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Okay, the first thing I'm going to do here is pop up this disclaimer.
I have never been to Paris, France, or any other country in Europe or Asia. The only country I have ever visited is Canada. And, yes, I was in Canada for leisure around the turn of the decade, the century and the millennia (1999). I can even say I was in Canada a few years before that when we went on a Soo Locks tour and spent all of five minutes within the Canadian border on Lake Superior (though I'm sure it also technically doesn't count). Anyway, all travel entries will be about the places I want to visit. All images are snagged from the internet through a search engine.
A little bit of a throwback to the past.
When I was a little girl, the very first country I ever wanted to visit was Switzerland. I was ten. Beyond citing National Lampoon's European Vacation, I honestly cannot recall why I wanted to go to Switzerland. Probably I liked to say Switzerland. And they have mountains. As a little kid, I'd never actually seen the mountains (that wouldn't come until I started attending conventions back in 2000). I do love mountains (I enjoyed my time in Salt Lake City six years ago, and I've enjoyed Colorado, as well).
So even as a young child, I wanted to go beyond the country where I live. Now, as I've already mentioned, the first country I've actually visited is Canada, which isn't a bad start. It doesn't look all that different from the U.S., geographically speaking, so it's kind of hard to believe you've stepped out of the country, until you catch one of the posted speed limits. Then you know for sure you're in Canada.
My dream jaunt is to either start in Iceland or Japan (if I start with Japan, it'll be two weeks there, hopefully a week in China so I can stand on the Great Wall - that's all I really want to do in China; stand on the Great Wall and just actually feel its immenseness), spend a couple of days in Moscow, Russia, and then go backpacking across Europe for three months. If I were to start in Iceland, it would be basically be the reverse. Three months in Europe with a few days in Moscow, then to China and ending in Japan. We'll see how well I can make all of this a reality. ^_^
Right now, my heart is really, really, really yearning for France. I want to learn more of the language - I've known a few words and phrases here and there throughout my life; over thirty percent of the English language comes from the French; it's now a matter of taking everything to the next level. If you were to tell me that I had to limit myself to one location right now, it would be a toss up between Tokyo, Japan, (I do love Japanese culture) and Paris.
So why France, of all places? Why go to a country that a good portion of the people are rumoted to be quite rude to tourists, especially Americans?
Well, for starters, I can blame a little bit of this on Hetalia. While Francis Bonnefoy is not my number one favorite character, he is a favorite. However, that's only a little bit.
See? Francis is just so much fun!
The bigger portion of this has to do with wanting to go to new places, to learn new things, to absorb a way of life that's totally different from what I know, and to just be, to live, and to experience. I think I've mentioned before my ethnic heritage in a previous entry. If not, well, I'll go through it again because I'm an American, and I have a fascination with my family's ancestry and how it was uprooted to be in this country. I am English, Irish, German, Scotch, Hungarian, Norwegian, Native American, and French.
Yes. I said French. My dad claims there are hints of French and Belgian through his family line, based on his Ancestry.com search results - I'm going to go for Momondo's DNA journey again next year because I truly believe there's more in there than what anyone on both sides of my family realize.
Also, to note, the French isn't just French nationale but it's also French Canadian. It's through my mother's side of the family, and they were here long enough to have established something in Canada before immigrating to the United States. And the French side is of noble blood. One of my uncles found our family crest (there are two family crests on my dad's side of the family.)
And who wouldn't want to see this?
What would I expect upon entering France?
Quite honestly, I would expect to run into a lot of people who speak French. Hence, the desire to learn the language. Plus, I want to translate my novels into other languages. That would be so much fun. Time-consuming, hair-pulling out-ing, why did I even think this was a good idea thing, but an overall it was worth it thing.
I would expect to walk along streets and areas that are far, far older than any city in the United States. I live in Philadelphia for a short while. It's one of the oldest cities here, and I was just so in love with it. And I loved the French Quarter of New Orleans. The French blood in me sings whenever I think of visiting this mother country of mine.
I would expect to be in a land that's not just brimming with history but overflowing with it, to the point where I'd feel like I was drowning in the sensation, and I'd just love it.
I would love to walk amongst the gardens there. Yes, visiting the Eiffel Tower is a must, but I don't want to do just the tourst-y stuff. This would be more than just a bucket list trip. This would be an adventure of a lifetime, a way of reconnecting roots with my part of the tree and maybe healing that ancient connection. This would transcend the physical into the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of my life.
And, of course, food. I love food. I work as a server. How can I not love food, right?
Finally, I would like to see more of the city, and of the country, than just the Eiffel Tower. My Ecosia search (hey, they plant a tree every time I use them - I like that!) yielded a lot of pictures of the famous landmark. There were a few others, but the majority were of the Eiffel Tower.
