Gotta Love National Geographic!

I am a little bit obsessive-compulsive when it comes to certain things like planning my trips, eating my M&Ms, and loading a dishwasher.

Also, about what my desktop background looks like. And for that, I go to National Geographic. (www.nationalgeographic.com) They have a section called Photo of the Day, which I have mentioned previously on this blog. (Trier, Germany) The photos are generally spectacular, with a different theme each month. Much better than any stock image that comes with a computer.

This morning, on my daily check for the Photo of the Day, I noticed a couple of other sections on their website. Really, I was looking for what I have decided will be my Christmas gift to myself (after I move into my new house, which is why I don't have it already) - a set of hard-cover books called the 500 Best... Road trips, food trips, journeys, hidden journeys, etc. - I think I am going to get myself 4-5 of the series. ANYWAY, what I found were two sections that I hadn't noticed before: Adventure and Travel. And within each of them, a list of 20 must-see places this year!!! (Lists figure high on my Most Favourite Things List) :)

After a VERY brief glimpse, I decided that the Adventure section was a little to... adventurous for me, but oh, the travel section is just right!

For example:

Crimea. Did I even know it existed? Embarrasing as this is, before reading this article, I thought it was a prison. Maybe used in the Cold War. Now, it is absolutely on my list of places to see. And can I just say, Shame on my Geography curriculum!!!

Because this is just a little bit of what the National Geographic writer has to say about it:

...The Crimean Peninsula, with its voluptuously curved Black Sea coast of sparkling cliffs, is paradise... Russians practically wept when, after the breakup of the Soviet Union, Crimea was pulled out of the orbit of Russian rule and became part of an independent Ukraine.

Etc., etc.

Wow. Two things: 1) I really want to see that, and 2) Where do you learn to write like that???

Needless to say, my bucket list is going to be expanding rapidly. And my trip plans for this year are probably going to change a little bit - partly because one of my travel companions is unfortunately not available, but also because there are some really good ideas on this list!! And my sister has been exploring places I want to go to, and also, I told my Mom that I would try to put together a girls-only trip to New York that she could come on. Hmmm. I should really try not to forget that.

P.S.
A side-note for anyone that reads this blog and is wondering, it is no longer a nie/phew... I am expecting a nephew in May!