Travel: Flee the Vortex, But to Where?

Some parts of the mainland are colder than Anchorage, Alaska today, and all I know is that leaving my hiking boots home in favor of my tattered, paint splattered high-tops was about the worst idea I've had since...well, it was a bad idea. Naturally, my mind has been escaping far away to dream about places I wish to visit or return to, though oddly many of the places I've been idly daydreaming about are not warm.

Perhaps it is the beginning of cabin fever, but I've been looking back at photographs to trips to New York City, Montreal, Florida, and other places longing merely to escape the monotonous trudge of daily life and go somewhere else.

It is those thoughts that brought me to read more about places I've always wanted to visit, especially in the BBC's Travel section where I often frequent during lunchtime in the week, and eventually to write about them as I see them.


London, Britain


Twilight over London from New Zealand High Commission

A stop for perhaps most travel enthusiasts, I am looking forwards to visiting London in the future. Hopping across the pond has been a goal of mine for quite a few years now, and as I wish to get my MFA in London at one of the art/design colleges, I figure it would be a good thing to visit the city before I make any plans towards actually living there. (And maybe get my BFA first too...)

Some attractions in London:

-Tate Modern: Ever since I wrote my senior paper on Ai Weiwei and explored through writing the sunflower seed exhibition he showed in Tate Modern, I've written this modern art museum onto my 'must see' list. Entry is free, which is a plus (and something I am unused to; most NYC museums/art galleries have ridiculous entrance fees) and sitting on the Thames the restaurant is supposed to offer great views.
-Royal Albert Hall: I'm a concert going type of person, and an opera enthusiast, and a musical lover, so I really want to visit the Royal Albert Hall and soak in the architecture and atmosphere while enjoying some Puccini perhaps, or whatever is being performed at the time.
-The Angel and Crown: Truly, the best way to know a city is by its food, and after browsing some of the top noted pubs and restaurants I grew interested by The Angel and Crown, located on St. Martins lane. Mind you, I've no pub experience, much less a British pub, so if anyone has been to the A&C, let me know how it is.

Colorado, USA



Rocky Mountains

The farthest West I've ever traveled is the border of Tennessee and Kentucky, and to be honest, other than a few far West points of interest like Seattle, San Francisco, etc, I don't think too much about the stretch of land between Tennessee and the Pacific Ocean. Mind, I know it is there, but not much fuss is made about it and I don't feel a pull towards the West like I do towards Europe, save perhaps Colorado.

Vermont has beautiful mountains, the Adirondacks of New York are impressive (and I hope to hike some of them later this year), however the awesome sight of the Rockies are something I want to see for myself. High altitudes, gorgeous scenery...I imagine I'll be packing a couple sketchbooks and cameras to try and capture the place.

Things to do:
-Grizzle-T Steamboat Dog Sledding: I have a husky at home, but she is a poor excuse for her breed (Though, she is the absolute best dog I've ever known) and refuses to pull anything, including me when I am on a run and need a little motivation. Dog sledding has been something I've wanted to do for a while, and I like the approach this dog sledding place. I'd definitely want to be taught how to drive my own team, and from exploring the website a bit the place certainly seems to enjoy their dogs and wants to allow others to connect with the dogs in the way that they do.
-Cave of the Winds: Remember that little piece I wrote about the Secret Caverns here in upstate New York a while ago? My love of caves certainly hasn't stopped since then, and I distinctly remember reading about this cave in one of my classes a couple of years ago. What I like about the tour styles of this particular cave is the option of a lantern guided tour. There is something about that which makes me eager to try it.
-Rocky Mountain National Park: And naturally, hiking, photography, rock climbing and the like are outdoorsy things that are attractive to do in Colorado, and where better to go but the Rocky Mountain National Park?

Montreal, Canada

I've actually visited Montreal, however my trip was cut rather short as I was on a trip with my French class. My mother got to come as a "chaperone" (really, I convinced my teacher to let her come because I knew she'd love it) and we had a blast together. It was one of the few times that I broke my sworn vow not to take weekend trips anywhere that I could easily spend a week in and I lived more than half a day from, and though I am glad I went, I definitely could have used more than the two days that I spent.

While in Montreal I saw cosplayers in the metro, the beautiful colors of the Basilica de Notre Dame, and stayed in a hotel that, if I has been wiser at the time, overlooked much of the city if you stood in the pool room and would have made for fantastic photographs. I visited the Biodome and was yelled at by my class (which the exception of one of my close friends) for taking too long, but I couldn't help it, truthfully.

We also went to a restaurant that I regretfully cannot remember the name of, and had a plate of excellently grilled petit calmar. To sum it up, Montreal is an excellent place to go if you'd like to practice your French, see beautiful architecture, get mixed up in a cultural melting pot, and eat some cooked squid.

Lovely places to stop:
-Basilica de Notre Dame: The architecture and use of color in this spectacular Basilica is enough to make your head spin. I was spellbound by the Casavant organs and my neck hurt from looking up at the immensely detailed ceiling. This is a place to go to feel awe, quite simply, and admire those great artists who created such an extravagant place of worship.
-Biodome: Explore different ecosystems in this magnificent espace pour la vie. Kids and adults will enjoy and appreciate the range of biodiversity that can be found under one roof. I distinctly remember loving the tropical region (because it was warm) and doing a fun creature search. There is also an incline elevator above the Biodome which leads up to an observation area, if I recall correctly.
-Pointe-à-Callière: This was the very first thing I did in Montreal and it is a fantastic introduction to the city. If you are scholarly and love history like I am and do, you will immensely enjoy the tour of this museum and beneath it, where much of the history lies.

Lapland, Scandinavia

It is rumored that one can see the Northern lights once in a blue moon here where I live, however whenever the "possibility of seeing them is high" (as says any local reporter) it tends to be cloudy, and as such, I've never seen them. A place to go see them however, is the Lapland up in the northern parts of Scandinavia.

I'd love to go backpacking up there and pitch a tent for a few nights out there in the great expanses and maybe catch some sights of the Aurora Borealis occurrences. It would be another great place to bring some art supplies and a few cameras and might even inspire some music (enter offbeat Nightwish reference).

What do you do in the North?
-Rovaniemi: Apart from having a neat name, the so called "Official Hometown of Santa Claus" (See link) is one of the most interesting cities I've ever researched. Sure, it isn't as expansive or large as any of the "great" cities (London, Paris, NYC, etc), however from ice hotels to the beautiful places to see the Midnight Sun, Roveniemi appears to entangle the Lapland with the modern world in a truly intriguing way.
-Ylläs-Ski: Though I've never been on skies, I certainly want to, and the slopes at Ylläs-Ski seem to be conducive to someone who hasn't skied much or at all, and wants to improve.
-Camping: Let's be honest, who wouldn't want to do a few nights camping out under the stars in the beautiful, wild country?

Been to any of these places? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, and if there is anywhere I should include in later travel posts, write them down and I'll keep them in mind!


(Source of Lapland photograph: HibaHaba Flickr)