By The Way...

Here we are again: Another Thursday afternoon, another Weekend Assignment! By now, you should know the ruls: I come up with a topic for you to write about on your Journal or blog, and then you go off and write it up -- then come back here and drop off a link so that we can all see what you wrote. Simple yet satisfying

We're coming up on Memorial Day Weekend, when many of us will be traveling to spend vacation with friends and family, so I thought the following would make for a fine assignment:

Weekend Assignment #7: Share the vacation you most want to take -- but haven't taken yet. (Extra Credit: Show off some recent vacation photos.)

For me, the vacation I've always wanted to take is to New Zealand. And I want to say my interest in New Zealand isn't merely based on The Lord of the Rings; I'm not all about the hobbits. My fascination with the place goes back a long time, and mostly due to the fact that some of my favorite creative folks from there: For example, Neil Finn (the creative force of Crowded House, and once of the best songwriters of the last couple of decades), film directors Peter Jackson (who I was watching back when he was doing ridiculous slasher films) and Vincent Ward and Jane Campion, and author Janet Frame. It's also been a setting in a couple of my favorite science fiction books, Friday by Robert Heinlein and Earth by David Brin (in the last one, it's the Kiwis who save the world).

All of those piqued my interest in the place, and of course the more I learn about the place, the more it sounds like the place for me. I'm not one of those people who really wants to be disconnected from civilization but still likes the idea of going somewhere that isn't totally overrun; New Zealand seems to offer that combination. And of course, every picture I see of the place is just lovely. I'm sure there are dumpy places on New Zealand just like anywhere else, but no one's been showing me pictures of those.

I fully intend to go one day, and when I visit, I plan on staying for more than a week. No, I wouldn't move down there (apparently the New Zealanders are terrified that post-LotR, American geeks will flood the country and file for residency), but it seems like a place that's worth spending a month. Maybe two! One of the nice things about being a writer is that you can do it from anywhere, right? You guys wouldn't mind if I did my Journal entries from Christchurch or Wellington, right? Well, then, it's settled.

That's my fantasy vacation. What's yours? Write it up in your Journal and then come back and leave a link. I'm looking forward to seeing where it is you'd really love to go.

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• #76 Comment from largo731 
  6/23/04 1:05 AM | Permalink

  http://journals.aol.com/largo731/LargosJournal/entries/109
• #75 Comment from littleirishelf 
  6/4/04 10:34 PM | Permalink

  I had to answer this one, now that I've had a chance to collect myself after Assignment # 8.
  My dream vacation would be to go to Ecuador. It's so beautiful there (from the pictures I've seen) and it has so many different cultures and landscapes! I would love to visit the Andes, the rainforest, the pacific beaches, and the Galapagos Islands. My son would probably get a kick out of the Galapagos. Having watched "Finding Nemo" about a million times, he would love to see real sea turtles.
  If you go to my journal you can see photos of my last sort-of vacation. I went to Washington DC for the March For Women's Lives. MY BODY MY CHOICE.
  
  http://journals.aol.com/littleirishelf/MusingsandNonsenseinMyhead/
• #74 Comment from jsexynsweet 
  6/3/04 2:20 PM | Permalink

  My dream vacation??.....hmmmmmmmmmm.....i would have to say would be to go to the bahamas!!......Ive always wanted to be into this fantasy ........If i am to ever get there one day i am gonna LIVE IT UP........OH BABBY WOULD I LIVE IT UP!!!.......
• #73 Comment from grimace4200 
  6/2/04 12:49 AM | Permalink

  the dream vacation for me would be to australia. i love the open wilderness and i think that with all the talk about it that is where i would like to visit. australia for me has always been a place where i think that you could go and fulfill all your wildest fantasies. see cause i would definitly think cooking over an open fire is the best way to cook and i love seeing animals and being ther to watch them, and with so many animals originating from that area and the friendliness of everyone there that would be ideal. theres really no crime much ther that you hear of and im quite sure it has its problems doesnt evrywhere?
  the way i would like to travel there would be able to take a cruise there to the place where i would get on the plane to get there. taking a bath in a waterfall has always been a thing for me and just swimming in crystal clear water would be great!!!!!!!! so for me and my dream vacation and fsantasies thats where it would be
• #72 Comment from yellowrose949m26 
  6/1/04 4:42 PM | Permalink

  The vacation I want to take but haven't yet...that is a three way tie for first and here is their order of importance to me.  First, Ireland  being that I am Irish and in the last few years have gotten very interested in seeing the place where my family came from.  Second, Italy because I pride my self in my Italian cooking and love the idea of the people and their joy for life and love of family.  Third, anywhere tropical where I can get a little umbrella drink and lie in the sand while the water laps at my toes.  I guess right now as crazy as my life is anywhere even for a few days would be a vacation for me.  Especially if I didn't have to cook, pick up my kids clothes, feed animals, or do anything except read and soak up some fun.  
  Heather aka...yellowrose949m26