The End of the Alphabet

Honestly, I think when people start these alphabet challenges they partly do it just to see what people do with the letters at the end, so here goes...

W

Washington DC-a place I love to visit.  My favorite is the Jefferson Memorial, but there are many museums that I need to visit: the Textile Museum, the National Museum of Crime & Punishment, and the National Museum of the American Indian to name but a few.

X

Xian, China-a place I want to visit, particularly since a former housemate is from there.

Y

Yellowstone National Park-another place I want to visit.  Yes, there are places in the US that I want to visit too!

Z

The Zoo!  I love to visit the zoo, no matter what city I'm visiting.  Here's picture or two from my last trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo:

Valais

The next time I go back to Switzerland, I want to go back for the cow-fighting season in Valais.  Yes, you read that right-the cow-fighting season.  Never heard of it before?  I hardly believed it myself when I first heard of it, but apparently it's a proud Swiss tradition, not to be missed:

United Kingdom

"The complexities of the English language are such that even native speakers cannot always communicate effectively, as almost every American learns on his first day in Britain."
~The Mother Tongue

Now that I've spent some time in London (and understand a bit more British English!), I want to go back and explore more of the United Kingdom. I'm fascinated by the country-not only from a sightseeing perspective, but also from a linguistic perspective.  As Bill Bryson writes in his book, The Mother Tongue:

"A paradox of accents is that in England where people from a common heritage have been living together in a small area for thousands of years, there is still a huge variety of accents, whereas in America, where people from a great mix of backgrounds have been living together in a vast area for a relatively short period, people speak with just a few voices." 

This linguistic variance is cleverly showcased in the play The 39 Steps (a tribute to the Alfred Hitchcock):

T is for....

T is another tough letter for me...but this time because there were too many options. 

For one, I should probably talk about Tunisia....or Tunis....and do some sort of summing up of my time there.  But I haven't yet reached any deep insights about my time there.  I can only suggest that people read my blog of my time there.

Or, I really should talk about Tamil Nadu...and the time I spent there and how it affected my life.  But, I did quite a bit of that on my original blog, so it seems kind of silly to repeat that here.

So, instead, I think I'll talk about Toronto.  This city was one of my favorite places to go to with Malinda.  We'd take off for a long weekend and wander around and do things that we couldn't do in Rochester.  Here are a few pictures of one of our trips there:

Chinatown

Gerrard Street-with all kinds of Indian shops!

I was so excited when I realized the place I ate chaat
was in the movie 'Bollywood/Hollywood'!

Malinda & I in our new purchases

South America

I'm starting to think that maybe my next continent to discover should be South America-but where should I go?  Which country?

Rochester

And of course I have to mention Rochester as part of my blog.  I lived in there for many, many years during my college and post-college life.  I have many good memories of the city-reenacting, Dorothy's Home for Young Adults, English tutoring and International Student Network events, Vineyard(s), the summer of Risk, Dharma & Greg, CSCH, Intervarsity, Indians, the zoo, High Falls, California Rollin', Great Northern Pizza, Thali, The King and I, Dinosaur BBQ-to name just a few.  Unfortunately, my opinion of Rochester is always shaded by memories like this:

The Queen

One of the things I didn't do when in London was take a tour of Buckingham Palace and/or Windsor Castle.  I only saw the outside when I went to see the changing of the guards.  I'm not a big follower of the Royal Family (I didn't get up early to watch the latest Royal Wedding!) but I still think it would be interesting to visit.  Maybe on my next trip to London.  :)

Pittsburgh

So I don't actually have a lot to say about the city right now, but, since I'm living back in the 'Burgh, I'm sure it will feature more in upcoming posts after the challenge is over. 

Orlando

I'm really hoping to visit Disney World in Orlando as part of a family vacation next year.  I've only been to the Magic Kingdom once, back in high school (which was so long ago I barely remember!)  :)

Northeastern states (of India)

Another place I want to visit in India is the Northeastern states.  Nicknamed the Seven Sisters, comprised of the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura, this area is somewhat off the main tourist path (which is part of what is so appealing!)  But most of the appeal lies in the opportunity to see the vast wildlife sanctuaries and tea plantations that the area is known for.  Though the appeal is great, it may be quite a while before I get to see these places-tensions in the area are usually quite high, making it difficult for foreigners to get permits to visit.  Plus, this is one place I believe I'd prefer to visit with someone who knows the area well. 

