Pond Prompts - 5/20/09

Five places I would like to visit are:

1. Norway. I have Norwegian heritage, so this is my number one place I'd like to visit. I don't just want to go there because I'm Norwegian, though - it's also a very beautiful place with spectacular landscapes and charming cities.

2. Ireland. If there's a place as beautiful or more beautiful than Norway, it's Ireland. I can't wait to go there and sample some of the cuisine and listen to the pub sessions. I will feel right at home with all the green everywhere you look.

3. New York City. Actually, I have mixed feelings on going there. What if it doesn't live up to my expectations? What if it overwhelms me? How can I possibly get to know the place without living there for many years? In my heart, I do want to go, but I wouldn't be too disappointed to keep New York in my dreams.

4. The Azores. What? You ask. The Azores is a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean belonging to Portugal. I knew nothing of this place until I saw Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations episode there. It looks like a tropical paradise, every bit as gorgeous as Ireland. Not only that, but the people seem very friendly and welcoming. The food looks amazing too, at least the things I would enjoy.

5. Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Those mountains look spectacular. Ansel Adams knew them, and he let us see them through his photography. This would be the easiest trip for me to do, what with Wyoming being just a few states over from Oregon.

I'd also like to someday visit India, although I have mixed feelings about that one, too. It's a grand place, but it is nothing like America. It will be very foreign to me, and possibly overwhelming, not to mention really hot. However, I would like to go because it's one of the most enchanting places in the world, and because my sister is from there and I want to see her place of birth.