of gentlemen said you just be Rob's mom oh what a fine lad he is! Sure is with my money!

C

Staying in the US for Chicago, Chicago, it's my kind of town. :)

I love Chicago and have been there several times and just can't get enough. The best museums, the coolest neighborhoods, Navy Pier and the wonderful lakefront, Grant Park - gardens, fountains, summer concerts. Great architecture, great food. What else can I say. If I could afford to live there I probably would.

Nancy, there’s probably someone living in Chicago who’s longing to live in Corvallis! C-town people might think alike, kind-of.

D
Devizes in Wiltshire, England. We stayed here for 3 nights on our canal boat a few years ago. It's a market town with a great weekly market. The Wiltshire Museum is well worth the visit. It is full of ancient pre-historical finds from Stonehenge era - very well organized and highly recommended. Wadsworth beer is brewed here - the brewery has tours and tastings.

E
Estonia, another Baltic country I’ve not visited. Maybe when we can fit in another Finland trip, or maybe with the Lithuania and/or Latvia mentioned earlier. Wow, even if borders and travel access options were wide open, there are a lot of places to go, and so little time and money to reach them all! One place at a time . . .

F for Firenze, birthplace of the Renaissance and delightful city especially in Winter. Medicis, Michelangelo, and Bramante.

@Lauren: yes, Firenze is right up there on my list of most architecture/art/culture/history per square foot of any city in Europe.

G is for Gelato shop! One of my favorites is Buon Gusto in tiny Pienza, Italy.

This shop wasn’t open when others had customers, so I was afraid he was closed that day. I enjoyed the town, ate a delicious lunch and returned in the afternoon to find out the shop was open! Delicious flavors - Peanut Butter/Himalayan salt and a very friendly shop owner.

H for Hallstatt, which I know Nigel really liked. Or was it me who liked it?

I
Italy!
There’s so much to love about Italy!
The people, the history, the art, the food, the beautiful countryside ( Tuscany & Umbria), and... the gelato!

I can’t wait to go back!

Kona

Beaches, volcano, star gazing on Mauna Kea.

J comes before K and was skipped so I’ll do J for Johannesburg. I didn’t care for the little bit I saw. We drove from the airport north to Kruger Park and enjoyed our stay. We took a few safari excursions to nearby parks but drove ourselves in Kruger.

Lyon

I will never forget the fabulous lunch at Paul Bocuse's restaurant. The white asparagus was served and my husband said it's going to be tough----It was super fat. It cut like butter!

H
Because it’s been a sleepiness night following the insane rioting here in LA, I’m awake and going to add HAVANA

Due to an invitation to speak at the Havana Film School was privileged to travel to Cuba in December of 2012.

Fabulous city. Spotlessly clean, friendly people, inexpensive food, wonderful weather and the diversity in the architecture was amazing. My most favorite travel experience ever!

Dream of returning to the island to stay in a casa particular and meander with my camera.

Viva!

L is for

Lisbon. The capital of Portugal, built on hills, offers beautiful views . . . and trolleys when your legs give out. She has a rich, multi-cultural history, the only European capital older is Athens . . . Celts, Romans, Moors, the Golden Age of Exploration. The food is good, the wine is even better.

I was there almost exactly a year ago (June 2-6) at the end of a 3-week self-tour of the country. I highly recommend it to one and all.

Nancy - I'm very pleased you enjoy my hometown, but trust me, you wouldn't want to live there . . . I don't know how hot or muggy it gets in summer in Corvallis, but I am darn sure your winters are much shorter and a lot milder than those in the Windy City (even though the nickname has nothing to do with the weather).

M is for Monti--a very small town in Chianti region of Tuscany. The lovely B&B Borgo Argenina is a few kilometers away and the town is the home of a truffle hunter and chef with the most amazing 4 course truffle dinner with Chianti wine. The chef also has an owl which he brings out to dinner to the delight of my family and friends. The little grocery store in Monti is a fun place to shop and get a glass of wine with the locals.

N is for Nice.

I wanted to use this under L for the restaurant Lu Fran Calin in Nice. Best lasagna I ever had, but also worst french to english translation of a menu item.

It's a link to a Facebook post I made this day last year so I'm not sure it will work if you don't have a facebook account.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2269729036441172&id=100002122920520

N

N is for Nigel, Nigel Avenue in Northfield in Birmingham, England, that is. A bit of a sneaky way to get to 3 places all nearby each other and all 3 with strong associations for.

That's a bit sneaky - can I do that?

From south to north on the Cross City rail line in Birmingham, three nearly adjacent stations - Longbridge, Northfield, and Bournville.

Quite a few years ago I both worked trains on and managed conductors on the Cross City, and there are many experiences on that line burned deep into my memories.

Longbridge used to be the home of Rover cars. Trains taking workers to and from there used to be packed. Not now. Nothing left. Investors sold the company lock stock and barrel to a foreign government controlled company which closed both the assembly plant and the brand name down. Some of the designs are being used for cars produced for their domestic market. Nothing left in the UK except brick dust.

Northfield is one stop up the line. Memorable for me because the platforms are up in the air so that when all the other stations are safe for walking the ones at Northfield would get icy and frosty. I've gone over a couple of times as have many passengers. I had to go with a mate and a snow shovel one year when we had a particularly heavy snow fall. Pushing snow onto the track my mate went flying and was a very amusing sight. He was much better after a cup of tea.

Bournville is two stops further up the line. It is a true tourist attraction as well as a magnet for chocolate lovers. It is where the Cadbury family of Quakers established a famous chocolate factory on the canal and railway line, and built a town for the workers. Very progressive and very scenic, and the station is painted in Cadbury purple.

O is for Orkney. We only went because our travel companions wanted to go to Highland Park Distillery. It was the highlight of the trip! Three nights not enough. Maes Howe, the Italian Chapel, Scapa Flow, Tomb of the Eagles, Ring of Brodgar.... it goes on and on. All on an easily driveable, beautiful island(s).

The kind of place where the car rental guy told us to leave the car, with the keys in it, in the parking lot of the airport.

P - Peru
Lima, Cusco, Saqsaywamam, Pisac, Urubamba, Machu Picchu, etc. beautiful country. Went on an unforgettable trip there, the highlight of which was climbing up Waynapicchu at Machu Picchu.

P
Portugal!

Portugal is an amazing country with friendly people, beautiful churches, antique universities, impressive facades of buildings and churches decorated with magnificent colorful ceramic tiles, great museums, a fairytale castle (Pena Palace in Sintra), and delicious seafood!

My daughter and I spent 3 wonderful weeks exploring this great country at this time last year!

Hard to believe it was a year ago...

Thanks Nigel for starting this post!
I’ve enjoyed reading all the replies! 😉

Q
Quimper, another fantastic small city in Brittany. As with so much English vs. Celtic, it also goes by another name, “Kemper“ in Breton. We were there for its annual Cornouaille Festival in July, featuring music and dancing with Breton/Celtic flair. A horn that’s somewhat annoying, with a tinny sound, is one of the key instruments, but it’s unique, and essential to the region, so it fits in with everything else. A big dance under the tent one night, followed by a big parade the next day with locals in traditional costumes, all added to the fun. Half-timbered buildings and a charming old town make this a place worth staying, even if the festival’s not going on.

The Les Halles indoor market is another essential experience in Quimper. Two meat vendors, just across from each other, do brisk business. They’re clearly very proud of their quality, and seem to each have their own devout customers. People must have their reasons to go to one or the other, but they stick with that supplier. And Brittany’s superior baked product, Kouign Amann, sort of a cinnamon roll on steroids, is not to be missed!

R

Reccopolis - the long-lost Visigothic city rediscovered in the high central plains of Spain. Located an hour east of Madrid, Reccopolis, built in 578, was the only new city to be founded in Western Europe during the Dark Ages. It was in 1893, while visiting the deserted interior of La Mancha, that archaeologist García López stumbled upon the remains of Reccopolis, and its palatial complex, built by King Liuvigild, the most important of the Spanish Visigothic monarchs.

Reccopolis was a Royal City, comparable to a Visigothic version of Versailles, complete with palaces – one of them two stories tall, with workshops, nobles’ dwellings, artisan stores with window displays, an aqueduct and a two-kilometer long wall. Today, Reccopolis has been preserved as an open-air archaeological park. Parque Arqueológico Recópolis, makes for a great albeit lesser-known day trip from Madrid.

S San Quirico d'Orcia, a tiny hilltown in Tuscany with nice streets, a small park, good eateries and a nice view over the Val d'Orcia.

T

T is for TOKYO, one of the most fascinating, mind boggling cities we've ever visited. It has everything- an ancient culture so different from our own, temples and museums, fabulous public gardens, every kind of food imaginable, and some of the most courteous and helpful people you'd ever want to meet.

U
U is for Upper Slaughter, a little village in the Cotswolds, and an easy 25 min stroll from Lower Slaughter, where we spent an idyllic week in a rented cottage some years ago. Pretty as a picture and perfect for a few quiet days. Lots if walking or hiking opportunities and if you have a car, then you can easily fill your days tripping to other towns, catching a play in Stratford Upon Avon, or visiting some of the world famous gardens.

V

Victoria and Albert Museum in London. From the Dale Chihuli glass chandelier that greets you in the entrance, to room after room after room of assorted displays, it has, probably, the most varied collection of interesting displays anywhere. Plan on a full day, and you’ll still just scratch the surface.

Wells, England. We had toured the town and the Cathedral during the day and driving back later that evening by the church we saw quite a lot of people entering through the side door and stopped to ask if there was a church service going on. We were told the choir was practicing and we were welcome to come in as their guests. We sat in the individual pews right up by the altar and had a truly front row seat to an awesome choir. As a side note, we only went to Wells because we had seen it in a Rick Steve's video!

Xi’an China has the famous Bingmayong (Terra Cotta Army), thousands of life-size, hand-molded figures buried with China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang.

We visited in 1982. Awesome!

Thanks for starting this Nigel.

Y

Yosemite. A beautiful national park that has more to offer than the valley, which is where most visitors go. I am fortunate enough to live fairly close, though I discovered the hard way that going as a day trip from home is a bit ambitious.

Z

Zabolotiv, the town in Western Ukraine where my father was born. I first visited in 1993 and met my uncle (my father's brother) and other relatives that I knew only from letters and pictures. A truly moving and unforgettable experience.

and back to A again

Augsburg, a medium sized town in southern Germany which was the home of the Fuggers and also Martin Luther for a time.

Interesting WW2 bunker and air raid shelter in the garden of the Fuggerei, which also does (did) a decent al fresco lunch.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augsburg

Z

Zamora, Spain - one of the most important ancient cites of the medieval Kingdom of León. Zamora is best known these days for its spectacular Semana Santa (Holy Week) Processions, they are some of the oldest ongoing processions in Spain, dating back to the 1200s. They certainly have a more "medieval" ambiance, in the day the processions are accompanied by their own Gregorian chants and music, which contrasts with the powerful Procesión del Silencio at night in which no one speaks a word.

Edit: oops too slow on the draw haha I'll do the next one then:

B

Bar Celta Pulperia. My go-to tapas bar when I'm back in my hometown of Barcelona, it's a Galician style seafood bar that specializes in Galician Octopus (Pulpo a la Gallega). Another specialty is their Pimientos de Padron, which are apparently one of Rick Steves' favorite tapas (mine too!). They are sauteed green peppers that are usually mild, but every so often you get a spicy pepper. Bar Celta is a little more old school than the newer tapas bars, but it is still pretty popular with locals. They have two locations now, one in the Barrio Gotico and in El Born.

C is for Cap Ferret

This area is a hidden gem in my opinion (unless you are French or German tourist which seemed to be the majority here). Lots of good food, beaches, working villages, etc, etc. Great place to unwind and enjoy life.

DJ

D is for

Dunedin, New Zealand

Loved this town in New Zealand. It has some wonderful architecture, including a fantastic railroad station in a very eclectic style with amazing floor mosaics in the main hall and a lovely clock tower. We took a wildlife viewing boat cruise around the Otago Peninsula to see the Tairoa lighthouse on Tairoa Head and saw penguins, sea lions, an albatross colony and some gorgeous scenery. One of the highlights of our NZ tour.

How about Dunedin, Florida? Spring Training home for the Toronto Blue Jays. I haven't been yet, but a month along the Florida Coast for Spring Training is a Bucket List item. Would have been done long ago, but the wife doesn't share my passion. She might need to be replaced...

C is for The Cook Islands
A number of years ago we visited Rarotonga & a day trip to Aitutaki. It was truly “Heaven on Earth.” It was comparable to what Hawaii was 50+ years ago. Uncrowded and stunning beaches for snorkeling. The culture, cuisine and people made it a memorable experience.

This is a such a positive thread! Thanks.

E is for Ephesus! A fantastic place to visit! The communal latrine was quite interesting and just off the main drag.

hey hey nigel
thanks for this fun topic
A for annecy in france. cute village on lake annecy with shops, restaurants and gorgeous views. first weekend of october the villagers have a parade bringing the animals, all "dressed up with flowers and bells" down from the hills (alpine pastures festival)
B for bardolino on lake garda in northern italy. fabulous views of the lake, small village with shops and restuarants, stop for ferry to cruise the lake. end of september/first week of october is their annual wine festival. eat drink and be merry, fun times.
C for corfu. loved this island, on a private tour (5 hours) from our cruise, excellent driver and guide, panoramic drive of important areas, villages, kumquat liquer distillery (yummy) and olive oil farm. stopping a locals home for tasting wine, ouzo, snacks, photo ops of the bay, old corfu town, and other important sightseeing. loved this island more than santorini.
aloha

F was to have been next. The Faroe Islands. Very kind people! One home owner offers us a beer as we hiked past. We used her bathroom and passed on the beer because we had no idea where we would find another rest stop opportunity.

@diane
oops, forgot to press add reply. better late than never, we call that "hawaiian time" thanks
aloha

G is for Gubbio
A charming ancient Umbrian city dating back to the Estruscan period. In the 2nd Century BC, the Romans took control of the city and built the second-largest surviving Roman Theatre in the world. In addition the Palazzio dei Console is one of the most iconic medieval buildings in Gubbio. The highlight of our visit was visiting the Palace with our guide. We were treated to a delicious pasta lunch that included the famous truffles and wine from the region.

G for Granum, Alberta, Canada close to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump. https://headsmashedin.ca/

If you're ever in Alberta and tired of the mountains, this is a fun daytrip from Calgary. My Mom grew up in the area and as a boy when we were down there visiting my Grandparents we used to walk over to another buffalo jump nearby and we'd dig up old buffalo bones and arrowheads.

H for hawaii
every island known for something
oahu "the gathering place" honolulu, waikiki, crowds, traffic, diamond head, pearl harbor, north shore and surfing
maui "the valley isle" beaches, haleakala volcano, hana hiway, condos condos condos, lush countryside of makawao and kula, lahaina wailuku, eating mom and pop store, local food and music
hawaii "the big island" all islands will fit with this island. volcano and lava flows, black sand beach, capt cook, kailua kona, waimea and cowboy ranches, rocky coastlines, tex drive inn home to the malasadas, mauna kea has the telescopes and snow when cold enough, forests and waterfalls, hawaiian food
kauai "the garden island" oldest of the islands, sleeping giant, hanalei, lush green areas, poipu and it's beaches, tv and movie backdrops, wailua river and fern gtrotto, koke'e state park and kalalau lookout, hawaiian food, music. was slow and quiet to visit but word got out,
nice to visit all islands to see the difference they offer. enjoy
aloha

This is a great topic: to help us remember what Europe travel has meant to us (mostly American) international travelers.

I

Istria - a large peninsula in the Adriatic. It includes parts of Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia. One coastal town, Piran, is known for being very windy. I don’t know about that personally, but it’s got scenic sunsets and wonderful people. We had one night there, and more would’ve been nice. Maybe there’ll be a next time . . .

I for ile de orleans
an island about 10 miles from quebec city. rented car for day and drove around the island. farmers, wineries, chocolate making stores, local artists along the river, old historical and heritage homes, lots of areas for photo ops. stopped at a deli to pick up picnic goodies, found a bench to enjoy a picnic. stopped at artisan shops for local made goods, drive back across river bridge to montmercy falls, sainte ann's de beaupre church along saint lawrence river, then to canyon sainte anne. took walk around the canyon crossing suspension bridges, deep gorges, back to quebec city. a wonderful day trip. went first of october and town is decorated in halloween/fall style for their canada thanksgiving. absolutely gorgeous and a fun vacation.
aloha

J
Jamaica
Stopped at the Falmouth port for the day on a cruise. Did a walking tour of the town and learned about the island history.

