Now Where? Proposed Adventures for 2017

Hammock at Sunkist Cabin

It’s January and I haven’t been anywhere yet…Actually I have, but that’s for a later blog. One of the things I do in the early part of the year is speculate on where the wanderlust may lead me in the months to come. Some of my friends have asked if I have a ‘Bucket List’. I do in a manner of speaking. There are essentially three lists at this point: Places I Really Want to See, Places I’d Like to See if the Opportunity Arises, and Places I to Which I’d Like to Return. Until I wrote them, I thought the first was fairly short; it’s about the same length as the other two. Not surprisingly, the lengths of these lists ebb and flow as I learn about different parts of the world. Several trips are already planned for 2017 and more are in the works.







Two travel intensive trips are scheduled for the spring and early summer. Dave and I are off to China with Viking Cruises. China is one of my Places I Really Want to See and we’re scheduled to visit the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Terra Cotta Soldiers. There are other exciting destinations that are scheduled, as well, along with the adventure of

Spires in Prague

sampling local foods and interacting with the locals. We’re still working on getting visas for entrance into this intriguing country, but that should be no issue if the two governments involved will continue to cooperate politely.

Another place I’ve wanted to go is Budapest. Later in the spring another Near-Normal Traveler, Barb, and I will be taking a ‘beading cruise’ through Bohemia. We’ll start in Prague (see Peeking in on Prague, Art Time after Time, Just Bead It, and Weirdness in Bohemia) then wend our way through Vienna, finally arriving in Budapest. I’ve not been to Vienna, so I’m anxious to tour that lovely city as well. We’re going with a Canadian tour company that uses public transportation within each city, so this will be another adventure.

Back in the US, Dave and I are planning two road trips. The first is to Monument Valley. Although I’ve been all around the area, I’ve never seen the place that provided a backdrop for so many of the early western movies. Our other excursion is to a small town in Texas to

On a road trip with Dave

tour a turn of the century bordello. I’m not quite sure how this got on Dave’s radar, but it sounds like fun so why not!

And of course, I’ll be on the road to beading events. At this point, I’m looking forward to going back to San Francisco for Beading by the Bay. This time I’ll stay a few extra days with a friend; we have a history of shenanigans, and I have no reason to believe this visit will be any different. Temple, Texas is the site of a bead retreat that three of us visited last year and it’s on our agenda for February. There are several places to explore in this little town; who knows what we’ll find. In September I’m back with the group that really got me started with beading; the Black Mountain retreat is a special time to catch up with old friends. Later in the autumn I’ll be somewhere new in California and perhaps in Connecticut with a new group of beaders.

As always, there are small towns in Texas with interesting histories that need to be visited. I’m sure that Dave, Vince, and I will poke around several of these, perhaps finding new places to eat, museums to see, and other places with unique stories to hear. In any case, my passport is up to date, my suitcases are ready to pack, and my walking shoes are in good repair. Come on, let’s go!!

Off to another port

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