TRAVEL IDEAS AND EXPERIENCES

This is my third blog. Hopefully it will garner some viewership.

TRAVEL

I have been to a lot of places in my lifetime, which I am fortunate enough to have done due to the fact that my mom was a travel agent before she retired. In terms of specific countries, I have been to Canada, Great Britain, St.Martin in the Carribean(West Indies), South Africa, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand,and Israel.

Canada is a great country. Apart from being our North American neighbour of the English speaking variety, and of course it's a cold country, but still it has a lot to offer. I went to Canada the first time in the summer of 1989, to both Montreal and Quebec(City). The cities have a lot to offer both in terms of culture and variety. The restaurants are great, the food that is,and the people are NOT as unfriendly as you would have been told to believe. Ironically, as we were driving up through New York State on the way up there,we were listening to the soundtrack to LES MISERABLES, which was set in Montreal, so it added to the ambience,if you will, of the trip.Montreal is primarily known for its restaurants, architecture, skiing(not IN the city, of course!), museums, libraries, and overrall French atmosphere and culture. Its basically known as a little bit of Europe in the New World. But, yes, the weather kinda sucks unless of course you like the winter which is long cold cloudy and snowy and windy, and the summers are not exactly nice kinda warm and muggy. But I remember that trip with affection. Toronto is the largest city, Ottawa's the capital, and I have been to both cities. I saw a Blue Jays game in Toronto, and spent time with family. Ottawa is a great city too if you like history and British architecture.

England I have been to-London specifically that is. It was in December of 1989 and it rained all of the time. Par for the course. BIg Ben London Bridge the Houses of Parliament Buckingham Palace Wembley Stadium Wimbledon Tennis Grounds Thames River Hyde Park Trafalgar Square and Stonehenge are all places to visit. there really is a lot to do in London, with world class shopping, shows, and nightlife. Just of course the rain though could be a problem-sunny days are a rarity here.

St. Martin-well I have only been there once-to be honest and it rained all of the time. I would like to go to the islands again more specifically Aruba and Bermuda(which they say are the nicest!). Its superflous to say much about the islands-needless to say they are beautiful with beaches and outdoor activities galore.

Israel was an experience in and of itself. I was there after the Persian Gulf war and my cousins who live there showed us the "skud masks" that they used in the air raids that were inflicted against the Israelis. A scary sad time in world history, but nevertheless an informative one! Israel is a beautiful country with an equitable climate and abundant natural resources. I was there in the summers of 1991 and 1993. There is a LOT of nightlife and culture there, bars, cafes, restaurants, clubs, very Meditteranean atmosphere and laid-back lifestyle. The beaches are incredible too! Go for a swim in the Dead Sea-you can't drown-its impossible! Obviously the political situation is dire over there-but that shouldnt perturb one from going though. the highlight of my trip, however, was seeing an old friend from elementary school in Netanya. Tel Aviv is the place if you want action, though. Jerusalem more for the history and spirituality aspects.

Well we move on. South Africa was the country I was born in and spent the first dozen years of my life in. Cape Town is probably the best tourist trap in the world I have to give credit where it is due. There is SO much to do and see! Where do I begin? Cape Point, the southernmost tip of Africa, Robben Island, where former President Nelson Mandela spent his 27 years of imprisonment, the Waterfront, with it's restaurants and bars and cafes and clubs,Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, where one can walk and hike and jog and stroll amidst natural beauty, District 6, Apartheid's sad remnant, the last "colored" neighbourhood of Cape Town before the dismantling of the abhorrent political system, Constantia, Cape Town's version of L.A.'s BEVERLY HILLS,(in my opinion),Newlands rugby and cricket grounds(those are the British versions of football and baseball, BTW!), the Houses of Parliament, the Presidents Residence. Muizenberg beach and the Marina Da Gama,. Cape Town also has lots of scenic drives, fairs and festivals, great nightlife and also a good academic institution in UCT(University Of Cape Town).And that's just in CT itself. Needless to say, there is a lot going on in the MotherLand, so I would strongly suggest a visit........... the climate rivals San Diego's too. About 320 days of sunshine a year. That's not bad.

Australia. WOW. ALl of the cities are on the coastline-the rest is known as the OUTBACK-basically the interior desert and what not. Sydney is the largest city. Canberra is the capital. Melbourne is the oldest city.

Check out Sydney Opera House and Bondi Beach. Darling Harbor too. Torango Zoo and the Sydney tower.The Chinese Garden of Friendship and the NAtional Institute for Dramatic Art. Also there is the Sydney Cricket Stadium. Sydney is a great vacation spot,like Cape Town, but even more laid back and tourist-friendly.

Melbourne now.Melbourne has great restaurants, a zoo, an aquarium, museum, and cricket ground. Theatre and the arts are also big in this city. It's not a great beach city(although there are some...) Tennis is big the Australian Open is held here every January, and chess is quite big too. I have been to Australia in 1992, 1999, 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2013. Best vacation country/continent.

New Zealand is very similar to Australia. But they also have some top notch ski slopes(they get a little more snow than Australia, which doesn't get much!) New Zealand is also known for rugby, cricket, and great coffeeshops.

IN Mexico, I have been fortunate enough to go to both Cabo San Lucas and Cancun. probably the best beaches in the Northern Hemisphere. That's all I have to say about it. SUN SUN SUN. Maybe a bit too much-don't forget your sunscreen. Beautiful holiday spot.

South America is the one continent that I have yet to visit. I dont know where I would like to go here, but since I speak un pocito Spanish(a little bit), I could probably enjoy most if not all of the continent. Yet to come.....

Now last but not least the good old U.S.of A. In the united states I have been to: Hawaii, California, Washington, Florida, DC, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Texas, Arizona, Nevada. WHEW! there is so much to discuss about U.S. travel that it might require another blog. But let me state what I WANT to do in the 50 states.

New England is great for snowboarding and skiing and small towns if you like quaint villages and charming cozy sleepy towns, which I do! Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire-I have never been, but want to. Maybe someday Ill take a road trip and enjoy all of what Acadia has to offer.

California is a great state due to its wide variety of climates and natural terrain. In the valleys, deserts, mountains, and beaches you can swim ski snowboard go winetasting go for scenic drives. It truly is a playground state. I LOVE california. L.A, San Diego, San Fran.ALl great cities.

Florida is great pretty much for the beaches and I guess also for DisneyWorld and the Theme Parks. Personally, I kind of like the afternoon rainstorms that often accompany the beautiful sunshine.

The Southern states(Virginia, Carolinas, and Georgia) I have never been to but I think I'm missing out in that respect. The beaches like Virginia Beach, the Outer Banks, and Myrtle Beach they say are wonderful. You can also go skiing in the mountains of these states in winter if they get enough. This is probably an underrated section of the nation-one Id like to explore more if I could.

As for the Mid-Atlantic, I guess the big cities of Philadelphia, NY, Baltimore, and DC all are of interest to me. There's just so much to do! This ALSO would require another blog. New York City is a world unto itself. I'm glad that I live near there and can regularly take advantage of Broadway, sports, museums, galleries,restaurants, shows, etc etc etc!

SO that's where I have been and where I would like to go. I have traveled a lot but there's so much more out there! It's truly unbelievable when you think about it. Even when you don't it is too.

I hope I have inspired some travel ideas and shared some travel experience. If anyone has any comments or feedback or ideas, write on! the world truly is getting smaller and smaller thanks largely in part to the Internet, and hopefully in my future travels I will continue to meet new people and taste new food and have new experiences and do even more fun things!

Thanks for reading-I appreciate it!