K for Kansas City, home of the Negro League Baseball Museum. I've never been, but one of my travel bucket list items is to visit every MLB stadium. I love baseball history and so when I do make it to KC for a game, a must-see stop will be this Hall of Fame. https://nlbm.com/

I wanted to save this for V, but sadly the post is running out if steam and may not make it;

L is for Loire Valley.

I was on the RS Loire to the South of France tour in May last year and days 4 and 5 were in the Loire Valley. My favourite chateau was Villandry. It’s famous for its French style gardens. We didn’t have enough time to really tour the interior of the chateau, but it is the gardens that are the show-stopper. Unfortunately, it was the 3rd week of May and so the gardens weren’t in full bloom yet, but still spectacular. My favourite moment was in a garden well away from the chateau, I heard this buzzing and I was looking around for the source, it almost sounded like there were power lines above. Finally realized it was bees. Hundreds of bees hanging out in the flowers. I’m not usually the type to get all philosophical about something like that, but it was so cool just to stand there quietly and listen.

M is for Mongrassano, a tiny village in Cosenza province in Calabria. My husband's grandparents were from there. It had to be on the itinerary during my sister-in-law's and my trip to Italy last year. I thought I planned the visit for her. But in all honesty, it was the highlight of my trip. We don't know if we met any far distant relatives but all the people were very kind, helpful and tolerant of our 15-word Italian vocabulary. Walking around town, past many derelict houses, we wondered where her grandfather was raised, where her grandmother was born and where they lived as newly-weds before coming to the US in 1909. The village is like a slice of Italian life from an era long past.

M for Malta! The Grand Harbour's fantastic golden-stone fortifications, all the medieval & Knights of St. John history & edifices, staggering Cathedral with huge paintings by huge-persona'd Caravaggio, blazing July sun but Valetta's streets so narrow you're shaded, elegant gardens & palazzi, World War II secret Allied headquarters, Hagar Qim's pre-historic megalithic ruins.

Monterosso al Mare Walking into a dark hotel room, opening the shutters and absorbing the breath-taking view of the Mediterranean is still on my top list of “wow” moments.

N
Naples-from what I have read posted on the forum, it's an either much loved or much disliked city. I am on the side of much loved. It's the third largest city in Italy after Rome and Milan. For me, the highlights included the fabulous National Archaeological Museum (some original decor from Pompeii), the awesome "Deception" and "Veiled Christ" sculptures found in the small Capella Sansevero and not necessarily for awesomeness but just for fun, a tour of Napoli Sotteranea or underground Naples. Fun and enlightening. I loved the food, not just the pizza but everything else, too!

O

Obidos, a town in Portugal. My second trip to Portugal, I didn’t expect to go there again, but it was going to be getting dark, and we didn’t have any room reservation anywhere, so we stopped and got one. Another great night in Portugal.

So, planned or not, every trip to Portugal has included at least one night in Obidos!

P

Puerto Rico

Visited before the most recent hurricane and it was one of the loveliest places I've been. Beautiful beaches, especially when you get away from the traffic jam that is the San Juan area; interesting natural places - bioluminescent bay, El Junque rain forest, Islands of Culebrita and Isla Caja de Muertos, Rio Camuy Caves; and the most interesting Arecibo Radio Telescope. Old San Juan was a joy to walk around to see the old churches and the old cemetery. There is just so much to see there and it is a tropical island after all so how can you go wrong.

Q
Quedlinburg, Germany in the Harz region. We have visited this city of the 800 half timbered houses three times over the years for 1 day to a month at a time. If you get the chance to travel in Saxony-Anhalt please spend some time seeing this UNESCO gem and its beautiful neighboring cities and towns.

R

Reims, France. Pronounced “Rahnsss,” Champagne country. Notable cathedral, in a country with a lot of cathedrals. Pop a cork in Reims.

S Shigatse, Tibet
We visited in the early 80s. It wasn’t a resort area by any means but it was fascinating to experience the culture and customs. The roads were treacherous, tourist facilities were nonexistent except for mediocre hotels.

T

There are half a dozen places that spring to mind immediately . . . Thailand, Turkey, Tallinn, Toledo (Spain) . , ,

But I have to go with Tel Aviv, 100 years ago it was mostly sand dunes on the Mediterranean shore north of the ancient seaport of Jaffa. Today it's a vibrant city with great beaches, museums, , pubs and restaurants, a world-class symphony and a treasure of Bauhaus architecture. It's a 1-2 drive to Roman, Crusader, and Ottoman sites, fascinating Jerusalem, and the Dead Sea. And for some of our European neighbors, we are beginning to open up to tourism again.

N New York- USA
I had visited there many times before I finally moved there. As what many people would say was the busiest city with the rudest people, I think that New York and the people there have come to challenge those prior misconceptions.

I remember when I had first settled into my boiling hot, exposed brick, and empty apartment in the middle of summer, I had wondered if New York was it for me. However, a quick trip uptown to Central Park soothed my sweaty arms and doubtful mind.

That’s a tough one to follow, Chani!

(Edit: Well, so’s New York)

And at the risk of jumping in ahead of Ufkak on this forum, who might have posted Ufkakistan:

U

Umbria - the region of Italy between Tuscany and Rome. This September’s trip was maybe going to include the Umbrian towns of Spoleto or Perugia, but those will now have to wait a bit longer. The pasta and truffles will hopefully wait for us to get there.

V

Made it to V, despite Allan’s concerns from yesterday. This doesn’t yet get us all the way to “Z” again, but:

Valence, France. A great city with great people, and a great layout. It’s between Lyon and Nice, great for a stopover or a few nights. The Tour de France passes through frequently, so the locals expect to see the race come through their hometown every few years. It’s also where the superb Michelin 3-starred Maison Pic can be found. Have lunch there for less than dinner costs, still a fantastic meal, and Chef Sophie Pic herself will check on how you’re enjoying it.

Yellowstone National Park

Does it really need a descriptive comment?

Cyn! Umbria sounds amazing, I'm definitely putting that in my travel wishlist!

Zeeland, the smallest province of the Netherlands that is often overlooked, but a great place to see a bit of the Netherlands without the crowds of Amsterdam. And if you are visiting in the summer there are some great beaches!

Umm . . . anybody got a W or X ?

W

Wörthersee

Great spot. Lovely Lake. Stayed in Krumpendorf and in Portschach.

W
I’ll add a W. Wernigerode, Germany. It’s another beautiful small city in the Harz area close to the above mentioned Quedlinburg. Wernigerode has hundreds of beautiful half-timbered buildings too, a stunning castle on the hill and is the terminus for the historic steam train that takes passengers up (and over) to the top of northern Germany’s highest, the Brocken. And just a few miles away is another stunning, historic small city, Goslar.

X is for making a fool of myself.

This is a stretch, but to get X in...my first trip to Europe was in 2014 and while in Rome I went to the Team Store of the local soccer team A.S. Roma. As a sports fan I wanted to get a souvenir, so I was looking at shirts with the team's logo. Back home I wear a large so I picked one out, but the friendly clerk told me that it was never going to fit. I told her I'm definitely a large, and she looked at me like I had two heads and I looked back at her like she had 2 heads. I had no idea that clothing sizes were different from home, but apparently my wife did and was enjoying watching me make a fool of myself as I tried putting the shirt on. Turns out in Italy my shirt size is XXXL.

There, now we can get back to A.

A

Andorra la Vella is the capital of the Principality of Andorra

B

Beijing, China. A great city with so much to see and do. Of course the Great Wall is a main attraction although the section that's easily reached from Beijing is also the most crowded and most touristy. But there's also the Forbidden City, Lake Kunming and the Summer Palace, taking a tour of the Hutongs - the narrow streets and alleys of old Beijing, especially by rickshaw tour, and the many temples and gardens. It's a fascinating city.

C

I have two

Champagne - wasn't sure I would like but I LOVED it. Visited in May 2019

Chioggia - a small town we visited on our Bike and Barge in Veneto. It had an amazing fish market. Visited September 2017 my 60th bday trip.

Allan, good to hear back from you, and thanks for the post. So what size does a really big, say 150 kilogram person in Italy wear? Or do they just not wear a jersey?

Nadine, Gracias!

Nancy, I guess that every restaurant in Beijing is a Chinese restaurant, even if they serve Italian, Greek, or French cuisine?
.
Donna, we did a Champagne Pedal bike tour, a honeymoon trip, long ago. Biking the region is fabulous! That’s when we went to Reims.

D

Denver, Colorado, USA. Named after a governor of Kansas, it’s nicknamed “The Mile High City.” In fact, much of it isn’t quite 5,280 feet in elevation, but some of it truly is. The airport started offering lots of flights to/from Europe in the past 20 years.

And it’s the gateway to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, which are much, much higher than one mile. You pass through Wheat Ridge on the way to the mountains, via Interstate 70.

D for Dordogne
Ah, the Dordogne River Valley. Fond memories of canoeing down the river and taking in the scenic landscape of riverside castles & villages. In addition, visiting the areas prehistoric cave paintings. And best of all enjoying the wonderful markets for the delicious delicacies of the region.

E for Empúries or Ἐμπόριον (in ancient Greek)

Located north of Barcelona, Empúries sits right on the Costa Brava, it's the site of the ancient ruins of a Greek colony from the 6th–3rd century BC. Empúries soon became a powerful sea-trading Greek citystate in the western Mediterranean. It's quite unique as the ruins are literally right on the Costa Brava overlooking the sea. The area is also the site of an ancient Roman town called Emporiæ from the 2nd century BC - 6th century AD. There is a pretty good museum on-site containing artifacts and mosaics of the Roman and Greek periods called the Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya - Empúries.

E for Elimina Castle in Elmina, Ghana.

Constructed by the Portuguese in 1482, Elmina Castle witnessed more than 30,000 Africans trafficked to America as slaves over several centuries through the castle's doors of no return. The castle today is flanked by a beautiful beach and harbor with colorful boats, boasting a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. A visit to this town and site will evoke tears, but emotions are somewhat assuaged by a cold local Club beer from a friendly spot with a view of palm trees swaying while hip-life is playing, as always.

F
Fatima (Portugal) just last October. We were there on the Sunday specifically dedicated to celebrate the family and it was packed. I say "happily" crowded as everyone there was smiling and happy, in spite of the rain. We stayed for part of the outdoor Mass celebration and then peeked into the Chapels and the shrine to the three children who reportedly were visited by a vision of the Virgin Mary. It is said to be one of Christianity's most important pilgrimage sites.

G - Getaria

Small fishing village on Spain’s Basque north coast. Filming location for Spanish Affair/Ocho Apellidos Vascos. Not a lot to do there, but a nice place to spend a couple hours.

G for Gotland, the largest island in the Baltic sea.

Gotland is a bit of a "hidden gem", while it sees a lot of visitors in the summer it is mostly Scandinavians and Germans. Others seem to not have discovered the island yet. The limestone bedrock and maritime climate has created a very characteristic barren landscape that has a certain kind of beauty. A landscape Ingmar Bergman used in several films. And the main town, Visby, has a well preserved medieval city centre with a mostly intact city wall. Also known as "the city of roses and ruins" due to a couple of church ruins (left standing since the large city fire in 1525) and quite a lot of roses it is also on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1995.

Haarlem it really exceeded our expectations. Particularly the Ten Boom house and we loved the Cathedral and awesome square outside. Maybe because we were there on a picture perfect day in the fall with friends having a glass of wine in the square and just being in The Netherlands which fulfilled a life time dream vacation.

I Iphofen. Lovely village in Franconia with attractive streets and buildings, a town wall of sorts, vineyard walks, a couple of cafes and a few restaurants (including the excellent Deutscher Hof). Popular with locals, will never be overrun by us North Americans (hardly any shops).

Gundersen, so funny. I glanced at your town name and saw Ibuprofen. Yep, can’t get along without my Advil, especially walking 10 miles per day in Italy.

I - Istanbul (source: Rick Steves)

Istanbul is one of the world’s great cities, period. For millennia, this point where Europe meets Asia has been the crossroads of civilization. Few places on earth have seen more history than this sprawling metropolis on the Bosphorus. Once called Byzantium, then Constantinople, Istanbul boasts the opulent trappings of an epic past — from the Byzantine emperors and the Ottoman sultans of distant ages, to the modern Republic-builders and "Eurocrats" of our own time. And, as the biggest city of a moderate Muslim nation, Istanbul also offers the inquisitive traveler a unique opportunity to grapple with the rich and inspiring Islamic faith: Hear the eerie wail of the call to prayer echo across the rooftops, poke into a neighborhood mosque, and watch a dervish whirl in prayer. Set sail on the Golden Horn, and take in a spine-tingling skyline bristling with minarets.

(**where I should have visited in 2020 but now hoping for 2021)

J for Jórvík

What York was called in the 9th and 10th centuries during Danish Rule. I am supposed to spend a few days there in September as I follow my Viking roots. 3/4 of my Grandparents came from the UK and the 4th came from Denmark but all have blue eyes, so maybe I'm 100% Viking.

K for the Temple of Karnak. Jaw-dropping monumentality & detail & antiquity & &. (Also K for crowds last Dec., but we were so happy for Egypt's recovering tourism-based economy. And now...)

Plus K for kudos for Nigel for starting this excellent thread. Thank you, Nigel! And everybody; this is great.

"L" is for Leon in Spain. The cathedral is stunning, with the most beautiful collection of stained glass windows you may ever see. It was part of my Camino and I hope to return there again, on my next Camino

L

Linderhoff - as in Schloss Linderhoff. It is located in southwest Bavaria near Ettal Abbey. It is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria and the only one which he lived to see completed. It is an amazing location to visit. The gardens are wonderful and the small castle is incredibly opulent.

M

Morro Bay, CA about a 3.5 hour driveway up Hwy 101 from LA and nearly equidistance travel time from San Francisco. Drive time is a bit longer each way on Hwy 1, the Pacific Coast Hwy.

Morro Bay is famous for the large Morro Bay Rock which is an actual volcanic plug that has emerged in the Pacific Ocean. There are also often a contingent of adorable sea otters in the harbor.

MB has a huge beach to stroll along and the Main Street of town is filled with restaurants, cafes and shops. There is also the fabulous Garden Gallery and nursery ( not the one with kids but a garden nursery where you buy plants) .

Lastly, there is also the nearby serene Montana Del Oro State Park complete with a coastal hiking trail, sand dunes, beach access, camp grounds and a trail up to Valencia Peak.

M is for Montana Del Oro State Park a lesser known CA State Park.

M - Muerren

Charming village nestled on the ridge of the magnificent Lauterbrunnen Valley. Quiet evenings, scenic hiking trails and
wonderful views of the mountains. Nowhere like it. Be prepared to lose your heart.
Heaven on earth.
I've been there 4 times and want to go again every time I think of it.

N for Nida in Lithuania. It’s at the southern end of the Lithuanian part of the Curonian Spit (a sandy peninsula that starts in Russian Kaliningrad and heads north). Nida is on the lagoon side but it’s a short walk to the Baltic coast.

We were there last summer. Coolish, sunny days, perfect for walks along the beach made more fun by seeing Cyrillic letters indicating my cell phone was picking up a signal from a Russian cell tower. Not a lot to do there, but it was totally relaxing and my favorite stop in Lithuania.

O
Oberammergau, Germany = is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. The small town on the Ammer River is known for its woodcarvers and woodcarvings, for its NATO School, and across the world for its 380-year tradition of mounting Passion Plays.

My husband and I stayed here for 3 nights a few years ago. It's a lovely small town with a number of restaurants and accommodation choices. We used this as a base to explore parts of southern Bavaria and the town. In addition to the Passion Play and woodcarving, the town is close to skiing, Linderhof Castle, Ettal Abbey, and Garmisch-Partenkirchen . We went up a gondola to the top of Ammergauer Alpen which overlooks GP to the south and the Ammergau valley to the north. Lovely spot to explore parts of southern Bavaria.

