"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere,
I want it more than I can tell.
And for once it might be grand
To have someone understand
I want so much more than they've got planned."
Am I the only one that got emotional and thought of my Bucket List as Belle sang these words in the latest Beauty and the Beast with Emma Watson? I know it's easy to stay home, breeze through daily life and put dreams on the back burner. Life goes fast and leaves us wondering where the time went. I know that when I die, I want to go knowing that I lived an adventure. Although I have a lot more that I want to do and see around the world, here are my top 10 so far:
1. Hike the Inca Trail - In high school, every fall, our school would have camp and let us all sign up for what we wanted to do. One year, I signed up to hike the Inca Trail. Basically, we started at the highest point in Bolivia and hiked for four days to get to the lowest point in the country. It was so hard, but I'm so glad that I did it! It was a once in a lifetime chance.
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| Inca Trail 2001 |
2. Go island hopping in Greece - In 2003, my dad took a trip over to Greece to speak in a church. Lucky for my sister and I, he invited us along with him! We stayed with friends over there for three weeks, went sight seeing, ate amazing food, stopped at many of the beautiful islands and walked through hundreds of adorable little streets. It was a gorgeous country. But one of the most unique parts of the trip was walking in the same places that Paul walked! Although I know that the Bible is real and true, it's good to be reminded by seeing places, like Corinth, in real life.
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| Greece 2003 |
3. Stand under the Eiffel Tower - Yea, ok, make sure you go to the top also. But even more than the view from above, I was shocked at the size of the Eiffel Tower while standing below. I had no idea it was that wide and tall! We didn't get much time in Paris since it was a short layover on our way home from Greece, but I'm glad we took the chance to ride the subway, see the tower and eat a Nutella crepe (I've never eaten one that tasted better than that one) on the street.
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| Paris 2003 |
4. Take a dip in the Dead Sea - It was so strange to try my best to force myself under the water and not be able to do it. You can't help but float and bob on top of the water. And it's so salty that they only allow you to stay in a maximum of 45 minutes for your safety. One thing I have to say is that it did wonders for my skin. By the time I got out, my skin was the softest it had ever been! If you like to try new skin care products, I would recommend trying the Ahava Dead Sea Mud. I got some of their products while there and loved using them after I got back to the USA. Now, I see that they are available here, even at TJMaxx sometimes!
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| Dead Sea 2005 |
5. Visit Cristo de la Concordia - It was modeled after the one in Brazil, but it's found in Cochabamba, Bolivia! The Christ is almost 900 feet tall and has an amazing panoramic view of the surrounding city. Plus, if you like a good hike and aren't afraid of getting mugged, you can take the 2,000+ stairs instead of the quick and easy drive. When growing up here, we would bring visitors and feel motivated to climb, until about 1/10 the way to the top and then regret our decision to hike. It's not for the faint of heart.
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| Bolivia 2010 |
6. Steal a kiss at the top of Lovers Lane - The Faroe Islands have the be one of the most beautiful places in the world. Every view is breathtaking. And the people are the absolute most welcoming. Staying for two weeks in Klaksvik will always hold special memories for us. One of my favorite days there was when we hiked up Lovers Lane to overlook the city. The tradition is to kiss your love at the top.
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| Faroe Islands 2012 |
7. Goof around at Giant's Causeway - A few years back a friend was getting married in Ireland, so we made it a two week vacation to see the country! Giant's Causeway was one of my favorite places we saw because of the crazy way the rocks are naturally shaped. The world has so many mysteries and I love to see them with my own eyes and wonder.
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| Giants Causeway 2014 |
8. Spend the night in a castle - I had no idea how many castles there are around the world. Disney movies are probably the reason why I believed that the only places that had castles were the ones that also had a king and queen living in them. So, naturally, it would seem that there was only one castle for each country. Not true! They are actually all over the place. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I found out my friend's wedding was being held at a castle and we would be staying there overnight!
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| Ireland 2014 |
9. Roam around in Scotland - While on the subject of castles, we headed over to Scotland after leaving Ireland. For five days, we walked the streets of Edinburg, toured the castle and even spent a day in Stirling. We both love history and getting a glimpse into the lives of people from the past. It's so interesting how they lived and how far we have come. Plus, it's awesome when you see your last name "Stewart" all over everything in the castle...we felt like royalty. And you see the yellow/red crest above Nick's head in the photo below? That's his family crest! So, that was exciting :)
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| Scotland 2014 |
10. See the sunrise on Koko Head - Earlier this year, a friend invited me to go with her to Hawaii. Um, yes! I volunteer as tribute. It was absolutely beautiful, the weather was great and the food was amazing. We had such a good time. Although it was super hard, one of the best things we did was wake up at 4am and hike to the top of Koko Head to see the sunrise!
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| Hawaii 2016 |
There is so much to do and see and eat around the world. You won't ever run out of options. Maybe that's why my Bucket List continues to grow each year! It's like I check off one thing and add three more. Just remember: don't be afraid to go somewhere new, get lost and change your plans. Some of our best memories come from just winging it!
Where are your top favorite places to see or things to do around the world?
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