I Love to Travel!

We visited South America a third time in November 2007, picking up Argentina and Chile, on our way to Antarctica. In February, 2009 we went to Australia and New Zealand getting my 6th continent. In 2010 we went to Egypt and Jordan so, with that, I now have had the pleasure of visiting 39 countries across all 7 continents in 43 years.

My husband has more - Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey. Since he had been in Egypt before we were married, with the 2009 trip to Australia, he had already been on all 7 continents! He was in Egypt before the Aswan High Dam was built so was most interested, 40+ years later to see the antiquties moved from the sites where he first saw them in 1967

Also in 1967, he was in the air flying between Bierut and Damascus, when the plane suddenly was in serious cross fire between fighter jets! Seems, that was the start of THEE 6-day war in the Middle East! The plane turned, and dove sharply, bringing the passengers back to Lebanon, where they took buses to Damascus. A week or so before, he had been in Greece, when the Shah was overthrown, and martial law was imposed. Other than that, his 10 week architectural trek was uneventful. That's "living" history more than I would like!

Countries I have Visited

Antarctica	2007	France	1965	New Zealand	2009
Argentina	2007	Germany	1965	Norway	1965
Australia	2009	Greece	1993	Peru	2003
Austria	1965	Greenland**	2005	Puerto Rico	1976
Bermuda	1968	Grenada	1976	Scotland	2000
Brazil	1972 & 2007	Iceland	2005	Sri Lanka	1985
Canada	every year*	India	1985	St Maartens	1976
Chile	2007	Israel	1993	Sweden	1965
Curacao	1976	Italy	1965 & 1993	Switzerland	1965
Denmark	1965	Jordan	2010	United States	47 states so far - need Alaska, Hawaii, & N. Dakota
Ecuador	2003	Martinique	1976	Vatican City	1965 & 1993
England	1965	Mexico	1955 & 1961	Venezuala	1976
Egypt	2010	Netherlands	1965	Virgin Islands	1976

* - We have a cottage on Lake Huron, near Kincardine, Ontario, so we spend as much summer time in Canada as we can. Beside that, we live in a suburb of Buffalo. NY, so Canada is just across a bridge, any one of four bridges.

Before that I, and then we, lived in Michigan, so crossed the Mackinac bridge many times, back as far as the year it opened, 1957. (Only bridge I have ever crossed that kind of freaks me out - too high, too open.) Honest to God, once a small car blew OFF the bridge and fell to the strait waters below, killing the occupants. They have closer railings now. After the bridge, we could cross into Canada via Sault St. Marie, Michigan. My brother and his family lived in the "Soo" for several years. For many, many years we crossed into Canada at Port Huron/Sarnia to go to the cottage.

** Did you know that Greenland is the 4th country in North America? The divide between the North American and the European tectonic plates runs through Iceland, which is east of Greenland. However, the time zone of Western Europe juts out across two "times zones" to include Iceland in the same time zone as England, Spain and Portugal. I suppose that is for business reasons.

With very long winter dark and very long summer light, who cares what time it is in Iceland at any given point? Reykjavik doesn't really get started partying on weekend nights until midnight anyway. They party harty, and the females are in high boots and mini-skirts in October. The Gulf Stream moderates the temperature in Iceland. They heat year around with thermal energy from the underground thermal pools of the geysers. When we were there in September, they had not opened their two ski resorts for two years for lack of snow. Iceland isn't icey (that name was to discourage visitors) and Greenland isn't green (that was to encourage visitors).

The Galapagos Islands are part of Ecuador, and we were fortunate enough to visit those remarkable islands, and see the abundant wild life there, including warm water penguins, blue-footed Boobies (white birds with brillant blue feet), lots of crabs walking the beaches,seals all around and the ENORMOUS tortoises. Wow! The Galapagos are awesome!

Getting to Antarctica was a fulfillment of a life-long dream - and it didn't disappoint! It too was awesome. We were there in Nov. 2007, in the couple weeks between when, a) the MS Explorer completely sank after hitting an iceberg, and b) the MS Fram lost all power and drifted into, and continously bumped into, a tall glacial wall for 45 minutes before power was restored. That was the brand new ship we had been on just a couple weeks before. No deaths either time, but I'll bet it was scary, and I am glad we were there in between happenings!

Sydney, Australia is gorgeous! Viewed from the water, there is this beautiful, thriving, metropolitan city with its skyscrapers, on a magnificant harbor with sail boats, pleasure crafts, cruise ships, the whole nine yards, and then the cu de gra - the absolutely stunning Sydney Opera House! Enough said! It really needs to be seen to be believed!

Favorite Cities (places) - in alphabetical order