P

Passau, Bavaria, Germany. A lovely city on the Danube, Inn, and Ilz Rivers, it's also known as Three Rivers City. I only had 1/2 day there but it was well worth the visit. I especially enjoyed visiting St Stephen's Cathedral as it's so different from most of the others, a very eastern vibe with it's onion domes. It has a marvelous organ with over 17,000 pipes. The old part of Passau is know for it's baroque architecture. When I was there I took a stroll along the river watching the boats and envying the people who live in the lovely homes that line the river.

Q is for Queens, NY: area where the JFK airport is located. Definitely not my favorite airport, but we have one great memory of Queens.

We were supposed to fly back home from Rome to Amsterdam to Seattle. When we arrived at the Rome airport, our flight had been cancelled. We were switched to Alitalia to transfer thru JFK. At JFK, we were assigned the last row seats instead of our Comfort Plus.

The flight was overbooked; they finally offered $1000 Amex cards and free hotel night to anyone willing to bump a day. Whew! We were eligible because we had no checked luggage! And our hotel at Queens was decent with nice staff. The $2000 was a great reward for traveling light and spending a night in Queens.

R

Rasteau - France .... we did an amazing wine "walk" through the vineyards and trees in May 2018 called the Escapade des Gourmets. I believe we were the only US Citizens and non French speakers at the event. Thankfully a couple from Canada took pity on us and helped us check in. I think we walked 5 miles tasted about 20 wines (you could have tasted like 50 different wines) and ate at 6 food "tables"

My hubby found it on line in February 2018and we tried to reserve a space but it sells out in minutes once it's announced. We contacted our bed and breakfast host and she got us on the waiting list and within a week we had our reservation and time slot (noon) it started at 10 with 50 people going in groups every 15 minutes. Needless to say bottlenecks (no pun intended) began at the first wine tasting stand.

S is for Salzburg. Such a charming town in a pretty setting. Loved the Christmas Shop and the Kirsch. And we met nice fellow travellers there that we ended up spending the whole day with.

T for Tower of London.

It's a toss up if the Tower or Hampton Court Palace was my favourite place visited while I was in London. We spent about 6 hours there one day and can't wait to go back. One of the more memorable facts I recall from our Beefeater tour was a door near the river that we were shown where Henry VIII used to sneak in his mistresses. I don't know if its true or just a good story we were told but I love how tidbits of information like that can get my imagination running wild.

V for VIENNA. New Year's Eve waltzing in the street near St. Stephen's. Schnitzel at Schnitzelwirt. Riding the tram around the Ringstrasse. Touring the Opera. Coffee and Sachertorte. Klimt pictures at the Belvedere.

V

Vent, Tirol, Austria. This small hamlet is located at the end of the Oetz Valley, just west of Innsbruck. There are a couple of small ski resorts nearby. We were there in late September and used the chair lift to do some alpine hiking. This location is very close to the Italian border with amazing views in all directions. Otzi Iceman was found close by and there are a number of neolithic sites with sign-boards describing where shepherds and hunters from Italy and Austria lived and grazed their animals during the summer months.

W is for Wrexham, Wales (two W's for the price of one). A nondescript town where, as a very young man, I was tossed through a car showroom window like a rugby ball in the early hours of a Saturday morning. You should have seen the state of the other guys.

I just tried the alphabet game for myself for the names of places I have actually been to in Europe.

Alpirsbach, Braunlage, Cochem, Düsseldorf, Ettlingen, Fischen, Gernsbach, Herrenberg, Immenstadt, Jenbach, AT, Konstanz, Lohr, Mainz, Nördlingen, Oberammergau, Pfronten, Rothenburg, Sigmaringen, Treis-Karden, Ulm, Vilshofen, Würzburg, Zwiesel

Actually, almost all were in Germany. I found places for 23 letters, 22 in Germany. I haven't been to places starting with J, Q, X, and Y in Germany, although I was once to Jenbach, Austria, if only to change trains.

There apparently is only one town, Xanten, in Germany, that starts with an X, and no town in Germany that starts with a Y, so I can't feel bad about missing those letters. I was once only about 15 miles from Quedlinburg; I wish I had known then that I was missing 'Q', I might have gone there.

Of the other 23, I stepped foot in all of them, didn't just pass through on a train, although admittedly in 3, Jenbach, Ettlingen, and Gernsbach, I only walked a short distance to the next conveyance. I never spent a night in Cochem or Ulm, but I did spend a number of hours in both places, looked around, had a meal, etc. Of the other 18 letters, I have spent one or more nights in at least one town, often many more, that started with that letter.

Bravo, Lee!!!

For us less well-travelled within Deutschland 😉,

Y
Ypres, Belgium. Also known a Ieper (starting with an “I” as in Incredible) by the Flemish, this town was at the heart of much of the WW I conflict. The Flanders Fields were just outside of the city, and the city received a lot of damage. It’s been restored, is beautiful, features arguably the world’s best chocolate, beer, and deep-fried potatoes, and an unquestionably excellent war/peace museum. It has moving, thought-provoking displays covering “The War to End All Wars,” with a context that reflects the world about a hundred years ago, as well as now. We also experienced the Last Post, a nightly ceremony honoring war dead - they are still remembered, after so long ago.

Well, maybe others are already catching some Z’s on a Friday night, but with no other posts in the past two hours:

Z
Zermatt, Switzerland. In the shadow of the iconic Matterhorn peak, this wonderful alpine town has fancy hotels, affordable B&B’s, and historic, contrasting farm buildings right alongside. I understand it’s a summer mountain destination for many, but my visit was in March, to a ski nirvana. An apres-ski place up on the mountain, a log cabin with outdoor tables and a backcountry vibe, was displaying an Alaskan flag on a pole. It was upside down! I politely informed them that, as an American, I knew the Big Dipper was supposed to be upright, with the North Star at the top. Not sure if they fixed that Alaskan flag, but a Swiss flag looks the same, right-side-up or upside-down! 🇨🇭

A

A is for the magnificent Alps! Still working on hitting the Alps in each country; five down, three to go, and then begin again. I dream of hiking the Via Alpina ... someday

Buenos Aires

The malbec wine and Italian restaurants were wonderful.

A short excursion up the river was a great way to spend an afternoon before heading to the airport

C

Cordoba, my favorite Spanish city. There is a continual back and forth on the forum whether it rates more than a few hours as a day trip. Those who think a short visit is enough simply haven't spent more time there. I've found new delights on each of my 3 (all too short) visits. The Mezquita is exquisite (in spite of the cathedral in its midsection) and unique, the Juderia is among the most well-preserved medieval centers in the country, there are quite a few small museums well worth an hour or two, and it's absolutely romantic in the evenings.

D

Dresden is about halfway between Berlin and Prague both geographically and culturally. It was "spite" bombed to rubble at the end of WWII and since the reunification has been meticulously rebuilt, using mostly the original stones. If you want to know why I fell in love with it, see my pix here (worth so much more than my poor words).

Thanks for letting me "double dip" on this round.

A shoutout to Cyn for her shoutout to Ypres. I don't think most Americans know much about the "war to end all wars'. We went to Ypres to see the cat parade, but its WW I history really opened our eyes to this part of history. It's also not far from Dunkirk. A few day's after our visit to Ypres, we were in the graveyard of a small town in England and saw the headstone of one of the thousands of men who died at Ypres.

Another thanks for Ypres.

The town and the surrounding area are important to me and I remember them well.

My mother's family lost a special man when the hospital in Ypres where he was recovering from injuries received in the Third Battle of Ypres (known as the Battle of Passchendaele) was shelled into nothingness just after Christmas in 1917. He was never found.

E

Etretat, France.

A small town on the north coast of France not far from Honfleur. It's in a very scenic area with amazing rock formations along the white cliffs. I spent a nice couple of hours there on my way to Bayeux. Climbed the cliffs for a short 1 hour hike and some amazing photo ops, visited the chapel on top of one of the cliffs, and stopped in the market for a quick take-away lunch. Actually wished I had more time there to explore more but it was a great rest stop.

Thanks Nigel for starting this thread. I'll bet you never thought it would make it into the 4th alphabet.

F Figeac, France. This is a beautiful town in the Lot region. It was on the well traveled Way of St. James pilgrimage route.

G

Gap of Dunloe, Republic of Ireland. We were here last fall - it seems so long ago! We took a back road from the south, near Molls Gap. It was early morning, so there was very little traffic. Amazing views and quite the narrow and windy road! At the bottom of the very steep and windy section there was an amusing warning sign of things to be careful of. Every thing imaginable was posted on the sign board - tractors, cars, bicycles, deer, cattle, steep grade, narrow turns, horses, walkers, etc, etc. When you get to top there are amazing views toward the city of Killarney and Killarney National Park.

"H" for Heidelberg!!!!

Especially because Rick says not to bother with visiting here when the town and castle are simply charming. The student prison is my favorite thing to see here, but also enjoy the Apotheke Museum, the bombed-out tower, the Castle aflame show is stunning, and the Jesuit church is magnificent in its cool, serene lines and colors.

I

Iguazú Falls or Iguaçu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil. It is vast and larger than Niagara. We visited the falls a couple times when in Brazil. (Hope a non-European site is ok.)

J

Jericho.

In Palestine. One if the oldest cities in the world.

K
Kazanluk, Bulgaria. Located in the Valley of the Roses, it stages an annual Rose Festival, which would be going on right now, if not for the pandemic. A Rose Queen is crowned. We stopped, and a giant copper rose distilling drum, which hadn’t been used in a long time, still possessed the essence of rose, one of the best fragrances in the world. We missed the festival, but I got some wonderful rose-scented lotion. Next time we’re on that side of the Shipka Pass, we need to visit Kazanluk again!

L Leipzig, Germany. We’ve been to Leipzig twice, once in the winter of 1990 and the next time in 2019. Wow, what a change. I loved seeing the direction most of the restoration work has taken. Beautiful art deco facades, fountains and arcades/passages. I’d love to go back again for more than a day trip to dig more deeply in this important city.

Maasai Mara, Kenya. See the big five and go glamping. I got to see the wildebeest migration. Spectacular at sunrise.

Emily, what are the big five in Kenya? Animal species, specific sites or sights? It sounds intriguing, either way, but please tell us a bit more. Thanks!

N
Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Start, or as we did, end your Hadrian’s Wall trek here. Ancient Roman sights nearby. A great city in northeastern England, with a truly outstanding Indian restaurant downtown.

And no need to carry any coals.

N for Naxos
Amazing Greek Island in the Cyclades. Our favorite memories: The Portara- also called the Temple of Apollo. An unfinished temple constructed in 530 BC. Chora- the capital. Naxos is filled with great restaurants.

Kastro- a medieval citadel built by a Venetian Emperor in 1207. Apiranthos- charming village with marble-paved streets & Venetian architecture. Staying on St. George Beach and enjoying the vibe including windsurfing & kitesurfing. Easy ferry ride from Athens and other nearby Cyclade Islands.

Cyn: "what are the big five in Kenya? "

According to Google, the big five ( all animals) are: elephant, lion, leopard, Cape buffalo, and rhinoceros

N

Nepal

Two words: Mt Everest.

O for Oradour-sur-Glane, France.

We stopped here last year on our RS Loire to the South of France tour. On June 10th, 1944 the Germans rounded up the citizens and murdered them; 642 men, women and children and then burned it to the ground. The town has been left as it is as a monument and museum and the new town was built next to it. There is a cemetery with 2 and 3 generations of family buried together after the slaughter, and as you leave there is a tunnel lined with photos of almost all of the victims. It's eerily quiet when you walk through the town and while I've never been to a Concentration Camp, I have to imagine the emotions and anger I was feeling would be similar.

https://www.oradour.info/

Does Mt. Everest count for 'M' (mountain is not very specific) or for 'E' (does Mt. Everest start with 'E'?)?

Thank you, CJean! So I suppose an Elephant Tick (yuck!), Ant Lion, Leopard Moth, Buffalo Gnat, and Rhinoceros Beetle, could make up the Small 5?

N

Nebraska

Located in the Great Plains of the Mid Western United States. Nicknamed the Cornhusker State.
Admitted to the Union in 1867. 37th state. Capital is Lincoln.

State slogan: “ Welcome to NEBRASKAland where the West begins.

Famous Nebraskans: Crazy Horse, Marlon Brando, Johnny Carson, Henry Fonda, Willa Cather, Dick Cavett, President Gerald Ford, and Warren Buffet to name a few.

Claudia and Lee, while I wasn’t truly knowledgeable about African animals, I could mention that the Nepali name for Everest is Sagarmatha, one word, although an “S” word. Tibetans also have their own name. Kind of like where Mount McKinley is “Denali” to locals and many in the climbing community. Awesome peaks, either way.

I'm thrilled - two different references to Karnac/Carnac in this thread. First the destination in Egypt and now the mention of Johnny Carson. Who would have thought?

I guess you have to be a person of a certain age to get that reference... sorry to all the kids

Nigel,
I got that reference to Carnac. Ed McMahon would introduce Johnny- “And now, the great seer, soothsayer, and sage, Carnac the Magnificent.” Nice reminder of brilliant comedy.
I need to watch it again on YouTube.

Nigel, “Who would have thought?” Carnac, of course, would have predicted it!

It’ll be harder to get a place name reference linked with the sleezy, slick-haired salesman character Art Fern.

O is for Olympos on Karpathos.

Olympos is a village and a former self-governing community on the island of Karpathos, in the Dodecanese, Greece

It’s a beautiful town up in the hills with breathtaking views. I stayed on the island for 5 days with three girlfriends. Definitely not a place I’d go back to though the island had beautiful spots.

P is for Parma, Italy. My favorite cathedral in Europe (so far) after 11 trips is the Parma Cathedral interior. The fresco colors have a warm tone to them, making them so personable. Also, I loved the Bible verses written in several languages on the altar furniture.

We stayed two nights at Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati, located next door to the Cathedral & Baptistry. The hotel contacted me to offer a private Food Tasting in their small restaurant of all of their local foods – prosciutto, culatello, sausages, sweet tangy balsamic vinegar the consistency of molasses, and of course parmesan cheese. We both really enjoyed this event, and the food was amazing.

Q is for Quebec ... learned to ski (sorta) in my teen years while on a ski trip to Gray Rocks / Mt Tremblant, also visited Montreal on two other short trips. Don't remember too much about the Montreal trips but i remember vividly the ski trip. Since it was my first time skiing, I did not have all of the traditional ski attire so I wore jeans like many of the other newbies. After a few trips down the bunny slopes with the ski class learning the basics, the instructor took us to the top of the mountain for the final exam ... make it down without killing yourself or anyone else and you pass. Armed with the over-confidence gained from the bunny slope training, I started down the easiest green they had with the rest of the class ... and after going 0-60 faster than my friends 1970 Dodge Challenger 440 Magnum, I proceeded to take an out-of-control tumble, splitting my pants from front to back. My long ski jacket covered some of the obvious problem and, thankfully, the long johns survived the fall or I would have looked even sillier try to ski and not fall down that mountain with my coat wrapped around my waist. Some good came of that unfortunate incident however ... the cutest girl in the class (who was right behind me when I fell) skied down with me the rest of the way and, although still laughing uncontrollably for just about the rest of the evening as she relayed my mishap to others on the trip, felt sorry for me apres ski ;-)

"R" is for Roncesvalles.
This is an ancient abbey where 100's of people stay overnight after crossing over the Pyrenees into Spain from France. This is a long, difficult walk and is usually either the 1st or 2nd day for many people on doing the Camino Frances, that have started in St. Jean Pied de Port. Camaraderie and close friendships are forming and many of us have very fond memories of making it to this stop. You can see it from km away and you think you will never make it there.
http://www.roncesvalles.es/bienvenido.php?idB=1

S for San Simeon, California.

We've stopped in the area many times when driving the Pacific Coast Highway. We always enjoy a visit to Hearst Castle, but last September our highlight was a stop at an Elephant Seal viewing area. The docent pointed out a seal that had been attacked by a shark and lived to tell his friends about it. It had a massive bite scar and the docent pointed out some rocks in the ocean in the distance and told us that beyond those rocks was a great white shark freeway where the seal likely got attacked.

T for Tibet. Wondrous, heartbreaking, beautiful, austere, humane, harsh - the Himalayas, Buddhism, the Chinese takeover, juxtapositions in every possible aspect.

S
San Francisco
Or as the noted San Francisco Chronicle newspaper columnist Herb Caen deemed it “ The City By The Bay.” He also referred to it as “Baghdad By The Bay.”

