Hot Air Balloon Ride - AtoZChallenge

Since the theme for my challenge is bucket list, I figure some of these things are going to be higher than others on the 'it would take a lot to make this happen' scale than others. Some deceptively so.

'H''s post is pretty accessible - plenty of local options to the point that at least once a year they fly over my front yard.

Well, like not that many, but you get the idea.

Hot Air Balloon ride. I've always wanted to try it. A little thing with a fear of heights in coordination with a fear of falling (Some people will tell you that's the real fear, not heights. Those people are jackasses.)

However, the curiosity remains. And I may have figured out a stepping stone.

The magical rodent's lair offers tethered helium balloon rides.

I think this may be the year I check this one off my bucket list.

Greece - AtoZChallenge

As with 'E', this is a complete no-brainer for me. My interest in seeing Greece probably started somewhere in early elementary school, a quick lesson in Social Studies, a fleeting history assignment with nifty illustrations in a decades old textbook.

My goal in visiting Greece evolved as I got a bit older. While historic sites are still at the top of my list, I have since discovered another compelling reason to go.

Gorgeous. 

There's a lot of stairs though. A lot of stairs.

Faroe Islands - AtoZChallenge

One of the cool things about thinking about a bucket list is when I look back on all the places and experiences I've already been able to cross off, most of them long before I'd ever heard the term bucket list.

There are plenty of 'F'-based ideas. Fluency (of other languages... or even maybe just my own). Fifty years of marriage (celebrate, and then beyond). Fjords.

I'll take advantage of the fjords idea and go a little bit more specific with the Faroe Islands. I can't begin to do this justice, so take a look for yourself.

Egypt - AtoZChallenge

This entry for my A to Z Challenge, Bucket List Edition, was by far one of the first that popped into my head at the beginning of the month.

I have been fascinated by Egypt's history and its historical sites and artifacts nearly as long as I can remember. And unlike my ability to lay a fair amount of my Anglophile-origins at the door of PBS (in conjunction with the BBC) and the Walt Disney Company, I have no idea what sparked my curiosity and captivation with Egypt's extensive history.

I have been fortunate enough to visit a touring exhibit of King Tut's tomb. I have seen, shall we say, pillaged artifacts in museums from the US of A to France, thanks to archaeological juggernaut that began in earnest in the late 1800s. I have been nearly brought to my knees at coming face to face with thousands of years old items I've previously read about in books or watched documentaries on.

So yeah, Egypt on my bucket list is a no-brainer.

Dublin - AtoZChallenge

I struggled a little bit with this one. For the life of me, perhaps due to the current hectic nature of my life, all I could think of was dogs & donuts. And now I need a cuddle and I'm hungry.

And then I thought about Disney. But I just 'C'ruised around the world in my previous blog post, so Disney parks around the world seemed a little...lazy.

So I went with Dublin. 

I have long been in love with the idea of visiting Ireland. Pretty much any place I can land upon is fine by me and Dublin fits the bill as the ideal entry point.

I cannot confess to any particular site or museum that draws my interest, it is in fact more the point that it evokes a kind of tip of the iceberg of a grand and beautiful adventure in a place I've not yet been but long to experience. 

Cruisin' - AtoZChallenge

I like cruises. Even when scenes from The Poseidon Adventure inevitably race through my brain (each and every sailing), I'm pro-cruising.

That's a whole lot of inner peace right there.

But when it comes to bucket list-level of cruising, I'm talking about the BIG dream.

A cruise around the world. A floating hotel taking you around the world, visiting exotic ports of call, and docking just outside of world wonders. Not having to worry about travel logistics or connecting flights. Not having to hustle luggage around from place to place. Hell, no oversize baggage fees.

With the right volume of books/ebooks, a laptop charger and a solid humidifier, I'm so game to try this out.

I can't for the life of me figure out the winning lottery numbers, nor can I figure out how I wouldn't give myself a stroke worrying about everything and everyone back home. But, the idea of this is enough to make me the drunk kinda giddy, puppy love kinda giddy, staring off into space with a dopey grin giddy.

Bavaria - AtoZChallenge

Day 2 and I'm already spinning my wheels for a topic. Be a... I have lots and lots of 'be a...' ideas but that seemed like taking the easy route.

Belly dancing? I've always been fascinated. I've got this amazing cousin who gets into all sorts of adventures and cools stuff and her exploits reminded me that this is still something I'd like to give a go - spine and joints willing. Full disclosure? I kinda 💗the bangles and outfits.

It's prom all over again.

But at the end of the day, it's got to be Bavaria for my bucket list.

'cause of this

and this

and so much of this

And that's just the tip of my Bavarian iceberg. I have a group of ancestors from deep in the heart of the area. History, views, food, genealogy? Totally a must-do trip in my lifetime. Hopefully more than once.

And somewhere, deep in my family history archives, there is a photograph floating around of me as a toddler wearing real-deal lederhosen. Not a cute, Heidi-esque dirndl. Nope, a stiff as hell, made from real leather boy's lederhosen. But that's something for an altogether different therapy session.

To my immense relief, I missed out on that snazzy hat.