Mumford

I couldn't let this challenge pass without mentioning the travelling I do every summer that I'm in the US.  Summer for me means Civil War reenacting.  The event at Genesee Country Village & Museum was the first one I attended, so I've dedicated my 'M' post to it.  Here are some pictures from Mumford over the years:

2002-My very first event! 
Malinda cobbled together a dress for me to wear to the ball.

2003-I was hooked, so we finished the dress

2004-the battle on the Great Meadow

2004-The Union Signal Corps captured our captain!

2004-Mark ate the code so that it wouldn't fall into enemy hands

2008-The battle on the new field

2008-York Signal Detachment

2008-Fighting in the town

2008-Camp life

2010-My new dress up partner, Maggie

2010-My soldier gear

L is for...

..umm...let's see...

I partly didn't get around to writing this post yesterday because I was travelling and I partly didn't write it because I'm stumped.  Yes, I'm stumped by the letter 'L'. 

I could write about London or Lausanne, Switzerland-places I've been-but you can already read about London on my blog here and here and about Switzerland here.

And for places I'd like to go...ummm...well, I suppose sometime it would be fun to go to Las Vegas.  Everyone says it's crazy and fun...but I have to admit, it's not really high on my list.  Or Louisiana...yeah, sometime I think it would be fun to be in New Orleans for Mardi Gras...but then I remember that I don't really like visiting crowded places...watching people engage in all kinds of debauchery.  

Hmmm...I think I need some more 'L' place suggestions! 

Kerala

I'm going to retire here.  I decided that on my first trip to India.  There's just something about it.  Maybe it's the tropical climate.  Or the verdant vegetation.  Or the food (mmm...appums with coconut milk...)  Or maybe it really is God's Own Country. 

In any case, I've fallen in love with Kerala-and each and every place I visit in this state makes me love it a little more.   I first visited Cochin (Kochi):

Santa Cruz Basilica

The Chinese fishing nets

Your choice of fresh seafood

Kathakali, the traditional storytelling dance of Kerala

Then I vacationed at Kovalum Beach near Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram):

Coconuts drying in the sun

So many different kinds of bananas

I also visited Aleppy (Alappuzha) for a tour of the back waters:

Our houseboat

Aleppy is sometimes referred to as 'the Venice of the East'
as its' canal system functions like a highway grid

Isn't all so beautiful?  Don't you just want to move there immediately?

Jaisalmer

One of the places that I really want to visit in India is Jaisalmer.  I don't know know exactly why, but something in the Lonely Planet description I read when planning my first trip to India drew me to it.

Jaisalmer is known as the 'Golden City', which makes me imagine it as opulent yet ethereal.  However, since it is located in Rajasthan, in reality it is probably hot, dusty and overrun by touts. Yet, somehow I still want to go... 

I, I, I

Like Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love, I have my own trio of 'I' countries that I want to visit in my lifetime-albeit for different reasons (and probably not in one shot paid for by a book advance!). 

India, of course, is on the list.  Though I have taken three trips there and lived there for two and half years, there are still many places I have yet to visit-Amritsar, Calcutta, Rajasthan-to name just a few (and I might be naming a few more in upcoming posts!)  Hmmm....in fact, I probably could have done my whole A-Z Challenge on India.  But, I have to admit, learning to pray in an ashram is *not* on my list.  Shopping, on the other hand, is-anytime and anywhere in India.

Second on my list is Italy-but not just to eat...though if the pizza there is anything like the pizzas I had across the Mediterranean in Tunisia, I might be persuaded to start a relationship with it...



If I went to Italy, it would be to be a tourist and see the sights.  And to visit Northern Italy where my family comes from.

Last, but not least, on my list is Ireland.  Mainly ever since I saw this movie:



How can you not fall in love with Ireland (or Irish men!) after watching this movie?

I'm not sure what I'd call my book, though: Shop, Tour, Enjoy? Hmm...doesn't have quite the same ring to it...so much for that book advance...

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Blogs to visit: The Multicolored Diary, Three Years Down, Alison Amazed, You Can Get There From Here, For the Love of Writing, Nonna's Recipe Box, Anything But Work

Hyderabad

One of my favorite Indian cities to visit is Hyderabad.  I've been there twice-once as a tourist and once for a friend's wedding.  Hyderabad has so much to see, two trips there aren't enough to do it all.

The Birla Mandir

The Buddha statue in the Hussain Sagar

Ramoji Film Studios-where you can see the sets
from all your favorite Bollywood movies

Golconda Fort

The Charminar (and don't forget shopping in the bazaar!)

Dressed up for the wedding

Actually, when I think about it, my memories of Hyderabad are more tied up with spending both trips there with one of my best friends.  And, now that she lives there, I'm so excited to have the opportunity to spend more time there with her!