For someone who grew up an hours drive south it was always called The City in my household.

Originally a Spanish Pueblo then maritime harbor it became a city of interest and notoriety during the 1847 Gold Rush. Survived the devastating 1906 earthquake and another in 1989 ( I was at the Baseball World Series game 3 at Candlestick Park when it struck. Sec 43 ( right field) Row 21 Seat 14)

Remember thinking what’s it going to feel like when this gives way and we fall backwards to the pavement below.

San Francisco gained renown in the 60’s for
being the home the hippie movement in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood. 🎶 It’s The Dawning of the Age of Aquarius 🎼

4th most populated city in the state and home to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, the TransAmerica building, Coit Tower, Cable Cars, Fisherman’s Wharf and Alcatraz. The latter a former prison on an island in San Francisco Bay.

The Presidio, now a National Park, was an enclave for Spanish, the state of Mexico and American military protecting the harbor.

It’s home to my favorite sport team the SF Giants baseball team. Growing up was privileged to see the greatest baseball player of my generation, Willie Mays play. My favorite player though was 1st Baseman Orlando Cepeda.

At present, 2020, the City’s football team the 49ers no longer play in the City . Instead and with the infusion of Silicon Valley money ( or as I know it from growing up in it in the 50’s when it was nothing but apricot and cherry orchards, the Santa Clara Valley) the Niners now call Levi Stadium home. It is located in Santa Clara, 45 miles South of SF.

And IMHO anyone referencing San Francisco as Frisco should be ashamed.

Lastly, San Francisco also became famous via Tony Bennett’s vocal salute “ I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

San Francisco, my City, always will be!

U Überlingen, Germany. One of my favorite towns on Bodensee/Lake Constance. We’ve spent more than a month in this delightful small city. There’s a beautiful promenade along the lake stretching for miles in both directions. There are seven medieval towers and parts of the old wall you can walk on. There are ferries, good train service and peaceful roads to other Baden-Wittenberg destinations. Bicyclist love this region. Did I mention that there are nesting storks nearby, wine villages and a world famous hops area. We love sunny Überlingen! On a sad note. They have been planning and constructing for several years to get ready to host the Landesgartenshau which was affected by the coronavirus closings. I’m not sure what they were able to salvage. https://www.bodensee.de/en/experience/highlights/landesgartenschau-ueberlingen-2020

Claudia, I never get tired of San Francisco, but they need to stop making those hills steeper. My first visit was with my wife the early 90's and we were in our late 20's and the hills were steep, but manageable. Fast forward to 2018 and my friend and I-in our mid-50's were in town to catch the Blue Jays/A's series and I swear those hills had been made steeper. Is it the city's solution to overtourism???

Anyway, V for Ventura, California. Another stop on our Pacific Coast Highway drive last Fall. Probably the biggest surprise of the trip, we weren't expecting much except for it being a place for an overnight stay on our way to Los Angeles. We stayed in a campground/trailer park that was near the water that has renovated classic trailers to stay in. Best beer I had in California was at a craft brewercalled MadeWest Brewing located on the pier . The beer was called Prospect and when I look back at the website, it's described as a Vanilla Coffee Porter.

W for 'Where are we'? I was never so lost as in Italy. Learned to deal with the adventure very quickly and enjoyed every minute of it.

W

Washington D.C.

Capital of the USA. Located on the Potomac River and home to the White House, US Capitol Building, the Supreme Court, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, WW2 Memorial, Martin Luther King Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, The Holocaust Museum, Korean War Memorial. Also such Smithsonian Museums as the National Museum of African History and Culture, National Air and Space Museum, Natural History Museum, The Spy Museum, National Museum of the American Indian, and National Portrait Gallery. There’s also the Library of Congress, National Zoo and the Kennedy Center.

Across the Potomac River is Arlington Cemetary where the graves of President John Kennedy and his brother Senator Robert Kennedy are located along with the final resting places of 400,000. The majority military men and woman.

It is also home to the vibrant GeorgeTown waterfront a National Park.

I really wanted an X to appear, impatient to give the wonderful Yorkshire Sculpture Park for Y, so I ended up in my old mini-encyclopedia, where there's this lovely entry:
Xochimilco, "suburb of Mexico City. Famous for its canals lined with poplars and flowers. Rafts which Indians [this was published umpteen decades ago, pre-PC} had covered with soil and floated on a shallow lake became islands which continue to supply the city with vegetables and flowers. Boating on the canals in a popular diversion."
Anyone been there? Sounds lovely.

And the YSP, in England, ahh, one of our favorite surprises. Vast expanse of green fields (& daffodils & mud in April) & a sparkling small river, dotted with huge creations by Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, others, & grazing sheep& wading cows! Excellent visitor center & cafeteria, too.

Ok finally caught the Zs. Z for Zakopane, Poland. Its not exactly unknown or un-touristed, being a well-known winter/summer resort area in the mountains for many decades. Still its got a lot of local color and great hiking opportunities. But the most interesting thing we saw there was the cemetery on the road into town. Hard to describe but worth a google.

A Ankara, Turkey. Capital city and home of Atatürk’s tomb.
Visited on RS Best of Turkey 12 day tour.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anıtkabir

hey hey
B for Branson missouri
after our mom passed 20 years ago, my sister and i took trip here since mom loved it, plus dad was from the state.
absolutely loved the area, the shows, the food, table rock lake, the people.
yes it’s been many years but i would go again in a minute.
rented car, drove to different small towns on our way to eureka springs. stopped at blueberry farm, picked a bit plus BBQ sauce, walked some fields. next day road trip to saint louis 2 days, dad grew up on the mississippi river, to new florence, thru small towns to springfield, overnite stay near airport, for flight back to hawaii.
had a fabulous time.
aloha

C
Canal du Midi. This engineering marvel was dug across southwestern France, to link the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. In 2003, we “cruised” part of the canal on a rented British narrowboat, with a tiny diesel engine and very cosy space onboard for 3 people. This was slow travel, with a close connection to the countryside just beyond the edge of the canal, viewed from our boat that barely stuck out above the water.

We were passed each day by countless big boats flying Netherlands flags from their sterns; apparently folks had motored from their home ports to France, and this was just part of their maritime route. The day we picked up the boat from Minervois Cruisers, they advised us that a lock worker strike (“greve” in French) had just begun, so when we reached a lock, to make our way from one water level to another along the way, we’d need to get through it ourselves, without a professional operating it. We never reached any locks at our slow pace, and eventually did a U-turn to make it back to our point of origin, at Le Somali.

We’d originally planned to make our way to Carcassone before turning around, but never made it that far by boat. One evening, just before dinnertime, there was an unexpected cacophony of ringing. Looking off the port side, for probably 10 minutes, a thundering herd of galloping sheep, hundreds if not thousands of them, ran alongside the canal in an incredible parade. Many must’ve been wearing bells. Their drovers brought them right by us, following the canal, in what seemed was a never-ending population of running sheep! This was like an agricultural race, a wooly Marathon with a record turnout. You had to be there. . . nobody sitting at a cafe table on a square in any French city or village could have witnessed it. There are other canals in France, and in Europe, but the Canal du Midi holds a special place in my memory. But it seems I still need to make it through a lock sometime, for the full experience. Allez!

D

Dublin, especially its famous doors. The capital of Ireland is a very walkable city with some excellent museums, 2 cathedrals, a university, parks, 2 theatres and one or two pubs. The people are friendly and welcoming, and it's never too hot.

E for Epidaurus
Ancient Epidaurus in Greece is one of the most important archaeological sites of the country. It is famous for the Ancient Theater with amazing acoustics. In summer, the theater still hosts performances of ancient Greek drama.

My dream came true being able to sing a song when visiting in 2017. It was an experience of a lifetime. And yes, it’s true about the acoustics! The sound was heard at the top of the theater. Incredible.

Edited to add I meant to mention another meaning of the ancient site. It was developed around the sanctuary of Asclepius, the healing god.

F - Figueres in the region of Catalonia in the country of Spain
Home of a Salvador Dali Museum and his final resting place
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figueres

G

Ghent, Belgium. I enjoyed all the cities I visited in Belgium but Ghent was my favorite. Bruges was wonderful but I found Ghent to have a younger more vibrant vibe rather than the touristy Bruges. But it still had the old city feel about it and the lovely canals that compared well with those of Bruges. I stayed in Brussels and really enjoyed it as a base but if I was to return to Belgium in the future I would make Ghent my base.

G: for Grand Tetons
took a 10 day road trip from bay area to yellowstone few years back. what gorgeous country and scenery.
first stop jackpot, nevada on our way to driggs idaho. stayed at teton valley cabins, one of my favorite places to stay. log cabin deco, enjoyed hot tub with a glass of wine.
next morning driving over the teton range, with snow still atop, was a site to see. at bottom saw two bigger than what i expected moose. leaves that memory in my mind forever.
continue on to jackson hole and the cowboy saddle bar for a cocktail and the park outside with the arches made of antlers. driving around parts of park to our next stop of west yellowstone in an old "dolphin" motorhome rv on earthquake lake for 3 nights.
fun times and my understanding of why montana is called "big sky country. LOL
continuing on to coeur d' alene, spokane, hood river, portland, tillamook down the oregon coast then back home. another one of my favorite vacations, so many to choose from.
aloha

H for Hampton Court Palace

Henry VIII's house. It's a tossup if it was this or the Tower of London was my favourite site I visited. When I talk about this day I always tell my friends the story behind this painting hung on a wall outside the banquet hall, https://www.rct.uk/collection/405748/a-protestant-allegory in the palace. If I remember the story told on the audio guide correctly, Henry was so mad when the pope wouldn't grant his divorce that he had this painting commissioned depicting the Pope being stoned to death.

I
Iceland. An island about the size of Colorado, with with 1/20 the population. It offers beaches, mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, volcanoes, craters, hot springs, Northern Lights, whales just offshore, puffins at the right time of year, and friendly people. Icelandair has offered the chance to stop in Iceland for up to a week, on your way someplace else, as part of your overall flight. The tectonic plates for North America and Europe actually meet in Iceland, so you could argue it’s the the most easternly part of N. Amer. and the westernmost part of Europe. Dried cod is a specialty, born from centuries of needing to keep food over long, harsh winters. We brought some of that home for snacks. We passed on the rotted shark, another Icelandic food for hardy souls.

J

Jerash, ancient Roman/Byzantine city and the best sight in all of Jordan. Everyone knows Petra, Wadi Rum is beautiful and the sea at Aqaba (and neighboring Eilat) is amazing, deep, clear water with colorful fish and coral, but Jerash is the jewel of the country.

Jungfrau Region
A place I never tire of visiting and look forward to every visit with the same anticipation and excitement.

What is the Jungfrau region?

The Jungfrau region begins in Interlaken, the largest town in the region. Interlaken is easy to reach by train and car. The Jungfrau region stretches out to the Jungfrau mountain range in the south, which is Unesco World Heritage. There's a lot of beautiful alpine nature and several little villages. Many people consider the Jungfrau region as a "must see" in Switzerland (source: My swissalps.com).

Kruja, Albania. Ethnographic Museum and enjoyable hillside location.

Lake Titicaca. High in the Peruvian/Bolivian Andes. Known for the floating islands of Uros reachable form Puno. Uros pretty much seems to survive on tourism these days, though there is still an elementary school and a doctor motors out every week. Quite a fascinating visit. The other, non-floating islands, are also interesting though rocky and quite precipitous. Lots of sheep and goats.

Malvern Hills, England. The town's church is another just- your-usual medieval gem, with painted floor tiles that've survived & blew me away, there's a charming tea room run by the church or another charity, I forget, with perfect scones & happy little old ladies up for a chat (hah, they were probably the age I am now), & the stiff hike up thru greengreen woods to the panorama of three? shires. Roman times, maybe earlier, the hilltop was part of the cross-country bonfires communication network. We parked not quite legally at its base, sheepishly found the police station in town later holding our ticket, & the grinning greeting was, "Ah, she gets everybody!"

Moab, Utah

My husband and I used to spend weekends here biking the most wonderful trails. It's within striking distance of the glorious Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and Dead Horse Point (pretty but sad story). Moab also offers challenging (for me, anyway!) river rafting, as it's the confluence of the Colorado and the Green Rivers. We always visited either in May (a biking festival) or late fall. Frankly, for me it is way too hot to spend any time there in the summer. Moab is located just across the state border of Colorado into Utah.

L
Lille, France..... we visited as a lunch break on our way from Epernay to Belgium. It was raining that day but it was a vital inner city with a nice central square. I'd revisit on a sunny day.

M

Monterey, CA
Founded in the 1700’s ruled by both Spain and Mexico. During the Mexican American War the US flag was flown. A harbor town it its named after Monterey Bay.

Famous for Cannery Row, The Monterey Bay Aquarium and the world renown Monterey Jazz Festival.

Personal aside, my aunt used to live in the 2 story house that now houses the Monterey Peninsula Arts Foundation. She had an art gallery downstairs and she lived above.

Many great memories there before the redevelopment happened. At the opposite end of Cannery Row there was the Outrigger Hawaiian restaurant and every time we visited we’d walk down there to eat.

Haven’t back been there since the opening of the Aquarium.

N for Nice -- more specifically the Chagall Museum. Wonderful !!! At least if you love Chagall. Room after room of fanciful, colorful paintings. I reorganized my trip to be in Nice on a day the museum was open.
(P.S. if you get a chance, there are amazing Chagall stained glass windows in Jerusalem.)

Nice also for strolling along the beach-side promenade lined with Belle Epoque buildings with the azure sea on the other side. Life is good!

O is for Orangerie

The Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris is a delightful smaller art museum which I have focused on when I had less time in Paris. The huge Water Lilies murals by Claude Monet are the highlight, but the lower level also has many wonderful impressionist and post-impressionist paintings.

The lines are usually shorter, so it’s handier to purchase a combo art museum ticket (this one & the D’Orsay) at this location.

P
Provence! This region in southern France is full of wonderful villages and some amazing cities. Food, wine, and wonderful living in Avignon, amazing museums in Arles, opera at the ancient Roman theater in Orange, fountains in Aix, cherries in Rousillon, Cavaillon melons, sunflowers, lavender ... these are some of the wonders Provence offers. You need some time to experience all these, and to discover so much more. Mount Ventoux, an awesome peak that sees grueling Tour de France stages on a regular basis, looks over part of one of the most wonderful places in France, and on Earth. we’ve been there in the summer (can get really hot), and winter (cold, with Le Mistral wind), but variety is the spice of Provençal life!

Reggio-Emilia province of Italy. Not on the first visit list for many, but for foodies, it would make sense to do a focus trip to this area. Accessible from Milan airport by train or road, it is convenient for day trips to Parma, Bologna, Modena and on to the coast. You can eat your way through ham, cheese, and vinegar and when tired of that, book the option to drive a Ferrari. It goes without saying there will be ruins, churches and art.

S Shanghai
Visited in the early 80s. I wore a sundress with large yellow polka dots. In those days the Chinese had not seen Americans in person. One man circled me, and if looks could kill, I would be dead. My husband was a few feet away and not paying attention until I called for help. But many Chinese came up to me and wanted to practice their English and were very friendly. One young man insisted he take me on a private tour in a museum we visited. Again hubby wasn’t paying attention. I walked with this man and enjoyed my private tour.

S is for South West Coast Path

My daughter and I did a week’s walking in Dorset a few years ago , and the South West Coast Path from Charmouth to West Bay was by far the best day. Two things helped make it that way: the path was very well marked so we did not get lost, unlike many other paths we tried to follow during that week. And the weather was spectacular – sunny and breezy. The hike up Golden Cap was challenging, but we made it and enjoyed the wonderful views from the top. The next day brought us to Chesil Bank, one of my least favorite parts of the trip. Struggling along the shingle beach for more than a mile was all we could take; when we finally came to a road we walked along it till we found a place to have tea and call a taxi. Someday I would love to go back and walk other stretches of that path - just not the parts along a shingle beach.

T for Toledo
A short train or bus ride from Madrid. It’s Spain’s old Capital. Toledo takes you back in time about 500 years. We enjoyed walking the winding medieval streets in the early am. Highlights were Toledo’s beautiful cathedral, the historic Sinagoga Del Tránsito, and El Greco’s Burial of the Count of Orgaz in Santo Tomé Chapel. We stopped for a delicious lunch before heading back to Madrid.

