Let’s travel in 2010!

2009 is really going downhill fast now. Soon we will be entering the second decade of the 21st century. And it makes me wonder … where will I be traveling in the next few years.

I know this year’s trip is planned, or semi-planned. Just for how long,  I don’t know yet. My plans are to be in Europe for at least two months. Leave Pittsburgh early May, off to Bucharest, Sofia and Belgrade. Find my way to Oberammergau where I will be attending (what I consider to be the highlight of the trip) the Passion Play (trust me, I will have a lot more to say once I actually witnessed it). From Fussen (I could not find any accommodation in Oberammergau, so I’ll be staying in nearby Fussen, home of the castle of mad King Ludwig) over to Croatia where I plan to visit Rijeka, Pula, Makarska, ending in Dubrovnik for a few days.

From Dubrovnik, the ferry across to Bari in Italy and onto Sorrento where I plan to stay for at least a week, probably more, visiting Pompeii, Capri and the Amalfi Coast before I revisit Rome. This time I will make sure that I throw a coin over my shoulder into the Trevi fountain (by doing this, legend has it that one will return to Rome) and visiting the Colliseum and Panthenon (which I could not do last time, due to the strike by the crazy people at the gas stations). After a few days in Rome, onto the Italian hilltop towns/villages, such as Cortona (where “Under the Tuscan Sun” was filmed), Perugia (infamous place of Foxy Knoxy), Siena, and who knows what else, before I return.

None of the above is etched in stone. It is simply the way I travel. It is why people like to travel with me. If I find a place I like, I stay … if I don’t like a place, I move on (Venice, Montreal). Look at the 15 pics below … these are places that I intend to visit. Of all these, I have only been to Dubrovnik and Rome (obviously they command a follow-up visit). Whether I will get to all 15 of them, I don’t know … what if I like a place so much, that I want to stay longer? Something has to give. My experience is that it is better to enjoy the known, than venture into the unknown. There is always next year to visit the unknown!

I guess a long-winded way to wish y’all the very best for 2010 and may this be the year for good travels … whether it’s your first time, or another visit … expand your horizons and TRAVEL!