Destination #1 on my dream world travel blog: Paris, France.
I have never been to Paris, France, or any other country in Europe or Asia. The only country I have ever visited is Canada. And, yes, I was in Canada for leisure around the turn of the decade, the century and the millennia (1999). I can even say I was in Canada a few years before that when we went on a Soo Locks tour and spent all of five minutes within the Canadian border on Lake Superior (though I'm sure it also technically doesn't count). Anyway, all travel entries will be about the places I want to visit. All images are snagged from the internet through a search engine.
A little bit of a throwback to the past.
When I was a little girl, the very first country I ever wanted to visit was Switzerland. I was ten. Beyond citing National Lampoon's European Vacation, I honestly cannot recall why I wanted to go to Switzerland. Probably I liked to say Switzerland. And they have mountains. As a little kid, I'd never actually seen the mountains (that wouldn't come until I started attending conventions back in 2000). I do love mountains (I enjoyed my time in Salt Lake City six years ago, and I've enjoyed Colorado, as well).
So even as a young child, I wanted to go beyond the country where I live. Now, as I've already mentioned, the first country I've actually visited is Canada, which isn't a bad start. It doesn't look all that different from the U.S., geographically speaking, so it's kind of hard to believe you've stepped out of the country, until you catch one of the posted speed limits. Then you know for sure you're in Canada.
My dream jaunt is to either start in Iceland or Japan (if I start with Japan, it'll be two weeks there, hopefully a week in China so I can stand on the Great Wall - that's all I really want to do in China; stand on the Great Wall and just actually feel its immenseness), spend a couple of days in Moscow, Russia, and then go backpacking across Europe for three months. If I were to start in Iceland, it would be basically be the reverse. Three months in Europe with a few days in Moscow, then to China and ending in Japan. We'll see how well I can make all of this a reality. ^_^
Right now, my heart is really, really, really yearning for France. I want to learn more of the language - I've known a few words and phrases here and there throughout my life; over thirty percent of the English language comes from the French; it's now a matter of taking everything to the next level. If you were to tell me that I had to limit myself to one location right now, it would be a toss up between Tokyo, Japan, (I do love Japanese culture) and Paris.
So why France, of all places? Why go to a country that a good portion of the people are rumoted to be quite rude to tourists, especially Americans?
Well, for starters, I can blame a little bit of this on Hetalia. While Francis Bonnefoy is not my number one favorite character, he is a favorite. However, that's only a little bit.
See? Francis is just so much fun!
The bigger portion of this has to do with wanting to go to new places, to learn new things, to absorb a way of life that's totally different from what I know, and to just be, to live, and to experience. I think I've mentioned before my ethnic heritage in a previous entry. If not, well, I'll go through it again because I'm an American, and I have a fascination with my family's ancestry and how it was uprooted to be in this country. I am English, Irish, German, Scotch, Hungarian, Norwegian, Native American, and French.
Yes. I said French. My dad claims there are hints of French and Belgian through his family line, based on his Ancestry.com search results - I'm going to go for Momondo's DNA journey again next year because I truly believe there's more in there than what anyone on both sides of my family realize.
Also, to note, the French isn't just French nationale but it's also French Canadian. It's through my mother's side of the family, and they were here long enough to have established something in Canada before immigrating to the United States. And the French side is of noble blood. One of my uncles found our family crest (there are two family crests on my dad's side of the family.)
And who wouldn't want to see this?
What would I expect upon entering France?
Quite honestly, I would expect to run into a lot of people who speak French. Hence, the desire to learn the language. Plus, I want to translate my novels into other languages. That would be so much fun. Time-consuming, hair-pulling out-ing, why did I even think this was a good idea thing, but an overall it was worth it thing.
I would expect to walk along streets and areas that are far, far older than any city in the United States. I live in Philadelphia for a short while. It's one of the oldest cities here, and I was just so in love with it. And I loved the French Quarter of New Orleans. The French blood in me sings whenever I think of visiting this mother country of mine.
I would expect to be in a land that's not just brimming with history but overflowing with it, to the point where I'd feel like I was drowning in the sensation, and I'd just love it.
I would love to walk amongst the gardens there. Yes, visiting the Eiffel Tower is a must, but I don't want to do just the tourst-y stuff. This would be more than just a bucket list trip. This would be an adventure of a lifetime, a way of reconnecting roots with my part of the tree and maybe healing that ancient connection. This would transcend the physical into the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of my life.
And, of course, food. I love food. I work as a server. How can I not love food, right?
Finally, I would like to see more of the city, and of the country, than just the Eiffel Tower. My Ecosia search (hey, they plant a tree every time I use them - I like that!) yielded a lot of pictures of the famous landmark. There were a few others, but the majority were of the Eiffel Tower.
Destination #1 on my dream world travel blog: Paris, France.