T is for Tanzania I will confess this is my heart home. It is a complicated wonderful frustrating country, but the Serengeti is where I have felt the most peace. Most people think about what is called 'the Northern Circuit' for safari. Start in Arusha and head west visiting Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and then the Serengeti. Tanzania is home to the highest number of animals participating in the 'Great Migration' and holds most of the natural plains that make up the Serengeti to the south and Masai Mara to the north (in Kenya). There is a southern circuit through parks that are better done as fly in camps, so the instead of private bespoke car and driver/guide as in the North, you fly in and share vehicles and drives with other camp members. New guide every camp. Further to the south west are even more remote parks and the focus moves to primates and perhaps Lake Tanganyika for ciclids (if you are into aquarium fish). Then there are those who go to clime Mount Kilimanjaro.
I tend to keep to the north but last trip was about the birds, so my guide and I drove from Arusha to Uganda. We visited less touristed areas south of the main parks, through the Serengeti then west to Speke Bay in Lake Victoria. Then south to Mwanza with its interesting rounded rock formations in the bay. A very decrepid ferry takes you across the Mwanza gulf and onwards north to Bukoba on Lake Victoria's western shore. Due west again through Kyaka - the area that was invaded by Idi Amin. The burned and shelled bridge stands as the reminder. Finally to the Uganda border.
(I see I double posted)
U is for Uganda Uganda lends itself better to self driving safaris and even walking in some of the national parks. The roads are well paved and it is of a size that reduces the great distances of Tanzania. Also, since the cat population was almost entirely decimated during Amin period, there are less chances of becoming a meal if you walk or bike in a park. Hippos are still a warning and some of the camp areas require you to stay in your tent after dark as the hippos graze around you. Uganda is more about primate - gorillas come to mind of most - but one park boasts 6 different primates, and it is possible to spend time with chimps and baboons.

V - Victoria, capital of British Columbia- Canada
I enjoyed a spring time visit there many years ago and had a great time though it did rain a lot :-)
Butchart Gardens was the highlight of my trip.

W is for Waterford Ireland. We enjoyed touring Waterford Crystal. This was many years ago when the crystal was still blown and cut there. Looking down on the sea of crystal chandeliers from the gift shop mezzanine was a sight to remember. I hang my Waterford Christmas sock on the living room tree (instead of any of the other six trees) every year as a reminder of my great trip to Ireland.

When leaving Waterford Crystal, we saw a sign for Ambassador Crystal. Pulling into the parking lot in front of a small garage, the only vehicles were Harleys. Walking into the shop, the owners looked like my brother -- long hair in leather jackets. Seeing their Waterford presentation bowls, we knew they were master cutters. Turns out blowers and cutters they were laid off Waterford employees who formed their own company. They took us on a tour of their studio and explained much more than Waterford did about cutting and blowing. Sadly Ambassador Crystal is no longer in business, but we each have crystal to remember them.

Ok, who can come up with another destination that starts with an "x", and to make it more challenging, a destination that isn't in China (where most of the cities starting with "x" are located).

Or do we just skip to destinations starting with Y?

Kent, would you like

Xeuilley which is in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. It is in Lorraine, in what is now over-puffedly officially called Le Grand Est - The big East.

Pah. What an overly grand name for the region - comments my own.

The engraver Jacques Callot's family owned property in Xeuilley, and he depicted it in some of his work

X

There are four states in the US with cities/towns/villages named Xenia - Ohio has the largest Xenia, but there are also smaller Xenias in Illinois, Kansas, and Iowa (2). All are very small and I have never been to any of them.

There you go Kent, two X's.

Yosemite

Even the best photos fail to capture the grandeur.

Didn't get to do as much walking of the trails there as planned as our grade school age daughter had, what the Ranger 1st aid station surmised, was an allergic reaction to some sort of bug bite. The meds made her drowsy.

Z
Zentrum, the Downtown “Center” of any German city. If you’re visiting, spend some time in der Zentrum.

A
Atlantis. Based on a Travel Forum post last year, that got a lot of responses (probably not as many, though, as this one), it’s in the Schengen Zone, but makes for a wonderful vacation destination. Many people claim to have visited this “lost continent,” and some were very enthusiastic about their recommendations for things to see and do, but others’ responses were somewhat watered-down. I wonder if the Covid19 pandemic has spread to undersea locations?!?

B is for my Backyard. That's as far as I'm getting this year. Thankful for a lovely green space!

Andrea, “There’s no place like home!” Stay well . . . travel will wait, as long as we all are still here!

Had to do it Y is for Yardville. That is where we are this year so far. Great plans went by the wayside but we were very lucky we had not booked anything yet. The first time I heard that expression I thought it was a town but learned it is right out my back door. I imagine most of us are spending time there this year so it must be crowded !!

C
Cuenca is the third largest city in Ecuador and lies at around 2,500 meters above sea level. It is best known for the stunning colonial architecture in the city center. It has also been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.Jul 17, 2013

A beautiful city to visit. We stayed three days after a Galapagos cruise. We had a private tour and it was wonderful visiting the countryside.
One evening we were looking for a place for dinner when we heard a lady yelling at us. She was on the second floor leaning out a window wan us to come to her restaurant. We are glad we did.

C

Cuba

Grateful that during the Obama Whitehouse years and via an invitation from the Havana Film School that I was able to travel to Cuba.

An island with such an interesting history.

People are friendly, the architecture diverse. One of my most memorable trips.

Loved strolling along the Malecon, having dinner at La Guarida, and visiting Vinales.

Surprised by the spotlessness of Havana. No garbage anywhere. Bemused that if your bus didn’t arrive it wasn’t coming and you simply waited for it the next day.

Appreciated the fabulous grin I received outside Callejon de Hamell from a young boy dressed in school attire when I gave him some old baseball cards. https://locationmanagers.org/location-manager-claudia-eastman-in-the-la-times/

I’d go back to Cuba in a nano second to further explore the island!

D is for Delft in the Netherlands. A pretty town between The Hague and Rotterdam. Known for canals, Vermeer, blue and white pottery and being the birthplace of Microbiology. The last notible item isn't very touristic, but everyone needs a useless fact a day, in my opinion.

D for Disneyland.

The first time I'd been to a different country, in fact the first time I'd been more than a 10 hour drive from home. My parents didn't have much money when I was growing up but they tried their best to make things seem normal for me-I actually didn't know how much they struggled until I was in High School. But in 1979, as a 13 year old I was off with my teammates to play in a hockey tournament in Orange County. My parents-with some help got the money together and also came. We stayed at a motel near Disneyland and I was in heaven. Attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion were beyond my expectations and my imagination of what Disneyland was. I was thinking about that trip this week while cleaning out my son's room as he recently moved out. On the wall is a poster of a map of Disneyland that I bought that trip. My wife had it framed years ago and I'd forgotten about it. I know the Disney parks are huffed at by some on this forum, but that was a special trip for a boy who had never been anywhere.

Had to do it Y is for Yardville. That is where we are this year so far . . . it is right out my back door. I imagine most of us are spending time there this year so it must be crowded!!

Gail, No Place Like Home. But in a lot of the world using the metric system, do they call it Meterville?

E Évian-les-Bains, FR. Yes this is the source of the spring for Évian water and you can visit the little museum. It happens to be in a pretty little town on Lac Leman/Lake Geneva across the lake from Lausanne. A fun day trip is to take the ferry across the lake and back or on to Geneva.

"F" has to be for FRANKFURT!

I talk enough about this city, its history, its markets, its museums, its participation and importance in German history, so won't add any more. So happy to live here.

The Grossglockner
Austria’s highest mountain and centrepiece of the High Tauern National Park.
Not to be missed: The Grossglockner High Alpine Road.
The scenery was amazing and the road itself quite a driving experience. I played safe and took the bus from Zell am See :-)

H
Hadrian’s Wall, England. We spent more than a week walking its length 3 years ago. The Roman emperor Hadrian had a wall built nearly 1,900 years ago, back when a border wall was physically effective. Now it’s a historical attraction. The ancient Roman Empire stretched northward through what is now England, but Romans found the Picts in what is now Scotland to be difficult people to deal with. Rather than push any farther north, Romans constructed this wall, which stretched across from east to west, from sea to sea, with guarded mileposts and numerous forts to patrol and monitor the border. There were gates to allow access and Roman Empire entry/exit, so it wasn’t a completely static, faceless barrier. Many of the stones used to construct the wall were subsequently removed, and used by locals for new buildings, so the well-cut Roman stone blocks served a useful purpose when the Roman Empire collapsed, and the wall no longer served as a barricade.

Walking the remains of the wall affords a chance to absorb the countryside of Cumbria and Northumbria in England, to meet great people people along the way, to stop in a few excellent small museums, and to see the remains of many sections of the wall and mileposts and forts, including another “H,” Housteads Fort. The city of Carlisle is near the western end of the wall route, and Newcastle is near the eastern end. B&B’s and the occasional rental house line the route, so it’s possible to have a comfortable room at the end of each day of trekking. A shuttle service takes your bags to the next place, so it doesn’t require hefting a big backpack the whole time to hike the length of Hadrian’s Wall. The wall is a significant remnant of the past. It runs a little south of the present border of Scotland, so it can easily be included with a visit to Scotland and/or other parts of England.

I Insel Mainau on Bodensee. Spent the better part of a day there about ten years ago and hope to return.

J
Jakarta, Indonesia, on the island of Java.

First, Nigel, and maybe I’m wrong, but I thought you’d initially made this a “places in Europe” post. Maybe you edited your original set of rules to include anywhere people had been, or thought about going. Or maybe this was always open to anyplace, as destinations far and wide have been posted - to the benefit of all.

So, second, I haven’t been there (yet), but its name, along with its far-flung location, seemed so exotic that it’s been a must-see, must-go destination for a long time, just because of a curiosity factor, if nothing else. A 1960’s Saturday morning cartoon show, *Jonny Quest, *where the title character was a kid who travelled the world in a sort-of junior James Bond role, along with sidekick turban-wearing kid Hadji, had an episode in Jakarta. If it was good for enough for an animated character 50 years ago, then everybody had to go there, right? It’s probably a lot different now, 50+ years later, and Americans might not be the most welcome visitors (?), but it’s still on the list of possibilities. When can we go, and how do we get there?

Side note, typing the name “Indonesia” into my phone, the flag of the country popped up. I see now it’s an upside-down Polish flag, another place I’ve not been. National flags often have a similar design, using one or more colors shared by others. Only so much you can do with panels of the same colors, flipping them or alternating their order. Side side note: today’s Flag Day in the USA - June 14!

nope, didn't change the rules. The rules in the OP are not changed bar my comment at the end.

I never said Europe only.

nominate away... the more the merrier

In C19 days travel is travel...

K for Korcula
Our favorite Croatian Island in the Adriatic Sea. Known as “Little Dubrovnik,” but nowhere near as crowded as Dubrovnik. It boasts Venetian architecture, peaceful squares, churches and palaces. The historical center is very small and you can see it in a few hours. Much of Korcula’s economy is devoted to producing olive oil and wine. We were delighted to visit in the autumn for harvest. To go along with the wines is the wonderful cuisine, especially Italian. It rivaled the meals we’ve experienced in Italy.

Great, Nigel ... waiting for “A” to come up again, and then can stick in the Andromeda Galaxy!

L
Loveland, Colorado.

This one’s a little complex. The city of Loveland, named after railroad magnate William Loveland, is situated almost an hour north of Denver. It now boasts a number of excellent microbreweries. Every year, with Valentine’s Day approaching, the local post office offers a custom postmark for Valentine’s Day cards (or ordinary mail, too) with a new love-themed poem and love-inspired artwork. Volunteers hand-cancel each envelope.

Quite some distance from the city is Loveland Ski Area, an independent set of slopes that are often the earliest to open each fall, and one of the last to close, offering a long, long ski season. It’s not a resort by any means, with no hotels or shopping (other than the equipment shop at the base - great place to pick up boots on sale at the end of the season), but outstanding powder at a very high altitude. They have a Valentine’s Day observance, too. A mass wedding (or Renewal of Vows) ceremony, followed by a mass ski-down, with some skiers in a wedding dresses or tux, along with a parka. Instead if a veil, how about a ski helmet and goggles? Oh to have been able to ski The Ridge at Loveland this March or April!!!

The ski area is at the base of legendary Loveland Pass, with a road that is frequently closed due to bad weather and road conditions. Its twisty, no-guardrail route is not for the faint of hearted - don't look over the edge! Still, the Pass is the route often required by commercial rigs hauling hazardous chemicals and other materials - trucks not allowed to bypass the Pass by driving thru the Eisenhower-Johnson memorial tunnels on the Continental Divide.

K for Kauai
Known for the background of the movie version of "South Pacific" ... my version of Paradise. My first trip was marked by Hurricane Eva in 1982 -- we did get a view of the eye of the hurricane from ground level -- but we returned many times for the tropical beauty, friendly people, gentle beaches.

F for Fucking, Austria

en.m.wikipedia.org /Fucking,_Austria
Wait, don't excoriate me yet!

The  amazing dichotomy between two languages-- English and Deutsch (German) --that sometimes led to interesting events.

There is a place in Austria about 30 KM from Salzburg called Fucking.. . a small village with less than 200 inhabitants.
The village gained notoriety after American service men took pictures in front of the sign in WWII.

This [posting] is not aimed at sabotaging the decorum that is upheld by well-meaning members. . .rather-- increasing our knowledge if we consider ourselves informed travelers.

If anyone happens to be in Salzburg, there is a tour bus that take tourists to the village. At first, the villagers did not like tourists intruding their space but they kind of appreciate the euros that tourists spend in their lovable idyllic place.

Most visitors come from English-speaking countries.

For more funny and serious stories about the place. . .click on the  above URL.

Hmmm . . . that bus tour must attract a slightly different crowd than a Sound of Music Tour bus, or maybe not. The Austrian Hills Are Alive, With the Sound of . . .

Z. For Zzyzx

There is small town in California on the edges of the Mojave Desert--near the dusty home town of Rick Steves. . town of Barstow
If you drive towards Las Vegas, and as you approach the arid no-vegetation, and no services in town, a sign that says: Zzyzx can be seen prominently on the side road.
There is a study center for Desert Studies in the area.
Not an ideal place to visit in the middle of August--too hot.

Well, the alphabetical sequence has gotten a bit off track, and I’ve been waiting since I just missed out on “N” in the last round, so to get things back in order:

M
Manitoba, Canada. Hope to visit sometime. Among its attributes, it’s from where the rock band The Guess Who came.

And now,

N
Norway! Scandinavian country famous for fjords, skiing (originally Nordic, but now also Alpine), and lutefisk. We were going to finally make a trip there next month, but conditions have put that on hold. We hope to make it to Norway when travel is again doable. Keep the lefse warm until we get there!

O: oahu hawaii
so much to see and do.
walk waikiki beach from one end to another, either beach side or kalakaua.
stop at royal hawaiian "the pink hotel" and have a mai tai at the mai tai bar on the beach
shops along the way, hearing local hawaiian music in the air
international market place
take a ride up kapahulu avenue at the zoo, have great 'tonkatsu" (japanese pork cutlet) at tonkatsu tamafuji, leonards bakey for portuguese malasadas, turn onto waialae at kim chee#2 for korean food,
continue on kalanianaole to halona blowhole, sandy beach or makapuu beach, stop and wiggle your toes in the water,
onward to kailua and kaneohe. follow kamehameha hiway along the bays onto north shore. stop at one of the shrimp trucks, giovanni's, hono's, fumi's.
stop somewhere you are able to park and watch the waves and surfers, matsumoto's for shave ice, drive thru dole plantation pineapple fields, onto old sugar plantation towns. lots of construction of homes, condos, townhouses within military bases to house people, back thru pearl harbor, airport and honolulu harbor, aloha stadium for swap meet, old mom and pop stores along the way for "plate lunches", downtown thru chinatown, iolani palace and royalty, back to waikiki.
it's a long day for around the island road trip, liliha bakery, old style bakery/diner (70 years) sitting at counter watching things being made has "famous coco puffs and dobash". another local style restaurant is zippy's. sit down restaurant with local food, oxtail soup, saimin (japanese noodle soup), napples (coconut or apple turnovers).
when you're in hawaii, talk a walk or ride on the "local" side enjoy
aloha

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Land of steelpan and calypso.

