Traveling

Found on MetaFilter: The National Geographic‘s list of 50 places you should visit in your lifetime. I’ve seen ten of the 50 places.

Urban Spaces: London, Paris, San Francisco.

(I’m not counting New York because I only changed planes there twice.)

I’ve visited a friend in London who worked there as an au pair. It was a great way to see the city because she had already spent half a year there and knew her way around. That way, we didn’t only see the most famous sights, but other parts of London as well.

I’ve been to Paris twice, but unfortunately I have to admit that I visited mostly tourist attractions there and very little of the “normal” Paris. One of the reasons for that probably is that I don’t speak French very well. It’s easier to get around if you know the language.

I think I like San Francisco even better than London and Paris. Of the cities with 500,000+ inhabitants I know, San Francisco is probably the only one I would want to live in.

However, I would definitely add Amsterdam to my personal list of cities you’ve got to see. I like the atmosphere and the architecture – and the people. All the Dutch I’ve met were very friendly and open, and that’s one of the reasons why Amsterdam is such a great place to be.

Wild Places: Grand Canyon, Serengeti, Greek Islands

I’ve been to both the North and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, but I guess you have to hike down to really see its beauty. It would be wonderful to be able to visit Grand Canyon without the other thousands of tourists that visit every day, though.

I’ll talk about Serengeti later this month… wait and see.

Of the Greek Islands, I’ve been to Crete. There are many interesting places to see there, but I was especially impressed by the ruins of Minoan temlpes such as Knossos (and the palace. I spent two weeks in Crete with Imke after the Abitur (German highschool diploma), and it was the second time in my life that I really understood what history is all about. I was not really interested in the subject in school, but trips to Tuscany and Crete changed that.

One of the wild places I would like to visit no longer exists: Glen Canyon, as it was before the dam was built.

Country Unbound: Alps, Big Sur, Tuscany.

My parents often took my sister and me to the Alps in the summer when we were kids, so I’ve been there at least five times. I think I would like to go again some time and hike (which we didn’t do much back then).

Big Sur: Just look at these photos. Need I say more?

In 13th grade we went on a school trip to Tuscany. We stayed at Florence and explored nearby towns and sights. The historical sights were simply amazing.

New Zealand is also listed in this category. I’ve been dreaming of going there for years… hopefully the dream will come true one day!

World Wonders: Cyberspace

Yeah, I’ve been there, obviously. But I think it’s strange that they consider Cyberspace to be a World Wonder. Can you really compare the internet to the pyramids, the Hanging Gardens or the Colossus of Rhodes?

What’s on your list of places to see?

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