So the bucket list has been laid out. At least in its current form – I doubt it will stay limited to what is already there.
But now let’s talk about what may happen in 2012 in terms of progress…
Vail was highly recommended by friends who live in Denver who have skied in many places in Colorado and Utah. They say it is one of the best places to ski. To me Vail had sounded more where people go to brag they went somewhere where the “in” people go. But the endorsement of the quality of the slopes really drew me in. So… good snow permitting, I shall be making it there in March! Can’t wait.
Though I have been to Rome twice already, I have never been able to make it to the Sistine Chapel. So this April, I hope to finally explore it though I can imagine how crowded it will be which may take away from enjoying it fully…
On that trip to Italy, some of my fellow travelers and I agreed that going to Pompeii is a must. Having been to Italy now 3 times and never having seen it is a crime. Getting there will also allow me to savor if only for an afternoon, the Amalfi coast – a place I will likely want to return to some day, I am sure to relax.
I decided when the trip to Rome with my friends came up that perhaps I should add on some other destination to the trip. A Greek isle other than Mykonos (which I visited last year) would have worked but then I thought: somewhere in the Balkans would be cool. After playing with maps, direct flights available from Rome, and boat routes, I decided hitting Dubrovnik would be ideal. It also helped me decide that www.viator.com had from Dubrovnik day trips to Mostar in Bosnia and Kotor in Montenegro – places some travel tweeps had mentioned in various chats over time and that, after reading more about them, I felt were worthy of my bucket list as some of the most interesting sights in those countries.
Though I don’t have a timetable for it, it is a crying shame that I am working with a client 2-3 blocks from the White House and that I still have not toured it. Why wait so that I have to plan a trip to DC and then figure out how to get tickets specific for that date when I am here in DC every other week already?? But this “easy” access, like sights in one’s own hometown, seems to make this bucket list item slip from consciousness… So I am determined not to let it go. I will tackle it in the next couple of months!
Finally, the only other item in the bucket list that I have plans for this year so far is Romania. I don’t if it is because it starts with an R like my name (!), or because it seems remote and unknown (therefore, exotic), or because of something else, it is in the bucket list. Well, this summer, a non-profit helping orphanages around the world has planned a lite hiking trek in the mountains of central Romania around Brasov. I know one or two people going on the trek and it just seemed perfect for me to see Romania, to hike in some beautiful mountains and, of course, see the castle of Dracula – LOL!
God willing, these items will be crossed off the bucket list this year. I am already itching to see what else can I accomplish in the last 5 months of the year – or maybe I should enjoy some domestic travel to see friends and family and leave something from that bucket list for next year 😉