Qatar A country on the Persian Gulf and the richest country in the world. Islamic heritage with shiny modern industrial cities. Perhaps, like Dubai, it is easiest to visit as a stop over to somewhere else.

R

Riverside, CA

Famous for the Mission Inn, a historic landmark hotel. Financed by railroad baron Henry Huntington the property owner, Frank Augustus Miller hired architect Arthur Benton and the first wing of the inn opened in 1903. Having visited Europe and Asia Benton incorporated the architectural trends he discovered during his travels. A main focus was Mission Revival Architecure.

The building went through hard times and at one point in the 70’s had to be saved from the wrecking ball.

In 1977 was designated a National Historical Monument. In the early 90’s after a huge and costly
refurbishment it opened as the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa. Not a cheap place to rest ones head but a gorgeous example of Mission Revival Architecture.

https://www.missioninn.com/about-en.html

Somes, Maine, home of a true fjord, rare in N. America. On Mount Desert Island, along with the 40,000 acres of Acadia National Park, one of God's best creations. Ahh, DownEast Maine!

S for St. Lucia
Saint Lucia is an Eastern Caribbean island nation with a pair of dramatically tapered mountains, the Pitons. We sailed on a 50 ft. sailboat, anchored overnight between the Pitons prior to sailing through St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Islands along the way- St. Vincent, Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Petit St. Vincent, Palm Island, Mayreau, Tobago Cays, Union Is. (best croissants we've ever eaten!). We ended in Grenada. Wonderful cuisine along the way. Smooth sailing, but that said we returned on the Atlantic side to St. Lucia and experienced 12 foot swells. It was an adventure of a lifetime.

T

Tillamook, Oregon, USA. One of my favorite places to visit in Oregon, especially on a hot summer day. The Tillamook cheese factory has tours of the facility and serves some of the best ice cream around, with wonderful Oregon flavors like Marionberry Cheese Cake and Salted Caramel Hazelnut.

They are also home to the Tillamook Air Museum,, an aviation museum housed in a former US Navy blimp hangar, called "hangar B", which is the largest clear-span wooden structure in the world. The beams were made using 'old growth' trees. The museum houses several aircraft and some rare wartime and aviation-themed artifacts.

Tillamook is also home to the Blue Heron Wine and Cheese company, that has wine, cheese, and condiment tastings - always a fun thing to do. It has one of the best gift shops around and I love browsing there.

Taliesin Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio in southern Wisconsin about 35 miles west of Madison. Wright continually rebuilt (fires), added and changed the buildings. The furniture is almost all of his own design as well. Simply stunning.

If you don't want to go that far to see some of his creations, spend a morning in Oak Park, about a 30 minute el ride from Chicago's Loop to see his first home/studio and take a walking tour of the neighborhood to see more of his designs and as well as those of his contemporaries. You can also go to Hyde Park in Chicago to see other homes he built, even tour one of them, Robie House. If you're already there, walk across the street and enter the lovely University of Chicago campus.

U is for Usa River, Tanzania.....not U S A River. (Pronounced 'OO-sa') A small town between the Airport and Arusha. Some nice hotels, so you can stay there before safari instead of right in Arusha. Also at the crossroads to Arusha National Park. Not a common one on the safari route, but easy to do as a day trip from Arusha or Moshi as an add on to your Mt. Kilimanjaro trek.

A common source of amusement to the locals when pronounced by a muzungu (traveler).

V Viktualienmarkt in Munich. This is one of my favorite outdoor markets. We always stay in a hotel nearby so we can stroll over to the produce, flower, craft stalls and beer/food seating areas any time of the day. Love the color and vibe of this market In all seasons, rain or shine!

W is for Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada aka 'Winterpeg'. The corner of Portage and Main is touted to be the windiest corner in Canada, and even first week of September benefits for a wool coat for the cold and the wind. It might be worth a stop driving across the country, but I cannot find much to endear itself....though I have tried.

MariaF my dad was born in Winnipeg and I still haven't had the urge to go. In fact neither does he!

I once knew an air traffic controller who went to Mexico and came back engaged to a Mexican hotel worker. He brought her to Ontario, married her, and promptly transferred to Winnipeg. Wonder if the fledgling romance survived?

X

“X” marks the spot! Take a map, put an “X” over a destination, or your current location, or possibly where you’ve just buried a treasure chest. With the”X” identifying the location, there you go!

Ah Winnipeg. Where they need baseball bats to smack the mosquitos in summer, and block heaters in the cars in winter so you can start them in the morning. Lived there for 2 years (felt longer), then moved to California.

Just in case my Manitoba born wife is reading this; it may get cold but Manitoba produces the hottest women in the world.

Allen, that should earn you some brownie points. ;-)

Y is for Yukon. A Canadian Territory. Another place where you require a baseball bat for the mosquitos, but a chance to experience the northern spirit, wonderful nature and fantastic Northern Lights.

Z

Zoo. Your nearest zoological garden. Denver’s just reopened, first just to members, and now to the general public, with a limited number of people admitted at a time. Two awesome new baby lions, with their awesome mother, are now part of the residents. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is also open, with advance-ordered tickets required. The Denver area also has a Butterfly Pavilion, with laudable insects. We’re not making a trip there yet, but zoos are an essential part of modern society. London’s zoo also just reopened, after being closed for months. Animals throughout the world have still needed feeding and care, which has had to be challenging for zoos not taking in entrance fees. News from one German zoo a couple of months ago suggested that they might have to start feeding some animals to others, to survive this pandemic!

We cruised along part of the London zoo in early March, on the Regent’s Canal, but didn’t really see or hear anything. After disembarking, and walking through the park, we could see the zoo in the near distance. Still, didn’t have the opportunity to go in. Regent’s Park did, however, have a lot of waterfowl, including many ducks and swans. People were walking their dogs, too, so we share this world with other animals, in or out of zoos.

Apparently, zoos once were primarily animals in metal cages, on display without much concern for their welfare. Many zoos now have carefully organized breeding programs. They’re housing creatures that aren’t roaming wild, but are saving endangered species. And people are hopefully gaining an understanding and respect for animals and their (and our) place in the world.

A description of crazy, hectic, crowded places where humans gather is sometimes saying it’s a “zoo.” That’s a disservice to a real zoo. One day, we’ll go back to see the animals. In the meantime, zoos continue to keep animals safe and comfortable, and donations and memberships are welcome.

A is for Amazonas.
We took a paddlewheel from Iquitos, Peru to Leticia, Columbia. River life was fascinating. Canoes with children under ten with a toddler would often be seen paddling on the river without an adult aboard or nearby. Of course they weren’t wearing life vests either.

At one of our stops a several little girls followed me everywhere I went. They took my hand and played with my fingers. It seems they were intrigued with my nail polish. I bought a bottle because I needed to redo my nails.
The next morning I woke early to find we were tied to a tree. In the tree were a lot of cute little kids from the area. The little girls came on deck and went right to my fingers. I spent the next hour painting all of their nails!

We held cayman in our laps, had flying fish hit us in our heads, saw giant lily pads, caught piranha ( hubby did), I traded my blouse for a handmade purse, had a military escort for a brief portion (was a scary surprise to all of us), and found a way to refuse the drinking from the communal passing of the homemade maniac beer during a village visit. Its made by the women chewing maniac root And spitting it into a wooden container to ferment. Late in the ceremony, three young British women joined us. They missed the lesson on how it was made and took a huge drink, as we all yelled not to drink it. It was a great experience.

B

Staying close to home, I choose Bethlehem, not much over an hour's drive from my home, but neither I nor my car are allowed to cross the checkpoint. When I first came to Israel, I lived in the southern part of Jerusalem and my first trip outside the city was a walk to Bethlehem, about 3 kms. It was my first experience of being in an "eastern" church - nothing at all like the Protestant and Catholic churches I was familiar with in the US. . . . dimly lit, air heavy with incense, Byzantine-style chandeliers and candlesticks crowding each other.

C

Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It is the oddest church I think I've ever been to. Parts of it date to the Byzantines of the 6th-7th c. Can't write more now - guest just arrived for a day of Scrabble.

One step back in the alphabet Bruges needs for most no introduction but yesterday with hardly any tourists, no boats and horsedrawn carriages touring around, most "visitors" were the locals chatting in their typical "Brugs" dialect I had the idea being back in time, not the Middle Ages but a few decades ago before the crowds took possession of the place.

D is for Dessau, Germany

Dessau is home of the Bauhaus school during the 1920's and '30, the northeastern German city still contains the school's pioneering (and UNESCO listed) Bauhaus Building, the Gropius-designed Master Houses, and the Prellerhaus studio building.

E is for Erlangen, just north on Nuremberg, a great city that rarely sees a tourist. It's a university town, with excellent bike paths, a botanical garden, and a river (the Pegnitz) running thru the old city center. When in my 20's I preferred it over Bamberg as a place to meet and make friends.

C for Cat Island

Located in the Central Bahamas. The island may have been named after Arthur Catt, a pirate. An economic crop is Croton eluteria, which is gathered and shipped to Italy where it becomes the main ingredient in medicines, scents and Campari. (who knew?). It was thought to be the first island Christopher Columbus arrived at in the Americas. Also the childhood home of Sidney Poitier.

We stayed at Ferdandez Bay Resort. It was the most relaxing 4 nights on our journey of the out islands of the Bahama's. We enjoyed the ambience of the cottages, warm hospitality, gourmet meals and meeting people from all over the world. And one last thing- they have an "honor bar.."

Back to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It is the oddest church I think I've ever been to. Parts of it date to the Byzantines of the 6th-7th c. There have been additions through the centuries and today it's a labyrinth of chapels, nooks, crannies, some 2-3 stories below ground (including burial caves from the time of Jesus), some 2-3 levels above ground. Every inch is zealously guarded by the Christian sect who has the "rights" to it. Many parts are shared by two or more, each having specific dates and times for its use. Since they can't all agree on any changes, none have been made for well over a century. There is one entrance and the key is held by alternately by two Muslim families since no Christian sect would allow any other to control access to the church!

F
Fourteeners. This is a Colorado, USA thing, mountains that exceed the height of 14,000 feet, and Colorado has 53 of them, or 54 if you count a summit that some don’t consider to be distinct enough to count as a separate mountain. Using meters or some other unit of measurement eliminates the significance of a “magic” 14,000, and over time, the peaks will erode to a smaller height, so right now is the time where these mountains, and their heights all just above 14,000’ are remarkable.

Climbing them has become a popular activity in the past 30 years, and some have now seen hundreds of climbers on busy summer weekends. Some are considered relatively easy “walk-ups,” while others are technical, with exposure, loose rock, or other dangers, and climbing gear and experience are needed to make it up and down safely. Anyone attempting a summit should have the 10 essentials, including enough water and adequate clothing. Be prepared for sudden changes in weather, and lightning can often be a threat. You can drive to (or near) the tops of two, but the others require more effort. There’s just something about the accomplishment of reaching a summit, and views from the top are fantastic. Some people have climbed all of them (many more than once), and for a while, there seemed to be contests to see who could climb them all in the shortest time. Making this into a competition is unfortunate, because visiting a mountain, including one lower than a Fourteener, can involve more than just checking something off of a list of accomplishments.

None are the highest summit in the lower 48 states, and Alaska has a lot more much higher, but Colorado has the most of any state, and it’s surprising that so many exceed 14,000 feet, but not 15,000 or higher. Colorado has the highest average elevation of any US state, and it’s said that if you ironed Colorado flat, it would cover more ground than Texas.

Flin Flon, Manitoba. Never been there and likely will never go there, but always loved the name. I remember hockey games from when I was a boy between the Flin Flon Bombers and the Calgary Centennials. Filadelphia Flyers Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke played for Flin Flon.

G

Gilroy, CA

Home to the Gilroy Garlic festival in the part of California that the majority of the world never considers, the agricultural part.

It is located in the southern part of Santa Clara County which most of the universe now calls Silicon Valley. It’s the only agricultural part left. No more apricot, cherry and prune orchards.

The demise from my perspective having grown up in the Santa Clara Valley began when IBM set up shop in Morgan Hill. Then the expansion of Hewlit Packard, then Apple and boom bye bye Valley of the Hearts Delight. Hello Silicon Valley!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Clara_Valley

H
The Hague, the Netherlands:
The Hague is the only big city with a beach directly on the North Sea coast. The city boasts many monuments, chic hotels, and a political heart. The government of Holland is run from the historic Binnenhof and the King’s office palace can be found on the Noordeinde. You can visit beautiful art museums and a day of high-end shopping. The tram will convey you from the city center to Scheveningen and Kijkduin in just twenty minutes, where you can enjoy the sun, beach and sea.
The city is also home to the U.N.’s International Court of Justice, headquartered in the Peace Palace, and the International Criminal Court.
A visit to the Netherlands is always a good idea especially in spring.
It's a country I have visited two times and enjoyed very much.
We did a half day visit in the Hague and it was interesting seeing the many buildings of institutions based there.
https://www.holland.com/global/tourism/destinations/the-hague.htm

I is for Idar-Oberstein, between Trier and Wiesbaden, a medieval city built into a valley that was once the primary gem market in Europe. Still a great place for custom jewelry, it's Felsenkirche is a spectacular church built into a hole in one of the cliff walls overlooking the town. Another place mostly overlooked by non-German tourists, the old city is a great place to walk around; it even has a picturesque castle ruin.

J for Jaffa, Israel - ancient port city and home of Jonah (as in Jonah and the whale). Great marina-side restaurants with excellent views of the sea and Tel Aviv. Great area to bike.

K

Kadarka, a wonderful wine bar in the heart of beautiful Budapest. Thank you, James E for the recommendation. And the excellent chocolate souffle is almost as good as the wines.

Also, a big thank you to Nigel for this thread. I look forward to it every day, sometimes reliving past visits, sometimes learning about new places, always interesting.

L
Lerwick, capital of Shetland, Scotland, U.K. Our visit to Shetland was brief, 2 days and 1 night, and we came screaming into Lerwick in our rental car, left it it at the dock, and hopped the ferry just before scheduled departure to our next destination, Kirkwall, Orkney. Lerwick needed more time, and we didn’t have it that trip. Next time . . .

Hopefully the rental car was in good enough shape - we never heard anything to the contrary, even though return parking space wasn’t exactly plentiful. The car park was as small as a Shetland Pony.

Postcards featured ponies (a local indigenous species) wearing sweaters (a local specialty). None of the shops, however, seemed to be selling Pony Sweaters, just human-sized ones.

Our B&B hostess (in Sandness, a decent drive from Lerwick) told us about one night where the Northern Lights flashed all night long, with lots of reds. Locals sat outside on blankets with a bottle of wine, and stayed up all night, enjoying the public show. Lerwick, next time . . .

La Paz, Bolivia.
La Paz, in Bolivia, is the highest administrative capital in the world, resting on the Andes’ Altiplano plateau at more than 3,500m above sea level.
I spent a very exciting week there several years ago, including a side trip to Lake Titicaca and a
tour on El Camino a Los Yungas - The Yungas Road is a cycle route about 60 km long which links the city of La Paz and the Yungas region of Bolivia. Quite an experience and one I won't repeat :-)
In La Paz I stayed at Hotel Rosario which was right in the center of things.
I had no issues at all with the altitude so was able to decline all offers of coca leaves.
We enjoyed strolling around and admiring the old style churches and other buildings. The people are very warm and friendly and we had a great time.

L for Ljubljana
The capital of Slovenia. There are theories how Ljubljana got it’s name. “Ljub” means to love or like. Our favorite city! Strolling the pedestrian-only streets along the river, open air market, historic squares, and some of the best restaurants and shops. Beautiful bridges adorned with dragons and sculptures. Not to forget the view from Ljubljana Castle. We spent 4 glorious nights and wished we stayed longer.

Unforgettable city.

J for Jesús.

It is a small town, pop. 3766, in Tarragona, on the Ebro river.

We seem to have a reverse alphabet going on 😁

Moneglia - A beach town north of Cinqe Terre. We stayed there 4 years ago and rode the train down to CT to day hike. One of our best meal experience ever was in Moneglia was at Assirto. There was no menu - the owner talks to you about your likes and builds a several course meal. Each course had its own wine pairing. Google Moneglia and Forbes Best Meal of 2015.

N is for Nevis
A small island in the Caribbean Sea in the West Indies. Nevis is roughly conical in shape with a volcano known as Nevis Peak. Nevis is of particular historical significance to Americans because it was the birthplace and early childhood home of Alexander Hamilton. For the British, Nevis is the place where Horatio Nelson was stationed as a young sea captain. We rented a car and explored the plantations, beaches, hiked, and enjoyed the Caribbean culture & cuisine.

O is for Ottawa, OntarioCanada's Capital and chosen to be so as it is a backwater to the traffic and easier transits of the St. Lawrence River. Originally called Bytown, after Colonel By it was the beginning point for the extensive canal system joining Bytown on the Ottawa River to Kingston on the St. Lawerence. There are numerous lakes in between, so the Rideau Canal system links up these lakes. A great summer activity is to rent a houseboat and sail through the canals. There are numerous locks, still controlled by hand cranks. The waterway system is run by Parks Canada and is a UNESCO heritage site. Digging started in the 1830's, mostly hand dug by Irish immigrants. Malaria took a toll on their numbers as did drowning and the bitter cold.
In the winter, the canal freezes and becomes a 17km skateway. It flops back and forth as a Guiness World record for longest skateway. We love our festivals, so the year starts off in February with Winterlude. As well as the skating, there is an international ice sculpting competition.
Every weekend in summer sees a musical or cultural festival.
If inside activities are closed, the canal has pathways along side for rollerblading or strolls. Gardens abound and there are strategic restaurants with outdoor seating (which opened for service this week). The city is surrounded by a greenbelt of farm and parkland. There is a UNESCO site big with pathways and interpretation stops. It is not unknown to see moose and coyotes. Across the river is Quebec and the extensive Gatineau Park. The views from the wscarpmentnare lovely. There are driving routes and many bike or use the escarpment for rock climbing. Winter offers extensive cross country ski trails and competitions.
For some the challenge is the weather extreme. Summer is often over 30C with high humidex and winter can get stretches of wind chill days of -40C. Spring is mud season with a short bulb growing time but fall is a leaf pepper's bliss.
Tourist Ottawa is compact and walkable. Not cheap but not Toronto prices, and of course the US dollar is buying you 40% more these days.

P is for Port Townsend, WA. A town of approximately 9,000, and one of the prettiest places you'll ever visit. It sits on the narrow part of the Puget Sound, where Ft Worden (now a park) and Ft Casey, across the narrow strip of water, controlled the entrance to the Sound for over 100 years with their artillery emplacements. There's even an Artillery Museum to visit.

But it's old style houses, scenic water front, nice shops and open areas, good food, and fantastic view make this one of the places tourist who get out there never forget. It's a couple hours and a whole 'nother world from Seattle.

Q Quakertown, PA.

Originally settled by the Religious Society of Friends known as Quakers, Quakertown has always been a hub of social activity in the Upper Bucks County area. In 1777, the Liberty Bell was hidden from the British here on its way to Allentown. The house of Richard Moore was an important Underground Railroad stop. Wikipedia.

R for Romainmotier, in western Switzerland. Little town that time just about forgot, at least last time we were there. Big medieval tall-hatted church with gone-to-heaven acoustics for us singers, sweet town festival in the summertime, meandering cobblestone lanes, flowers everywhere, a stream trickling thru town, a terrific patisserie...

S is for Segovia A pleasant day trip from Madrid, Spain. I learned about the Roman acquaduct back at school in the 1970's and to finally see it for myself in 2017 was just one of those little emotional moments.
There are 2 train lines that get you there. A fast train from Chamartin station, but you still need to get to Chamartin. Or, take the slow train from Atocha Station. I took the slow route (though I returned on the fast train) and enjoyed the scenery. It was mid November, so as we climbed hikers would get off at different stations. You could see the unmanned stops were you had to call ahead to be picked up and the local communities. At times it was slow enough I could even birdwatch, but they were big birds so easy to ID with short views.
You have to catch a bus from either train station to 'down town', but you just follow the crowds.
As well as the aquaduct, which to be honest is a been there done that quick moment, there are numerous old Jewish buildings on the lower street. I tour focused on this aspect of the history would be an interesting walk. Distinctive plates have been mortared into the road edge. I can't call it sidewalk as there isn't always one. Cars are few.
The main attraction is their Alcazar at the far end of town. There are other buildings of interest that you can pop into along the way. As even in November, there were a lot of tourists, you may want to either go really early and start at the Alcazar working your way back, or go late after the tours have left. I took the lower road and though I had to wait a bit to gain entry, I beat the hordes and poked my way back to arrive in the restaurant area for a late lunch.
Segovia has a couple of culinary highlights - roast suckling pig(let) and ponche Segoviano - (a custardy cake). It is quite a meal and treated as a 'menu del dia' with several courses and in this case a jug of wine. Much more pricey than the Madrid menu del dia, but what a feast!

T
Trotternish. This is a fantastic peninsula at the north end of the Isle of Skye, Scotland. All along the coast, driving a loop up and around the peninsula, there are rewarding panoramic views. Amazing rock formations present a variety of shapes, right a the edge of the land, and set inland from the shore. The Quiraing area in the middle of the peninsula offers great hiking, but bring your raincoat, n case you get a sudden storm, like we had.

The Trotternish peninsula is a surprising part of a surprising island off the coast of a surprising part of the U.K. Take a rental car, or perhaps catch a tour with someone else doing the driving, but don’t miss Trotternish!

T

Tuscany

An lovely part of Italy where Florence and Siena are located. Pastoral hillsides, beaches and the Apennine Mountains. Also small villages like Fostinovo, Murlo and Pitigliano.

Still dream of my meal at the Cave in San Casiano de Bagni ....not sure what the place is called now as that trip was before 2000.

Dang I need to go back to Italy again!!!

U is for Ubehebe Crater, the hole on the north end of Death Valley caused by a volcanic eruption. One of my best travel memories is from when, as kid, we were just coming back up to the parking lot after hiking to the bottom. A car pulled up. and about half a dozen family members piled out. ran over to the edge, looked in, and one of the kids said, "That's it?" Dad replied that it had been a waste of a drive and they all piled back in because they still had a lot to see and they were staying in Las Vegas that night. It's still a joke with me and my brother. We'd already been over a week in the Valley alone.

If you go, try not to do it in July or August, always have a case or two of water, make sure you're car's in good condition, and be prepared for anything. I've seen it snow in June, flash floods from nowhere, and pets just left to die. Still one of the natural wonders often overlooked.

V

Veliko Tarnivo, Bulgaria. The old capitol, before Sofia, this multi-layered city was charming, cleaner than its counterpart, and worth our extended stay. It made a great base for taking day trips. The remains of the Tsaravets fortress above town offered exploration, a view, and the flying of possibly the biggest flag, Bulgarian or otherwise, of all time. In 2004, we learned that a lot of Brits were buying up property there, and building second homes, apparently all with a pool, in a place otherwise devoid of swimming pools. Wonder if the place has changed much in 16 years?

W

Waterloo

Two Waterloos.

One south of Brussels where Napoleon was finally defeated, although it was a closer run thing than many may have thought. The Lion Mound provides a vista.

The other Waterloo is the rail station on the south side of London which serves south and southwestern England. The ironic thing is that Waterloo was the London terminus of the Eurostar trains for Paris and Brussels for the first years of Eurostar before it moved to St Pancras International a few years ago.

That meant that all French and Belgian passengers were reminded of that battle every time they used the Eurostar trains for several years.

X for Xochimilco, floating gardens park in Mexico City.
Haven't been, but I heard a lot about it in four years of high school Spanish classes.

Y is for Yellowknife, NWT

A few years ago I found out that a professional society I used to belong to was holding its annual meeting in Yellowknife. I figured this was a great opportunity to visit a city that I really didn’t know much about but was farther north than I had ever been.

Yellowknife is situated on the shore of Great Slave Lake and is built on the ancient igneous rock of the Canadian Shield. I always like to read about the places I’m going to visit; for Yellowknife I read The New North by Agnes Deans Cameron, describing a journey she took by train, canoe, and stagecoach from Chicago to the Arctic Circle. Her trip was in 1909, some decades before Yellowknife was founded, but I loved her description of the flora, fauna and scenery. For a more modern perspective, The Northern Heritage Center gave an excellent overview of the natural and human history of the area. I truly enjoyed my visit.

Z is for Zamora, CA. This is a tiny little town near me. I just found out something interesting about it yesterday. While we pass through this hamlet on the way to our nearest winery I didn’t realize that the largest sheepdog trials in North America take place across the road from our winery at an enormous sheep farm on the outskirts of Zamora. If I can’t travel to Ireland for awhile perhaps I can attend the sheepdog trials in my own little part of California next spring. https://www.norcalsheepdog.org/trials

We learn all kinds of things when we are forced to take a closer look at home!

A

Aeropoli, Greece. This small town is on the Mani Peninsula, which is at the southwestern end of the Peloponnese Peninsula. This region was once plagued by pirates, but now features fantastic little coves, reached by narrow, winding roads that go steeply up and down.

We were there on Good Friday a couple years ago, and a church bell tolled solemnly all day long, one single ring after another. Not very touristed, at least at Eastertime. It’s a stark land inland, and incredibly beautiful along the coasts.

B is for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest With a name like that, who wouldn't be curious to go? My mother was a singer, good at languages and loved multi-syllable names, particularly hard to pronounce or melodic ones. Her imagination would conger up some romantic or mystical vision of the place. I am a chip off the block.
It is well named. This is where gorilla trekking happens in Uganda. Dense rainforest and tangled undergrowth adds to the challenge of trekking up and down these highlands. Toss in nettles and you want to dress appropriately. But oh, it is so worth it. Once found, to have an hour to watch them watching you and trying to go about their business is a treat. I had the R group that day. A large group with some young members. Watching them play and tease each other was like watching that pesky little brother always interrupting you. The older would play bite so that it must have tickled. The younger would smile and laugh. They are wuite a familiar group and will come close. One walked by a ranger and in passing used a back leg to playfully kick the ranger's leg. And though you do 't want to look a wild gorilla in the eyes, looking into the eyes of these group members, was to see their intellect and just how close they are to we humans. To me, these travel experiences are gifts to the heart. They remind me how complex Mother Nature is.

C

Castellabate on the
Cilento Coast in
Campania

Especially the lovely coastal towns of Santa Maria di Castellabate and San Marco. San Marco has a small harbour, super spot.

Lovely chilled Italy.

C is for Chelan
Lake Chelan is located in Eastern WA. Charming town and just 175 miles from Seattle. Known for it’s Apple Orchards and Vineyards. Lovely get-away. We especially enjoy early fall as the foliage changes through the mountain pass.

D is for Dauphin Island, at the mouth of Mobile Bay, AL. Fantastic beaches, crazy view, taking to ferry over to Fort Morgan you pass right over the area where during the Civil War the phrase "Damn the Torpedoes, Full Steam Ahead!" was first given in Command as the Union Fleet forced it's way past the defenses. Grab some mud bugs or a po'boy for lunch, get some sand in your shoes, and live like a Jimmy Buffett song for a while.

E is for Esquimalt, BC. Bedroom municipality to Victoria. It starts right over the Johnston St. Bridge from downtown, so there accommodation prices are high. Great views and either walk or take the little boat ferries across the harbor. Follow Esquimalt Rd and you end up at the Navy Base. Follow Craigflower Rd for more affordable hotels and motels. Public buses but many rent cars for an easy zip out to Sooke and the Island's west coast.

F is for Fort Calgary

A museum in Calgary on the spot where the original fort was built in 1875. It was named by Colonel James MacLeod of the North West Mounted Police; later called the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He named it because of fond memories of Calgary Beach on the Isle of Mull in Scotland, which is where I was supposed to have been 2 weeks ago. A bucket-list item to go to the original Calgary.

Let’s keep it going! G is for Ghent, one of Belgium’s oldest cities. It’s a university town and I had the pleasure of a quick visit having gotten off the train on the way from Brussels to Brugges. We followed Rick’s walk through to the graffiti alley which seemed so incongruous against the medieval buildings and found lunch at a cozy restaurant next to the river. We enjoyed watching the young ‘uns learning to paddleboard on the river and felt so bad for the ones who tumbled in. It was mid April and they weren’t wearing wetsuits so I imagine the water would be freezing!

I’ll have to add H for my hometown of Huntington Beach. Our nickname is Surf City as it’s the proclaimed birthplace of surfing. There’s quite a rivalry between HB and Santa Cruz, the other proclaimed birthplace of surfing. We host one of the biggest surfing competitions in the world, the US Open every summer. We also have the oldest Fourth of July parade west of the Mississippi. The tradition started back in 1904. Unfortunately, the US Open is cancelled die to Covid. The parade is being modified by not using floats or bands that may “promote” large gatherings. More details to come on that.

H also for Hawai'i (50th state), which might feel it had a prior claim to surfing ...
Many happy visits to Oahu, Maui, Kaua'i and the Big Island -- Lanai still on my bucket list. Nothing quite like singing Mele Kalikimake in December while lounging on the beach.

Laura B, I did mention it was the “proclaimed” birthplace of surfing. I’m sure trademarking the name “Surf City” further legitimized it 😉. I checked with good old Google and according to Wikipedia, surfing was brought over in 1885 to Santa Cruz by 3 Hawaiian princes going to border school nearby.

I is for Ica, Peru A G Adventures tour of Peru in 2010 included so many interesting places other than Machu Picchu. We started from Lima following the PanAmericana Highway along the coast. On this particular day we drove into the extensive Atacama Desert that runs along the Pacific Coast for 1000 kilometres. We lunched at the Huachachina Oasis in the desert, watching sand boarders 'surf' the dunes. The dry environment means artifacts and mummies stay well preserved. It has a fascinating history. Now there is a Peru Hop On/Hop Off bus that gets you to some of the larger towns along that stretch of highway or do a self drive road trip.

J is for Juneau, AK, not the biggest city, but the seat of the Gov't. Mostly visited by tourist cruises, but it's on the ferry line too. Met Sarah Palin there (by accident), found a book I'd been looking for for years in a book shop, and had a fantastic time talking with a couple who make musical instruments (mandolins, lutes, etc) by hand. Nice place. And the food is good!

K is for Kuranda
Kuranda is a picturesque town in far North Queensland, Australia. It's 25 kilometers from Cairns. We rented a car from Cairns. Kuranda is surrounded by the world's oldest living tropical rainforest. One of the main attractions is the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. A wonderful way to see the spectacular view. The colorful Parrots are incredible.

Koalas, Kangaroos are part of the wildlife attractions. The Australian Butterfly Sanctuary is the largest butterfly light aviary in Australia and the summer hemisphere. Love Australia!

K

Kansas

Home to Dorothy, Toto, and Auntie Em.

“There’s no place like home!”

L is for London! I checked and no one has mentioned my favorite city in the world! Was supposed to have visited back in April and I sure can’t wait to return.

London is also my favourite European city I've visited so far. If you're a James Bond fan check out the London Film Museum. It's a fun couple of hours looking at vehicles from Bond movies over the years.

M is for Mostar
The town of Mostar is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s popular destinations. The town attracts thousands of visitors per year. The highlight is the Stari Most, the old bridge. In 1992 Bosnia & Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia. In 1994 the the bridge was destroyed during the Croat-Bosnia conflict. In the late 1990’s the bridge was rebuilt. It was designated a world UNESCO World Heritage.

We had prepared our visit by reading the history. It wasn’t until our local guides told us their stories that made it reality. They were children during the war. Their family were in hiding for 2 years. Incomprehensible story. We were grateful to have had this cultural connection.

N is for Neu-Ulm, a overlooked city on the edge of Bavaria. Like Budapest, Ulm is devided into Ulm/Neu-Ulm; both of which are in different "counties". Ulm is in Baden-Wurttemberg, New-Ulm in Bavaria; divided by the Danube. An attractive city, you can find interesting modern architecture next to buildings hundreds of years older. Good parks, easy walking, and a lack of tourists make this a city I enjoy.

O is for Olduvai Gorge Tanzania. this is one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world....but as a tourist site, well, it might depend on the day and which paleontologist you get doing the talk. This is the location that the Leakeys found evidence of the earliest human species back in the 50's. The site continues to be worked as an archeological site, but not much can really be seen from the main tourist parking. You can arrange to visit the monument placed where Mary found the key fossils, but it is a bumpy dusty ride and not a lot to see. We had a very monotone pedantic paleontologist give the theatre presentation and then talked to us at the monument. Add heat, and it was rather soporific. What bothered me more was that he wasn't averse to walking off with some fossil bone fragments that happened to be just lying around the monument site. Gasp! I had childhood dreams of being an archaeologist until the reality of the working conditions made me choose an inside career. But I couldn't believe how free and easy with his fragments he was.
I am not fully up to date about the museum, but I am hoping they expanded it. In 2012, it was small with narrow corridors and you pretty much had to keep moving given the number of people behind you. If you strike it right, it is very informative, however.
It is part of the vast Rift Valley that runs through so many African countries and was such a vital human corridor in our evolution. It can still be trekked in different areas where animal hazards are less than the plains and green parks. Further west is the Laetoli, another important archaeological site....with foot prints of early man in evidence. There had been discussion of moving the museum from Olduvai to this site and expanding on the Leakey work, but it doesn't seem to have happened. Regardless, it is a beautiful 'off the beaten path' route from Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater through Maasai villages, the Flying Doctors compound, Laetoli and beautiful pastoral type land. Despite high or low season, chances are you'll never see another safari jeep for the 6 hour trip.

P
Pindaya Caves in Burma.

An incredible collection of Buddhas, of every shape and size crammed into a series of caves. Unique.

Q is for Quimper in Brittany. This interesting city is on my bucket list for France. We’ve barely dipped into Brittany during our numerous visits to France and I have this city and it’s pottery heritage on my radar for a future visit I hope!

R is for Ronda - a hill town in Spain. It perches above the El Tajo Canyon. Ernest Hemingway and Orion Welles spent summers here. It’s supposed to be the birthplace of modern bullfighting and still has a bullring.

Edit I need to spellcheck Spellcheck! When I tried to edit it today, it wanted to change it to “Olsen”. I did intend to type “Orson”.

Orion Wells? Orson’s twin perhaps?

Spellcheck is evil!

S - Sintra, Portugal.
I did a wonderful day trip to Sintra from Lisbon a few years ago.
We had an interesting visit to the Pena Palace (love the yellow colour), and enjoyed the view of the countryside from the hill.
Portugal has always been on my travel list, and when I visited I was not disappointed.
I think I need to plan another trip there.

S is for Sarlat-la-Canéda France
Sarlat is a beautiful town north of the River Dordogne. Perfect base to visit the area. Walkable town to visit all the highlights. As you walk the winding medieval cobbled streets their is wonderful architecture that makes this a unique experience. The Saturday Market was our favorite in France. Sarlat is a gastronomic centre well known for their truffles & foie gras and so much more...

T is for Tucumcari, NM. Usually just a place to blow thru on I 40, but well worth the stop. Old route 88 runs through the center of town, but if you're a dinosaur lover the place to stop is the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum; a fantastic collection not in the general public eye.

U

Uruguay.

I've not been there, nor anywhere in South America. But on the very long bucket list.

We're finishing up round 9 through the alphabet and nobody has used Venice. Too obvious of a V? Made it there in October of 2017 and it confirmed to me that planning is my best friend. It can be crowded, it can be touristy, but it is unique. I'm a morning person, so I would have the place to myself for a few hours before everyone else showed up and by that time I was off to other areas that weren't so crowded.

W is for Wiscasset Maine ... went on a business trip to Boston years ago so went a day early, rented a car and made the 2.5 hour drive up I-95 / Route 1 so I could check off a bucket list item ... Red's Eats ... small takeout place with the best lobster roll anywhere ... parked myself at one of their picnic tables and enjoyed the sunny afternoon with my lobster roll and a cold Sam Adams ... still have the picture of the lobster roll pop-up as one of my computer screensavers.

X is for Xaghra which was mentioned before but without any details. Xaghra is on the island of Gozo in Malta. Gozo is a smaller, more rural island than the main island, Malta.

We were on Gozo for 4 nights in January. One day we just missed the hourly bus for Xaghra and unsuccessfully negotiated with a taxi driver (he wouldn’t come down in price), so we decided to walk to Xaghra (everything is pretty walkable on Gozo). We had to go up a big hill but it was a pleasant walk. Gozo is pretty quiet in January.

Xaghra has some nice restaurants on the town square but its big site are the Ggantija Temples which date back 5500 years! The site has an excellent museum as well. From Xaghra you can walk down to Marsalforn and on to the salt pans, but maybe I should save this, because I could use this for another X. Malta is a great source for the letter X!

Y

Yampa Valley, in northwestern Colorado. The Yampa River flows between Wyoming and Utah, with Colorado in between. Its valley now includes the town of Steamboat Springs, which has a park that contains a variety of mineral springs. At the edge of the river, near the park, is a spring that at one time made a “chuffing” sound, which reminded French traders of a steamboat engine. Rocks were subsequently tossed into the spring by somebody during railroad development, and the rocks stopped the unique sound of the spring. The chuffing stopped, but the name remained.

Steamboat Springs now features two ski areas, a small one named in honor of Norwegian Carl Howelsen, who brought ski jumping and skiing to Colorado over 100 years ago, and Steamboat Resort, which brings skiers from around the world to the Yampa Valley.

Winter or summer, it’s said that if you ever go there, you WILL return.

Y is for Yuma AZ, hot in the summer, filled to overflowing with snowbirds in the winter. Home of the former Arizona Territorial Prison. The Colorado River, or rather the trickle of its former self, forms the border between (Yuma) AZ and CA. The area grows 90% of the US’ winter lettuce.
I’ve been to Yuma a couple times years ago for business. No desire to ever go back.

Z is for Zion

I'm sure there are many places with the name, I'll mention the two closest to my heart.

The first is the original Mount Zion, in modern Israel. It's a hill, actually, and the site on which Biblical King David established his city/kingdom of Jerusalem. (Scholars will dispute some of that . . . the existence of King David, who founded the city and when, but the names of these places, Zion and Jerusalem, are authentically ancient.

The second is Zion National Park in southwestern Utah and is my favorite place on earth. It has majestic kodachrome mountains, well worth visiting for a few days for hiking trails at all levels, breathtaking views, and magical sunsets, best enjoyed with a glass of wine and a slice of pie from the Bumbleberry cafe/bakery in Springdale at the main entrance to the park.

A is for Anegada
Anegada is one of the British Virgin Islands. A lowlying coral island. The island is home to Flamingos, rock iguanas and rare plant species like sea lavender. It's the most sparsely populated of the main islands.

When we sailed through the BVI's the highlight was taking the dinghy one evening to enjoy the treasure of Anegada... The local favorite--huge Lobster! Fresh from the local fisherman. In addition we enjoyed the local dishes. We also enjoyed meeting a group of NZ Kiwi's. Ah, a memorable evening!

B is for the Bayeux Tapestry Museum in Bayeux, France. It seems appropriate to tie the next two museums together. They are undergoing or about to undergo a major restoration and with future travels, due diligence is everything. I’ve been fortunate to see the Bayeux Tapestry 4 times in its current museum which I found to be adequate. I hope the tapestry doesn’t get overwhelmed in a new future space. https://www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/actus/the-bayeux-tapestry-is-still-in-bayeux/

C is for the Courtauld Gallery, London. I love this private gallery on the Strand with the best of the best of a chronically sprawling, but compact collection. I see that it is still closed for a major renovation (reopens spring 2021). I hope they don’t get rid of the walking around in a private home feel that I loved. This is on my see again list for a return visit to London. https://courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/collection/paintings

B for Bhutan, the last Buddhist kingdom, in the Himalayas. Staggeringly beautiful & hopeful - this is the country focused on its people's GNH, Gross National Happiness, what a national policy! There's problems, natch, but there's vision & long-range thinking. Being there was life-changing. Victory to the gods.

D is for DeauvilleFrance. Another quaint town in Normandy to add to your wanderings. It is a seaside resort town from the 19C with a casino, golf course and horse racing. Buildings are a tudor look of white stucco/plaster with dark timber insets. The beaches are expansive as the tide really goes out far. The shoreline offers a promenade and there is an interesting harbour.

E

EALING

A London suburb where the famous Ealing Studios are located. Built in the early 1900’s some of the more well known productions have been The Lavender Hill Mob, The Imitation Game, and Downton Abbey. It’s the oldest filming production house in the world.

Ealing is home to my favorite neighborhood pub called The Haven Arms. Also the wonderful Vietnamese Restaurant, Pho Saigon. Another great spot to relax with a cup of coffee and an Almond Croissant is Ginger and Moore.

Pleasant neighborhood to stay in if you choose to stay outside London proper. Quick 10 minute train ride from Ealing Broadway station to Paddington and yes you can use your Oyster card for the excursion.

F for France! I know, that's almost cheating, but doesn't it make you smile?

G is for Griffith Park. In L.A., this is a place most people don't realize has all the various attractions. It's been a set for more movies than anyone can keep track of. The Griffith Observatory, Travel Town (Train collection), Live Steamers (the model railroad started by Walt Disney), the Equestrian Center (Between horses and weddings it's always busy), the Gene Autry Museum (now part of the Smithsonian), two golf courses, the Merry-Go Round, the fantastic Zoo, the Greek Theater, the caves, the Hollywood sign, and, just outside the park, Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. Studios and Forest Lawn. There's even more within a 5 mile radius, Glendale, Hollywood, etc.

L Lüftlmalerei. Have quite a collection of photos from Bavaria and parts of Austria.

H

Hollywood

It’s a misnomer. Although a real place it isn’t what is universally in people’s minds eye.

I live here.

Both Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard from Bronson to La Brea are dotted with crappy Souvenir shops, homeless encampments, and general malaise.

Only a few good spots to eat. In and Out burger ( Orange off of Sunset ), the venerable Mussos and Franks on Hollywood Blvd, Delancey Pizza on Sunset or Birds on Franklin. The latter directly across the street from the Scientology Celebrity Center.

Yes you can drive by and tour Paramount Studios or Sunset Gower Studios and occasionally you might see some filming take place ( look for large white 10 ton grip and camera trucks) but the Hollywood in people’s imagination isn’t a reality.

Either visit Larchmont village ( Sam’s bagels is a favorite) La Brea from Sunset South to Melrose or Los Feliz ( Vermont from Franklin Ave South to Hollywood Blvd.) Those are nice areas of Hollywood.

And to get a good snap of the Hollywood sign be sure to disturb the residents on Beachwood. They love all the traffic and trash.

I for In tourist hell?? Just responding to the above H is for Hollywood. People complain about the crowds and tackiness of some tourist hot-spots in Europe but for me, Hollywood Blvd is the worst, most disappointing famous site I've ever been in the world. We love our trips to LA; Griffith Park Observatory is a gem, Paramount and Warner Brothers Studio Tours, Universal Studios, is the Academy Awards Museum open yet? Lots of movie related places to visit, but Hollywood Blvd, yuck.

J is for Jodphur aka 'the Blue City'. Jodphur sits in the Thar Desert of NW India. A frequent addition to the tourist route due to the prevalence of blue on the building exteriors and the Meranghar Fort that sits high above the city.

K is for Kronberg
This is a lovely little town about 30 min. by train north of Frankfurt. Located in the Taunus Mountains, and possessing an original Staufen Castle from the 1100's, it is worth either staying here for a day or two or visiting from Frankfurt.
They have a great Alt Stadt with lots of Fachwerk (hello Nigel), a beautiful old church with painted barrel vaulting, and was once an artist colony. The daughter of Queen Victoria and the mother of Kaiser Wilhelm II, had a huge estate built here which is now a fabulous hotel. Eisenhauer lived here after WWII and he was working out of Frankfurt. Tons of cute boutique stores and a wealthy resident base.

L for La Paz, Mexico, down near the foot of the Baja California peninsula. Coastal city with a real personality & genuine people, a.k.a. not tourist-driven. Beautiful miles-long Malecon, with good beaches, local fishing boats, better public art than San Diego's. We rented a house for two weeks, walked & biked all over, took out of town drives to Todos Santos & wild countryside, came home to the local supermarket where they'd grill outside whatever you'd just bought inside. Also the best tortillas of our lives, made with sour milk? by the ladies at the tiny shop around the corner. Tortillas for breakfast lunch & dinner! And the fruits, ohh. Very good restaurants & street food carts, artisans' shops, cathedral & lively plaza, a big cultural & performance center, scuba diving, good airport.

N is for Napa.

California's premier wine country, to my mind at its best in the early fall when the grapes are harvested (the "crush") and the whole valley smells of ripe fruit early in the mornings. The fog rolls back over Mt Veeder, folks staying in Calistoga start hunting breakfast, and a day of art and wine and good food commences.

One of my favorite memories is taking a picnic and a couple bottles and sitting with friends on the south end of town, in the small park beneath the statue of the winecrusher, and watching the sun go down and the traffic flow out towards Vallejo.

If you go know that Silverado Trail is the best way up and down the valley. That's the locals route, and frankly the best one for good vineyards.

O is for Obidos, Portugal
Obidos is a charming medieval walled town in the Lisbon region. Historically, Obidos was presented to the Queen of Portugal on her wedding day. It is still a popular location for Weddings.

Obidos is popular for day-trips. Visitors come to walk the narrow-cobbled streets, shop for cork items and enjoy the famous Ginjinha d’Obidos, a sweet cherry liqueur, which is often served in a chocolate cup. One of the memorable sights was the beautiful tiled Porta da Villa, the main gateway into Obidos.

We stayed two nights there. One of those towns that is enjoyed early am and pm after the day-trippers leave. That said, Obidos is an enchanting town to visit on the way to Fatima, Batalha, Nazaré and beyond.

Positano on the Amalfi Coast. Just the view alone was worth it. We were there for a destination wedding and the church the views the food was awesome. We stayed in a bed and breakfast and sitting there outside with the views over the water is something we will never forget although it took forever to get there. We counted eight different segments and thirteen hours. In Naples train station I literally hit a wall and wanted to just turn around and go home which wasn't really an option. First time I have ever almost given up and so glad it was not an option.

Q

Queensland, the northeastern-most state of Australia. Many, many years ago, Qantas Airlines offered an incredible September offer, which included airfare, lodging, and car rental. This was going to allow visiting Queensland locations, including Brisbane, Cairns, and a trip to see the Great Barrier Reef. It didn’t work out to go - extremely long story - so Oz remains an unreached destination, although it remains on the wish list. Too bad the Qantas deal never was offered again. Maybe it didn’t work for them, or maybe it worked so well that they don’t need to promote themselves any further.

Maybe the grounds of Buckingham Palace, inside the gates, is also referred to as Queensland, by some.

Rangeley, Maine. Way inland from the glorious DownEast coast, but on a big lake, mountains to gaze at & ski in the winter, forests & bears & moose, nice people, a rustic-gracious turn-of-the-century hotel, & (years ago) a cafe sign in town proclaiming that Rangeley's latitude is halfway between the North Pole & the Equator.

St Petersburg

I want to spend more time there. So far, only a 2-day stop when on a cruise. So many highlights. Standout for me the Faberge Museum. But so much more.

T

Tallinn, Estonia. While you’re in St. Petersburg, why not venture a bit southwest? I haven’t been to Estonia yet, and it might get combined with a Finland visit, or with other Baltic countries. Tallinn would seem to be a key part of the itinerary. Hope to get there some day!

U is for Utopia(not the little towns in New Brunswick, Ontario, or Texas). The 'real' utopia lives in my brain every time I plan travel. Here, there is never bad weather, transport strikes or ATMs that eat my debit card. This is the city where every attraction I want to visit exceeds expectations, never has line ups and doesn't need prepurchased or timed tickets. Where no one refuses to seat a solo diner, and there is always a seat on the metro when I need to rest my feet. Though the reality of travel is somewhat less than perfect at times, every anticipation of upcoming travel means the next location is Utopia to me.

V is for Virgin Gorda
While visiting the BVI’s we had the opportunity to stop at “The Baths” at picturesque Devil’s Bay Natural Park. The horseshoe shaped bay is a welcome sight at the end of the 15 minute hike through dry scrub vegetation. A second trail leads you through massive granite boulders, where hikers should be prepared to crawl, climb ladders and wade through water. Caution must be used at all times to avoid slipping or falling. What awaits you is a tranquil beach for swimming and snorkeling. Absolutely breathtaking!

It’s one of those experiences that you need a t-shirt that says, “I survived the Baths at Devil’s Bay!”

W is for Wakanda. Someone else mentioned Atlantis and Wakanda looks beautiful in the movie.